Maria. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Maria, you are overwhelmed at this point..." Vincent paused, his eyes lingering on me for a moment as if assessing my condition before he slowly took a step back toward the door. "...I will leave you to relax... and then we can continue this conversation later," he added in a calmer, almost controlled tone.

His words were meant to sound reassuring, but they only made the tension inside me tighten further.

"There is nothing for us to continue, Lycan prince..." I replied immediately, pausing briefly as I took a deep breath to steady myself. My gaze shifted away from him, unable to maintain eye contact any longer. "I am married. I cannot fill that position."

My voice was firm, though there was an edge of exhaustion beneath it.

But Vincent only let out a soft chuckle, as if amused by my resistance.

"What’s with the title, Maria?" he asked, tilting his head slightly as though I was missing something obvious. "I am only doing what is best for you, and sooner or later, you will thank me when you realize it," he added firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Without waiting for a response, he turned, opened the door, and stepped out.

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, the silence in the room felt heavier than before.

I sank onto the bed slowly, my body finally giving in as I exhaled a long, tired breath.

"What exactly is going on in my life?" I asked myself out loud, my voice echoing faintly in the empty room. "Can’t I have even a single moment of peace?"

Frustration built up again, and I dragged a hand over my face, rubbing it slowly as if trying to wipe away all the pressure weighing on me. With a heavy sigh, I finally lay back on the bed, my body dropping onto the mattress with a soft thud.

I stared at the ceiling blankly, but my mind refused to settle.

I felt uneasy, restless and no matter how much I tried to push it away, one thought kept returning.

Noah.

I could only hope, desperately, that he was safe wherever he was.

Because from everything I had just witnessed, Vincent was not stable. And worse, from the tone of his words earlier, it was clear that anything I did to displease him might end up being taken out on Noah instead.

A bitter realization settled in my chest.

I couldn’t believe it.

I might have just dragged an innocent man straight into another mess he didn’t deserve.

I was still lost in my thoughts when the door suddenly opened again, breaking the silence of the room.

My head snapped slightly, but I didn’t even bother turning fully to look at who had entered.

"What do you want this time?" I asked irritably, my voice slightly raised, laced with frustration as I assumed it was Vincent again.

I was already exhausted, and I had no patience left for another unnecessary conversation.

In my mind, I was almost certain it had to be him.

But then, a different voice answered.

"Well, I came to see how pathetic you have become!"

The tone was sharp, confident, and filled with mockery.

That voice made me freeze instantly.

My entire body tensed as I quickly stood up from the bed, my irritation shifting into alertness in a split second.

I had been wrong, It wasn’t Vincent...It was Vanessa.

"What are you doing here?" I frowned immediately, turning to face her properly now, my expression darkening as I looked at her with open disgust.

She stood there casually, as if she belonged in the room, as if she had every right to be here.

"I just said it earlier, dummy!" Vanessa scoffed, folding her arms across her chest with an air of arrogance. "I don’t like repeating myself."

"Get out!" I yelled without hesitation, my voice firm and unwelcoming. I had no interest in entertaining whatever drama she had come to start.

But instead of leaving, she only laughed.

A loud, almost unhinged laugh.

"It seems I was right," she said, still laughing as she tilted her head. "I won. And you lost."

My eyes narrowed instantly.

That statement alone was enough to irritate me.

"No, Vanessa. You are wrong," I replied, my tone dropping into something colder as I slowly stood up from the bed and began walking toward her. "...I was never in a competition with you," I added firmly, closing the distance between us with steady steps. "So if anything, it only means you have always been inferior."

A small, calm smile formed on my lips as I finished speaking.

That was enough to push her over the edge.

"How dare you?" Vanessa snapped, her voice sharp and trembling with anger as her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her eyes burned with rage, and in an instant she lifted her hand, aiming a slap at my face.

But I reacted faster.

I caught her wrist mid-air before it could land, stopping her completely.

Without hesitation, I tightened my grip on her hair and yanked it downward with force, making her bend forward as a sharp pain clearly registered on her face. She struggled instantly, but I didn’t give her any room to recover. I struck her legs hard, destabilizing her stance completely.

Her knees hit the floor with a sharp, heavy thud.

The sound echoed faintly in the room.

"This is exactly what I am talking about, Vanessa," I said gently, my voice calm in contrast to the chaos. "This is how low you are."

For a moment, I simply looked down at her, my expression unreadable.

Then I released her hair.

But before she could even straighten up properly, my hand moved again on instinct, and I struck her face.

The impact made her gasp sharply in shock.

I bent slightly, bringing myself closer to her level as I pushed a strand of her hair back from her face, my expression still controlled.

"This slap is for the sneak attack," I said coldly, my voice sharp enough to cut through the air between us.

My eyes never left Vanessa’s face as I spoke, watching every flicker of shock and disbelief that crossed her expression.

"Maria..." Vanessa tried to speak, her voice strained, trembling slightly as if she couldn’t quite believe what was happening to her. "You—"

But I didn’t allow her to finish.

There was no space left in me for her words anymore.

My hand moved again almost instantly, faster than she could react, landing across her face with a second sharp strike.

The sound echoed loudly, filling the space between us.

"And this, Vanessa," I added immediately, my tone rising as the anger I had been holding back finally broke loose, "is for ruining my wedding!"

Her head tilted slightly from the force, and for a brief second I could see the shock deepen in her eyes as she struggled to process what was happening.

But I didn’t stop to give her time to recover.

The emotions inside me were already spiraling further out of control.

Everything I had been holding back—everything I had tried to bury—came rushing back all at once.

Before she could even fully regain her composure, I moved on top of her without hesitation, my hands finding her throat and tightening firmly around it.

"You bitch, why don’t you just leave my life alone!" I yelled, my voice breaking through the heavy tension in the air, sharp and raw as it carried all the frustration that had been building inside me for far too long.

My words came out uneven, trembling slightly at the edges, yet still forceful enough to cut through the moment like a blade.

My grip tightened as I spoke, my fingers clenching instinctively as though holding on harder could somehow steady the chaos inside me. But it didn’t. Instead, my anger only deepened, burning hotter with every passing second until it felt like it was consuming me from the inside out, leaving no space for calm or reason.

Every memory of pain and humiliation, I had endured surged together at once, crashing over me in one overwhelming wave that I could no longer hold back or suppress. It all rose violently within me, tightening my chest and clouding my thoughts.

Then, without warning, I slammed her head against the ground with force, the motion sudden and fueled entirely by that uncontrolled surge of emotion. For a brief moment, everything inside me went still in the aftermath of it.

"That’s for disturbing the peace in my life," I added through gritted teeth, my breath heavy and uneven as I struggled to contain the storm still raging within me.

My chest rose and fell rapidly, each breath coming harder than the last. For a moment, I stayed there, hovering over her, my mind clouded with rage and adrenaline.

It felt like I might continue, like I might completely lose control if no one stopped me.

My hands were still trembling slightly, caught between anger and exhaustion, while my heartbeat pounded loudly in my ears.

But just as I was about to do more....

The sharp sound of a door suddenly swinging open broke through the chaos.

The sound snapped through the air like a warning.

Every movement in my body paused instantly.

A voice followed immediately after.

"Maria, stop!"