There was no way I could remain in that space—not with her smirking and him lurking.
Muttering an excuse, I slipped away from the gathering, forcing a smile for the well-meaning guests who paused to ask if I was alright. My legs felt heavy, each step through the crowd more difficult than the last. The laughter and clinking of glasses around me faded into a dull roar as Arden’s venomous words echoed in my mind, suffocating and unshakable.
That house—draped in grandeur and deceit—was a prison of betrayal, and I needed to get out.
Once inside the car, I finally exhaled, not even realizing I'd been holding my breath. The journey home passed in a haze of blurred lights and louder thoughts. Rage pulsed through me, wild and caged. I wanted to scream until my throat gave out. I wanted to destroy everything Evander had so meticulously crafted. But I didn’t. For the sake of my children, I buried every impulse deep.
When I walked through the front door, the house felt foreign, like someone else’s life. The walls, once familiar, now loomed over me, cold and unwelcoming. A quiet voice inside reminded me that no matter how far I ran, I was still trapped—by him, by the lies, by what I carried inside me.
Sleep didn’t come. My thoughts raced endlessly—Arden’s smug face, her cruel laughter, her whispered barbs. I lay awake, nerves on fire, until the sudden slam of the front door jolted me. Footsteps thundered up the stairs like war drums.
It was Evander.
He didn’t need to say a word; the fury in his steps was enough. He burst into the bedroom, and his voice cracked like a whip. “Nerina! Get up!”
I turned over, feigning sleep, but it was pointless. He was already looming over me, rage radiating off him in waves.
“I said get up!” His hand yanked me by the wrist, his grip iron-clad. “Do you have any idea what you did? You completely wrecked the night. Do you enjoy humiliating me?”
I tore my arm free, sitting up slowly, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I couldn’t stay,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “Not after everything she said—”
“I don’t want to hear about her!” he barked, leaning in until his face was inches from mine. “You embarrassed me in front of everyone important. Do you know what kind of damage that causes?”
I couldn’t hold it back anymore. “You’re sleeping with her.”
His expression shifted, his mouth curling into a wicked grin. “Well, well. Look who finally figured it out.”
Pain twisted deep in my chest. “How long, Evander? How long has it been going on?”
His gaze didn’t waver. “Since the week after our wedding. While you played the loyal wife, I was already moving on. And no—I’m not sorry. I never will be.”
His words knocked the air out of me. I was paralyzed, overwhelmed by the certainty in his voice.
“Why are you telling me this now?” I asked, barely able to speak. “Why say this to me?”
That smirk disappeared, replaced by a deadly seriousness. “Because I’ve been pretending long enough. You were a placeholder, Nerina. That’s all you ever were. Now that Arden’s here, I’m finished playing the doting husband.”
Each sentence struck like a blow. The man I’d loved, trusted, shared a life with—he had never been real.
“I saw it,” I murmured, the memory bubbling to the surface. “Four years ago. On the staircase. I knew what I saw.”
His jaw clenched. “Still clinging to that fantasy? You’re losing it, just like your mother did.”
The reference was a dagger straight to my heart. My mother, who had wasted away under the weight of secrets and gaslighting, now used as a weapon against me.
He stepped in closer, his breath hot with menace. “Try to run, and I’ll drag Titanis through the dirt. Your father’s company will collapse. He’ll die knowing you destroyed everything he built.”
I couldn’t breathe. The threat landed like a noose. My father—flawed as he was—didn’t deserve that fate.
“You’re cornered,” Evander said coldly. “So, here’s what you’re going to do: You’ll stay. You’ll behave. Because if you don’t, everything and everyone you care about will be reduced to ash.”
I wanted to lash out. I wanted to destroy him. But the children inside me held me still. I couldn’t let my rage consume what was still innocent. I was shackled to this nightmare—and him.
Just when I thought I had felt every possible kind of pain, the universe served another blow.
There she was.
Arden.
Standing in the study, by the window, as if she belonged.
My feet carried me forward before reason could intervene.
“What the hell are you doing in my house?” I snapped.
Arden turned slowly, that same toxic smile curving her lips. “Oh, relax. I’m just settling in. I figured I should get comfortable. This is home now, after all.”
I blinked. “You’re moving in? Are you out of your mind?”
She raised a brow, unbothered. “Come now, Dani. Let’s not be dramatic. You don’t get a say anymore.”
My hands clenched into fists. My entire body trembled as I stepped toward her. “You’re a liar. A thief. I gave you everything—my trust, my love. And you repay me like this?”
I couldn’t hold back. Rage exploded through me. I shoved her hard, slamming her into the table behind her. It shook under the impact.
“You think you can waltz in here and steal my life?” I snarled. “You think you’ve won?”
Arden looked shocked for just a moment—before the door flew open.
Evander.
His eyes locked on us, fury darkening every feature.
“Enough!” he shouted, storming across the room.
Before I could react, his hands wrapped around my throat.
I gasped, struggling, stars dancing in my vision.
Behind him, Arden clutched her face, fake tears already falling. “She went insane, Evander! She just attacked me!”
The second those words left her mouth, his grip vanished.
He turned away from me and rushed to her side.
He didn’t even look back.
His arms wrapped around her as she melted into him like a helpless child.
“Shh, baby. I’ve got you,” he whispered, stroking her hair while keeping his gaze locked on me. “I’ll take care of this.”
And in that chilling instant, I understood everything.
I didn’t matter.
Not to her. Not to him.
“Lock that bitch in the basement,” he commanded.
My heart sank into darkness.
