Hailey's POV

My face had been slashed beyond recognition, bruised and smeared with the imprints of Caden's leather shoes pressed into my skin.

I took a deep breath. 'Forget it.

There was nothing left to pack anyway.'

Then and there, I grabbed my passport and a few documents, my hands shaking as I shoved them into my bag. I had nothing left here. The life I once knew was shattered.

I was done.

Just as I was about to leave, the door swung open.

Caden walked in, holding Veronica in his arms, just like he had on our wedding day when he carried me across the threshold.

The same words he had once whispered to me, words I used to cherish, came tumbling from his mouth. "The bride's feet should never touch the ground; only then can she have happiness for the rest of her life."

Veronica giggled, utterly charmed by him.

But the moment their eyes met mine, everything stopped.

The warmth between them turned to ice.

Caden's face shifted, a flicker of satisfaction and mockery flashing in his eyes.

"Aren't you proud of yourself, Hailey? I told you not to come back. You ran off, and now you're here? Jealous, huh? Regretful now that you've seen me and Veronica on our honeymoon? Too late. Even if you get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness, I won't go easy on you this time."

Veronica, pale but smiling stiffly, shifted in his arms.

"Caden, please," she said, her voice shaky but polite. "Put me down. I'm not really your wife. If you keep holding me like this, Hailey will get upset."

But Caden remained indifferent.

His gaze stayed cold, unyielding, locked on mine. "I've made it clear. Even if I marry Veronica, what's it to you? I don't love you, so you're the outsider. You don't deserve to carry my kid. Hailey, you get me?"

I felt the weight of his words sink deep inside me, hollowing me out.

My chest constricted, and it hit me that there was nothing more to express, nothing more to strive for. Everything was lost—everything we had created and everything I had faith in.

Caden had destroyed it all.

I reached into my bag, shaking my hands as I pulled out the divorce papers.

"Go ahead and sign it," I said, keeping my voice steady even though I was burning inside. "Make Veronica your wife—for real, on paper and in your heart."

Caden swiftly scooped Veronica into his arms, ignoring her panic, and strode over to me. He snatched the papers from my hands and, with a cruel smile, ripped them to shreds, throwing the pieces in my face.

I closed my eyes, the sound of Caden's grinding teeth almost drowning out the bitter words that followed.

"You want a divorce? Dream on. You've wasted so many years of my life, and now you want to walk away just like that? Dream on."

And that was it. There was no chance for reconciliation.

There was no chance for anything other than the cold truth that I was nothing more than a discarded memory of him.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

I turned to leave, but Caden's hand shot out, grabbing my wrist with a brutal grip.

"Where do you think you're going?" he barked. "Trying to run away from home again? Ever since Killian came back, you can't even stand to stay in this house, can you?"

I snapped, losing the last shred of restraint I had left. "What does Killian have to do with this? You want me to stay here and watch the two of you play house? Pretend this is some happy little family?"

Then I glared at him, my disgust flooding through me. "My God, Caden! Do you have a fetish for cuckoldry? Do you need to see me here, watching you and her be affectionate to get off?"

Caden's chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, shock briefly crossing his face.

A sick grin spread across his features. "You're jealous?"

I turned my head away, refusing to engage.

But the weight of his presence was suffocating.

"Yeah, I really do have that fetish," he mocked.

He released my wrist and strolled toward Veronica, who had been silent all this time.

Then, he taunted, "I love watching you stay by our bed, Hailey. After all, you know my rhythm in bed better than anyone. You know when to pass the Smurfs and when to hand me the wet wipes."

His words were a slap. A gut-wrenching, heart-crushing slap.

I closed my eyes, repulsed, my hands trembling as I tried to steady myself.

I wanted to scream. To hit him. To lash out. But I couldn't.

"Besides, I'm not as shameless as you," he scoffed, a dark, bitter laugh escaping him. "I can't even imagine marrying someone else while carrying another man's child… and still sleeping with him."

The accusation landed with the force of a thousand knives, each one twisting deeper.

I shook.

From the anger, from the devastation.

My entire body trembled as I tried to push him away, but the shock was too much. Numb and broken, I stumbled toward the door, desperate to leave.

But as I walked by Veronica, her expression turned cold. Without warning, she stuck her foot out, blocking my path.

I couldn’t dodge in time.

The next thing I knew, I was falling. The world tilted, my body hurtling down the stairs. The sound of my bones cracking was deafening, the searing pain nearly unbearable.

