At exactly seven o'clock, a sleek black town car pulled up to the grand entrance of the Plaza Hotel.

Dorene stepped out onto the pavement. She was wearing a blood-red, backless silk gown that clung to every curve of her body like a second skin. She wore no jewelry, letting the aggressive color and the sharp click of her four-inch stilettos do the talking. She kept her spine perfectly straight, her chin tilted up like a queen walking into a war zone.

She handed the crumpled gold-foil invitation to the security guard at the door. He checked the name, his eyes widening slightly before he pulled the heavy brass handles open.

The moment Dorene stepped into the grand ballroom, the blinding light from the crystal chandeliers washed over her. The room was packed with New York's elite, the air thick with expensive perfume and the soft hum of a string quartet.

As she walked further in, the lively chatter around her began to die down. It started as a ripple and quickly turned into a wave of silence. Dozens of eyes snapped toward her. She could feel the weight of their stares-mocking, curious, waiting for her to break.

Dorene ignored the whispers. She kept her eyes locked dead ahead, her heels clicking rhythmically against the polished marble floor. She didn't flinch.

Her gaze cut through the crowd and found the center of the room.

Kadyn Paul stood near the ice sculpture, looking immaculate in a tailored tuxedo. His arm was wrapped protectively around Dolly Lowery's waist. Dolly was wearing a pure white lace gown, leaning into Kadyn's chest like a fragile bird. She was smiling brightly, accepting congratulations from a group of investors.

Kadyn turned his head to answer a question. His eyes swept across the room and collided violently with Dorene's icy stare.

The polite smile on Kadyn's face vanished instantly. His body went rigid. His arm, which had been holding Dolly tight, instinctively loosened.

Dolly felt the shift in his posture immediately. She followed his line of sight and saw Dorene standing there, glowing in red. A flash of pure, venomous jealousy ripped through Dolly's eyes, but she quickly masked it. She reached up and gripped Kadyn's bicep tighter, pressing her body flush against his to reclaim her territory.

Dorene watched Kadyn freeze, watched him allow Dolly to cling to him. A wave of pure nausea hit the back of her throat. She tore her eyes away from the sickening display and turned sharply toward the open bar at the far edge of the room.

She sat down on a velvet barstool and snapped her fingers at the bartender. "Whiskey. Neat. The strongest you have," she ordered, her voice hard and flat.

The bartender blinked, surprised by the harsh tone, but quickly poured a generous amount of amber liquid into a crystal glass and slid it over.

Dorene grabbed the glass and threw the liquor back in one violent gulp.

The alcohol burned a fiery trail down her throat and exploded in her empty stomach. It made her eyes water, but the sharp physical burn successfully numbed the dull, throbbing pain in her chest.

She slammed the empty glass down on the marble counter. "Again."

A few wealthy heirs lingering nearby took one look at the lethal aura radiating from her and wisely backed away.

Just as Dorene reached for her second glass, a hand with black-painted nails shot out from nowhere and snatched the glass right out of her grip.

Dorene spun around, fury flashing in her eyes, only to find Vivian Archer glaring back at her. Vivian's heavy smokey eye makeup made her look absolutely furious.

Vivian slammed the glass down on the bar, spilling whiskey over the edge. She leaned in close, her voice a harsh whisper. "Are you out of your mind? Why the hell are you here letting these people humiliate you?"

Dorene looked at her best friend. The iron wall she had built around her emotions cracked just a fraction. She let out a dry, bitter laugh. "I just came to see exactly how blind I was."

Vivian's eyes softened with pity as she saw the redness rimming Dorene's eyes. She grabbed Dorene's arm and pulled hard. "You've seen it. Now let's get the hell out of this disgusting place."

Dorene ripped her arm out of Vivian's grip. She shook her head stubbornly. "If I run away now, I prove them right. I will be the pathetic, dumped loser of New York by tomorrow morning."

Vivian ground her teeth together. She pointed a manicured finger toward the center of the room. "That little bitch sent you the invite just to torture you, Dorene!"

"I know," Dorene replied, her voice dropping to absolute zero as she stared at Dolly. "And I am not going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry."

