Alina POV:

He threw me towards the men, like a piece of meat to hungry dogs. My body slid across the rough floor, stopping at their feet. My breath hitched.

"No! Please!" I screamed, but it was a ragged sound, barely a whisper. I looked at Adrien, my eyes pleading for a sanity he no longer possessed.

One of the men leaned down, his breath foul. "Looks like someone's been a bad girl. Adrien wants us to play nice." He chuckled, a sickening sound.

I heard a faint gasp from the doorway, quickly stifled. Someone had seen. Someone had heard. But no one helped.

Adrien watched, his face blank. No emotion. Just a cold, empty stare.

"Enjoy your 'gift,' Alina?" he sneered. "Or are you going to pretend you don't like this either?"

Then he turned and walked out, the heavy metal door clanging shut behind him. The sound echoed, sealing me in. The last sliver of hope I had, was crushed.

The men' s smiles widened. Their movements became bolder, rougher. "He's gone now, princess," one of them said, his voice dripping with malice. "Time for the real fun to begin."

Another touched my hair, then let his hand slide down my arm. "Such soft skin. A real shame, isn't it?"

I scrambled backward, desperate, ignoring the fresh scrapes on my skin. I clawed at the door, my fingers scraping against the cold metal, leaving trails of blood. "Let me out! Please! Someone help me!"

A hand clamped around my ankle, dragging me back. I kicked, but it was useless. My nails tore against the concrete floor as I was pulled deeper into the darkness. A sharp pain shot through my toes.

"Stop fighting, little bird," the man chuckled, his voice closer now.

"I'll confess!" I screamed, my voice raw and broken. "I'll say whatever you want! Just stop! Please!"

The heavy door creaked open again. Adrien stood there, a dark silhouette against the faint light from the hallway. He looked like a god, a cruel one, come to judge.

"Anything," I sobbed, looking at him, desperation filling my eyes. "I'll say anything. Just make them stop."

I crawled towards him, my body aching, my hands reaching for his pants leg. It was a pathetic sight, I knew. But I didn't care. I just wanted it to end.

Then, a wave of dizziness washed over me. The world spun. Darkness closed in.

The next thing I knew, I was lying in a soft bed. The rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor and the soft hiss of an IV drip filled the sterile air. A hospital.

"He's an animal! How could he do this to his own wife?" My mother's voice, thick with anger, filled the room.

"Mrs. Stanley, please calm down," a hushed voice, belonging to Adrien' s family elder, replied. "Adrien didn't mean for it to go this far. He was only trying to scare her."

"Scare her?" My mother's voice cracked. "He nearly had her… He nearly killed her! And for what? Some fabricated story from that vixen Fallon?"

"Alina is his wife," the elder continued, his voice firm. "He must remember that. The Stanleys are a powerful family. This merger, this marriage, is important. He cannot simply discard her, or abuse her, without consequences."

Adrien' s voice cut through the tension, flat and cold. "I was merely teaching her a lesson. A wife must be loyal."

"Loyal?" My mother shrieked. "You forced her into a marriage to begin with! And then you accuse her of infidelity on your wedding night based on Fallon's lies?"

"The evidence was clear," Adrien retorted.

"Evidence fabricated by a jealous ex-lover!" the elder snapped. "You were blinded by pride, Adrien. You allowed Fallon to manipulate you into believing the worst of your own wife. She is a Stanley now. You will treat her with respect, or face the full wrath of two families."

A heavy sigh followed. "I understand." Adrien' s voice was grudging.

The elder' s footsteps faded away, followed by the angry slam of the door.

Silence. Then, Adrien' s gaze fell on me. A cruel smirk. "Awake, are we? Good. Now you know the consequences of your actions."

A dull ache settled in my chest, colder than the fear that still gripped me. "You don't believe me, do you?" My voice was weak, barely a whisper. "After everything? After ten years?"

His eyes narrowed. "Don't play the victim, Alina. It doesn't suit you. You chose to betray me. You chose to defile our marriage."

"I never betrayed you!" I cried, a surge of adrenaline momentarily pushing past the pain. "I only ever loved you! How can you accuse me of something so vile? On our wedding night! When you weren't even there!"

