Betrayed and framed five years ago, Matilda was wrongly accused of causing the death of Yvan's lover and their child. As a result, Yvan heartlessly sent her to prison, shattering her life and family, all the while completely oblivious to the fact that she was also carrying his unborn child. Fast-forward five years, Matilda is released from prison and confronted by Yvan, who demands, "If you want your child, come to me and atone for your sins!" With a bitter smile, Matilda replies, "You can have whoever you want, and let the child call them 'mom'." Furious, Yvan retorts, "After five years in prison, how can you still be so ruthless!" Matilda, her eyes reddened with tears, responds mockingly, "That's right, because I am a murderer in your eyes." Only later does Yvan realize the unbearable guilt and agony he owes her—a mere apology that Matilda no longer cares for...

Chapter 1Rachel Archer was dead.Matilda Thompson sat numbly on the edge of her bed; the divorce papers Yvan Boyd had flung at her lay crumpled by her trembling fingers. The room felt as chilly as a tomb.Just an hour ago, Yvan had his hands around her throat, his voice low and dangerous, "Did you push Rachel down those stairs?"An hour later, he was standing over her with a lawyer at his side, dropping the draft of a divorce agreement in her lap like a gauntlet. "Matilda Thompson, you owe her not one but two lives!"That's right, two. Rachel was pregnant with Yvan's child.Who was Matilda in this twisted play? Yvan's lawful wife, a mere punchline in a cruel joke.Tears reddened her eyes as she faced Yvan, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. "I didn't push her. How many times do I have to tell you that?"Yvan didn't listen. He just stared at her, his gaze cold and mocking. "Do you really think explanations matter now?"They didn't. It was too late. In Yvan's mind, she was guilty. No amount of pleading could outweigh the word of a woman no longer alive to speak for herself.A bitter laugh escaped Matilda as she stood abruptly, snatching up the pen to sign her name on the dotted line.Divorce, he wanted?Fine."Yvan, I loved you for a decade," she said with a forced smile, her voice dripping with pride despite the tears she fought back. "Let's consider those years a joke. From now on, we go our separate ways!"Love for him, her heart for her to keep. She signed the papers with a flourish.Yvan watched her, his sneer deepening. "You don't really think it ends with signing these papers, do you?"Matilda paled. "What else do you want?""I want your Thompson family to pay for Rachel's funeral!" His declaration was merciless. "Starting tomorrow, the Thompsons will descend into hell!"Matilda collapsed back on the bed, quivering. She looked at the man before her, whose handsome features she had once adored, now seeming like a stranger.After five years of silent longing and five years of marriage, she had left deep imprints in his life. Yet now, for a baseless accusation, he was ready to cast her into the abyss."Isn't my downfall enough?" she asked, her eyes brimming with hurt. "Why go after the Thompson family? My parents treated you like their own son. What have they ever done to deserve this?""Rachel's death," Yvan spat, gripping Matilda's chin with a force that made her wince, "is the greatest betrayal your family could have committed against me."Like a demon straight out of hell, he smiled. "It wasn't enough to force me to marry you, was it? Now, you had to take her life, too. Matilda, you're more heartless than I could've ever imagined!”The shock of his words was like being drenched in ice water.Matilda trembled. "Is this how you see me?""And why should I see you any differently?" Yvan's voice was laced with scorn as he released her, stepping back. "From today on, you will pay for Rachel's death."As if on cue, rain began to batter the windows outside, echoing the tumult inside Matilda's soul. She spoke through the pain, her voice barely a whisper, "Yvan, if there comes a day when you realize you've wronged me..."A pang of something unrecognizable flickered across Yvan's face, quickly masked by his icy exterior. "Wronged you? Matilda, in this life, it's you who has wronged me."A thunderclap split the sky, reverberating through the room and shaking Matilda to her core.Suddenly devoid of strength, she stumbled back, tears blending with the sound of the intensifying rain.Yvan grabbed the signed papers and slammed the door behind him, sealing her fate. The closing of that door marked the separation of their worlds as she knew it. From that moment on, Matilda's life was shattered beyond repair.The past few days had been a dreary parade of rain, and Rachel's funeral was no exception. A light drizzle hung in the air as a procession of mourners followed her to her final resting place.Yvan was adamant, driven by some