Six hours after giving birth, Genevieve was slapped in her hospital bed while her newborn screamed beside her.

The following week brought small miracles. I could wiggle my toes. I could feel warmth and pressure where there had been nothing before. The doctors were cautiously optimistic—full recovery was possible, perhaps even swift. I hid this progress carefully. If Gareth believed I was still completely helpless, he would make mistakes.

Sarah filed the necessary paperwork establishing my authority as guardian and trustee for Hazel. Within hours, the reaction arrived.

First came a letter from an attorney I had never heard of—filing competing claims to Vance Development on behalf of… a trust established in Julian’s name. Dated years before our marriage. Claiming certain assets were already pledged as collateral to repay debts owed by Julian to unnamed creditors. The amounts were staggering.

Sarah slammed the letter onto my bed, furious.

“It is a sham. Every document is forged or backdated. But it will clog the courts for months. And while they fight… Gareth drains your company dry through these so-called debts.”

“Which is exactly what he intends,” I said. “Force me into endless legal war. Bankrupt me with fees. Wear me down until I settle.”

“Unless we prove the documents are fake,” Sarah said. “And that means getting into that safety deposit box Eleanor told us about. If Gareth keeps his true records there… we can prove forgery, coercion, conspiracy. Everything.”

That evening brought a worse warning.

A nurse I had grown to trust came to me quietly, her face pale.

“Mrs. Vance… a man was standing outside your room for nearly twenty minutes this afternoon. Dressed in gray. Watching through the glass. When I went out to ask what he wanted… he was gone. And… I heard him speak to Julian in the hallway. He said: The paralysis is lasting longer than expected. Convenient. Julian told him to be quiet. And then the man said: If she starts walking… the accident becomes necessary.”

My blood ran cold.

“Did you see his face clearly?”

She nodded. “Middle-aged. Hard eyes. A scar along his left eyebrow. He looked… dangerous.”

Gareth.

He had come to see me himself. To confirm I was truly helpless. And if I recovered… he intended to make certain I never walked again.

Sarah arrived minutes later. I told her what the nurse had heard.

“Security is being doubled immediately,” she said, pulling out her phone. “No one enters without ID and my explicit approval. No exceptions. And Gen… if Gareth is personally threatening you… he has abandoned all caution. He knows we are closing in. He will do anything to stop you.”

“Then we must move faster,” I said. “Tomorrow. We go to First Continental. We get a court order. We open the box.”

Sarah hesitated. “It will take days to get that order. Gareth will be alerted.”

“Then we do not wait for an order,” I said. “Eleanor said the key hangs around his neck. And she gave us his schedule. Tomorrow evening he attends a boxing club alone. He keeps his coat in a private locker. If we can get a duplicate made… we can enter the bank before he even knows the key is missing.”

Sarah stared at me. “Genevieve… that is breaking and entering. Conspiracy. If it goes wrong—”

“If we wait, he will destroy us legally or physically,” I said. “We have proof he intends to harm me. We have evidence of fraud. This is our only chance. Eleanor will help us get a wax impression of the key. She is certain she can arrange it.”

I reached out and gripped Sarah’s hand.

“Trust me. Just as my father trusted you. We walk into that bank with the truth on our side. And if we find what I believe we will find… everything Gareth has built comes crashing down.”

Sarah took a long breath. Then she nodded slowly.

“Tell Eleanor. Arrange the meeting. But Gen… if anything goes wrong, if Gareth catches us… you stay silent. You name me. You say I acted alone. I will not let him touch you or Hazel.”