4.

The message came with the name of a downtown hotel and a room number. My heart hammered in my chest as I flagged down a taxi.

By the time I got there, sweat covered my palms. I hurried down the hallway, searching for Room 318. I shoved the door open, praying I’d find Lina safe. She had sounded terrified on the phone.

She was the only light left in my life. The thought of her in danger was unbearable.

I flung the door open. “Lina?” My voice cracked.

The room was dim, the curtains pulled tight. A sweet, chemical smell hung in the air. Before I could step back, the door slammed shut and locked behind me.

My pulse raced. “Hello?”

I barely took two steps before a cloth pressed over my nose and mouth. I tried to push it away, but the dizziness was instant, the world spinning like I was being pulled underwater.

The last thing I heard was a man’s voice and the sound of my clothes tearing.

When I woke, the room was silent. My head pounded. My body ached. I was sprawled on the bed, my clothes disheveled, shame clinging to my skin.

I dragged myself upright, wobbling on my weak legs until I reached the door. To my surprise, it opened. The hallway lights were harsh against my swollen eyes. I held onto the wall for balance, my body trembling, my throat raw from silent cries.

But I froze.

Just a few steps away, in a private booth, sat Lina ... laughing with Kira.

I blinked, hoping my vision lied.

“Lina?” My voice cracked. I staggered toward her.

She looked up and sighed in annoyance. “You’re late. How exactly were you planning to save me now?”

Kira smirked at her side. “Save you? Please. She can’t even save herself.” Her words were sharp enough to slice me open.

My breath caught. “You… you weren’t in trouble?”

Kira rolled her eyes. “Do you see her bruised? Do you see her hurt? Use your brain for once.”

I stared at Lina, begging her with my eyes. But she only leaned back, calm and cold.

Tears welled up. “Why?” I whispered.

“Because I warned you,” Lina snapped, her voice low and sharp. “I told you to walk away from him, but you wouldn’t listen. You’re pathetic, Emily.” Her spit landed on my cheek. “And you disgust me.”

Kira’s laugh was cruel. “Do you really think you deserve Lina’s friendship? You can’t even keep your husband’s attention. My best friend deserves better than you.”

The pain twisted deep inside me. Adrian’s cruelty I could endure, but this? This betrayal from the only person I trusted cut deeper than any wound.

I turned away, determined to leave, but before I reached the stairs, a force slammed against my back.

I cried out as I tumbled downward, my body hitting the steps, my head cracking against the railing. My screams echoed as I collapsed in a heap at the bottom.

Suddenly, Lina and Kira rushed down, their faces painted with fake worry.

“Emily! Oh my God, are you okay?” Kira grabbed one arm while Lina grabbed the other, squeezing until I winced.

“You’re so clumsy,” Lina said with a bitter smile, though her eyes glittered with malice. “You should be more careful in dark places like this.”

One of them had pushed me ... I knew it. But no one else saw. The bystanders only rushed to help as I writhe in pain.

The hotel staff called for a car and I was taken to the hospital. My injuries were bad. Surgery followed, and I remained there for a week.

When the cast finally came off my leg, I didn’t care about the pain. I only knew one thing: I had to leave this city.

I dialed Adrian’s number. He hadn’t visited once, not even to ask if I was alive.

He answered, his tone colder than ice. “What do you want?”

“I… I need a ride home,” I whispered. “I’m in a wheelchair, and I can’t...”

His voice thundered through the receiver. “You dare ask me for help after spreading your legs like a cheap whore? You disgust me, Emily. I want a divorce.”

The phone slipped from my hand. My whole body shook.

Did my husband just throw away five years of marriage… over the phone?