My Revenge: His Empire Crumbles

Karma's wails echoed through the opulent foyer as the men dragged her away. Her cries slowly faded, replaced by the distant rumble of a familiar engine. Josiah. He was here.

The front door swung open, and he stepped inside, a forced, reassuring smile plastered on his face. He held a small, velvet box in his hand.

"Avery, darling, I'm so sorry about earlier," he began, his voice smooth and practiced. He approached me, holding out the box. "I brought you something to make up for it. A little something to remind you how much I adore you."

He reached for me, his hand brushing my arm. The faint, cloying scent of Karma's perfume, sweet and artificial, wafted from his clothes. My stomach churned.

"I love you, Avery," he whispered, attempting to pull me into an embrace.

The lie hung heavy in the air, thick and suffocating. The scent of her, mixing with his fraudulent words, made my gorge rise.

"Get away from me!" I choked out, pushing him back, my hand flying to my mouth.

Just then, Karma, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen, burst back into the foyer, having escaped her captors. "Josiah!" she shrieked, throwing herself into his arms.

"She's a lunatic! A madwoman!," Karma cried, pointing a trembling finger at me. "Look what she did to me! She branded me! She's trying to ruin us, Josiah! She's trying to hurt our baby!"

Josiah's face, initially concerned, hardened into a mask of fury. "Avery, what have you done?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous. He pulled Karma closer, shielding her. "I told you to calm down. I told you I'd handle it. Why do you always have to make things worse?"

Karma clung to him, her voice a theatrical whisper. "You promised me, Josiah. You promised you'd protect me. You promised we'd have a future, a family."

Josiah's breath hitched, his jaw tightening. His eyes, now blazing with anger, fixed on me. "Avery, what is wrong with you? You've become so cruel, so vindictive! Is this what you want? To destroy her life? Her future?" He took a step forward, his voice a harsh whisper. "Are you really going to ruin a young woman's life just because of your petty jealousies?"

"My petty jealousies?" I finally found my voice, a tremor running through it. "What about me, Josiah? What about what you did to me?"

He didn't answer. He just stared, his face a canvas of conflicting emotions: anger, frustration, and a flicker of something I couldn't quite decipher.

Karma, sensing his hesitation, let out a dramatic sob. "Josiah, I... I think I'm bleeding. Our baby..."

"Our baby?" I repeated, my voice barely a whisper. My mind reeled.

Karma nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her face. "Yes! Your baby, Josiah! I'm pregnant!"

Silence descended, heavy and suffocating. My world spun faster, threatening to swallow me whole. Pregnant. She was pregnant.

A strange flicker of something-not just shock, but perhaps a nascent joy-crossed Josiah's face. He looked at Karma, then back at me, a complex mixture of fear and excitement in his eyes.

"We need to go to the hospital, Karma," Josiah said, his voice softer than I had heard it in weeks. He carefully scooped her into his arms, holding her as if she were made of fragile glass. A genuine smile, one I hadn't seen directed at me in a long time, touched his lips as he looked at her.

"Josiah, you can't just leave," I managed to say, my voice hoarse. "We need to talk."

He ignored me, his gaze fixed on Karma, who was now nestled securely in his arms, a triumphant smirk flashing across her face before she buried it in his shoulder.

"Wait for me at the hospital," he called over his shoulder as he strode past me, not even a glance in my direction. "And don't do anything stupid, Avery. We'll sort this out later."

As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, the imposing figures of my legal team entered the foyer, led by my formidable attorney, Robert Sterling. He carried a thick folder, his expression grim.

"Mr. Chase neglected to sign this earlier, Mrs. Chase," Robert said, his voice calm and precise, "but I believe the situation has now clarified sufficiently for him to understand the gravity of his actions."

He handed a document to Josiah, who had paused at the threshold, clearly angered by the interruption.

"What is this, Robert?" Josiah demanded, his voice tight with impatience, still cradling Karma. "I told you, I'm busy. This can wait."

"I assure you, Mr. Chase, it cannot," Robert replied, his voice unwavering. "This is a court order. As of this moment, all your shares in Chase Innovations, along with any other assets acquired during your marriage, are frozen."