Chapter 5

Alcohol was absolutely off-limits for Aiden.

I went through so much trouble and put in so much effort just to help him heal his stomach. And now, just to make his true love smile, he was downing drink after drink like it was nothing.

I suddenly couldn't hold it in anymore.

So, this was what happened when someone was pushed to the edge of fury. There was no such thing as staying calm, thinking rationally, or weighing the consequences.

My mind roared with anger, and I charged forward.

I snatched the glass from Aiden's hand and smashed it onto the floor.

"You bastard!" I screamed.

Aiden stared at me in shock.

"Ah!" Skyla gasped, startled. She took two steps back, tripped, and fell.

Her hand knocked over a nearby serving cart, sending the steaming hot soup splashing everywhere. Scalding oil splattered across her face and forehead.

She let out a piercing scream.

Aiden jolted and shouted in panic, "Skyla!"

Everyone rushed toward her.

Suddenly, a powerful shove slammed into my shoulder, making me lose my balance. I stumbled backward and crashed onto the floor. My forehead struck the edge of a table.

One of Aiden's young subordinates glared at me viciously. "Where did this madwoman come from? Do you think you can run after hurting someone?"

I clutched my head, feeling a warm liquid trickle down, blurring my vision. Through the blood, I saw Aiden rushing toward me, his face etched with panic.

But I didn't care. I lost it.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, "I saw it! I saw everything in that damn folder! You two are disgusting! It's absolutely revolting!"

…

For the past three months, every time I thought about what happened next, it always felt like a dream.

It was a nightmare—a horrific, twisted nightmare.

The shock, the head injury, the screaming—I must have worked myself up too much because I blacked out.

When I woke up in the hospital, Aiden was sitting next to me. His head was bowed low, and his expression was blank.

Weakly, I opened my mouth. "Get out. I don't want to see you. You make me sick."

Aiden's body stiffened. He raised his unshaven face, his voice hoarse as he said, "Lily, don't get so worked up. It's not what you think."

I reached for the thermos on the table and hurled it at him.

He didn't dodge. It hit his jaw with a dull thud before falling to the floor. Aiden closed his eyes for a moment, then bent down to pick it up and place it back on the table.

With a deep sigh, he said, "You can hit me, curse me, and do whatever you want. At this point, I'm not going to defend myself. I just want to say one thing. Skyla and I never crossed the line."

I stared at him, my teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached. "So what? Am I supposed to applaud you two for your noble morals? Thank you for not going all the way?"

Aiden looked at me, his expression full of sorrow. "Do you have to say it like that?"

Under the blanket, my trembling hand pressed tightly against the mattress. "You think my words are disgusting? Are they as disgusting as what you two did? Just thinking about the things you wrote to each other makes me want to vomit!

"Don't act like a tragic pair of star-crossed lovers! What a load of crap! Your so-called "platonic love" is just cheating in disguise!"

In the past, whenever I watched TV shows or read novels where the female lead caught her husband cheating and flew into a hysterical rage, screaming and crying as if they had completely lost it, I always felt indifferent.

I thought those women were too emotional and undignified.

I used to think, "He's just a man. If he's done you dirty, just ditch him."

But now that I experienced it, I realized there was no controlling it. I was drowning in rage and betrayal. My chest felt like it was going to explode.

I wanted to throw every vile, hateful word I could think of at them.

I wanted nothing more than to destroy him.

I wanted to drag him and that woman to hell with me.