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.

Agnes’s POV

I was escorted back to the villa and forced to kneel for an entire day.

It wasn’t until the next morning that they finally let me go.

Four days remained before the time I had agreed to meet my brother. Still, I already began quietly packing my things.

Over the next two days, Ridley didn’t come home. He didn’t send a single message either.

But Lynzee? She was suddenly everywhere on my phone.

[You’ve never seen this side of him before, have you? Oh, by the way, because of what happened, he’s decided we’ll get our marriage license in three days. I’ll be sure to send you the invitation. Don’t forget to come!]

Attached was a photo of Ridley cooking for her.

After reading the messages, my expression didn’t change.

I simply gathered the recipe collections and soup formulas I had spent the past ten years compiling for him. I burned them all to ash.

While Ridley took Lynzee out on a yacht.

I shattered the clay figurines we had once made together.

Ridley bought Lynzee an aerial garden.

I dug up the rose garden he had planted for me, roots and all, and burned it to the ground.

Ridley posed for a family portrait with Lynzee and their son.

I took the ten photo albums Ridley had once saved for us, cut them to pieces, burned them, and buried the ashes—along with our wedding portrait—beneath the garden soil.

In just a few short days, I had erased every trace of the past ten years.

Even the villa’s interior felt hollow and empty.

But with Ridley’s heart and attention fully devoted to Lynzee now, I doubted he would even notice when he returned.

On the day he and Lynzee were set to get their marriage license, he finally rushed back—clearly only to grab his documents.

After rummaging through his study, he came downstairs and found me sitting calmly with a book in hand. His brows knitted together.

He paused for a moment before speaking, his tone uncertain.

“Tomorrow, come with me to a party. Whatever happens there, don’t take it to heart. I’ll explain it to you afterward.”

I simply nodded, my expression unchanging.

That was when he finally sensed something was off.

Frowning, he let his gaze sweep around the villa.

“Where’s all the stuff we used to have? And… our wedding photo?”

A strange feeling must’ve stirred in him.

If this had been before—after the way he had treated me—by now I would have already been confronting him, arguing, refusing to let it go.

But now, no matter what he said, I remained calm… almost detached.

It probably gave him the unsettling sense that I might no longer feel anything for him at all.

And I knew—that possibility tightened something deep in his chest.

Without looking up from my book, I turned a page and answered flatly, “The villa’s going to be renovated soon. Those things aren’t needed anymore.”

His frown deepened, as if the explanation still didn’t sit right with him.

He was just about to press further when Lynzee’s call came in.

The moment he saw her name, his expression softened.

He tossed a half-hearted remark my way before turning on his heel and leaving without hesitation.

“Don’t forget about the party tomorrow. I’ll have my assistant pick you up.”

After he left, another message from Lynzee lit up my screen.

[Ridley told you, right? I’ll send you another invitation—you have to come. Oh, and he told me that after ten years without a child, you probably can’t have one anyway. But he still plans to go through with our agreement and ‘handle’ you.]

[Tomorrow, you’ll be in a car accident that will take away your ability to conceive. You can’t escape it. LOL, this is the price you’ll pay for daring to compete with me, Agnes.]

I let out the faintest curl of a smile.

Tomorrow, was it?

Perfect.

Tomorrow was the day I’d leave. And this time, I wouldn’t hesitate.