deep-seated conviction that Matilda should kneel in the soggy earth before Rachel's grave—as if he wanted her to kneel there until she joined the dead herself.Matilda struggled against the weight of expectation and grief, but the sharp crack of a slap from a man's hand echoed. "Don't play the innocent with me; you're the last person who has the right to!"She winced in pain, but then, almost inexplicably, she began to laugh.The sound of her laughter, thin and despairing, cut through the rain.Yvan, heedless of anything else, lunged forward and kicked her squarely in the mouth.Matilda tumbled backward, coughing up blood. Yvan's polished shoe stepped into her line of sight. Looking up at him, an odd sense of detachment settled within her.How cruel, she thought, to have ever loved such a man...Her mistake was loving him!Through clenched teeth, Matilda spat, "Don't think for a second I'll kneel before her!""The sins you've committed, kneeling is the least you could do," Yvan bellowed as he yanked her up, only to throw her back down again.But Matilda didn't cry out in pain this time. She laughed again, her voice laced with bitterness, "I turned a blind eye to your affairs, to the scandals plastered across the newspapers as if I didn't know. I've been as loyal as a dog, and what do I get? Do you even have a shred of decency? You think I wanted Rachel dead? What was she compared to me—Matilda Thompson of the Thompson family? In terms of family, education, social standing, she couldn't match even a fingernail of mine!""So, you finally show your true colors..." Yvan prodded her face with the tip of his shoe. "I've prepared a little surprise for you today; I wonder if you'll like it..."As he spoke, a line of police appeared at the doorway.Before Matilda could react, they swarmed her, pinned her down, and snapped handcuffs around her wrists with practiced ease.As she saw the cuffs on her wrists, Matilda began to struggle wildly, "Let me go; by what right are you arresting me?""Murderer! Murderer!""Ptooey! And to think she's from the Thompson family!""Heartless monster! The depths of human depravity!""Poor Mr. Boyd, to be saddled with such a wife!"Reporters and cameras converged on her, capturing every moment of her panic. Matilda's face was ashen, her soul seemingly lost. "Who ordered my arrest? Who?""Really? Do you think in this land of law and order, they would wrongfully accuse you without solid evidence?" Yvan's voice came from behind her, and as she turned, he stood there holding an urn, dressed in a bespoke suit, looking every bit the emperor returning to her world.Tears welled in Matilda's eyes. "Yvan, you had me arrested?"A smirk played on Yvan's lips. "I merely sought justice for Rachel. The police and I watched the surveillance footage.""Justice?" Matilda's laugh was bitter and shrill, and it echoed through the crowd. The livestream captured her manic state for millions to see, her image etched into the eyes of the masses like some malevolent spirit.The handcuffs clinked as she strained against them, yelling at Yvan, "Yvan! Do you have no conscience at all? After five years of marriage, even a dog wouldn't be treated with such humiliation!""Humiliation?" Yvan stepped closer, his grip tight on Matilda's chin, "It's the consequence of your own actions. How can you call it humiliation?""I told you I didn't do it. On what grounds are you arresting me?" Matilda's hollow laugh was her final act of defiance, but it changed nothing. In his eyes, her reflection was nothing but a farce.With a slap that echoed through the hushed room, familiar pain shot across Matilda's cheek as tears welled up in her eyes. In a sudden surge of defiance, she snatched the urn from Yvan's grasp and hurled it to the ground, shattering it before the stunned onlookers."Yvan, let me make this crystal clear," Matilda spat, her voice thick with emotion, "I would never stoop so low! You can choose not to believe me, but I'll be damned if I let some dead woman lord over me. You'll get what's coming to you, just you wait!"Yvan's roar was like that of a wounded animal as he grasped Matilda by the throat. "How dare you!""Go ahead, kill me!" Matilda sneered, a hollow laugh escaping her lips. "You trust her so blindly, yet you disregard my innocence. What's stopping you? You think I haven't noticed how you take advantage of my love? You want to crush my heart? Do it, Yvan! It's already in tatters; what's one more stab to me?"The police stepped in, yanking Matilda away and dragging her toward the squad car.The crowd could only watch this tragic spectacle, the sight of Yvan's twisted, handsome face filling them with dread.Yvan's gaze followed Matilda's retreating figure like a curse. "You'll never be able to atone for this, Matilda!"Matilda's laughter was bitter as tears forced their way down her cheeks. "Oh, Yvan, you'll