Chapter 32 I was sitting up in bed , propped by too many pillows , dressed in one of those soft designer robes Ephraim insisted the nurses bring from home . My IV line tugged at my wrist when I reached for the remote , but I didn't mind . The pain had dulled to something manageable now , just a faint echo of what I'd clawed through to get back . The flat - screen across the room flickered to life . " Breaking news , " the anchor announced , her tone tight with excitement as footage rolled behind her . " In a shocking development this morning , federal authorities raided the Massaro Estate following a string of criminal allegations including conspiracy to commit murder , kidnapping , and corporate fraud- " Ephraim stepped out of the bathroom just in time to hear it . His hair was still damp from his quick shower , shirt half - buttoned , but when he saw what I was watching , he stilled . I didn't look at him . I was too busy staring at the screen . The video feed cut to Ruby , caught on a CCTV camera at the airport , dragging a blood - red suitcase while clutching a fake passport in one hand and Jude's arm in the other . Her once - perfect hair was a mess , and she wore oversized sunglasses that couldn't hide the panic in her face . " She was intercepted by federal agents while attempting to board a private flight to Dubai , " the anchor went on . " Multiple falsified identities were found in her luggage , along with proof of several offshore accounts . " Beside her , Jude didn't even resist . He's only crying shouting mommy . Then came the next clip . Aerial footage zoomed in on Mrs. Massaro's hidden villa in Tagaytay . Surrounded by tall hedges and absurd statues of lions and Grecian gods , the mansion had always reeked of overcompensation . Now , it was crawling with agents . Cameras captured her being dragged out in a velvet robe and Dior slippers , hair in curlers , screaming obscenities . She thrashed against the officer gripping her elbow . " This is a political setup ! " she shrieked . " You think I'm scared of a little jail cell ? I'll sue the whole government ! " Then one of the agents shoved a warrant in her face and she went limp . Ephraim exhaled beside me . I glanced at him . He was gripping the railing of the bed so tight , his knuckles had gone white . I reached for his hand , threading my fingers through his . He didn't say anything , just pulled a chair closer and sat down , locking our hands like always . " That's not all , " the anchor added . " Moments after the arrest , the Masarro patriarch , Mr. Alessandro Massaro , was rushed to the emergency room following a cardiac event . His Chapter 31 3/3 93.9 % 22:35 Sun , Aug 10 HIT CUTN III IVIANAI - 47 % IAN I X condition remains critical . " " Good , " Ephraim muttered , voice cold . I turned to him . " What ? " " I said good ," he repeated , but his voice was calmer now . Too calm . " He raised that nest of vipers . Let him watch it rot from a hospital bed . " The screen now showed Torren , calling Ephraim outside the hospital gates . Paparazzi swarmed around his car . His face was flushed , probably from the yelling . He held his phone to his ear , lips moving , pleading with someone who wasn't picking up . " Do you want to answer ? " I asked softly . Ephraim shook his head once , eyes never leaving the screen . " No. He can keep screaming . I owe him silence . " Another video played - Ruby being led to a black car , handcuffed . She was sobbing now , mascara running down her cheeks as reporters shoved mics at her face . One screamed , " What do you say to the accusations ? What about Therese Calderon ? " Ruby didn't respond . She just sank into the seat , trembling . I could feel the pressure of Ephraim's fingers tightening around mine . Not enough to hurt . Just enough to remind me that I wasn't alone this time . My heart should've been racing . But it wasn't . I felt still . Cold , but still . " She'll rot ," I whispered . " They both will . " Ephraim looked at me then , and there was something unreadable in his eyes . Pride . Anger . Love . Maybe all of it tangled together . " They tried to erase you ," he said . " Now the world gets to erase them . " I leaned back against the pillows , the corner of my lips curling up . " And this is just the beginning . " ** That night … I was resting when Ephraim came in , coat dusted with cold wind and eyes sharper than usual . He didn't say anything at first - just walked to my bedside and placed a folder down on the table beside my untouched meal tray . " What's this ? " I asked , my voice hoarse from the hours I'd spent ignoring the world . He didn't answer immediately . He just sat beside me , slow and calm , and unbuttoned his cuffs like he was settling in for something final . " Masarro Steel " he said " Gone " Chapter 32 2/3 96.0 % 22:35 Sun , Aug 10 D X - " Masarro Steel ," he said . " Gone . " I blinked . " What do you mean , gone ? " " I mean I bought it . All of it . Through five separate shell companies . We own the patents , the factories , the ships docked in Spain . Even the rusting warehouse in Baltimore where Torren first ' borrowed ' union funds . " I sat up , heart thudding softly - not with shock . With satisfaction . " What else ? " " The Masarro vineyards . The textile arm . The offshore holdings . Their real estate assets in Milan , Singapore , and the Dubai property they never declared in the taxes . " I stared at him . " And Torren ? " Ephraim's eyes turned a shade darker . " Drowning . " Later that night , I received the first of his messages . Then another . Then five more . They came at strange hours . Desperate apologies , voice recordings that cut off mid - sob , screenshots of wire transfers , even a half - baked confession he claimed would ' clear the air between us . ' I never opened any of them . I didn't need to . Ephraim made sure they disappeared before I could , his thumb a quiet blade deleting every pathetic plea . But I saw the look in his eyes each time - like a man standing guard outside a door he'd never let rot touch again . Still , the rot found a way in . - The reporter called the next morning . I was drinking tea by the window , dressed in white silk , a blanket across my legs . " Miss Calderon " the voice on the line asked . " How does it feel knowing Massaro Industries has officially filed for bankruptcy this morning ? " I didn't respond . I didn't have to . Because seconds later , my phone buzzed with a video link .