At the very same moment, in another part of the city, Stephen was staring at the same headlines flooding the internet. His brows drew together as he phoned his assistant, ordering them to suppress the rumors as quickly as possible. Seraphina leaned into his chest, her tears soaking into his sleeve, while his hand closed firmly around her shoulder, that familiar dangerous calm settling over him.

“Tell me straight — is anything they’re saying online actually true?” His tone was low, edged like a blade.

Seraphina pressed her face into him, trembling.

“Stephen, please… don’t dwell on it. What’s done is done. Don’t blame Amelia. She never meant any harm. She’s the reason I’m still alive today. If she told me to die, I wouldn’t even hesitate.”

His arms tightened around her.

And then—

The impact came without warning.

The car spun violently, metal screaming as it overturned. My body was slammed sideways, breath crushed out of me. Before I could even scream, the door was torn open and I was dragged out by rough hands, my body crashing hard against the asphalt.

I tried to crawl away, but a boot drove into my back, pinning me down.

“Ever wonder how it feels when your luck finally runs out?” a man mocked. “You’ve lived a charmed life, hurting people and getting away with it. Tonight you’re going to learn what real pain is.”

“I didn’t—” The words barely left my lips before a slap sent my head snapping sideways. Blood filled my mouth. The world tilted.

They bound my wrists to the back of the vehicle. The engine roared, and suddenly I was being dragged along the road. Stones ripped into my skin, my clothes shredded, my already failing body screaming in agony. I tried to cry out, but my throat was torn raw, the sound nothing more than air. My arms felt like they were being ripped from their sockets, my knees scraping until I couldn’t tell where the pain ended. Inside the car, they laughed and filmed everything like entertainment.

I don’t know how long it lasted. My awareness slipped in and out until I was no longer sure if I was alive. When the car finally stopped, they cut me loose and dumped me like trash on the roadside.

When I regained consciousness, silence wrapped around me.

Gravestones glittered faintly beneath the moon. I should have been terrified, but after what I’d just endured, even the dead seemed kinder than the living. Shaking, I dragged myself toward the highway.

At dawn, my strength vanished completely and I collapsed at the edge of the road.

“Can you hear me? Where does it hurt?”

I opened my eyes to a nurse adjusting my drip. Every breath felt like knives.

“You were rushed in as an emergency case. We’ve been unable to contact any family members. We still need to process your admission and payments and keep monitoring you—”

“I understand,” I whispered, interrupting her. I pulled the gown tighter over my wounds, hiding the truth beneath fabric.

She offered me a wheelchair. I refused. Walking out of the ward was like stepping on shattered glass, but I left anyway. No one came for me that night. Stephen never even called.

I remembered the day I’d learned about my heart disease, kneeling alone at my parents’ graves for hours. Back then, the internet had exploded with rumors about my disappearance. When Stephen finally found me, he’d cried into my shoulder. Now I wondered — had any of that been real?

His eyes no longer held room for me.

I stood in the hospital payment line in silence when a familiar voice froze my blood.

“Stephen, don’t worry so much. I’m fine,” Seraphina said gently, almost playfully.

I didn’t turn around. Out of everywhere in the world, she was here.

Stephen replied, his voice soft yet stern.

“The doctor said there are signs of possible miscarriage. You have to be more careful.”

She cut in quickly. “I know. And Amelia… yesterday was my fault. I was careless.”

My fists clenched until they hurt. I turned to leave — and met Stephen’s stunned stare.

“Amelia?”

The surprise vanished, replaced by anger. Seraphina hid behind him, shaking.

“Please don’t frighten me anymore,” she pleaded. “I didn’t do anything online. I’m in my final months. The doctor said I can’t handle stress.”

“Once the babies are born, you can punish me however you want. I’ll accept it.”

Stephen stepped squarely between us, his face ice-cold.

“She nearly lost the children because of you yesterday. I’m here to make her answer for that.”

I wanted to scream, to rip open my clothes and show him every wound. But the revulsion in his eyes stole my voice.

Seraphina doubled over suddenly. “Stephen… my stomach… it hurts.”

Without hesitation, he swept her into his arms and rushed toward the doctor’s wing. His shoulder slammed into mine, sending me sprawling across the marble. He didn’t look back once.

I stayed there for a long time, watching them disappear. When I finally stood, numb and shaking, I rejoined the line. I had nowhere else to go.

