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Divorced, Yet the Mafia Boss Wants Me Back
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
When the 99th unanswered call to Julius rang into silence, Anastasia finally lost all reason. Clutching her younger brother's critical condition notice, she slammed the accelerator down and crashed st...
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第1章
When the 99th unanswered call to Julius rang into silence, Anastasia finally lost all reason. Clutching her younger brother's critical condition notice, she slammed the accelerator down and crashed straight through the front doors of Deep Dive Club.
She raced up the stairs to the top floor, panic burning in her throat—but when she arrived, she froze at the sight before her.
Beneath the thirty-meter-deep azure pool, two figures were entwined in a desperate, breathless embrace.
Julius held the woman beneath him so tightly there was not a sliver of space between them. Their only oxygen was exchanged in their kiss—wild, suffocating, drowning in both pain and pleasure.
The sight stabbed through Anastasia's eyes like shards of glass.
The woman's face, flushed with passion, overlapped in her mind with the one in the photograph hidden inside Julius's pocket watch.
And in that instant, Anastasia finally recognized her.
No wonder—no wonder Julius had gone berserk days ago, shooting his partner's men when he saw her being harassed.
The woman was Irene, the one who had betrayed him years ago—the vanished "Red Rose", his lover who'd stolen confidential files and driven him into a living hell.
He had loved her so completely, so madly.
Loved her enough to turn his back on his own allies, loved her enough to ruin multimillion-dollar deals just to take her away. Loved her enough to abandon Anastasia's brother—the one who had fought and bled beside him—at the sound of a single call from Irene... so that while her brother lay unconscious in the ICU with a ruptured femoral artery, Julius could be here—making love underwater with the woman he'd lost and found again.
Anastasia's hand didn't tremble as she raised her gun.
Her gaze was icy, her aim steady as she fired.
Bang! Bang!
The tempered glass shattered, and a torrent of water burst forth, hurling the tangled lovers onto the marble floor.
"Achoo."
The air-conditioning chilled the soaked marble; Irene shivered violently, curling into Julius's arms.
"Have you had enough, Anastasia?!" Julius's voice was a whip of fury. His expression turned to ice upon seeing her.
"Irene's health is fragile. She's been through shock today—she can't take the cold like you can."
Anastasia laughed, the sound brittle like glass. "If her body's so fragile, she should stay in a greenhouse, not in a pool screwing you."
Her voice trembled with rage. "You kept the doctor locked in here to watch over her in case she fainted during your little tryst—did it ever cross your mind that my brother is fighting for his life in the ICU because of you?"
"And you dare say I'm the one making a scene?!"
Tears burned her eyes. The image of her brother's pale, blood-soaked body refused to fade.
She hurled the crumpled notice at him—but Julius didn't even glance at it.
He sneered. "If your brother can't handle a minor injury, then he doesn't deserve to stay in the company. Perkins Group has no use for the weak."
He added carelessly, "You can have the doctor. But Little Pea just got her first vaccine—she can't be left alone. Once the dog wakes up, you can take Dr. Schumann to see your brother."
He stepped over the soaked paper as if it were nothing, pulled on his jacket, and draped it tenderly around Irene's shoulders.
Anastasia stared at him, disbelief hollowing her chest.
In Julius's heart, her brother's life—was worth less than a dog's.
Anxious, she lunged toward the suite to drag the doctor out herself, but pain exploded across her shoulder—Julius shoved her down hard onto the floor.
"You're getting more and more out of line," he said, frowning impatiently.
"I heard your father's business is in trouble lately. Maybe a bit more hardship will remind you how to behave."
His dark gaze swept over her, cold and heavy. Then he wrapped his arm around Irene's waist and led her toward the suite.
As they passed, Irene's mocking voice brushed Anastasia's ear, "So this is the famous Miss Rios's upbringing? I'm disappointed."
The words pierced deeper than any bullet.
Yes—once, she had been a sheltered, innocent young lady.
But eight years ago, when Irene leaked Julius's confidential data and his enemies hunted him down, he fled, bleeding—to the Rios family's ancestral home.
That night shattered her peaceful life forever.
Anastasia couldn't bear letting a man die before her eyes, so she saved him and bandaged his wounds.
And because of that act of mercy, his enemies came for her family.
She watched her mother, standing between her and the blade, have her throat slit open before her very eyes.
Just as the knife was about to strike her too, the door burst open. Julius stormed in and shot the attacker's hand to pieces.
The knife clattered to the floor. Anastasia picked it up—and drove it into her mother's killer's chest without hesitation.
The blade caught on bone.
Julius's laughter was low and wild as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing her hand down harder on the hilt.
"Miss Rios," he whispered against her ear, his voice drenched in madness, "welcome to my world."
From that day on, the most feared mafia boss in the capital had at his side a beautiful, thorned rose.
