CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

Ryker’s face turned grim with anger.

“Was that why you spread rumours online that she’s a homewrecker? Do you know how much damage that caused to her career? She literally cut her wrists when she couldn’t take it anymore.”

“I didn’t spread any rumours, but whoever did that deserves an award,” Ember said hotly.

Ryker’s face was livid with rage.

“Ember!”

Grabbing her wrist, he shoved his phone in her face. On the screen was a post her best friend, Pearl, had made, accusing Linda of being a homewrecker. Surprisingly, the post had gained over a thousand engagements.

It seemed not many people hated her after all.

“What? That’s what she gets for trying to be a homewrecker. And before you ask, I didn’t tell her to post that,” Ember insisted stubbornly.

She hadn’t really asked Pearl to post it, but Pearl must have been so angry that she did it on her own.

Ryker immediately took her phone from her handbag and handed it to her.

“Make a post saying she isn’t a homewrecker.”

Ember stared at him.

“What? No way.”

The post had already been taken down several times, but no matter how his subordinates tried to clear it, it always multiplied again. No doubt a top hacker had a hand in it.

“Then call your friend and tell her to remove it,” Ryker insisted.

Ember scoffed, her already broken heart twisting painfully.

“Are you seriously trying to make me clean up your mistress’s mess online?” she asked.

“Don’t call her a mistress,” Ryker warned coldly.

Ember let out a mocking laugh.

“Then what is she—your lover?”

Ryker’s cold expression finally cracked with fury.

“Ember!” he yelled.

Ember stared at him as if to say, What now?

Just then, Ryker received a text message: Linda was losing a lot of blood and needed an urgent blood transfusion.

He stared at his phone for a long moment before issuing a cruel order.

“Turn back to the hospital.”

The driver immediately obeyed.

A chill ran through Ember immediately as she watched the car reverse toward the hospital building.

“What are you trying to do, Ryker? Let me out!” she yelled in panic.

The last time she had been taken to that hospital wasn’t a pleasant memory, and this time, she feared it would be even worse.

“Since you don’t want to admit your mistake, you might as well give her your blood,” Ryker said coldly.

Fear gripped Ember.

“Are you insane, Ryker? What does that even mean?” she asked, panic filling her voice.

“Exactly what you heard,” Ryker replied, his face devoid of emotion.

In panic, Ember began banging on the door, trying to force it open, but it was futile. Ryker had his guards drag her into the hospital and draw a large quantity of her blood.

By the time they were done, Ember was on the verge of collapsing. The doctor asked her to stay and rest, but Ember didn’t want to spend even one more second there.

Who knew if Linda would suddenly need an eye next?

And the fact that those doctors had taken her blood without her consent—but Ember couldn’t really blame them, not when Ryker had his claws and fangs out.

She struggled to walk, holding onto the wall, her face deathly pale. If they had drawn even a little more blood, she was sure she would have been unconscious for months.

But Ryker had always been a bastard. He had calculated the amount precisely—enough to make her weak, but not enough to kill her.

As she staggered out, she passed Linda’s hospital room.

Inside, Ryker was feeding Linda fruit he had personally sliced, while Linda laughed happily.

Ember smiled sadly.

He hurt her just to make another woman happy.

It was ironic—

and unbearably painful.

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Over the next few days, Ember stayed at her best friend’s house. With the help of Pearl’s cheerful nature, she slowly regained herself.

Soon, it was Old Mr. Hale’s birthday, and Ember was expected to attend. Though reluctant, she couldn’t refuse—Old Mr. Hale had always treated her kindly.

The party was held in one of the Hale family’s luxurious hotel ballrooms, filled with elegant dresses, shimmering figures, and the constant clinking of glasses.

Ember arrived wearing a sapphire-blue, backless evening gown and delicate makeup. Her beauty was breathtaking. The moment she entered, she drew admiring gazes from countless men.

But she didn’t spare them a glance—she was long accustomed to such attention.

Suddenly, a suit jacket carrying the clean scent of olive wine was draped over her bare shoulders. Ryker had appeared beside her at some point.

“Why weren’t you answering my calls? And why are you wearing such a tight-fitting dress?”

Ember’s body stiffened. Looking at the face that had become her constant torment, she flung the jacket back at him.

“What’s it to you? Whatever I wear is my choice,” she snapped, the anger she had buried surging back.

“Haven’t you noticed how those men are looking at me? They’re captivated. You know what? I’m in a generous mood today. They can look all they want.”

If any other man heard his wife speak like this in public, he would be burning with jealousy.

But Ryker remained expressionless. He picked up the jacket, draped it over his arm, and abruptly changed the subject.

“Why haven’t you come home for the past few days? And why aren’t you answering your calls? Your father told me about your arrangement.”

“Is this another one of your tantrums? Because I made you pay for your mistakes.”

His words felt like a blade plunged deep into her heart.

Her heart burned with betrayal—and with the careless way he said it.

She had almost died.

All her life, she had lived carefree. Even though her father was strict, she had never experienced having her blood drained for someone else. That experience had shaken her to the core. If it hadn’t been for Pearl, she didn’t know if she would have survived.

Ember sneered.

“A tantrum? Ryker, stop flattering yourself. What if I genuinely want a divorce?”

He looked at her calmly, his deep-set eyes seeming to see right through her. Then he said, flat and firm,

“That’s not possible.

You love me. You won’t divorce me.”

Ember’s pupils constricted violently.

Her heart shattered into pieces, the pain so intense she could barely stand.

He knew.

He had always known she loved him.

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