I was trembling when I called Dominic. My voice came out hoarse as I asked, "Did you leak the photos?"

On the other end of the line, he let out a cold chuckle.

"You always liked going 'all in,' didn't you?"

His voice was laced with cruelty as he went on, "If you don't want people to see those photos, then get over there and bid on every last one of them!"

In the background, Lena's syrupy voice floated through. "Dominic, is that Alyssa? I-I should go."

Dominic's tone softened at once. "Don't be ridiculous. I stood up for you. Try leaving again, and see what happens."

I heard the sound of a kiss, and then the line went dead.

…

I rushed to the auction house, shaking as I pushed open the doors. The room was full of men.

Meanwhile, my intimate photos flashed across the massive screen.

There was a photo of my sleeping profile. Dominic had once called it cute and saved it. Another showed my back in the shower. He had said it was charming and persuaded me to pose. And there was a picture of me in my birthday suit, covered in suggestive red marks. At the time, he had said those were proof of love.

Every pair of eyes was fixed on me, their whispers slicing through me like knives.

"Just look at that body. Damn! Don Caballero is a lucky man!" someone murmured.

Another said, "I heard he used to love his wife. Why is he selling her photos now?"

"Got bored, I guess. These Dons' wives all look perfect on the outside…"

Every word hit me like a punch to the gut.

I remembered how possessive Dominic had been.

That year in Sicara, I wore a spaghetti-strap dress. When a man looked my way a little too long, Dominic dragged me to the hotel, took me by force, and made me say, "Alyssa belongs to Dominic."

But now, he was selling my intimate photos to these men, just to stand up for another woman.

I placed bids on every single photo. With every press of the bid button, a chill settled in my chest.

By the time I won the last one, all the love I'd had for Dominic was gone.

…

As I stepped out of the auction house, my phone rang.

"Done bidding? Feeling satisfied now?" Dominic's voice was thick with mockery.

I clenched the phone until my nails dug into my palm and asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll divorce you after this?"

"You can't leave, Alyssa. I won't sign the papers, so the divorce won't happen," he replied calmly, like he was trying to reason with a stubborn child.

I fell silent. Just as I expected, he had forgotten that I had the divorce agreement he had signed.

When I didn't respond, Dominic's tone softened. "Today was just a lesson."

He paused, then added, "I told you. As long as you don't go after Lena, I'll come back eventually. Your birthday is coming up. I'll throw a party to make it up to you."

I was about to say there was no need, but he had already hung up.

…

In the days that followed, I scrolled through Lena's Instagram feed.

The latest post showed Dominic holding her on a yacht, captioned, "I told him I wanted to be by the ocean, so he bought me an island."

I scrolled further down and saw another photo. Lena wrote, "He's allergic to roses, but still, he filled the garden with flowers just for me."

Another caption read, "His phone is full of my photos."

If this had been before, I would've felt utterly heartbroken to the point of suffocation. But now, there wasn't a flicker of emotion in me.

Lately, Dominic had been living with Lena, only coming home occasionally. He hadn't even noticed things disappearing from the house.

Maybe even if I vanished, he still wouldn't realize.

On the day of my birthday party, Dominic came to pick me up. Surprisingly, he was alone in the car.

"Aren't you bringing Lena?" I asked flatly.

Dominic frowned. "From now on, I'll try to keep you two from crossing paths. I don't want you getting upset all the time."

A faint smile curved my lips. He wasn't worried about me getting angry. Instead, he was afraid I'd lash out at Lena.

In his eyes, I had long since become a cruel woman.

…

The party was grand. Dominic held my hand throughout, showering me with jewelry and priceless paintings.

"I finally managed to make you happy this time, didn't I?" he whispered, his voice dripping with flattery.

As I looked at him, memories came rushing back. Whenever he made me angry, he'd humble himself like this to win me back. Every time, I'd give in.

But this time was different. He had used my family as leverage, trampled on my dignity, and auctioned off my intimate photos. Even if he gave me the world, it wouldn't make up for it.

Just as I was about to speak, the doors of the ballroom swung open.

Lena stood there in a white gown, looking timid.

Dominic's expression hardened at the sight of her. "Didn't I tell you to stay in the apartment?"

Lena's eyes glistened with tears as she answered, "I just wanted to celebrate Alyssa's birthday. I even brought her a gift."

"I don't want to see you," I shot back coldly.

Dominic, however, motioned for a waiter to arrange a seat for Lena. Then, he said in a low voice, "She came with good intentions. Forget about what happened last time. Let bygones be bygones."

…

It was my birthday party, yet Dominic's attention was fixed entirely on Lena.

The band began to play a waltz, and he took my hand. But a glimpse of Lena's tearful eyes in his peripheral vision made him turn to her.

I stood in the corner, numb, as they swayed together in a close embrace.

When the song ended, Lena pouted and complained that her heels were killing her. Without hesitation, Dominic went to fetch her flats himself.

Seizing the moment, she walked up to me, shaking her phone. "Alyssa, you didn't know, did you? Every gift Dominic gave you was something I turned down. And even now, at your party, he's checking in with me every minute."