Julius was ruthless—he turned the men who'd killed her mother into her live targets, using them to teach her to shoot, to fight, to survive.
But he was also indulgent.
At auctions, whatever jewel she so much as glanced at would appear on her dressing table the next day.
From hairpins to heels, every piece she wore was chosen by him.
Everyone said Julius had long since let go of his past. And Anastasia believed it too.
She thought that eight years of shared blood and devotion were enough to erase the shadow of his lost lover.
Until she saw Irene again—with her face, her figure, her style—and the way Julius looked at her.
Only then did Anastasia finally understand: He had never stopped loving Irene. He had only loved her through Anastasia.
Glass shards bit deep into her palm. Blood spread across the marble.
Her hand hurt. But her heart hurts more.
As she watched Julius walk away, cradling Irene tenderly in his arms, Anastasia made her first call to a long-forgotten number.
"Want to make a deal?"
"My bargaining chip is... myself."
If Julius had only ever seen her as a substitute—if he had never truly loved her—then every drop of blood, every year of devotion she had wasted on him, she would reclaim, one by one.
第2章
Under the watchful eyes of the world's top medical team, Irene's dog finally opened its eyes and wagged its tail.
At that exact moment, Julius stepped out of the room—only to find Anastasia standing in the hall, too busy on her phone to even glance his way. His face darkened instantly.
"Who are you calling?" His voice carried a quiet menace. "You didn't even notice I came out."
Something inside Anastasia cracked. She almost laughed at the sheer absurdity.
"I was preparing a gift for you." She brushed past him with a shove. "What's this? Are you jealous now?"
Julius frowned, about to speak, but before he could, Irene's soft cry of pain came from inside the room.
By the time he looked up again, Anastasia was already gone—leaving the penthouse with the doctor in tow.
The drive from the club to the hospital normally took half an hour, but Anastasia made it in ten minutes.
Her brother was alive, but barely. The doctor had arrived too late.
The bullet had blocked the artery, and infection spread fast. To save him, the doctors had to amputate his right leg.
Outside the ward, two nurses whispered just loud enough for her to hear through the crack in the door.
"Has Madam fallen out of favor? Why hasn't Mr. Perkins visited Young Master Rios?"
"Please. He only married her because she looks a little like the woman he really loves. Now that the real one is back, the stand-in should step aside..."
The words sliced into Anastasia's ears like knives.
Inside, her brother lay pale and motionless, his right leg gone, his life uncertain.
Her heart bled as she stared at him—at what her blind devotion had cost him.
Everyone knew she was just a substitute.
Everyone but her.
She had been the only fool still pretending her love meant something, dragging her brother into ruin and leaving him crippled.
She sat beside his bed all night, unmoving, feeling empty.
At dawn, she returned to the villa to gather divorce papers.
But the moment she opened the front door, a crash of splintering wood and barking echoed from upstairs—from the nursery.
She ran up in a panic.
The room she had once tended so carefully was now a wreck—furniture overturned, toys smashed, walls gouged.
And in the middle of the chaos, Irene's dog was rolling on the floor, growling playfully.
When Anastasia saw what it had in its mouth, her pupils contracted violently.
She lunged forward—
It was her child's urn!
The Rottweiler snarled and sank its teeth into her wrist. Pain seared up her arm, but she didn't care; she tried to wrench the urn free—and a shadow flashed past her.
"Ah!"
A sharp blow struck her lower back, sending her crashing into the ruins of the room. Blood flooded her throat with the taste of iron.
The urn slipped from her grasp and shattered before her eyes—ashes scattering across the floor.
"Little Pea was just playing," Irene whimpered, clinging to Julius's chest as tears streaked her cheeks. "Miss Rios, how could you be so cruel to her?"
Julius hadn't even changed out of his suit before he came running. His first look was for Irene, eyes full of concern.
Then he turned to Anastasia—his gaze cold, devoid of warmth.
"Anastasia," he said sharply, "you've gone too far."
Pain drained the color from her face, but she didn't even feel it.
She crawled toward the broken urn, desperately trying to scoop the ashes back together with trembling hands. But the ashes had mixed into the dust and rubble—lost forever.
Her voice trembled, ragged with grief. "My child's clothes are on her dog. My child's ashes—your dog used them as a toy, and now they're gone!"
Her eyes burned as she stared up at him.
"Tell me, Julius... who's really gone too far?!"
"Have you forgotten what you once swore to me?"
For a moment, something flickered in his expression—remorse, maybe. But then his gaze dropped to the faint bruise on Irene's waist, and all traces of softness vanished.
"That doesn't give you the right to hurt Irene!" he snapped. "The dog didn't know any better—but you should have!"
He raised a hand in signal. "Seems I've spoiled you too much. Today, you'll remember what our organization's rules are."
Each word struck her like the crack of a whip before the lash even fell.
A chill spread through her bones.
