The intense pain she felt as she hit the ground hard was nothing compared to the heartache from Dante's betrayal.

She had twisted her ankle from the way Dante threw her out. Her hands clutched the wall as she managed to stand. She staggered forward, her breath coming out in broken sobs.

Each step she took felt like torture. Her ankle screamed with pain, and yet her heart bled louder. Tears blurred her vision, dripping down her cheeks as she dragged herself away.

With shaky steps, she hurried to her room, her slippers scuffing against the polished floor.

It was the middle of the night, but she no longer wanted to stay. The home meant to be a safe haven started to suffocate her.

She packed very few of her things into a bag and made her way out of the villa. Although she wasn't sure where she was going, she knew she couldn't stay.

One wrong step, she stumbled hard and fell against the bannister. Pain shot through her ankle as she let out a loud gasp.

The sound echoed through the quiet night, sharp enough to draw the attention of the security stationed by the entrance.

"Mrs Moretti!" the head security called out, boots pounding as he rushed toward her. His eyes widened with alarm while he bent to help her upright.

Her vision blurred as he tried to steady her. She waved him off weakly, her pride fighting against the shame of collapsing under their watchful gaze.

"I'm fine," she whispered quietly, though her ankle throbbed and her breath came unevenly.

But the look in his eyes said otherwise. He knew she wasn't fine. He saw the way she stumbled, the way her strength seemed to drain from her with each step.

"Let's get you to the hospital ma'am," he said, almost running off to get one of the cars parked at the garage.

"No, I said I'm fine!" Heira snapped.

She continued limping towards the entrance and was accompanied by the security's gaze. "Ma'am, may I know where you are going at this time of the night?" He questioned curiously.

"Where I'm going is none of your business. Open the gate and let me out," she snarled.

"Alright ma'am, but it isn't safe for you to be out at this late hour. Please go in and you can leave in the morning."

"Will you open it, or I will have to do that myself?"

The security was stunned by her sudden outburst. He knew Heira to be a calm and cheerful woman on regular days. She always smiled and talked to the staff in polite tones.

However, the woman in front of him was no longer the same person she used to be. He could feel the sharpness in her words and the unyielding glare in her eyes that carried all the force of command, but he still wasn't convinced to allow a woman out by herself in that hour of the night, let alone his boss's wife.

She made every attempt to leave but he wouldn't let her. When he saw that she wasn't going to give in, he called Dante to make him aware of the situation at hand.

"I don't care what she does, she's grown and can make her own choices. Just don't call me about it again," he said dismissively.

The security's face grew in disbelief. How can a man be so heartless to his own wife? For a second, he stood there, shocked by what he just heard.

Heira's heart shattered even more. This only made her realize he never liked nor cared about her, making her suspect he had been with the other woman before he married her.

If he had someone he loved, why did he decide to marry her then?

Perhaps he only did so to punish her because to him, she's just a possession or he and her Dad had both connived to make her life a living nightmare.

Heira felt her life mirrored the old tale of Beauty and the Beast. Even though Beauty had given herself up to protect her father, just as Heira had been handed over to Dante to protect her father's company. Beauty had uncovered gentleness beneath the harshness and cruelty of the beast, and their love had bloomed.

Unlike the fairytale, Dante is making it harder for her to see anything good in him. With him, it looks like there's no compassion. His flawless public facade completely masking his true identity.

"Can you let me out now? You've gotten the confirmation you so desperately needed," she said coldly as she wiped the tears that profusely ran down her cheeks.

The security opened the gate without much hesitation, and he watched her limp out into the night. He felt really sorry for her but there was nothing else he could do as he is bound by his duties.

Heira stood outside the gate, oblivious to where she was going. All she knew was that the last place she would go in the world was her father's house.

The night was pitch dark, and she wouldn't want to disturb Bethy by calling her to come get her, seeing that she's a woman herself and might experience difficulties driving out alone.

Also, Bethy is prone to worrying and the last thing Heira needed right now was to be flooded with questions she didn't have the strength to answer, so the only person she could call was Sebastian.

She rang a few times but he wouldn't pick up. Disappointed, she began making her way out of the dimly lit streets so she could get a cab.

Her legs felt weaker by the second with the throbbing pain in her ankle. Her vision started to blur, her steps faltered, and just when her strength started to fail her, her phone vibrated.

She snatched it up, her voice barely steady. "Please... come pick me up. I'm on my street," she whispered, the desperation clear in her tone.

"Alright, stay right where you are. I'm coming."

