Chapter 66 - 65 - Pain Keeps Me Sharp

Nick didn’t leave immediately.

He stood there in Samantha’s office long after the words "My name is Samantha Bradley" carved into his bones like a verdict.

The silence in the room was suffocating.

Jake stood between them, tense, protective, watching every breath Samantha took.

Samantha... Ally... the woman he loved, the woman he destroyed, the woman he thought dead—

Nick could barely breathe.

Samantha turned her back to him, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows, her silhouette framed against the city she rebuilt her life in. Her arms were crossed tightly, as though holding herself together was the only thing stopping her from breaking apart.

"Get him out," she said quietly.

Not cold this time.

Just tired.

Tired in a way that made Nick’s heart collapse.

Jake stepped closer, voice firm.

"You heard her."

Nick’s lips parted, but no sound came.

He looked at Samantha—no, at Ally—one last time.

She didn’t move.

Didn’t look back.

Didn’t blink.

Just silence.

Just distance.

Just the grave she said she would never dig open again.

Nick finally took a step backward.

Another.

Then another.

He felt like he was walking out of a mausoleum—except he realized he was the one buried in it.

The elevator doors closed behind him with a cold metallic sigh.

And Samantha exhaled—just once—like she’d been holding her breath for seven years.

---

Jake turns to her slowly

"Sam..."

He took a cautious step toward her.

She didn’t turn.

"Don’t," she whispered.

Jake’s shoulders lowered, a muscle in his jaw ticking.

"Samantha... you should have told me."

"About what?" Her voice was steady again. "That I used to be weak? That I used to be someone who begged to be loved? That I married a man who threw me out in the rain for someone else?"

Her breath wavered, but she didn’t let it break fully.

"That I died because of him?"

Jake closed his eyes briefly.

"That’s not what I meant."

But she didn’t let him continue.

She finally turned, her face composed again but her eyes exhausted—storm-eyes, the kind that had cried too much once and refused to cry again.

"I didn’t tell you," Samantha said quietly, "because I didn’t want you to look at me the way he used to."

Jake’s expression softened in a way that was almost painful.

"I could never see you as weak," he said. "Never. I just... I hate that you’ve been carrying this alone."

Samantha didn’t respond.

Not because she didn’t agree.

But because she couldn’t afford to.

Not now.

Not yet.

---

Down the elevator, Nick breaks

The moment the doors closed, Nick pressed both palms against the mirrored wall.

His reflection stared back at him—haunted, hollow, unforgivable.

His breath hitched.

"Ally..."

He whispered the name like a prayer and a curse.

Everything he ever denied crashed into him:

The way her voice trembled when he first saw her. The shadows behind her eyes. The instinct she had with Sophia. The pain she tried to hide every time he mentioned the past. The storm in her silence.

He was right there. Right beside her. In the mansion. In meetings. At events.

And he didn’t see her.

He didn’t want to see her.

And now the truth was ripping him open from the inside.

She survived. She lived. She was right here.

And he—

He buried her.

Nick slid down the elevator wall, his breath jagged, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

He covered his face.

And for the first time in years—

Nick Carter sobbed.

---

Back in Samantha’s office

Jake watched her carefully.

He stepped close—but not too close.

"Sam... he knows. This changes everything."

Samantha sat down at her desk, opened her laptop, and began typing as though her heart wasn’t on fire.

"It changes nothing."

Jake frowned. "Don’t lie to me."

She looked up sharply.

This time her mask was flawless.

Her voice emotionless.

"Nick knowing the truth doesn’t resurrect Ally. She died in the rain. I will not let Samantha die with her."

Jake clenched his hands, fighting the urge to pull her close.

"You don’t have to fight alone anymore."

She met his eyes.

"For seven years, Jake, that’s all I’ve known how to do."

Jake’s jaw tightened with helpless frustration.

She returned her gaze to her laptop.

"Call the legal team," she said calmly. "I want the contract with Carter Group revised. If Nick thinks he can use sympathy to negotiate, he’s mistaken."

Jake didn’t move.

He just watched her—watched the tremor in her finger against the keyboard, the way her breath occasionally hitched even though she tried to hide it.

"You’re hurting," he said softly.

"Good," she replied without looking up. "Pain keeps me sharp."

Jake stared at her a long moment.

Then turned and left, gently closing the door behind him.

The moment he did—

Samantha’s hands froze.

Her breath broke.

And a single tear fell onto the back of her hand.

She didn’t wipe it away.

She let it fall.

Then the next.

Then the next.

