###8

By the time I realized it, the blood-red truck was almost upon me.

I froze in place.

Then my vision blurred, and in the next second, a figure slammed into me, throwing me out of harm’s way.

Shouts erupted from the crowd as Bert raised his head, bloodshot eyes glaring.

“What the hell were you doing?! If I’d been a second late—”

But then he went silent, holding me tightly, his body trembling.

He was terrified.

A wave of guilt washed over me. I scared him. I couldn’t help but apologize.

“I’m sorry, Bert. I… I won’t do it again.”

“Promises mean nothing.”

His voice was filled with anger.

Then, without asking, he dragged me back to his villa.

He’d never been so forceful before, and I couldn’t resist.

He brought in a doctor and a nutritionist and practically forced me to settle in.

That night, he leaned against the door of the guest room, arms folded.

“I’ve decided what reward I want, Ruth.”

I looked up at his unreadable face, stunned.

“You’re joking, right? Bert?”

But he stepped forward, voice low and gravelly, like a devil tempting me.

“Don’t you think killing him is letting him off too easily? Don’t you want real revenge? Seeing him unravel, helpless and furious, it’s more satisfying than any blade. Doesn’t that idea thrill you?”

He tilted his head and smirked like a mischievous child.

“So, marry me. Be my bride—and make that bastard suffer more than death.”

I remembered how he was as a boy—wicked to the core, always enjoying the torment of others.

It was his nature.

Over the next few days, I ignored all of Nate’s calls.

He bombarded me with messages.

“Baby, I know you're upset after everything. Take some time for yourself. I won’t bother you.”

“You should see the wedding dress I had custom-made. It has your favorite star motif—you’ll love it.”

“I even bought you several jade necklaces. I’m having a designer remake the old one just for you.”

But I never liked stars. They were her favorite—Miss Cassie’s.

When he sent me a photo, Cassie was spinning in the wedding dress he had “customized for me,” looking like a radiant butterfly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled.

“Let me wear it first. What if Ruth gets angry when she finds out?”

“Then don’t let her know,” he replied.

His voice was cold. He didn’t even glance at the beautiful woman clinging to him.

His eyes remained glued to his phone screen.

A week has passed.

Surely by now, Ruth had cooled off, he thought.

Every time we argued before, I was the one who came back with an apology.

But this time, I was completely silent.

He remembered the blood and heartbreak in my eyes that day, and his chest tightened.

Shoving Cassie aside, he paced restlessly across the luxurious living room.

“Ruth, where the hell are you? Don’t force me to dig you out from under the earth!”

Then he received my email—just before ordering his men to find me.

“Nate, I’m out for a walk. I haven’t had my phone with me.”

“Don’t come looking. I’ll be back in time. Just wait for our wedding—I’ve prepared a special gift for you.”

He stared at those words. A smile broke across his face.

I’d forgiven him. Wonderful.

“Boss, told ya! Ruth couldn’t leave you.”

His crony, Hyena, grinned with a mouthful of yellow teeth.

“Without you, how’s she gonna keep living the high life?”

Nate wanted to tell him that back when we first met, he had nothing—not a penny.

And I never cared about money or power.

But he said nothing.

Maybe Hyena was right. Maybe I really couldn’t leave him.

Why else would I still marry him?

Feeling reassured of my loyalty, Nate relaxed.

He turned to look at Cassie, still dressed like a bride in my wedding gown.

Satisfied, he ordered his men to escort her to the hotel.

“Boss, early congrats on your wedding night,” Hyena said with a sly grin, closing the door to the Skyline Presidential Suite.

It wasn’t until the morning of the wedding that he finally left Cassie’s arms.

He got dressed, tidy and elegant, and messaged me:

“Dear, I’m waiting at the venue. Can’t wait to see my most beautiful bride.”

But after sending it, a strange unease crept into his heart.

###9

"What's wrong, Nate?"

Cassie wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing herself against his broad back.

"Nothing. Just don't come to the wedding today. I don’t want Ruth to be upset."

A shadow of gloom crossed Cassie's face.

"Is it so wrong that I just want to watch from a distance, without disturbing you and Ruth?"

"Today you're marrying someone else, and my heart feels like it's being torn apart. If you don’t believe me, touch it."

But this time, Nate pulled his hand away from her.

No matter how Cassie pretended to be pitiful or acted like a spoiled child, Nate forced her to stay behind in the hotel.

From the other side of the door, there was the sound of Cassie crying on the carpet, throwing things in frustration.

"Poor Miss Cassie," Hyena remarked with mock sympathy.

Nate straightened his suit and walked toward the elevator, but he muttered to himself, "Maybe I spoiled her too much."

Her little tantrums weren’t as charming anymore—not like Ruth, who never acted this way.

He hadn’t seen Ruth in days, and suddenly he missed her more than he expected.

He was determined. He wanted a child with her—this time, he'd make sure everything went smoothly. Ruth would be happy.

Dressed sharply in a groom’s suit, his face wearing an expectant smile, Nate waited from morning until noon. But Ruth never showed up.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that my phone was unreachable.

"Ruth, where are you? The wedding is about to start!"

As his impatience grew, the giant screen at the wedding venue suddenly began playing something.

The guests stared in shock, murmuring amongst themselves.

"What’s this? A video of Nate and Ruth?"

"No, that’s not Ruth! Oh my God, he’s cheating on his bride?!"

Yes, the videos that played were of Nate and Cassie in compromising positions—each scene more shocking than the last.

The crowd turned to look at the groom, their eyes filled with contempt. He stood frozen, staring at the footage of himself and Cassie, clearly in shock.

As the buzz of conversation grew louder, Nate finally snapped back to reality.

"Who did this?!" he shouted. "Get them out of here!"

A courier appeared, rushing toward him with a letter.

Nate took it in a hurry, his fingers trembling as he unfolded the paper. The bold words "Breakup Agreement" nearly made him faint.

"I told you I’d prepare a wedding gift for you. Do you like it, Nate? I hope you and Cassie have a wonderful wedding."

The note at the bottom of the page hit him like a blow to the chest. His heart ached as if it were breaking in two.

"No… no! Ruth, it’s not like that! These videos are fake, I can explain!"

He spun around, desperate, and in his panic, bumped into a table. The thousand-layer champagne tower on it collapsed, shattering into pieces.

He staggered and fell, his hand landed on the broken glass. Blood pooled on the ground.

"Boss, are you okay?!"

"Get away!" He roared, pushing his men aside, fear flashing in his eyes.

"No, no! Where are you? Please, don’t do this to me, Ruth! I can’t live without you!"

Suddenly, he heard his own voice echoing in his memory.

"Perform the cesarean section now and take the fetus out!"

"The child can be saved, but Cassie’s body is fragile—how can I let her suffer?"

"I’ll do anything to make it right with Ruth… just keep quiet!"

He fell to his knees with a crash, dizzy and broken. Ruth knew everything. Everything.

The guests stared at him in disgust, muttering angrily.

"Oh my God, he killed his own child for his mistress? What a monster!"

"That was the child Ruth worked so hard to conceive! And he killed them both!"

Yes, he had killed the child—the child that could’ve been a symbol of his future with Ruth. His treachery had cost him everything.

Realizing the weight of his actions, he clutched his collar, his chest heaving with grief. He was in so much pain, he couldn’t even cry.

At that moment, his phone rang.

Ruth?

His heart skipped a beat. He eagerly pulled the phone from his waist, but the screen displayed an email from someone else.

"I’ll be holding a wedding next month. Please be sure to attend. Your old friend, Bert."

Nate stared at the screen, his heart sinking as the weight of his reality came crashing down on him.