Chapter 7

After Cassian left, Rayna stepped out from the side. "Naomi, did you see that? Cassian's in love with me. If I were you, I'd walk away from him. All I did was lie and say you had someone come after me, and look how panicked he got." Rayna smirked provocatively, waving her phone. "No need to provoke me. If you like picking up trash, be my guest," Naomi replied calmly, then turned to pay her respects to her parents. Rayna's smile froze. Naomi's reaction only made her angrier. "You're just an abandoned woman. What are you so smug about? Cassian waited five years to marry me. For those five years, you were just a joke. Without Cassian, you're nothing!" Naomi's steps faltered for a moment. Even with her heart already numb, the words still stung. She turned back, holding in her emotions. "Without Cassian, I'm still a Whitaker. Even if you marry him, that gives you no right to shout in front of me. Rayna, I'm not walking away because you forced me to. I'm walking away because I don't want Cassian anymore." Rayna's eyes burned with fury as Naomi walked away without looking back. "Naomi! I'll make you regret this!" Naomi ignored her and walked straight to her parents' graves to bid them farewell. She told them everything that had happened over the past five years. Her voice was calm, and she didn't cry at all. "Dad, Mom… I don't love Cassian anymore. You don't have to worry about me. I'll take good care of myself." It was nearly dark by the time she reluctantly left the cemetery. During all that time, Cassian never showed up or called. The cemetery was in a remote area, and Naomi had to walk a short distance down a narrow path to reach the main road and call for a ride. After saying her final goodbyes to her parents, she slowly made her way toward the road, but she hadn't gone far when she sensed someone following her. Her pace quickened, and she pulled out her phone to call the police. Before she could dial, someone caught up to her from behind. Then, a handkerchief was pressed over her mouth. Naomi struggled violently, but within moments, everything went dark. She had been drugged and lost consciousness. A sudden, bone-chilling shock jolted her awake. A bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped over her. She was tied to a pillar with her arms bound behind her back, a blindfold covering her eyes. Her body trembled uncontrollably from the cold. "Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?" Naomi shouted, her voice trembling. A wave of overwhelming fear surged through her. "Say something! Who are you people? Is it money you want? I have a lot of money! Just give me an account number, and I'll transfer it to you right now!" But there was no response. Naomi couldn't see a thing, and no matter how many times she asked, the only answer she got was silence. Her clothes were soaked through from the icy water, and the wind biting against her skin made the cold feel even more unbearable. Panic began to take hold as she struggled to stay in place. "Let me go! Who are you? What do you want from me?" "Ah!" Naomi cried out as a sharp pain tore through her abdomen. The man had struck her hard with a stick. "You don't need to know who I am. You just need to pay for what you've done." He raised the stick again and slammed it into her stomach. The force of the blow made her feel as if her organs had been crushed together. The pain was so intense that she cried. "I don't understand what you're talking about." He didn't answer. He just kept beating her, each strike landing with brutal precision. It was as if he wanted to shatter her from the inside out. The agony was unbearable. She blacked out, only to be jolted back awake by the next blow. By the time it was over, she could barely feel anything. Her lower body was soaked in blood, and crimson trickled from the corner of her mouth, soaking into her clothes. At last, the man seemed to grow tired. He dropped the stick and untied her. Naomi collapsed like a broken rag doll. Blood pooled beneath her, and then everything went dark. When Naomi woke again, the room was empty. She pulled off the blindfold. There was a projector in front of her. On the screen, Cassian held Rayna tightly in his arms. He kissed her forehead over and over, trying to comfort her. "Don't cry, sweetie. It's okay. You're safe now." "Cassian, I don't believe it. I don't believe Naomi would try to hurt me. She's such a kind person. How could she do that just because I accidentally pushed her?" Rayna cried out loud. "Maybe people do change. The evidence is right there. Naomi was the one who sent someone after you. "If you hadn't called the police in time, who knows what might've happened?" Cassian replied, pain flickering in his eyes. "Even so, you can't take revenge for me. You can't hurt Naomi." "Even now, you're still thinking about her? Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt her. "I'll just deal with the ones who laid a hand on you. As for Naomi, I'll find a chance to give her a warning." Cassian's eyes were full of disappointment. He had already convinced himself that Naomi had hired someone to hurt Rayna. Naomi curled up on the ground, shaking with pain. She stared at the face on the screen, her heart feeling torn and exposed. Cassian, the man who once trusted her without question, now believed Rayna's baseless accusation. And because of that lie, he had let someone beat her within an inch of her life. His heart had changed. And when the heart changed, everything else followed. She laughed, tears spilling from her eyes as she pondered, "Cassian… if one day you learn the truth, will you regret it?"