Third Person POV

By the time Chelsea walked out of the restroom, she had already pulled herself together.

She’d reapplied a bold layer of makeup to cover her swollen, tear-stained eyes. When she returned to the event hall, Magnus and Michaela were already waiting.

“Babe, where’d you go? You were gone so long—I was getting worried!” Magnus rushed to her side. He paused for a beat when he saw her heavy makeup, then reached for her hand.

“I’m fine. Just went to the restroom,” Chelsea replied flatly, pulling her hand away from his.

“Really? You're okay?” He looked down at his now-empty hand, momentarily stunned.

She simply nodded and walked past him into the crowd, not bothering to say more.

Magnus stared after her, a frown forming between his brows. Something felt off about Chelsea tonight—different in a way he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Just then, Michaela approached Chelsea with a glass of red wine in hand.

“Happy birthday, Chelsea,” she said with a sweet smile, the anticipation in her eyes poorly hidden as she held the glass out.

Chelsea stared at the swirling red liquid for a long time before finally taking it. She turned and walked back to Magnus.

Lifting her eyes to meet his, she asked quietly, “You really want me to drink this?”

She locked her gaze on him, searching for any sign of hesitation, a flicker of guilt—anything. But Magnus simply raised his own wine glass and said, “Happy birthday, babe.”

Then he downed his drink in one gulp.

Chelsea’s heart clenched so hard, it felt numb.

She slowly brought the glass to her lips—but the very next second, her hand slipped. The glass crashed to the floor and shattered with a sharp, echoing crack.

“Oh no, Chelsea! You’re so clumsy,” Michaela said, her smile vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

Magnus, on the other hand, didn’t say a word. He just frowned and stepped forward to grab Chelsea’s hand, carefully checking her fingers for any cuts.

Chelsea stayed silent, her lips pressed into a tight line. If she hadn’t heard what they said in that private room earlier—if she didn’t know the wine had been drugged—she might have actually believed that Magnus was genuinely worried about her.

But now she knew it was all just an act.

After making sure she wasn’t hurt, Magnus called over hotel staff to clean up the broken glass.

The party continued, but Michaela wasn’t done trying. She kept approaching Chelsea with different excuses, trying again and again to get her to take the drug. But each time, Chelsea saw through her and avoided it with ease.

Eventually, Michaela grew desperate and angry. Losing her temper, she shoved Chelsea toward a table lined with wine glasses.

The loud crash of glass filled the room as several cups shattered on the ground. Chelsea, having lost her balance, fell hard to the floor.

“Oh no! Chelsea, are you okay?”

“What happened? Why were you being so careless?”

The sudden commotion drew everyone’s attention. Magnus, who had been standing not far off, rushed over.

Just as he bent down to help her, Michaela cried out again.

“Magnus! Something’s wrong—Sabrina was harassed at the airport!”

“What?!” he roared.

In that instant, Magnus’s hand, currently holding Chelsea's hand, immediately let go of it.

Without a second thought, he pushed through the crowd and ran out of the event hall.

Chelsea, now unsupported, fell back to the ground again.

Third Person POV

"Hiss..." The sharp sting of glass piercing her skin made Chelsea suck in a breath through her teeth.

“Who’s Sabrina?” Seeing Magnus anxiously rush off, someone from the crowd finally voiced the question everyone was thinking.

“You don’t know? Sabrina Knowles is the woman Mr. Colon truly loves.”

“What? Then what about Mrs. Colon?”

“Oh, everyone in our circle knows the story. Chelsea married into the Colon family when they were down and out, taking advantage of the situation, and Sabrina was forced to leave the country. But now that the Colon family’s back on top, and Sabrina’s returned... let’s see how Mrs. Colon handles it.”

“Ohhh... so that’s what happened.”

“I always thought she was so classy and graceful. Didn’t expect she was the third party all along. Tsk...”

“Shhh, keep it down.”

Chelsea listened to the whispers swirl around her. Watching Magnus’s retreating back growing smaller and smaller in the distance, she couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

So this was love? Three years of marriage, and it turned out to be a cruel joke. And everyone had known all along—everyone but her.

She picked herself up off the floor, glass still embedded in her skin. But not a single person offered to help her. Of course not. These were Colon family friends, not hers.

The party came to an abrupt end after her injury.

By the time Chelsea drove herself to the hospital, it was already late into the night. The ER was quiet, nearly empty.

What she didn’t expect... was to run into Magnus and Sabrina there, of all places.

She’d just finished getting her hand bandaged when they walked in—Magnus covered in bruises and Sabrina supporting him.

“Chelsea? What are you doing here?” Magnus froze when he saw her stepping out of the treatment room, then quickly moved in front of Sabrina, shielding her without even thinking.

That instinctive move made Chelsea’s heart sink. She forced a tight smile and raised her heavily bandaged hand. “Thanks to your dear sister.”

Magnus frowned at the sight of her hand, wrapped like a mummy. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sabrina spoke first.

“Chelsea, that’s not fair. Michaela is still just a kid. As her sister-in-law, shouldn’t you be more patient with her?”

