For three days, I didn't sleep.
I paced the mansion, checking on Sofia every hour, staring at my phone waiting for Marcus's next demand. Agent Chen kept a rotating detail of agents at the house, but we all knew they couldn't protect me from what Marcus was really threatening—public destruction, character assassination, the complete annihilation of my reputation.
On the fourth day, an unexpected visitor arrived.
"Mrs. Blackwood, there's someone at the gate," the security guard called. "Says her name is Victoria Chen. Your stepsister."
My blood ran cold. Victoria. In prison for fraud. How was she here?
"She says she's been released early," the guard continued. "Says she has information about Marcus Hart."
Agent Chen, who'd been monitoring the situation from my office, looked at me sharply. "This could be a trap."
"Or it could be the break we need," I said, already heading for the door. "Let her in."
Victoria looked different than the last time I'd seen her. Prison had stripped away her polished veneer—no expensive clothes, no perfect makeup, no triumphant smile. She wore simple jeans and a t-shirt, her hair pulled back, her face bare. She looked... human.
"Before you slam the door in my face," she said immediately, "I know you have every reason to hate me. I know what I did to you was unforgivable. But I'm here because Marcus Hart destroyed my life too, and I think I can help you stop him."
"You were released from prison," I said, not moving from the doorway. "How?"
"Plea deal," Victoria said. "Two weeks ago, federal prosecutors approached me. Said they were investigating Marcus Hart for conspiracy and racketeering. They wanted my testimony in exchange for early release."
"And you took it," I said.
"I took it," Victoria confirmed. "Because I finally realized that Marcus used me just like he used everyone else. And I'm tired of being someone's pawn."
Agent Chen appeared behind me. "Ms. Chen, I'm Agent Sarah Chen with the FBI. No relation," she added with a slight smile. "You want to come inside and tell us what you know?"
---
We sat in the living room—me, Agent Chen, Victoria, and Maya, who'd insisted on being present. Victoria looked around at the mansion, and something like regret crossed her face.
"I'm sorry," she said, looking directly at me. "For everything. For lying about being sick. For marrying Ethan. For helping destroy your life. I know sorry doesn't fix anything, but—"
"Why are you really here?" I interrupted. I wasn't ready for apologies.
Victoria took a deep breath. "Because Marcus Hart approached me three years ago, long before any of this happened. He told me he was your uncle, said he wanted to help the Hart family. He said that Richard Hart was grooming you to take over the company, and that it wasn't fair because I'd been just as much a daughter to him as you were."
"So he manipulated you too," I said.
"Completely," Victoria admitted. "He suggested that I needed to prove myself. That I needed to show the family I was worthy of the Hart name. He's the one who suggested the cancer lie. He said it would gain sympathy, make the family see me as vulnerable and in need of protection."
"And you just went along with it?" Maya demanded.
"I was desperate," Victoria said, tears forming in her eyes. "You don't understand what it's like to be the adopted child, always trying to prove you belong. Marcus made it seem like the cancer story was just... evening the playing field. Making sure I got the same opportunities Sophia had."
"But it wasn't about opportunities," Agent Chen said. "It was about destroying family unity. Dividing you against each other."
"I know that now," Victoria said. "Once I was in prison, I had a lot of time to think. To realize that every major decision I'd made in the last three years had been influenced by Marcus. He suggested I pursue Ethan. He helped me set up the fake cancer foundation. He even provided some of the fraudulent documents that got me convicted."
"He set you up," I said, understanding dawning.
"He set all of us up," Victoria confirmed. "Your father, your mother, me, even Damien Blackwood. We were all just pieces on his chessboard. And now he's trying to use you the same way."
"What do you know about the evidence?" Agent Chen asked. "The documents from the Cayman Islands?"
Victoria reached into her bag and pulled out a USB drive. "This."
We all stared at it.
"What is that?" I asked.
"Copies," Victoria said. "Of everything Marcus has been hiding. When the FBI approached me with their deal, they didn't just want testimony. They wanted me to help them gather evidence against Marcus. So I reached out to him from prison, pretended I was still loyal, told him I wanted to help him take down you and Damien."
"And he believed you?" Agent Chen asked skeptically.
"Marcus is arrogant," Victoria said simply. "He thinks he's smarter than everyone else. He thinks he's been so clever that no one can touch him. So yes, he believed me. And he gave me access to some of his files to 'help' me prepare testimony against you."
"But you copied them instead," I said.
Victoria nodded. "Everything's on this drive. Communications between Marcus and Damien going back fifteen years. Records of bribes Marcus paid. Evidence that he orchestrated your father's downfall. Proof that he set the fire at the Cayman banking center. And most importantly—" she paused, "—the real documents from Damien's safety deposit box."
"Marcus has them?" I asked urgently.
"He's had them for eight months," Victoria confirmed. "He bribed a bank employee to give him access. The fire was just a cover story to explain why the box was empty. But he kept the originals because he knew they'd be valuable leverage eventually."
Agent Chen took the USB drive carefully. "If this is real—if this is all admissible—we could bury Marcus Hart."
"There's one more thing," Victoria said, looking at me. "Marcus has been planning to have you killed."
The room went silent.
"What?" I whispered.
