If he loved Lilian so much, why had he agreed to Grandma’s request? Why hadn’t he told me the truth?

I had wanted Grandma to be happy in these last days. I would have played along, not bothering him.

I wouldn’t allow myself to hope—so I wouldn’t have to face the inevitable disappointment.

Lilian’s smug voice cut through my thoughts.

"Alicia, you understand now, don’t you? In Alexander’s heart, you mean nothing. The person he truly cares about is me. Even if he’s pretending to stay cordial with you for Grandma’s sake... in the end, he’ll always be with me. I know you like him, so just cherish the last bit of time you have with him. I promise I won’t fight you for him."

I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath.

"Are you done? If so, I’ll leave."

I didn’t care if she saw me as a failure, as a helpless fool. I just didn’t want to stay here any longer.

"Wait." Lilian grabbed my hand.

I yanked it away impatiently.

"Ah—" she screamed, stumbling sideways, almost falling.

Suddenly, Alexander appeared, rushing forward to catch her.

"Lilian, are you okay?"

I looked at the two of them, my chest tightening. A mocking laugh rose unbidden in me.

How pathetic I was.

I knew Alexander only loved Lilian, and yet I still foolishly hoped he would turn back to me. What a fool I had been.

"Alexander, I’m fine. Don’t blame Alicia, it was my fault for being careless," Lilian steadied herself and said softly.

Alexander looked at me. Our eyes met—cold, indifferent, unreadable. He suppressed whatever thoughts he had and coldly commanded,

"Alicia, apologize!"

How biased he was! Without asking what happened, without caring about the reason, he was ordering me to apologize.

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the nausea twisting in my stomach.

"Apologize..." he growled again.But I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I rushed back into the washroom and started throwing up, the bitter taste rising in my throat.

Third person POV

Alexander immediately moved to follow, his expression shifting dramatically, but Lilian stepped in, irritation flashing across her face, though she tried to Mask it.

"Alexander, it’s the women’s washroom—you can’t go in!"

He paused at the door, calling softly, tension threading his voice.

"Alicia, are you okay?"

No reply. The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating. The doorknob turned slowly. Alexander stepped back, giving her space.

"Alicia... what happened? Are you feeling alright?" he asked, his voice low, filled with concern.

Her eyes met his—icy, distant, unreadable. Something inside him shivered. Slowly, deliberately, she began to walk toward him, each step measured, controlled, like a predator closing in.

Alexander’s gaze never left hers.

Slap—

Time seemed to freeze. The sharp sound cracked through the room, echoing against the walls.

Lilian’s eyes widened, frozen in disbelief.

"Alexander... are you okay?" she whispered, horrified.

The slap landed with brutal precision. Alexander’s head jerked to the side, five clear red marks burning across his cheek. His stunned expression was priceless—shock, disbelief, a twinge of pain, all colliding at once.

Alicia lowered her hand, her expression neutral, almost frightening in its calm. Without another word, she turned and walked past them, her steps echoing down the hallway.

For a long moment, Alexander remained frozen. His lips parted as if to speak, but no sound came. Silence pressed in until he finally snapped out of it. By then, Alicia was gone, out of sight.

Lilian cautiously tugged at his sleeve.

"Alexander... are you okay? I know Alicia hates me. She can yell at me, hit me—I can accept that. But... how could she hit you?"

Alexander’s voice was low, tight, filled with tension.

"What did you two talk about?"

"Nothing," Lilian said, twisting her fingers nervously. "I just wanted to apologize. The rumors were careless, and Alicia got blamed. I felt guilty. If she’s willing, I could help clear things up. I didn’t expect her to be so angry..."

Alexander’s jaw tightened. Unease flickered across his face. Alicia knew.

She knew about that night...

He had always known the secret wouldn’t stay hidden forever. If not for Alicia’s car accident, she might have discovered it that very night. He hadn’t deleted the messages or call logs he had helped Vivienne with. He had been ready.

But now, seeing her anger, her controlled fury, the sting of the slap... a sharp, unfamiliar frustration surged within him.

Lilian hesitated, sensing his mood.

"Alexander... did I do something wrong? Should I go apologize to Alicia?"

He shook his head, lifting his gaze to meet hers.

"Nothing. You don’t need to worry about this. I’ll handle it. Now, I’ll take you back. Nana’s already upset, and you’ve got shows to prepare for . I might not be able to visit for a while."

Alicia’s POV

I walked out of the hospital slowly, my steps unsteady as I drifted down the street.

I had no idea where I was going.

The sun was bright overhead, yet I felt cold—an icy chill seeping deep into my bones.

I pulled out my phone and opened Twitter on a secondary account.

I already knew what I would see.

Still... I clicked.

Almost like I was punishing myself.

I scrolled slowly, forcing myself to read every insult, every accusation.

Then I moved on to video platforms, news articles—piecing everything together bit by bit.

Finally, I opened the trending OTP hashtags.

After Alexander’s affair was exposed, the noise had died down for a while... but not completely. Some people still posted obsessively.

Even I had to admit—

the photos, the videos, the fan edits...

Alexander and Lilian looked perfect together.

A wealthy heir. A beautiful celebrity.

A couple that seemed... destined.

And me?

I didn’t belong in that story.

I was just an extra—someone forced into a narrative where I had no place.

I closed my eyes, then opened the tweet editor on my secondary account.

Alicia Sinclair is not a homewrecker. Lilian Summer is the real homewrecker.

I hit post.

...and watched it disappear within seconds.

Gone.

I refreshed the page. Nothing.

My fingers tightened around my phone.

So this... was Alexander’s doing.

He wouldn’t allow anything that could harm Lilian to exist.

My lips curled faintly.

Then I typed again.

Alicia Sinclair is a homewrecker.

Post.

This time—

it stayed.

Not only that...

Likes began to appear.

Replies followed.

"Exactly. The mistress deserves to be punished."

"I curse Alicia Sinclair to never have children."

My breathing grew shallow.

I turned off my phone.

And in that moment—

something inside me went completely silent.

Suddenly, a group of people rushed toward me.

I looked up, startled, forced to stop as they surrounded me.

Cameras. Microphones. Flashing lights.

Paparazzi.

"Miss Alicia Sinclair! Is it true Alexander and Lilian Summer are in a relationship?"

"Did you interfere in their relationship?"

"How do you respond to being called a homewrecker?"

"What really happened that night?"

The questions came one after another, suffocating, relentless. Microphones pressed toward my face. Cameras flashed non-stop.

I couldn’t breathe.

For a moment... everything blurred.

Then—

I took a step back.

"Sorry, I can’t disclose that. Please don’t delay me," I said evenly.

"What’s so hard to disclose?"

"Are you silent because you’re guilty?"

"We heard they were here—why were you here too?"

"Nothing to say. Please let me go," I replied coldly.

But they didn’t move.

Instead, they pushed closer.

"Does your silence mean the rumors are true?"

My head throbbed. The noise pressed in from all sides. I couldn’t breathe. Every time I tried to move, they blocked me.

My patience snapped.

"I’ll say this one last time—please let me go," I said, my voice colder now.

"If not... I’ll call the police and report you for harassment."

For a brief moment, the crowd hesitated.

Then—

they surged forward again.

But before they could come any closer...

Someone stepped in front of me.

A tall figure. Hoodie. Cap. Mask.