Empire for Revenge

The scent of lilies still clung to my clothes, a cloying reminder of my daughter Shannon' s tiny casket, yet it was the stench of betrayal that truly choked me. At her graveside, I saw Harlow Faulkner, my closest friend, standing too close to my husband Antonio, her hand possessively on his arm.

Then, Antonio hissed, "Francesca, darling, not now," his smile pasted on for onlookers, but his eyes were ice. He' d brought me breakfast in bed, protected me from critics, built an empire with me. Now, he was a stranger.

My accusation ripped from me: "You left her alone, Harlow! You left my baby alone, and she died!" Harlow whimpered, "It was SIDS, a tragic accident." Antonio roared, "You're making a scene!" He then revealed the nanny cam was "broken," confirming my darkest fear: he knew. He was part of it.

When Antonio' s hand instinctively went to Harlow' s stomach, whispering, "Is the baby alright?" my world shattered. He had a new family. He was erasing Shannon, erasing me.

They sent me to an institution, electroshocked and drugged me, then forced me to sign divorce papers. But as I lay broken, a cold, diamond-sharp resolve hardened within me. He thought he could erase me. I would remember everything.

Chapter 1

Francesca POV:

They say grief is a thief, but for me, it was a wrecking ball. It didn' t just steal my daughter, Shannon; it demolished everything I thought was real.

The scent of lilies still clung to my clothes, a cloying reminder of the tiny casket, yet it was the stench of betrayal that truly choked me. I stood at Shannon' s graveside, sunlight too bright, feeling utterly hollowed out.

My knees felt like they might buckle. Each breath was a struggle against the weight of the moment, the hushed whispers, the forced condolences that felt like sandpaper against my raw skin.

Then I saw her.

Harlow Faulkner, standing too close to Antonio, her hand a silent, possessive vice on his arm.

She wore black, of course, but it was tailor-made, sleek, not the rumpled, tear-stained fabric of true sorrow. Her eyes were a little red, just enough to seem distraught, not enough to be truly broken. A performance.

I knew her. Deeper than anyone thought. Antonio always laughed it off, called me paranoid. He called her my 'biggest supporter,' my 'closest friend.' But I saw the glint in her eyes, the way she watched me when I wasn' t looking.

A cold nausea twisted my stomach. My hands, still trembling from placing the last rose on Shannon' s grave, clenched into fists.

"What is she doing here?" The words were a rasp, barely audible. "Why is she here?" I repeated, louder this time.

Antonio' s grip on my arm was sudden, brutal. His fingers dug into my flesh, a silent warning. "Francesca, darling, not now," he hissed, his smile still pasted on for the onlookers, but his eyes were ice.

Darling. That word used to mean everything. It used to be whispered against my skin, a promise of forever.

He' d brought me breakfast in bed, a single perfect rose on the tray, just hours after our wedding. He' d surprised me with a trip to Paris, just because I' d mentioned it once in passing.

He' d protected me from hungry critics, from ruthless competitors, always my shield, my unwavering partner in our culinary empire.

Where was that man now? He was gone, replaced by this stranger. This cold, calculating impostor.

We built 'Elysium' from a single, struggling bistro into a global brand. My recipes, his business acumen. A perfect blend. Or so I thought.

Then Shannon came. Our perfect, tiny miracle. And with her, the whispers of SIDS, the constant fear.

She was delicate. A tiny heart, a fragile immune system. Antonio saw it as a weakness, a potential liability.

"Get her out of here!" I wrenched my arm free, my voice raw, echoing slightly in the morbid quiet. "Get Harlow away from my daughter's grave!"

"Francesca, you' re making a scene," Antonio said, his tone low, menacing. "Harlow is here to pay her respects, just like everyone else. She cared for Shannon."

Cared for Shannon? The words were a brand, searing me. The injustice felt like a physical blow, knocking the air from my lungs.

I moved, a predator to its prey, past Antonio's restraining hand, straight for Harlow.

Her lower lip trembled, her eyes swam with what looked like tears, but they were precise, controlled. Not a single drop marred her perfect makeup. A true actress.

"How dare you?" I spat, my voice laced with venom. "How dare you pretend to grieve her?"

"Oh, Francesca, my heart breaks for you," Harlow murmured, reaching for my hand, her touch cool and unsettling.

I recoiled as if burned. The thought of her skin on mine made my stomach churn.

"Your heart breaks? You left her alone, Harlow!" The accusation ripped from me, raw and uncontrolled. "You left my baby alone, and she died!"

"No, no, Francesca," Harlow whimpered, her voice barely a whisper, eyes darting to Antonio. "It was SIDS, a tragic accident. I did everything I could." She sagged dramatically, leaning into Antonio.