regret this! For all you know, Rachel's baby might not even be yours. If you ever realize how wrong you've been today... if you ever realize..."As if the heavens themselves were moved by the scene, rain began to pour down, each cold drop echoing the heaviness in everyone's hearts. It came down harder and harder, a celestial fury unleashed.The torrential rain seemed to cleave through Matilda's very being as she was shoved into the car, her maniacal laughter still piercing the air, a haunting echo in the ears of all who witnessed this grave affair."Yvan, if I live, I hope never to see your face again. If I die, then that's the luckiest I'll ever be!"Love? Affection? They meant nothing!It dawned on her, painfully clear at last.Yvan had left her no way out. Divorced and now bound for jail, she was paying the price for her foolishness with her life.Matilda's laughter turned to coughs of blood, and as the window of the police car rolled down, the flashing cameras caught her deranged expression. Yet she didn't care; her gaze locked on Yvan with a ferocity that belied her unraveling."I've made a mistake," she admitted, her voice suddenly devoid of fight. "Yvan, I've realized how terribly I've erred..."Yvan stepped forward, words on the brink of his lips, but the woman before him lifted her head with a hollow gaze that turned the world to ruins in her eyes. "Yvan, the biggest mistake I ever made was falling in love with you..."Five years of marriage, five years of love, shattered in an instant.He had never truly trusted her, and so he condemned her without mercy, turning all her sacrifices into an utter farce."Yvan, in this life, you owe me so much!" She yelled inwardly.The police car drove off into the storm, Matilda's sigh quickly lost in the rain, as ephemeral and numb as her last glance, as an old soul resigned to its fate.Yvan should have felt triumphant, avenging Rachel... But when the moment actually arrived, he stumbled backward.A cold wind howled behind him, the icy rain seeping into his bones, chilling his heart.Why, when it came down to it, did his heart feel hollow, as if missing a piece, at the sound of her murmuring voice, as painful as a needle prick?Chapter 2Rachel Archer was dead.Matilda Thompson sat numbly on the edge of her bed; the divorce papers Yvan Boyd had flung at her lay crumpled by her trembling fingers. The room felt as chilly as a tomb.Just an hour ago, Yvan had his hands around her throat, his voice low and dangerous, "Did you push Rachel down those stairs?"An hour later, he was standing over her with a lawyer at his side, dropping the draft of a divorce agreement in her lap like a gauntlet. "Matilda Thompson, you owe her not one but two lives!"That's right, two. Rachel was pregnant with Yvan's child.Who was Matilda in this twisted play? Yvan's lawful wife, a mere punchline in a cruel joke.Tears reddened her eyes as she faced Yvan, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. "I didn't push her. How many times do I have to tell you that?"Yvan didn't listen. He just stared at her, his gaze cold and mocking. "Do you really think explanations matter now?"They didn't. It was too late. In Yvan's mind, she was guilty. No amount of pleading could outweigh the word of a woman no longer alive to speak for herself.A bitter laugh escaped Matilda as she stood abruptly, snatching up the pen to sign her name on the dotted line.Divorce, he wanted?Fine."Yvan, I loved you for a decade," she said with a forced smile, her voice dripping with pride despite the tears she fought back. "Let's consider those years a joke. From now on, we go our separate ways!"Love for him, her heart for her to keep. She signed the papers with a flourish.Yvan watched her, his sneer deepening. "You don't really think it ends with signing these papers, do you?"Matilda paled. "What else do you want?""I want your Thompson family to pay for Rachel's funeral!" His declaration was merciless. "Starting tomorrow, the Thompsons will descend into hell!"Matilda collapsed back on the bed, quivering. She looked at the man before her, whose handsome features she had once adored, now seeming like a stranger.After five years of silent longing and five years of marriage, she had left deep imprints in his life. Yet now, for a baseless accusation, he was ready to cast her into the abyss."Isn't my downfall enough?" she asked, her eyes brimming with hurt. "Why go after the Thompson family? My parents treated you like their own son. What have they ever done to deserve this?""Rachel's death," Yvan spat, gripping Matilda's chin with a force that made her wince, "is the greatest betrayal your family could have committed against me."Like a demon straight out of hell, he smiled. "It wasn't enough to force me to marry you, was it? Now, you had to take her life, too. Matilda, you're more heartless