chapter 3
Shards of broken beer bottles dug deep into my palms and thighs.
The sharp pain shot straight to my brainyet compared to the agony in my heart, it was nothing.
'Even Leopold... doesn't believe me anymore?'
"Hedy," he said, his face dark with fury, his eyes filled with disappointment, "I never thought you were this kind of person."
"For all these years of marriage, I treated you like a treasure. Whatever you wanted, I gave. I never lost my temper at you, never let you suffer even the smallest grievance."
"I learned massage and therapy just to care for you better. I kept you warm, clothed, tended to every needterrified that you might be even a little unwell."
"And you? What did you do?"
"You went behind my back, sucking your best friend's blood, gambling, destroying your own reputation and dignity!"
"The body I worked so hard to nurse back to healthyou ruined it with your filthy, shameful acts!"
"Hedy, you're not just degrading yourselfyou're trampling on our marriage!"
The man who had always been so gentle, for the first time, was completely unhinged.
His voice was raw, each word like a blade, cutting me deeper than any wound on my body.
Seeing him like this, my chest tightened painfully.
Holding back tears, I forced myself up and tried to explain, "Leopold, I"
But before I could finish, his palm cracked harshly across my face.
"Shut up! Don't you dare say my nameyou're not worthy!"
With that, he tore the wedding ring off his finger and flung it at me.
"Let's divorce."
The cold finality in his voice pierced my heart deeper than the slap.
The man I had once thought was my shelterjust shattered my last piece of faith.
I froze, feeling empty, like my soul had been ripped away.
Paul seized the moment, sneering. "Hedy, now do you understand what it feels like to be disgraced and ruined?"
"A greedy, scheming, dirty woman like youdid you really think you deserved anyone's love? You didn't even deserve Alexia's kindness!"
"Thank heavens I dumped you. Staying with a disgusting leech like you would've been the biggest shame of my life."
"The only useful thing you've ever done was bringing Alexia into my life. From now on, you can choke on the contempt of everyone around you. I'll make sure Alexia cuts all ties with you. Without her, let's see how you survive!"
His words hit like stones, and the crowd erupted in agreement.
The barrage of insults multipliedcomment feeds, streamers, onlookersthousands of voices united in cursing me.
The crushing weight of being condemned by all... it was suffocating.
Even though I had braced myself, I still couldn't hold back. I broke down.
And thenPaul's phone rang.
The caller was Alexia.
He answered instantly, only to be met with her sobbing voice, "Hubby... I... I lost the baby..."
Paul's eyes reddened in an instant. "What happened?!"
Alexia stammered between tears, "It was Hedy... She insisted on going to a hotel with a bunch of male models. I tried to stop her, but she pushed me down... she's the reason I miscarried!"
Her words made the crowd gasp.
As for me, standing at the very heart of the stormI finally let out a long, shaky breath.
It's starting. The end has finally come.
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