Chapter 3

After examining me, the doctors ordered me to remain on bed rest.

But I soon found out why Alexander had suddenly lost his temper.

After the baby's death, Vito was devastated. He immediately ordered Isabella to be expelled from the Moretti family's inner circle.

Isabella, however, was convinced that I was behind the decision and had deliberately retaliated against her.

She ran to Alexander in tears, blaming me for everything.

And without a second thought, he had slapped me across the face.

That wasn't all. He also stripped me of my position at the family headquarters and handed my former office to Isabella.

To make her happy, he even spent a fortune at a private auction, purchasing thirty exquisite blue sapphires.

Not long afterward, Isabella showed off her new necklace during an interview.

At its center sat an exceptionally rare diamond.

She lifted her chin and gave the camera a sweet smile.

"I've never considered myself the other woman who destroyed someone else's marriage."

"A marriage without love was never going to last anyway. And those so-called wedding vows? They're nothing but chains holding two people together."

She paused deliberately before continuing.

"Besides, the current Mrs. Moretti only approached Alexander in the first place because she wanted the position and power that came with being the lady of the family."

"I'm different. I love Alexander simply because he's Alexander."

The interview went viral almost immediately.

Isabella's obsessive social media followers flooded my account with vicious insults. Some even publicly demanded that I surrender my position as Mrs. Moretti.

Reading their comments, I couldn't help finding the whole thing ridiculous.

After all these years, Alexander hadn't changed his ways of charming women one bit.

He'd treated me the same way once.

When he learned that I'd grown up poor and had never enjoyed a proper family vacation, he arranged an entire month-long trip around the world for us.

From the seaside adventures I'd dreamed of as a child, to the mountain climbing I'd always wanted to try as a teenager, and finally, the Northern Lights I'd longed to see as an adult.

He promised to take me to all the places I should have experienced with my family.

I still remembered how he held my hand aboard a yacht as the sun set over the Aegean Sea.

"Elena, I lost my parents when I was very young."

"I know what it feels like to lose your family. That's why I'll treat your mother as my own."

"One day, we'll build a happy family together. I'll take care of both of you, and we'll travel to even more beautiful places."

Back then, I was completely lost in his tenderness.

I thought I'd finally found a man I could trust with the rest of my life.

But once the novelty wore off, he quickly grew tired of me.

I'd once obtained an extraordinarily precious healing gemstone.

The doctors told me it was my mother's last hope of recovering.

With that gemstone, there might still have been a chance to restore her damaged body.

But Alexander took it from me without hesitation and handed it straight to his mistress.

And Isabella had no need for the gemstone at all.

I later learned that she'd even given it to her pet dog.

My mother lost her final chance at recovery because of it. She could only lie in bed day after day, until she eventually died protecting me from the rival syndicate's attack.

I should have understood long ago.

Alexander was selfish, fickle, and heartless.

His so-called devotion was nothing more than an empty promise he made whenever he happened to feel like it.

Thinking about it, I opened Isabella's interview video and left a comment beneath it.

"I wish you both happiness. May you grow old together and have children soon."

Not long after I posted it, Isabella deleted the video.

Immediately afterward, Alexander called me.

I didn't answer.

Instead, I did exactly what he'd once done to me. I calmly blocked his number.

Then I suddenly remembered that today was the day of my mother's cremation.

I explained the situation to my doctor and insisted on arranging an early discharge.

My attending physician was deeply concerned, but he couldn't change my mind. In the end, he offered to accompany me to the funeral home.

When the staff handed me my mother's urn, I didn't collapse into tears as I'd imagined I would.

I simply felt as though the chains that had bound me for so many years had finally broken.

Holding the urn, I let out a quiet sigh.

Then I thanked the doctor and returned to the Moretti estate alone to pack my belongings.

But the moment I walked into the living room, I saw Alexander and Isabella sitting together on the sofa.

Isabella hurriedly pulled up her dress zipper, trying to conceal the marks on her body.

But the red love bites scattered across her neck and collarbone made it obvious what they'd just been doing.

I didn't stop or question them.

I simply walked past them as though I hadn't seen a thing and headed straight to the bedroom.

By the time I finished packing and came back out, Isabella had already left.

Alexander was the only one remaining in the living room, drinking alone.

He raised his head, the dim lighting casting shadows across his face.

"Elena, where did you go today?"

"That's none of your business."

I had no intention of arguing with him, so I turned to leave.

But Alexander suddenly smashed his glass against the floor.

Glass shards scattered in every direction.

He strode toward me, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Stop pretending you're some innocent, virtuous woman in front of me!"

"Do you really think I don't know which man you went to see today?"

"Elena, are you deliberately looking for another man to make me jealous because I've been ignoring you lately?"

He grabbed my wrist.

"If you're so desperate for a man, I'll give you exactly what you want!"

With that, he roughly grabbed my clothes and dragged me toward the bedroom.

His sudden behavior shocked me, and I immediately struggled to break free.

"Alexander, have you lost your mind?"

"Our baby..."

But he'd already lost control and wasn't listening.

He sank his teeth into my shoulder, as though he wanted to unleash all his anger on me.

I used every ounce of strength I had to shove him away and slapped him hard across the face.

Alexander exploded with rage.

No longer caring about my physical condition, he forcibly pinned me to the floor.

I'd only just survived a brutal attack and lost my baby. I was so weak that I could barely stand.

The moment my forehead struck a piece of furniture, something warm trickled down my cheek.

It was blood.

Alexander finally stopped moving.

He stared at the blood running from my forehead, and for a brief moment, his expression became dazed.

He instinctively reached out, as though he wanted to catch me.

"When did you become so fragile?"

I staggered backward, trying to say something.

But the room had already begun spinning around me.

The next second, everything went black.