Sabrina's Point-of-View

I ended the call and returned to the cafe, only to find Rowena surrounded by a group of local thugs.

"Mr. Benson sent us to pick you up! Time to come with us." One of them sneered as their eyes raked all over her.

Rowena stepped back in fear, signing frantically, "I don't know who you are!"

"Cut the act. He told us to take real good care of you."

As one of them reached out to grab her arm, I didn't hesitate—I snatched a plate from the table beside me and smashed it over his head.

"Back off!"

As the plate shattered, blood spilled down the side of his face. He staggered back and turned to me with fury blazing in his eyes.

"You'll pay for that. Break her!"

Several of the men lunged at me, and within seconds, I was pinned down on the table. The back of my head struck the corner with a thud, and my vision went black.

"You shouldn't have messed with Mr. Benson's business. You'll learn your lesson now."

One of them picked up a metal rod and swung it hard at my arm.

A sharp crack sounded as my bone snapped.

The thug tossed the rod aside like garbage and reached for Rowena. "Take the woman back. As for this one—beat her until she stops breathing."

"No—don't touch her!"

I thought of Roberta's death in my past life, and for a moment, I couldn't even feel the pain. I fought to shield Rowena, but someone kicked me hard in the stomach. Blood burst from my mouth, splattering across the table.

"Damn. She's got fight in her. I like it." One of them laughed cruelly.

Rowena's face had gone pale with terror. She tried to get to me, but they shoved her to the floor.

One thug grabbed her by the wrist and started dragging her away. She clung to the table leg, refusing to let go.

That was when we heard the sharp screech of tires tearing through the night.

The door slammed open, and Micah stepped in. His expression was cold and unreadable, but when his eyes landed on the thugs, fury surged beneath the surface.

Without saying a word, he strode to Rowena and pulled her into his arms. "You're safe now. I'm here."

Rowena clung to his jacket, trembling. She tried to speak, but before she could, a team of black-suited bodyguards stormed inside and pinned the thugs to the floor.

"Get Rowena to the car. She doesn't need to see this filth," he ordered.

As she was led out, she turned and looked at me, her eyes wide with fear.

The thugs trembled, their faces draining of all color. One of them dropped to his knees and started slamming his forehead against the ground.

"Mr. Benson, please! We didn't know! We didn't recognize her."

But Micah didn't even glance at him. He stepped right over the thug's hand and walked straight toward me.

Just when I thought he might at least show a flicker of concern, he drove his heel straight into my broken arm.

"Who told you to touch her?"

So he thought I had set this up and tried to hurt the woman he loved.

"Micah… they were the ones after her… not me…"

He pressed down harder, and the sheer agony of having my bones shattered nearly knocked me out.

"I don't care for your explanations."

He turned his icy stare to the thugs. "Talk."

One of them pointed at me without hesitation. "It was her, Mr. Benson! She paid us to grab Rowena. Said if we got her out of the way, she would hand over the dock business to us!"

"You're lying!" I shouted, stunned and breathless. I had no idea why they would say something so insane.

The next second, Micah crouched beside me and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "You never learn to behave, do you, Sabrina?"

Then, he turned to the men behind him. "Drag her to the back warehouse. Break her legs."

He always believed what he wanted to, crushing my loyalty like it meant nothing.

"Micah, I'm your wife!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Benson. We'll make sure she never meddles in your business again."

The thugs immediately swarmed me. One of them yanked my hair and dragged me across the floor toward the back warehouse.

"You bastard! You heartless bastard!" I screamed after Micah, but he didn't even turn around and just walked away.

In that moment, I almost wished they would kill me outright so I wouldn't have to wait for the end of the cooling-off period or see his cold, detached face ever again.

"This one's got a spine," one of them muttered right before the pain hit me again.

Through the agony, a memory flashed in my mind. The night Micah and I got engaged, he had leaned in close and said, "Sabrina, remember your place. Don't cause me problems, or you'll regret it."

He had warned me. And I had been foolish enough to mistake it for concern.

It wasn't until after midnight that one of the bodyguards outside finally stepped into the warehouse.

"Mr. Benson says to keep her alive."

Before they left, one of the thugs kicked me hard in the ribs. "Next time, mind your damn business."

Once the place was finally empty, I lay on the ground, barely able to move. Reaching for my phone with shaking hands, I called Denton.

"Move the plan up, and wipe every trace of my identity now. I want to make sure Micah never finds me."