Chelsea almost laughed out loud.

A kid? Michaela was only a year younger than her. If she were still a child, then why was everyone expecting her to act like an adult?

“And what does that have to do with you?” she asked coldly.

She glanced at Sabrina’s hand, still clutched protectively in Magnus’s. But her heart didn’t even ache anymore. She was just... done.

She turned and walked toward the exit. But just as she brushed past them, Magnus suddenly grabbed her wrist from behind.

“Chelsea, what’s with your attitude? Apologize to Sabrina. Now.”

His tone was sharp, his face dark. The anger in his voice was impossible to miss.

Even so, Chelsea looked up into his cold eyes—and felt nothing.

She had just now realized that when one's heart was deeply wounded, it was really possible to unlove someone.

“Why should I apologize?” she coldly asked.

“Because she’s right. Michaela is just a kid. Why are you being so petty with her?” He paused, then added, “And how could you talk to Sabrina like that? She just got harassed at the airport and hasn’t even recovered. Now you’re making it worse. So, apologize now.”

His grip on her tightened. The fury in his eyes looked like it was about to spill over.

So that was it. Sabrina had been harassed at the airport. That’s why he rushed off. That’s why he fought. That’s why he was hurt.

Chelsea glanced at Sabrina, whose eyes were now rimmed red with tears.

What a perfect performance.

A cold smile tugged at Chelsea’s lips.

So when Sabrina got hurt, he went ballistic. But when it’s his own wife being drugged at her birthday party, he plays along?

Love and indifference were never clearer than in this moment.

Chelsea clenched her fist. Then she yanked her arm away with all her strength. “You should focus on your injuries instead.”

Without looking back and saying another word, she walked out of the hospital.

Third Person POV

As Chelsea walked away, Magnus stood there frowning, his gaze locked on her retreating figure.

That was the first time... she'd ever talked back to him.

“Did I say something wrong?” Sabrina asked quietly, eyes red as she helped steady him.

Magnus gave her a reassuring pat. “No, don’t overthink it. Chelsea was the one out of line tonight.”

With that, he leaned on Sabrina and made his way into the ER.

Outside the hospital, Chelsea stepped into the chilly night. The streetlights flickered dimly above her as she pulled her thin jacket tighter around herself and got into her car.

When she arrived home, the villa was pitch black and silent. She stood in the doorway for a moment, breathing in deeply.

What she once believed was her safe haven… turned out to be a one-sided fantasy.

If that was the case, then maybe it was time to step away—let Magnus and Sabrina have each other.

She then washed up quickly and went to bed.

The next morning, when she woke up, Magnus still hadn’t returned.

When she checked her phone, she froze.

A message from Sabrina lit up the screen: [So what if you’re Mrs. Colon? The one Magnus has always loved is me.]

Attached to it were photos of Magnus fighting at the airport, holding Sabrina’s hand, and the two of them sleeping side by side, his arm protectively around her.

Chelsea’s eyebrows knitted together. She was about to delete it, but the bedroom door creaked open.

“Babe? You’re up early,” Magnus said as he stepped inside.

He walked over to the bed and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. But as he leaned down, the red scratch marks across his chest came into view—and they hit her like a slap to the face.

She could brush off Sabrina’s taunts. But those claw marks? That was something else.

“Babe, last night was my fault,” he said, voice soft and sincere. “Sabrina had just gotten back and already ran into trouble… I was worried. I didn’t mean to say those things to you, okay?”

He kissed the back of her hand and smiled. “I’ve arranged something for tonight. Just a small get-together—Sabrina, Michaela, a few of our friends. We’ll celebrate your birthday properly. And Michaela wants to apologize for pushing you yesterday.”

He looked into her eyes like he meant every word. But Chelsea felt nothing but cold.

Last night, after she left, she realized she had forgotten the medicine the doctor prescribed. So she drove back to the hospital.

That’s when she overheard them again.

Michaela’s voice had been anxious as she said, “Bro, the plan didn’t work last night. What now?”

Sabrina replied casually, “What’s the big deal? Just invite her out tomorrow, say it’s to apologize for the push, then slip her the drug then.”

Magnus didn’t even protest.

Chelsea didn’t stay to hear the rest. She just grabbed the medicine and left.

Now he was back, pretending nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t planned to ruin her.

“I don’t feel like going,” she said, her voice flat.

Magnus’s expression darkened for a second, but it vanished just as quickly, replaced by a warm smile.

“Come on, don’t be like that. Everyone’s already invited. Don’t ruin the mood, okay?”

He pressed a kiss on her forehead like nothing was wrong.

“…Fine. I’ll go,” she said. “But I’ll choose the place.”

Since he wanted her to go, she would go. Besides, she also had something she needed to do.

Magnus paused, surprised. But he nodded. “Alright. Send me the address. I’ll pick you up after work.”

As he walked away to get changed, he turned back at the door.

“Oh, and wear something nice tonight. It’s your 28th birthday. Don’t leave yourself with regrets.”

Watching his retreating figure, her heart didn’t ache anymore.