Crown of Cinders: The Billionaire Heiress Who Left the Golden Cage

The knocking continued, louder and more frantic now, accompanied by the rattling of the doorknob.

"Vivienne, please! Just talk to me for five minutes! My mother is having a nervous breakdown, Chloe locked herself in her room, and my father's lawyers just walked out! They're taking everything, Viv! The car, the bank accounts, the house—everything!"

I walked slowly toward the front door, my bare feet padding softly against the hardwood floor. My father didn't follow me; he simply sat at the kitchen table, watching with a calm, watchful gaze, his hand resting casually near his phone.

I reached out and unlocked the deadbolt, pulling the door open just a few inches, held safely by the security chain.

Dominic stood on the landing. The high-end tuxedo he had worn with such arrogant pride just hours ago was now wrinkled, stained with spilled champagne, and half-unbuttoned. His hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot and wide with absolute terror.

When he saw my face through the narrow gap, he pressed his palms against the wooden doorframe, weeping openly.

"Viv... thank God," he choked out. "Please, baby. Let me in. Let's talk. We can pack our bags, we can leave this city, we can go anywhere you want! Just call your father—tell him to call off his lawyers. Please. I'll do anything. I'll cut off my mother and Chloe, I swear to God I will!"

I looked at him—really looked at him—and wondered how I had ever mistaken this weak, cowardly stranger for the love of my life.

"Dominic," I said, my voice steady and quiet.

He stopped crying for a fraction of a second, his red eyes lighting up with desperate hope. "Yes? Yes, Viv? Tell me."

"When your mother ripped my dress open tonight... when she called me a thief in front of two hundred people... do you remember what you said?"

Dominic swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. "I... I was panicked, Viv—"

"You told me to just let them check my things so we could go home," I said, the words cutting through the hallway silence like glass. "You didn't care about my dignity. You didn't care about our child. You only cared about your comfort. And now, you're getting exactly what you traded me for."

"No, no, no! Don't do this!" Dominic sobbed, slamming his fist against the door. "We're a family! You're carrying my child!"

"No," I corrected him softly, placing a protective hand over my belly. "I'm carrying our child. But you lost your right to be a father the moment you decided my humiliation was a reasonable price to pay for your family's approval."

I reached out and clicked the security chain into place.

"Vivienne! Wait! Don't—"

Click.

I locked the deadbolt.

Outside, Dominic’s muffled screams and desperate pounding echoed down the empty apartment hallway for a few moments before fading into broken, pathetic sobs. Then, the heavy thud of footsteps retreating down the stairs told me he was finally gone.

I turned around and walked back into the kitchen.

My father was smiling softly, holding out a fresh cup of tea. "Feeling better?"