Before Vivian could argue, the crowd near the center parted. Dolly was walking directly toward the bar, holding two flutes of champagne. She was dragging a very reluctant-looking Kadyn by the hand.

Vivian saw them coming. She instantly stepped in front of Dorene, crossing her arms over her chest, glaring at the approaching couple like a guard dog ready to bite.

Dorene reached out and gently pushed Vivian's shoulder aside. She straightened her spine, lifted her chin, and waited for the white-laced hypocrite to arrive.

Dolly stopped two feet away. She held out one of the champagne flutes toward Dorene. Her smile was sickeningly sweet. "Dorene, I am so glad you decided to come," she said, her voice dripping with fake innocence.

Kadyn stood slightly behind Dolly. He looked at the red silk clinging to Dorene's body, his eyes filled with a messy mix of guilt and frustration. He couldn't even look her in the eye.

Dorene didn't reach for the glass. She slowly looked Dolly up and down, her eyes filled with nothing but pure, unadulterated disgust. She let out a short, mocking scoff and didn't say a single word.

Dolly's arm hung awkwardly in the air. The fake smile on her face twitched. She bit the inside of her cheek, a dark, calculating glint flashing in her eyes.

Suddenly, Dolly took a quick half-step forward, closing the physical distance between them.

When Dorene refused to take the glass, Dolly placed the champagne flute down on the marble bar with a soft clink. Without warning, Dolly reached out with both hands and grabbed Dorene's bare wrists, leaning in as if going for an intimate, friendly hug.

The moment Dolly's skin touched hers, Dorene felt like she had been bitten by a snake. Her body reacted on pure instinct. She tried to step back, but Dolly's perfectly manicured nails dug viciously into the soft flesh of Dorene's wrists, holding her in place.

Using the momentum of the fake hug, Dolly pressed her lips right next to Dorene's ear.

"Did you see the way he looked at me?" Dolly whispered. Her voice was no longer sweet; it was a venomous, grating hiss. "You are never getting him back. He's mine."

The sheer malice in those words acted like a match dropped into a pool of gasoline. The anger Dorene had been suppressing all night exploded. Her eyes narrowed into deadly slits, and she violently shoved Dolly's hands away from her body.

It was just a sharp, defensive push to free herself. The physical force was entirely directed at Dolly's wrists, not her torso.

But the second Dorene's hands broke free, Dolly let out a blood-curdling, theatrical shriek. She threw her arms up in the air and hurled her entire body backward, as if she had been shoved by a linebacker.

Dolly's back slammed brutally into a tall cocktail table positioned right behind her. The table was stacked high with a massive pyramid of crystal champagne glasses.

The impact tipped the table. The entire glass tower came crashing down.

The deafening sound of hundreds of glasses shattering against the marble floor ripped through the ballroom. The string quartet stopped playing instantly. The lively chatter died in a second. Hundreds of eyes snapped toward the bar.

Dolly collapsed onto the floor, surrounded by a sea of broken glass and spilled champagne. She curled into a tight ball, her hands clutching her lower stomach in a death grip. All the color drained from her face, and fat, heavy tears began pouring down her cheeks.

Kadyn, who had been standing a few feet away, froze in shock. When he saw Dolly writhing on the floor, his pupils dilated in absolute horror.

"Dolly!" Kadyn screamed. He sprinted forward, dropping to his knees right into the broken glass, ignoring the shards cutting into his suit pants.

He carefully gathered Dolly's shaking body into his arms, his hands hovering over her as if afraid to break her further. "Are you okay? Where does it hurt?" his voice trembled with panic.

Dolly leaned her head weakly against Kadyn's chest. She let out a pathetic, breathless sob. She looked up at Kadyn, then cast a terrified, trembling glance at Dorene. "Kadyn... my stomach... it hurts so much... our baby..."

The word baby dropped like a bomb in the silent ballroom.

A collective gasp echoed through the crowd. The whispers started immediately, loud and vicious. The eyes staring at Dorene shifted from curious to absolute, condemning hatred.