Silent. Controlled. Almost graceful.

Her tears fell like they were rationed—like she wouldn’t allow herself more than she could afford.

She opened Sophia’s essay again.

Read it once.

Then again.

Her shoulders trembled.

And she whispered, barely audible—

"Maybe I shouldn’t have come back..."

But the moment the words left her lips, she shook her head violently.

No.

She had to come back.

For justice.

For truth.

For the girl she used to be.

She closed the notebook and set it aside.

Her voice steadied.

"This changes nothing," she repeated to herself.

But somehow...

for the first time in seven years... it felt like everything was about to change.

*****

It started with a whisper.

Then a headline.

Then a wildfire. The morning the news broke, Samantha’s office phone wouldn’t stop ringing.

Her email inbox multiplied by the second. Her PR team sent frantic messages. Her assistant ran in pale-faced.

Jake burst into her office with his tablet in hand, voice tight.

"Sam... you need to see this."

Samantha lifted her eyes slowly.

She hadn’t slept. Not after what happened with Nick. Her mask was back in place, but exhaustion clung to her bones.

Jake placed the tablet on her desk.

A single headline flashed across the screen in bold red:

SAMANTHA BRADLEY AND NICK CARTER — SECRET FORMER MARRIAGE?

EXCLUSIVE SOURCES CONFIRM HIDDEN PAST

Dozens of photos and videos trended underneath.

Whispers. Speculation. Blogs digging into "Ally Miller." Articles connecting the dots. Images of Nick leaving Elevate looking destroyed.

Samantha’s lips tightened.

Jake cursed under his breath.

"Someone leaked it, Sam. This wasn’t random."

Her voice was calm, razor-thin. "Marcus."

Jake nodded grimly. "It fits. He wants you unstable. Exposed."

Samantha closed the tablet and stood. Her face was unreadable. Too still.

But Jake saw the storm in her eyes, faint and trembling.

"He wanted a war," she said softly.

"He’ll get one."

********

Kate Carter stood in the living room, shaking, her phone clattering to the floor as she stared at the headline.

Her breaths came short, sharp, hysterical.

"No... no, no... she can’t—no!"

She grabbed the nearest vase and hurled it against the wall.

Glass exploded. Her breath shook uncontrollably as she stared at her own reflection in the mirror.

Mascara smeared. Eyes wild. A stranger.

Chloe screamed from the hallway, "Kate, stop!"

But Kate couldn’t hear anyone.

Her world had cracked.

Her control shattered.

She staggered to the bar cart, pouring whiskey with trembling hands, half the liquid spilling onto the floor.

"She’s doing this," Kate whispered, voice wild. "She’s doing this to ruin us... to ruin me."

Chloe approached cautiously, "Kate, honey, calm down—"

Kate spun, eyes bloodshot.

"Don’t touch me!"

She grabbed a second glass and threw it.

Chloe jumped back.

Sophia watched from the stairs, clutching her teddy bear, terrified.

Nick arrives

The front door slammed open.

Nick rushed in, breathless, having just come from the office where reporters ambushed him.

"What the hell is going on?" She laughed, hysterical.

"YOU happened!"

She shoved her phone at him.

"Look at it, Nick! LOOK AT IT!"

Nick’s face paled as he read the headline.

Kate staggered toward him, jabbing a finger into his chest, face twisted with alcohol and fury.

"You KNEW!" she screamed. "You knew she was Ally!"

"OMG... Samantha Bradley is Ally Miller. But... How is this possible?" Chloe whispers to herself.

Nick’s jaw tightened. "Kate, not here. We need to talk privately—"

"You still love her!" Kate shouted, voice cracking violently. "I can see it in your eyes! You never stopped! Like — like she hung the damn moon!"

Nick clenched his jaw.

"Kate, calm down—"

"DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" Kate shrieked.

"You’ve been distant. You’ve been lying. She comes back and suddenly you’re—you’re human again!"

Nick rubbed his temples. "Kate, stop."

"No," she spat. "You owe me the truth. Do you still love her?"

Nick’s silence was the answer.

Kate’s eyes widened, then darkened with fury.

Nick’s voice was shaking with rage and guilt.

"I can’t love someone," he said through clenched teeth, "who helped destroy another life."

Kate slapped him.

Hard.

The crack echoed across the room. "You’re blaming me now. Fuck you Nick. Fuck all of this."

Sophia burst into tears on the stairs. "Please mommy... daddy stop fighting."

Chloe covered her mouth, horrified.

Nick didn’t move, didn’t react, didn’t even blink.

