Rejected and Abandoned, Until the Right Man Found Me

"Mathias, is it because Miss Hale thinks I stole you from her that she wants to destroy me?"

"But the only person I love is you."

"If another man dares to touch me, I’d rather die!"

Before the weight of her words could settle, she snatched the knife from the floor, its sharp edge glinting under the dim light as she aimed it at her own heart.

A sharp clang echoed through the room as Mathias knocked it from her grasp.

The blade clattered to the ground, forgotten, while Nathalia collapsed into a fit of sobs, her frail frame trembling violently.

My pulse pounded in my ears as Mathias turned to me, hesitation flickering in his eyes. I could see it, his faith in me hanging by a fragile thread, ready to snap at the slightest pull.

I opened my mouth, desperate to defend myself. But before I could utter a single word, the sound of a door swinging open shattered the tension.

A middle-aged man, pot-bellied and balding, stepped out in nothing but a bathrobe, rubbing his damp scalp with a towel. His voice rang out with casual familiarity.

"Nathalia, baby, I’m done with my bath. Why aren’t you coming in yet?" His gaze lifted, and the moment he spotted Mathias, his expression shifted from lazy amusement to frozen panic.

"President Mathias? What are you doing here?"

Something inside me twisted violently as I turned to Mathias, searching his face, praying for reason, for trust. But what I saw made my stomach drop.

The uncertainty in his gaze vanished, replaced by sheer disappointment laced with something far worse. Disgust.

His voice was like a blade slicing through me.

"Irene, I really misjudged you."

"I never thought you’d be this vicious… this shameless."

"I didn’t! I swear, I didn’t!"

Never had I wished more desperately for him to believe me.

"I’ve already decided to leave you. I won’t stand in the way of you and Nathalia anymore. Why would I even do something like this?"

The words seemed to ignite something within Mathias. His expression twisted sharply as though I had wounded him with my simple truth.

"Irene, do you have any idea what you're saying?" His voice was thick with disbelief, the anger barely contained beneath his words.

Before I could speak, Liam, who had been silent up to this point, broke his silence with irritation, sharpening his tone.

"President Rocco, my business might not rival yours, but integrity is everything to me. You promised me a woman for my enjoyment. Now, what is this circus? Do you really think you can play me for a fool?"

Mathias no longer even glanced my way, but his words were a dagger to the heart.

"I always keep my word."

And then, the chilling command left his lips.

"Since Liam wants a woman to entertain him, I’ll give him Irene."

Liam's eyes widened as if even he couldn’t fathom the cruel turn of events.

Even though the engagement banquet had never taken place, I had spent ten years by Mathias’s side, believing in us. And yet, he was willing to cast me aside so easily?

Nestled in Mathias’s embrace, Nathalia flashed me a look of triumph, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

She knew all too well the kind of man Liam was behind closed doors. His reputation for destroying young women had spread like wildfire through their circles, whispered from one ruin to the next.

A sharp pain slashed through my mind, a bolt of understanding hitting me hard. Now, I understood what Nathalia had meant when she vowed to utterly destroy me.

But at that moment, there was no time for self-pity or to dwell on the devastation.

Struggling to push myself off the floor, the searing agony from my lower back burned with such intensity that my body refused to straighten.

I could only crawl toward Mathias, dragging myself on the floor like a dog, utterly broken.

"Mathias, I swear, I’ll never stand in your way again."

"I’ll leave, far away. You’ll never have to see me again."

"Please, don’t do this to me."

But the more I begged, the more the rage in his eyes flared, as though he wanted to tear me apart with his bare hands.

"Good, very good! Irene, you truly are something else!"

With a snarl, he turned back to Liam, his voice dripping with venom.

"I already agreed to give her to you. What’s the problem? Isn’t Liam going to enjoy himself?"

Liam’s grin stretched wide as he stepped forward, eager to claim what he’d been promised. He reached out, hands eager to pull me toward the bed.

I fought with everything I had, but in that moment, the crushing weight of despair set in. The only person who could help me was Mathias, but he simply cradled Nathalia in his arms, turning away from me without a second glance.

"Mathias, I hate you!"