than I could've ever imagined!”The shock of his words was like being drenched in ice water.Matilda trembled. "Is this how you see me?""And why should I see you any differently?" Yvan's voice was laced with scorn as he released her, stepping back. "From today on, you will pay for Rachel's death."As if on cue, rain began to batter the windows outside, echoing the tumult inside Matilda's soul. She spoke through the pain, her voice barely a whisper, "Yvan, if there comes a day when you realize you've wronged me..."A pang of something unrecognizable flickered across Yvan's face, quickly masked by his icy exterior. "Wronged you? Matilda, in this life, it's you who has wronged me."A thunderclap split the sky, reverberating through the room and shaking Matilda to her core.Suddenly devoid of strength, she stumbled back, tears blending with the sound of the intensifying rain.Yvan grabbed the signed papers and slammed the door behind him, sealing her fate. The closing of that door marked the separation of their worlds as she knew it. From that moment on, Matilda's life was shattered beyond repair.The past few days had been a dreary parade of rain, and Rachel's funeral was no exception. A light drizzle hung in the air as a procession of mourners followed her to her final resting place.Yvan was adamant, driven by some deep-seated conviction that Matilda should kneel in the soggy earth before Rachel's grave—as if he wanted her to kneel there until she joined the dead herself.Matilda struggled against the weight of expectation and grief, but the sharp crack of a slap from a man's hand echoed. "Don't play the innocent with me; you're the last person who has the right to!"She winced in pain, but then, almost inexplicably, she began to laugh.The sound of her laughter, thin and despairing, cut through the rain.Yvan, heedless of anything else, lunged forward and kicked her squarely in the mouth.Matilda tumbled backward, coughing up blood. Yvan's polished shoe stepped into her line of sight. Looking up at him, an odd sense of detachment settled within her.How cruel, she thought, to have ever loved such a man...Her mistake was loving him!Through clenched teeth, Matilda spat, "Don't think for a second I'll kneel before her!""The sins you've committed, kneeling is the least you could do," Yvan bellowed as he yanked her up, only to throw her back down again.But Matilda didn't cry out in pain this time. She laughed again, her voice laced with bitterness, "I turned a blind eye to your affairs, to the scandals plastered across the newspapers as if I didn't know. I've been as loyal as a dog, and what do I get? Do you even have a shred of decency? You think I wanted Rachel dead? What was she compared to me—Matilda Thompson of the Thompson family? In terms of family, education, social standing, she couldn't match even a fingernail of mine!""So, you finally show your true colors..." Yvan prodded her face with the tip of his shoe. "I've prepared a little surprise for you today; I wonder if you'll like it..."As he spoke, a line of police appeared at the doorway.Before Matilda could react, they swarmed her, pinned her down, and snapped handcuffs around her wrists with practiced ease.As she saw the cuffs on her wrists, Matilda began to struggle wildly, "Let me go; by what right are you arresting me?""Murderer! Murderer!""Ptooey! And to think she's from the Thompson family!""Heartless monster! The depths of human depravity!""Poor Mr. Boyd, to be saddled with such a wife!"Reporters and cameras converged on her, capturing every moment of her panic. Matilda's face was ashen, her soul seemingly lost. "Who ordered my arrest? Who?""Really? Do you think in this land of law and order, they would wrongfully accuse you without solid evidence?" Yvan's voice came from behind her, and as she turned, he stood there holding an urn, dressed in a bespoke suit, looking every bit the emperor returning to her world.Tears welled in Matilda's eyes. "Yvan, you had me arrested?"A smirk played on Yvan's lips. "I merely sought justice for Rachel. The police and I watched the surveillance footage.""Justice?" Matilda's laugh was bitter and shrill, and it echoed through the crowd. The livestream captured her manic state for millions to see, her image etched into the eyes of the masses like some malevolent spirit.The handcuffs clinked as she strained against them, yelling at Yvan, "Yvan! Do you have no conscience at all? After five years of marriage, even a dog wouldn't be treated with such humiliation!""Humiliation?" Yvan stepped closer, his grip tight on Matilda's chin, "It's the consequence of your own actions. How can you call it humiliation?""I told you I didn't do it. On what grounds are you arresting me?" Matilda's hollow laugh was her final act of defiance, but it changed nothing. In his eyes, her reflection was nothing but