My husband married Me for Revenge

chapter 4

Audrey's POV

I stared at Blair, unable to understand what she meant.

"What does that mean?" I asked. "What exactly did I take from you?"

"Not tonight," she said with a smile.

"You don't get to say something like that and walk away."

"Actually, I do." Her smile widened. "When you're ready to accept reality, maybe we'll have this conversation again."

"What reality?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she slipped her hand into Reid's.

"The reality that I'm not going anywhere," she said calmly. "And neither is our baby."

I looked at Reid, silently begging him to say something.

He didn't.

"Let's go," Blair said.

They walked out together, leaving me alone.

The door clicked shut.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed into a chair. Tears burned my cheeks as I buried my face in my hands.

But after hours of crying, something stronger began pushing through the pain.

Determination.

My father wasn't a murderer. If Reid's revenge was built on a lie, I would find the truth.

I grabbed my phone.

There was only one person I could call.

Cam arrived less than an hour later.

"Audrey?" His expression changed the moment he saw me. "What happened?"

"Sit down."

I told him everything Reid's affair, Blair's pregnancy, his revenge, and his belief that my father had murdered his father.

Cam shot to his feet.

"I'm going to find Reid."

"Cam, no."

"He can't destroy your life and walk away."

"We need answers first." I swallowed hard. "I need to know what really happened to his father."

Cam slowly sat down.

"You still believe your father is innocent?"

"I know he is."

"What do you want to do?"

"Reopen the investigation."

Three days later, we met a private investigator.

"You're aware this case is decades old?" he asked.

"I know."

"Most of the evidence may be gone."

"Find whatever you can."

He studied me before nodding.

"I'll see what I can find."

For the first time in days, I felt a flicker of hope.

It disappeared the moment I returned home.

Blair's laughter reached me before I entered the living room.

She sat beside Reid on my couch like she belonged there.

"Oh, you're back," Reid said.

"What is she doing here?"

"Hello to you too," Blair said sweetly.

I ignored her.

"What is she doing here?"

Reid stood.

"There's no reason to hide anymore. Blair is moving in."

My stomach dropped.

"What?"

"She's pregnant."

"I know that."

"Then you understand."

"No. I don't."

Reid's expression remained cold.

"You'll move into one of the guest rooms."

I stared at him.

"The master bedroom belongs to Blair and me now."

The humiliation burned.

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

Blair said nothing. She didn't need to. The satisfaction in her eyes said enough.

"You've had three years," Reid added. "And after three years, you still couldn't give me a child."

Something inside me shattered.

They both knew the truth.

We had never even tried.

Without another word, I went upstairs, packed a suitcase, and left.

Neither of them stopped me.

Two days later, my phone rang.

"Mr. Daniels?"

"I found something," he said. "Surveillance footage from the day Sterling Calloway died. You should see it yourself."

Thirty minutes later, I sat across from him while a flash drive rested on the desk.

"This was difficult to recover," he said. "But it's authentic."

He played it.

The footage was grainy, but clear enough.

A stranger appeared on the screen.

He moved quickly before disappearing.

Moments later, my father arrived.

I froze.

It wasn't my father.

He hadn't killed Sterling.

A sob escaped me as relief flooded through my chest.

I finally had proof.

Instead of going to Reid, I drove straight to my father's house.

When he opened the door, surprise crossed his face.

"Audrey?"

"We need to talk."

An hour later, we sat in his study after watching the footage twice.

"You knew," I said.

My father lowered his eyes.

"You knew you were innocent."

"Yes."

"Then why?" My voice shook. "Why didn't you tell Reid? Why did you let him believe you killed his father?"

He said nothing.

"He destroyed our company. He destroyed my marriage. He destroyed our lives."

Still, he remained silent.

"Why didn't you stop him?"

Finally, he looked at me, guilt written across his face.

"I thought he deserved to hate me."

"What?"

"He lost his father," Dad said quietly. "I understood his anger."

"You understood it?" My voice rose. "Dad, he spent years destroying us."

"I know."

"You knew?"

"Yes."

Everything suddenly fell into place.

My father had known all along.

But one question still remained.

I looked down at the flash drive before raising my eyes to him again.

My heart pounded.

"If you didn't kill his father..." I said slowly as I stood to my feet. "...then who are you protecting?"