Cassian carried Rayna into the car, feeling a sudden tightness in his chest. He instinctively turned to glance back at the abandoned factory behind them. It felt like something important was still in there.

For some reason, the image of that woman crawling toward him flashed in his mind. She looked strangely familiar.

"Cassian, what's wrong?" Rayna couldn't help but ask when she saw the look on his face.

He looked away and shook his head. He must be overthinking it. She was just a bitch. There was no way he'd know her.

"Let's go," Cassian said, driving off. 

The farther they drove from the abandoned factory, the more restless he felt. He tugged at his tie unconsciously, and in his distraction, he didn't notice a car pulling out up ahead.

"Cassian, watch out!" Rayna cried out, reaching over to grab the steering wheel. They narrowly avoided a collision.

Cassian slammed the brakes, a

Cassian's unease was growing stronger by the second. He stood up and headed straight for the door.

Rayna clutched the hem of his shirt, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Cassian, where are you going?"

"Sweetie, be good. I need to go home," Cassian replied gently, though a faint trace of anger laced his tone.

Rayna let go of him reluctantly, feeling a surge of resentment toward Naomi, but she still spoke up for her. "Cassian, just… promise you won't be too harsh with Naomi."

"You little fool, think about yourself for once. I'll be back soon to keep you company."

Cassian hurried back to the villa, overwhelmed by an unsettling sense of panic. It felt as though something significant was slipping away from his grasp.

While waiting at a red light, he tried calling Naomi again. Yet, a robotic voice came through the speaker. "The number you have dialed cannot be reached at the moment.

The projector repeatedly showed the same footage of Cassian and Rayna. Each time he doubted Naomi and showed tenderness toward Rayna, it hurt Naomi deeply.

Then, a new clip began to play. Cassian was cooking for Rayna. The cold cruelty from before was gone, replaced by a bright smile. His gaze at Rayna was soft and full of love, just like how he used to look at her.

"Naomi, when will I finally get to marry you?"

"Naomi, I love you so much. Please say yes to my proposal."

"I'll love you forever. If anyone dares hurt you, I'll fight them to the death."

"Honey, I'm a great cook. From now on, all your meals are on me. Only you get to eat my cooking, not even my parents."

"Honey, Ray saved your life and mine, too, in a way. She's just an orphan… let's take care of her together."

"Of course, I'm serious about Ray. She just wants a lasting relationship, and I can give her that."

...

Cassian's voice echoed in her mind—his promises, confessions, and lies. Each word pierced her ears like a sharp, relentless needle.

The man she once loved, the man who once loved her, began to blur. In her mind, he slowly peeled away from the Cassian on the screen until the two no longer felt like the same person. Bit by bit, he was being pulled out of her heart.

Night had fully fallen. Naomi collapsed to the floor, feeling helpless. She allowed the coldness and darkness to seep into her bones, swallowing her whole.

When she regained consciousness, she began to move slowly, painfully. Dried blood clung to her skin and clothes. As she shifted, it dragged across the floor, leaving a long, dark smear behind her.

Her lower abdomen was completely numb. Still, she forced herself to walk out.

Sunlight spilled across the ground outside. Yet, no amount of light could reach the frost inside her.

Eventually, her strength gave out. She fainted on the side of the road. A stranger took her to the hospital.

"Ms. Whitaker, your abdomen suffered severe trauma. Your uterus has ruptured. We'll need to perform surgery to remove the remaining tissue."

Naomi listened to the doctor's words without much of a reaction. She had already accepted the truth. After losing the baby, she would never be able to carry a child again.

So be it… At least she could still walk away from Cassian alive.

Naomi had just woken up from surgery when someone covered her mouth, put a hood over her head, and brought her to Cassian.

"Ray, she's here. Once we've dealt with her, no more tears, alright?" Cassian said, his gaze softening the moment he turned back to Rayna.

Rayna beamed and planted a kiss on his cheek, her eyes gleaming. "So I can do anything I want?"

"Yeah. Whatever you want. As long as I'm here, you don't have to worry about a thing," Cassian replied with indulgent warmth. Even if it ended in blood, he'd take the fall for her.

Rayna clapped her hands smugly and ordered the bodyguards to bring over two urns.

"What are you doing?" Naomi could tell what was in the urns. They were her parents' ashes. She tried to speak, but all that came out were muffled sobs.

"Cassian, since she's so evil, I'm going to make her parents vanish with the wind," Rayna said with a smirk, glancing at Cassian.

"Alright."

"No, Cassian! Look at them. They're your in-laws. Please stop her!" 

Naomi was in tears, struggling against her restraints. She couldn't speak clearly and could only let out desperate whimpers.

Cassian's eyes remained fixed on Rayna's face. He didn't cast a single glance at the urns she held.

Naomi sank deeper into despair. As she watched the ashes scatter into the wind, her heart shattered into pieces. She wondered, "Cassian… is Rayna the only one you see?"

Restrained by the bodyguards, Naomi was unable to move. The pain from her injuries gnawed at every nerve, and as darkness closed in around her, she lost consciousness.

Rayna noticed and casually emptied the remaining ashes into the air. "Cassian, let's go. I'm not mad anymore."

"Alright." Cassian carried her away. As they passed Naomi's unconscious body, his steps slowed for a brief moment. But in the end, he didn't spare her a single glance.

When Naomi woke up, the ashes on the ground had long since vanished. She cradled the empty urn in her arms, her tears long since dried.

Back at the villa, she retrieved her newly issued documents. Standing in the place she had called home for five years, she glanced around one last time. A mocking smile tugged at her lips.

Naomi grabbed a baseball bat and smashed the Lego set they had built together, the couch they had picked out, the television they had ordered as a couple…

She used every last ounce of strength to destroy everything in the living room. As she stood in the middle of the wreckage, she let out a sorrowful laugh. She dropped the bat and took out a lipstick, scrawling two lines on the wall. 

"Cassian, you once said that those who betray true love should swallow ten thousand needles. Do you still remember?"

"The thing I regret most in this life is falling in love with you!"

Naomi walked out of the villa decisively, leaving everything she once had with Cassian buried in the ruins.

Cassian carried Rayna into the car, feeling a sudden tightness in his chest. He instinctively turned to glance back at the abandoned factory behind them. It felt like something important was still in there.

For some reason, the image of that woman crawling toward him flashed in his mind. She looked strangely familiar.

"Cassian, what's wrong?" Rayna couldn't help but ask when she saw the look on his face.

He looked away and shook his head. He must be overthinking it. She was just a bitch. There was no way he'd know her.

"Let's go," Cassian said, driving off. 

The farther they drove from the abandoned factory, the more restless he felt. He tugged at his tie unconsciously, and in his distraction, he didn't notice a car pulling out up ahead.

"Cassian, watch out!" Rayna cried out, reaching over to grab the steering wheel. They narrowly avoided a collision.

Cassian slammed the brakes, and the car came to a sudden stop.

His heart was still racing, and his brows furrowed tightly. He ha

Chapter 9