Author's Preface
“Be quiet!” Nicole shouted again at Samantha, her whole body shaking with rage
“Relax, Nicole… you’re acting strange,” Samantha said firmly
“Officer, I have something to show you — evidence. That’s all we’re here for anyway,” Madame L said with a smile
“Rico,” she called to her brother, who handed her a thick brown envelope
“Here — everything you need is in there,” Madame L said
The officer took the envelope and looked inside. What they found was a small flash drive
“This holds the whole truth — about Samantha’s murder, done by Nicole Sanchez!” Samantha shouted
Everyone was shocked. Even the staff and workers around started whispering among themselves
“Shut up! That’s not true!” Nicole yelled
Francis was stunned when he heard it. He quickly stood up and faced Nicole directly.
“You killed my wife!” he shouted at the top of his voice
“F-Francis… no! That’s not true! That woman is lying! Look at me — you’ve known me since we were kids, remember?” Nicole said, trying to defend herself
“Francis, you know I could never do that to your wife. You know how much you love her,” Nicole said, gripping his arm tightly
Nicole thought she was starting to convince him, and secretly felt relieved and hopeful
“You trusted me, didn’t you? That I could never hurt you… and besides, I love you, Francis,” she added, emphasizing every word
“So dramatic. Officer, just play what’s in there — let everyone finally know the truth,” Madame L ordered
The officer plugged in the flash drive. They all watched as the whole truth of what happened to Samantha played out before their eyes
Nicole’s eyes went wide. She couldn’t believe how the evidence had been found and brought out
Francis was filled with anger and hatred as he watched. Without thinking, he slapped Nicole hard enough to make her stumble
“You monster! What did you do to my wife? You’re a criminal!”
Nicole touched her stinging, red cheek, trembling in fear and rage
“Francis… Francis… I only did it because I love you so much!” she cried, clinging to him tightly
“Don’t touch me! You’re nothing but trash! Did you know my wife was pregnant? What have you done?” Francis shouted, shaking with emotion.
“Fine! I killed her! All because of my love for you — you never talked about anything but Samantha, Samantha, Samantha!” Nicole yelled, pushing Francis away roughly.
Francis broke down crying, overwhelmed by grief and disappointment.
“No one else is to blame but her — that woman!” Nicole shouted, pointing sharply at Samantha, who was also known as Madame L.
“Nicole, enough is enough,” Madame L said, smiling calmly — a sign that her plan for revenge had finally worked.
“And that’s not all. Here’s more,” Madame L said, handing over another envelope containing all the company records and documents.
Francis saw right away that the business was losing money and falling apart. He trembled all over, unable to believe what he was seeing.
“What did you do to the company, huh?” he yelled, throwing the papers in her face. “I trusted you with everything!”
But by this point, Nicole didn’t care anymore. She was no longer affected — instead, she spoke boldly, even enjoying the chaos.
“Why? It’s your fault too, isn’t it? You put everything in my hands. And besides… we’ve been together. You even enjoyed every bit of it, remember? So we’re even!”
Her shameless words shocked Madame L, who clenched her fists tight when she realized her own husband had cheated on her.
“Madame L, now that you’ve heard the whole truth — even if I go to prison, Francis should be held responsible too,” Nicole said sharply.
“Shut up! I’ll kill you!” Francis lunged at her, ready to strangle her, but the officers quickly pulled him back.
“Stay calm, Mr. Malvar. Let the law deal with her,” one officer said.
“Let me go! I’ll strangle that woman myself!” Francis shouted, his eyes fixed only on Nicole.
“Why won’t you admit it? Are you ashamed? If your wife were alive, she’d be crying right now from the pain and disgrace!” Nicole laughed loudly — even though she was cornered, she felt she had gotten her revenge in the end.
But Madame L could hold back no longer. She stepped forward and slapped Nicole hard, a second time.
“You monster!”
The force of the blow made Nicole’s head snap to the side.
Francis was taken aback too — he never expected Madame L would do that.
“You’ve gone too far!” Nicole screamed, trying to rush at her, but her brothers Miguel and Rico quickly stepped in to stop her.
“Don’t hurt Madame L!” Rico said.
“Why are you protecting that woman?!” Nicole shouted.
“Officers, arrest her! She’s one of the suspects in Samantha Malvar’s murder!” Rico ordered.
The police immediately grabbed Nicole and pulled her away.
“Don’t touch me!” she yelled, still full of rage.
“Sorry, Ma’am — we have to do this…” They handcuffed her hands behind her back.
“Mr. Malvar, we’ll take her to the station to process everything,” the officer said.
Nicole’s bodyguards could no longer do anything. They just stood there and watched as their boss was led away.
“Francis — remember this last thing I say. You also had a part in your wife’s death. Don’t ever forget that!” Nicole called out, then laughed loudly again.
“Shut up, you bitch!” Francis shouted
“Lock her up for good!” he ordered
Once Nicole was taken to the station, the room fell silent, heavy with sadness and tension
“I never thought you were this weak, Mr. Malvar,” Madame L said
She looked at Francis, who was crying helplessly — filled with anger and regret
“Because you failed to protect your wife and your child from evil people… maybe Nicole was right. You do share the blame for your wife’s death,” Madame L said seriously
Francis slowly turned his gaze toward her
“I had nothing to do with my wife’s death,” he denied firmly
“Didn’t you?”
“Mr. Malvar, now that Nicole is behind bars, what do you plan to do next?” asked Miguel Chavez
“I don’t know,” Francis answered quietly, confused and defeated. “What do I even have left? My wife is gone… and so is my child.” He looked completely broken, abandoned by everything he held dear
“Madame L, what about you? What will you do now?” Miguel asked
“I plan to find my c
hild,” Madame L replied
Francis looked up quickly, surprised — and a flicker of hope appeared in his eyes.
“Your child?”