Minutes later, his headlights shone across the lonely road, and a sense of relief came upon her.

Sebastian jumped out as soon as he saw her, rushing to her side. He was shocked to see her lying weakly by the roadside.

His eyes dropped to her swollen ankle, his expression showing concern. "You need to go to the hospital."

Heira shook her head weakly. "It's fine, I'll be..."

"No, Heira," he cut her off.

"Look at your foot. You can barely stand."

She didn't fight or argue with him, instead she let herself lean against him, the weight of her exhaustion pressing into his steady frame, and then a total darkness followed.

***

Heira's eyes lifted heavily, white walls in sight and muted beeping. Her throat felt dry, her body weak. She shifted slightly, only to realize there was a sting in her hand.

Blinking harder, her gaze settled on the clear drip line taped to her skin, a slow stream of fluid flowing into her veins.

Beside her bed, James Arthur was checking the IV bag hanging from a pole. "Glad to see you've regained consciousness, that shows you're getting better."

Heira slightly lifted her head to look at her foot which was already dressed and covered in bandages.

"That has been taken care of, you do not need to worry. What you have to worry about is this," he said grimly while handing a test result to her.

"We've run some tests and we found out that your arrhythmia has gotten worse. The irregular heartbeat you've had for a while is more unstable now."

He paused, letting the words sink in before continuing.

"You've been advised to avoid being stressed. Stress and exhaustion put more strain on your heart. That's likely why you collapsed, and if you keep pushing yourself the way you have been, the risks will grow."

Heira gripped the sheets of the bed tightly with her slender fingers. Her petite face, pale and solemn. "I'm sorry Doc.... I've just been under a lot of emotional stress lately. What must I do now?"

"From now on, you'll need close monitoring, medication, and the most important thing which is rest. You have been placed on admission, so you could get them all."

Heira bit her lips while forcing out, "Thank you."

"I heard you're married. Your husband should have..."

"Please Doc, I just want to get that rest you talked about," she said, unwilling to talk about her marriage.

"So, where do you know that she has gone to?"

Dante was seen pacing the length of his office, one arm folded tightly across his chest whilst the other held his chin.

"You shouldn't have let her leave the house at that time of the night, what if something had happened to her?" Rowan continued, refusing to let him off the hook.

"I know" Dante shouted as if trying to catch a break from the blames Rowan had been throwing at him.

"I just... I didn't know she was serious about leaving. I expected that she would have returned home by now."

"Can you hear yourself? How could you not know she was seriously going to leave? Your security informed you about her leaving but you still gave no word. Now you are here pacing forth and back, why even bother like you care?"

Dante held a stern gaze at Rowan. His words came out in anger. He became aggravated, almost throwing a punch at him.

"What! Are you implying that I shouldn't care about my wife's whereabouts?"

Rowan saw the way his face burned with rage. He became frightened and confused because he had never seen him this worried before.

"No, all I'm saying is I don't get the reason why you are so worked up when you initially married this woman just to cause her pain." He held both his hands up in a way that gestures don't come for me as he tried to justify himself.

Dante sighed heavily. His mind in total chaos. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He had sworn to break her, to make her pay. Yet now, nothing felt certain anymore.

Also, he is obliged to keep her safe as his legal wife. Him not having an idea about where she might be poses a shame to him.

"I should be worried. It's been 48 hours since she left. What am I going to say when people start raising questions? Mrs. Collins hasn't stopped asking of her and all I could say to her was that she traveled for work and would be back soon because I didn't know she would be gone for this long."

"She left so abruptly, the staff are beginning to make side-talks about what happened that night. If this gets out of hand and the media gets hold of it, you know the effect it would have on the companies."

"I see why you are worried now," Rowan said, a smile tugging the corner of his lips. "For a moment I thought you had fallen head over heels for her. Only a man in love would react the way you did."

"Love? No! I want that woman to suffer. I will make her pay for all that her despicable father has caused my family. What's the fun in that if I don't get her to stay close to me? That's why I married her, and now I have no idea where she is." Dante ran his hands through his hair, brushing it back in utmost frustration.

"That man stole ten years of my life. He took away my joy and happiness. When I finally decided I won't be a slave to it anymore, I made the choice to marry his daughter on exactly the tenth year the incident happened." His words came out in complete rage.

Dante's phone vibrated softly on the desk. He reached for it, but the screen lit up before he could flip it over.

[Hey love, I'll be at yours tonight]

Rowan caught a glimpse of the notification. His brows shot up. "Isn't that Sylvia? Why is she coming over to your place again?"

