Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE WIFE HE BETRAYED, THE WOMAN HE FEARS: Kabanata 171 - Kabanata 180

Lucia’s POVI sat frozen on the couch, my eyes glued to the television screen as the press conference continued playing right in front of me. The volume was loud enough to fill the entire living room, yet I could barely hear anything beyond the sound of my own heartbeat pounding violently in my ears.My fingers tightened around the remote control as I watched them.Matteo and Sofia!Standing side by side like they belonged together. Like nothing I had done mattered, and everything I planned had meant absolutely nothing.My chest rose and fell unevenly as I tried to process what I was seeing, but it felt like my mind was rejecting it completely. This was not how it was supposed to happen, and definitely not how any of it was supposed to go.I leaned forward slightly, my eyes narrowing as Matteo spoke, my nails digging into the plastic body of the remote in my hand.“I care about her.”The words echoed in my head over and over again like a cruel joke. My lips parted slightly, but no so

Sofia’s POVFor a few seconds after Lucia made that accusation, I just stood there staring at her, trying to understand how she could say something so outrageous with so much confidence and still carry herself like she had already won.My mind did not panic immediately, but there was a sharp awareness at the back of it that told me this was not random and definitely not a coincidence.Lucia never acted without a reason, and she was not the type to throw words carelessly in public unless she had already prepared something to back it up.If she was accusing me like this in front of so many people, then she had already set the stage and was simply waiting for everything to unfold exactly the way she had planned it.I slowly straightened my posture, adjusting my shoulders and lifting my chin slightly, my face calm even though my thoughts were already moving fast, connecting pieces and trying to see through whatever game she was playing.“I did not steal anything,” I said firmly, making su

Sofia’s POVThe moment my hand connected with Lucia’s face, the sound echoed sharply across the entire store, loud enough to silence every single whisper that had been building around us. The force of it sent her stumbling backwards, completely unprepared, and before she could even regain her balance, her heel slipped against the polished floor, and she went down hard.A collective gasp filled the air as she landed on the ground, her body frozen for a second as if her mind had not yet caught up with what had just happened.I did not move immediately. I stood there, my chest rising and falling slowly as I looked down at her, my gaze cold and unwavering. There was no hesitation in me, no regret, and certainly no sympathy for her.Without thinking twice, I stepped closer and spat right beside her, my voice cutting through the silence that had taken over the room.“You never learn! No matter how many times I teach you, you still come back to make the same mistake over and over again.” I

Sofia’s POVWhen Julian asked to meet us urgently, I already felt that whatever he had to say was not going to be simple or easy to handle, and that feeling only grew stronger when he insisted the meeting should be at my home instead of the company or any public place.He has been away for a while, mother said he had some important things to attend to. So when he called, I was a bit excited to speak to him. I must say, I have rather grown fond of him. But his voice wasn't sounding pleasing over the phone, and I knew something was wrong. Matteo and I agreed, but the entire time we were waiting for him to arrive, I could feel the tension in the house building quietly, like something heavy was about to drop and none of us were ready for the impact.Julian arrived looking completely drained, like he had been carrying something too heavy for too long without rest. His clothes were slightly wrinkled, his eyes were tired, and even the way he stepped into the room showed hesitation, like

Ignacio’s POVThe moment Sofia left my office, I knew she had not come for small talk.She had been too calm, and too controlled. That kind of calm never came from innocence. It came from preparation. And I had seen that look before in people who were quietly building a case against me without saying it out loud.Sofia suspected me!And in my world, suspicion was already a threat.I sat back in my chair long after she left, staring at the closed door, replaying every second of our conversation.Her questions had been careful, almost innocent on the surface, but there was pressure underneath them. She was testing my responses, watching my reactions more than my answers.That meant one thing. She had either seen something, or someone had already spoken to her.My fingers tapped the desk once, slowly. I did not allow myself to panic. Panic was for people who were already losing control.I picked up my phone and made a few quiet calls, and structured instructions to the right people.By t