Since that was the case, there was no point in wasting another breath on her. I turned to leave.

But before I could take another step, Nathalia’s voice drifted from behind me, laced with mockery.

“Irene, if you have any self-awareness, you’d tuck your tail and run. If you wait until Mathias throws you out himself, things won’t be so easy for you.”

Her words made me pause.

“And what if I don’t leave?”

I never went looking for trouble, but that didn’t mean I had no temper.

Nathalia let out a laugh, richer and more condescending this time.

“You’re not still dreaming of becoming Mrs. Mathias, are you?” she scoffed.

“How ridiculous. Back when he had nothing, you sold everything to help him get back on his feet.”

Her gaze turned to pity, dripping with false sympathy.

“I even heard you sold the house your dead parents left you… all for him.” She clicked her tongue. “So devoted, so hopelessly in love.”

“But tell me, what did all that loyalty get you? Nothing. Mathias still doesn’t love you. The moment I so much as beckoned, he tossed you aside like garbage. He wouldn’t spare you a second glance even if you sold yourself.”

The mention of my parents’ house sent a sharp pain through my chest, so sudden it nearly stole my breath away.

Out of gratitude for saving his life and the love I once thought was real, I abandoned everything my parents left me and stood by Mathias through his darkest days.

We had endured hardships, suffered injustice, and weathered storms. But never, not even at our lowest, had I felt regret as bone-deep as I did now.

I had foolishly believed that love, tempered by trials, would only grow stronger.

The truth was crueler. My love had been misplaced from the very start.

Yet Nathalia wasn’t finished.

“Oh, you still don’t know, do you?” She tilted her head, feigning pity. “Those online rumors calling you a shameless homewrecker? Mathias orchestrated all of it himself.”

My breath hitched.

“He wanted to protect me,” she continued smoothly. “He didn’t want me to suffer any backlash, so he threw you to the wolves instead. He let the entire internet rip you apart… just so I wouldn’t have to endure a scratch.”

Something inside me snapped.

So that was the truth.

If I had a mirror in front of me, I knew exactly what I would see: bloodshot eyes, raw betrayal, and a woman who had given everything… for a man who had never deserved it.

The sharp clack of Nathalia’s heels echoed through the room as she strode toward me, her gaze dripping with malice. She reached out, tilting my chin between her fingers, her touch deceptively gentle.

"Honestly, I don’t care whether you leave or not," she murmured, her lips curving into a slow, venomous smile.

"Because what I really want… is to ruin you completely."

Before her words could even settle in my mind, she suddenly tore at her own blouse, sending buttons scattering to the floor. With swift, practiced movements, she mussed up her hair, then seized my wrist and forced my hand to strike her again and again.

Then, as if on cue, she crumpled to the floor, her body trembling, tears spilling down her cheeks in violent torrents.

"Miss Hale," she sobbed, her voice breaking. "I know you hate me, but how could you force me to do something like this?" Her fingers clutched at her chest as she gasped out her next words.

"I’d rather die than agree to it!"

With a sudden, dramatic lunge, she grabbed a fruit knife from the coffee table, angling it toward her throat.

Instinct took over. I surged forward, reaching to stop her.

But before I could even touch the blade, a brutal force slammed into me, sending me crashing backward.

"Nathalia!"

The next moment, Mathias had her wrapped tightly in his arms, his voice thick with desperation.

Nathalia let the knife slip from her fingers, collapsing against him as she sobbed uncontrollably, her entire frame quivering like a fragile bird seeking shelter in his embrace.

"Mathias, you finally came."

"If you hadn’t, Miss Hale would have already sent me to President Liam’s bed!"

I had slammed into the corner of the table, pain searing through my already bruised lower back, leaving my vision swimming. The agony threatened to pull me under, but I bit down on the pain and forced out a hoarse, desperate rebuttal.

"I didn’t!"

"How could I possibly do something like that?"

"Mathias, after everything we’ve been through, do you really believe something this absurd?"

For a fleeting second, something in his expression wavered. His brows furrowed ever so slightly, hesitation creeping in.

But before that moment could solidify, Nathalia whimpered, tightening her grip on his sleeve, her fragile form quivering against him as though she might shatter at any second.

"Mathias, is it because Miss Hale thinks I stole you from her that she wants to destroy me?"

"But the only person I love is you."

"If another man dares to touch me, I’d rather die!"

Before the weight of her words could settle, she snatched the knife from the floor, its sharp edge glinting under the dim light as she aimed it at her own heart.

A sharp clang echoed through the room as Mathias knocked it from her grasp.

The blade clattered to the ground, forgotten, while Nathalia collapsed into a fit of sobs, her frail frame trembling violently.

My pulse pounded in my ears as Mathias turned to me, hesitation flickering in his eyes. I could see it, his faith in me hanging by a fragile thread, ready to snap at the slightest pull.

I opened my mouth, desperate to defend myself. But before I could utter a single word, the sound of a door swinging open shattered the tension.

A middle-aged man, pot-bellied and balding, stepped out in nothing but a bathrobe, rubbing his damp scalp with a towel. His voice rang out with casual familiarity.

"Nathalia, baby, I’m done with my bath. Why aren’t you coming in yet?" His gaze lifted, and the moment he spotted Mathias, his expression shifted from lazy amusement to frozen panic.

"President Mathias? What are you doing here?"

