So I played the part. I tried to conceive, hoping a child would grant me leverage to negotiate my exit.
Fate had a twisted sense of humor. The child I couldn't keep became my liberation.
The video of Bonnie and Evan pushing me into the sea was powerful leverage, but the true key was the surgery. A woman without a uterus—a woman who could no longer breed heirs—was useless to the Delgado lineage. A depreciating asset.
I had succeeded.
The price was steep. I paid with my body and my unborn child. But it was better than rotting by Evan's side, wasting my life as a glorified prisoner.
From this moment on, he would never see me bow again. He had lost the power to make me admit defeat.
Watching the oxygen return to my flushing face, Evan finally faltered. His grip loosened. He turned away, unable to meet the cold emptiness in my eyes.
He spoke only one sentence, his voice low and devoid of warmth.
"Alice, you brought this on yourself."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "That we've reached this point today... it's all your own making."
His gaze was obscured by the shadow of his lashes, impossible to read. Yet his coldness triggered memories I thought I'd buried.