Dorene stood frozen. Her arms were still slightly raised from where she had pulled away. Her brain completely short-circuited. She stared down at the woman on the floor, unable to comprehend the flawless, evil acting she was witnessing.

Vivian was the first to snap out of it. Her face turned purple with rage. She pointed a shaking finger at Dolly. "You lying bitch! You threw yourself backward! Nobody pushed you!"

Kadyn's head snapped up. His eyes were bloodshot, burning with a violent, irrational rage. He glared at Dorene as if she were a convicted murderer. He completely ignored Vivian's shouting.

He pulled Dolly tighter against his chest and pointed a shaking finger right at Dorene's face.

"Dorene Hale!" Kadyn roared, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. "If you have a problem, you come at me! Why the hell would you hurt Dolly and an innocent child? !"

The accusation hung in the air, cementing Dorene's guilt in the eyes of everyone present. She was officially the jealous, psychotic ex-girlfriend who tried to kill a pregnant woman.

All the blood rushed out of Dorene's face. Her fingertips went ice cold. She took one step forward, her voice shaking with a mix of fury and profound betrayal. "I didn't push her, Kadyn. Are you not even going to ask me what happened?"

"Shut up!" Kadyn cut her off ruthlessly. Disgust dripped from every word he spoke. "I saw you violently shove her with my own eyes! Save your pathetic lies!"

The crowd's whispers grew louder. How vicious. No class. She belongs in jail. Every word felt like a physical blow to Dorene's ribs.

Dolly let out another agonizing moan, her fingers twisting into Kadyn's shirt collar. "Kadyn, please... don't yell at her," she cried softly. "She's just upset... she didn't mean it..."

The ultimate display of fake forgiveness. It worked perfectly. Kadyn's protective instincts flared to a dangerous level, and the crowd's hatred for Dorene peaked.

Kadyn scooped Dolly up into his arms. He glared down at Dorene with absolute zero warmth. "If anything happens to Dolly or my child, I swear to God, I will destroy the Hale family."

Dorene stared at the man she had loved for seven years. She watched him use another woman's lie to nail her to a cross without a second of hesitation. It felt like a giant, invisible hand had reached into her chest and crushed her heart into powder.

Vivian lost her mind. She lunged forward, ready to physically rip Dolly's hair out, but Dorene grabbed Vivian's arm and held her back with surprising strength.

Dorene didn't shed a single tear. She kept her spine straight, but the light in her eyes completely died.

She looked past Kadyn's furious face and locked eyes with Dolly, who was resting her head on Kadyn's shoulder.

Right in Kadyn's blind spot, Dolly's tears stopped. The corners of her mouth twitched upward into a slow, victorious, mocking smile. She looked straight into Dorene's eyes, claiming her absolute victory.

In that instant, Doreen understood everything. This wasn't an accident; she had done it on purpose. And the man she loved so deeply had willingly handed the axe to Doreen.

Hotel security rushed in. Kadyn carried Dolly away toward the VIP lounge, leaving Dorene standing alone in a sea of shattered glass and hundreds of despising eyes. She was completely, utterly isolated.

The sound of Kadyn's frantic footsteps faded down the hallway as he carried Dolly toward the VIP lounge. To Dorene, every step he took sounded like the crushing of her youth, her loyalty, and the seven years she had wasted on him.

The whispers in the ballroom grew louder, buzzing like a swarm of angry wasps. The judging stares felt like physical slaps across Dorene's face. A few socialites who had always envied her status intentionally raised their voices.

"Can't handle losing, so she resorts to murder. How pathetic."

Vivian spun around like a rabid lioness. She pointed a manicured finger at the group of whispering women. "Say one more word, and I will personally rip your fake lips off your faces!" she snarled. The women flinched and immediately looked away.

Dorene stood perfectly still in the center of the mess. Her eyes were glued to the heavy oak doors of the VIP lounge. Kadyn's bloodshot, murderous glare played on a loop in her mind.

Suddenly, a soft, dry laugh escaped her lips.

The sound was incredibly out of place in the tense room. It was hollow, broken, and carried a chilling sense of desolation.