Before her child's ashes, Anastasia was forced to her knees. The whip—a barbed one—came down across her back with brutal precision.
Crack!
The first strike split her skin; blood blossomed instantly.
And through the haze of pain, memories surfaced.
The first time Julius had confessed to her, ears flushed red as he promised, "For the rest of my life, I'll love no one but you."
Crack!
The second lash.
She remembered three years ago—when she was six months pregnant— she risked everything to save him.
She had been captured and tied in a basement, tortured through a night and day. Her child had been beaten out of her womb, leaving only blood.
Later, Julius had personally beaten those men into pulp and buried them under their child's grave, whispering over the flowers, "I'll never forget our baby. One day, he'll come back to us."
But now—her baby's clothes hung on Irene's dog.
His ashes had been smashed and scattered.
Through her blurred vision, Anastasia saw Julius—the man who once swore eternal love—now gently wiping tears from Irene's cheeks.
He lifted Irene into his arms, turning away as his polished shoes crushed the ashes and her dripping blood into the floor—leaving a trail of dark, mocking footprints.
Her grief and agony were nothing but a farce.
The vows he had once sworn were a lie—a lie only she had believed.
When the punishment finally ended, a metallic taste flooded her mouth.
She coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed into unconsciousness.
第3章
When Anastasia regained consciousness, she found herself back in her bedroom.
She had thought that once Irene returned, she would be kicked into the maid's quarters to make room. But to her surprise, Irene had moved into the room at the end of the second-floor hallway—the very place Anastasia had once been scolded for even approaching.
That forbidden room, she realized now, was their secret nest.
His and hers.
A bitter smile tugged at her lips. The smallest movement pulled at her half-healed back, reopening the wound.
Pain shot through her body, draining the color from her face. Still, she forced herself upright, dragging several large boxes from under the bed.
One by one, she stuffed inside everything that carried a trace of Julius—the million-dollar engagement ring he'd once slipped onto her finger. The bullet he'd taken to his chest for her. Stacks of photos filled with smiles that now felt like mockery.
When the last box was finally full, the door burst open.
"You're not a naive little girl anymore," Julius's cold voice cut through the air. "Stop playing these childish games—running away, pretending to suffer."
Anastasia froze mid-motion. She didn't bother to explain that she wasn't pretending—she really was leaving.
"Did you not hear me?" His tone sharpened when his gaze caught the blood soaking through her back. "Do you have a death wish?"
Before she could react, he strode over, forcing her down onto the bed. Ignoring her weak struggles, he pulled up her shirt.
A cool liquid spreads across her burning wound, numbing the pain. It took her a moment to realize—he was applying medicine.
"Does it still hurt?" His voice was soft, the same gentle tone he used years ago after combat training when he comforted her. For an instant, her heart faltered.
But then the memory of how she'd been injured returned—the reason behind it—and the illusion shattered.
Whatever tenderness he gave her now was nothing compared to what he lavished on Irene.
When he finished dressing her wounds, Julius began buttoning her clean pajama top, one button at a time.
"Since you got hurt, Irene hasn't been eating well. She even threw up earlier and had to be taken to the hospital. The doctor said..."
He lowered his head.
"She's pregnant."
The words sliced through the air like a blade.
"You've been pregnant before," he continued, his tone almost coaxing. "You know what foods won't make her sick. Anastasia, if you take care of her for the next three months, I'll forget about you kicking her and the dog."
His voice was calm, almost tender. But to Anastasia, it struck like thunder—loud, violent, deafening.
"She scattered my child's ashes to the wind," she hissed, trembling, "and you want me to forgive her—to take care of her baby?"
Her fury ignited. She slapped his hand away, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.
"Keep dreaming!"
Julius's expression darkened instantly. The softness vanished, leaving only shadow and threat.
"This isn't a request," he said coldly. "It's an order."
He wiped the remaining ointment from his hands with a handkerchief, tossing it carelessly onto the floor.
"It's just one meal," he added flatly. "Your brother is still in the hospital. Or would you rather see his ashes next?"
His gaze swept over Anastasia with arrogant indifference. Then he lifted his foot and strode toward the door.
"I want to see the dishes on the table in half an hour. Your brother's life depends on it."
The metallic taste of blood filled Anastasia's mouth, and a chill spread through her limbs.
Eight years together—no one knew each other better than they did. Julius knew exactly where her weaknesses lay, and he never made empty threats—and she knew he was capable of anything.
He truly was using her brother's life as leverage.
Anastasia's heart ached, but she didn't have the luxury to hesitate. She forced herself to move, hurriedly pulled on her clothes, and stumbled downstairs into the kitchen.
The iron pot was heavy. Each time Anastasia lifted it, the wound on her back tore open a little more, sending sharp waves of pain through her body. Cold sweats drenched her forehead, but she gritted her teeth and refused to make a sound. By the time she placed the dishes on the dining table, only minutes remained before the half-hour deadline.