a farce.With a slap that echoed through the hushed room, familiar pain shot across Matilda's cheek as tears welled up in her eyes. In a sudden surge of defiance, she snatched the urn from Yvan's grasp and hurled it to the ground, shattering it before the stunned onlookers."Yvan, let me make this crystal clear," Matilda spat, her voice thick with emotion, "I would never stoop so low! You can choose not to believe me, but I'll be damned if I let some dead woman lord over me. You'll get what's coming to you, just you wait!"Yvan's roar was like that of a wounded animal as he grasped Matilda by the throat. "How dare you!""Go ahead, kill me!" Matilda sneered, a hollow laugh escaping her lips. "You trust her so blindly, yet you disregard my innocence. What's stopping you? You think I haven't noticed how you take advantage of my love? You want to crush my heart? Do it, Yvan! It's already in tatters; what's one more stab to me?"The police stepped in, yanking Matilda away and dragging her toward the squad car.The crowd could only watch this tragic spectacle, the sight of Yvan's twisted, handsome face filling them with dread.Yvan's gaze followed Matilda's retreating figure like a curse. "You'll never be able to atone for this, Matilda!"Matilda's laughter was bitter as tears forced their way down her cheeks. "Oh, Yvan, you'll regret this! For all you know, Rachel's baby might not even be yours. If you ever realize how wrong you've been today... if you ever realize..."As if the heavens themselves were moved by the scene, rain began to pour down, each cold drop echoing the heaviness in everyone's hearts. It came down harder and harder, a celestial fury unleashed.The torrential rain seemed to cleave through Matilda's very being as she was shoved into the car, her maniacal laughter still piercing the air, a haunting echo in the ears of all who witnessed this grave affair."Yvan, if I live, I hope never to see your face again. If I die, then that's the luckiest I'll ever be!"Love? Affection? They meant nothing!It dawned on her, painfully clear at last.Yvan had left her no way out. Divorced and now bound for jail, she was paying the price for her foolishness with her life.Matilda's laughter turned to coughs of blood, and as the window of the police car rolled down, the flashing cameras caught her deranged expression. Yet she didn't care; her gaze locked on Yvan with a ferocity that belied her unraveling."I've made a mistake," she admitted, her voice suddenly devoid of fight. "Yvan, I've realized how terribly I've erred..."Yvan stepped forward, words on the brink of his lips, but the woman before him lifted her head with a hollow gaze that turned the world to ruins in her eyes. "Yvan, the biggest mistake I ever made was falling in love with you..."Five years of marriage, five years of love, shattered in an instant.He had never truly trusted her, and so he condemned her without mercy, turning all her sacrifices into an utter farce."Yvan, in this life, you owe me so much!" She yelled inwardly.The police car drove off into the storm, Matilda's sigh quickly lost in the rain, as ephemeral and numb as her last glance, as an old soul resigned to its fate.Yvan should have felt triumphant, avenging Rachel... But when the moment actually arrived, he stumbled backward.A cold wind howled behind him, the icy rain seeping into his bones, chilling his heart.Why, when it came down to it, did his heart feel hollow, as if missing a piece, at the sound of her murmuring voice, as painful as a needle prick?Chapter 3Rachel Archer was dead.Matilda Thompson sat numbly on the edge of her bed; the divorce papers Yvan Boyd had flung at her lay crumpled by her trembling fingers. The room felt as chilly as a tomb.Just an hour ago, Yvan had his hands around her throat, his voice low and dangerous, "Did you push Rachel down those stairs?"An hour later, he was standing over her with a lawyer at his side, dropping the draft of a divorce agreement in her lap like a gauntlet. "Matilda Thompson, you owe her not one but two lives!"That's right, two. Rachel was pregnant with Yvan's child.Who was Matilda in this twisted play? Yvan's lawful wife, a mere punchline in a cruel joke.Tears reddened her eyes as she faced Yvan, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. "I didn't push her. How many times do I have to tell you that?"Yvan didn't listen. He just stared at her, his gaze cold and mocking. "Do you really think explanations matter now?"They didn't. It was too late. In Yvan's mind, she was guilty. No amount of pleading could outweigh the word of a woman no longer alive to speak for herself.A bitter laugh escaped Matilda as she stood abruptly, snatching up the pen to sign her name on the dotted line.Divorce, he wanted?Fine."Yvan, I loved you for a decade," she said with a forced smile, her voice dripping with pride