The sound of Kadyn's frantic footsteps faded down the hallway as he carried Dolly toward the VIP lounge. To Dorene, every step he took sounded like the crushing of her youth, her loyalty, and the seven years she had wasted on him.
The whispers in the ballroom grew louder, buzzing like a swarm of angry wasps. The judging stares felt like physical slaps across Dorene's face. A few socialites who had always envied her status intentionally raised their voices.
"Can't handle losing, so she resorts to murder. How pathetic."
Vivian spun around like a rabid lioness. She pointed a manicured finger at the group of whispering women. "Say one more word, and I will personally rip your fake lips off your faces!" she snarled. The women flinched and immediately looked away.
Dorene stood perfectly still in the center of the mess. Her eyes were glued to the heavy oak doors of the VIP lounge. Kadyn's bloodshot, murderous glare played on a loop in her mind.
Suddenly, a soft, dry laugh escaped her lips.
The sound was incredibly out of place in the tense room. It was hollow, broken, and carried a chilling sense of desolation.
Vivian turned back, panic flashing in her eyes. She grabbed Dorene's freezing hands. "Dorene? Hey, look at me." She tried to pull her friend out of whatever dark place her mind was sinking into.
Dorene squeezed Vivian's hands back with terrifying force. She took a deep, jagged breath, forcing the burning tears back down her throat. She refused to cry here.
She pulled her hands free, ignored the hundreds of eyes burning into her back, and walked straight to the bar. She picked up the crystal glass of whiskey she had abandoned earlier.
In front of the entire stunned crowd, Dorene raised the glass high in the air, pointing it directly toward the closed doors of the VIP lounge. It wasn't a toast. It was a funeral rite for a rotting corpse.
She tilted her head back and downed the rest of the burning liquor. The fire seared her throat, burning away the last pathetic, lingering trace of weakness she held for Kadyn Paul.
Ten minutes later, the oak doors swung open. A private doctor carrying a medical bag rushed into the lounge. The tension in the ballroom spiked again.
Shortly after, Kadyn walked out of the lounge alone. His tuxedo shirt was wrinkled. His face was a mask of dark, stormy fury. He marched straight toward Dorene.
Vivian immediately stepped in front of Dorene, acting as a human shield. She glared at Kadyn, her eyes daring him to take one more step.
Kadyn stopped two feet away. He looked at Vivian with cold exhaustion. "Move, Vivian. This is between me and her."
Dorene reached out and gently pushed Vivian's shoulder aside. She stepped out from behind her friend and looked Kadyn dead in the eye. The pain, the pleading, and the love that used to live in her gaze were completely gone. Only a dead, icy calm remained.
Kadyn felt a strange, uncomfortable prickle at the back of his neck when he saw her eyes, but his anger quickly swallowed it.
"The doctor said she's experiencing severe cramping," Kadyn stated, his voice heavy with judgment. "If I hadn't caught her in time, she would have lost the baby."
Dorene listened to his verdict. The corner of her mouth curled into a sharp, mocking sneer. "And? Are you going to call the cops and have me arrested?"
Her absolute lack of remorse pushed Kadyn over the edge. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a vicious growl. "When did you become such a cold-blooded monster? You tried to kill an unborn child!"
Dorene didn't yell back. She just stared at him like he was a clown performing a terrible trick. "Kadyn," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "You didn't even take one second to ask yourself if I actually pushed her."
Kadyn blinked, caught off guard for a fraction of a second. But he quickly waved his hand in disgust. "I trust what I saw. Dolly is too kind to ever use her own child as a weapon."
That sentence was the final nail in the coffin. Dorene finally understood. In Kadyn's mind, Dolly was the eternal victim, and Dorene was the designated villain. There was no fighting that level of blindness.
Dorene nodded slowly. Her eyes went completely blank. She took a deliberate half-step backward, putting physical distance between them, cutting him out of her space.
"You're right," Dorene said, her voice slow and crystal clear. "I am a vicious monster. So from this second forward, take your kind, pure fiancée, and get the hell out of my sight."
Kadyn froze. He hadn't expected her to sever the tie so brutally. A sudden, uncontrollable wave of panic gripped his chest, a feeling that he was losing something massive.
Before he could process the feeling, the lounge doors opened again.
Dolly stumbled out, leaning heavily on a maid. Her face was powdered white. "Kadyn..." she called out, her voice weak and trembling.
The second Kadyn heard her voice, the hesitation in his eyes vanished. He spun around and practically ran back to Dolly, wrapping his arms around her fragile shoulders.
Dorene stood in place, watching his back as he walked away without a single moment of hesitation. She watched him bend his spine to comfort another woman. The last seven years of her life felt like a disgusting, elaborate joke.
Dolly rested her head on Kadyn's chest. She looked over his shoulder, locking eyes with Dorene one last time. She shot Dorene a look of absolute, arrogant victory, claiming her prize.
Dorene didn't look away. She stared back with eyes made of ice. Every ounce of love she ever had for Kadyn died in that exact moment. All that was left was a freezing, brutal clarity.