"Not immediately," Victoria said quickly. "Not until after you testify at your father's hearing and help him secure control of the Hart Empire. But after that—he's planning to have you killed and make it look like an accident. He told me himself, thought I'd appreciate his 'thoroughness.'"
"He told you he was going to murder Sophia?" Maya said, her voice shrill with horror.
"He said it was 'eliminating loose ends,'" Victoria said, her voice shaking. "He said once he had control of the company, you'd be a liability. Someone who knew too much. Someone who might eventually turn against him."
I felt like I couldn't breathe. Marcus hadn't just been threatening me. He'd been planning to kill me.
"And Sofia?" I managed to ask.
"He didn't say," Victoria admitted. "But I got the impression that he viewed her as... expendable. Once you were gone, she'd just be an orphan with no real claim to the Hart legacy. Easy to control or eliminate."
"That son of a bitch," Maya said, standing up. "We need to—"
"We need to be smart," Agent Chen interrupted. "If we move on Marcus now with just this evidence, his lawyers will tie us up in court for years. We need something that will stick immediately. Something undeniable."
"Like what?" I asked.
"Like catching him in the act of a crime," Chen said. "Attempting murder, for instance."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"You want to use Sophia as bait," Victoria said slowly.
"No," I said immediately. "Absolutely not. I have a daughter—"
"Who will never be safe while Marcus Hart is free," Chen interrupted. "I know what I'm suggesting is dangerous. But if we set it up right, if we have full surveillance and backup, we could get him to incriminate himself. Get him to admit to the murder plot on tape."
"And if something goes wrong?" Maya demanded.
"Then I die," I said quietly. "And Sofia grows up without a mother."
The room fell silent.
"There has to be another way," Maya said desperately.
"There isn't," Victoria said. "I know Marcus. He's careful, methodical. He doesn't make mistakes unless he thinks he's already won. The only way to catch him is to make him think he has you exactly where he wants you."
I looked at Agent Chen. "What would this operation look like?"
"You'd agree to testify at your father's hearing," Chen explained. "You'd tell Marcus you're cooperating. Then, after the hearing, you'd meet with him privately to discuss 'next steps.' We'd wire you, have agents nearby, and hopefully get him to admit to the murder plot on tape."
"Hopefully?" Maya repeated. "That's your plan? 'Hopefully'?"
"I know it's not perfect—" Chen started.
"I'll do it," I said.
Everyone stared at me.
"Sophia, no—" Maya began.
"I'll do it," I repeated, my voice stronger. "Because Victoria's right. Sofia will never be safe while Marcus is free. And if this is the only way to stop him, then that's what I'll do."
"You could die," Maya said, tears streaming down her face.
"I know," I said. "But if I don't try, we're all already dead anyway. Marcus will find a way. He always does. This way, at least we have a chance."
I looked at Victoria. "Why are you helping me? Really?"
Victoria's eyes were red. "Because you deserved better than what I did to you. Because I took the man you loved and I lied about dying and I helped destroy your relationship with your family. And I can never undo that. But maybe—maybe I can help save your life. Maybe that's worth something."
"It's worth something," I said quietly.
Agent Chen stood up. "Then we need to move fast. The hearing is in three days. We need to prep you, set up the operation, and coordinate with local law enforcement. This is going to be dangerous, Sophia. Are you absolutely sure?"
I thought about Sofia sleeping upstairs. About the life I wanted her to have—one free from fear, free from Marcus Hart's shadow, free from the sins of her parents.
"I'm sure," I said.
---
That night, I sat in Sofia's nursery watching my daughter sleep, possibly for the last time.
If the operation went wrong, if Marcus realized it was a trap, if any one of a thousand things failed—I might not come back.
Elena found me there at midnight, tears streaming down my face.
"You're thinking about what could go wrong," she said softly, sitting beside me.
"I'm thinking about what I'm risking," I said. "If something happens to me, Sofia grows up without a mother. She grows up with a father in prison and a mother who died trying to stop a monster. Is that really better than just cooperating with Marcus?"
"Yes," Elena said firmly. "Because if you cooperate with Marcus, he kills you anyway. And Sofia grows up knowing her mother gave up. That she surrendered to a bully because she was afraid."
"I am afraid," I whispered.
"Good," Elena said. "Fear means you understand the stakes. But don't let fear stop you from doing what's right."
She put her arm around me. "Damien called me today. From the jail in the Caymans."
"What did he say?"
"He said he knows what you're planning. He said he's sorry he can't be there to protect you. And he said—" Elena paused, "—he said if you die because of his mistakes, he'll never forgive himself. But he also said you're the strongest person he's ever known. And if anyone can take down Marcus Hart, it's you."
Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks.
"I don't feel strong," I admitted.
"Strong people never do," Elena said. "They just do what needs to be done anyway."
We sat together in the darkness, watching Sofia sleep, while I prepared to walk into the most dangerous situation of my life.
In three days, I would testify at my father's hearing.
And then I would face Marcus Hart one final time.
Either I would survive and stop him forever.
Or I would die trying.
But at least Sofia would know her mother fought for her.
At least my daughter would know I chose courage over fear.
And maybe, somehow, that would be enough.