Since my family lost our fortune, Fiona had been plotting to push me out, aiming to pair Adrian up with someone more suitable.

At that moment, I was playing right into her hands.

I hung up and trudged through the rain-soaked streets for hours, finally reaching my doorstep.

However, the moment I stepped in, I was greeted by moans, the kind that made my heart sink. I froze, peering through the gap in the door.

Macie was by Adrian's side, tending to him in ways that made my heart race. The second he spotted me, Adrian yanked her up and tossed her onto the bed with a force that left no room for doubt.

I tried to bolt, but my legs were like lead, refusing to budge—an all-too-vivid first glimpse of Adrian's wild side.

Once they finished, Macie, all limp and spent, got up and accepted the card Adrian handed her.

"Mr. Jones, you're the best," she said, gushing.

Adrian gave her a patronizing pat. "Happy? Then scram. The missus has been eyeballing us from the doorway the whole time."

Macie shot me a defiant look, then snuggled up to Adrian again. "Just don't forget me, Mr. Jones," she said in her sugary voice.

Macie shouldered past me on her way out, sending me sprawling to the floor.

I crashed down, tears streaming uncontrollably.

Adrian loomed over me, tilting my face up to his. "Liliana, this little scene? It's nothing compared to the hell I went through. Remember the divorce papers I got in jail?"

I was drowning in tears, but I had to try one more time. "Adrian, I swear I didn't know about those papers. It was my mother—"

He cut me off, voice like ice. "Your signature was on them. Don't play dumb."

We had been through that a million times over three years. My explanations never stuck, and I was done trying.

I brushed my tears away. "If you hate me that much, I'll just take my mom and go."

Adrian's grip on my fingers was like a vise, his jaw set in a hard line. "Liliana, forget about leaving. You're going to stay with me forever and make up for your past mistakes!" he hissed, dragging me up the stairs and throwing me into the attic.

It was his go-to move whenever I dared to talk about divorce or leaving him.

Trapped in the attic, I was supposed to sit and think about what I had done wrong until I dropped the whole leaving idea.

However, I would not let him trap me this time.

In the dead of night, my phone rang. It was the hospital. "Mrs. Jones, Mr. Jones has stopped all treatments for your mother. With her condition, she might not make it through the night."

I begged the hospital to keep treating my mom.

The nurse sounded torn. "Mr. Jones owns a big part of the hospital. We can't ignore his orders."

I got the picture. I hung up and dialed Adrian right away.

The phone seemed to ring forever before he picked up.

"Adrian, you have to start my mom's treatment again. She's in a coma and can't last a second without the ventilator..." I pleaded, panic rising in my voice.

Loud music thumped in the background as Adrian's voice came through—emotionless and merciless. "Consider this a lesson for trying to leave."

"I was wrong, okay? I won't talk about leaving ever again, just please..."

Then I heard it—soft, suggestive sounds from his end. "Mr. Jones, don't stop..."

The line went dead. When I tried again, no one answered.

In a frenzy, I grabbed whatever I could from the attic and slammed it against the door lock. I did not know how long I was at it, but eventually, after my hands were covered in blood, the lock gave way, and I kicked the door open.

I had just won my freedom and raced to the hospital as fast as my legs could carry me. However, fate was cruel, and I arrived just moments too late. My mother had passed away, her eyes closed to the world forever.

At my mother's bedside, I clung to her hand and whispered through my tears, "Mom, it's me... Please, for one last time, open your eyes and look at me..."

However, my pleas were met with silence. She was gone. She would never look upon me again.

Time passed, and with no tears left to cry, I gathered the strength to stand and arrange for her cremation.

Holding her ashes, I went to the cemetery, intending to lay her to rest by the sea she so loved. However, before I could say my final goodbye, a car screeched to a halt in front of me. Bodyguards sprang out, dragging me away to face Adrian.

Adrian glared at me with a venomous look. "Liliana, you've become quite the escape artist!"

I met his gaze, my eyes blazing with defiance. "You think you can imprison me?"

He was the reason I had lost the last family I had.

My defiance only fueled his rage. He grabbed my chin, his voice laced with malice as he said, "You owe me, Liliana, and don't you forget it!"

I could not help but laugh, a bitter sound mixed with my tears. "Adrian, I've paid my dues in full."

My mother had forced him into a divorce when times were tough, a mistake for which she paid dearly.

His anger erupted. "You'll never be able to settle your debt with me, Liliana. Not in this lifetime!"

"What's this?" Macie's voice cut through the tension as she picked up the urn, toying with it carelessly.

Panic surged within me. "Put that down. It's my mother's—"

The urn crashed to the floor with a loud thud, sending a cloud of gray-white ashes and broken porcelain flying in all directions.

Macie coughed violently from the dusty cloud, quickly grabbed a water glass nearby, and drenched the powdery mess, turning it into a sodden lump.

I shot Macie a glare filled with pure loathing. My body surged with a sudden burst of strength, and I wrenched myself free from the bodyguard's grip. I lunged at Macie, hands closing around her throat, my mind screaming for vengeance.

Gasping for air, Macie's eyes rolled back as she pleaded for help. "Mr. Jones, save me..."

Adrian was on me in a flash, yanking my hair and tossing me aside like a rag doll.

"Liliana, you've lost it!" he roared.

I hit the ground hard, a streak of blood marking the spot where my forehead met the floor. However, the physical pain was nothing compared to the ache in my heart. I scrambled to collect my mother's ashes and the shattered pieces of the urn, my fingers bleeding without care.

Adrian's gaze wavered as if he wanted to say more, but Macie's whimpering cut through the tension. "Mr. Jones, my head is spinning, my neck... It hurts so much..."

Without a second thought, Adrian scooped Macie up and turned to me with a stern command. "You're going to stay in this villa and think about what you've done until you're ready to apologize."

Then, he carried Macie away.

I cradled the ashes close, whispering, "I was wrong. My mistake was loving you, marrying you..."

After a day and night of solitude, the villa was shattered by the sound of breaking glass. Fiona's men, dressed for a mission, stormed in.

They dumped a woman's body inside and set the villa ablaze, flames engulfing everything in a fiery roar.

I slipped the ring off my finger and gently placed it on the woman's cold hand lying still before me. Then, I followed the others up to the rooftop and escaped in the waiting helicopter.

Below us, the fire raged on, lighting up the night sky with its fierce, untamed dance.

It did not take long for the bodyguard to spot the blaze. He wanted to dash in and play the hero, but the flames were too hungry, too fast.

Panicked, he dialed Adrian, and after what felt like an eternity, a deep voice answered.

"Did she admit her mistakes?"

His voice shook as he delivered the grim news. "Mr. Jones, Mrs. Jones is... She's gone. The fire took her..."