Chapter 10
I used to think Madeline was just too cunning, and his friends played along too well, which was why he was deceived.
In my heart, I had made countless excuses for him.
But now, he was here, telling me that all those incidents were insignificant and that he had felt joy deep inside.
Fury flared within me and I slapped him hard.
“Alexander, do you honestly think that because you apologize and lower your head, I’ll just forgive you?!”
“Stop dreaming! What about all the pain I’ve suffered? Was I just supposed to accept it?”
“And let me make this clear: no matter
how often you say sorry, it doesn’t change a thing. I will never forgive you.”
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Without sparing him a second glance, I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving him to stand there, ashen–faced.
Outside the door, Tristan’s fists were clenched tightly, his face etched with seriousness.
But as soon as he saw me, his expression softened, warmth filling his eyes.
It was clear that he had witnessed everything. Without asking a single question, he simply reached out, took my hand, and said, “Let’s go home.”
***
I dove headfirst into cramming for my spoken English and preparing for my admissions interview.
Meanwhile, Alexander didn’t come looking for me.
But the news was flooded with updates about Adams Corporation‘ s ruthless crackdown on Willowcreek Enterprises.
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The entire city of Brookhaven was buzzing
with tension.
In less than a month, Adams Corporation had taken down several companies.
Each time he destroyed one, someone was forced to step forward and apologize.
People began to whisper that he was waging war in a fit of fury for a woman.
The ironic part? He never let me step into the media spotlight.
Instead, Madeline was often seen by his side, leading everyone to believe she was the woman behind it all.
It wasn’t until the Landers Family was finally ruined, and Madeline appeared before the media with a hollow gaze, apologizing for everything, that the truth came to light.
The woman who had pushed Alexander to such extremes wasn‘ t Madeline at all.
I recognized the people he had gone after,
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the same ones who bullied me.
Yet, I couldn’t grasp what he was trying to
prove.
The one who had caused me the most pain had always been him.
I grew tired of it all and focused on my own
life.
During this time, unfamiliar phone calls
flooded in.
I accidentally picked up one, only to hear one of his friends sobbing, pleading for mercy, saying Alexander was determined to ruin them all, driving them out of
Brookhaven.
For the people who had hurt me in the past, no matter how pitiful their pleas sounded, I felt no sympathy.
So, I chose to ignore them.
That was until the day I was set to leave the
country.
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Tristan naturally held my hand, his presence now something I was growing accustomed to with each passing day.
But as I was about to board the plane, the airport suddenly became engulfed by a crowd.
Alexander rushed toward me, his face twisted in panic.
His eyes were bloodshot, veins of red coursing through them.
In his hands, he clutched two amulets of peace, relics from the church my mother had visited before she passed.
Only then did I notice the swelling on his forehead, a reminder of the chaos that had
unfolded.
He staggered toward me, each step unsteady.
Tristan instinctively positioned himself in front of me, his body tense and vigilant.
But Alexander ignored him, stubbornly
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holding out the amulets, his voice
pleading. “Scarlett, I brought the amulets back. Don’t go with him. Please, I know you’re just with him to spite me.”
“You’ve loved me for ten years; how could you just stop loving me like this?”
His voice trembled with desperation.
Then, with a shocking move, he dropped to his knees in front of me, clutching my legs, just as I had once begged him not to delay our wedding.
Tristan’s back stiffened at the sight, his usually gentle eyes now darkened with a simmering intensity.
I placed a reassuring hand on his back.
And then, I did something that stunned everyone in the airport.