His jaw tightened. "Don't pretend, Alina. I know exactly where I was. And I know exactly what you did." He paused, his face darkening. "The fact that I haven't touched you since that night should tell you everything."

My stomach churned. A year. A whole year of marriage, and he hadn't come near me. Not once. Because he believed Fallon's lie. Because he believed I had cheated.

"You disgust me," he spat, his voice low and full of venom. "The thought of your filthy hands on me… It makes my skin crawl."

Alina POV:

His words echoed in the sterile room, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Filthy. Disgusting. They clung to me, heavy and suffocating. My face felt pale, my body weak and exhausted from the emotional and physical assault.

A soft, mocking laugh sliced through my despair. Fallon.

I clenched my fists, my knuckles white against the bedsheets. My eyes darted to the doorway.

"Look at you," Fallon purred, stepping into the room. She wore a pristine white dress, looking like an angel of death. "So pathetic. Your husband despises you. Why don't you just do everyone a favor and end it?"

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice barely a tremor.

She smiled, a sweet, venomous curve of her lips. "I came to check on you, darling. Is that so wrong?" Her eyes gleamed with false sympathy. "I heard about your little 'accident' in the prison cell. Such a shame you had to go through that." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And yes, it was all my doing. I called them. I told them to have some fun with you."

My body trembled. The memory of the rough hands, the cold floor, the terror… It all flooded back.

"Why?" I choked out, tears stinging my eyes. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Because you stood in my way, Alina. You took what was mine. Her inner voice, a venomous hiss, felt like it was inside my head.

A sinister smile spread across her face. "If it weren't for you, Adrien would have married me years ago. You' re nothing but a placeholder, a trophy wife for his family. And even that, you're failing at." She scoffed. "What do you have, Alina, besides your family's name? Nothing. You have nothing without them. And soon, you won't even have that." Her eyes glittered. "I' ll make sure you cry for your identity. You' ll beg me to give it back."

A cold dread seeped into my bones. "Did you… did you arrange for those men to attack me in the warehouse too? On my wedding night?"

Her smile widened, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "Of course, darling. Who else? I knew Adrien would believe me. He always does. He loves me, you see. He always has." She paused, her gaze holding mine. "I even made sure he saw enough to confirm his suspicions. A ripped dress, a strange man's jacket… He was furious. That rage, that jealousy, it was beautiful."

"And now he' s going to make you pay. For everything." She laughed, a chilling sound.

I let out a harsh, dry laugh. "You think he loves you?" I repeated, the words tasting like ash. "If he loved you, Fallon, he wouldn't have married me."

Her jaw clenched, her carefully constructed composure cracking. "He wouldn't have married you if it wasn't for his family obligations!" she shrieked, her voice rising. "He needs a wife from a powerful background. Someone who can secure his legacy. And that, my dear, is not you."

He married me for power. For status. Not for love. Not for me. And Fallon knows that. She' s just as much a victim of his ambition as I am. But she's decided to fight me for it.

"But he still married me, didn't he?" I countered, a bitter strength in my voice. "And he didn't marry you. If I disappear, he'll find another heiress. Not you."

"Shut up!" Fallon screamed, her face contorted with rage.

"You're just a convenience for him, Fallon. A distraction. Don't flatter yourself."

"Shut up, Alina! Shut up!" Her eyes darted around the room, wild with anger. She snatched a heavy glass vase from the bedside table.

"You ruined everything!" she shrieked, and hurled it at me.

The vase struck my head with a sickening thud. A searing pain exploded behind my eyes. Warm, thick blood immediately began to seep down my face. The room spun.

"This is nothing," Fallon hissed, leaning over me as I slumped against the pillows, dizzy and disoriented. "I'll make you pay for every single thing you've taken from me."

My vision blurred, red streaks mingling with the white hospital lights. I could feel the sticky warmth of the blood on my skin.

Then, a sudden shift. Fallon' s face, moments ago contorted in fury, softened. Her eyes widened, glistening with what looked like tears. She dropped to her knees, clutching her hands together.