despite the tears she fought back. "Let's consider those years a joke. From now on, we go our separate ways!"Love for him, her heart for her to keep. She signed the papers with a flourish.Yvan watched her, his sneer deepening. "You don't really think it ends with signing these papers, do you?"Matilda paled. "What else do you want?""I want your Thompson family to pay for Rachel's funeral!" His declaration was merciless. "Starting tomorrow, the Thompsons will descend into hell!"Matilda collapsed back on the bed, quivering. She looked at the man before her, whose handsome features she had once adored, now seeming like a stranger.After five years of silent longing and five years of marriage, she had left deep imprints in his life. Yet now, for a baseless accusation, he was ready to cast her into the abyss."Isn't my downfall enough?" she asked, her eyes brimming with hurt. "Why go after the Thompson family? My parents treated you like their own son. What have they ever done to deserve this?""Rachel's death," Yvan spat, gripping Matilda's chin with a force that made her wince, "is the greatest betrayal your family could have committed against me."Like a demon straight out of hell, he smiled. "It wasn't enough to force me to marry you, was it? Now, you had to take her life, too. Matilda, you're more heartless than I could've ever imagined!”The shock of his words was like being drenched in ice water.Matilda trembled. "Is this how you see me?""And why should I see you any differently?" Yvan's voice was laced with scorn as he released her, stepping back. "From today on, you will pay for Rachel's death."As if on cue, rain began to batter the windows outside, echoing the tumult inside Matilda's soul. She spoke through the pain, her voice barely a whisper, "Yvan, if there comes a day when you realize you've wronged me..."A pang of something unrecognizable flickered across Yvan's face, quickly masked by his icy exterior. "Wronged you? Matilda, in this life, it's you who has wronged me."A thunderclap split the sky, reverberating through the room and shaking Matilda to her core.Suddenly devoid of strength, she stumbled back, tears blending with the sound of the intensifying rain.Yvan grabbed the signed papers and slammed the door behind him, sealing her fate. The closing of that door marked the separation of their worlds as she knew it. From that moment on, Matilda's life was shattered beyond repair.The past few days had been a dreary parade of rain, and Rachel's funeral was no exception. A light drizzle hung in the air as a procession of mourners followed her to her final resting place.Yvan was adamant, driven by some deep-seated conviction that Matilda should kneel in the soggy earth before Rachel's grave—as if he wanted her to kneel there until she joined the dead herself.Matilda struggled against the weight of expectation and grief, but the sharp crack of a slap from a man's hand echoed. "Don't play the innocent with me; you're the last person who has the right to!"She winced in pain, but then, almost inexplicably, she began to laugh.The sound of her laughter, thin and despairing, cut through the rain.Yvan, heedless of anything else, lunged forward and kicked her squarely in the mouth.Matilda tumbled backward, coughing up blood. Yvan's polished shoe stepped into her line of sight. Looking up at him, an odd sense of detachment settled within her.How cruel, she thought, to have ever loved such a man...Her mistake was loving him!Through clenched teeth, Matilda spat, "Don't think for a second I'll kneel before her!""The sins you've committed, kneeling is the least you could do," Yvan bellowed as he yanked her up, only to throw her back down again.But Matilda didn't cry out in pain this time. She laughed again, her voice laced with bitterness, "I turned a blind eye to your affairs, to the scandals plastered across the newspapers as if I didn't know. I've been as loyal as a dog, and what do I get? Do you even have a shred of decency? You think I wanted Rachel dead? What was she compared to me—Matilda Thompson of the Thompson family? In terms of family, education, social standing, she couldn't match even a fingernail of mine!""So, you finally show your true colors..." Yvan prodded her face with the tip of his shoe. "I've prepared a little surprise for you today; I wonder if you'll like it..."As he spoke, a line of police appeared at the doorway.Before Matilda could react, they swarmed her, pinned her down, and snapped handcuffs around her wrists with practiced ease.As she saw the cuffs on her wrists, Matilda began to struggle wildly, "Let me go; by what right are you arresting me?""Murderer! Murderer!""Ptooey! And to think she's from the Thompson family!""Heartless monster! The depths of human depravity!""Poor Mr. Boyd, to be saddled with such a wife!"Reporters and cameras converged