The mention of Julian and Lesley together, coupled with the terrifc reality of my situation, snapped something inside me. The fear was instantly replaced by a volcanic eruption of sheer, blinding fury.

This wasn't just about a broken marriage; it was about survival, about my very dignty being crushed.

I didn't scream. I didn't beg. The tremor in my body ceased, replaced by a terrifying, cold calm. He loosened his grip, confident in his victory. That fraction of a second was my salvation.

My hand shot out, not to strike his face, but to seize the fruit knife lying on the floor beside the couch.

Adrenaline-fueled, I swung the small blade, a desperate, clumsy movement. Deccan gasped, his expression melting into vicious shock as the knife nicked his cheek. A thin line of blood immediately beaded and trickled down.

"You bitch!" he roared, stumbling back and freeing my hair.

Scrambling backward, I pushed myself off the couch, clutching the knife like a talisman.

"Stay away from me, Deccan," I spat, my voice low and steady."Julian may have sold me, but I am not bought. You will not touch me."

He watched the blood on his fingers, his eyes narrowing to slits of murderous intent. He was formidable, half-dressed, a terrifying blend of raw power and bruised ego. He took a slow, menacing step. "You actually think that tiny thing can stop me?"

"I won’t stop you from hurting me," I countered, locking my gaze on his. "But if you come one step closer, I swear on my mother’s grave, I will cut something off you, and you will spend the rest of your life regretting it."

The sheer, venomous intensity of my threat gave him pause. He was used to cowering victims, not defiant executioners.

“You’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re doing,” he said, his tone shifting back to a forced calm, though the fury simmered beneath.

“Oh, I know exactly what I'm doing,” I countered, taking a ragged breath.

It was a desperate bluff, but it seemed to work. He didn't charge. He simply stood there, breathing heavily, his wounded ego warring with the potential pain of another strike.

I grabbed the oportunity and ran away. Reckless and exhausted, I reached the road outside the villa only to be blinded by headlights

I watched in terror as a black SUV followed me with the speed I couldn't imagine and the next second my back was hit and I was thrown away.

I felt like all the bones in my body were crushed and perhaps this was it. However, what hurt me the most– The black SUV that hit me belonged to Julian, the very same car he went with Lesley.

***

I stayed two whole weeks in the hospital, paralyzed and under coma. Never once did Julian call me or tried to inquire about me. Not even pretending to hide his intend.

When I opened my eyes in a government hospital, I was told to be left by some passersbys.

My trembling fingers found my phone on the bedside table. I powered it on, the sudden bright screen a cruel assault on my eyes.

The notifications flooded in, but one name dominated the screen: Lesley.

A cold knot formed in my stomach as I opened the messaging app. They weren't apologies, nor were they inquiries. They were a digital trail of my husband's betrayal, sent with deliberate, venomous intent.

[Hey! Guess where we are? The Art Gallery downtown! Julian said you always wanted to come here on your birthday, but we just couldn't wait.]

Attached was a picture: Julian, looking happier and more relaxed than he had in years, his arm casually draped over Lesley's shoulders. They were standing in front of a modern abstract piece, a sardonic backdrop to their vulgar reality.

[Just had the most amazing lobster bisque at that fancy new French place Julian loves. He said you took him there once, ever since that day he wanted to take me there to enjoy the food!]

A picture of two champagne flutes clinking, Julian's hand recognizable by the silver watch I had bought him, now raised in a toast to the woman he had sold me for.

[Morning, sleeping beauty! Julian is making me breakfast in bed. Pancakes and fresh coffee. He's such a domestic god! You know, he never did these things for you. So sad!]

A disgusting, overly bright picture of a breakfast tray resting on white satin sheets. Julian's hand was visible, pouring syrup, wearing the wedding ring I had put on his finger.

I wanted to throw the phone across the room, but my hand was frozen, compelled to scroll. Lesley's messages were a steady stream of calculated cruelty, designed not just to inform me, but to dismantle my self-worth piece by piece.

But, I was desperately looking for some news about my brother. I did not know how he was.

Seeing no texts or calls from the police station or Julian, I quickly got up from my bed.

Doctors told me my body was weak and they could not discharge me yet. But, I insisted.

Once I signed all the necessary documents and came out of the hospital, I rushed to see my brother in the police station.

