My husband abandoned me while I was in labor during a violent storm

While the Henderson family was being systematically dismantled by the courts and the press, one snake still remained lurking in the tall grass.

Victoria Vance.

The daughter of the disgraced attorney Marcus Vance, Victoria was a woman who lived by social climbing and manipulation. She was the one who had convinced Michael to spend that fatal night in the Grand Bay penthouse, filling his head with delusions of becoming an international mogul while his pregnant wife froze at home.

It was a Tuesday afternoon when the security desk at the Brooks estate gates alerted us to an unexpected visitor.

"Mr. Brooks," Briggs’s voice came over the intercom in the library. "A woman identifying herself as Victoria Vance is at the main security post. She claims she possesses sensitive personal documents regarding Ms. Sterling and insists on an audience. She says if we turn her away, she goes straight to the press."

I froze in my chair. The mere mention of Victoria’s name caused a cold surge of nausea to rise in my throat.

Daniel, who had been reviewing legal briefs at his desk, didn't even look up from his papers. "Detain her vehicle at the secondary gate. Have the security team bring her directly to the receiving lounge. Search her for recording devices first."

"Understood, sir."

I stood up, my fists clenching at my sides. "I want to be there, Daniel."

Daniel set his gold fountain pen down and looked at me, his gaze evaluating. "Catherine, you don't have to face her. She is a scavenger looking for scraps from a burning house."

"No," I insisted, my voice ringing with absolute certainty. "Michael was the weapon, but Victoria was the poison. She spent months sending me anonymous messages, dropping hints about their affair, trying to drive me to miscarry from stress. I am not hiding behind closed doors anymore."

A flash of fierce pride crossed Daniel’s eyes. He stood up, buttoning his jacket. "Then let us receive our guest."

Ten minutes later, Daniel and I entered the cold, marble receiving lounge on the ground floor.

Victoria Vance was pacing across the room like a caged animal. She was wearing an oversized pair of designer sunglasses, a tight leather trench coat, and carrying an alligator-skin clutch. But beneath the glamorous facade, her nerves were frayed. Her lipstick was slightly smudged, and her manicured nails tapped against her clutch in a frantic, erratic rhythm.

When she saw me walk in beside Daniel, her lips curled into a defensive, venomous sneer.

"Well, well," Victoria said, pulling off her sunglasses to reveal bloodshot, arrogant eyes. "Look at the virtuous mother, playing house with the billionaire savior. Tell me, Catherine, did you rehearse that pathetic routine in the snow, or did you just get lucky?"

Before I could speak, Daniel took a half-step forward. The sheer weight of his presence made Victoria flinch, her arrogant smirk faltering.

"You have two minutes to state your purpose before my guards escort you off the property in handcuffs, Victoria," Daniel said, his voice flat, devoid of any emotion. "Choose your words with extreme caution."

Victoria swallowed hard, but her desperate greed quickly overtook her fear. She unzipped her clutch and pulled out a thick thumb drive, slapping it onto the mahogany side table.

"Michael was an idiot," Victoria sneered, looking directly at me. "He thought he was a mastermind, but he left his digital footprint everywhere. On this drive, I have two years’ worth of private correspondence, medical records, and financial disclosures that Michael copied from your personal computer, Catherine. Including your late father’s private medical history before his passing."

My stomach dropped. "You stole my father’s medical records?"

"Michael did," Victoria corrected with a wicked, predatory grin. "He wanted leverage in case you ever tried to divorce him. And now... I have it. If this hits the tabloids, the Sterling name will be dragged through the mud. They'll paint your father as an addict who squandered his empire, destroying the value of your new timber trust before you even launch it."

She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with extortionist hunger.

"Five million dollars, Brooks," Victoria demanded. "Wire five million to an offshore account in Belize, and I give you the drive, sign an ironclad NDA, and disappear from this country forever. Otherwise... Catherine’s precious family legacy becomes public entertainment."

Silence settled over the room.

I looked at the thumb drive, then at Victoria’s smug, triumphant face. A month ago, this would have shattered me. I would have wept, panicked, and begged for mercy.

Instead, I took a slow, measured step forward.

"Do you really think my father’s legacy is defined by a piece of paper Michael stole?" I asked, my voice calm, steady, and chillingly confident.

Victoria blinked, caught off guard by my lack of panic. "Don't act tough, Catherine. You know what the media will do to his memory—"

"The media already knows," Daniel cut in smoothly.

Victoria’s head snapped toward him. "What?!"

Daniel gestured slightly toward the double doors. Two agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, dressed in dark windbreakers, stepped into the lounge, flashing gold badges.

"Victoria Vance," the lead agent announced. "You are under arrest for interstate extortion, possession of stolen corporate property, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud."

Victoria’s face drained of every ounce of blood. She backed away toward the fireplace, knocking over a crystal vase that shattered against the hearth. "No! This... this was a private negotiation! You set me up!"

"Every room in this facility is equipped with federal-grade surveillance," Daniel informed her coldly. "Your extortion attempt was broadcast live to the Assistant United States Attorney who has been monitoring your father’s firm all morning."

"You b***h!" Victoria shrieked, lunging toward me with her manicured nails bared like claws. "You ruined my life! Michael was mine!"

She didn't even get within two feet of me. The FBI agents grabbed her arms, pinning her against the wall with textbook efficiency. Within seconds, heavy steel handcuffs clicked shut around her wrists.

I walked up to her, looking directly into her wild, terrified eyes.

"Michael was never yours, Victoria," I whispered with quiet venom. "Michael was a coward who used you just like he used me. The only difference is... I survived him. And you are going to prison for him."