Chapter 4

“I will never let my uncle marry anyone but me!”

Ivy’s sharp voice cut through the villa.

Every word felt like a knife stabbing into my chest.

“My mother died the first time Dominic tried to leave me.”

“My father died the second time.”

“So let’s see if Elena Shaw still dares to stand beside him.”

Her arrogant laughter echoed through my mind.

Again and again.

Like a curse I couldn’t escape.

Something inside me finally broke.

I kicked open the villa door.

The music stopped instantly.

Everyone inside turned toward me.

The Westwood family’s private gathering fell into complete silence.

I walked straight to the speaker and shut it off.

Then I turned around.

Without hesitation, I slapped Ivy across the face.

The sound echoed through the hall.

Ivy’s head turned to the side.

For a few seconds, she looked completely stunned.

Then she slowly covered her cheek.

“You hit me?”

“No one in the Westwood family has ever dared to hit me!”

Her scream brought several guards rushing in.

They grabbed my arms.

Forced me down.

Ivy looked down at me from above.

The pity and innocence she always pretended to have were gone.

“You really think you’re special because Dominic protected you?”

“You think because your parents sacrificed for him, you have a place here?”

She stepped closer.

Her high heel pressed down against my hand.

Pain spread through my body.

I bit my lip to stop myself from crying out.

“I already took your mother away.”

“I already made sure your father would never wake up.”

She leaned closer.

Her voice was full of cruelty.

“If I wanted to, destroying you would be just as easy.”

“To the Westwood family, your life means nothing.”

Someone restarted the music.

The party continued.

As if nothing had happened.

Ivy’s friends surrounded me.

They laughed.

They kicked me.

They humiliated me in front of everyone.

Someone cut my arm with a blade.

The wound was not deep.

But the pain was intentional.

Blood slowly ran down my skin.

I looked at Ivy.

“Ivy.”

“You will pay for everything.”

She stared at me.

Then she laughed.

“Pay?”

She turned to the others.

“Tie her up.”

They dragged me into a storage room beneath the villa.

My hands were restrained.

My mouth was covered.

Before leaving, Ivy crouched in front of me.

She smiled.

“Open your eyes, Elena.”

“You’ll see who truly loses everything.”

The door closed.

Darkness surrounded me.

I struggled against the restraints.

My hatred burned hotter than the pain.

Then the door opened again.

Dominic walked in.

His eyes immediately landed on Ivy.

His expression changed.

“What happened to your face?”

Ivy didn’t answer.

Instead, she glanced toward the corner where I was hidden.

A strange smile appeared on her lips.

“You always think I’m causing trouble.”

“Forget it.”

“I don’t want Elena to get angry again when she comes back.”

Her voice sounded soft and innocent.

The same voice she always used in front of Dominic.

Dominic sighed.

Then he reached out and touched her head.

“You always make things complicated.”

“Come with me.”

Ivy immediately held onto his arm.

“Uncle…”

Dominic didn’t hesitate.

“I’ll take you somewhere quiet.”

I could barely breathe.

From the darkness, I watched them leave together.

The man who once promised to protect me.

The man who said I was the only woman he would marry.

He was walking away with the person who destroyed my family.

Eight years.

For eight years, I thought Dominic was simply cold.

I thought he was not someone who expressed emotions easily.

I thought he just didn’t know how to love.

But now I understood.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know how.

It was that he never wanted to give that love to me.

Later that night, I heard Ivy’s voice from the other room.

“Dominic.”

“I was the one who removed Elena’s father’s oxygen tube.”

The room went silent.

My entire body froze.

I waited.

I waited for him to become angry.

I waited for him to question her.

I waited for him to finally realize what she had done.

But after a long silence, Dominic only sighed.

“You really never know when to stop causing trouble.”

Then came Ivy’s soft laughter.

And Dominic’s silence.

That was enough.

I closed my eyes.

The last hope I had for him disappeared completely.