Chapter 4

The air in the car instantly froze.

Selene’s throat bobbed, as if she were desperately suppressing a wave of fury.

After a long pause, she whipped her head around and glared at me with pure venom.

"Because you deserved it!"

"Honestly, when I first met you, I actually liked you. But then you just *had* to play the desperate, pathetic puppy who wanted to marry into my family. You made my mother use her own life to force me into this marriage!"

"I am so sick of it! I am sick of my mother controlling every single aspect of my life! I wanted freedom! I told you that back then, and you said you didn't care as long as you could be with me. Well, this is what you get. You brought this entirely on yourself!"

Selene screamed the words in one breath.

Then, she slumped back against the leather seat, panting heavily.

I listened to her, quiet and still.

I wasn't shocked, just incredibly amused by the sheer absurdity of it all.

Looking at her flushed, angry face, I offered a sincere apology:

"I'm sorry, Selene. For wasting these past few years of your life."

"Now that we are divorced, I promise I will never bother you again."

Selene didn't reply, her brow furrowing even tighter.

By the time the filing was complete and we returned to the estate, Selene remained dead silent.

I had no desire to irritate her further, so I retreated directly to the third-floor guest room to pack my things.

At dinner, the four of us sat together again: Victoria, Selene, Hunter, and myself.

This time, Selene and Hunter weren't acting overly touchy.

But as the chandelier light caught Hunter's wrist, my eyes snagged on a familiar glint of green.

That was...

That was my mother's heirloom emerald bracelet!

Shock and panic seized me. I stood up so fast my chair screeched, and I lunged across the table to grab Hunter's wrist.

"Give it back!"

"That's my mother's bracelet! Who gave you permission to go into the master bedroom and ransack my jewelry box?"

Hunter shrieked in pain as I gripped his wrist.

But a split second later, a flash of smug satisfaction crossed his eyes. He instantly whimpered, tears pooling in his eyes.

"What do you mean, your bracelet? Ashton, what are you talking about? I bought this myself a few days ago! I was planning on gifting it to Selene!"

"Selene, he's hurting me! Make him let go!"

Selene stood up almost the exact second I grabbed Hunter.

Hearing his whimper, she violently slapped my hand away without a shred of hesitation.

"Ashton! Have you lost your damn mind? Let go of him!"

"I knew you wouldn't let this divorce go smoothly! It's just a bracelet! If Hunter said he bought it, he bought it! Stop causing a scene over nothing!"

I stared at Selene, my voice turning sharp and hysterical:

"I'm causing a scene? Selene, open your eyes and look at it!"

"This was in the safety deposit box of my mother's estate! It's her last legacy!"

Selene glanced at the bracelet with irritation. It did look familiar. It probably was mine.

But just as she opened her mouth to tell Hunter to take it off and give it back,

Victoria slammed her hand on the table, standing up and pointing a shaking finger at Hunter.

"You thief! I've seen that bracelet before. It belongs to Ashton. Give it back to him right now!"

"You cheap, lying thief."

"Selene, let me tell you something. If you defend this parasite one more time, you will no longer have a mother!"

Victoria's threat instantly triggered Selene’s deep-seated rebellion.

She stepped in front of Hunter, shielding him completely.

"I said it's Hunter's, so it's his."

"It's just a piece of jewelry. I'll buy Ashton a better one at the Sotheby's auction tomorrow. Stop using every little thing to make Hunter's life miserable!"

Lies!

That was the last physical memory I had of my late mother.

Even if she bought me ten thousand bracelets, none of them would be the one my mother wore.

Blinded by grief and panic, I threw myself forward, trying to wrench the bracelet from Hunter's wrist.

Selene pushed me back.

Then Victoria joined the fray, trying to pull Selene away from me.

In the chaotic scuffle, to keep me from reaching Hunter, Selene violently shoved me away—

A massive force slammed into my shoulder.

I didn't expect her to use so much strength. My ankle twisted, and I lost my balance completely, falling backward like a chopped tree.

*CRACK!*

A sickening, dull thud echoed through the dining room.

The lower half of my back slammed violently against the sharp, carved corner of the heavy mahogany dining table.

In an instant, an agonizing, white-hot pain exploded from the point of impact, paralyzing my lungs and stripping away my ability to make a sound.

Taking advantage of my fall, Selene grabbed Hunter's hand and stormed out the door.

"Stop! Selene, you absolute monster!"

"Get back here! Someone stop them!"

Victoria screamed at the top of her lungs, calling for the security guards.

But Selene and Hunter had already vanished into the night.

Victoria turned around, intending to comfort me, but the words died in her throat.

Beside the dining table, I was slumped on the floor, surrounded by a rapidly expanding pool of dark red blood, my face as white as a sheet of paper.

"Ashton—!"

Victoria nearly fainted from shock.

I was rushed to the ER, and the red "Surgery in Progress" light stayed on for an entire day and night.

Meanwhile, Selene knew she was in the wrong.

The next day, she took Hunter to an exclusive jewelry auction, intending to buy me an even more expensive emerald bracelet to replace the one she had let Hunter keep.

While she was sitting in the VIP suite, browsing the catalog,

The doors were suddenly kicked open.

It was Victoria.

Abandoning all her usual elegance and poise, she pushed past the bodyguards and stormed into the room.

She held a thick manila envelope in her trembling hand.

*SLAP!*

Victoria marched right up to Selene and delivered a thunderous slap across her face.

"Open it!" Victoria roared.

Nursing her stinging cheek, Selene looked at Victoria's devastated, tear-streaked face. For the first time, she felt a chill of panic.

Seeing her hesitate,

Victoria screamed again, "I said, open it!"

With trembling fingers, Selene pulled the documents out of the envelope.

Her eyes scanned the pages.

Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks, and a horrific, strangled gasp escaped her throat:

"No..."

The tears Victoria had been holding back finally streamed down her face.

She let out a broken, agonizing sob:

"Look at it, Selene! Ashton is dead! You killed him! You killed my boy with your own hands!"