Irene sat at the dining table, her lips pursed in a petulant pout. With a light push, she shoved the soup bowl away.
"I'm not hungry," she said, curling her lip. "Unless you feed me."
Julius gave her a helpless, affectionate smile. He blew gently on a spoonful of soup and brought it to Irene's lips with infinite care.
Steam blurred Anastasia's vision. Her tears slipped silently into the soup bowl.
That tenderness—she once had it, too. When she was pregnant. Before everything was taken from her.
Irene barely swallowed a sip before retching it back out. Her expression soured as she glared at Anastasia.
"This tastes disgusting. Are you mocking me? Even my dog wouldn't eat it!"
She sneered and dumped the soup onto the floor.
Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she smiled—a cruel, childish smile.
"I guess your baby probably died because even it couldn't stand your cooking. It'd rather rot in your womb than taste this garbage, right?"
Julius, who knew full well how their child had really died, didn't scold her. He only smiled, tenderly wiping the soup from Irene's lips.
"If you don't like it, she'll make something else. Don't starve our baby."
The string of reasons in Anastasia's mind finally snapped.
The spoon slipped from her hand into the bowl—and in the next second, the scalding soup splashed over Irene's head.
The shrill scrape of a chair against the floor was followed by a sharp crack—
Slap!
Anastasia's palm burned as she snarled through her teeth, "You said even a dog wouldn't eat it, didn't you? Fine. I'll feed you myself. Tell me—does it taste good now?"
第4章
The slap knocked Irene's face to the side. The scalding soup splashed across her cheek, and within seconds, angry blisters rose on her skin.
Tears welled up in her eyes like beads breaking loose from a string.
"It hurts, Julius... my stomach hurts too! Our baby—will it be okay?"
Those words—our baby—dragged Anastasia straight back into the nightmare she'd tried so hard to forget.
Her nails dug into her palms. She still remembered that night—the blood pooling beneath her body, the icy terror in her veins when she realized her child's heartbeat was gone.
Back then, she clutched Julius's arm, sobbing desperately. "Is our baby still alive? Tell me, Julius, please!"
He had held her tightly then, his voice hoarse with guilt.
"It's my fault, all my fault... Ana, we'll have another child, I promise..."
Now, years later, those same arms held another woman—the woman who had scattered her child's ashes—and his eyes were colder than she'd ever seen.
"Are you insane, Anastasia?!"
His voice cracked through the air like a whip.
"What did Irene say that was wrong? You couldn't even protect your own baby—do you want to kill hers too?"
Her fingertips went numb. Blood slid down from her clenched fists, dripping to the floor. She stared at him, disbelief clouding her gaze.
The child she had lost while saving him had become the weapon he now used to stab her heart.
"Am I crazy?" she screamed, her voice breaking. "I should have gone crazy a long time ago!"
Her eyes blazed red as she burst into laughter—hysterical, tear-streaked, and filled with despair.
She should have lost her mind the moment Julius chose Irene over his own brother. When he had stood between them and defended the woman who mocked her unborn child.
"If she loses her baby," Anastasia snarled, grabbing Irene by the hair, "then maybe it's just because she couldn't protect it either!"
She grabbed Irene's hair and raised the empty soup bowl, slamming it toward her stomach.
"Ah! Julius, help me!" Irene shrieked. She struggled, but against Anastasia's eight years of combat training, her resistance was nothing. Anastasia raised the bowl again—but before she could strike, her wrist was caught midair.
A dull crack echoed through the dining room.
Pain exploded through her arm as her wrist bone snapped. The bowl slipped from her hand, shattering on the marble floor.
Crash.
"You dare hurt her?" Julius's voice dropped to a chilling growl. "Then be ready to pay a hundred times over!"
The darkness in his eyes was no longer cold—it was murderous. The composed mafia lord she once knew now radiated raw, terrifying rage.
He extended a hand, and the butler immediately stepped forward, offering him a bowl of freshly reheated soup—boiling hot.
Without hesitation, Julius seized Anastasia's chin and forced the steaming liquid down her throat. She gagged and coughed, the pain scalding her from mouth to chest.
He didn't even glance back as she collapsed amid shards of porcelain, trembling violently, while he bent tenderly over Irene, lifting her into his arms.
Her right hand—swollen, purple, and broken—shook as she clutched at her burning throat. The pain clawed down her esophagus, spreading through her chest like fire. Her whip wounds tore open again, fresh blood soaking her back.
She lay in that crimson puddle, watching as Julius's once-cold eyes melted into tenderness—tenderness he now offered only to Irene, carefully tending to her injuries with his own hands—the same hands that had once protected her.
Her vision blurred as sweat and tears stung her eyes.
When Julius rushed out the door carrying Irene toward the hospital, Anastasia was left behind like trash—discarded, forgotten.
It took everything she had to stand. Every step left a fresh trail of blood.
