Dexie had been dumped by Luke twice now.
Of course, she wasn't happy about it.
She said little to Weldon before hanging up the phone.
What she didn't know was—just a second before the call ended, her soon-to-be ex-husband had finally picked up.
Sitting in her car, Dexie frowned, still trying to make sense of everything.
Luke had pushed so hard for divorce two days ago… yet now, he was dragging his feet.
Did he regret it?
No. She wasn't that naïve.
If Luke Huxley Dawson wanted to end things, he would.
Fast. Clean. No hesitation.
Since she couldn't figure him out, she stopped trying.
Luke wasn't her priority right now.
She had more important things to handle.
Dexie started the car and drove home.
Halfway there, her phone rang.
The sharp, squeaky voice on the other end was familiar.
"Dexie, I've got the information you asked for. Should I send it now?"
"Yes. Email it to me. I'm almost home."
After hanging up, her fingers tightened on the steering wheel.
Her eyes turned cold as ice.
Back at her downtown apartment, Dexie opened her laptop the moment she walked in.
She checked her inbox.
A smile crept across her lips as she read the document.
Just as she expected.
The file was all about her so-called stepsister, Regina.
Dexie's father, Roger Zellweger, had married into the powerful Winston family.
That's why Dexie carried her mother's surname—Winston.
Her mother, Wendy Winston, died when Dexie was only two. They blamed mental illness.
Roger raised her alone for two years… until her grandfather pressured him to remarry.
Enter Susan Todd—and her daughter, Regina.
Everyone thought Regina was just Dexie's stepsister.
But two years before Roger's car accident, Dexie had stumbled across an old, yellowed photo in his study.
It showed Roger and Susan.
Roger looked young. Far too young for the timing to add up.
That's when the doubts began.
Had Roger known Susan long before her mother?
And Regina?
Was she really just a "stepdaughter"… or Roger's illegitimate child from an affair?
Before Dexie could uncover the truth, Roger died.
But now, with the file in front of her, the truth was crystal clear.
Dexie traced her finger over Regina's name and smiled coldly.
Since you love pretending to be the helpless one… I'll make sure you play that role to the end.
Later that day, Dexie visited Stappord Hospital.
"Mrs. Winston, you're here," a nurse greeted.
Dexie nodded.
"How's my uncle today?"
"Mr. Steven Winston's condition hasn't changed. But… please talk to him. Familiar voices help."
"I will."
Dexie stepped into the ICU.
Her uncle lay silently on the bed, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.
Two years ago, after retiring from the army, he collapsed.
Since then, trapped in a coma. A silent prisoner in his own body.
Her grandfather once told her…
It was exactly the same way her mother died.
Only now… Dexie wasn't sure it was coincidence.
The doctors never found a clear cause.
In the end, they blamed it on a recessive genetic disease that ran through the Winston family.
Unfortunately, in her mother and uncle, the gene had become dominant.
The illness slowly destroyed the cerebral cortex—the part of the brain responsible for thinking and movement—turning them into empty shells.
For the past two years, Dexie had been secretly developing a drug to repair damaged nerve cells.
If it worked, her uncle might wake up.
It could even help other patients trapped in the same nightmare, no matter the reason.
Dexie stayed a while, speaking softly to Steven, as she always did.
There was no rush to return to the lab today.
First… she had to return to the Zellweger family.
It was time to start her revenge.
Leaving the inpatient building, she was walking toward the parking lot when a familiar voice called out—
"Mrs. Huxley Dawson?"
Dexie raised her head.
A tall, sharp-featured man approached, dressed in a crisp suit.
Samuel Quartley.
One of Luke's trusted subordinates.
Another member of the city's four major wealthy families.
"Mr. Samuel," Dexie greeted coolly.
"No need to be so formal. Just call me Samuel," he replied, easygoing as ever.
But his eyes sparked with curiosity the moment he saw her leaving the hospital.
"Were you here to see your uncle?"
"Yes."
She paused, then added calmly,
"And Mr. Samuel, I'm no longer Mrs. Huxley Dawson. The divorce is done. You can call me Mrs. Winston Hansley now. Or Dexie. But not that name."
She didn't want to hear it.
And Luke wouldn't like it either.
Samuel froze, blinking.
"What? You're really divorced?"
He'd heard whispers… Luke chasing after his ex-girlfriend, Natalie… dumping Dexie in the process.
Shameless, Samuel thought.
His eyes drifted over Dexie.
She wasn't the dramatic type.
Rarely complained. Rarely made a scene.
Where was Luke ever going to find another wife like that?
If it were me… Samuel thought, I wouldn't let her go.
Dexie's expression stayed indifferent.
"We're divorced. Simple as that. Remember that next time."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away, her figure graceful and composed.
Samuel, still in disbelief, took out his phone and snapped a quick photo of her leaving.
****
By dinnertime, Dexie arrived at the Zellweger family villa.
"Ms. Dexie, you're back."
The family, gathered in the living room, looked surprised for a moment—
Then they stood, smiling warmly, their act flawless.
"Dexie's back? Why didn't you tell Mom you were coming?"
Susan Todd rushed over, her face full of fake affection as she grabbed Dexie's hand.
If Dexie hadn't seen the truth…
She might have believed that false concern.
But now?
Susan's touch only made her skin crawl.
Dexie gently pulled her hand free, her smile cold.
"This is my house. I come and go as I please. Why?"
She tilted her head, her voice sharp beneath the calm.
"Do I need to check in with you first?"
Susan's face froze, caught off guard by Dexie's tone.
For a flicker of a second, her mask slipped.
But Susan had spent years perfecting her act.
She still needed Dexie.
She couldn't afford to start a fight.
Suppressing her irritation, Susan forced a gentle smile and said nothing.
Dexie watched her silently.
The cracks were starting to show.
And this was only the beginning.