Chapter 3 - The Matriarch’s Gambit
Vivian Carter was not a woman who accepted defeat. By the second day, the news cycle had begun to shift. A "leaked" medical report appeared on a major gossip site, suggesting I had a history of "erratic behavior" and "self-harming tendencies."
I watched from my motel room as a paid spokesperson for the Carter family claimed I had fabricated the abuse to cover up a gambling debt.
"She’s brilliant, Amelia," I whispered to myself, watching Vivian on the TV screen. "But you taught me everything I know about character assassination."
I knew Vivian’s game. She needed to paint me as the villain to preserve the family’s wealth. If I could be institutionalized, the case would be dismissed, and Evan would be free to rebuild his image.
That evening, I received a package at the motel desk. No return address. Inside was a burner phone and a single photo: me, leaving the courtroom, with a red "X" drawn over my face.
The phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number: Your past is coming to find you, Doctor. We know about the patient in 2018.
May you like
My heart skipped a beat. The case in 2018—the one I had nearly lost my medical license over because of a compromised record. Evan had threatened to destroy my career back then. He had kept that secret as my leash. If Vivian was weaponizing my past mistakes, she wasn't just trying to win the trial; she was trying to bury my entire identity.
I couldn't stay in the shadows anymore. I had to strike back at the foundation of their power: the charity foundation that funneled their money.