Staggering into her room, she found only darkness—except for the dim glow of her computer screen.
With her fractured hand, she fumbled for the mouse, her knuckles stiff and purple. She couldn't feel the pain anymore.
On the screen played a video she had watched countless times before. Julius's mature, affectionate face filled the frame.
He hadn't placed a ring on her finger that day. Instead, he handed her a gun.
"Anastasia, I love you. If I ever change my heart, don't hesitate—pull the trigger yourself, and let my heart beat only for you.."
Tears fell between the keyboard keys, blurring his voice into a muffled echo.
Anastasia leaned forward, pressing her forehead against the screen. Her tears streamed down endlessly.
She missed him—the man who once took a bullet for her, who avenged her, who swore to love her with his life.
The man who no longer existed.
"Liar..." she whispered. "You lied to me."
Bloody footprints trailed from the living room, through the hallway, and out into the garden.
Her trembling hand struck a match. The flame flickered, reflecting off her tear-streaked face.
When she threw the computer into the fire, the blaze roared to life, swallowing the last fragments of her past.
The light of the flames danced in her eyes—and as her body finally collapsed into the soil, Anastasia's strength was completely spent.
第5章
Anastasia dreamed for what felt like an eternity.
In her dream, Julius sat beside her hospital bed, smiling softly as he cradled both her and their newborn child. From the hallway came her brother's cheerful voice, calling her name as he ran in with a basket of fruit.
She reached out her hand—and in an instant, everything was swallowed by blinding red.
"No!"
She jolted awake, gasping.
Julius's face was the first thing she saw—so close that she could feel his breath against her cheek. The air conditioner's chill brushed across her bare skin, and she flinched, only then realizing she wasn't in her room at all.
They were in a car.
And Julius was dressing her—forcing her into a revealing short skirt.
"Let me go, Julius..." Her voice was ragged, the burn in her throat tearing open with every word. "What are you going to do?!"
But with her fever and blood loss, her weak struggles were laughable. He bound her wrists and ankles easily with a strip of silk, his expression dark, jaw clenched tight as if holding back a storm.
He didn't speak. Not once.
Not even as he carried her out of the car and strode into a private club.
"Here's your gift."
He set Anastasia down on a marble table, his voice like ice. "Where's my person?"
Her heart lurched violently. Gift?
A scar-faced man lounging on the sofa let out a dry laugh.
"Teach your new lover's pet some manners, Mr. Perkins. The next time she trespasses on my turf, it won't be just one pretty little Anastasia you'll have to trade for her."
He kicked open a burlap sack at his feet.
Inside was Irene—her flawless face streaked with tears and a flush that wasn't natural.
"Julius... it hurts..."
Her words were slurred. She'd been injected with a stimulant.
Julius's entire demeanor shifted. The frost melted from his aura as he bent toward her, his voice gentle again.
"I'm here. Don't be afraid."
The marble beneath Anastasia's body was cold as ice, seeping through her bones.
He had traded her—his woman—to save Irene.
Her stomach twisted.
She tried to rise, but the scarred man's bodyguards blocked her. One of them brushed a rough, greasy finger against her cheek. She jerked away, nausea clawing up her throat.
"Roses are beautiful," the scarred man sneered, "but damn, the thorns cut deep. What do you say, Mr. Perkins—help me deal with this one properly?"
He tossed a syringe to the floor—it rolled to Julius's shoes, the label marked with a muscle relaxant.
Meanwhile, Irene's breath hitched, her voice breaking into whimpers. "So hot... help me..."
She began fumbling with her buttons.
Julius's hands tightened into fists. For one fleeting second, his eyes flickered with conflict—then he bent, picked up the syringe, and strode toward Anastasia.
"Once I get Irene to safety," he said quietly, "I'll come back for you. I promise."
The needle pierced her skin. Anastasia smiled faintly.
Maybe it was because her heart was already dead—but she didn't feel pain anymore.
Irene clung desperately to his neck, her body trembling with desire. But for the first time, Julius pushed her away—only to bend down and kiss Anastasia instead.
A bitter pill slipped from his mouth into hers. The chemical taste spread across her tongue, dulling the drug's effects, but not stopping them.
With her last ounce of strength, Anastasia shoved him off, her voice calm and cold. "Julius... whether I walk out of here alive or not, after tonight—we're finished."
Her steady, hollow gaze struck him harder than any slap.
For the first time, his heart faltered. He opened his mouth to speak—but the scar-faced man's men surged forward, shoving him toward the door.
Clutching the dazed Irene, Julius turned away and left without looking back.
The door slammed shut.
And the monster revealed himself.
"Now, let's see just how delicate Miss Rios really is..."
The scarred man untied the silk restraints with a smirk, his filthy hands pawing at her exposed skin. He threw her onto the couch, tearing at her skirt—only to be met with a sharp, brutal kick to the face.
