The Heiress' Husband

The night had been warm, thick with the scent of rain that had never quite fallen. The city hummed in the background, the steady thrum of life carrying on as though nothing in the world could go wrong. As though hearts weren't breaking. As though illusions weren't about to shatter.

Nessa had gripped the wheel, eyes flicking between the road and the rearview mirror where Raelynn sat, a small, hopeful smile playing on her lips. The velvet box in her lap sat like a promise—a symbol of love she still believed in.

She had been so certain.

So sure that Jake would be there, waiting, that he would see her and pull her into his arms the way he used to.

But Nessa had known better.

She had known for weeks now. Maybe even longer.

Jake Halloway had already checked out of this relationship. He had been distant, too preoccupied, his excuses stacking up until they felt like flimsy cards in a house built to collapse.

Raelynn hadn't noticed. Or maybe she hadn't wanted to.

She had spent the last year fighting to keep him, blind to the fact that he had stopped fighting for her a long time ago.

Nessa had wanted to say something. God, she had almost said something. But what good would it have done? Without proof, Raelynn would have clung to whatever hope she had left. And Nessa had known what it felt like to want to believe in someone so badly that you ignored the truth.

So she had gritted her teeth and played along.

"Are you sure it's fine? You not calling him before going?"

Raelynn had turned to her, smiling softly, her fingers tracing the edges of the box. "Yeah, it's fine. I want to surprise him." A wistful sigh had followed. "We've barely spent time together lately, and I miss my man."

Nessa had fought the urge to roll her eyes. Your man? If only she had known.

She had wanted to tell Raelynn to let them turn the car around. To go home. To let him go before he shattered her.

But Raelynn had been stubborn.

And Nessa?

She had driven her here anyway.

The drive had been too short, the tension in Nessa's chest thick. When they had pulled up to his house in the exclusive Riverside Park estate, something had felt wrong.

There had been no security guard at the usual post. No lights on outside the house.

Jake should have known Raelynn was coming.

Nessa had drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as Raelynn adjusted her dress and reached for the door. She had paused, glancing back with an easy smile. "That reminds me, Ness. Wait a bit, I need you to help me take something back to my place,"

Nessa had sighed dramatically. "Rae, please don't take forever. Just grab whatever it is and bring it out. Unlike you, I don't have a man waiting to sweep me off my feet tonight. I'd like to be in bed, dreaming about one, at least."

Raelynn had only laughed before stepping out and closing the door behind her.

Then, silence.

Nessa had leaned back, watching through the windshield as Raelynn disappeared into the house. Minutes passed. The longer she waited, the more that feeling in her gut twisted.

She checked her phone.

Three minutes.

Then five.

Too long.

Raelynn had promised to be quick, yet the house remained eerily silent.

Nessa's fingers tapped against her thigh. Something's wrong.

She turned off the engine and stepped out, her heels clicking against the pavement as she made her way to the front door.

It was unlocked.

A cold prickle of unease ran down her spine.

Stepping inside, she was met with an odd stillness. The air was too thick, the shadows stretching long against the dim lighting. The scent of expensive cologne clung to the space, but underneath it, something else lingered—something sickly sweet.

Then she saw them.

A pair of gaudy high heels, kicked off carelessly near the entrance.

Not Raelynn's.

The unease turned to certainty.

She moved further in, her heart picking up speed.

Then—

A sound.

A sickening, bone-chilling sound.

The heavy thud of something hitting the stairs. A sharp cry. A series of crashes as a body tumbled down, each impact slicing through the silence like a knife.

Nessa's breath caught, Her heart hammered against her chest wildly.

Then she ran.

"RAE!"

Her heels slammed against the floor as she sprinted toward the staircase, but her gaze had already found the figure sprawled at the base.

Raelynn.

A limp, fragile form against the cold, polished wood.

Blood.

Pooling beneath her head.

Her chest barely moving.

Nessa fell to her knees beside her, shaking hands reaching out. "Oh my God. Raelynn!" Her voice cracked, raw with panic. "Hey, talk to me! Please!"

No response.

Her stomach twisted as she gently touched Raelynn's face, but there was no flutter of lashes, no flicker of recognition.

Her fingers trembled as she pulled out her phone, dialing emergency services with frantic precision. She rattled off the address, forcing herself to stay calm even as her entire body trembled.

Somehow, Jake had found his way to the foot of the stairs.

Frozen.

And beside him—

Stella Moreau.

Her lips curved in a satisfied smirk.

Something inside Nessa snapped.

She shot to her feet so fast that Stella actually took a step back.

"You pushed her." Her voice was low, seething with rage.

Stella tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Don't be ridiculous."

Nessa moved.

She didn't think—she didn't care. She grabbed Stella by the front of her cheap designer dress, yanking her forward with a force that had the woman gasping. "She could die, and you're standing there smirking like this is some kind of joke?"

Jake finally seemed to snap out of his shock. "Nessa—"

She turned on him so fast he took a step back.

"What did you do?!" she snarled.

Jake ran a hand through his hair, looking more panicked than guilty. "I—I didn't touch her. She came in, saw us, and—"

"And what?" Nessa hissed. "She just magically tripped down the stairs?"

Jake's mouth opened, but he had no answer. Because they all knew the truth.

Raelynn had fallen because of them.

Because of her.

A sick wave of guilt surged through Nessa's chest. She had driven Raelynn here. She did this. She hurt Raelynn as much as they did.

She had known something was wrong.

She had let her walk in alone.

She turned back to Stella, her grip tightening. "I swear to God, if she doesn't wake up—"

"I didn'tpush her," Stella sneered, yanking herself free. "She lost her balance. Not my fault she doesn't know how to handle seeing the truth."

Nessa's blood boiled. Her hands itched to do something reckless, to wipe that smug expression right off her face. But she couldn't.

Because Raelynn was still lying there.

Still bleeding.

Still unconscious.

Jake stood there, useless. Cowardly. Pathetic.

Stella crossed her arms, watching as if this were some sort of show.

Nessa turned back to Raelynn, gently brushing strands of hair away from her face. Her voice softened, breaking under the weight of her fear.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

The sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder with every second.

Jake took a shaky breath. "Nessa, I—"

She didn't even look at him.

"Shut up."

He flinched.

The moment stretched, thick with unspoken words, with shattered trust and silent accusations.

Then—

The front door burst open. Paramedics flooded in.

Nessa stepped back as they swarmed around Raelynn, their voices urgent, hands steady as they worked to stabilize her.

Her vision blurred.

She clenched her fists.

She had come in here tonight knowing Jake was a liar. A cheater. A coward.

But she had never expected this.

And now, she would never forget.

The blood staining the floor would forever be burned into Nessa's mind, but she forced herself to push past the fear, past the guilt clawing up her throat.

This wasn't the end.

It couldn't be.

She wouldn't let it be.

Raelynn had to survive it.

As the paramedics lifted Raelynn onto a stretcher, Nessa followed, never looking back.

She would never forgive.

And she would never, ever let them get away with this.