"Oh god, Valerie, are you okay?"
My eyes slowly focused, and I found Max right in front of me.
I immediately threw my arms around her, soaking her shirt in seconds.
"Max… why are you back?"
"I came straight here after the concert ended. And, what the hell, why were you under the shower?" she asked, half in disbelief.
I shook my head. "No, I just… I thought it was a dream…"
"A dream?"
"Yeah… I saw—"
My words stopped halfway.
I couldn't even explain it. The vision felt like a dream, but every sensation was too real.
I glanced down at my drenched clothes.
"Okay, you need to change, at least," Max said, gently grabbing my arms.
I followed her quietly.
Fifteen minutes later, after drying off and changing, Max sat me down on the edge of my bed.
"Tell me, Val. Why were you in the bathroom, drenched, at this hour?"
She stood with her arms crossed, brows furrowed.
I sighed. "No, it's just—it's—I saw… a baby. In the kitchen. It looked so real, it scared me. I thought I was dreaming, so I went to the bathroom to… you know… feel it."
Max lowered her head, then sat beside me.
"Maybe you're just exhausted and overthinking, so you started seeing things." She glanced at her watch.
"It's four in the morning. Let's just sleep, okay? I'll stay here tonight."
I nodded and laid down. It was… utterly exhausting.
~~~~~
Leonardo's POV
"So? Any news from Emily?" Sebastian suddenly appeared at my door.
"Ugh. If you came here to talk about that again, just leave."
"Come on, Leo. You can't keep dodging this. It's been a week, and you still look like hell."
I sighed. "Who said I look miserable, huh?"
Sebastian pushed his way inside.
"What the hell, man?" I snapped.
"Leo, you know damn well you were in the wrong. Sure, Emily said some harsh things."
"What harsh things? It didn't hurt. I just wanted to make it clear she's no longer needed as my secretary, and she doesn't need to be my wife anymore since the baby's alrea—"
My voice froze.
Sebastian leaned against the wall.
"You realize that was cruel, right? She lost something, Leo. So did you."
I rubbed my face hard and walked to the living room.
"What do you even want?"
He sighed. "Just checking on you. You've been a wreck since Emily left."
"Bullshit."
Sebastian laughed, sitting on the couch across from me.
"So when are you hiring a new secretary? You clearly need one, and I can't keep covering for you."
I leaned back, exhaling.
Right. I did need help.
"Or… you could just apologize to Emily and hire her back. She's good at her job. If only you hadn't, you know, knocked her up out of nowhere," he said with a grin.
I glared at him, and he laughed, walking to my kitchen to pour himself some orange juice.
I know. Maybe I did go too far.
But why the hell did her words bother me that much? It's not like she's the first to trust Nathan over me.
I cleared my throat and joined Sebastian in the kitchen.
"So, you think I should just apologize to Emily?"
"Of course!"
I nodded slightly.
"Also, tell her you didn't mean the divorce thing. I mean, come on, Leo, you two got married because she was pregnant. What would people think if you divorced her right after she miscarried? It'd look terrible for you, and your family."
"Right… didn't think that far."
Sebastian nodded, sipping his juice again.
~~~~~
Valerie's POV
"And here she is, the one you've all been waiting for… The! Viper!" shouted the announcer.
"Viper!"
"Viper!"
The crowd roared. It shook the room and fired me up.
I tightened my ponytail.
Right. No more Emily. No more Valerie. Tonight, I'm The Viper.
"You ready, hon?" Max said, patting my arm.
I nodded, bouncing lightly on my feet.
Across the ring, Mara, The Stryker was already set, fists clenched, eyes sharp, like she wanted to devour me whole.
Well, the thing she didn't know? The only one getting devoured tonight is her.
The cheers echoed in my chest, loud enough to make my ribs vibrate.
The lights were blinding. The air is hot. Sweat stung my skin.
Three days since that hallucination, and I still wasn't okay.
But tonight, I didn't care. I wasn't holding back anymore.
I wanted it all out, rage, guilt, fear, everything.
Across from me, Mara stood taller, stronger. But I only saw one thing: a target.
"Ready?"
I nodded silently.
The bell rang.
Mara's first punch came fast, slammed my shoulder, hard. Pain snapped me awake.
I struck back. Once. Twice.
Each hit felt like I was tearing something loose from my chest every leftover hurt from the last few days.
Mara's right hook grazed my cheek. I turned, countered with an uppercut.
It landed. Her head jerked back. The crowd roared.
I didn't stop.
Sweat, blood, shouts, it all blurred together.
I wasn't fighting Mara anymore. I was fighting myself.
Round two. My breath was ragged, but I didn't slow down.
A hard jab to her ribs, she stumbled back, eyes burning. I could see her ego cracking.
"Come on!" I shouted.
She lunged, reckless. I slipped aside, then hooked left.
It connected. Her jaw snapped, and she hit the ground.
The ref started counting, one… two… three…
But all I heard was my heartbeat.
For the first time, I felt free.
The bell rang.
"The winner is The Viper!"
The crowd exploded, but the sound was distant.
All I could hear was my shaky breathing.
Max rushed toward me. "Val, you're bleeding! God, your face—"
I touched my lip. Sticky. Metallic taste.
Juno came over with a towel, her face tense.
"I'm fine," I whispered, voice hoarse.
"You don't look fine."
"I just… finally feel like I can breathe again."
They stared at me, quiet.
I knew I looked wrecked, bruised, bleeding, split lip but I didn't care.
At least this pain was real.
The medic came, but I refused stitches.
I wanted the wounds to stay. Proof that I was still alive. That I could still fight.
As I stepped out of the ring, Mara looked at me not with hate, but respect.
I nodded back and walked away.
In the car, Max wiped the blood from my chin gently.
Juno stayed silent, her hand gripping my wrist tight.
For the first time in a while, I felt… lighter.
But deep down, I knew it wasn't over yet.
~~~~~
"You sure you'll be okay alone, Val?" Max cupped my face with both hands, gentle, like I was a kid.
"What's with you two?" I laughed. "I'm fine. I saw my therapist yesterday, remember? I feel better now, and I promise… that won't happen again."
They didn't look convinced, but both smiled before heading out.
Once they left, I sat on the couch and closed my eyes.
It felt strange, pain and victory all tangled together.
Ten minutes later, someone knocked on the door.
"Seriously?" I chuckled. They must still be worried.
I dragged myself to the door and opened it without thinking.
Shit. My eyes widened.
Jonathan Rhys stood there.
"Hi, Emily. You're really hard to reach, you know?"