"Get your filthy hands off me!"
Blood gushed from his nose. His expression twisted into fury. He snatched up an ashtray and smashed it against her head.
The world exploded in white noise. Laughter, jeers, heavy breathing—then nothing.
Her limbs went limp. The last of her strength bled out of her as her torn skirt slipped from her body, leaving her trembling in the cold air.
Her stomach churned violently. She wanted to vomit.
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed.
The scarred man's scream shattered the air. He crumpled to the floor, clutching his leg, and behind him stood Julius—like a demon risen from hell.
Rage burned in his eyes.
He rammed the same ashtray into the scarred man's mouth and smashed his head against the ground again and again until the room filled with the wet sound of bone meeting marble.
When the man went limp, Julius turned on the others—fists raining down like a storm until every one of them lay broken, bloodied, and unconscious.
Only then did he approach Anastasia.
His voice, hoarse and trembling, cracked the silence.
"I'm sorry... I was late."
第6章
"Thank God you're safe... thank God..."
Julius's hands trembled as he held Anastasia tightly, his voice thick with fear and guilt. His embrace was so tight she could barely breathe.
Her gaze swept over his neck—faint red marks still lingered there, the kind that only another woman could leave. Her voice came out hoarse, soft but cutting.
"What are you so afraid of, Julius? Didn't you hand me over to them yourself?"
"It was just a temporary measure," he said, quickly taking off his jacket and draping it over her bare shoulders. "You're my wife. I would never let anyone hurt you. Don't worry—I'll make sure those bastards pay for what they did."
'But Julius... the one who hurt me most, was always you.'
Anastasia let out a small, mirthless laugh. She didn't argue—there was no point. The irony spoke for itself.
He carried her to the hospital himself, tending to her like she was made of glass. It was the first time he'd shown such devotion since Irene returned.
The room soon overflowed with flowers, jewelry, and boxes of gifts. Every day after work, Julius would bring in fresh bouquets, sometimes even cooking for her—just like he used to when she fell sick years ago.
Yet Anastasia felt nothing. Not a flicker of warmth, not a drop of gratitude.
She never opened a single gift, never tasted a bite of his food.
Until one day, he set a familiar pink box on her table—her favorite desserts.
Back then, whenever she got angry, he would buy these to cheer her up, even if it meant driving for hours and waiting in endless lines.
Her fingers tightened around the spoon until her knuckles turned white. She cut a piece of the cake and put it into her mouth, chewing slowly.
Was it always this sweet?
It tasted bitter now.
Her throat burned, her eyes stung, and she quietly set the spoon down—then dumped the cake into the trash.
Julius's daily visits soon stirred Irene's jealousy.
One afternoon, Irene barged into the hospital room, her voice sharp as glass.
"Can you stop clinging to him like a leech? Do you really think Julius still loves you?"
Her lips curled into a cruel smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear, flashing the diamond ring on her left hand. "A substitute is just a substitute. No matter how much you look like me, you'll never replace what I am to him."
Anastasia looked at her, not angry—only pitying. "If you were really that confident, you wouldn't need to come here to prove it."
Irene's smile faltered.
Anastasia's tone remained calm, but every word hit its mark. "If Julius's heart truly belongs only to you, then tell me—why hasn't he divorced me yet? Why hasn't he married you?"
The air froze. Irene's expression twisted in rage.
"We're still married," Anastasia continued, her voice like a knife wrapped in silk. "So no matter how hard you try, you'll always be just a mistress—no, a shadow of what you wish you were."
Color drained from Irene's face. Her hand lifted, ready to slap, but the sound of approaching footsteps made her stop cold.
She leaned close to Anastasia's ear, her whisper dripping with threat.
"Before my baby is born, you'd better disappear. Otherwise..." She smiled, her words turning venomous, "I can't guarantee you won't have another little accident."
Anastasia's hands clenched under the blanket, her nails digging into her palms as she watched Irene leave—red-eyed, brushing past Julius in the hallway.
She had long suspected Irene's schemes weren't as simple as "chasing a dog into the wrong place." But what hurt most was that Julius—brilliant, calculating Julius—never saw through her scheme.
"Does it still hurt?" His voice came from the doorway, low, almost gentle.
Anastasia didn't answer. Didn't even look at him.
Seeing her cold silence, Julius's patience began to fray.
"Enough of this tantrum. Don't be childish."
But as he caught sight of her pale lips, his tone softened again. "Alright... tell me what you want. As long as it's not too much, I'll agree."
Anastasia slowly reached under her pillow and pulled out a stack of documents, sliding them toward him.
Julius glanced at the front page—a property transfer contract. Relief washed over his face.
"If it's about houses, fine. I'll sign everything in your name. Just don't stay angry."
Without another look, he flipped to the last page and signed. Then, without hesitation, he turned and hurried after Irene's retreating figure.
