Helena ignored Kaylee’s taunts and silently bent down to pick up her medicine, only for Kaylee to step on it with a smirk.
Seeing Helena’s indifferent expression only fueled Kaylee’s resentment. Her eyes burned with hatred.
“It’s always like this—you act like nothing ever affects you. But why? After everything you did to him, why does Rafael still think about you?!”
“You have no idea how much I envy you. Even in his sleep, he calls your name! I’ve been by his side for three years—why can’t he see only me? What do you have that I don’t?”
“Helena, I was supposed to be the one to marry him! This marriage was stolen from me! You’re just a pathetic parasite living off my family, so what makes you worthy of his attention?”
She pressed down harder with her foot, grinding the pill bottle until it started to collapse under the pressure. Only then did she seem satisfied, her lips curling into a cruel smile.
“But it doesn’t matter anymore. Now, he believes I was the one who saved his life. He’ll never know you gave him your heart. Everything you once had—I’ll take it all, piece by piece.”
“Helena, this is what you owe me!”
The moment she finished speaking, she suddenly let out a sharp scream and threw herself backward against the table.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Helena snatched the crushed medicine from under her foot, desperately stuffing a pill into her mouth as her breathing turned ragged.
Rafael walked in just in time to witness the scene, his expression twisting with disgust.
“It hurts...”
Hearing Kaylee’s pitiful whimper, he immediately rushed to her side, his face dark with concern. When he noticed the fresh wound on her forehead, his anger boiled over.
Without hesitation, he kicked Helena to the ground. His voice was sharp with fury.
“I thought you were just a gold-digger, but I didn’t realize you’d become this cruel. If you so much as lay a finger on Kaylee again, don’t blame me for being merciless!”
His gaze swept over the broken pill bottle on the floor before he turned away without a second glance.
Helena lay on the ground, dazed, watching his retreating figure. She wasn’t sure which hurt more—her body or her heart.
Dragging herself back to her room, she finally lost consciousness.
It felt like her bones were being crushed, inch by inch, but the pain was so intense that she couldn’t even make a sound.
She didn’t know how much time had passed before the medicine took effect. Cold sweat drenched her body as she finally slipped into a deep sleep.
Then, out of nowhere, a splash of ice-cold water jolted her awake.
Rafael stood at her bedside, holding the familiar pill bottle, his expression frozen over.
“Kaylee already told me everything. She saw you taking vitamins and simply asked about them, yet you selfishly assumed she was trying to steal them from you and even went so far as to hurt her. Is this stuff really that important to you?”
Helena clenched the bedsheet tightly, her face deathly pale as she lowered her gaze.
“Yes. It’s very important.”
She had finally found the courage to leave and start over. She couldn’t afford any more complications.
Besides, at this point, the truth no longer mattered.
Rafael let out a cold laugh, as if she had just pushed him past his limit.
“Helena, you never fail to disgust me.”
He suddenly grabbed her by the throat, forcing her to look up at him. Then, gritting his teeth, he dumped the entire bottle of pills into her mouth.
“You love taking them so much? Then eat them all!”
Only when she started choking, tears streaming down her face as she struggled for air, did he finally release her in disgust. But just as he was about to leave, his gaze fell on the scattered pills.
“These... aren’t vitamins?”
His expression flickered with something unreadable. Hesitation. Doubt.
Impatiently, he rummaged through her drawer and pulled out another bottle—this one still sealed.
When he read the label, whatever trace of uncertainty had been in his eyes vanished. His anger returned, fiercer than before.
“Medicine for artificial heart infection?” He let out a scornful laugh. “Helena, your acting skills are truly remarkable. What, do you expect me to believe you don’t have a heart? Or are you trying to tell me you’re dying?”
Helena curled up on the bed, coughing violently as if she could claw the pills out of her throat. Then, all of a sudden, she laughed.
"Yes, Rafael." Her eyes locked onto his, unwavering. "I'm about to die-"
“Enough!” He lost control and slapped her across the face, his breath ragged with fury. His voice dripped with mockery.
"Lies one after another. Do you think I’d actually pity you? If you really had the guts to die, you would have done it already!" His voice was sharp with contempt.
"You’re too greedy for that. You’d never give up everything you’ve schemed for."
He pulled out a tissue, wiping his wrist as if he had touched something filthy.
Then, with a final sneer, he spat, "This better not be birth control pills."
"If you think you can escape me by getting close to another man—forget it."
His voice was chilling. "Even if you die, it’ll be right in front of me."
