Chapter 3

Alina POV:

His words echoed in the sterile room, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Filthy. Disgusting. They clung to me, heavy and suffocating. My face felt pale, my body weak and exhausted from the emotional and physical assault.

A soft, mocking laugh sliced through my despair. Fallon.

I clenched my fists, my knuckles white against the bedsheets. My eyes darted to the doorway.

"Look at you," Fallon purred, stepping into the room. She wore a pristine white dress, looking like an angel of death. "So pathetic. Your husband despises you. Why don't you just do everyone a favor and end it?"

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice barely a tremor.

She smiled, a sweet, venomous curve of her lips. "I came to check on you, darling. Is that so wrong?" Her eyes gleamed with false sympathy. "I heard about your little 'accident' in the prison cell. Such a shame you had to go through that." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And yes, it was all my doing. I called them. I told them to have some fun with you."

My body trembled. The memory of the rough hands, the cold floor, the terror... It all flooded back.

"Why?" I choked out, tears stinging my eyes. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Because you stood in my way, Alina. You took what was mine. Her inner voice, a venomous hiss, felt like it was inside my head.

A sinister smile spread across her face. "If it weren't for you, Adrien would have married me years ago. You' re nothing but a placeholder, a trophy wife for his family. And even that, you're failing at." She scoffed. "What do you have, Alina, besides your family's name? Nothing. You have nothing without them. And soon, you won't even have that." Her eyes glittered. "I' ll make sure you cry for your identity. You' ll beg me to give it back."

A cold dread seeped into my bones. "Did you... did you arrange for those men to attack me in the warehouse too? On my wedding night?"

Her smile widened, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "Of course, darling. Who else? I knew Adrien would believe me. He always does. He loves me, you see. He always has." She paused, her gaze holding mine. "I even made sure he saw enough to confirm his suspicions. A ripped dress, a strange man's jacket... He was furious. That rage, that jealousy, it was beautiful."

"And now he' s going to make you pay. For everything." She laughed, a chilling sound.

I let out a harsh, dry laugh. "You think he loves you?" I repeated, the words tasting like ash. "If he loved you, Fallon, he wouldn't have married me."

Her jaw clenched, her carefully constructed composure cracking. "He wouldn't have married you if it wasn't for his family obligations!" she shrieked, her voice rising. "He needs a wife from a powerful background. Someone who can secure his legacy. And that, my dear, is not you."

He married me for power. For status. Not for love. Not for me. And Fallon knows that. She' s just as much a victim of his ambition as I am. But she's decided to fight me for it.

"But he still married me, didn't he?" I countered, a bitter strength in my voice. "And he didn't marry you. If I disappear, he'll find another heiress. Not you."

"Shut up!" Fallon screamed, her face contorted with rage.

"You're just a convenience for him, Fallon. A distraction. Don't flatter yourself."

"Shut up, Alina! Shut up!" Her eyes darted around the room, wild with anger. She snatched a heavy glass vase from the bedside table.

"You ruined everything!" she shrieked, and hurled it at me.

The vase struck my head with a sickening thud. A searing pain exploded behind my eyes. Warm, thick blood immediately began to seep down my face. The room spun.

"This is nothing," Fallon hissed, leaning over me as I slumped against the pillows, dizzy and disoriented. "I'll make you pay for every single thing you've taken from me."

My vision blurred, red streaks mingling with the white hospital lights. I could feel the sticky warmth of the blood on my skin.

Then, a sudden shift. Fallon' s face, moments ago contorted in fury, softened. Her eyes widened, glistening with what looked like tears. She dropped to her knees, clutching her hands together.

"Oh, Alina," she sobbed, her voice suddenly trembling. "Please, don't tell Adrien. I didn't mean it. I swear! I was just so angry. Please, I won't bother you anymore. I'll leave Adrien alone. Just don't tell him what I did."

I stared at her, confused. Her sudden shift was jarring, disorienting.