Agnes’s POV

I hung up the phone, my body weak, and stepped out of the restroom—only to run right into Lynzee, who was touching up her makeup at the door.

It was as if she had known I’d been hiding there all along. The moment she saw me, her lips curved into a taunting smile.

“Agnes? You finally decided to come out?” she said lightly. “You saw how much Ridley dotes on me and our son. I thought you’d be crying in the restroom all day.”

I met her gaze without flinching, forcing a faint and brittle smile.

“Relax,” I said flatly. “What you want isn’t necessarily what I want. It’s just a man. If you want him, he’s yours.”

Her cold laugh cut through the air.

“Oh, drop the act. You think I don’t know today’s your tenth wedding anniversary with Ridley? I made sure to hold our son’s fifth birthday party today on purpose. And guess what—your husband agreed without hesitation.”

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest, but maybe it was because I’d already endured too much in a single day; the feeling quickly dulled into numbness.

When I stayed silent, her smile grew even more arrogant.

“Oh, and one more thing—next week, Ridley and I will be holding the wedding and registering our marriage. I’ll make sure to send you an invitation. You absolutely must come.”

My brows drew together so tightly it hurt. I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

Grinding my teeth, I snapped, “As long as Ridley and I are still married, you two can’t be together!”

Her laughter burst out suddenly, rich with mockery.

“You don’t know? You really don’t know? Your marriage certificate with Ridley is fake! If I want to marry him, I can. You’re the real mistress here!”

Her gloating expression hit me like a blow.

I stared at her, eyes wide in disbelief.

Fake? Our marriage certificate? Impossible! We’d been married for ten years—how could it possibly be fake?

But her certainty left no room for doubt. Fury surged through me.

I stepped forward and grabbed her by the collar, my voice shaking.

“What the hell are you talking about? Make it clear!”

Her eyes flicked toward the doorway—and in the next instant, she let out a loud and pitiful wail.

“Stop hitting me! Agnes, please stop! I swear I’m not trying to steal Ridley from you. He’s just here for the party. It has nothing to do with me!”

She wrenched free of my grip and deliberately threw herself to the floor.

Before I could even react, Ridley burst in like a gust of wind.

He didn’t even glance at me. Instead, he went straight to Lynzee, carefully gathering her into his arms.

“Lynzee, are you alright?” he asked, his voice low with concern.

Only after checking her over did he turn to me. For a moment, I caught a flicker of guilt in his eyes—quickly smothered by anger.

“Agnes!” he snapped. “How could you lay a hand on Lynzee? When did you become such a vicious person?”

His words hit harder than any slap.

Vicious. He was calling me vicious?!

A trace of sorrow welled up in my eyes before I could stop it.

Perhaps he noticed it because his expression shifted—just slightly—as if realizing he might have gone too far.

But before he could speak, the woman in his arms interrupted with a soft, trembling voice.

“Ridley, Agnes must have misunderstood something. She probably saw us standing together and got the wrong idea. You were only here for the party. I just didn’t get a chance to explain before she…”

Her voice trailed off, and right on cue, she revealed a fresh-looking scrape on her leg.

Ridley’s brow furrowed deeply. His gaze toward me turned cold.

“Agnes, how could you do this? If you had questions, you could have come to me. I could have explained.”

He looked back at Lynzee, hesitating before adding, “Lynzee is my good friend’s wife. I’m only here for their child’s fifth birthday. Was there any need to make such a scene? Apologize to her. Once you do, leave first—I’ll come home after the party.”

It was like he thought I was a fool.

I laughed at the insult and looked at him with a mocking smile.

“How come I didn’t know you had such a good friend? Could it be that the friend is yourself?”

A flicker of panic crossed his face, as if I had struck a nerve.

He instinctively loosened his hold on Lynzee and stepped toward me, as though to placate me.

But in Lynzee’s eyes, a flash of venom appeared.

“Agnes,” she cried suddenly, “how can you say that? If you’re so set on ruining my reputation, then I’ll just prove my innocence with my life!”

And before anyone could stop her, she lunged toward a nearby pillar.

“Lynzee!” Ridley shouted, diving forward to catch her.

Once he had her safely in his arms again, he frantically checked her for injuries. When he found none, his shoulders sagged in relief.

Then he stood and turned his icy gaze on me.

