Rejected and Abandoned, Until the Right Man Found Me

"Enough!"

Mathias struggled to rein in his fury, but the slight tremor in his voice betrayed him. "After what you did to me back then, do you really think a few words can erase it?"

"It’s not that easy!"

As the sharpness in his voice faded, his gaze finally landed on me, lingering for only a second before he strode forward and grasped my hand.

"I already have a girlfriend," he said coldly. "Please don’t say things that might cause misunderstandings for Irene, Miss Cavendish."

At his words, Nathalia’s eyes turned even redder, resembling a camellia battered by the wind and rain.

"In that case… I’ll never appear in front of you again!"

Tears welled up as she turned and ran.

But barely a few steps in, she faltered, her heel catching on the stair’s edge. Her body pitched forward, and a sharp gasp left her lips.

Before I could react, Mathias ripped his hand from mine and rushed forward, his movements swift, almost desperate.

He caught her firmly in his arms.

The fury that had burned in his eyes moments ago had vanished, replaced by sheer panic.

"Nathalia, are you okay?" His voice had softened, lined with worry.

"I’ll take you to the hospital right now!"

Without hesitation, he swept her up into his arms and strode toward the car.

He didn’t look back.

I stood frozen at the entrance of the auction house, the sting of his abandonment settling deeper than the cold night air.

The force with which he had thrown me off wasn’t light. Pain pulsed through my wrist, and when I glanced down, fresh blood seeped through the bandages.

Leaning against the wall, I bit down hard, forcing back the pain, forcing back everything.

Only when the sharp sting dulled to a throbbing ache, did I manage to stand upright again, my breaths shallow and uneven.

I called Mathias. Once. Twice. A dozen times.

No answer.

The auction house, built halfway up the mountain for privacy, was as deserted as my calls. Not a single taxi in sight.

With no other choice, I forced myself to walk, step by agonizing step, down the uneven path.

My fifteen-centimeter heels wobbled against the jagged stone, and my floor-length gown dragged like a dead weight over the rough ground.

The night wind howled through the trees, carrying a fine drizzle that seeped into my skin, chilling me to the bone.

A single misstep. That was all it took.

My heel landed on a loose rock.

The world lurched.

Before I could catch myself, gravity pulled me forward. My breath hitched, panic spiking in my chest.

Then, impact.

I crashed against a large tree, the force sending pain ricocheting through my spine. A deep bruise bloomed across my lower back, but worse than that, my ankle twisted at an unnatural angle.

A sharp cry tore from my lips.

The freezing night pressed in from all sides. My trembling hands clutched the bark for support, but the pain only deepened, sinking its claws into my bones.

I had no choice.

With shaking fingers, I removed my heels and took a step forward.

Agony.

Each step on the gravel was like walking on shattered glass, every sharp stone a blade cutting into my bare skin.

The farther I went, the more unbearable it became. Finally, a sob broke free. And once it did, I couldn’t stop.

By the time I reached the bottom of the mountain, my face was streaked with tears; my makeup was smudged beyond recognition.

Even the taxi driver hesitated before unlocking the door, his wary gaze flickering over me as if he had seen a ghost in the dead of night.

And still, Mathias hadn’t returned a single call. I barely remembered the ride home.

One moment, I was in the taxi. The next, I was sinking into the couch. My body finally gave out, and I collapsed, drained of every last shred of strength.

Then came the darkness. And in that darkness, I dreamed.

Roaring flames devoured everything, searing heat, suffocating smoke, my parents’ agonized screams cutting through the chaos. The fire swallowed them whole, turning everything to ash.

Amidst the destruction, only one thing remained.

Mathias. His hand reached through the blaze, pulling me away from the inferno. From that moment on, he was all I had left in this world.

When I woke, I was no longer on the couch.

Mathias had carried me to the bed, his touch gentle yet laced with guilt. He tucked me in with quiet care, his fingers brushing against my sweat-dampened skin as he fed me medicine, his every movement heavy with unspoken remorse.

"Irene, I’m sorry. My phone died, so I never got your calls."

"Please don’t be mad at me, okay?"

He must have stayed up all night taking care of me.

The same dress shirt from the auction clung to him, slightly wrinkled, and a faint shadow of stubble darkened his jaw.

Fever-induced aches pulsed through my body, leaving my mind briefly clouded.

The Mathias who had walked away so easily last night blurred into the man standing before me now, one who gazed at me as if I were his entire world.

And yet, they felt like two completely different people.