She then flashed me the chat logs with a smug smile. "See? He said, 'Honey, hang in there. I'll be back with you soon.'"

I was already beyond caring. So, I simply asked, "What exactly do you want?"

"I want you to step aside."

I met Lena's gaze calmly. "Soon. I'll step aside completely."

She narrowed her eyes. For a moment, I thought she believed me. But in the next second, she grabbed my hand and slapped herself hard.

The crack echoed through the room.

Dominic stormed over, just in time to see Lena clutching her cheek as tears streamed down.

"Alyssa!" he roared. "Did you hurt her again?"

"I didn't."

Dominic seized my wrist and snapped, "I saw everything! Wasn't the last lesson enough? I told you. Whatever you do to Lena, I'll make you suffer ten times over!"

Lena shook her head between sobs. "Forget it. It's fine."

"I'm here. What are you afraid of?" Dominic tenderly wiped her tears as he spoke. "Like I said, you can do whatever you want. Even if you stir up trouble, it doesn't matter. Stop being so meek. Otherwise, you'll just keep getting pushed around."

After saying that, he ordered the bodyguards to hold me down.

Then, he turned to Lena. "Now, for every slap she gives you, you give her ten in return."

"I-I can't," Lena stammered, feigning fear.

"I'll show you."

Without warning, he took her hand and struck me hard. "This is to teach you how to fight back."

The next blow landed just as sharply. "And this is to teach you not to cower."

Then came the third and fourth, followed quickly by more.

I was in so much pain that my vision blurred. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth, my ears ringing. Still, I clenched my teeth and stayed silent.

It wasn't until the tenth strike that Dominic stopped.

Around us, the guests murmured among themselves.

"Poor thing. And on her birthday, too."

"Serves her right for bullying others!"

Meanwhile, Dominic gently took Lena's hand. "Does it hurt? Let me get you some ointment."

Just like that, he scooped Lena up and walked away without a backward glance.

The moment the bodyguards let go, I collapsed to the floor. My cheek burned, but the pain in my chest was far worse.

I regretted ever falling in love with Dominic.

Pain seared through my cheek, and the dried blood at the corner of my mouth was caked on my skin.

I didn't call a driver. Instead, I drove myself to the hospital.

As the doctor treated my wounds, I looked in the mirror. Half my face was swollen, my lip was split, and my eyes were bloodshot. I looked utterly pathetic.

I forced a smile, but the sharp pain made me suck in a breath.

…

After receiving treatment, I headed for the parking lot. There, I spotted two figures standing before my car door.

Lena's parents flanked me on either side, their voices choking with sobs as they pleaded, "Mrs. Caballero, please… Give Lena a chance."

"She loves Don Caballero. Please, let them be together."

"Move," I said, my voice cold.

Yet, they continued, "Please, we're begging you. Have some mercy on us."

"I said, move."

Not wanting to deal with them, I shoved them aside and opened the door. Then, I started the engine before hitting the gas.

Without warning, Lena's father lunged straight at the front of my car.

There was a heavy thud. I barely saw him before he went down, clutching his leg and howling in pain.

Lena's mother screamed and rushed to him.

I stiffened, my fingers locking around the steering wheel. He had done it on purpose. Still, I jumped out, shoved him into the car, and took him to the ER.

…

In the hospital corridor, Lena charged forward the moment she saw me. Then, she slapped me hard.

My head snapped to the side, my ear ringing.

"Alyssa!" she screamed, tears spilling down her face. "Do whatever you want to me, but why would you hit my father with your car?"

By then, blood was already seeping through the fresh bandage on my cheek.

"He threw himself in front of my car," I replied coldly.

At that very moment, Dominic's icy voice cut through the air behind me. "You're lying! Why would Lena's father throw himself in front of your car? When did you become this cruel, Alyssa?"

I stared at him, my chest aching as if a knife had gone straight through it. Without a single question, he had already condemned me.

Right then, a doctor rushed out, saying, "The patient's lost too much blood and needs an immediate transfusion. He's type A. Is there anyone who can donate?"

Lena buried her face in her hands, sobbing. "I can't. I'm his immediate family."

As soon as she finished, Dominic's gaze landed on me, cold and merciless.

"She's type A. Have her do it," he stated.

My head snapped up. "I'm not donating."

"You hit him, so you'll take responsibility! If something happens to him, I'll make sure you regret it!" he snarled, menace burning in his eyes.

A chill ran through me, and my voice shook as I questioned, "Do you want to drive me to my death too? Just like you did to my parents and my brother?"

Dominic's pupils contracted, as if I had struck a nerve. But a second later, he waved. "Take her in. Draw her blood."

With that, the bodyguards forced me into the chair. The needle pierced my vein, and pain made my fingers tremble.

The blood bag filled slowly, and my vision blurred.

I remembered, back when I was anemic, Dominic would fuss over me for the tiniest scrape. But now, he had me pinned down, taking my blood so that he could save a man who had thrown himself at my car.

Soon, darkness closed in. I couldn't take it anymore and passed out.