Dallin stormed into the humid air of the greenhouse. His eyes swept over the blood-soaked orchids and the coat covering the dog. His jaw locked tight. He turned his head, his gaze locking onto Adriene with pure, unfiltered hostility.

Elaina didn't miss a beat. She threw herself forward, crashing into Dallin's chest like a frightened bird. "Dallin!" she wailed, burying her face in his shirt. "She's crazy! She's going to kill us all!"

Dallin wrapped his arms tightly around Elaina. He glared at Adriene. "You are a sick, twisted woman," he spat, his voice vibrating with disgust. He looked over Adriene's shoulder at the butler. "Call the psychiatric team. Now."

Adriene laughed. The sound was sharp and cold, echoing off the glass walls of the greenhouse. It was so out of place that Dallin's grip on Elaina loosened for a fraction of a second.

Adriene took a step forward, completely ignoring Dallin's fury. She pointed directly at Elaina. "Where were you ten minutes ago?" she demanded, her voice ringing with authority.

Elaina's eyes darted nervously. "I... I was in my bed," she stammered. "I heard the noise and ran out."

Adriene's arm dropped, her finger pointing straight at the bottom hem of Elaina's nightgown. "Then explain the fresh, wet dog blood on your dress."

Every flashlight in the room instantly jerked downward. The beams converged on the hem of the white silk. The bright red stain was impossible to miss.

A heavy silence fell over the greenhouse. The maids and bodyguards exchanged horrified glances. The pity in their eyes vanished, replaced by a creeping dread as they stared at Elaina.

Elaina's face drained of all color. Her hands twitched, instinctively moving to cover the stain, but she froze, realizing it would only make her look guiltier. She shook her head frantically. "No! I brushed against something when I walked in!"

"It's a two-minute run from your bedroom to this greenhouse," Adriene stated, her logic flawless and cold. "You appeared three seconds after I did. You didn't run here. You were already here."

The airtight reasoning left the room dead silent. Even Dallin's eyes flickered down to the blood on the silk, a flash of genuine doubt crossing his face.

Before anyone could speak, the sharp thwack of a wooden cane hit the stone path outside. Eleonora appeared in the doorway. She had heard the commotion and the accusations. Her sharp eyes locked onto the blood on Elaina's dress.

Eleonora's face twisted in absolute disgust. A Morales family member acting like a psychotic butcher was unacceptable. She raised her heavy rosewood cane high into the air, aiming straight for Elaina's shoulders.

The cane swung down with a vicious swoosh.

In a split second, Dallin spun around. He pulled Elaina flush against his chest and turned his broad back to his mother.

The heavy wood slammed into Dallin's spine with a sickening, hollow thud. Dallin grunted, his muscles locking up from the impact, but he didn't move an inch.

"You fool!" Eleonora shrieked, striking him again. And again. Three brutal blows. Dallin clenched his jaw, taking every hit, his body acting as a human shield for the woman cowering in his arms.

Adriene watched the grand display of tragic love with dead eyes. Her heart didn't even skip a beat. The only thing she felt was a dark, secret thrill. Her plan was falling perfectly into place.

The chaos ended with Dallin carrying a shaking Elaina back to the main house, his steps slightly uneven from the pain in his back.

Hours later, at 2:00 AM, the estate was silent. Inside his dim study, Dallin stood by his desk. He had taken off his shirt. Ugly, dark purple bruises stretched across his shoulder blades. He poured himself a glass of whiskey, his face tight with exhaustion and irritation.

The heavy oak door clicked open. Adriene walked in. She carried a silver tray holding a glass of warm milk and a thick stack of legal documents. Her face was arranged into a mask of perfect, submissive worry.

Dallin looked up. His eyes narrowed with immediate revulsion. "Don't think because you proved a point tonight that you have any power here," he warned, his voice like gravel.

Adriene lowered her eyelashes. "I know," she said softly, her tone dripping with fake obedience. "I was just... so upset about Max. I lost my temper. I shouldn't have embarrassed you."

She set the tray on the desk and slid the thick stack of papers toward him. Attached to the top of the bundle was a perfectly forged yellow sticky note bearing Pax Keller's signature, reading: "Dallin, standard tax filings for the Hamptons trust. Fully vetted. Need your sign-off tonight." "Kaia sent over the trust transfer documents for the Hamptons estate. They need your signature to finalize the tax filings."

Dallin's back was throbbing. His head ached from dealing with his mother's rage and Elaina's endless crying. He had zero patience left for paperwork.

He looked at Adriene with pure contempt. He truly believed this weak, desperate woman would never dare play a trick on him, especially not with his lead attorney's explicit approval stamped on the front.

