Stamped, But Not Real

Vincent pressed on. "At the reunion, you said we were just friends. You didn't blink when Maggie kissed me. You even told me to look after her... Serena, I'm your boyfriend. Why are you handing me off?"

She went quiet.

Right as she was about to say it—

A scream shot out from the bedroom.

Vincent's face snapped. He took off.

Maggie, barefoot, wobbled off the bed and collapsed into him.

"That creep came back for me. Vincent, I'm scared. Please don't leave me. Don't—"

He didn't let her finish. Just scooped her up, voice low and gentle.

"You're safe. I'm here. No one's gonna hurt you. I'm not going anywhere..."

Maggie melted into him, throwing a smug look over his shoulder—stone-cold sober now.

Serena scoffed in her head. 'So that's it, huh, Vincent? It was never me pushing you away. You've always picked her. EVERY. DAMN. TIME.'

He stayed with Maggie all night.

Serena? She couldn't care less.

***

Arya had wrapped early and was flying back in two days.

The news gave Serena a tiny spark of relief.

Next morning, mid-breakfast, she spotted Vincent's phone on the table.

After a beat, she headed to the master bedroom.

Before she could knock, Maggie swung the door open.

"Miss Saun, Vincent took care of me all night. He's still asleep. Maybe don't bother him right now."

She tugged her collar just enough to flash some faint red marks.

Serena didn't flinch. Just held out the phone. "Cool. Just make sure he gets this."

She turned to leave—but Maggie caught her arm.

"How thick can your skin be? Vincent never loved you. We didn't just take wedding pics—we already signed the papers. I'm his real wife now. So how about you leave our house?"

A sound came from inside the room.

Maggie's face flipped in a second. Gone was the smug, replaced with full-on panic.

"Miss Saun, I'll move out. Please don't be mad..."

Then—bam.

Her back hit the door, and she crumpled to the floor.

A second later, Vincent burst out. The second he saw Maggie on the floor, his face twisted with anger.

"Serena Sauna, what the hell is this?! You told me to look after her. I thought you were being mature, and now you're pulling this PETTY CRAP?"

Serena's face went cold. "I didn't touch her. Didn't lay a hand on her. Check the security cam if you're so sure."

Maggie's eyes flicked nervously. "Vincent, don't blame Miss Saun... I just slipped..."

But with her soft voice and that broken look, she played the victim like a pro.

Vincent's expression melted. He scooped her up, gentle as ever.

"Stop. You don't have to cover for her. Serena, you're my girlfriend, but if you ever lay a hand on Maggie again... don't blame me for what comes next."

And just like that, he carried her off.

Serena took a deep breath, stuffing the fury back down.

Didn't matter what she said. Vincent was never gonna believe her.

So why even bother?

She pulled it together and spent the day out, surrounded by friends who actually gave a damn.

***

By evening, she grabbed a cab home.

As she reached into her bag for the keys, something shifted in the corner of her eye.

Her whole body tensed.

She spun to run—

Too late.

Someone yanked her hair and dragged her back.

A knife pressed against her neck.

Serena froze, heart slamming, brain scrambling to stay calm.

"I've got cash in my bag. Take it. Just—don't hurt me..."

The man didn't answer.

He just grabbed her phone and started a video call.