I heard Caden's frantic cry just before everything went black.

Hailey's POV

When I finally woke up, the first thing I saw was Caden's tired face. His eyes were hollow, his skin stretched tight, and that scruffy stubble he'd let grow for days made him look even more worn out than usual.

His gaze shifted when he realized I was awake, like a flicker of guilt washed over him. "You're awake? The doctor said your uterus couldn’t be saved. It’s already been removed."

I just stared at him, my head still fuzzy, trying to make sense of the words he’d just thrown at me.

He hesitated, and his voice softened, but there was still tension hanging in the air. "Your medical record says you were rushed to the hospital yesterday. You didn’t run away from home, so... what happened?"

I reached for my phone instinctively, trying to ignore him, but his hand shot out, grabbing mine before I could unlock it.

"I'm calling the police," I said flatly, my voice a whisper of resolve, "Veronica pushed me down the stairs. She caused all of this. Doesn't she deserve to face the consequences?"

Caden's grip tightened for a moment, but he didn't seem surprised.

"I've already punished her," he snarled.

Then, his lips pressed together in a thin line as if his words were a secret.

"Punished her?" I blinked, the confusion clear on my face. "How? How did you punish her?"

He hesitated, then muttered, like it was something shameful, "I told her... she's not allowed to eat today's cake."

My laugh was dry, the bitterness almost slipping from my lips.

"Is that so?" I scoffed.

The absurdity of the situation hit me all at once.

His brows furrowed, frustration overtaking him.

"Can you stop being so sarcastic?" he snapped. "Look, you've lost your uterus. You can't have children anymore. Instead of being angry about that, shouldn't you be hoping that Veronica can give me a child? What else do you want, Hailey, to just hurt her more?"

I didn't respond. I couldn't.

His words kept ringing in my ears, but I was too tired, too hollow to fight back.

Then his tone softened like he was trying to placate me, to smooth things over. "This time, it's my fault. Didn't you want a child? I couldn't give you one before. When you're better, I'll ask Veronica to let you be the godmother so you can still be a mother, just not the way you imagined."

I felt numb. His words didn't touch me. They couldn't.

Caden's patience seemed to wear thin.

His face twisted in anger, and he raised his voice louder than I had expected. "What's the meaning of your silence? What's wrong now?"

"Don't think I don't know," Caden continued, his voice rising, "You married me because Killian wanted you because he slept with you and got you pregnant. You were scared your mother, who finally climbed the social ladder, would get dragged into it, so you chose me as your backup."

I felt my chest tighten as he stepped closer, his anger boiling over. "You made me wear the cuckold's hat, and I made sure you couldn't have my child as punishment. But you went behind my back, sending all those flirtatious messages to Killian, selling my company's secrets to him! If Veronica hadn't told me, I would've been a fool, believing you."

The words hit me hard. They left me gasping for air. I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"I didn't!" I yelled, my voice shaking with frustration. "I didn't do that!"

Without warning, he stormed over, grabbed me by the hair, and yanked something from between the sheets.

My heart sank as I saw him suddenly turn red in the face, grabbing my hair and slapping me hard.

Then, in one quick move, Caden slapped me hard.

"You're still denying it? The boarding pass is for private jets! A private plane named after you by Killian! What the hell do you think he gave you that ticket for? To run away with him? And you have the nerve to say there's no affair between you two?"

Then, he shouted, "You've dragged me into your secret affair with Killian. And now? Now, you'll be the unwanted mistress. I'll never let you go, never let you find happiness with him. Even if you die, you'll still be mine."

His words stung, carving deep into me, but before I could even gather my thoughts, his foot came down hard on my chest, sending me tumbling off the bed.

The IV stand crashed beside me, glass shards digging into my skin.

Blood pooled beneath me, warm and sticky, as my vision swirled.

I weakly lifted my head, everything spinning around me.

My body felt distant as if I wasn't even in it anymore.

"Caden," I whispered, barely able to get the words out. "Are you really that insecure? Do you honestly think you don't deserve love?"

His eyes were red with frustration.

"Hailey…" Before he could finish, the housekeeper rushed in, her voice frantic.

"Sir Caden," she said urgently, "Miss Steele is emotionally unstable, and she's just had a miscarriage. You should come check on her right away."

Caden's expression immediately shifted.

The anger was gone, replaced by panic. Quickly, Caden grabbed me by the arm without thinking, dragging me out of the room.

"If it weren't for you," he snapped, "Veronica wouldn't have felt guilty and had a miscarriage. You need to come with me and calm her down."