Without reading a single line of the dense legal text, trusting Pax's forged note entirely, Dallin flipped straight to the last page. He pulled the cap off his fountain pen and aggressively scrawled his signature across the bottom line.

Adriene stared at the black ink on the page. Her heart began to pound so hard it hurt her ribs. She forced her hands to remain steady as she quickly pulled the documents back against her chest.

"Goodnight, Dallin," she smiled.

She turned around. The second her back was to him, the submissive mask shattered. A freezing, wild joy took over her features.

She walked out into the dark hallway and clutched the absolute divorce agreement to her chest. She had the key to her cage.

The afternoon sun hit the surface of the Hamptons estate's heated pool, scattering blinding reflections across the water. Adriene lay on a lounge chair, her eyes closed.

The signed divorce agreement was already locked safely inside a bank vault in Manhattan. For the first time in years, the crushing weight in her chest was gone. She felt light.

The sharp, aggressive click-clack of high heels against the marble deck broke the silence. Adriene didn't move. She knew the sound. Elaina walked over, wearing a bright red bikini, and waved away the two pool attendants.

Elaina stopped right next to Adriene's chair. She looked down, her eyes filled with toxic malice.

"Stay away from me," Adriene said, keeping her eyes shut. "I'm tired of your cheap tricks."

Elaina leaned down. The fragile, victim persona vanished entirely. "He was in my room again last night," Elaina whispered, her voice thick with vulgar pride. "He held me for hours. He told me how much he hates touching you."

Adriene's eyes snapped open. They were sharp and cold. "You really are pathetic," Adriene sneered. "Picking up trash from the gutter and calling it a prize."

The insult hit Elaina's deepest insecurity-her low-class background. Her face twisted into an ugly snarl, the skin around her eyes pulling tight with rage.

Just then, Elaina's eyes flicked to the glass doors leading into the house. Dallin was walking quickly toward the pool, holding his phone to his ear.

A flash of absolute madness crossed Elaina's face. She lunged forward and grabbed Adriene's wrist with a painful grip.

Adriene reacted purely on instinct. She yanked her arm back to break the hold. The force wasn't strong, but Elaina used the momentum. She threw her arms up into the air and violently threw herself backward.

Elaina let out a bloodcurdling scream as she tipped over the edge and crashed into the deep end of the heated pool.

Water exploded into the air. Elaina thrashed wildly, swallowing water and screaming for help, playing the role of a drowning victim perfectly.

The glass doors slammed open. Dallin dropped his phone. His eyes went wide with panic as he saw Elaina sinking. He didn't see the setup; he only saw Adriene pulling her arm back.

A guttural roar ripped from Dallin's throat. He sprinted across the marble deck like a wild animal. Adriene was standing between him and the edge of the pool.

Adriene started to step back to let him pass, but Dallin didn't wait. He didn't even slow down. To save a fraction of a second, he threw his hands out and shoved Adriene with every ounce of his strength.

The force lifted Adriene off her feet. She was thrown backward like a broken doll.

She flew through the air and crashed down hard. Her shoulder and the side of her head slammed heavily against the flat, unyielding surface of the marble deck. Stars exploded violently behind her eyes.

White-hot agony exploded in Adriene's skull. The pain was so intense it paralyzed her lungs. Her vision instantly went black for a terrifying second before swimming back into focus. Warm, thick blood rushed from the gash on her forehead where the skin had split against the stone, pouring down her face and completely blinding her left eye.

At the exact same moment, a massive splash sounded as Dallin dove into the water, fully clothed.

Adriene curled into a tight ball on the hard stone. She clutched her bleeding head, a weak, breathless moan escaping her lips.

In the pool, Dallin grabbed Elaina, who was pretending to be unconscious. He held her tight against his chest, kicking furiously toward the shallow end. His face was a portrait of absolute terror and heartbreak.

He dragged Elaina out of the water. He scooped her into his arms and marched toward the house. He stepped right over Adriene's legs. The cold water dripping from his expensive leather shoes splashed directly onto Adriene's pale, blood-smeared cheek.

Adriene forced her right eye open. Through the red haze of her own blood, she stared at his broad back.

"Dallin..." she gasped, her voice trembling, begging for help.

He didn't stop walking. He didn't even turn his head. "If she dies, I will bury you," he snarled, his voice devoid of any human warmth.

He disappeared down the hallway.

Adriene lay alone on the marble deck. The throbbing in her head matched the frantic beating of her heart. The blood dripped steadily onto the pristine white stone, forming a dark, terrifying puddle. The cold from the marble seeped deep into her bones.

