5
Ayana’s POV
When I returned to the villa, the weight of everything that had happened in the past few days crashed down on me.
I buried myself under the blankets and cried until my chest ached.
Only when the storm of tears finally subsided did I drag myself upright.
Now was not the time to wallow in grief. My younger brother and my mother were still waiting for me.
I would never let Stellan and Zella get away with what they had done. I would make them pay, no matter what!
I gathered my documents, stuffed two changes of clothes into a bag, and then picked up a hammer as I made my way to the living room.
The next moment, the hammer came crashing down on the wedding portrait hanging on the wall.
One by one, I destroyed everything completely: the handmade crafts Stellan and I had once put together, the porcelain figurines he had given me as symbols of our love, the jewelry and gifts from each anniversary, even the countless paper cranes he had folded for me.
I reduced every last token of our so-called love to dust and shards.
By the time I finally stopped, the villa was nothing more than a wreck.
That was when Stellan came home.
He froze in the doorway, his brows knitting together at the sight of the chaos. And then, when his eyes landed on me standing in the middle of the ruin, his expression softened with what looked like heartache.
He stepped forward without hesitation and pulled me into his arms.
“Ayana,” he murmured, “I know you’re hurting. Cry in my arms if you must. It’s my fault. I don’t even know when those photos were leaked, but if you refuse to withdraw the lawsuit, Zella might use even harsher methods. I’m so sorry.”
The scent that clung to him made bile rise in my throat.
That faint perfume wasn’t mine. It was Zella’s! Worse—it was the limited-edition fragrance I had given her as a birthday gift!
And on the back of his neck, I could see it clearly: the fresh, unmistakable marks of another woman’s kisses.
They thought I was a fool. They had been playing me for a very long time.
Disgust boiled up inside me, and I shoved him away with all my strength.
My voice dripped with scorn as I said, “So there’s actually someone in Alabama with more power than you? If I’d known you were this useless, I would never have married you in the first place! At least then I wouldn’t have ended up like this. You’re pathetic, Stellan!”
I spat out each word slowly and deliberately.
His face darkened at once, his features twisting in shame and anger.
Seeing him squirm in pain brought me a bitter thrill. After all, every cruel thing that had happened was orchestrated by him and Zella together.
And yet he still dared to put on an act in front of me, pretending to be innocent!
To say he was disgusting was even an understatement.
I opened my mouth to say more, but his phone rang. The moment he saw the caller ID, his eyes lit up, and without a second thought, he answered.
It was Zella.
He didn’t even bother to lower his voice as he spoke with her. Then, without sparing me another glance, he turned toward the door.
“Ayana,” he said coldly, “calm down. Contact me again when you’re ready to withdraw the lawsuit. Otherwise, who knows what might happen in four days? You don’t want more private photos being leaked, do you?”
His words were laced with threat. And with that, he walked away straight back to Zella.
Before he reached the front door, my voice broke into a scream.
“Stellan! If you leave now, I’ll never forgive you! I’ll hate you for the rest of my life!”
His body stiffened for a moment at the doorway. But still, he left without hesitation.
I couldn’t help but chase after him.
But just as I stepped outside, a masked figure rushed at me.
“Stellan!” I cried, calling his name in desperation.
But he left without looking back.
The last thing I saw before the world went dark was his retreating, cold and unfeeling.
