Chapter 23

"I swear I'm telling the truth!" The man writhing on the floor cried out as Ryan Carter loomed over him. Liam Blackwood observed silently, his face an unreadable mask.

Natalie Bennett couldn't take it anymore. She stepped forward and delivered a sharp kick to the man's ribs. His cries cut off abruptly as pain radiated through his body.

"Another sound and I'll break something more important," Natalie threatened, her voice dripping with icy menace that would make any crime boss proud.

Complete silence fell. The man clamped his lips together, terror flashing in his widened eyes.

Updates soon arrived from both the financial institution and telecommunications company. The bank confirmed the man's claims - he had indeed initiated a transfer to Olivia Sinclair as shown in the receipt. However, it was a scheduled payment that had only cleared into Olivia's account thirty minutes prior, explaining why she hadn't noticed it yet.

The phone company provided Olivia's communication records for the past month. With her inability to make calls, her log showed only missed calls from delivery services, which she'd responded to via text. There were occasional messages to the housekeeper and Natalie, but absolutely none to or from the accused man.

Forensic experts quickly uncovered the truth. The messages supposedly from Olivia on the man's device had been fabricated using a sophisticated spoofing device. It was clearly a setup designed to frame Olivia.

With her innocence proven, Olivia lifted her gaze to meet Liam's. Her eyes shimmered with silent heartbreak, dulled by the emotional ordeal.

Liam's jaw tightened, an invisible lump in his throat preventing speech.

Olivia picked up her phone, bypassing the text-to-speech function this time. Her fingers flew across the screen before she turned it toward Liam. "I would never betray you, no matter what they offered. I'd never compromise your confidential files."

The words "confidential files" held Liam's attention a moment longer before he reached out, his fingers lightly brushing a stray lock of hair from Olivia's face. "I know," he murmured, his voice unexpectedly gentle. "Tell me what you need. Let me make this right."

Olivia blinked in surprise. She studied Liam warily before typing again.

Liam waited patiently, but when he read her next message, his expression turned glacial. "Can we proceed with the divorce now? I'll sign an IOU for the twenty million. I promise to repay every cent."

"Why?" Liam's voice dropped dangerously low, his teeth clenched to avoid saying the word 'divorce' in front of others. "Is that truly what you want?"

Olivia flinched slightly but continued typing, her head bowed. "I know you don't love me, yet I remain your wife. If you can't even trust me, what future does our marriage have?"

After reading the message, Liam was overcome with silence. The hallway became unnaturally still. He lingered before Olivia, then abruptly turned on his heel and walked away without another word.

"Looks like I'm handling cleanup duty," Natalie muttered with heavy sarcasm. She directed the nurses to escort Olivia back to her room.

Authorities took the man into custody, but the question of Evelyn Hartley's involvement remained unresolved.

"Just moments ago, you were so certain of Olivia's guilt. Perhaps you were part of this elaborate scheme too. Do you plan to explain yourself to the authorities or to Mr. Blackwood?" Natalie challenged Evelyn sharply.

Evelyn, abandoned as Liam departed, took an involuntary step back, stammering, "I-I had no idea! The evidence seemed irrefutable!"

From his position on the floor, the man, still recovering from Natalie's kick, weakly interjected, "It was me...I deceived Evelyn...I just wanted to scam her out of money, so I fed her these lies. She knew nothing."

"Is that so?" Natalie asked skeptically, tilting her head at the man. "How remarkably loyal of you to protect your employer. Though you might want to polish your story - it's full of holes at the moment!"

Soon, only Olivia and Natalie remained in the room.

Natalie, still visibly shaken, grabbed the snack bag she'd purchased earlier and sat beside Olivia. "I'm not leaving your side," she declared firmly.

Olivia offered a reassuring smile and gently urged Natalie to rest.

"But what did you say to Liam earlier? I thought you two were reconciling. Then suddenly he storms in and has you dragged away without even letting you explain?" Natalie's confusion was evident.

Olivia remained silent, absorbing Natalie's words.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine," Natalie continued softly. "Let's just focus on your recovery now. You need to eat well and regain your strength!"

Thanks to Ryan's exceptional medical care, Olivia's splint was removed on her second hospital day. By the fourth day, she was nearly back to normal, though faint bruises still marred her skin.

"Darling, I'm taking you to the hot springs!" Natalie announced excitedly as she collected Olivia from the hospital. "The mineral baths will improve your circulation and speed your recovery."

They headed to an exclusive new hot spring resort. But the moment they stepped into the lavish lobby, they came face-to-face with familiar figures - Evelyn Hartley and her companion, arms linked like conspirators.