Dante hesitated, his thumb hovering over the screen. "She's been... staying over since she got back from her trip."

Rowan leaned forward, his tone calm but firm. "You can't keep doing this, man. Not in your matrimonial home. If you must see her, get her an apartment somewhere else. This..." he gestured toward Dante's phone, "...this isn't right."

Dante's gaze met the man who looked rather annoyed. Rowan had always been the one to speak sense when everyone else kept quiet. Asides handling his contracts as his legal advisor, he has also been the most reliable friend he ever had.

Dante exhaled, pressing a hand to the bridge of his nose. "You know how Sylvia is," he muttered. "Stubborn as hell. She's never accepted my marriage to Heira. I tried to make her understand, but she wouldn't listen."

Rowan sighed while leaning back in his chair. "Then you need to set boundaries before she crosses them again."

Before Dante could respond, his phone buzzed again with another message from Sylvia. He didn't open it. Instead, his thoughts drifted to his grandmother's words from the call earlier that morning, her gentle excitement as she mentioned she'd be coming over for a visit.

That has been the main reason putting him on edge. Granny Mae adores Heira. Even though she hasn't gotten to meet her, she speaks of her every time. "She's going to be a lovely girl, I know that for sure."

He knew the main purpose of her visit was to finally meet the woman he married. After all, she had been on his case for years, reminding him he wasn't getting any younger.

He could already picture her face if she opened the front door and found Sylvia in his house instead of the wife she'd been waiting to meet. He knew how much it would shatter her heart.

He cherishes his granny so much and wouldn't let that happen. Granny Mae had been the only family left for him, which explains why she has a special spot in his heart.

Without thinking, he grabbed his keys from the desk. "I need to find her," he mumbled, more to himself than to anyone in the room.

He hurried towards the door, his foot faltering halfway there. A new panic rose in him. If he didn't know where Heira was, how could he ask her father without revealing that he had lost track of his own wife?

He then realised that he didn't know anyone else related to her. Finding her was definitely not going to be easy. "What do I do now?" he thought to himself.

Dante turned to his friend who had been quietly watching him mumble from across the office, "I need you to help me find out where she is or who she's with."

"Okay, I'll get to it," Rowan replied without hesitation. He's best at digging out information, and he never seems bothered by the weight of the task.

Dante watched as Rowan left the office, knowing he could always count on him. Deep inside, he hoped Heira was safe. He hated to admit that he cared but he could feel it. Most importantly, he was scared of the trouble it would cause him when things spiralled out of control.

"You'll have a follow-up appointment next week. And ensure you get plenty of rest for the next few days as emotional strain can trigger another episode." James Arthur handed her a small envelope containing her prescription.

Heira nodded faintly as she sat quietly on the hospital bed, her gaze fixed on the sunlight streaming through the blinds, drawing faint lines across the sterile floor.

The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor had become oddly comforting, steady but predictable, unlike the chaos that had landed her here.

It had been three days since she was admitted. Three long days of monitor beeping, nurses checking vitals, and footsteps fading into corridors.

Sebastian had been her only visitor. He showed up quietly each morning, sometimes bringing flowers. Bethy wasn't in town, but she never failed to FaceTime her daily. Her face glowed with worry through the screen, "I wish I were there to take care of my baby," her voice soft and heavy with guilt. "But I'm sure you understand why I can't come."

Bethy was on a business trip, and Heira had told her not to worry as she is properly taken care of. She didn't want her friend to feel worse than she already did.

She had received a lot of care from the doctor and nurses, and Sebastian had also been helpful.

A soft knock broke through her thoughts, followed by the creak of the door.

Sebastian stepped in, his familiar scent preceding him.

"You're ready to leave?" he asked, his voice low, as if afraid it might break the quietness in the ward. He must have gotten the text about her discharge.

Dr. Arthur had confirmed earlier that morning that her ECG results looked much better. The arrhythmia had settled, her heartbeat returning to its normal rhythm.

"Yes," she mumbled with a soft smile, forcing some light into her tone.

She began to pack her things into the same bag she had left home with when the nurse arrived with her discharge papers. She managed to sign where needed and made her way out, accompanied by Sebastian.

The world outside the building looked bright, but her heart still felt clouded with uncertainty. Still hurt by the betrayal, she decided she wasn't going back to the villa.

And though she knew Sebastian wouldn't mind if she stayed with him, she couldn't bring herself to accept it. She didn't want to be anyone's burden. So instead, she told herself she would find a hotel to lodge.