Something inside me twisted violently as I turned to Mathias, searching his face, praying for reason, for trust. But what I saw made my stomach drop.

The uncertainty in his gaze vanished, replaced by sheer disappointment laced with something far worse. Disgust.

His voice was like a blade slicing through me.

"Irene, I really misjudged you."

"I never thought you’d be this vicious… this shameless."

"I didn’t! I swear, I didn’t!"

Never had I wished more desperately for him to believe me.

"I’ve already decided to leave you. I won’t stand in the way of you and Nathalia anymore. Why would I even do something like this?"

The words seemed to ignite something within Mathias. His expression twisted sharply as though I had wounded him with my simple truth.

"Irene, do you have any idea what you're saying?" His voice was thick with disbelief, the anger barely contained beneath his words.

Before I could speak, Liam, who had been silent up to this point, broke his silence with irritation, sharpening his tone.

"President Rocco, my business might not rival yours, but integrity is everything to me. You promised me a woman for my enjoyment. Now, what is this circus? Do you really think you can play me for a fool?"

Mathias no longer even glanced my way, but his words were a dagger to the heart.

"I always keep my word."

And then, the chilling command left his lips.

"Since Liam wants a woman to entertain him, I’ll give him Irene."

Liam's eyes widened as if even he couldn’t fathom the cruel turn of events.

Even though the engagement banquet had never taken place, I had spent ten years by Mathias’s side, believing in us. And yet, he was willing to cast me aside so easily?

Nestled in Mathias’s embrace, Nathalia flashed me a look of triumph, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

She knew all too well the kind of man Liam was behind closed doors. His reputation for destroying young women had spread like wildfire through their circles, whispered from one ruin to the next.

A sharp pain slashed through my mind, a bolt of understanding hitting me hard. Now, I understood what Nathalia had meant when she vowed to utterly destroy me.

But at that moment, there was no time for self-pity or to dwell on the devastation.

Struggling to push myself off the floor, the searing agony from my lower back burned with such intensity that my body refused to straighten.

I could only crawl toward Mathias, dragging myself on the floor like a dog, utterly broken.

"Mathias, I swear, I’ll never stand in your way again."

"I’ll leave, far away. You’ll never have to see me again."

"Please, don’t do this to me."

But the more I begged, the more the rage in his eyes flared, as though he wanted to tear me apart with his bare hands.

"Good, very good! Irene, you truly are something else!"

With a snarl, he turned back to Liam, his voice dripping with venom.

"I already agreed to give her to you. What’s the problem? Isn’t Liam going to enjoy himself?"

Liam’s grin stretched wide as he stepped forward, eager to claim what he’d been promised. He reached out, hands eager to pull me toward the bed.

I fought with everything I had, but in that moment, the crushing weight of despair set in. The only person who could help me was Mathias, but he simply cradled Nathalia in his arms, turning away from me without a second glance.

"Mathias, I hate you!"

"I will never forgive you!"

Mathias’ footsteps faltered for a split second before he disappeared from my sight, his silence more damning than any words.

The instant Liam’s hand touched me, I shoved him away with all the strength I could muster.

A memory flashed, when Mathias first made it onto the rich list, I’d been kidnapped, a ransom demanded. Though I’d been rescued, Mathias was shaken to his core.

Out of that fear, he’d hired the best instructors, training me in self-defense and combat.

Now, with a man whose body was a shadow of his former self, drained by alcohol and indulgence, I knew I had a ninety percent chance of winning this fight.

But as soon as I pushed Liam away, the door creaked open again.

A group of hulking men filled the doorway.

Mathias’ bodyguards.

I thought, maybe, just maybe, he had softened.

But the leader of the group spoke, his voice cold and dispassionate.

"Miss Hale knows a bit of self-defense. Mr. Rocco was concerned you wouldn’t enjoy yourself, so he sent us with something to help."

With that, they pulled out a bottle of pills, prying my mouth open and forcing them down my throat.

My combat skills were enough to handle someone like Liam, whose only strength was his size.

But against these skilled bodyguards, I was nothing more than a helpless animal.

Despite my every attempt to fight back, most of the drugs still found their way into my system.

In the midst of my struggle, one of the bodyguards sneered, "Mr. Rocco has already set up cameras in this room. If you don’t behave and properly entertain Liam, those recordings will be all over the internet."

"Then you’ll get to enjoy your newfound fame," he added, his voice dripping with mockery.

The drug kicked in quickly. The room blurred around me, a thick, suffocating heat pooling in my chest, making it feel as though I were melting from the inside out.

Then, chaos erupted outside, and the door was kicked open with such force that it slammed against the wall.

A rush of cold air swept into the room, and for the briefest of moments, my mind cleared.

Through the haze, I thought I saw a chiseled face, like something carved from marble.

Before I could make sense of it, strong arms scooped me up, lifting me effortlessly from the floor.

The crisp scent of fir trees filled my lungs, grounding me, as his voice, familiar yet distant, whispered, "Miss, are you alright?"

I tried to focus, but my thoughts melted into a haze of confusion. Instinct guided me as I nuzzled against him, desperate for relief from the searing heat that consumed me.

It was unbearable. I couldn’t endure it any longer.

His body tensed, clearly caught off guard by my sudden movement.

But I couldn’t stop; my lips found him before I even realized it. "Please… I feel awful…"

"Can you help me…?"