"If your husband found another woman, maybe you should ask yourself what you stopped doing as a wife."

Two months later, the federal investigation into ApexBio Solutions exploded across national news channels.

The firm’s executive board was dismantled, federal marshals seized its assets, and several high-ranking officers were indicted on federal charges of illegal pharmaceutical distribution and corporate conspiracy.

Christopher, facing severe federal charges and crippling legal fees, was forced to sell his house in San Diego at a massive loss. Florence, unable to afford her luxurious private clinic, was moved to a state-funded care facility.

On a rainy Tuesday morning in Atlanta, I was stepping out of a high-end medical supply boutique downtown, carrying a briefcase containing Garrett’s new physical therapy reports.

As I walked toward Garrett’s parked luxury sedan, a disheveled, hollow-eyed man suddenly rushed out from behind a concrete pillar.

"Rebecca!"

I stopped, instantly raising my guard.

It was Christopher.

He looked unrecognizable. The crisp, tailored designer suits he used to wear were gone, replaced by a wrinkled, stained jacket and worn jeans. His hair was messy, dark circles sat heavy beneath his sunken eyes, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.

"Rebecca, please! Don't run away!" Christopher cried out, taking a frantic step toward me.

Before he could get within five feet of me, Garrett’s personal chauffeur and bodyguard, a imposing former marine named Marcus, stepped smoothly between us, resting a heavy hand against Christopher’s chest, halting him in his tracks.

"Stay back," Marcus warned in a deep, booming voice.

"Rebecca, please tell him to let me speak to you!" Christopher sobbed, tears cutting through the grime on his cheeks. "I drove all the way from San Diego! I spent my last three hundred dollars on gas to find you!"

I stood behind Marcus, looking at my ex-husband with complete composure. "How did you find me, Christopher?"

"I... I called your friend Sarah from the caregiving course," he whimpered. "I begged her. I told her my mother was dying... Rebecca, please, you have to help me! The federal prosecutors are offering me a plea deal, but I need two hundred thousand dollars for a private defense attorney, or I’m going to prison for ten years!"

I looked at him, feeling no anger, no hatred, and no desire for revenge—only a profound sense of pity for a man who had destroyed his own life through sheer arrogance.

"You signed those illegal chemical release forms for ApexBio, Christopher," I said calmly. "You knowingly supplied experimental nerve toxins that were used to cripple a human being, all so you could get a promotion."

"I didn't know what they were using it for!" Christopher lied frantically, wringing his trembling hands. "Brenda told me it was just a research sample! I was stupid, Rebecca! I was blind! Florence is sitting in a public ward, crying for you every day! She realizes now how horribly she treated you! She wants to apologize!"

"She doesn't want to apologize, Christopher," I corrected him cleanly. "She wants a free nurse. And you don't want my forgiveness—you want my boss's money."

At that exact moment, the rear door of the luxury sedan opened.

Garrett Corbin stepped out of the car.

He didn't use a wheelchair. He didn't even use his carbon-fiber cane. He walked tall, smooth, and upright, wearing a flawless charcoal three-piece suit, radiating power, wealth, and absolute health.

Christopher stared at Garrett, his eyes widening in utter shock as he recognized the man from the national news stories about Corbin Medical.

Garrett walked up beside me, naturally placing a protective arm around my waist, pulling me gently against his side.

"Is this the man who thought you were worthless, Rebecca?" Garrett asked smoothly, looking down at Christopher as if he were an insect on the sidewalk.

Christopher stumbled back, stammering uncontrollably. "You... you’re Garrett Corbin... you can walk..."

"Yes, I can walk, Mr. Miller," Garrett said, his voice cold and imposing. "Thanks to the extraordinary care, intelligence, and unwavering devotion of your ex-wife. The same woman you cheated on, humiliated, and discarded like trash."

"Mr. Corbin, please..." Christopher stammered, dropping to his knees on the wet pavement, weeping hysterically. "I'm ruined! My family is ruined! Have mercy on us!"

Garrett looked down at the kneeling man with utter contempt.

"Mercy is reserved for those who show it to others," Garrett said cleanly. "You gave Rebecca none when she devoted twelve years of her life to you. Marcus, call the local police department and have this man removed for trespassing and criminal harassment."

"Yes, Mr. Corbin," Marcus replied, pulling out his radio.

Garrett turned to me, his eyes instantly softening into warmth. "Shall we go to lunch, Rebecca?"