How laughable.

He could watch me abort our child, yet he had to protect another woman.

In my memory, he never begged anyone for anything.

And he never cried in front of others.

Back when he was shot and on the brink of death, he still had a smile on his lips.

Now, he was kneeling before me for another woman.

Pleading with me, tears streaming down his face.

But why should I? Why should I let the woman who destroyed my life go free?

I raised the dagger and sliced it across his arm.

The blade split open the tattoo that matched mine.

Watching them embrace and weep, I knew that Julian and I were completely over.

I rubbed my temples, fighting back the exhaustion etched into my features.

I bent down, picked up the scattered divorce papers, and held them out to him again.

“Julian Whitaker, you're disgusting.”

Glancing at Sophia's swollen belly, I let out a sneer.

“Sign it quickly. Any later and the baby will be born.”

Alex, who had been with me for years, hurried forward, about to say something.

I stopped him with a raised hand.

For these past few years, I thought Julian's condition was karmic retribution for my own sins.

I had hidden all my sharp edges, wanting only a peaceful life for him.

He'd grown accustomed to my meekness, likely forgetting the woman I once was.

I looked at Julian's bloodshot eyes and gave him a gentle smile.

“I'll step aside. And by the way, I wish you a long and happy life together.”

Whether they'll live to enjoy it, however, is another question entirely.

What I didn't expect was that Julian didn't sign. He tore the divorce papers to shreds.

“I won't divorce you. What I owe you, I will repay.”

He shielded her behind him, his wary gaze fixed on me.

“But right now, I have to protect Vance, and I won't give you another chance to hurt her!”

From our youth to our wedding, we had weathered ten years of storms together.

Now, I had become the monster.

The wariness in his eyes was a blade to my heart, shattering my dignity.

I pulled out the gun hidden under the sofa and aimed it between his eyes.

My fingertips traced the jagged scar across my belly, and I laughed until I couldn't breathe.

“What you owe me… how could you possibly repay it?”

“You don't think I'd keep someone as filthy as you by my side, do you?”

The men behind Julian all drew their guns in unison.

Without exception, every barrel was aimed at me.

In the tense standoff, a sudden surge of courage sent that girl, Sophia, stumbling forward.

She grabbed the barrel of my gun and pressed it to her own forehead.

“If you're angry, then shoot me!”

“Don't blame Julian! He's just trying to protect his true love. What's wrong with that?”

She was so brazen, so utterly clueless.

But I had to admit, she possessed a bravery that even I could admire.

She was so much like I used to be.

I started to laugh.

“You want to die? I'll grant your wish!”

The click of a round being chambered sent a tremor through her body.

The next second, a throwing knife sliced through the air, burying itself in my arm.

I had never thought Julian would raise a hand against me for her.

The sharp pain made it almost impossible to hold the gun.

But I gritted my teeth, stubbornly refusing to let go.

Julian sighed and stepped forward, grabbing my hand. The sound of my wrist bone shattering was sickeningly crisp.

“Gianna, I told you, I won't give you another chance to hurt her!”

“Behave. I'll come back and explain everything after the baby is born.”

The gun clattered to the floor with a harsh sound.

I clutched my injured arm and gave a wretched smile.

“Julian, don't bother. I said I would step aside.”

“Just sign the papers, and we can let each other go.”

Julian took half a step back and shook his head.

His gaze was firm, yet held a sadness I couldn't comprehend.

During the stalemate, a loud thud suddenly came from behind him.

The girl, her back to him, clutched her belly and sank to her knees.

Only then did Julian notice that her back was a sea of red.

With a trembling hand, he lifted her shirt, revealing two large, blood-red words carved into the raw flesh of her back.

“WHORE!”

I had carved them there myself before he burst in.

Julian stared at me in disbelief, his voice turning cold.

“Gianna, you're really insane!”

“How could you? How could you hurt her like this?”

I couldn't help but laugh.

“What made you think she could come here, provoke me without restraint, and walk away unscathed?”

“Julian, you know me. Carving just two words was me showing mercy, for your sake!”

The veins on Julian's forehead bulged. I knew he had reached his limit.

“Gianna, get on your knees, apologize to Sophia, and I can pretend this never happened!”

But why should I?

I'm the one who was hurt. Why should I be the one to apologize?

I sneered, picked up the fallen dagger, and lunged toward Sophia's belly.

In a flash, Julian snatched a gun from one of his Soldati, aimed it at me, and pulled the trigger.

Bang.

There was no pain of a bullet tearing through flesh.

I looked down. A tiny tranquilizer dart was sticking out of my chest.

As my consciousness faded, I managed a bitter smile.

In the end, Julian still didn't have the stomach for it.

If it were me, it wouldn't have been a tranquilizer.