Third Person's POV

Raphael’s grip was so strong it felt as if he were about to crush her bones.

Without a hitch, he flung Henrietta’s hand away and immediately rushed to Annelise.

“Annelise, are you okay? Did she hurt you?” he worriedly asked.

As always, Annelise put on a pitiful, fragile expression as she aggrievedly replied, “I’m fine. I just acted on my own and came to be your secretary… Maybe that’s why Henrieatta is upset with me.”

Hearing this, Henrietta’s eyes turned bloodshot as she stared at her.

“Annelise, stop pretending! If you’ve got the guts, repeat what you just whispered to me. Say it out loud!”

“That’s enough!” Raphael cut her off impatiently. The look he gave her was icy enough to pierce skin. “I’m the one who asked Annelise to be my secretary. This has nothing to do with her. If you have any resentment, take it out on me!”

“What’s more, I did this for your own good. Your emotions have been unstable lately. You’re no longer fit for the secretary position,” he added, as if he was doing her a favor.

That single phrase—no longer fit—completely erased all her abilities and achievements.

As if the woman who drank herself into a stomach hemorrhage just to secure his contracts, who risked her life intercepting clients on the highway, who stayed silent under kidnapping threats to protect company secrets, had never been her.

When it came to cruelty, Raphael really stood unrivaled.

Staring at his cold, ruthless face, Henrietta felt as if she had never truly known him.

After a long time forcing her voice out through the lump in her throat, she finally managed to remark, “Raphael, if it weren’t for her, my child wouldn’t have died. None of this would have happened today. And you’re telling me she’s not at fault?”

A chill flashed through Raphael’s eyes.

“You’re the one who refused to sign and kept delaying. That’s why the child died. It has nothing to do with Annelise.”

Just like that, in a few short sentences, every ounce of blame was dumped onto her.

At that instant, the atmosphere grew unbearably heavy.

Sensing it, Annelise stepped in to smooth things over.

“Raphael, why are you being so harsh on Henrietta?”

As she spoke, she hypocritically moved closer and tried to hook her arm around Henrietta’s, as if to apologize.

But Henrietta instinctively tried to shake her off.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Ah!” A piercing scream rang through the entire floor, and with a loud thud, Annelise fell hard to the ground.

Panic instantly replaced the frost on Raphael’s face. He crouched in front of Annelise, anxiously and tenderly checking her over.

“Does it hurt? Are you injured anywhere? I’ll take you to the hospital!”

But Annelise stopped him. Her eyes, misted with tears, turned toward Henrietta.

“Henrietta, no matter how much you dislike me, you can’t just push me like that!”

Even without knowing what actually happened, Raphael lashed out furiously.

“Henrietta, if you’re sick, go see a fucking doctor! Who gave you permission to lay a hand on Annelise?!”

Henrietta stared blankly at her own hand.

She clearly… hadn’t touched Annelise at all.

“Raphael, are you blind? I didn’t touch her—she fell on her own! If you don’t believe me, check the surveillance—” Henrietta tried to explain.

But before she could finish, Annelise burst into tears.

“Is pushing me not enough for you, Henrietta? So, now you want to frame me and say I staged it myself?”

She cried beautifully, pitiful as falling petals in the rain.

As expected, Raphael’s heart ached, and he clumsily tried to comfort her.

But when he turned back to Henrietta, his gaze was sharp as a blade.

“You dare hit Annelise right in front of me. Who knows how viciously you lay your hand on her behind my back!” he confidently assumed.

Then he spat, “If you do something wrong, you pay the price. Don’t you like pushing people? Then you should experience what that feels like yourself!”

With that, he ordered the bodyguards behind him.

“Do it.”

Henrietta’s pupils shrank violently as she tremblingly asked, “What are you trying to do?”

The next second, two bodyguards dragged her by force to the stairwell. Before she could even react, they shoved her down hard.

As a result, Henrietta tumbled down three full flights of stairs before finally stopping. Her entire back was shredded from the friction, skin torn open and soaked in blood. Her clothes were also ripped apart, exposing swaths of flesh.