Vivian turned back, panic flashing in her eyes. She grabbed Dorene's freezing hands. "Dorene? Hey, look at me." She tried to pull her friend out of whatever dark place her mind was sinking into.

Dorene squeezed Vivian's hands back with terrifying force. She took a deep, jagged breath, forcing the burning tears back down her throat. She refused to cry here.

She pulled her hands free, ignored the hundreds of eyes burning into her back, and walked straight to the bar. She picked up the crystal glass of whiskey she had abandoned earlier.

In front of the entire stunned crowd, Dorene raised the glass high in the air, pointing it directly toward the closed doors of the VIP lounge. It wasn't a toast. It was a funeral rite for a rotting corpse.

She tilted her head back and downed the rest of the burning liquor. The fire seared her throat, burning away the last pathetic, lingering trace of weakness she held for Kadyn Paul.

Ten minutes later, the oak doors swung open. A private doctor carrying a medical bag rushed into the lounge. The tension in the ballroom spiked again.

Shortly after, Kadyn walked out of the lounge alone. His tuxedo shirt was wrinkled. His face was a mask of dark, stormy fury. He marched straight toward Dorene.

Vivian immediately stepped in front of Dorene, acting as a human shield. She glared at Kadyn, her eyes daring him to take one more step.

Kadyn stopped two feet away. He looked at Vivian with cold exhaustion. "Move, Vivian. This is between me and her."

Dorene reached out and gently pushed Vivian's shoulder aside. She stepped out from behind her friend and looked Kadyn dead in the eye. The pain, the pleading, and the love that used to live in her gaze were completely gone. Only a dead, icy calm remained.

Kadyn felt a strange, uncomfortable prickle at the back of his neck when he saw her eyes, but his anger quickly swallowed it.

"The doctor said she's experiencing severe cramping," Kadyn stated, his voice heavy with judgment. "If I hadn't caught her in time, she would have lost the baby."

Dorene listened to his verdict. The corner of her mouth curled into a sharp, mocking sneer. "And? Are you going to call the cops and have me arrested?"

Her absolute lack of remorse pushed Kadyn over the edge. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a vicious growl. "When did you become such a cold-blooded monster? You tried to kill an unborn child!"

Dorene didn't yell back. She just stared at him like he was a clown performing a terrible trick. "Kadyn," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "You didn't even take one second to ask yourself if I actually pushed her."

Kadyn blinked, caught off guard for a fraction of a second. But he quickly waved his hand in disgust. "I trust what I saw. Dolly is too kind to ever use her own child as a weapon."

That sentence was the final nail in the coffin. Dorene finally understood. In Kadyn's mind, Dolly was the eternal victim, and Dorene was the designated villain. There was no fighting that level of blindness.

Dorene nodded slowly. Her eyes went completely blank. She took a deliberate half-step backward, putting physical distance between them, cutting him out of her space.

"You're right," Dorene said, her voice slow and crystal clear. "I am a vicious monster. So from this second forward, take your kind, pure fiancée, and get the hell out of my sight."

Kadyn froze. He hadn't expected her to sever the tie so brutally. A sudden, uncontrollable wave of panic gripped his chest, a feeling that he was losing something massive.

Before he could process the feeling, the lounge doors opened again.

Dolly stumbled out, leaning heavily on a maid. Her face was powdered white. "Kadyn..." she called out, her voice weak and trembling.

The second Kadyn heard her voice, the hesitation in his eyes vanished. He spun around and practically ran back to Dolly, wrapping his arms around her fragile shoulders.

Dorene stood in place, watching his back as he walked away without a single moment of hesitation. She watched him bend his spine to comfort another woman. The last seven years of her life felt like a disgusting, elaborate joke.

Dolly rested her head on Kadyn's chest. She looked over his shoulder, locking eyes with Dorene one last time. She shot Dorene a look of absolute, arrogant victory, claiming her prize.

Dorene didn't look away. She stared back with eyes made of ice. Every ounce of love she ever had for Kadyn died in that exact moment. All that was left was a freezing, brutal clarity.