Hermione's POV
I threw the photograph across the hotel room.
"No!" My scream echoed off the walls. "Jerry wouldn't—he couldn't—"
"The photo doesn't lie." Adrian picked it up from where it landed. "He was there when Dr. Mills died."
"Maybe he was trying to help her!" I grabbed the photo, staring at Jerry's name. "Maybe he—"
"Hermione." James took the photo gently. "Look at the timestamp again. Really look."
I forced myself to focus through my tears. The photo was taken at 3:47 PM. Dr. Mills called me at 3:15 PM.
"He was there for thirty-two minutes before Rebecca killed her," I whispered. "Why didn't he stop it?"
"Because he's involved." Adrian flopped onto the couch. "Face it. Your ex-fiancé is a murderer. Or at least, he helped cover one up."
"Turn on the TV," James said suddenly. "Channel 7. Now."
Adrian grabbed the remote. The screen flickered to life, showing a reporter standing outside the hospital.
"—breaking news in the Kingston-Hale wedding. The bride, Linda Hale, collapsed during the reception and was rushed to the hospital. Sources say she's pregnant, a detail that shocked even the groom."
The camera cut to footage from the wedding. Linda in my dress, smiling at guests. Jerry looking uncomfortable beside her.
I couldn't breathe.
"Witnesses report the groom appeared stunned by the pregnancy announcement," the reporter continued. "Jerry Kingston allegedly had no knowledge his bride was expecting."
The screen showed Jerry outside the hospital, surrounded by reporters. His face was pale and angry.
"Mr. Kingston! Did you know Linda was pregnant?"
"Mr. Kingston! Is the baby yours?"
Jerry pushed through them without answering. But the camera caught his face for just a second.
He looked destroyed.
"Good," I said coldly. "He deserves it."
"There's more." Adrian turned up the volume.
The reporter's voice got excited. "In another shocking development, police have issued a warrant for Hermione Hale's arrest. Rebecca Hale, stepmother of the missing woman, claims Hermione stole family heirlooms and money before disappearing."
My photo appeared on screen. Not a good photo. One where I looked angry and crazy.
"Anyone with information on Hermione Hale's whereabouts should contact police immediately. She is considered dangerous and possibly armed."
"Dangerous?" I laughed, but it came out broken. "I've never even held a gun!"
"Rebecca's building a case." James muted the TV. "Making you look unstable. Violent. By the time we prove the truth, no one will believe you."
"So what do I do?" I turned to him, tears streaming down my face. "How do I fight this?"
"You don't." James walked to the window. "Not yet. Not until you're ready."
"When will I be ready?"
"When you stop crying." His voice was harsh. Cold. "When you stop caring what they think. When you become someone they should actually fear."
"I'm not a monster!"
"Then you'll lose." James spun around. "Because they are monsters. And monsters don't play fair."
I sank onto the bed, sobbing. Everything hurt. My chest. My head. My heart.
The TV flickered. Adrian had changed the channel. Now it showed the wedding ceremony itself. Someone had recorded it.
"Turn it off," I begged.
"No." James sat beside me. "Watch it. All of it."
"I can't—"
"Watch. It."
On screen, Linda walked down the aisle in my dress. My flowers. My music. Jerry waited at the altar, his face tight with tension.
The priest began speaking. "Dearly beloved..."
I watched Jerry promise to love Linda forever. The same promises he made to me six months ago.
"I can't do this." I tried to look away, but James turned my face back to the screen.
"You need to see who they really are." His voice was firm. "You need to remember this moment. This feeling. Because this is what will make you strong."
On screen, Jerry kissed Linda. Everyone cheered.
Something inside me cracked. Then shattered.
"He chose her." My voice came out flat. Empty. "Even knowing she lied. Even knowing she's carrying someone else's baby. He chose her over me."
"Because his father made him." Adrian pulled out another photo. "Look."
The photo showed Senator Kingston and Rebecca shaking hands. Money was visible on the table between them.
"They made a deal." Adrian pointed to the date stamp. "Three months before your wedding was supposed to happen. They planned this whole thing."
"The merger," I realized. "Jerry told me his father wanted the Hale business connections. But it was never about business, was it?"
"No." James took the photo. "It was about control. Rebecca gets Jerry's political connections. The Senator gets the Hale fortune that Rebecca stole from you. And you get destroyed in the process."
On TV, the camera showed guests at the reception. They drank champagne and laughed. Rebecca stood in the center, accepting congratulations like she'd done something wonderful.
