CHAPTER 13
When Nina stepped into the house, everything felt wrong. As if this wasn’t her home anymore, not the place she’d lived in for so many years. She felt like a stranger here.
Frank walked straight into his office without a word, not even glancing back.
Nina froze in the middle of the living room and closed her eyes. He’d crossed the line. There was no turning back now. Tonight, she would throw Frank Osborne out of this house. Let him go to his mistress, to his son—to the life he’d been building behind her back.
She went up to the bedroom and immediately saw her phone. It lay on the nightstand exactly where she’d left it. Completely dead—exactly as she’d expected.
Nina plugged it in and, while it powered on, felt something harden inside her—resolve. She couldn’t live in this web of lies anymore. She wouldn’t tolerate it for another second. She swallowed as the memory of his grip on her wrist and his cold voice in the car flashed through her mind.
“If you don’t want to end up back there again, lower your voice.”
A chill crept slowly down her spine at the look in his eyes, at the tone of his voice.
The phone powered on, and notifications began flooding the screen. Nina grabbed it without checking a single one and called Daphne first. God, she hadn’t contacted her in almost two weeks. Of course Daphne must’ve been worried.
Daphne picked up almost instantly, as if she’d been waiting for the call.
“Hello?”
“Sweetheart, hi.” Nina tried to sound cheerful, but everything inside her was shaking. She missed her terribly—desperately. “How are you doing?”
“Fine,” Daphne replied coldly, detached. As if she wasn’t even glad to hear from her. “How about you?”
“I…” Nina stumbled. “I’m okay.”
Had Daphne really not noticed her disappearance? Had she not worried when she couldn’t reach her?
“Dad said you had another breakdown.”
Nina clenched her teeth until her jaw ached. So that was the story now.
“There was no breakdown,” she snapped. He was lying to their daughter.
Silence on the other end, but Nina felt her daughter’s irritation.
“Mom, you really should take better care of your health. Maybe you should’ve stayed in the hospital longer.”
“What?”
“I don’t want you losing it in front of my boyfriend or my friends one day.”
Pain struck instantly, as if the ground had dropped out from under her. She’d always supported her daughter in everything, protected her, denied her nothing, given her everything. Daphne had been the meaning of her life. And this was what she received in return.
“You—” Her voice broke, something clenched in her chest. “Are you ashamed of me, Daphne?”
“Mom…” Daphne sighed, and there was so much cold irritation in that sound that it made Nina flinch. “I just pray that no one ever finds out my mom is crazy.”
“What did you say?” Nina couldn’t force the word out.
“That’s why I moved to the other end of the country, Mom. I’ll call you later.”
She had actually said it. This wasn’t a dream, not a hallucination, not some monstrous nightmare. This was reality, and it was shattering her heart. Nina couldn’t believe those words had come from her daughter’s mouth.
The phone felt like dead weight in her hand as Daphne’s words echoed in her head again and again.
“I pray that no one ever finds out my mom is crazy.”
“That’s why I moved to the other end of the country, Mom.”
It felt like a knife to her heart.
The phone rang again, making Nina flinch when she saw the name.
Robert Stanfield.
Her fingers trembled as she answered.
“Nina!” His voice was sharp, agitated, furious. “Where the hell have you been? Why weren’t you answering your phone?!”
She stayed silent for a moment, pulling herself together.
“Robert… what happened?”
“That bastard of yours pulled a stunt while you were gone that still turns my stomach.”
She froze.
“What… what did he do?”
“First of all, he filed for emergency guardianship using a fabricated medical declaration that says you’re no longer competent to manage your own affairs.”
The world tilted. Nina clutched the arm of the chair to keep from falling.
“What?!”
“The court granted it. On paper, you no longer have the right to make decisions for yourself, Nina.”
“No… that’s… that’s impossible.”
“Second—while you were locked in that clinic, he pushed through a sham transaction and sold your shares.”
“What?!” Her voice cracked.
“They now belong to a certain Vivian.”
“That’s… that’s not true.” Her voice came out hoarse. She couldn’t breathe.
Robert didn’t stop. She didn’t want to hear anymore, but he went on.
“Third, part of the property has already been sold.”
“No… How could he do that?”
“He found out I froze the transfer of the shares at your request, so he moved everything behind my back—and fired me.”
“What…?”
“He said I’m too old and it’s time for me to retire.”
Nina couldn’t process it. Couldn’t accept it.
Her life was collapsing right in front of her, and Frank was erasing her from it like an unnecessary, worn-out thing.
She couldn’t understand how he’d managed to fake being loving and reliable for so many years.
How he’d deceived her, her father, her mother.
He played the part perfectly until the very end—waiting for the right moment to flip the board.
Her father’s death had only sped everything up and helped him get exactly what he wanted.
Her heart was pounding violently, her legs barely held beneath the force of the rage. Nina marched out of the bedroom, threw open the door to Frank’s office, and walked in without knocking.
