Kain scrambled up from the sofa, cradling his red, throbbing wrist against his chest. He glared at Atticus with pure hatred.
Realizing he was completely outmatched physically, Kain cowardly shifted his vicious attack back to the woman sitting on the bed.
He looked Avah up and down with extreme disgust. "You have always had filthy blood running through your veins, Avah."
Kain raised his voice, making sure the words hit as hard as possible. "Did you forget the bastard child you carried three years ago? You brought shame to your entire family."
"You never change," Kain sneered. "You'll hook up with a broke loser carrying a piece of baggage just to satisfy yourself."
The vile words hit their mark. Avah's face drained of all color. Her knuckles turned white as her hands gripped the bedsheets in a death grip.
The air around Atticus instantly dropped below freezing. A terrifying, murderous intent rolled off his broad shoulders.
He pushed Leo behind his leg and stepped forward, fully intending to give this arrogant fool a lesson he would never forget.
"Stop." Avah's voice cut through the tension. It was ice-cold and completely steady.
She looked at Atticus. "This is my trash. I will take out my own trash."
Avah took a deep breath. Gritting her teeth against the screaming pain in her ankle, she shifted all her weight onto her uninjured right leg. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the mattress for support, forcing herself to stand up. Despite her trembling left foot hovering just above the floor, her spine was completely straight.
She looked Kain dead in the eye. There was no trace of the weak, accommodating woman she used to be.
"You left me to burn in that room," Avah stated, her voice slicing through the air like a blade. "You ran to Jaclyn."
"Don't use my past to cover up the disgusting fact that you've been sleeping with my stepsister," she finished, hitting the bullseye.
Kain's face went from pale to green. His eyes darted around nervously. "You're crazy! You're making things up!" he yelled, his voice cracking.
Avah didn't give him another second to perform. She reached for her left hand and forcefully yanked the massive engagement ring off her finger.
She threw the million-dollar diamond ring violently at Kain. It struck him hard in the center of his chest.
The ring bounced off his suit and hit the floor with a sharp clink, rolling away into the dark corner of the room.
"The engagement is over, Kain," Avah announced, her voice loud enough to echo in the hallway.
Kain stared at the ring on the floor. His male ego had just been publicly crushed into the dirt.
He pointed a shaking finger at her. "Without me, who would want a stained woman like you?" he roared.
"Marrying you was a PR nightmare waiting to happen anyway," Kain spat, trying to salvage his pride.
"The Hopkins family will withdraw every single cent of funding from the Astraea Group immediately," he threatened.
Avah let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Even if Astraea goes bankrupt tomorrow, I will never be your disgusting puppet again."
Seeing that his ultimate threat had zero effect, Kain shot her one last venomous glare.
He aggressively smoothed down his wrinkled tie, desperately trying to reclaim some dignity.
"You will crawl back to me on your knees," Kain sneered, before turning and slamming the door so hard the walls shook.
The deafening sound of the door closing faded. Avah's rigid shoulders finally slumped.
She collapsed back onto the mattress, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. Her eyes were rimmed with red, but she stubbornly refused to let a single tear fall.
Atticus stood quietly, watching this woman. She was as fragile as shattered glass, yet as sharp as a knife. A strange, dark desire to conquer her flared to life in his chest.
