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?

Alina POV:

The dull ache in my head was the first thing I felt when I surfaced from the darkness. It was a constant throb, a steady rhythm of pain.

I blinked, trying to clear my vision. A nurse was adjusting my IV drip, her movements brisk and quiet.

"You're awake," she said, her voice soft but firm. "You've been out for a full day."

"A day?" My voice was a dry croak. My throat felt raw. "What… what happened?"

She gave me a gentle, professional look. "You had quite a fall. That head wound was nasty. Are you feeling any discomfort?"

A fall. That was the official story, I supposed. I closed my eyes, and the memories flashed behind my eyelids: Fallon's enraged face, the glass vase, the blood. Then Adrien's fury, his cruel words, the terrifying sensation of dangling from the window. His disgust. His blind belief in Fallon.

My lips twisted into a bitter smile. My heart felt like an icicle, slowly melting away.

"You're lucky the nurse on duty heard the commotion and got to you quickly," she continued, oblivious to my internal turmoil. "You might not have made it otherwise."

Lucky. The word tasted like ash in my mouth. I had been "lucky" enough to survive a year of psychological torture, a sham marriage, and now this. Since the day I married Adrien, my life had been a series of near-death experiences.

The nurse finished her adjustments and left, her soft footsteps fading away. A moment later, a doctor entered, a serious expression on his face. He checked my charts, then turned to me, his gaze lingering.

"Your head injury is stable, Ms. Stanley," he began, his voice calm. He paused, then took a deep breath, his eyes meeting mine. "But there's something else we need to discuss."

My stomach clenched. What now? More bad news?

"You're pregnant, Ms. Stanley."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Pregnant. My mind went blank. The beeping of the heart monitor seemed to roar in my ears. I couldn't breathe.

My hand, as if on its own, slowly moved to my abdomen. A child. Adrien's child. My mind reeled. Despair, hot and heavy, washed over me. Another chain. Another reason to be trapped. This child, conceived in violence and hatred, would only bind me closer to the man who despised me.

But then, a tiny flicker. A spark of something I hadn't felt in months. Hope. A reason to fight. A reason to live. This child. My child. It was a part of me, a tiny, innocent life growing within me. It was a new beginning. My reason.

Tears, hot and fast, streamed down my face again. But this time, they weren't just tears of sorrow. They were tears of a fierce, protective love. A love I hadn't known I had. A love that instantly eclipsed all the pain, all the betrayal.

He will never know. The thought solidified in my mind, cold and hard as steel. Adrien would never see this child as a blessing. He would see it as a burden, as another tool to humiliate me. He would see it as proof of Fallon' s lie.

I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand, a new resolve hardening my features. I would protect this child. I would find a way out. For both of us. His cruelty, his hatred, it would only fuel my resolve.

This secret. It would be my weapon. My escape.

I closed my eyes, imagining a life far away from here. A life where I was safe, where my baby was safe. The thought was terrifying, exhilarating. For the first time in a year, I saw a glimmer of light at the end of the long, dark tunnel.

Adrien POV:

I stormed into the house, the anger from the hospital still a raw wound inside me. "Where is she?" I barked at Reynolds, my butler, as he took my coat.

"Mrs. Stanley is in her room, sir," Reynolds replied, his voice calm as always.

"Has she caused any trouble? Tried to 'visit' Fallon again?" The words were laced with venom.

"No, sir. Mrs. Stanley has remained in her room since her return from the hospital. She hasn't made any attempts to leave."

Good. At least she's not completely stupid. "She'd better not. If she thinks she can harm Fallon and get away with it, she's sorely mistaken."

Reynolds hesitated, a flicker of something in his eyes. "Sir, if I may… Mrs. Stanley has always been a very kind woman. Even after… after everything, she has always shown respect to myself and the staff."

Kind? I scoffed. She' s a viper in silk, Reynolds. You' re just too naive to see it.

My mind flashed back to my wedding night. The shattered remnants of my perfect life, the torn dress on her, the other man's jacket. She played the innocent, the heartbroken bride. But I knew better. I had seen her.

She arranged this. She wanted to hurt Fallon. She wanted to make me look like a fool.

"Don't be fooled by her act, Reynolds," I warned, my voice cold. "She's a master manipulator. She'll do anything to secure her position. Don't forget that."

Reynolds bowed his head, saying nothing. His silence, I knew, spoke volumes. He still believed her. He still saw the innocent girl I had once, foolishly, thought I knew. He didn't see the woman who had shattered my world.

Alina POV:

The familiar pain in my head was a dull throb as I walked through the grand halls of Adrien's mansion. My "home." My prison.

My things were no longer in the guest bedroom. They had been moved. Into the sprawling master suite. Into Adrien's bedroom. A cold shiver ran down my spine. Had the elder's words truly had such an impact? Was this meant to be a reconciliation? A cruel joke?

As I reached the top of the stairs, I heard his voice. "She's a master manipulator. She'll do anything to secure her position."

The words hit me like shards of glass, piercing my heart. I leaned against the cold marble wall, my legs suddenly weak. He still believed Fallon. He still believed the lies.

I had foolishly hoped, even after all the pain, that he might eventually see the truth. That he might look past Fallon's machinations and see the woman who had loved him for years. But I was wrong. He would never believe me. He would never love me. He would never see this child as anything but a burden, a reminder of his hatred.

The last flicker of love, of hope, I held for Adrien, extinguished. It turned to ash in my heart.

He didn't just misunderstand me. He relished my suffering. He wanted to punish me. And now, with this child, his punishment would be endless.

The decision I made in the hospital, the desperate resolve to escape, solidified into an unshakeable conviction. I had to leave. For my child. For my sanity. I couldn't let my baby grow up in this house, surrounded by such hatred and lies. I couldn't let it be tainted by Adrien's contempt.

I thought of my mother. The only person who had ever loved me unconditionally. She was still in the hospital, recovering from her own illness. I needed her. I needed her comfort, her strength, before I could figure out my next step.