Anastasia picked up the signed papers, a faint, weary smile curving her lips—the first in days.
Other than her brother's recovery, this was the best news she'd had.
She took out her phone and dialed a number.
"The divorce papers are signed," she said quietly. "Don't worry about me. The plan can move forward."
第7章
The day after Julius signed his name, he didn't come to the hospital again.
Anastasia felt nothing but relief. The silence was almost a luxury. She handled her discharge papers alone, packed her things, and finalized the divorce documents with her lawyer.
By afternoon, she was ready to drive to the rehabilitation hospital and take her brother away from the capital.
Just as she slid behind the wheel, her phone rang sharply.
"Miss Rios! Please—please save Young Master Rios! Mr. Perkins's men took him—he's been kidnapped!"
The nurse's trembling, tear-choked voice shattered her composure. A cold weight slammed into her chest.
She didn't waste time asking questions. Panic surged through her veins as she opened her tracking app—the necklace she'd secretly placed on her brother after surgery was still transmitting a signal.
Following the blinking red dot, she sped through traffic until the road ended at a coastal cliff.
There—
Her brother, Matteo, hung suspended over the raging sea, wrists bound, body covered in blood. His hospital gown was soaked crimson, and the rope holding him looked frayed—one wrong move and he would plummet straight into the foaming waves below.
From a black van parked nearby, Irene reclined lazily against Julius's shoulder, her tone almost playful as she ordered the bodyguards to smear Matteo's wounds with foul-smelling fish bait.
Anastasia's world went white.
She bolted forward, reaching for the whip lashing across her brother's back—only to be kicked sharply in the knee.
She fell hard. Her kneecaps split open against the jagged rocks, blood pooling beneath her as two guards pinned her down.
"Julius!" Her throat burned, her voice raw from half-healed wounds. "Wasn't it enough that he already lost his leg because of you? What has he done to deserve this? He's innocent!"
"Come at me if you must! Leave him out of it!"
Her words were ragged, desperate—each breath sharp with pain and blood.
Julius adjusted the coat around Irene's shoulders, his face expressionless, his eyes glacial. He didn't even look at Anastasia.
"Your brother didn't do anything," he said coldly. "But every wound on him is your doing."
Anastasia froze.
He stepped out of the car, a cruel smile curving his lips. "Is your brother innocent?"
He hooked the tip of his leather shoe under Anastasia's chin and lifted it. "When you secretly trained Rottweiler to knock Irene down and nearly cause her to miscarry, did you think her child was innocent?"
At those words, Irene threw herself into a show of grief, sobbing that she had been wronged.
The moment he heard her sob, Julius's eyes hardened into ice. With a flick of his chin, he ordered his men to loosen the rope.
"Wait—no!"
Anastasia's heart seized. "I was unconscious these past few days! How could I have been anywhere near her dog?" she cried, voice breaking.
"We've been together for eight years, Julius. Don't you know me well enough to see that I'd never stoop so low as to harm someone behind their back?"
Her voice trembled, desperate yet defiant.
Matteo's body suddenly jerked to a halt, dangling barely half a meter above the crashing waves. The piranhas that had been circling below vanished, leaving only broken bones floating on the foamy surface.
Julius's brows furrowed. For a fleeting half-second, hesitation flickered in his cold gaze—then Irene let out a sob, slipping off her coat as if to throw herself from the cliff.
"I'm with Julius every day," she cried pitifully. "Why would I train my own dog to attack me and make myself lose my child? If Julius truly doubts me... then I'd rather die to prove my innocence!"
Julius caught her just in time, his arm tightening around her trembling form. In that instant, every shred of doubt in his heart vanished. His eyes turned icy, filled with nothing but disdain as they fell on Anastasia.
"Whether you hurt Irene or not—you know the answer in your heart. But today, I'll cure your habit of lying and running from responsibility."
His voice was low and sharp, like the edge of a knife. "If you can't earn Irene's forgiveness by the count of three... then your brother's life will pay the price."
Julius pulled out a remote control, pressing the button without mercy. The rope creaked and began to unravel rapidly.
"Three."
Matteo's body plunged lower—only half a meter from the water now. The stench of blood and fish guts drove the piranhas into a frenzy; one leapt up, tearing a toe clean off.
Anastasia's rigid spine finally broke. She fell forward, crawling on bloodied knees until she reached Julius's boots. Her voice cracked, hoarse with pain and desperation.
"Please—please spare my brother! Do whatever you want to me. I'll take any punishment... just don't hurt him!"
He pressed another button on the remote.
"Two."
第8章
The rope lowered again. Matteo's calves disappeared beneath the surface, the sea turning a deeper shade of red. He bit through his lip trying not to scream, but muffled groans still slipped out—each one slicing through Anastasia's chest like a blade.
Her pride, her strength, her dignity—all shattered.