She stared at the blood. And then, she smiled.

Her chest shook as a broken, hysterical laugh bubbled up her throat. A tear mixed with the blood running down her face.

She stopped fighting the pain. She let her body go limp against the cold stone. In that exact moment, the last microscopic shred of hope she had for her marriage burned to ash.

The world around Adriene felt like it was submerged in water. The sounds of the estate were muffled, replaced by a high-pitched ringing in her ears. The cold marble beneath her was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality.

Brenda, the maid, walked down the adjacent hallway carrying a silver tray of fresh fruit. She glanced through the floor-to-ceiling glass doors and froze.

A horrific scream tore from Brenda's throat. The silver tray crashed to the floor, sending grapes and sliced melon skittering across the tiles. She shoved the glass door open and sprinted to the pool deck.

"Mrs. Morales!" Brenda cried, dropping to her knees. She saw the deep gash on Adriene's forehead and the massive pool of dark blood. Her hands shook violently as she grabbed a clean pool towel and pressed it hard against the wound.

Brenda reached for the radio clipped to her apron. "I'm calling the estate doctor. Stay with me!"

A bloody hand shot out and clamped down on Brenda's wrist with surprising strength.

Adriene opened her right eye. Her face was terrifyingly pale, but her gaze was sharp and unyielding. She slowly shook her head. "No," she rasped, her throat dry. "Don't say a word. Help me up."

"But you're bleeding to death!" Brenda sobbed.

"Help me up," Adriene commanded, leaving no room for argument.

Terrified, Brenda slid her arms under Adriene's shoulders and hauled her to her feet. The world spun violently, and Adriene's stomach he heave, but she locked her knees and forced herself to stand.

She pushed Brenda away. She refused to go to the medical wing. A sick, masochistic clarity had taken over her brain. She needed to see it. She needed to see exactly what the man who had just left her to die was doing.

Adriene dragged her feet across the floor. Every step sent a shockwave of agony through her skull. Drops of her blood fell onto the plush red carpets of the hallway, soaking into the fabric without a trace.

She reached the heavy mahogany door of the luxury guest suite where Elaina was staying. The door was cracked open just an inch, letting out the warm, flickering light of the fireplace.

Adriene leaned her shoulder heavily against the cold wall. She held her breath and looked through the narrow gap.

Inside, Elaina was propped up against the massive headboard, wrapped in a thick cashmere blanket. She was whimpering softly, her lower lip trembling as she played the role of the traumatized victim.

Dallin sat on the edge of the mattress. His clothes were still soaked, clinging to his skin, but he didn't care. He was holding a dry towel, gently and meticulously drying Elaina's hair.

The look in his eyes-the profound, aching tenderness-was something Adriene had never seen directed at her in three years of marriage.

Elaina grabbed Dallin's wrist. "I'm so scared, Dallin," she cried. "I'm so scared she's going to make the family throw me out. I have nothing."

Dallin turned his hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. He brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them deeply.

"Don't be afraid," Dallin said, his voice a low, fierce vow. "I am here. No one will ever touch you. If she ever tries to hurt you again, I will make her wish she was dead."

Outside the door, Adriene's chest caved in. It felt as if a giant, invisible hand had reached into her ribcage and crushed her heart into powder. She couldn't breathe.

Inside, Elaina sniffled, pressing her advantage. "But I don't have a child. The board hates me. My place in the Morales family is nothing."

The room went dead silent for five agonizing seconds.

Then, Dallin spoke the words that finally pushed Adriene over the edge of the abyss.

"I will use my supreme executive authority over the family trust," Dallin said, his tone heavy with absolute finality. "I will ensure you are granted a Morales heir."

"No one will ever question your place, Elaina. It's what I owe you."

The words struck Adriene like a physical blow to the stomach. He wasn't just protecting her. He was going to use medical surrogacy or adoption to bypass his own wife and hand the legacy of the Morales empire to this venomous woman.

Adriene slowly closed her eyes. A drop of blood slid down her nose and landed on her lips. It tasted like rust and salt.

She didn't feel sad anymore. She felt nothing but a dark, hollow amusement. It was all so incredibly pathetic.

She didn't push the door open. She didn't scream. She simply turned her back to the room.

She stood up perfectly straight, ignoring the screaming pain in her head, and walked away. Her steps were slow, but they were the steadiest steps she had taken in years.

She walked into her own bathroom and turned on the cold water. She cupped the freezing water in her hands and scrubbed the blood from her face.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. The woman who loved Dallin Morales was dead. The woman staring back had eyes like shattered ice.