"Your brother's breathing was unstable. We had to shift him to the hospital two weeks ago."

My whole body began to shake. With trembling hands, I saved the location of the hospital my brother was admitted to and rushed to meet him.

Lesley’s vile taunts and Julian’s final, crushing betrayal had been momentarily blurred by a single, terrifying truth: my brother was in a hospital.

Not the luxurious private clinics Julian frequented, but a state-run hospital. Just like the one I had just abandoned.

I clutched the address the officer had given me, a crumpled piece of paper that felt like a lifeline. I hailed the first available cab, barking out the location, the urgency in my voice startling the driver.

The drive was a blur of traffic and anxiety. Breathing unstable. The words spun in my mind. Deccan had promised to make him pay for interrupting their sick game.

Had Liam been beaten? Was he... molested? My failure to protect him weighed on me, a monstrous counterpoint to the rage I felt for my husband.

Liam was the only family I had left, the only person who had stood between me and that vile man.

When the cab pulled up to the second hospital, I paid the driver and practically fell out onto the pavement.

My legs stumbled as I watched my brother lying on general ward, abandoned and uncared.

"Liam..." I rushed to his side. He barely managed to open his eyes to see me once before he closed them again, relieved.

He had been so weak that he had lost the ability of even speaking. My hands clenched into fists.

Julian had promised me that they would leave my brother alone once I go to Lesley's place with him. But, it seems like they hadn't fulfilled their promise.

They left him starve for days and when his condition worsened, they had not even shifted him to a proper hospital. My blood boiled in my nerves watching how my brother was abandoned like some orphan.

In rage, I grabbed my phone to call Julian. But, before I could dial his number, a random message from an unknown number beeped in my phone that made the air freeze in my lungs.

It wasn't a text, but a video.

My private intimate videos with Julian!

Another message came, then another. All same.

My private video got leaked and people were forwarding it, making it viral everywhere!

My hands began to shake violently, the phone rattling against the plastic chair arm. Before I could even register the full horror, the screen flashed with two more messages, followed by several from different unknown numbers. Each one contained the same link, the same obscene notification.

My intimate moment with Julian, a symbol of love and affection now became a moment of pleasure to everyone and I, as a person, a laughing-stock, a whore!

I didn't need to ask who had done this. Julian was the only person who had captured my intimate moments with him.

I once had strictly objected him from doing so. But, he had soflty placed a kiss on my cheeks and said, "I want to capture all the beautiful moments of my life, Laura. And, all those moments have you in them. Let me capture you, Laura, so that you always remain with me."

These were the exact words he had told me that had moved my heart. But, it was only now that I realised, they were all lies!

He had been a disgusting person, no better than Deccan himself. He had been collecting evidences against me since the very beginning to ruin me inside out if I ever defy him.

Yes, he had captured me, not by love but by keeping things against me.

He had destroyed me completely, stripped away my dignity and made me a laughing stock.

He was systematically dismantling every pillar of my life: my marriage, my brother’s health, and now, my honor.

I dropped the phone. It slid to the floor, the screen facing up, a silent, blinking witness to my devastation.

A strangled sound tore from my throat, but it wasn't a sob. It was a raw, guttural cry of fury. I pressed my face into Liam’s cool, thin hand. I couldn't break down here. Not now. Not while he was helpless, and I was exposed.

But, before I could even think of protecting my dignity, a nurse's voice fell to my ears like a thunderstorm. "Your brother will not survive if you don't shift him to a better hospital, Mrs Williams."

I had no time for myself. My dignity was in shattered. But, my brother's life was important. I could not be ignorant to him.

I shut my phone off, to save myself from the humiliation as I discharged my brother– to shift him to the City's Hospital.

As I reached the City's Hospital, I could feel the suspicious and lustful gazes of passersby near me. Some even dared to play my video at enough volume so that the voices could reach my ears.

I clutched my hands around my brother, supporting him to stand up, also a sheild to protect myself from people's sharp gaze.

After an OPD, Doctor Smith, the attending doctor of my brother, said, "Your brother is badly beaten. Most of his internal organs are damaged and need immediate surgery."

"It would be better if you had brought him to me two weeks ago. His condition is too critical now. I can't guarantee you if I would be able to save him now."

