THE LAST BREATH OF A BROKEN WIFE

Chapter 4: The Gilded Cage

The Vane Estate was a fortress of glass and steel perched on the cliffs overlooking the ocean—a stark contrast to the warm, traditional manor Silas had kicked her out of. For Aria, it felt like moving from one prison to another, though this one had a state-of-the-art medical wing.

"Your heart rate is stabilizing, but your oxygen levels are still low," a private nurse whispered, adjusting the IV drip in Aria’s arm. "Mr. Vane has ordered 24-hour monitoring. You are not to leave this bed without his permission."

Aria looked out the floor-to-ceiling window. The storm had passed, leaving the sea a bruised purple. "Why is he doing this? He barely knows me."

"Mr. Vane doesn't do anything without a reason," the nurse replied cryptically before slipping out.

A moment later, the heavy oak doors swung open. Caleb Vane walked in, his suit jacket gone, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal forearms corded with muscle and a dark, intricate tattoo of a serpent.

"You look less like a ghost today," he noted, sitting at the foot of her bed. He tossed a file onto her lap. "That is the medical report from the night Melanie was 'pushed.' I had my team hack the hospital server where she was treated."

Aria’s breath hitched. "And?"

"The doctor who signed her bruise report? He’s on Melanie’s personal payroll. He’s been receiving monthly 'consultation fees' for three years," Caleb said, a dark glint in his eyes. "She didn't have a single internal injury, Aria. Not even a scrape. It was all theater."

Aria closed her eyes, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "I told him. I begged him to look at the security footage."

"The footage that was conveniently 'corrupted' by a magnetic surge?" Caleb smirked. "Silas is a genius in the boardroom, but when it comes to that woman, he’s a blind fool. He wanted to believe the 'victim' because it fed his hero complex."

"I have to tell him," Aria said, trying to sit up, but a sharp pain in her chest forced her back down.

"No," Caleb’s voice was like iron. "You tell him now, he’ll think you forged this. You’re a 'traitor,' remember? You stay here. You get healthy. You carry that child. Let him marry her. Let him give her everything."

"Why?"

"Because," Caleb leaned in, his face inches from hers, "the higher she climbs, the more bones she’ll break when we finally let her fall. And I want Silas to be the one to push her."

The Perspective Shift: Blackwood Tower

Silas sat in his office, the silence deafening. For the first time in three years, the house felt too big.

"Silas, darling? You haven't touched your dinner." Melanie stood in the doorway, wearing a silk robe. She walked over and tried to massage his shoulders, but he flinched.

"I’m busy, Melanie," he said, his voice clipped.

"You're still thinking about her, aren't you? After she tried to kill me? After she sold our future to the highest bidder?" Melanie’s voice went sharp with a hint of desperation.

Silas looked at the tablet on his desk. It was an internal audit. "Something is wrong, Melanie. The 'Project X' files that were leaked... the encryption key used was my own. Aria didn't have my biometric key. Only I did. Or someone who has access to my private safe."

Melanie’s hand stilled on his shoulder. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she forced a pout. "She probably stole it while you were sleeping, Silas. She’s a thief. Don't let her get into your head again."

"I've hired a private investigator," Silas said, finally looking at her. His eyes were cold, searching. "Not to find the thief. I want to find Aria. She disappeared into the rain without a cent. No one has seen her."

"Why do you care?" Melanie hissed.

"Because," Silas stood up, his towering frame casting a shadow over her. "She signed the divorce papers without asking for a single dollar of the settlement. A gold-digger doesn't leave fifty million dollars on the table, Melanie. Something doesn't add up."

He walked out of the room, leaving Melanie trembling in the dark. She had expected to be the Queen of Blackwood by now. Instead, she was haunted by a woman who wasn't even there.