Even worse, the back of her head slammed hard against the wall. So, blood poured out instantly, staining the white walls a shocking red.

Soon, the wail of an ambulance siren filled the air.

Barely conscious, Henrietta instinctively reached out and faintly said, “Help… me…”

But the words that reached her ears were colder than ice.

“Save Annelise first,” Raphael firmly instructed.

The medical staff looked at Henrietta, then at Annelise. Seeing the former covered in blood and gravely injured, and the latter hadn’t suffered so much as a scratch, their expressions turned conflicted.

After hesitation, one of the staff finally spoke, pointing to Henrietta. “Mr. Ravenscroft, if Madam isn’t treated immediately, her life could be in danger.”

But Raphael only coldly replied, “That’s her own fault.”

It was only four short words, but each carried the chill of a death sentence.

Henrietta’s heart shook violently, and tears blurred her vision. Yet she suddenly laughed—hollow, reckless, broken.

“Fine. Fine. What a perfect ‘she brought it on herself,’” she murmured.

Raphael, have you finally stopped pretending?

Third Person's POV

When Henrietta woke up again, she found herself lying on a hospital bed. Then the sharp smell of disinfectant stung her eyes, making them ache.

From outside the door, she heard nurses whispering.

“I heard Mr. Ravenscroft booked the entire top floor of the hospital just for his sister to rest. He really is a sister-obsessed man.”

“That’s nothing. Didn’t Mr. Ravenscroft win a ruby necklace worth over ten million at an auction not long ago? When I went to change Miss Ravenscroft’s dressing today, she was already wearing it.”

“Poor Mrs. Ravenscroft… She’s so badly injured, yet her husband is staying by his adopted sister’s bed, taking care of nothing more than a few scratches.”

Henrietta felt numb. But after a long while, she forced herself out of bed and went to handle the discharge procedures on her own.

As she passed Annelise’s hospital room, she couldn’t help glancing inside.

She saw all those so-called friends who used to flatter and fawn over her now crowding around Annelise, fussing over her with concern.

And the husband she once tried so desperately to please was smiling as he fed Annelise spoon by spoon.

Annelise’s happiness was blinding—so bright it stabbed straight into Henrietta’s heart.

She pulled her thoughts back and was about to leave when a group of men in black suddenly surged up from the stairwell.

They moved fast. In an instant, they seized Henrietta, pressing a sharp blade against her neck as they dragged her into the ward.

“Raphael! Your wife is in my hands! If you want her alive, give up the dock business!” the man in black threatened.

Panicked screams erupted, and Annelise burst into tears in terror.

“Raphael, I’m scared!”

Despite that, Raphael ignored everything else and gently comforted her first. Then he turned coldly toward the kidnappers and coldly corrected, “You’ve got the wrong person. She’s not my wife. We divorced a long time ago.”

“Even if you kill her, it has nothing to do with me,” he even added.

And when he said those words, his eyes were colder than a glacier.

Hearing his response, Henrietta’s heart shook violently. She couldn’t stop herself from shouting, “Raphael, are you even human?!”

Yet Raphael only looked at her with a faint, mocking smile. “Didn’t you say it yourself? You wanted a divorce. Henrietta, I told you long ago. Without me, you are nothing!”

With that, he turned back to the kidnappers. “This woman can’t threaten me. Kill her if you want. Just don’t disturb my sister. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you die horribly.”

Henrietta never imagined that in a moment where lives were on the line, Raphael could say something so heartless.

And yet, he protected Annelise with absolute devotion.

Love or indifference—wasn’t the difference already painfully clear?

The kidnappers clearly hadn’t expected Raphael to be this ruthless, to treat even his wife’s life as worthless. Enraged and humiliated, they turned the blade toward him instead.

“Raphael!”

At the critical moment, Annelise stepped in front of Raphael. As a result, the knife plunged straight through her back, blood spilling everywhere.

“Annelise!” Raphael’s pupils shrank, fury and panic exploding in his eyes.