A slap reverberated on the walls.

His hand came down hard across my face, the force knocking me to the floor.

A gasp tore from my throat. I clutched my cheek, staring at him in disbelief.

Towering over me, he looked at me with a blank expression.

“Have you had enough, Agnes? You almost drove a mother to her death! You can’t have children yourself, so you want other children to lose their mom, too?”

He demanded, “Apologize to Lynzee. Now!”

I bit down hard on my lip. “I won’t. I’m not the one in the wrong!”

A flicker of disappointment passed through his eyes before he spoke again, his voice like ice.

“In that case, go home by yourself.”

Just like that, he helped Lynzee to her feet and turned to leave.

I tightened my grip on the medical report in my bag, holding onto one last shred of hope.

“Ridley,” I called after him, my voice trembling, “if I told you I was pregnant too… would you choose her or me?”

He didn’t even pause.

“Enough, Agnes. Ten years without conceiving, and now the moment I ask you to apologize, you’re suddenly pregnant? Even if you were, I’d still choose Lynzee. You’re just too unreasonable!”

And with that, he walked away without looking back.

As I stared at his retreating figure, a bitter smile curled my lips.

Silently, I whispered, “Ridley, we’re done. Completely done.”

Agnes’s POV

Once the pain from my wounds eased a little, I forced myself to stand, ready to leave.

But before I could take a step, a crowd suddenly burst through the door.

The man in the lead pointed straight at me, and the men behind him—faces twisted with hostility—charged in my direction.

My gut clenched. Something was wrong. I spun around to run, but it was too late. They caught me and dragged me in front of their leader.

I fought with everything I had, but it was useless.

The man’s grip clamped around my chin like a vice, forcing my head up.

Only then did I finally see his face.

It was Thiago Perlman—Ridley’s mortal enemy!

He took one look at the fear in my eyes and suddenly threw back his head in laughter.

“Well, well, Agnes—how pathetic you look right now. Where’s your dear husband? Why isn’t Ridley here protecting you? Don’t tell me he’s cheating on you? Oh, wait… this morning I heard something interesting—he’s hosting a birthday party for his mistress’s child right here in this hotel. Looks like the rumor wasn’t a lie after all.”

So… everyone knew about Ridley and Lynzee. Everyone—except me.

A sharp, suffocating ache spread through my chest.

Thiago seemed to savor my reaction, his lips curling in satisfaction. The jagged scar on the left side of his face twisted with his smile.

Years ago, the Perlmans and the Swicords were bitter rivals, evenly matched in power.

But with my help, Ridley managed to swallow the Perlmans whole, driving them to ruin.

I never imagined Thiago would claw his way back for revenge.

He didn’t care about my shock. He moved according to his own plan, step by step.

In no time, his men had taken control of the entire Clarion Hotel.

He dragged my struggling body straight into the party hall.

There, he let out a crooked, ugly grin.

“I want to see,” he said, “who matters more in Ridley’s heart—his wife… or his mistress and his bastard.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Ridley spotted us.

His expression froze, horror flashing across his face.

Around us, his bodyguards clashed violently with the men Thiago had brought.

Without warning, Thiago yanked me forward and shoved me right in front of Ridley.

“Tell your men to stand down, Ridley,” he ordered, “or your pretty wife’s face gets a brand-new scar.”

He pulled out a knife and pressed the cold blade against my cheek.

A sharp sting split my skin as the tip sliced a fine, shallow line.

Ridley’s eyes went wide. “Let her go!” he roared. “Stop! All of you, stop right now!”

The hall fell into a heavy, ringing silence.

Every gaze was locked on us.

Thiago’s grin widened, his voice dripping with malice. The knife’s edge traced a slow path along my face.

“Oh, so you do care about Agnes. Right—if not for her, you wouldn’t have taken the Perlmans so easily, leaving us in ruins.”

He turned that cruel glare on me. Then, catching the tension in Ridley’s expression, Thiago broke into loud and mocking laughter.

“I hear today’s your bastard son’s fifth birthday,” he sneered. “Tell you what—let’s celebrate with a little game. You get to decide who dies.”

He shoved me toward the spiral staircase.

The tall, winding steps led straight down to the marble floor below. If I fell… my life—and the life of the child in my womb—would end instantly!