His grip was iron-tight as he dragged me down the hallway. When we reached the VIP ward, Veronica's blotchy and swollen face rushed into Caden's arms without a second's hesitation.

Hailey's POV

"Caden, I really didn't mean to hurt Hailey. I'm just clumsy because I'm pregnant. It was your wife who bumped into me. I was even trying to avoid her."

Veronica's voice was sickly sweet.

The sharp twist of pain in my chest was almost physical, but I couldn't look away. Her smug little smile, the satisfaction in her eyes, burned me like fire.

She softened her voice, trying to play the innocent victim. "If Hailey still wants to blame me, I'll kneel to her."

A sick feeling crawled up my throat.

"Veronica!" Caden snapped, pulling her back as though she were some fragile thing.

His eyes were full of pity for her. "It's not your fault."

He turned to me then, his expression hardening. He grabbed my arm and, without a sound, forced me to kneel before her.

"It's this bitch's fault," Caden muttered, dragging Veronica's hand and slapping me across the face.

Her hand, still wearing the wedding ring I used to wear, scraped across my skin, its sharp edge cutting deep.

Blood pooled in my mouth as I tasted the salt of my pain.

"It's all her fault for making you like this. Hit her back," Caden spat, his voice full of rage.

Veronica hesitated, pulling her hand back slightly, unsure of herself.

"Is this really okay?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Caden grinned at her, egging her on like a predator savoring its kill. "Come on, be brave. You're so gentle. How can you give me a strong baby if you're like this? Let me give you some courage. Just slap her. One slap and I'll buy you a Maserati. If you make her bleed, I'll get you a villa."

"Really?" Veronica's eyes lit up with excitement as she raised her hand, ready to strike me.

I stumbled out of the way, and Veronica nearly twisted her waist in the process.

Caden's expression darkened immediately. He stepped forward and kicked my leg with brutal force, snapping the bone with a sickening crack.

"No! Please, no!" I screamed in agony, the pain blurring everything around me.

"Now she won't be able to avoid it. Just hit her," Caden said, his voice chillingly composed.

I lay there, crushed by pain, hearing Veronica mentally count the money in her head. The buzzing in my ears drowned out everything else as the world turned black and white.

When I finally collapsed to the floor, Caden, looking heartbroken, of all things, embraced Veronica and blew gently on her palm.

"Good girl. Does your hand hurt? Let me blow on it for you. You’re such a brave girl," he said affectionately. "I’ll take you to Sotheby’s. We’ll buy all the diamonds—or the whole auction house if you want. Whatever you want, it’s yours."

Veronica giggled at me, her voice dripping with mockery. "What about Hailey?"

Caden's eyes flicked at me, and something cold seemed to settle in his expression.

He walked over to me, slow and deliberate, and said, "You want to leave me, right? I'll give you a chance."

I could feel the cold sweat dripping down my back as I forced out, "What are you going to do?"

He chuckled darkly, the sound almost maddening in its cruelty. "Back then, the most beautiful woman in Riverford must have been worth something, right? I should be able to auction you off at Sotheby's, don't you think?"

"You're insane!" I gasped, my breath coming in ragged gasps as the pain in my leg sent waves of dizziness through my head.

Ignoring me, he quickly had someone prepare a contract to auction me off and throw it in front of me.

I recoiled, shaking my head, refusing to sign, no matter how much he pressured me.

Caden sneered, clearly enjoying my resistance. "Not going to sign, huh?"

With another wave of his hand, someone stumbled into the room and knelt in front of me.

My eyes widened in shock.

It was James. He was the same James who had given me his coat at the winery that day. He had been Caden's best friend for years, even bringing his parents to witness our wedding.

But now, he was on his knees, covered in blood, his clothes torn, his dignity shattered.

"Are you crazy?" I screamed at Caden. "He's your childhood friend! How can you do this to him?"

Caden grinned, his smile sickening, like a devil enjoying my pain. "Why? Are you feeling sorry for him? The number one beauty in Riverford is quite the catch, huh? Not only did you seduce your stepbrother, but you also seduced my friend. He stood up for my wife, and I was so angry I had to punish him."

James was sobbing uncontrollably, his forehead bruised and battered from repeatedly banging it against the floor. "Hailey, I beg you, no matter what Caden says, please agree with it. My family's gone bankrupt, and my parents are stuck at a construction site. If you don't agree, Caden will have them buried alive with cement. Please, Hailey, I can't live without them."