He kicked the attacker away with savage force. With only minimal effort, he knocked the entire group of kidnappers to the ground. The sound of ribs snapping echoed one after another, enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

Immediately after, Raphael made a phone call and summoned his bodyguards.

“Get rid of them. For every injury Annelise suffered, make them pay a thousandfold!” he gravely instructed.

Henrietta stood frozen, her heart already dead.

So, he could deal with the kidnappers easily.

Yet he had allowed them to press a blade against her carotid artery without hesitation.

He could also tremble in fear, his eyes red with tears, but only for another woman.

In a daze, Henrietta followed Raphael to the operating room, watching him pace anxiously, watching him clasp his hands together in prayer.

She didn’t know how much time passed before the operating room lights finally went out and the doctor announced that Annelise was out of danger.

The heart Raphael had been holding in his throat finally dropped back into place. He rushed forward, clutching Annelise’s hand as he cried uncontrollably.

“Thank God… thank God you’re okay!”

Annelise’s face was pale, yet filled with bliss. “As long as I can protect you, even if I die, it would be worth it.”

But Raphael shook his head, rejecting her words outright. “No, Annelise. If you die, I won’t live either.”

At that moment, Henrietta heard the sound of her heart shattering into pieces.

She swallowed all her grievances and turned, ready to leave.

But Annelise suddenly called out to her. “Henrietta, your neck is injured, too. Don’t you want a doctor to check the wound?”

Before Henrietta could answer, Raphael spoke coldly, “If she hadn’t brought those kidnappers here, how would you have been hurt this badly? What right does she have to treat her injuries?”

Only then did he finally lift his gaze to Henrietta.

“Hurry up and apologize to Annelise,” he commanded.

Humiliation, rage, and despair surged together in her chest. Yet Henrietta’s eyes remained sharp.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said coldly. “I’m not apologizing to her.”

With that, she turned around and walked away without looking back.

That night, when Henrietta returned home, she began packing her things.

She took all the gifts Raphael had casually given her over the years, along with every couple item she had impulsively bought, and burned them one by one into ashes.

Just like the little love she had left for Raphael, all of it turned to dust.

Third Person's POV

On the day Annelise was discharged from the hospital, Raphael chartered every yacht in the city and threw an all-night celebration just to mark her recovery.

At the same time, Henrietta finally received her divorce certificate.

But just as she finished booking her flight and was about to leave the country to start a new life, a sudden, brutal blow struck the back of her head.

Quickly, her vision went black, and she collapsed unconscious.

When she woke up again, the lights around her flickered, and deafening rock music pounded in her ears.

Dazed, Henrietta sat up and realized she was lying on a yacht.

Sitting across from her was Raphael.

“Raphael?” She snapped fully awake, staring at him in alarm. “What are you trying to do now?”

He looked down at her from above and coldly demanded, “Because of you, Annelise has been unhappy these past few days. Go apologize to her.”

It sounded like the cruelest joke, so Henrietta almost laughed. “Raphael, at least try to be reasonable. I didn’t do anything wrong. What right do you have to force me to apologize to her?”

“If anyone owes an apology, it’s Annelise. She caused the death of my child and then framed me for it!” she countered.

Hearing this, there wasn’t a trace of anger on Raphael’s face. Instead, he looked calm and fully in control.

“If I remember correctly, your grandmother is still in the hospital. She’s in a vegetative state, isn’t she?” he reminded. “Tell me, if I ask the hospital to stop her treatment, do you think she’ll survive tonight?”

Henrietta’s scalp went numb. Disbelief filled her eyes.

When they got married three years ago, Raphael had promised her he would take good care of her grandmother.

And now, for Annelise, he was threatening her grandmother’s life just to force an apology.

All the humiliation and rage she had been holding back exploded at once. Henrietta rushed forward and slapped him hard across the face.

“Raphael, you’re a fucking monster!”

The noise drew Annelise over. Seeing the scene, her eyes instantly reddened.

“Henrietta, what are you doing? I kindly invited you here to relax. If you didn’t want to come, you could’ve refused. Why would you hit my brother?”

