The Crown That Fell

However, walking away from Nolan was not an option, not with my dad still depending on the Winston family's medical hookups.

I was stuck.

Half an hour later, I showed up at Skycrest Estate, right on schedule.

Dragging my bruised self through the grand entrance, I felt like a total mess in my baggy hospital scrubs, standing out like a sore thumb in the glittering hall.

Nolan's crew was lounging around a long table, throwing me looks that mixed pity with scorn.

"Donna! Always the same, huh? Can't even bother to change before you come home, always looking for sympathy..."

"Donna? Please, Lena is back now. Time for this fake to take a hike."

I tuned them out and made my way to the upstairs lounge.

The moment I pushed the door open, the chatter inside stopped dead.

Lena was perched on the central sofa, decked out in a pristine white designer dress, looking every bit the innocent angel.

Nolan was right there beside her, casually sipping wine, his eyes fixed on me with a smirk.

"Look who it is, our very own Donna," he teased.

Mike, the Winston family's Underboss and Nolan's right-hand man, let out a whistle. "Nice get-up. What's this, The Pity Act 2.0?"

I brushed off their taunts and stood before Nolan.

"The money?" I asked, my hand outstretched, voice barely steady.

Nolan gave his wine glass a lazy swirl. "What's the hurry? Forgot how things work around here?"

He nodded toward the carpet at Lena's feet. "Apologize. Now," Nolan commanded, his voice icy.

Lena gave Nolan's sleeve a gentle tug, her concern as fake as a three-dollar bill. "Nolan, come on, Sophia is hurt..."

"Hurt? Big deal," Nolan shot back with a frosty glare. "She's tough as nails. Took a bullet for me once and still made it to the docks to check on shipments. This is nothing."

His words stung, but not because they were harsh. No, it was the memory of my old, foolish self, so blindly in love with Nolan, that really hurt.

I checked my phone. 20 more minutes before it turned four in the evening. Time was running out.

"So if I apologize and take ninety-nine lashes, you'll pay up?" I locked eyes with Nolan, my gaze unwavering.

He hesitated, then nodded firmly. "Yes."

"Alright then." I inhaled sharply, the pain in my broken ribs nearly unbearable, and bent forward.

The moment I did, the whip cracked down, its bite searing across my back.

With each lash, I bit back the pain and spoke with deliberate clarity. "Lena, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Please forgive me."

Lena clutched her mouth, feigning shock. "Sophia, you're Donna. How can I? This is too much..."

Her words said one thing, but her body stayed still, and the corner of her mouth betrayed her true feelings with a satisfied smirk.

I stood firm against the relentless pain, refusing to crumble, and my lips twisted into an icy smile. "No, I'm done being Donna."

I paused, then turned to Nolan. "You want a divorce, right? You got it."

Nolan's face twisted into an ugly scowl. "Sophia, are you for real?"

As the whip rose and fell, I swallowed the blood that threatened to choke me, my voice filled with determination.

"I swear to God, I'm done with you, Nolan Winston."

With those final words, I yanked the wedding ring off my finger and flung it at Nolan with all the force I could muster.

"Hah. Alright, then," said Nolan, nodding. He tossed a check onto the coffee table like it was nothing.

"Here's fifteen thousand. Take it and get out!"

The moment my fingers brushed the check, Lena let out a sharp cry. "Ugh, my chest... It's so tight..."

She crumpled, falling right into Nolan's arms.

Nolan's face twisted with shock, and he swatted my hand away like I was a pest.

The check drifted down, landing in an ashtray brimming with cigarette butts, instantly ruined.

"Lena! What's happening?" Nolan's voice was laced with panic as he cradled her.

"Nolan, something about Sophia's blood... My heart, it hurts..." Lena's breaths were shallow and frantic.

Nolan's eyes snapped to me, filled with accusation. "Sophia! This is what you're doing, isn't it?"

"I didn't..." I stammered, my eyes fixed on the soggy check. I reached out, desperate to salvage it.

However, Nolan kicked my hand away, grinding his shoe into my skin. "You still want money? In your dreams!

"If Lena's hurt, I swear, your family will regret it!"

He scooped up Lena and stormed out, leaving me alone with the mess.

I was about to rescue the check when my phone screeched. It was the hospital.

I picked up, shaking, but the nurse's voice cut through before I could even speak.

"Miss Wood, we're sorry to inform you that Mr. Wood took off his own breathing tube five minutes ago. We tried, but he's gone... Please come to the hospital to handle his affairs."

My phone hit the ground with a sharp crack. Suddenly, the world went silent.

I could not take it anymore. A gush of blood spilled from my lips, and everything went black.

I never noticed that the phone that had fallen to the floor suddenly flashed twice.