Sobbing uncontrollably, she turned to Irene, grasping at the hem of her pants, her forehead hitting the ground again and again.
"It's my fault," she choked out. "I'll step aside. I won't ever appear before him again. Please... just spare my brother."
The hollow sound of her head striking the ground echoed across the cliffs.
Julius stood motionless. Only the wind and Matteo's faint moans filled the silence.
At last, Irene smiled slowly, satisfied. "Spare him? I suppose I could."
She sauntered to the back of the van, opened a cage, and pulled out a dog bowl. She set it on the ground before Anastasia and poured a handful of dry kibble inside.
Her grin was poison-sweet.
"Eat it," she said lightly. "Finish it all, and I'll forgive you. Then I'll let your brother go."
The wind howled. Waves slammed against the cliffs. Anastasia's ears rang with her brother's pained gasps and the rush of the sea.
Julius said nothing. His silence was permission.
Anastasia's body trembled as she lowered her head. Her fists clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms.
Just as she opened her mouth, ready to swallow the humiliation—a faint snap broke through the chaos, the frayed rope above her brother gave away.
Before the raging sea could swallow him, Matteo used the last of his strength to roar hoarsely, his voice shredded by pain and salt, "My sister will never kneel to anyone!"
The rope snapped completely.
"Stand up and avenge me!"
And then Matteo's body disappeared into the sea.
Matteo's voice still echoed in the air when Anastasia looked up.
All that remained on the churning sea was a trace of blood and a frayed rope, still stained with pieces of her younger brother's flesh.
"Brother!"
Her scream tore through the wind. Anastasia rushed to the edge of the cliff, her vision blurring as her blood seemed to freeze in her veins.
Her brother's final words still echoed in her ears.
Grief and fury consumed every trace of her rationality. With trembling hands, she drew the pistol from her waist and raised it without hesitation.
A few gunshots split the air.
Julius's subordinates—the same ones who had whipped Matteo, smeared him with fish food, released the rope, and laughed as he fell—were all killed in an instant.
Then, Anastasia turned the muzzle toward Irene's chest.
"I never wanted his life," Irene said softly, her voice eerie. "But I didn't expect him to be so weak... he couldn't even endure a little pain."
Irene tilted her head, feigning pity, her words dripping with venom.
"Madam Rios died too early. She never taught her son to be strong. You won't blame me for that, will you, Miss Rios?"
Before Anastasia could answer, Julius raised his gun and pointed it at her heart. His voice trembled with anger and disbelief.
"Are you insane, Anastasia? Your brother fell by himself—it has nothing to do with Irene!"
His words struck the deepest wound in Anastasia's heart. Blood trickled from the gash on her forehead, staining her vision scarlet. Through that haze, she raised her gun and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
Only one shot rang out.
A searing pain exploded in her shoulder. Anastasia looked down in disbelief at the bloody hole blooming through her flesh.
The man she had loved for eight years—
He had not only shielded her brother's murderer...
He had shot her to protect that same woman.
Tears fell silently, washing away the last remnants of love and longing she held for Julius.
"Anastasia, I didn't mean to—I..."
Julius's face twisted with panic and grief. He dropped his weapon and rushed toward her, tearing open his expensive shirt to press against her wound.
He tried to lift her into his arms, but Anastasia stopped him. Her voice was hoarse, almost detached.
"Julius... do you remember what you said at our wedding?"
She unclasped the bullet pendant from her neck—the one he'd once given her as a token of love—and slid it into her gun's chamber.
Then she lifted the muzzle, pressing it against his chest.
He didn't even flinch. "Stop it, okay?" he murmured, almost gently. "Once your shoulder is treated, you can shoot me all you want."
He pushed the gun closer to his heart, utterly certain that she wouldn't do it.
Anastasia saw it—the faint flicker of confusion and irritation in his eyes.
Her tears fell harder. She shook her head.
"You said your heart beats only for me."
There were five bullets in the magazine. The last chamber was empty
If Julius had truly trusted her—if he hadn't shot her for Irene—then neither of them would be hurt.
"But you did," she whispered. "You pulled the trigger."
Bang!
A crimson bloom burst across Julius's chest. The pain drove him to his knees, yet his disbelieving eyes never left Anastasia's face.
"Does it hurt, Julius?"
He struggled to breathe, his blood spilling over his hands.
"It hurts," she said softly. "But it's still not even one ten-thousandth of the pain I've endured."
Her voice trembled, but her gaze was steady.
"You broke your promise. The bullets you once gave me... now I'm returning them to you."
Calmly, Anastasia met his fading eyes. Step by step, she retreated toward the cliff's edge.
As Julius's consciousness faded from blood loss, she smiled faintly—and let herself fall backward.
Plop.
The sound of her body hitting the waves was swallowed by the wind.
"Goodbye, Julius," she whispered in the silence of her descent.
"Goodbye... to the eight years of love I wasted on you."