The moment she started crying, Raphael couldn’t stay seated.

He immediately pulled her into his arms and coaxed her gently.

“Don’t cry. It hurts me to see you like this.”

Then he turned and glared viciously at Henrietta.

“Apologize.”

The threat in his eyes was unmistakable. If Henrietta refused, he would end her grandmother’s life without hesitation.

Just then, the music cut off abruptly. Countless contemptuous, gloating gazes fell on Henrietta.

Swallowing all her humiliation, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and apologize.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have upset you or made you sad. Please forgive me.”

But Annelise wasn’t satisfied.

“You hit my brother. You should apologize to him, too.”

Henrietta bit her lip until it nearly bled and looked at Raphael.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hit you.”

Two apologies, and the surrounding crowd burst into mocking laughter.

“This is Mrs. Ravenscroft? How pathetic.”

“Mrs.? Please. She’s just a shameless woman who climbed into Mr. Ravenscroft’s bed.”

“Exactly! When Mr. Ravenscroft suddenly announced he was marrying his secretary, everyone said Henrietta seduced him!”

The gossip cut like poisoned blades, stabbing straight into Henrietta’s heart.

Yes.

Her marriage to Raphael had been a mistake from the very beginning.

She had treasured him like her entire world.

And yet he had just treated her as nothing more than a substitute.

How tragic.

How ridiculous.

Seeing Henrietta’s face streaked with tears, Annelise smiled faintly with satisfaction.

She then hypocritically helped Henrietta up from the cold floor as she sweetly said, “Henrietta, the floor is cold. Don’t kneel there. Come, let’s enjoy tonight’s celebration together.”

After several rounds of drinks, Annelise complained that things were boring and suggested playing something “fun” to liven things up.

“Henrietta, didn’t you study dance before? Why don’t you dance for everyone and lighten the mood?” she suggested.

Before Henrietta could refuse, Annelise had a server bring over a dance outfit—something closer to erotic lingerie, barely covering anything that mattered.

Clearly, it was humiliation, plain and brutal.

Yet Raphael only watched coldly and even issued a threat.

“If Annelise tells you to do something, then do it.”

Thinking of her grandmother lying helpless in the hospital, Henrietta clenched her teeth.

In the end, she had no choice.

She put on the vulgar outfit and danced under the blinding, vicious spotlight—exposed, degraded.

She danced until dawn.

Four full hours.

Finally, her strength gave out. She collapsed and was sent to the hospital.

When she opened her eyes again, Henrietta didn’t stop to think. She ran straight to her grandmother’s ward.

She had to make sure her grandmother was still alive.

But the moment she reached the door, she saw medical staff covering her grandmother with a white sheet.

Blood rushed to her head. She lunged forward.

“What are you doing?! What happened to my grandmother?!” she lashed out.

The attending doctor spoke with grief. “Mr. Ravenscroft called early this morning… He said that because you didn’t finish the dance, he ordered us to stop all treatment. The elderly patient couldn’t withstand the shock and passed away.”

In that instant, the world collapsed around her.

All Henrietta could see was her grandmother lying under that white sheet.

“Grandma…” She threw herself onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. “Grandma! Didn’t you say you’d watch me have children, watch me be happy? Open your eyes and look at me!”

“Grandma, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have disobeyed you and married Raphael. But I’ve already divorced him. Please, wake up and look at me just once, okay?”

She cried until her chest tore apart and her eyes were bloodshot as if they might bleed.

Only when night fell did Henrietta finally regain a shred of clarity.

She arranged a simple funeral for her grandmother and buried her beside her child’s grave.

From that moment on, she had no more weaknesses.

Henrietta blocked all contact from Raphael and Annelise, then booked a flight leaving that very night.

At last, dragging her suitcase behind her, she disappeared into the endless darkness.

She has no intention of sparing Raphael and Annelise.

They took the lives of her child and grandmother.

She will piece together every shred of evidence, and the moment it is complete, Raphael and Annelise will face their judgment!