Bang!
Solana flung her arms wide and hurled herself off the third-floor ledge.
Blood burst beneath her like a red blossom, bones snapping one after another as she hit the ground.
Agony crushed every limb and joint. Her vision blackened instantly—and she lost consciousness.
...
When she woke up, the air carried a faint scent of disinfectant.
Wilbert rushed over the moment he saw her awake, his expression carrying emotions she couldn't decipher.
"You... are you alright?"
His voice—usually cold—held a rare thread of caution. He even reached out as if to check her wounds.
But the next second—Solana snatched the fruit knife from the bedside table and drove it straight into his right arm.
His eyes widened in shock.
She curved her lips faintly, though her gaze held nothing but frost. "That was to remind you that I, Solana Scott never leaves a debt unpaid."
When she raised the knife again, Wilbert seized her wrist violently, his dark eyes flashing a warning. "Enough."
"Let go." She struggled, slamming her fist against his chest.
As they wrestled, a vase toppled and smashed against the floor with a sharp crack.
"Mr. Patel!"
Bodyguards burst through the door at the noise, eyes sweeping over Solana in suspicion.
"You—"
"Get out!" Wilbert instinctively hid his wounded arm behind him, barking the order with a cold snap.
Seeing him like this—Solana almost laughed.
He was the one who had pinned the crime on her. He was the one who nearly had her burned alive. And now he had the audacity to act as though he was protecting her?
It was absurd in every possible way.
—
On the day she was discharged, Wilbert—under the guise of "making amends"—invited her to an auction.
He was generous to the point of extravagance, buying a dozen items without even opening his eyes to look at them.
A mountain of jewels and luxury pieces piled up in front of Solana, yet none of it stirred even a flicker of interest.
Not until the final piece appeared.
The moment she saw it, she shot to her feet, trembling from head to toe.
It was her grandmother's only dowry.
Her grandmother had refused to close her eyes on her deathbed because she couldn't find that bracelet.
It had been her last wish.
Wilbert clearly recognized it too. Bending close, he murmured by her ear, "Don't worry. I'll get it back for you."
In the end, he bought the bracelet—for a staggering eight hundred million.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Seems the rumors are true! Mr. Patel treats his wife like she's made of gold—whatever she wants, he gives!"
But no one knew.
That so-called generosity was nothing more than compensation—payment for making Solana bear the blame for Imogen.
Solana let out a cold breath of laughter and rose to leave. But a shrill voice sliced through the air behind her.
"Wilbert! Do you even know my entire hometown can't make ten thousand a year—and you spend eight hundred million with a flick of your hand!"
Imogen's eyes were red, filled with stubborn, fragile indignation. "It's clear we're not right for each other. Let's end things once and for all."
She wiped her tears dramatically and bolted toward the exit.
Wilbert's composure shattered.
Ignoring the stunned onlookers, he rushed forward and wrapped her in his arms, voice filled with a softness Solana had never once heard directed at her.
"My little princess... then tell me what to do. I'll listen to whatever you say, alright?"
Imogen pouted, then threw Solana a direct, provocative look. "Then smash everything."
Solana instinctively shielded the bracelet behind her, her gaze icy. "That was my grandmother's last keepsake. Don't you dare touch it."
Wilbert stiffened, his hold on Imogen tightening. "This..."
But as tears streamed uncontrollably down Imogen's cheeks—his hesitation melted into pure pity.
His eyes snapped toward Solana, cold and merciless. "I'll compensate you later. But this time..."
He pause, then his expression hardened completely. "You must listen to Imogen."
At once, bodyguards entered carrying iron rods.
“Wilbert!” Solana’s voice trembled with fury. She struggled, but someone held her down. Desperation cracked through her voice.
“I’m begging you! Don’t touch it—please!”
But her pleas drowned under the weight of Wilbert’s blind devotion.
He took the rod, and swung it down.
Bang!
The priceless bracelet shattered on the floor—pieces scattering like fragments of Solana’s last hope.
Her heart felt as if it had been crushed into the same broken shards. Pain surged so fiercely she could barely breathe.
At that exact moment—a crazed woman suddenly burst through the doors, screaming hysterically as she rushed inside!
