Chapter 3

Adrian came in, bringing a rush of cold with him.

When he saw me submerged in that freezing water, his pupils contracted hard.

"Natalie, have you fucking lost your mind?"

He crossed the room in long strides and hauled me out of the tub.

"Let go..." I struggled weakly.

"Shut up!"

He roared it, and yet his hands were shaking violently.

He grabbed a towel, wrapped me in it, and pressed me hard against his chest.

"You're insane. You pull this every single time. I am so sick of you."

With his warm body against mine, I nearly believed the Adrian who loved me had come back.

My fingers closed around his sleeve without my meaning them to.

Then his phone rang.

Bianca's ringtone.

"Adrian... help me..."

Her voice came through the line thick with tears, noise in the background.

"Everyone online is attacking me... They're saying I broke up your marriage with the Donna..."

"They're trying to find my address... I'm so scared..."

Adrian's face darkened in an instant.

The panic in his eyes vanished, replaced by something glacial.

He turned and fixed his stare on me.

"I told you to leave her alone."

"I didn't do it." My voice was hoarse.

"Who else in this city would dare touch someone of mine?"

Adrian shot to his feet, looking at me like he was looking at a monster.

"I thought you were just jealous. I didn't realize you wouldn't even spare a pregnant woman."

I went still.

He had believed Bianca without a moment's hesitation.

For the past few years, every mad thing I'd done had revolved around Bianca.

At first, Bianca would call me in the middle of the night from Adrian's phone and let me listen to them having sex, then delete the call log afterward.

Later, I found a used condom in the passenger seat and threw it in Adrian's face.

And after that, our fights escalated into something closer to a death match.

The worst was on the bay bridge, when I grabbed the steering wheel out of nowhere.

The car took out a dozen meters of guardrail and ended up with half a wheel hanging over the water.

Adrian slammed the brakes.

Then he caught my hand and turned the knife I was holding toward his own throat.

"If you want to die, stab me first. I'll clear the way for you."

Neither of us would back down. Neither of us would concede.

But this time, I genuinely hadn't done anything.

And while I was still reeling, Adrian had already reached his verdict.

"If you insist on denying it, don't blame me for what comes next."

When he spoke into the phone, his tone turned gentle.

"Don't be afraid. I'll handle everything."

After he hung up, he dialed the family's consigliere.

"Release the files PR has been sitting on. Push them everywhere. Now."

My whole body locked up. "What files?"

Adrian looked down at me, and his voice was cold and merciless.

"The videos your ex-husband took of you being a whore. And your psychiatric records."

"If I want the press off Bianca, I need a bigger scandal to feed them."