I died giving birth to my twins, and while doctors shocked my heart back into rhythm

The fall was swift, merciless, and absolute.

Within two hours of the live ballroom arrest, the Sterling family patriarch, Arthur Sterling, held an emergency press briefing disowning Chloe. He stripped her of her trust fund, evicted her from the family penthouse, and publicly surrendered all company records involving her transactions to the federal prosecutors to save the core Sterling empire from total ruin.

Chloe was dragged into central booking screaming like a banshee, her designer clothes replaced by orange cotton scrubs, her makeup smeared across her face.

Flynn was denied bail immediately due to the severity of the attempted murder charge against his own infants. But prison was only the beginning of his retribution.

At 4:00 PM, Jonathan sat across from me in my private study at Hart Crest. The afternoon sun bathed the room in warmth as I held Maya against my chest, burping her gently while Leo slept peacefully beside us in his bassinet.

"Vance Global has officially ceased operations," Jonathan reported, handing me the final liquidation order. "Every asset, patent, and property has been absorbed into Hart Holdings at a valuation of zero dollars. His personal debt to your family trust stands at forty-seven million dollars. Even if he survives his prison sentence, every dollar he ever earns in his life will be automatically garnished by the court to pay restitution to Leo and Maya."

"And his family?" I asked softly.

Flynn’s mother and sister had spent years mocking me. Whenever I visited their home, his mother would hand me an apron and order me to clean the kitchen while Flynn sat on the sofa laughing. His sister had repeatedly demanded that Flynn divorce me because I "brought no prestige to the Vance name."

"His mother and sister were evicted from the luxury villa this afternoon," Jonathan smiled thinly. "The lease was in Vance Global’s corporate name. When the marshal arrived, his sister tried to hide three Hermes Birkin bags in her luggage. They were seized as bankruptcy assets. They are currently staying in a budget motel on the city's outskirts, with their credit cards declined."

I looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows toward the city skyline. For years, I had stayed silent, pretending to be ordinary because I wanted to believe Flynn loved me for who I was, not for the billions attached to my surname. I had swallowed insults, tolerated neglect, and endured cold nights alone while he partied with socialites.

I had almost paid for that naivety with my life and the lives of my children.

"Ensure the prosecution pursues the maximum sentence without plea bargains, Jonathan," I said coldly. "Twenty-five years minimum. No parole."