Two hours after my ex-husband said “I do,” he walked into my hospital room with his bride still wearing her wedding dress. I had just given birth. He wasn’t there to meet our daughter. He was there to make me sign an NDA. But ten minutes later, his face went pale, his new bride looked terrified, and neither of them was prepared for what came next...

It wasn't Dominic who arrived at my hospital room at seven o'clock the next morning.

It was Victor Vance.

He stood in the doorway, dressed in a tailored navy suit, holding a massive bouquet of white lilies. Behind him stood two personal bodyguards, who remained outside in the hallway under the watchful eye of my own security team.

"Mrs. Vance," Victor said, his voice polite, formal, and devoid of the arrogance Dominic usually displayed. "May I come in?"

I adjusted my pillows, keeping Clara sleeping peacefully in the bassinet beside my bed.

"Mr. Vance," I replied calmly. "I believe your lilies are about twelve hours late."

A faint, dry smile touched Victor's lips. He set the flowers on the window sill and took a seat in the leather armchair beside my bed.

"I am not here to defend Dominic," Victor stated bluntly. "My daughter has spent the last eight hours crying in her bedroom. She has already instructed our family lawyers to file for an immediate annulment on the grounds of fraud."

"Smart girl," I said. "She inherited her father's instinct for cutting losses."

Victor leaned forward, resting his hands on his cane.

"Dominic claims you are trying to destroy his hotel empire out of bitterness," Victor said, watching my reaction closely. "He claims you falsified company records to freeze his credit lines."

"Dominic is a salesman, Mr. Vance," I replied, pulling a manila folder from my bedside drawer. "He sells dreams to investors and leaves women to pay the bills. Look at page four."