He was sitting at his desk, calmly studying some papers, not even surprised when she burst into the room.
He lifted his gaze to her—cold, measuring. Like he’d been waiting for her.
“What the hell do you have to say for robbing me?” she snapped, her voice shaking with rage she couldn’t hold back anymore. “What the hell made you sell my company? Our property? What the hell possessed you to fake documents declaring me legally incompetent? Where’s your damn conscience, Frank?”
He calmly set his pen aside, leaned forward slightly, raised one eyebrow.
“Nina, don’t be hysterical.”
Something inside her boiled over even harder.
“Don’t be hysterical?” she nearly lost control. “You do realize I know about your other family, right?”
His gaze didn’t flinch.
“I know about Vivian. I know about Ethan. And you know what, Frank?” She stared straight into his eyes without stepping back. “I’m taking you to court. This is illegal. I won’t let you live it up on my father’s money.”
That was when he stood up. Slowly. Never breaking eye contact.
He stepped in close, his body looming over her, stealing the air from the room. Instinctively, she wanted to step back—but she didn’t. She wouldn’t let him break her.
But when he leaned closer, when his voice dropped low and icy, she froze.
“Everything’s legal, Nina.”
Her breath caught.
“You’ve been under psychiatric care for twenty years.”
He smiled—but there was no warmth in it.
“So tell me… who do you think they’ll believe? You or me?”
Outrage crashed over her. It was worse than she’d imagined.
“Why?” she whispered, staring at the man who was still, technically, her husband. “I thought…” Her voice faltered, everything inside her tearing apart. “I thought you loved me.”
Frank looked at her, then smirked and shook his head.
“Since today’s a day for honesty, Nina, I guess it’s time I admitted it.”
He straightened, stepped back as if giving her space, but his words cut sharper than any blade.
“I only ever used you.”
Her world burned. Collapsed. Disappeared. But he wasn’t done yet. He finished her off with calm satisfaction, as if he were relieved he no longer had to pretend.
“I noticed you freshman year of college.”
He stared into her eyes without blinking.
“The daughter of a wealthy family. A good girl. The perfect wife for a man with ambition. But you were too careful, too smart, too guarded. You kept everyone at a distance. And then—like a gift from heaven—that rape happened. You were so broken, Nina. All I had to do was be patient and play the role of the lovesick idiot. I was really good at that, wasn’t I?
But I got sick of it. Years of humiliating myself in front of your precious family, playing the devoted husband so your father wouldn’t suspect a thing.
I had to do everything to keep his only little daughter happy. ”
She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t believe what she was hearing. But he kept going.
“Do you know how disgusting it was for me to marry you after him? And that child growing inside you? But I decided I’d use you to improve my life, Nina. And here I am.”
He spread his arms toward the office, the walls, everything that now belonged to him.
“At the top.”
“You…” Her voice broke.
He smirked.
“In that sense, I’m even grateful to you.”
“You…” It still didn’t feel real.
“That’s why I’m leaving you this house.”
He nodded toward the window, to the landscaped garden beyond.
“I’ll transfer you money every month.”
He said it like he was doing her a favor. Like she should thank him for his generosity.
“That’s the end of it, Nina.”
He turned away and walked back to his desk as if the conversation were over. As if she’d already lost. As if she no longer existed.
She looked at him and let out a sharp laugh.
“No, Frank. This isn’t over.”
She would make him pay for every single thing he’d done to her—for her humiliation and for the pain he’d just inflicted.
“I’m sorry I was blind for so long, Frank. But don’t doubt it—my eyes are finally wide open now. And if you think you’ve won, I hate to disappoint you. I knew Vivian was your mistress a long time ago. She shouldn’t have pretended to be my friend.”
For the first time, Frank looked genuinely surprised. So he hadn’t known about Vivian’s double game.
“I’ve collected enough evidence to have you not only thrown out of the company but sent to prison for financial crimes.
And if anything happens to me, if you ever try to lock me in a psych ward again, you can be sure someone I trust will deliver everything to the board and to the authorities. And that person isn’t Robert.”
She was bluffing. Of course she didn’t actually have any of that. But Frank didn’t need to know that. She only needed to buy herself time. He wouldn’t get a single dollar more from her.
“Let’s say we understand each other, Frank. And think carefully about how you’re going to explain to everyone why your wife’s shares ended up in your mistress’s hands—who also happens to have your son.. Doesn’t look very convincing, does it? You’ve got thirty minutes to be out of this house.”
She turned and stormed out of his office, ran up to the attic, half-expecting Frank to follow. After everything he’d done, she truly feared him now. What if he decided to kill her? The thought sent ice crawling down her spine.
She listened to every sound in the house. And finally Frank’s car pulled out of the driveway.
The tension finally eased, but her breathing didn’t. Her heart was still pounding, her lungs burning. What she’d said would only protect her for a little while.
And after that—what was she supposed to do?