I was devoted to Tom Collin, a man whose ambition I once admired. I gave up my career, my future, my entire identity for him. I was the perfect wife while he built his empire. But when he reached the top, I became invisible.
Then I found him with her—his college ex, the woman who’d abandoned him when he had nothing. When I confronted him, the man I married vanished, replaced by a monster whose hands left bruises on my skin.
I was finally ready to leave. But I never got the chance. He left our five-year-old daughter, Joy, alone for his mistress. And in his absence, my baby was murdered.
I buried my child, and with her, the weak woman I used to be. In a haze of grief, I let a handsome stranger hold me for one night in Italy—a single moment of oblivion.
Five years later, I live for one purpose: Revenge. Tom Collin will pay for what he did. He has no idea the woman now standing before him. But my new boss… he might. The magnetic CEO of our rival company is the stranger from that night. And he doesn’t know he’s the father of my secret daughter.


Tom's eyebrow arched as he tossed his phone onto the nightstand with deliberate carelessness. The sharp sound cut through the tension-filled silence. He rose from the bed with predatory grace, each calculated step bringing him closer until I could feel the heat radiating from his body.


"That has to be the most ridiculous thing you've ever said," he drawled, his voice dripping with condescension that made my skin crawl.


My mouth fell open slightly. The sheer arrogance of his response left me momentarily speechless. When I finally found my voice, it came out sharper than intended.


"Ridiculous?" I repeated, crossing my arms defensively. "Please, Tom, explain to me exactly how wanting a fair division of our assets is ridiculous."


A harsh laugh escaped his throat, the sound devoid of any warmth. He tilted his head, studying me like I was some fascinating specimen under a microscope.


Chapter 15 - Chapter 15 Taking Joy