He just looked at Kate like he was seeing her for the first time—and he didn’t recognize what she’d become.

Kate staggered back, trembling.

"She’s going to ruin us," she whispered hoarsely. "Samantha will destroy this family. I know it. I KNOW IT!"

Her voice broke into a scream.

"She wants my life. She wants my daughter. She wants YOU!"

"Stop!" Nick snapped, finally raising his voice. "Don’t drag Sophia into this!"

But it was already too late.

Kate whirled around and stormed toward the stairs.

"Sophia," she hissed, "come here."

The little girl hesitated but later moved closer to the mother.

Nick’s gut twisted.

Kate knelt, eyes wild and unfocused, gripping Sophia’s shoulders too tightly."Mommy... why are you angry?" Sophia asked.

"Sophia... sweetheart... you must stay away from Miss Samantha. She—she isn’t who you think she is."

"Why?"

"Because she lies," Kate whispered. "She isn’t good. She—she’s trying to take your daddy away."

Sophia blinked slowly.

Then frowned.

"Miss Samantha never lies."

Kate stiffened.

Sophia tilted her head, eyes soft with a wisdom far beyond her years.

Kate froze.

Sophia reached out, touching Kate’s hand.

"You don’t have to be scared. Miss Samantha isn’t bad."

Kate snatched her hand away like she’d been burned.

"Sophia, don’t ever say her name again! Do you hear me? NEVER!"

Sophia flinched, tears filling her eyes.

"Okay, Mommy," she whispered.

But her small voice held a quiet, unshakable truth.

"Miss Samantha feels like Mommy Ally."

Kate’s breath caught in her throat.

"That woman," she whispered harshly, "that Samantha—she lies. She lies to all of us. She wants to take Daddy away. She wants to take you away."

Sophia’s lip trembled.

Then her eyes hardened.

She shook her head.

"Miss Samantha never lies, Mommy."

Kate froze.

Sophia wiped her tears and repeated firmly:

"Miss Samantha never lies."

Nick felt something in his chest twist painfully.

Kate’s face contorted—hurt, rage, panic all blending into something unstable and frightening.

She stood abruptly and exhaled deeply.

"SAMANTHA BRADLEY IS A THREAT! I SWEAR I WILL EXPOSE HER! SHE WILL NOT DESTROY MY FAMILY!"

Her voice echoed like a warning shot.

Chloe grabbed her arm. "Kate, stop! You’re making things worse—"

"LET GO OF ME!"

Kate jerked away, stumbling, grabbing a lamp and nearly smashing it before Nick caught her wrist.

"That’s enough!"

She ripped her arm free and shoved him back.

Nick’s expression hardened.

"Kate Carter," he said, voice cold and unyielding, "you need help."

Kate’s laughter was broken, hysterical.

"What I need is for you to choose this family. But you can’t, can you? Because you already chose hers!"

Nick’s silence was the answer she feared most.

Kate collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably."Samantha Bradley, I am DONE LETTING YOU DESTROY MY LIFE!"

Chloe cradled her, horrified at the scene unfolding.

Reporters outside were already filming the chaos through the now-shattered windows.

---

Carter Group Board Meeting — 5 Hours Later

The board gathered urgently, faces grim as they reviewed the leaked videos of Kate’s outburst spreading across social media.

"Mrs. Carter’s behavior is damaging our reputation," one director said.

"She made public threats against Samantha Bradley," another added. "This compromises investor confidence."

"She needs to step down," the chairman concluded.

Nick sat in silence.

Not defending her.

Not fighting for her.

Just staring at the table as if looking at the ruins of everything he once called a life.

The decision was final.

Kate Carter was suspended indefinitely from her position and barred from representing Carter Group in any public capacity.

Nick closed his eyes and exhaled.

This wasn’t a victory.

It wasn’t justice.

It was a tragedy unraveling in slow motion.

---

Meanwhile — Samantha watches from Elevate

Samantha sat in her office, the TV muted as footage of Kate’s meltdown played silently on the screen.

Her expression was unreadable.

Jake entered, saw the video, and frowned.

"She’s coming apart."

Samantha didn’t look up.

"She always would," she replied quietly. "Guilt has a way of rotting people from the inside."

Jake hesitated. "Do you feel bad for her?"

Samantha finally turned her gaze from the screen.

Her eyes were sharp.

Unforgiving.

"No."

A beat.

"But I do feel bad for the innocent people getting caught in her collapse."

Jake nodded slowly.

"You mean Nick."

Samantha didn’t answer.

But the silence... that was enough.