She wasn't Wring Adrian's POV Tears welled in her eyes . " Why are you yelling at me ? Over something so small ? Adrian - we just got engaged , and this is how you treat me ? " " She was just - just Selene , " she said , her voice rising . " She was nobody . Why can't I throw away a nobody's things ? I'm your fiancée . I'm Mrs. Vale . Isn't that what matters ? " I stared at her for a long , bitter second . " Nobody ? " I said , the word like ash in my mouth . " Selene has done more for this family than most who carry its name . She is not a nobody to the Vales . Not now . Not ever . Do I make myself clear ? " Elara blinked rapidly , like she couldn't quite process what I'd just said . Her voice came out thin , trembling at first - but she quickly found her edge . " Adrian , you chose me . You told your father to get Selene out of the Vale casino entirely . So why are you throwing all of this on me now ? Why are you acting like this is my fault ? " And she wasn't wrong . It was me . I had made the choice . I picked Elara . I was the one who stood before my father , pride stinging , and demanded Selene be removed - like she was just some burden I didn't want to see anymore . And yes - Elara humiliated Selene at our engagement party . But I was the one who gave her the power to do it . I let her . I turned to Elara . " Where did you throw her things ? " She blinked . Didn't respond . I stepped closer , voice cold . " I said - where the fuck did you put her things ? " Her lips trembled . " The recycling site . Near Retoup Road . " That was all I needed to hear . I turned , already halfway out the door - when I felt her hand on my arm Her grip was tight . Desperate . " Elara- " Adrian , " she whispered , her voice cracking as her eyes filled . " Are you really going to leave all of us here - just to go chase down Selene's stuff ? You told me you loved me . Is this how you love someone ? " Maybe once , I would've softened . Maybe a week ago . A day ago . But now ? After knowing the truth ? All I felt when I looked at her ... was disgust I yanked my arm out of her grasp " Did I say I loved you ? Yes . And you said you loved me , too . But tell me - was your version of love always this twisted ? To lie to me ? To use my past against me ? To make me believe in something that never happened ? " A flicker of something passed through her eyes - shock , quilt , maybe both " I do love you ! " she cried . " I would've done anything for your " Yes , anything , " I said flatly " Except tell the damn truth Her voice rose to a near scream " Don't walk away from me , Adrian ! I swear , if you leave now , I- * " You'll what ? " I cut in my voice sharp as steel " Don't forget , Elara - we're not married . We're engaged . You are not Mis Vale yet . Don't threaten me . " She wasn't Wring +25 BONUS She flinched . I didn't stop . " And if you think Selene is beneath you , let me remind you - at this point , you're no better than her . In fact , you might be worse . " Her knees gave out , and she dropped into her seat like her spine had vanished . " I'm sorry , " she murmured . " I'm sorry , Adrian . Mr. Vale . Mrs. Vale . I crossed a line ... " I didn't even spare her a second glance as I turned and walked out the door . All I could think was- If I hurry ... if I'm lucky ... maybe I can still get Selene's things back . C By the time I reached the site , the worker had just begun loading the day's recycling into the back of his truck . Then I saw them- A few boxes , stained but intact , with the Vale casino crest faintly stamped on the sides . " Hey ! " I called out , striding toward him . " Those boxes - can I have them back ? My assistant threw them out by mistake . " I handed over a few crisp bills . He gave a nod , and I hauled the boxes out myself . They looked clean enough on the outside . But when I opened one- The stench hit me first . Someone had dumped trash inside . Deliberately . Banana peels . Coffee grounds . Crushed containers pressed into silk . A perfume bottle leaking onto photographs . Her clothes . Selene's things . I fumbled through the mess , hands trembling as I pulled out soaked notebooks , ruined fabric . And then - something delicate . A small , dust - smudged ballerina figurine . My breath caught . 1 remembered this toy . It was the first gift I'd ever given her . A mechanical music box . I hadn't even known what to get her - but I'd seen it in a window , and something about the way the ballerina spun reminded me of her . And she'd kept it . Until Elara threw it out with the rest of her . My grip slipped . The ballerina slipped from my hands and hit the concrete . Shatter " No- " I dropped to my knees , desperately trying to piece it back together . The head had snapped off The base had cracked . Tiny pink limbs lay in jagged fragments across the pavement . And then , among the wreckage , I saw it- A note . Folded small . Yellowed at the edges . I picked it up It was in her handwriting I knew it instantly I want to marry Adnan Just that Sumple . Honest Pure My throat closed . My vision blurred Selene ... You did marry me . In our last life , you were miJDE And 1 ruined it I mistrusted the wrong person I harmed my back on the one who had always stood in front of me In this life . I lost you Again . But maybe , maybe that's a kind of survey Maybe you're better efff. Maybe the loving me , not wasting your years on someone like me - maybe that was your escape ↑ your tendom You deserved better . You always ifid