"Anyways, just sign the necessary documents and pay the surgery fee and we will start the surgery immediately. A small delay can risk your brother's life."

My heart skipped a beat after knowing how serious my brother's situation was. I immediately blurted out, "Please start the surgery immediately, Doctor Smith. I-I will pay the fee right away."

With that, I grabbed the pen on the desk. My fingers shoke in terror as I signed the documents for my brother's surgery.

After that, I rushed to the counter to pay the surgery's fee.

I gave my card to the collector and said, "It's for Liam Wordsworth. Please hurry up."

The man looked up at me, his stare was as if I had cracked some bad joke with him.

"What's wrong?" Worried, I asked.

"Your card is declined." He replied, his voice cold and distant.

He pushed the card back across the counter, his gaze sliding over me with thinly veiled contempt. "Look, I don't know what kind of games you people play, but the balance is zero. Less than zero, actually. There's a bank fee."

Zero. Julian.

The realization struck me with the force of a physical blow. Julian hadn't just exposed me and nearly killed my brother; he had stripped me clean. He had drained the joint savings, leaving me with nothing, effectively trapping me, making it impossible for me to save Liam.

This wasn't just betrayal; it was financial assassination.

In rage and desperation, I called Julian. After several rings, he finally picked up.

"Mm... Hello?" A lazy voice sounded from the other end, followed by Lesley's moans.

My grip over the phone tightened even more as I asked, "Julian, how dare you to freeze my account after leaving my brother to die?"

"You said as long as I go to meet Lesley and Deccan, everything will be fine. Then... What is it? And our private videos... What answer do you have for all this?" I asked, my voice laced with fury.

There was a small pause on the other side before he finally spoke up, his voice laced with feign concern and pretentious. "It's not my fault, Laura. Who had asked you to cut Deccan's cheeks?"

"He is gone mad on me now. He is creating troubles in my company. Our company is in loss. That is why I had to take the money back from you."

"I don't know how he managed to hack my phone and stole our intimate pictures. I'm trying to delete everything from the internet. But, it all needs money, Honey. How am I supposed to manage everything without it?"

His facade, his fake worry and concern, a mask to hide his cruel face, sent chills down my spine. Meanwhile, he continued, his voice manipulative, "But, everything will be fine if you do one thing, Laura."

"What?" I asked, just to know his intention.

He hesitated for a moment before he finally spoke,"Just fulfill Deccan's demand. Give him what he wants and everything will be okay. It's just one night, honey."

Julian's words sent shivers down my spine. My husband, my love of five years, had the audacity of asking me to sleep with other man.

My voice turned hoarse as I asked, "Do you really mean it, Julian? Everything will be okay once I satisfy Deccan for a night?"

Julian's voice sounded excited as he replied quickly, "Yes, sweatheart, everything will be okay. Your brother will be treated and your videos will be deleted immediately. Just one night."

Just then my phone beeped with a notification. It was Magus.

He sent me the real CCTV footage of that night when Deccan had been trying to molest me and Liam had only saved me.

Also, the real version of the evidence that Julian had submitted in the court. It clearly showed that it was Deccan who was actually fitting camera in my bathroom with the proof of how the video was altered.

I took a sigh of relief. Then, I continued speaking,

"Alright! Tell Deccan to be ready tonight. I'll be at his home with a huge surprise."

"I have a surprise for you as well." I added before I hung up the call. After that, I dialed Magus's number.

"Can you do me one more favor? I want you to arrange a good lawyer for me. I want to divorce Julian. Not just divorce him, I want to destroy him completely, leaving no chance for his survival."

There was a small pause before his voice sounded, deep and magnetic as always,

"Consider it done."

The call was disconnected. But, I remained still at my place, staring at the pale light filtering through the window, but the stillness was deceptive. Inside, a current was building, a fierce, cold tide of absolute resolve.

For weeks—no, for months, I had been the one on the defensive, reacting to every toxic move Julian had made.

I had been the target, the one who had to prove her innocence, to fight the shame his cruel lies had cast upon me.

But now, with the truth of Deccan's adultery, and the ironclad evidence of the Julian's transfer of my assets without my consent in hand, the entire game had shifted.

I am no longer a victim seeking justice, I'm a predator scenting blood.

Julian, Deccan and Lesley! Be ready!