Chapter 23
692words
One wave of her hand, and everything froze.
"Nolan, only one walks outta here today," she said, eyes glittering. "So tell me—who do you pick?"
Nolan's wrecked body shook as he pushed himself up.
No hesitation. "Hailey..."
Jordyn went stiff.
Then the dam broke—tears streaming down her face.
She clenched her fists so tight, her palms bled. "Do you even have a heart?! You seriously can't see Hailey played you?
"I've been with you for years—with nothing. No title, no name. You treated me like trash and I still stayed. People laughed at me—called me the Hart family's shame!
"And this... this is what I get?"
Vanessa's smile was ice. She jerked her chin at one of her guys. "Crawl under his legs, and I'll let one go."
Hailey barely lifted her eyes.
Nolan looked even worse than Vanessa—and that said a lot.
Every gaze shifted to him. The man who once ruled Northwick.
His whole body screamed in pain.
Still, without a word, he lowered his head and crawled beneath the man's legs.
Jordyn's breath caught.
She couldn't process it.
Couldn't believe it.
Vanessa cackled, her voice sharp like glass.
The humiliation was unreal—but Nolan took it. Swallowed it with blood in his mouth.
He just wanted Hailey safe.
Eyes shut tight.
He couldn't lose her again.
Vanessa laughed until she cried, then tucked her phone away—recording saved.
Nolan gritted his teeth and stood. "Let Hailey go."
She smiled sweetly. "Slow down. I said I'd let one go—didn't say who."
"You can leave. But if you want Hailey to walk out too..." Her voice dropped, laced with venom. "Cut off two fingers."
Jordyn was barely conscious, crying so hard she could hardly breathe.
Hailey finally moved.
She looked up at Nolan.
And in that split second—before anyone could stop him—Nolan grabbed the knife Vanessa had dropped.
Then slammed it down.
Right through his ring finger and pinky.
Nolan's scream tore through the warehouse.
His body convulsed, veins bulging at his temples. Sweat soaked his shirt in seconds.
Vanessa looked down at him, voice dripping with mockery. "How touching."
But he was already out cold.
She let the steel pipe clatter to the floor and turned to leave with her crew.
At the door, she paused.
Didn't look back.
Just let out a bitter laugh. "Hailey, no one's colder than you."
Then she walked out.
She'd done exactly what the person pulling the strings told her to.
Her flight was already waiting.
Vanessa Decker would never set foot in Northwick again.
Jordyn stared at Hailey, shell-shocked.
Then, just like that—she started laughing. Hysterical, broken. Tears pouring.
***
At the hospital, Jordyn sat across from Hailey like a ghost.
"Why?"
Hailey's mind flicked back.
The day Nolan dragged her from her own wedding and threw her back into Northwick.
The day he slept with Jordyn—right in front of her.
She'd asked Jordyn the same thing then.
Why?
What had Jordyn said back then?
Hailey replied, her eyes still calm. "What do you mean, why? Why show up as 'Laurel'? Or why mess with Nolan?"
Jordyn snapped, "You call that messing with him? He's been proud his whole life! How's he supposed to face anyone now?!"
Smack!
Hailey's hand cracked across Jordyn's face.
Then she reached into her bag and pulled out an old photo album.
It was packed with pictures from when they were kids—each one covered in handwritten notes from their parents.
Hailey dropped it in front of her. "Dad didn't have a son, so he raised me like one. You only saw the time he spent with me, never how hard he was on me.
"Whether it was Dad, Mom, or even me—we all just wanted you to have it easy. To grow up happy.
"But you twisted that. You looked at everything I wished I didn't have—and called it love."
She stepped closer.
"Jordyn, were we too protective—or were you just this dumb from the start? For a guy, you gave up Mom and Dad. Gave up me. Threw away your whole family to side with the man who destroyed it."
Jordyn stood frozen.
Eyes blank.