When my turn came, I signed the discharge form silently. The nurse glanced at my chart, worry darkening her face.

“If you leave like this,” she said gently, “you might not survive the next few days. Three at most. Your condition has deteriorated badly.”

I almost laughed when she said it. Three days. That was plenty of time. Living even one more felt unbearable. I didn’t bother replying — I simply turned and walked away, leaving her warning echoing uselessly behind me.

The moment I stepped outside the hospital, I phoned the funeral service. My tone was calm, disturbingly steady.

“Please arrange everything for three days from now.”

Three days. Maybe then I’d finally be reunited with my parents and my grandfather. Maybe I could meet them looking the way I chose, not as Stephen’s wife, not as anyone’s burden — just me.

I stopped by the cemetery one final time, murmured my farewells, then took a cab to the mall. I drifted through one luxury boutique after another without interest.

For years I’d been trained to behave like Mrs. Holt — to dress according to Stephen’s image, to wear jewels that screamed wealth, to appear flawless and distant. Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten what I personally liked. Stephen never asked. He just bought the latest collections every season and stuffed my wardrobe full, promising that besides the stars in the sky, I could have anything.

All I ever wanted was something real.

That was when I saw it — a simple white dress. Clean lines, no excess, just a slender silver trim at the waist catching the light. I pictured myself wearing it, walking into the waves, holding my parents’ and Grandpa’s hands. My lips curved into a faint smile.

“This one,” I said. “I’ll take it.”

Before my card even reached the counter, the dress was ripped from my fingers. I grabbed the edge of the display table to steady myself.

“I’ve already decided to buy that,” I said, my voice unsteady.

I looked up — and there she was.

Seraphina.

She stood tall in front of me, gripping the fabric, her posture arrogant, her eyes blazing. The timid girl I once knew was gone.

The sales assistant leaned toward her nervously.

“This is the last piece we have. The lady here selected it first. I can check with another branch—”

Seraphina laughed scornfully. “You must be joking.” Then she turned her glare on me. “You honestly think you’re still in my league? Who gave you the right?”

I didn’t answer right away. I’d known this moment would come. She hated me. She wanted me crushed.

“Seraphina,” I said carefully, “I don’t recall ever mistreating you. My mother paid for your education and hired you into the company. What exactly did we do wrong — hurt your pride?”

She burst out laughing, harsh and bitter.

“Your mother threw money at me like leftovers for a beggar and expected gratitude. But why should I be grateful? Why are you always the princess while I crawl in your shadow? You were born with everything, and I was born to suffer. You owe me your whole life.”

My chest tightened.

“So you destroyed my parents… just to bring me down?”

Her smile sharpened into something vicious. She leaned close enough for me to feel her breath.

“The fraud scandal? I designed it myself. Your parents trusted me and handed over the company seal. Your husband, your wealth, your reputation — they’ll all belong to me soon. And you? You’ll be remembered as the bully, the criminal’s daughter. Welcome to my world.”

I felt my body stiffen, rage and disbelief crashing through me, but I refused to look away. This was the truth behind five years of betrayal. I would not let her see me break.

“You will pay for this,” I said, my voice low and steady.

She hesitated — only for a heartbeat — then suddenly flung herself to the floor, screaming.

“Stop! I don’t want this! Amelia, please don’t hit me!”

Before I could react, Stephen appeared at the shop entrance. Seraphina immediately curled into a trembling heap, tears streaking her face.

“Stephen, I just slipped, okay? It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t push me. She even brought me here to buy clothes. But people keep saying I hurt her and that her parents died because of me. I didn’t do any of that. Please explain for me.”

His eyes locked onto me — frozen, merciless.

“What did you do to her this time?” he asked coldly.

I already knew he wouldn’t believe me. He never had. I turned away, trying to hide the tears sliding down my face.

A crowd began to gather. Phones were raised. Whispers turned into accusations.

“Isn’t she the one who forced a pregnant woman to kneel?”

“She bullied people at school too — vicious!”

“If something happens, that’s three lives gone!”

Seraphina clutched Stephen and spoke hurriedly, pretending concern.

“She’s just having a bad day. When she’s calm, Amelia is really kind to me.”

A woman suddenly lunged forward from the crowd, pointing at me.

“My daughter died because of people like you! Bullies deserve—”

A drink flew at my face before she could finish. Milk tea splattered across my cheeks, dripping down my chin. I tried to speak, to defend myself, but my voice vanished beneath the shouting.