As they walked towards the car, Heira lost her balance due to how weak she was. Sebastian's arm caught her just in time, but another hand reached out too, firm and steady.

Her gaze dropped on polished black shoes, unmistakably expensive. Then slowly, her eyes lifted, only to see the last person she expected. Dante stood there in his immaculate build.

Their eyes met, and the air between them thickened with everything left unsaid. Shock flickered through her, followed by a sense of anger, sharp and unrelenting.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Only the hum of cars buzzed quietly across the hospital driveway.

Dante's eyes moved from her pale face to the band around her wrist, the IV tape still clinging faintly to her skin.

"Let's get you home. You shouldn't be walking in your condition, you need to rest," he said finally, his voice low but carrying that familiar authority she once found reassuring.

Heira's lips trembled before she found her voice. "And you shouldn't be here," She clapped back.

Her words came out quieter than she intended, but they still cut through the air like glass.

Sebastian stepped slightly in front of her after sensing the tension between the two. "She's alright, you don't have to worry," he said evenly, though there was a hint of warning in his tone.

Dante's attention was drawn to him. He took a proper gaze at him, as if only now noticing his presence. His eyes narrowed as he scanned him from head to toe.

He could feel the ease in his posture and the familiarity in the way he stood beside Heira. He found it infuriating to see his hands steady her.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Who's this?" he asked, the words coming out colder than he intended.

Sebastian met his stare without flinching. "A friend," he replied simply.

"Okay, friend," Dante said stiffly, his gaze still fixed on Sebastian. "I'll take care of my wife from here."

The atmosphere turned suffocating as they stood locked in a stare that could cut through stone. Neither spoke, but their eyes screamed the words they refused to say aloud.

The word 'wife' felt like a mockery and an insult dressed in concern for Heira. And it only made her heart ache more.

"Your wife?" she repeated bitterly. "You should probably say that to the woman in your bed, not the one you threw out of your house."

"You can hate me all you want, Heira," he muttered, "but you shouldn't be out here like this. You need rest."

Heira was done with his pretense. There is no way she would believe a word he says after what he did.

She turned to leave, leaning slightly against Sebastian's shoulder as he supported her with each step.

Restlessness crept upon Dante as he watched her slowly leave his view. His ego was bruised, and he realized his chances were slowly slipping away. All he knows is that he needed her to be home by that night.

"Heira," he called after her in desperation. "Name your price, I'll do anything. Please just come home with me."

She paused for a heartbeat with her back still turned to him. Disbelief clouded her pale face. "Is that what I am to you?" she asked quietly while slowly walking towards him. "A deal to close? Something you can bargain for when it's convenient?" her voice rising in anger.

Dante realized he might have said the wrong words. He was trying to get a favor from her, but ended up making the situation ten times worse by getting her angry.

"No, that's not what I meant." He winced, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

He then took a step closer, lowering his voice. "Please, just listen. My grandma's coming tonight." His tone softened immediately, gentle and almost pleading. "She's been so excited to meet you, Heira. She asks about you every time we talk."

His throat tightened as he spoke, the stiffness in his shoulders softening for just a fleeting second. "I can't let her know I pushed you away. That would hurt her feelings."

For the first time, Heira saw him being passionate about someone. The way his eyes melted when he talked about his grandma was cute. She saw the fear of disappointing the one person who had always loved him unconditionally in his eyes.

But that still doesn't change the fact that he didn't show remorse for what he did, he only cared about not hurting his grandma's feelings when he completely shattered hers. No matter how much his words tried to reach her, her heart was too bruised to let them in.

She wiped a tear threatening to fall. "That isn't enough for me to stay. You should have thought about that before compromising our marriage."

She walked away before he could say another word.

Dante stood there with each step she took tearing through the last shreds of his composure. "So you are staying with him, huhh? I guess I'm not the only one with an affair," he shouted just enough for his voice to cut through the distance.

There was no denying that he had his ego crushed, and the thought of losing her to another man made him sick.

Heira paid no attention to him as she stepped into the car. Sebastian shuts the door softly behind her just before he drives off.

Dante watched as the car disappeared from sight, and that was when the realisation hit him. Granny Mae was arriving that evening, and Heira wasn't coming back.

He pressed a palm against his forehead, shutting his eyes tightly. "What have I done..." he whispered. Almost regretting his actions.

Just then, he pulled out his phone and opened a chat. His thumb hovered briefly as he sent a message along with a photo.

[Handle this.]

His expression hardened again with his emotions buried beneath his composure.