Liora POV
Corwin assured me he would come back. He pressed a brief kiss to my forehead, a gesture that should have calmed me, should have felt like a promise carved in stone, and then he turned to leave.
“Corwin… I’ll be waiting for you,” I said quietly, the words carrying a fragile hope I wasn’t ready to let go of yet.
He paused at the door and looked over his shoulder, a faint smile touching his lips. “I won’t break my word, Liora.”
When the door finally closed, I remained where I was, unmoving, my gaze drifting to the torn fragments of letters scattered across the floor. Some things, once broken, could never truly be repaired. No matter how carefully you tried to put them back together, the cracks would always remain.
Later that evening, when I stepped into the grand hall where the celebration was supposed to take place, my heart dropped painfully. The décor followed a theme I recognized immediately—soft colors, elegant arrangements, and details Calista had once casually mentioned she adored. The realization made anger simmer just beneath my skin.
Calista soon appeared, her steps light, her eyes shining with unmistakable satisfaction as she walked toward me. “Liora,” she greeted sweetly, her voice coated in false warmth. “Corwin asked me to oversee the decorations. Everyone worked so hard to make tonight perfect. I hope you approve.”
Something inside me snapped. I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to lash out, to tear away the smug expression she wore so effortlessly.
My eyes drifted to her ears, and that was when I noticed it—a familiar piece of jewelry dangling from her left ear. My earring. The one my mother had given me years ago. The one I had lost. Had Corwin… handed it to her?
Anger surged violently through me, but I forced a tight smile. “Reused decorations for a reused role,” I said coolly. “It suits you.”
Her pleasant façade cracked instantly. She glared at me, fury burning in her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she hissed. “Do you really think Corwin loves you? He keeps you around out of guilt. He’s already chosen me. You’re nothing more than something he hasn’t thrown away yet.”
Her laughter scraped against my nerves, but I refused to let her see me falter. Instead, I met her glare with a calm, deliberate smile.
“Then you’re welcome to him,” I replied evenly. “You’re right—someone like you belongs with someone like him. Congratulations. A liar and a homewrecker make a perfect pair.”
That struck deep. Her eyes flashed with rage, and before I could step back, she lunged at me, her hand raised to strike. I reacted on instinct, catching her wrist mid-air and gripping it firmly.
“You don’t get to touch me,” I warned, shoving her away. At the same moment, I sensed Corwin approaching from behind.
Calista staggered back, her eyes flicking toward him. Then, to my absolute horror, she grabbed a small fruit knife from the nearby table and plunged it into her own side—just as Corwin entered the hall.
My breath caught in my throat. I rushed forward instinctively, trying to stop her, but she collapsed to the floor, clutching her side, crying out in pain.
“Corwin!” she sobbed, her voice shaking.
He rushed toward us, fury blazing in his eyes. Before I could say a word, his hand struck my face hard. The sound echoed through the hall, and pain exploded across my cheek.
“How could you do this?” he shouted. “How could you hurt Calista?”
“Corwin, I didn’t—she did this to herself—”
“I don’t want to hear another excuse!” he snapped, disgust dripping from every word. “I saw you standing over her! How could you be so cruel? So jealous? After everything she’s done, this is how you repay her?”
He dropped to Calista’s side, cradling her as if she were made of glass. Watching him hold her like that felt like a knife twisting in my chest. Then he looked at me again, his expression cold and unforgiving.
“You will be punished for this,” he declared. “Ten strikes. That’s what you deserve for harming her.”
Security personnel stepped toward me. I straightened my back, refusing to beg, refusing to cry. My eyes burned, but I held myself together.
“I’ll go on my own,” I said quietly.
Out in the open courtyard, I knelt on the cold stone as the punishment was carried out. Each sharp crack tore through the night air, pain ripping through my body, but I stayed silent. I kept my eyes fixed on Corwin. He stood there with his arms crossed, watching without expression.
After the final strike, he stepped forward. His voice was distant, detached. “Let this serve as a warning. Touch Calista again, and I won’t show mercy. Your jealousy has destroyed whatever bond we had.”
I lifted my head, meeting his gaze. My voice shook, but my resolve did not. “For the last time, Corwin, I never hurt her. But now I understand—after ten years, you never trusted me at all.”
“Enough,” he snapped. “Calista begged me not to punish you more severely. You should be grateful.”
He turned away and left me there, kneeling for hours as people whispered around me—some with pity, others with judgment.
Under the glow of the moonlight, tears finally slipped down my cheeks.
“Please,” I whispered into the night, my voice breaking. “I walked away from him. Let our paths never cross again.”