Objects began to rain down on me. I tensed instinctively, bracing for the blows. Seraphina, of course, was sheltered in Stephen’s arms.

“Come,” he said, pulling her away without once looking back at me.

I was left behind.

Hands shoved me down. Feet struck me again and again. Pain exploded through every inch of my body.

“Kill her!”

“Make her pay for bullying!”

I curled into myself, covering my head, whispering over and over through broken sobs,

“I didn’t… I didn’t…”

Through the mess of bodies and noise, I spotted the white dress I had fallen in love with lying crushed beneath people’s shoes, the once-clean fabric ground into filth. My vision swam as the beating finally stopped, humiliation burning hotter than the pain in my bones.

At some point, mall security forced their way into the chaos and began scattering the crowd.

Later, I vaguely noticed Stephen’s car slowing as he passed the scene, his eyes flicking to the destruction in the mirror. He hesitated only briefly.

“She has guards. She won’t be in danger,” he muttered to himself.

Seraphina whimpered beside him, curling inward.

“My stomach hurts so badly… maybe when I fell earlier…”

He floored the accelerator, speeding out of the mall parking lot and straight toward the hospital.

I hovered between waking and blacking out, my body soaked in pain, my heart hollowed out by how completely alone I was.

---

I returned to the apartment by myself. Every inch of me throbbed, bruises blooming under torn skin. I didn’t report anything. I didn’t seek treatment. It all felt meaningless. Before leaving the mall, I’d retrieved the ruined white dress, folding it carefully despite the stains.

For two days I lay in bed without moving, counting the hours as though my life had already ended. Stephen never came. No calls. No messages. It was as if I’d been erased.

On the third morning, something stirred faintly inside me — a fragile flicker of strength. I took the dress from the closet, put on a little makeup, and told myself this was the day I would keep my final promise. No regrets. No turning back.

As I got into the car, my phone vibrated. Stephen’s voice came through, cold and commanding.

“Come to this address now. If you don’t, I’ll send someone to fetch you.”

My chest tightened when I saw the location. But I didn’t argue. It was my last day anyway.

The driver stopped in front of a hotel swarming with cameras. Flashing lights hit me like lightning. I tried to retreat, but Stephen seized my wrist and dragged me inside.

Seraphina sat in the first row of the hall. Behind her were layers of journalists, microphones and lenses pointed at the stage. The screen above blazed with bold red words: Public Apology Conference.

Stephen pushed me forward. The microphone was forced into my hand.

“Apologize to Seraphina,” he said quietly. “In front of everyone.”

She wore a pale maternity dress, her expression gentle, victorious. The cameras adored her.

I stood straighter.

“I haven’t done anything that requires an apology.”

His eyes hardened. “Don’t push me, Addy.”

“Seraphina almost lost her children because of you,” he continued. “You humiliated her, frightened her, treated her cruelly. Do you seriously think you owe her nothing?”

I understood then — this was theater. A way to cleanse Seraphina’s name and strip me of mine.

I forced the bitterness down.

“And why are you always defending her instead of me?” I asked. “You’re my husband. Did you ever once ask me what really happened? Or are you certain those children aren’t even yours?”

His face drained of color. He grabbed my arm.

“This is your final warning. If you refuse, your surgery is over.”

I laughed quietly.

His tone turned ironclad.

“Amelia Malonzo, apologize.”

Cameras blinded me. Seraphina’s hands rested lovingly over her belly.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said evenly. “She destroyed everything. Seraphina is the murderer.”

Stephen looked ready to kill me. I pulled free from him.

“My parents were innocent. I was never a bully. The only mistake I made was letting my mother help her.”

The room exploded in noise.

Seraphina staggered toward me. “Why are you lying? You’ll ruin my babies’ lives!”

Before I could respond, she rushed me. I raised my arms — too late.

Her stomach slammed into the table edge. Blood bloomed across her skirt.

“My babies—!”

Stephen shoved me aside and carried her away.

“If anything happens to her, you’ll regret being born,” he said without looking back.

His guards seized me and hauled me after them.

In the hospital hallway, Seraphina sobbed hysterically.

Then Stephen emerged, colder than ever.

“Amelia,” he said flatly. “Go outside. Kneel. Repent to my children. That’s your punishment.”

The guards dragged me out into the cold and forced me onto the stone ground. My knees hit hard.

I didn’t fight.