Adrian and Margot left with the director to sign whatever useless documents they still had to finish.
I didn’t follow.
I stayed on the staircase—arms crossed, face blank, ice dripping through every vein.
And then she appeared.
Alessia.
Looking radiant, smug, and fresh—like she hadn’t just been in my husband’s arms ten minutes ago.
“Funny thing, Elara,” she purred, her heels clicking deliberately against each step, “Nikolai looks so much like Adrian, don’t you think? Same eyes. Same little scowl whenever things don’t go their way.”
I didn’t blink.
“Is that so?” My tone was flat, unreadable.
She leaned lazily against the railing, toying with a strand of hair, her smile dripping with arrogance.
“Maybe it’s just fate. Blood has its way of finding blood, doesn’t it?”
I didn’t indulge her. Silence was my weapon. But she thrived on the sound of her own voice.
“Nikolai’s mother must have been gorgeous,” she went on, sighing theatrically while admiring her manicured nails. “I mean… look at that face. That jawline.”
Then—slowly, deliberately—she pushed her hair aside, revealing a deep crimson mark on her collarbone. A kiss mark.
“My husband gets a little impatient,” she said, smirking. “Does Adrian ever… get rough with you, too?”
Still, I didn’t flinch. I met her gaze, steady and cold.
“You know what you remind me of, Alessia?” I asked softly.
Her brow arched. “Do tell.”
“Rotten fruit in a silver bowl,” I said. “Looks tempting from afar. Smells sweet, looks expensive… but take a bite, and it’s nothing but worms dressed in perfume.” I took a step closer, voice quiet but sharp enough to cut. “That’s what he’s like when he’s with you—decay wearing a designer suit.”
For a second, her smirk faltered. The confidence in her eyes flickered like a dying flame. Then she straightened, forcing the bratty grin back into place. But before she could throw another jab, her eyes darted past me. She smiled again—this time sly, cruel.
“Let’s see if he still remembers who trained him…” she murmured, backing away one step at a time. “…or if he’s just playing fetch for the wrong master.”
And then—she fell.
Tumbling down the staircase in a blur of limbs and screams.
“Ahhh!”
Instinct took over—I reached out, grabbed at her blazer, but the cheap button snapped right off. She hit the bottom hard, crumpled, groaning like she’d been struck by lightning.
---
Cue the bastard himself.
Adrian came thundering down the hall, eyes wide, fury burning behind them. He shoved past me as if I were invisible and knelt beside her.
“Alessia! Baby—hey, talk to me. Are you hurt?”
She clung to his arm like a drowning woman, voice trembling just right.
“Don’t… don’t be angry at Elara,” she gasped. “She just doesn’t understand kids the way we do. I tried to tell her about Nikolai—how he’s ours—and she just… snapped. She pushed me—”
And then, with a weak gasp, she collapsed dramatically. A perfect faint. Whether real or staged, I couldn’t tell anymore.
I stood still, numb—not from guilt, but from sheer disbelief at her performance. Adrian turned to me, his expression blank, his voice like ice.
“You know what I despise most?” he said slowly, lifting her into his arms. “People who pretend loyalty while holding a knife behind their back.”
And then he left—her clinging to him, Margot following close behind—leaving me on the cold stone stairs with nothing but the sting of a cut on my palm I hadn’t noticed until now.
---
Moments later, the director appeared, pale and nervous.
“Miss Ardent—are you all right?”
I straightened, brushing invisible dust off my coat. “I’m fine,” I said simply. My voice was steady, even as blood seeped from the small gash on my hand. I wrapped my silk scarf around it. “I’ve volunteered here for years,” I added softly. “I thought that meant something.”
He didn’t answer.
From the hallway came the sound of laughter—the children pouring out of the cafeteria, their joy echoing through the sterile walls.
Among them, I spotted Nikolai. Running. Laughing. Untouched by all the poison swirling around him.
The director smiled faintly. “He’s a good boy. You know, he and Mr. Marlowe… they really do act like family.”
My stomach turned.
---
Later, sitting in my car, I stared at my phone for what felt like an hour before pressing the contact I swore I’d deleted forever.
The line rang once.
“Well, well… Ms. Ardent,” a smooth, deep voice answered. “Didn’t think I’d hear from you again. Finally tired of playing perfect wife to the mafia prince?”
“Alejandro.” My tone was flat, emotionless. “Does our engagement still stand?”
He chuckled darkly. “Sweetheart, you’re married now. If you’re after some excitement, you’ll have to pay more than pride.”
“I’m not calling for fun,” I said.
A pause. Then his voice lowered, serious. “So the rumors were true. He never made you a real wife, did he?”
My throat tightened.
“Answer the question,” I said. “Is it still valid or not?”
He exhaled slowly, tone turning razor-sharp.
“Tell me, Elara… are you asking to marry me? Or asking me to help you set the world on fire?”
I ended the call without replying.
---
Pulled the car over. Tried to breathe.
Then—ping.
A message. From her.
“What’s it like pretending to be a wife for five years?”
“Want to know what Adrian’s doing right now?”
Attached: a short video.
Adrian. My Adrian. Kneeling before her in his dark Armani suit, tying her shoelaces like some obedient pet.
The cufflinks on his wrist—my gift. Custom gold, engraved with his initials.
My grip on the phone tightened until my palm split open again, blood smearing across the screen.
And then—the phone rang. Her name flashed.
I answered.
“Elara,” Alessia cooed. “You’ve always been too trusting. Maybe if you’d taken your time, you would’ve realized that marriage certificate was a fake.”
Silence.
“Should I send you a real one?” she added sweetly.
I said nothing. My jaw locked. My heart didn’t break—it calcified.
Instead, I opened my gallery. Scrolled until I found it.
A hidden file. Two years old. Grainy, black-and-white.
Adrian. In my office. Kneeling. Kissing the hem of my dress. Voice trembling:
“Please, Elara. You’re the only one who makes me feel like a man.”
I’d never planned to use that video. I kept it buried. Until now.
I attached it. Sent it to her.
And typed a single message:
“He kneels for whoever holds the leash. Enjoy my leftovers.”
Then I blocked her.
Because sometimes, the quiet that follows destruction is louder than any scream.