Panic clawed through me; I thrashed harder in his grip.

Annoyed by my resistance, Thiago whipped his hand hard across my face.

“Ridley!” he barked. “Choose—trade your mistress and your bastard for Agnes, or I will throw her down these stairs right now!” he asked heartlessly.

Meanwhile, Lynzee clutched Ridley’s hand, her voice trembling. “Ridley, let me go to Agnes's place. Just me. Please. I’m carrying your child too—this way, at least, we’ll be giving him what he wants.”

A flicker of shock crossed Ridley’s face. He hadn’t known she was pregnant again.

Seeing his hesitation, Lynzee stepped toward us.

But before she could get too far, Ridley suddenly grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

Agnes’s POV

It was as if he forced the words out from between clenched teeth.

“You’re pregnant. I can’t let you go.”

With that, he yanked Lynzee back toward him.

Seeing this, Thiago threw his head back and let out a twisted, mocking laugh.

Then—before Ridley could even process what was happening—Thiago shoved me hard, sending me tumbling down the steep staircase.

I rolled down several steps before instinctively latching onto the banister’s post, my fingers clinging for dear life.

“Agnes!” Ridley’s eyes widened in horror, his voice ripping through the air as he charged toward me.

But in the very next second, Lynzee was suddenly grabbed from behind by Thiago.

She clutched her belly as if in pain, her face pale as she gasped, “Ridley, hurry and go save Agnes! I’m fine… really.”

The words had barely left her lips before she groaned again, her voice trembling with feigned agony. Beneath her, blood began to seep out, dark and startling against the floor.

Ridley froze for a fraction of a second, and then he turned to look at me. His gaze was filled with hesitation, pain, and pity.

“Agnes… Lynzee is carrying a child. You understand, don’t you? A life is at stake. Let me save them first, then I’ll make it up to you.”

Without waiting for my answer, he spun around and ran straight toward Lynzee.

As soon as he pulled her to safety, she—hidden from his view—shot me a triumphant glance, her lips curling ever so slightly.

Soon, the strength drained from my fingers, and my grip slipped.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in a hospital bed.

Almost by reflex, my hands went to my belly—but before I could process anything, Ridley’s voice broke through, low and heavy with accusation.

“Agnes, why did you get involved with Thiago? Why did you plan this kidnapping? Didn’t I tell you I could explain everything?”

My eyes flew wide, disbelief flooding through me.

“I didn’t!” I cried. “How could I possibly work with Thiago? I’ve never even met him in private!”

My voice rose until it was almost a scream.

Ridley’s brows furrowed deeply, his gaze hard with disappointment.

Without another word, he flung a stack of photographs into my face.

“The evidence is right here, and you still want to deny it?!” he snapped. “Because of this kidnapping, Lynzee is still in surgery! If anything happens to the child she’s carrying, I will never forgive you!”

He didn’t give me a chance to explain. Turning on his heel, he strode toward the operating room.

My hands shook as I gathered the scattered photographs.

They were all the same—angled shots and clumsy edits with obvious Photoshop marks.

Even I could see they were fake. But Ridley, blinded by his concern for Lynzee’s surgery, hadn’t noticed a thing.

Not only had he believed them, he had used them to condemn me!

At that moment, the last fragile shred of feeling I still held for him crumbled into dust.

I rose slowly from the bed, intending to leave.

But just as I reached the door, Ridley returned.

Without a word, he seized my wrist and dragged me toward Lynzee’s room. I struggled, but his grip only tightened.

His tone was calm, even a bit gentle. “I can’t watch you keep making mistakes. Thankfully, Lynzee’s fine, but you still owe her an apology.”

A chill swept over me, settling deep into my bones. The next second, my belly twisted painfully.

“Let me go!” I shouted. “The child in her belly is yours. Even if she loses it, it’s no loss—it’s a cursed child! I will never, ever apologize!”

His eyes turned to ice. Without warning, his hand lashed out across my face.

“If you won’t apologize, then you’ll kneel in the villa until Lynzee is willing to forgive you.”

He shoved me toward the bodyguards behind him, and then he walked away without looking back.

I was pinned in place, my voice raw as I shouted after him.

“Ridley! I will never forgive you!”

He paused for a heartbeat—just long enough for me to think he might turn around.

But in the end, he kept walking, disappearing from sight.