on her, capturing every moment of her panic. Matilda's face was ashen, her soul seemingly lost. "Who ordered my arrest? Who?""Really? Do you think in this land of law and order, they would wrongfully accuse you without solid evidence?" Yvan's voice came from behind her, and as she turned, he stood there holding an urn, dressed in a bespoke suit, looking every bit the emperor returning to her world.Tears welled in Matilda's eyes. "Yvan, you had me arrested?"A smirk played on Yvan's lips. "I merely sought justice for Rachel. The police and I watched the surveillance footage.""Justice?" Matilda's laugh was bitter and shrill, and it echoed through the crowd. The livestream captured her manic state for millions to see, her image etched into the eyes of the masses like some malevolent spirit.The handcuffs clinked as she strained against them, yelling at Yvan, "Yvan! Do you have no conscience at all? After five years of marriage, even a dog wouldn't be treated with such humiliation!""Humiliation?" Yvan stepped closer, his grip tight on Matilda's chin, "It's the consequence of your own actions. How can you call it humiliation?""I told you I didn't do it. On what grounds are you arresting me?" Matilda's hollow laugh was her final act of defiance, but it changed nothing. In his eyes, her reflection was nothing but a farce.With a slap that echoed through the hushed room, familiar pain shot across Matilda's cheek as tears welled up in her eyes. In a sudden surge of defiance, she snatched the urn from Yvan's grasp and hurled it to the ground, shattering it before the stunned onlookers."Yvan, let me make this crystal clear," Matilda spat, her voice thick with emotion, "I would never stoop so low! You can choose not to believe me, but I'll be damned if I let some dead woman lord over me. You'll get what's coming to you, just you wait!"Yvan's roar was like that of a wounded animal as he grasped Matilda by the throat. "How dare you!""Go ahead, kill me!" Matilda sneered, a hollow laugh escaping her lips. "You trust her so blindly, yet you disregard my innocence. What's stopping you? You think I haven't noticed how you take advantage of my love? You want to crush my heart? Do it, Yvan! It's already in tatters; what's one more stab to me?"The police stepped in, yanking Matilda away and dragging her toward the squad car.The crowd could only watch this tragic spectacle, the sight of Yvan's twisted, handsome face filling them with dread.Yvan's gaze followed Matilda's retreating figure like a curse. "You'll never be able to atone for this, Matilda!"Matilda's laughter was bitter as tears forced their way down her cheeks. "Oh, Yvan, you'll regret this! For all you know, Rachel's baby might not even be yours. If you ever realize how wrong you've been today... if you ever realize..."As if the heavens themselves were moved by the scene, rain began to pour down, each cold drop echoing the heaviness in everyone's hearts. It came down harder and harder, a celestial fury unleashed.The torrential rain seemed to cleave through Matilda's very being as she was shoved into the car, her maniacal laughter still piercing the air, a haunting echo in the ears of all who witnessed this grave affair."Yvan, if I live, I hope never to see your face again. If I die, then that's the luckiest I'll ever be!"Love? Affection? They meant nothing!It dawned on her, painfully clear at last.Yvan had left her no way out. Divorced and now bound for jail, she was paying the price for her foolishness with her life.Matilda's laughter turned to coughs of blood, and as the window of the police car rolled down, the flashing cameras caught her deranged expression. Yet she didn't care; her gaze locked on Yvan with a ferocity that belied her unraveling."I've made a mistake," she admitted, her voice suddenly devoid of fight. "Yvan, I've realized how terribly I've erred..."Yvan stepped forward, words on the brink of his lips, but the woman before him lifted her head with a hollow gaze that turned the world to ruins in her eyes. "Yvan, the biggest mistake I ever made was falling in love with you..."Five years of marriage, five years of love, shattered in an instant.He had never truly trusted her, and so he condemned her without mercy, turning all her sacrifices into an utter farce."Yvan, in this life, you owe me so much!" She yelled inwardly.The police car drove off into the storm, Matilda's sigh quickly lost in the rain, as ephemeral and numb as her last glance, as an old soul resigned to its fate.Yvan should have felt triumphant, avenging Rachel... But when the moment actually arrived, he stumbled backward.A cold wind howled behind him, the icy rain seeping into his bones, chilling his heart.Why, when it came down to it, did his heart feel hollow, as if missing a piece, at the sound of her murmuring voice, as painful as a needle prick?