Chapter 227

She just stared blankly at Lucian Sterling, unable to say a word in her defense. All she could do was cling to the only bit of hope she had left—his trust, his protection, and the belief that he’d stand up for her, preserve her dignity. "Cut the tears, Ariella Rios. Don’t put on a show for me. Really, it’s kind of sad. Didn’t want to be with me, yet you went out of your way to do all this? What do you even want from me? Payback for how I hurt you before? Right, you said it yourself—‘You’ll hate me forever,’ that you’d never forgive me. And stupid me thought maybe my love would touch you, win you back. I was deluded. You went and brought him here, so just go, go with him!" "Lucian, please believe me. I swear I didn’t do anything. Hector Harper, he just assumed stuff—I never reached out to him. He talked about some messages or whatever, but I didn’t send anything like that. Not one. If you don’t believe me, check my phone. Just check my phone!" Her voice cracked as she cried, lips trembl