Selina's grip on the hem of her shirt tightened as if she might rip it apart, quietly enduring the dull ache spreading across her chest. How could he say something so real was nothing but a mistake, even if it had been a marriage of convenience?
Her hands reached for her belly as if shielding her unborn child from its father's cruel rejection. Slowly, she forced herself to look straight into his gaze, searching his face.
"A fling? A mistake? Is that all it meant to you?" she whispered, trying not to appear broken.
"What were you thinking? That we'd become a thing after some reckless nights?" Zane asked, his tone filled with mockery but concealing something more dreadful.
Selina parted her lips to respond, even though saying his idea was partially wrong and partially true. Still, words crumbled on her tongue, and he continued before she could speak.
"Don't get your hopes up. A moment of weakness still won't change anything between us."
With that, the door slammed shut with a force that rattled the walls, the sound reverberating like a final blow.
Selina stumbled toward the bed, her body moving instinctively as if guided by grief. She collapsed onto the soft mattress—where they had shared their last moments of intimacy, now reduced to nothing but a cruel memory.
For a heartbeat, the world stilled around her.
Her vision blurred, the room spinning as she gasped for air. A sharp, searing ache spread through her chest, as if her heart had been torn in two. Her hands flew to her chest, fingers dug into the fabric of her shirt, clutching it like a lifeline.
How could he be this brutal? How could he shatter the fragile hope she'd been clinging to?
Was this her anniversary gift? Rejection.
Was she meant to linger in this emptiness?
Was it because he wasn't ready to take responsibility for what they had done? She spiraled, justifying him, excusing him—anything to hold onto the belief that there was still something worth saving again.
She couldn't remember ever wronging him. She couldn't understand where everything had gone wrong.
And yet here she was, trapped in the chaos of her broken heart, lost in the confusion of his coldness.
She bit her lip, forcing her eyes shut, determined to hold back the tears threatening to spill. But it betrayed her, leaking out in a steady stream, hot, as her muffled sobs echoed through the room.
.....
The lightning soaring through the cloudy sky, accompanied by the drizzling rain that echoed on the roof, mirrored Selina's turmoil. She had kept herself indoors until midday, trying to piece together her broken self.
But it was time for her part-time job. A reminder that she must survive no matter what.
She forced her emotions aside, struggling mentally and physically to prepare for her survival routine. Zane wasn't reliable anymore, and she had no one else to depend on.
Her expression was drained of its usual warmth, leaving her pale and dazed. She stood on the porch, staring into the pouring void while clutching her white umbrella on the side.
"Will I be able to overcome all this pain?" she mumbled with a soft, weary sigh.
She pulled her raincoat hood over her head, ready to face the storm. But as she took a step forward, the phone in her pocket rang loudly. Curious, she unzipped the pocket and pulled out the device.
Her lashes blinked at the caller ID: her father's chauffeur.
He only reached out when her father was at their secret meeting spot. It had been months since she had seen him, their connection hanging by the thin thread of occasional calls. Curious and hopeful, Selina swiped to answer.
"Selina!" The chauffeur's voice cut through the line before she could breathe a word.
"Yes," she muttered, her stomach coiling at his panicked tone. "Is there something—"
"I'm taking your father to the hospital!" he interrupted. "He was attacked—he's been shot!"
Selina's brows snapped together, her features contorting as her lips trembled.
"What do you mean? How? Where was he?"
A brief, agonizing pause settled over the line. It only worsened her fear, the silence prickling through her skin until her voice cracked like a whip. "Talk to me! What happened? How is he hurt?"
"I don't know… I'm only assuming," the chauffeur stammered. "I drove him to a meeting with your husband. I left to run errands, but when I returned, he was already bleeding. I'm so confused…."
The world around Selina froze. Her pulse thundered in her ears, threatening to explode. The hand clutching the phone went limp, falling to her side. She stumbled back, murmuring like someone who had lost her mind.
"No. This can't be," She shook her head in frantic denial. "Zane wouldn't... he wouldn't hurt Dad. I know Dad is harsh because of how he treats me, but Zane wouldn't go that far, right?"
Her thoughts spiralled, desperate for an excuse, any logic to make sense of the horror. Tears welled in her eyes as raw agony churned through her. She had to see her father. She had to know he was still breathing.
Without hesitation, Selina bolted down the steps toward her pink scooter parked at the curb. She ignored her umbrella, willing to brave the torrential rain if it meant reaching him a second faster. As she fumbled with the keys, her hands trembling violently, she paused.
She felt a familiar tug—the heavy, dark gravity of a specific presence.
Slowly, she turned her head toward the mansion, her gaze climbing to his window.
It landed on Zane.
He stood there with a cold smirk and a knowing gaze that made her stomach heave.
"Seems you're heading out. To Hudson?" he asked tediously, raising a brow as if expecting her to entertain him.
Selina's jaw clenched, her expression souring with a lethal mix of grief and blooming hatred. "Did you truly do it? Did you harm my father?"
Zane uttered nothing.
"Were you the one?" she pressed, her voice rising to a scream.
He heard her and choose when to speak.
Instead, he slipped a cigar between his lips and flicked a lighter. The flame caught, illuminating the chilling indifference in his eyes as he took a slow, deliberate pull.
"Zane Kaius! Get down and answer me!" Selina's voice was shrill, cutting through the drizzling rhythm of the rain. From the ground level, she glared up at Zane, who stood framed by the golden light of the balcony.
"Wifey," Zane began, finally, his tone dripping with a sarcasm that made her skin crawl. "I didn't realize you had such a temper. It really isn't good for your health."
Fury surged through her, hot and suffocating. Her mind fractured for a moment, a violent urge to destroy everything around her clawing at her.
Only a thin, fraying thread of restraint kept her from losing it entirely.
"Don't you dare joke with me," Selina snapped, her voice trembling. "Not about things you never cared for."
Zane leaned against the railing, unbothered. He took a long drag of his cigarette, the tip glowing like a predatory eye in the dark.
He exhaled slowly, the smoke curling into the damp air before dissipating. "I don't care to shout at you from up here, Selina. Why not come inside? Let's have a peaceful husband-and-wife chat."
He slipped a hand into his pocket, his eyes tracking her every movement underneath the rain, which had started getting worse gradually. He could see she must have learned more about what happened to Hudson. The monster he is.
"To hell with your chat! How could you betray me like this?" Her voice cracked, a desperate hope lingering that he might tell her it was all a lie. "You're a heartless, fraudulent man. You don't deserve to be my partner!"
Zane's expression darkened. "Careful, Selina. Don't lose your manners."
A bitter, jagged laugh escaped her. She fixed him with a look of pure contempt.
"Manners? Where were your manners when you were sneaking around with Maura? Where were they when you hurt my father? You're being heartless!"
Zane remained unfazed as his brows snapped into a tight line. His stillness was more terrifying than a shout.