"She's celebrating." My hands curled into fists. "She killed my mother. She stole my life. And she's celebrating."
"Let me ask you something." James turned off the TV. "What would hurt Rebecca most?"
"Taking everything from her, like she took everything from me."
"Wrong." James stood up. "What would hurt her most is watching you succeed. Watching you become more powerful than she ever was. Watching you take back the Hale name and make it mean something again."
"How? I'm wanted by the police!"
"Only in this city." James pulled out a passport. My new passport with the name Maria Blackwood. "In the rest of the world, you're nobody. Which means you can become anybody."
Adrian grinned. "He's right. You could disappear for a few years. Learn everything you need to know. Come back stronger, richer, smarter. Hit them when they least expect it."
"A few years?" I shook my head. "That's too long. Rebecca could hide evidence. People could forget what she did."
"Or," James said slowly, "people could discover new things she's done. Worse things. Things that make old crimes look like nothing."
I looked up at him. "What are you saying?"
"Rebecca is still committing crimes right now. Still stealing. Still lying. Still hurting people." James's eyes burned with something fierce. "We let her keep going. We document everything. And when we finally strike, we don't just destroy her. We obliterate her completely."
"That's risky."
"Everything worth doing is risky." James held out his hand. "But it's your choice. Hide and hope people forget. Or disappear and come back as someone unforgettable."
I looked at my reflection in the dark TV screen. Messy hair. Red eyes. Tear-stained face.
This was the last time I'd look like this. The last time I'd be this weak.
"Five years," I said firmly. "Give me five years. Then I'm coming back to destroy them all."
James smiled. "Five years it is."
Adrian whooped. "This is going to be awesome!"
My phone buzzed. The burner phone James gave me. Only three people had the number.
Unknown caller.
I almost didn't answer. But something made me press accept.
"Hello?"
Heavy breathing. Then Linda's voice, weak and scared.
"Hermione? Please, you have to help me."
My blood ran cold. "Why would I help you?"
"Because I'm not sick, and Rebecca knows I'm not sick, and now she's—" Linda's voice broke into sobs. "She's going to kill me. Just like she killed your mother. Please, I'll tell you everything. Just get me out of here!"
"You're lying. This is another trick."
"No! I swear!" Linda was crying hard now. "The baby isn't Jerry's. It's Victor's. Your uncle. Rebecca made me seduce him to get information, but I got pregnant and—"
The phone made a crackling sound. Then Rebecca's voice came through, cold and calm.
"Hello, Hermione. Enjoying the wedding coverage?"
"Where's Linda?"
"Right here. Sleeping peacefully." Rebecca's voice turned to silk. "With a little help from the hospital's medication, of course. Such a shame. She's so weak from her illness."
"She's not sick!"
"She will be by tomorrow." Rebecca laughed softly. "Fatal complications from her pregnancy. So tragic. So unexpected. The whole city will mourn."
"You can't get away with this!"
"Can't I?" Rebecca's voice hardened. "I've gotten away with everything else. Your mother. Dr. Mills. Soon Linda. Then eventually, when you finally crawl out of whatever hole you're hiding in, you too."
The line went dead.
I stood there, phone in my shaking hand, staring at James and Adrian.
"We have to go back," I said. "Now. Tonight."
"Hermione, that's exactly what she wants—"
"I don't care!" I grabbed my jacket. "I won't let her kill Linda. I won't let another person die because of me!"
"It's a trap." James blocked the door. "Rebecca's trying to lure you out."
"Then let her!" I tried to push past him. "I'm not hiding while someone gets murdered!"
Adrian stood up. "Actually, boss, she has a point."
"What?" James turned to him.
"If Linda dies tonight, and we have evidence that Rebecca threatened to kill her..." Adrian pulled out his phone. "That's premeditated murder. Recorded. With witnesses. Rebecca would go to prison for life."
James was quiet for a long moment.
Then he smiled. "Get the car ready. We're going back to the hospital."
"Really?" I couldn't believe it.
"Really." James pulled out a small device. "But we do it my way. With cameras. With backup. With a plan." He handed me the device. "And this time, we don't just save Linda. We trap Rebecca in the act."
We rushed to the elevator. Adrian pressed the button repeatedly.
"Come on, come on!"
The doors opened. We stepped inside.
And Senator Kingston stepped out of the shadows behind us, a gun pointed at my head.
"Going somewhere?"