Chapter Four
Maren's POV
A tall figure charges toward us.
As he rushes past me, he slams his shoulder into mine.
Caught off guard, I stumble backward and crash hard into the glass display case beside me.
Pain shoots through my back, and I suck in a sharp breath.
I turn and see Rhett.
He is kneeling on one knee and pulling Kendall into his arms, his face tight with panic.
“Kenz, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Kendall’s death in our previous life clearly haunted him for years.
In this life, she matters more to him than his own life.
“Rhett, it hurts…”
Kendall leans against his chest, tears streaming down her face. “Please don’t blame Maren. She didn’t mean to push me. I just lost my balance…”
Rhett’s face twists with rage.
He turns and glares at me as if he wants to tear me apart.
“Maren, how can you still be this cruel?”
He shouts through clenched teeth.
“Drugging me wasn’t enough, so now you’re taking your anger out on Kenz? Is there any line you won’t cross?”
“I’m warning you. If you ever lay a hand on Kenz again, I’ll make you pay. I’ll take down your entire family with you!”
The other customers begin to gather around, whispering and pointing at me.
I stand there and look at the man I once loved with everything I had.
He condemns me without even asking what happened and humiliates me in front of everyone, all for another woman.
My heart is already dead.
When you’ve truly let someone go, even explaining yourself feels like a waste of breath.
“Believe whatever you want.”
I give him a mocking smile.
“Rhett, take your precious sister and stay the hell away from me.”
Ignoring the shock in his eyes, I walk out of the boutique without looking back.
Rhett seems about to say something, but Kendall’s cry of pain stops him.
“Rhett, my arm hurts…”
“Don’t worry, Kenz. I’m taking you to the hospital right now.”
…
Three days later, it’s time for me to leave.
It’s also the day the media claims Rhett and Kendall will have the wedding of the century.
For the past few days, everyone in high society has been saying Rhett booked out Manhattan’s most luxurious hotel to go public with Kendall and propose to her.
Everyone is waiting to laugh at me, but I don’t care.
At seven in the morning, I stand outside my home with one simple suitcase.
My father’s eyes are red as he holds my hand tightly.
“Sweetheart, call me as soon as you arrive. If anything goes wrong or anyone treats you badly, tell me. The Prescott family will always be here for you.”
I hug my father and hold back my tears.
“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll take care of myself. You need to take care of yourself too.”
I release his hand, turn, and get into the car waiting to take me to the airport.
As the scenery slips past the window, I take out my phone.
I block Rhett’s number and delete it, then block him on every social media account I have.
Goodbye, Rhett.
This time, it’s forever.
…
In the CEO’s office at Sterling Group, Rhett yanks at his tie and slams the documents in his hand onto the desk.
According to the tabloids, today is supposed to be his wedding day with Kendall.
He hasn’t denied the rumors because he wants to use them to provoke me.
He expects me to see the stories and come running to him in tears, begging him not to marry someone else, just as I used to.
But I don’t.
As far as Rhett is concerned, I’ve vanished without a trace for three whole days.
He can barely sleep.
“Damn it!”
Rhett jumps to his feet, grabs his car keys, and rushes out of the office.
He speeds all the way back to Greenwich and stops outside the Prescott estate. Then he gets out, walks to the front door, and rings the bell.
My father answers.
The moment he sees Rhett outside, his expression darkens.
“What are you doing here?”
Rhett pauses. He is used to my father treating him with courtesy.
“Mr. Prescott, where’s Maren? Tell her to come out. I need to see her.”
He struggles to hold back his frustration.
My father gives a cold laugh.
“You have a short memory, Mr. Sterling. Aren’t you supposed to be marrying Kendall today? Why aren’t you at your wedding instead of standing here asking for my daughter?”
Rhett’s heart sinks.
“What wedding? The tabloids made the whole thing up! I was never going to marry her!”
He looks past my father, searching the living room for me.
“Where’s Maren? Is she still angry with me? Tell her to come out. I need to talk to her.”
My father watches his growing panic with open contempt.
“Stop looking. Maren is gone.”
Rhett’s mind goes blank.
“Gone? Where did she go?”
“She left the country.” My father looks at him coldly. “Her flight took off at ten this morning. By now, she’s already left the United States.”
“That’s impossible!”
Rhett raises his voice, his eyes turning red.
“She loves me. How could she possibly leave me? She’s only doing this because she’s angry!”
“Rhett.”
My father cuts him off.
“Maren asked me to give you a message.”
“She said she wishes she had never met you. So stay the hell out of her life for good.”
