CHAPTER 16
Hot water wrapped around Nina from all sides, filling her body with a pleasant, heavy warmth. Steam drifted up toward the ceiling, and notes of lavender and vanilla dissolved into the air, forming a soothing scent.
The house was quiet. Unnaturally so.
For the first time in a long while, she felt safe.
At least for a few minutes. She’d already called a locksmith and had every lock in the house replaced.
Now all that was left was to finalize the contract with the security company.
She’d decided to install surveillance cameras throughout the entire house and switch service providers.
From now on, she didn’t trust anyone connected to her husband.
She sank deeper into the water, closed her eyes, and realized she was no longer thinking about divorcing Frank.
Now all her thoughts were about Lynn. How was she?
Nina’s car, which she had left near Lynn’s house, was now in the garage and she had no reason to go back there anymore. Facing her nightmare again was the last thing she wanted.
How could she have been so wrong?
She had convinced herself that her daughter was safe. That she had a good family. That Nina had done everything right.
But she’d been wrong.
Could a man like him really take good care of Lynn?
She couldn’t imagine that he’d changed. People like him didn’t change. He was the same ruthless, cold tyrant. How many other victims had there been besides her? How many lives had he managed to ruin?
And the question that had haunted her for days: how the hell had he ever found out she’d given birth to his daughter?
She surfaced from her thoughts only when she heard a sound nearby.
That was her phone.
Nina opened her eyes sharply. The water rippled against the sides of the tub, droplets sliding down her shoulders. She reached for the phone on the small table.
A message from Leonard.
It had taken him long enough—nearly three weeks to dig up anything on Jasper Garth.
Her hands trembled as she tapped the attached file. Loading. The screen went dark for a second, then lit up again—and Nina froze.
A cardiothoracic surgeon?!
Her heart flipped violently. She skimmed the first lines of the report, and she couldn’t believe what she was reading.
Jasper Garth—brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, one of the country’s leading transplant specialists.
Awards. National recognition. Prestigious distinctions.
She had never known his family owned an entire chain of private medical clinics.
How was that even possible?
Her mind refused to link that man to what was written in the file.
He was a doctor. He saved lives. It had to be some kind of mistake.
She scrolled down.
Charity foundations. Free heart surgeries for children. Financial support for major medical programs.
It hit her like a wave. This couldn’t be real.
And then came the most disturbing part. She read the next page, and her mouth went dry.
Jasper Garth had ties to organized crime.
There was no direct proof: one of his clinics repeatedly appeared in court delay schemes.
People scheduled for trial were conveniently “hospitalized.” Their diagnoses suspiciously lined up with court dates.
False medical conclusions. Fake certificates for supposedly life-threatening illnesses.
Sentences postponed. Investigations stalled.
Con artists. Corrupt officials. People tied to major financial crimes. All of them passed through his clinic.
Nina ran her tongue over her dry lips.
This… was interesting.
A chill crept through her. Now it was clear why he’d always been allowed more than anyone else was.
She leaned back, closed her eyes, took a slow breath. She needed to process all of this—but less than a minute passed before her phone exploded with another incoming call.
Damn it.
She reached for it with wet fingers—and instantly smiled.
Daphne.
She answered, already bracing herself to hear her daughter’s voice. But instead—
“Mom, have you completely lost your mind?!”
Nina froze. The voice was loud, furious, packed with irritation and contempt.
“You humiliated me! You humiliated Dad! Now the whole campus knows my mother is insane!”
An icy cold spread through her chest. She swallowed, her voice coming out weak.
“What are you talking about?”
“Turn on the news.”
She blinked. What damn news?
“Daphne… how can you talk to me like that? What kind of tone is that?” Nina snapped, already raw from the way her daughter had been acting lately.
“No wonder Dad decided to divorce you! Who could survive twenty years next to a woman like you?!”
The pain stole her breath. How could she speak to her like that?
“You know about the divorce?” Nina whispered.
“Dad told me a couple of days ago.”
She said it so casually, as if their family weren’t collapsing. What else had Frank told their daughter? How had he dared to turn her against her?
“And I support his decision.”
Something inside Nina boiled over.
“And did Dad tell you how he had me locked up in a psychiatric clinic?”
Silence.
“How he transferred all the property to his mistress and left both you and me with nothing?”
Nothing.
“But maybe you don’t realize that now you get nothing either. He signed everything over to his mistress—and after that, it’ll go to their shared child—not to you. Not to you. Your father didn’t even hesitate to give your grandfather’s company to his lover while I was locked in the hospital!”
“You’re lying!” Daphne screamed. “You’re just—just trying to turn me against Dad!”
“That’s the truth, whether you like it or not.” Nina said quietly, “But you’d better decide whose side you’re on.”
“You’re pathetic, Mom. You’ve always been pathetic!”
“Daphne—”
“I hate you!”
The call disconnected.
The water in the bathtub had long since gone cold, but Nina sat staring at nothing—and felt absolutely nothing at all.