"Oh, Alina," she sobbed, her voice suddenly trembling. "Please, don't tell Adrien. I didn't mean it. I swear! I was just so angry. Please, I won't bother you anymore. I'll leave Adrien alone. Just don't tell him what I did."

I stared at her, confused. Her sudden shift was jarring, disorienting.

Alina POV:

"Please, Alina! I'm begging you!" Fallon cried, her voice rising in a dramatic plea. She started to bang her head lightly on the floor, a theatrical show of remorse. "Don't tell Adrien! He'll be furious. He'll disinherit me! You know how important his family's name is. He' ll never let me near his inheritance if he thinks I' ve harmed you!"

My head throbbed. What was she doing? Her words made no sense, not after the venom she' d just spewed.

A fresh wave of pain pulsed behind my eyes. I pushed myself up from the bed, my legs wobbly. I swayed, trying to get closer to her, to understand.

But as I took a step, Fallon let out a sudden, sharp cry. She twisted violently, as if to avoid me, then collapsed to the floor, slamming her head against the sterile tile. "Adrien! My baby!" she shrieked, her hands flying to her stomach.

The door burst open. Adrien stood there, his eyes blazing, his jaw tight. He took in the scene: Fallon on the floor, sobbing, and me, swaying unsteadily, blood still dripping from my head.

His gaze locked onto me, pure fury in his eyes. He crossed the room in two strides, his hand shooting out to grab my arm. He shoved me back, hard, against the wall.

"What did you do?!" he roared, his voice shaking the room.

My head hit the plaster with another sickening thud. The world tilted. Fresh blood streamed down my face, mixing with the old. The pain was unbearable.

Fallon, still on the floor, looked up at Adrien, her eyes wide and tearful. "She… she attacked me, Adrien. She said she'd make sure you never got your inheritance. She said she'd ruin everything for us. For our baby!" She dissolved into fresh sobs. "She said if you love me, you wouldn't get your inheritance!"

Inheritance. Baby. The words twisted in my gut. He loved Fallon. He married me for the merger, for the family name. But he loved Fallon. And he believed she was carrying his child.

Adrien stared at me, his eyes burning with an insane rage. He grabbed my throat, his fingers digging into my skin. He lifted me effortlessly, dragging me towards the open window.

"You want to ruin me, Alina?" he snarled, his face inches from mine. "I'll ruin you first. I'll send you straight to hell!"

He pushed me forward, my upper body dangling out the window, high above the concrete below. The wind bit at my skin, cold and sharp. My heart hammered, a frantic drum against my ribs. Death. It was so close.

"No! Adrien, please!" I gasped, my hands desperately clutching at his arm, my nails digging into his skin. "I didn't! She's lying!"

Over Adrien's shoulder, I saw Fallon. She was no longer crying. A triumphant, evil smirk spread across her face.

This was it. My life, ending. The man I loved, the man I had given everything to, was throwing me away. My vision blurred, tears mixing with the blood still flowing from my head wound. "Adrien," I choked out, the name a raw plea. "Why? Why don't you believe me? Ten years, Adrien. Was I truly so worthless to you?"

His hand, holding me over the edge, trembled. I could feel the heat where my blood and tears touched his skin. His eyes, for a split second, flickered. A shadow of something-confusion? Doubt?-crossed his face.

No. He can't. He hates me. He hates me too much.

Then, Fallon let out another theatrical gasp, collapsing again, a pathetic heap on the floor. "Adrien! I feel dizzy!" she whimpered.

His attention snapped back to her. The flicker in his eyes vanished, replaced by cold fury. He ripped his hand away from me. I dropped, slamming against the window frame before falling to the floor.

He rushed to Fallon' s side, scooping her up. "This isn't over, Alina," he growled, his voice a chilling promise. "Next time, you won't be so lucky."

Then he was gone, carrying Fallon, leaving me bleeding and broken on the cold hospital floor.

I lay there for what felt like an eternity. The sounds of the hospital, muffled before, were now a distant hum. My vision swam. No one came. No one helped.

I'm going to die here. The thought was strangely calm.

Just as the darkness threatened to consume me, a tall figure appeared in the doorway, blocking the harsh hospital lights. A man. Who was it?