Chapter 4

Joanna's POV

Right after the press conference, I met with my lawyer.

I handed him the flash drive. He looked at the files for less than three minutes before his face turned grim.

"Joanna, this is gold. It's enough to ruin them."

I stared at him. "Can we go to the police?"

He closed the laptop. "Yes. But in the short term, it won't touch Carter."

"My daughter is dead."

"I know." My lawyer lowered his voice. "But in the San Francisco Fire Department, Carter is a decorated hero. Right now, you only have partial logs and medical reports. It's not enough to convict him instantly."

My hands tightened on the desk.

"I can file the charges," he continued, "but you need to be prepared. Once we file, he'll get notified immediately. He has powerful friends. He will bury this."

"So what do I do?"

"Get him to sign the divorce and asset division papers first, before he suspects anything."

When I walked out of the law firm, my phone had seventeen missed calls.

All from Carter.

The eighteenth call came through. I answered.

"Where are you?" Carter demanded instantly.

"Meeting my lawyer."

The line went dead silent for two seconds.

"What are you trying to do, Joanna?"

"I'm reporting you to the police."

Carter's voice dropped to a freezing temperature. "You're emotionally unstable right now."

"I have never been saner."

"Then you should think about Evelyn."

I froze on the sidewalk, my fingers clenching the phone.

Carter spoke slowly. "Evelyn had a heart scare this morning. I had her moved to a private care facility. The security there is a bit... loose, and the staff can be quite negligent. If you say anything stupid at the media briefing later, I can't guarantee she'll make it through the night."

"Carter! You bastard!"

"I'll see you at the venue," he said, completely ignoring my rage. "Wear the black coat. And don't bring anything you shouldn't. My security will check you at the door."

He hung up.

Evelyn was my foster mother. She wasn't my biological mother, but she was the one who took me out of the foster system when I was ten.

When I had high fevers, she stayed up all night sponging my forehead.

When I won my first engineering award, she framed the certificate and hung it in the living room.

On my wedding day, she held my hand and said, "Joanna, if he ever hurts you, you come back home. I'm always here."

And now, Carter had her in a chokehold.

The media briefing was set for 3:00 PM.

At the entrance, Carter's assistant stopped me. He held out his hand. "Phone, bag, and empty your coat pockets, please."

I handed over my phone.

When his fingers brushed the inner pocket of my coat, he felt the flash drive.

I stared at him.

The assistant slipped the flash drive into a plastic evidence bag. He whispered, "Mr. Carter is doing this for your own good, Joanna."

I said nothing.

I walked onto the stage.

The room was packed with reporters. The flashing lights were blinding.

Carter sat on my right. Valerie sat on my left, her face pale, a white bandage wrapped around her wrist.

The first reporter jumped up. "Mrs. Carter, we heard rumors that you accused the training project of causing your daughter's death. Is that true?"

Carter casually placed his hand on the back of my chair. I felt the warning pressure of his fingers.

I looked straight into the camera lens.

My throat felt like it was coated in ash. "I was emotionally unstable yesterday."

The room went dead silent.

Valerie lowered her head, wiping a tear.

"Lily had a congenital heart condition," I continued, forcing each word out. "Her death was a tragic medical anomaly. In my grief, I lashed out and wrongfully blamed my husband and Valerie."

Carter's hand relaxed, patting my shoulder gently.

Another reporter pressed on. "So there were no safety violations in the simulation?"

I saw Carter's phone, which was sitting on the table, light up.

It was a live security feed from the care facility.

Evelyn was lying in a hospital bed. Two strange men in black suits were standing right by her door.

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.

"There is no evidence of any violations."

The moment those words left my mouth, Valerie sobbed softly. "Joanna... I know how much pain you're in. I don't blame you for pointing fingers."

Carter handed her a tissue.

The cameras instantly swerved to capture the touching scene.

By the next morning, my name was dragged through the mud online.

"Grieving Mother Exploits Daughter's Death to Attack Fire Hero."

"Former Engineer Suffers Mental Breakdown, Accuses Top Charity Project."

"Valerie Working Through Illness for Charity, Attacked by Jealous Wife."

I sat in the dark living room, scrolling through Twitter.

People called me a psycho.

They said I was using my dead child for clout.

They dug up my old engineering credentials, calling me a hypocrite who designed brutal training simulations myself.

Carter stood behind me, looking down at my phone. "See? No one will ever believe you."

I locked the screen.

Carter walked around to face me. "As long as you behave, Evelyn will receive the best medical care. Lily is gone. If you keep causing trouble, you'll only hurt the people who are still alive."

I kept my head down to hide the burning hatred in my eyes.

Fighting him head-on right now would only get me killed.

I had to survive first.

And I had to keep Evelyn safe.

I pulled out the settlement agreement, which had the divorce papers hidden inside, and slid it across the table. "Sign it. You promised."

Carter picked up the pen. Just as he was about to read the fine print, his phone rang.

Valerie's whimpering voice came through the speaker. "Carter... it hurts so much... can you please come over?"

Carter's expression softened instantly. He stood up to leave.

I grabbed his arm, my face expressionless. "Sign it first."

Irritated, Carter quickly flipped to the back page, scribbled his signature without looking, and rushed out the door.