Alexander’s steps faltered for the briefest moment.

‎Then, without a word—

‎he walked out.

‎The door closed behind him.

‎All the strength drained from my body.

‎I braced myself against the edge of the table, barely able to remain standing.

‎So in the end...

‎he still chose her.

‎I had offered him our future—

‎and he still left.

‎It turned out the peace between us these past few days had only been an illusion.

‎When forced to choose between Lilian and me—

‎Alexander had never hesitated.

‎A scoff sounded beside me.

‎Michael looked at me with open disgust.

‎"Let’s go. Stop pretending."

‎His lips curled coldly.

‎"What kind of act is this, mistress? Lilian is still in emergency."

With a sharp crack, I swung my hand with every ounce of strength I had left and slapped Michael Livingston across the face.

‎The sound rang through the corridor.

‎Michael staggered half a step, stunned.

‎His hand flew to his reddened cheek as fury surged across his features.

‎"Are you insane?" he snapped. "Don’t think that just because Alexander indulges you, I won’t deal with you myself."

‎I stared straight into his eyes.

‎My voice shook with rage.

‎"Then listen carefully."

‎I took a step closer.

‎"Call me a mistress one more time, and I’ll slap you again."

‎My chest rose violently.

‎"Lilian is the mistress."

‎Each word came out like blood.

‎"She’s the one who tried to destroy someone else’s marriage."

‎I lifted my chin.

‎"I am Alexander Blackwood’s legal wife."

‎My voice cracked, but I did not look away.

‎"The one protected by law."

‎The room fell deathly silent.

‎Then, in one sweeping motion, I struck the edge of the table.

‎Plates crashed.

‎Wine spilled.

‎The lacquered gift box tumbled to the floor.

‎It burst open on impact.

‎The emerald bracelet inside shattered into three broken pieces.

‎I looked down at it for only a second.

‎Then I grabbed my handbag and phone, turned, and walked out without looking back.

‎"Alicia!"

‎Michael’s voice came sharply from behind me.

‎Footsteps followed fast.

‎"What did you just say?" he demanded. "Say it again."

‎I kept walking.

‎The restaurant doors opened before me, and I stepped out into the night air.

‎I chose a random direction and kept going.

‎"Where are you going?" Michael caught up beside me. "I’ll take you home."

‎"I don’t need you to."

‎"No. I’m taking you back."

‎He reached for my arm.

‎The moment his fingers brushed me, I jerked away as if burned.

‎All the grief, humiliation, jealousy, and despair I had been forcing down burst at once.

‎"Get away from me!"

‎My scream tore through the street.

‎Michael froze.

‎I was breathing hard.

‎At some point, tears had already flooded my eyes.

‎My vision blurred.

‎My face was wet.

‎I hadn’t even realized I was crying.

‎Through clenched teeth, I glared at him.

‎"You’re all the same."

‎My voice trembled violently.

‎"Every one of you are bastards."

‎"Stay the hell away from me."

‎For once, Michael had no words.

‎He stood rooted in place, watching me.

‎I turned and walked away alone.

‎My mind was completely blank.

‎I didn’t know where I was going.

‎I only knew I couldn’t stop moving.

‎Step after step, I stumbled into the night—

‎with no exact destination in mind.

Lilian was right.

I never accepted that bet because, deep down, I already knew I would lose.

Maybe that was why I hadn’t even bothered getting Alexander a gift this year.

On our anniversary, he still left me to see her.

His eyes followed Lilian without hesitation—so much so that he didn’t even notice the humiliation I endured in front of his friends.

I lost.

Completely.

How ridiculous.

Only a few days ago, he had spoken about Grandma Roseline’s promise as if it meant something real.

As if we were building something together.

But tonight, on our anniversary, he discarded it without a second thought.

The moment Michael mentioned Lilian was hurt, Alexander didn’t even confirm it.

He just left.

No hesitation.

No second glance at me.

Because in the end...

his heart was never here.

My gaze lowered slightly.

Even that ring in his car said everything I needed to know.

Maybe Michael hadn’t ruined anything.

Maybe he had simply given Alexander an easier reason to leave me behind.

They say you can tell how important a woman is to a man by how the people around him treat her.

Now I finally understood.

Alexander didn’t value me.

So his friends didn’t either.

But Lilian...

Everyone around him treated her like treasure.

Someone who mattered.

A bitter laugh rose in my throat—

but never made it out.

A sudden force struck me from behind.

Before I could react, I was slammed hard onto the ground.

Pain exploded through my abdomen as I hit the pavement.

A figure crouched over me instantly.

Masked.

Before I could even scream, a fist crashed into my face.

White flashed across my vision.

Blood filled my mouth.

I tried to move—but another blow came down, and I curled instinctively, protecting my stomach.

The attacker rose again.

Their foot lifted—

aimed straight for me.

I braced myself—

"Hey!! Stop!!"

A voice cut through the night.

Footsteps rushed closer.

The attacker hesitated.

Cursing under their breath, they stepped back quickly.

My handbag had flown from my hand during the fall.

In one swift motion, the attacker snatched it from the ground and ran into the darkness.

Silence.

Then pain.

I lay on the cold ground, shaking, one hand instinctively pressing against my stomach as I struggled to breathe.A buzzing filled my head, and for a moment I didn’t understand what was happening.

‎Then a sharp pain tore through my lower abdomen.

‎I froze instantly.

‎Too scared to move.

‎The baby... my baby...

‎My hand flew to my stomach as I lay curled on the cold ground, waiting—praying—for the pain to ease.

‎Time felt endless.

‎"Are you okay? We should get you to a hospital."

‎A voice broke through the haze.

‎An older woman—the one who had witnessed everything—hurried over from her car.

‎She carefully helped me sit up, concern written all over her face.

‎I struggled to steady my breathing.

‎"It’s okay... I’ll just call—"

‎My words stopped abruptly.

‎My phone... my bag...

‎My wallet was still inside it.

‎Panic rose in my chest.

‎I looked up quickly.

‎"Can you take me to the nearest police station?"

‎She hesitated for only a moment.

‎"Alright. Let’s go."

‎She supported me to her car and drove me to the station.

‎We arrived shortly after and went inside together.

‎I reported the theft and explained what happened.

‎The officers asked a few questions, then allowed the woman to leave after she insisted on staying.

‎She looked reluctant to go.

‎I forced a small smile.

‎"Thank you... I’ll be fine."

‎Only then did she finally leave.

‎After she was gone, I borrowed a small amount of money from one of the officers for a taxi.

‎Before leaving, I took down the station’s contact number.

‎Then I headed home.

‎When I arrived, Maria was cleaning the house.

‎She looked up immediately the moment she saw me.

‎"Miss Alicia... what happened to you?"

‎I lowered my gaze.

‎Only then did I notice the dirt, the bruises on my arms, and the scrapes on my knees.

‎"I tripped and fell," I said quietly. "I’ll go upstairs and shower."

‎I walked past her and went upstairs.

‎After showering, I changed into clean clothes and collapsed onto the bed.

‎Exhaustion swallowed me completely.

‎Suddenly a knock came at the door.

‎