---- Chapter 10 Henry had been a renowned painter in Azura- until the scandal hit. Overnight, his reputation crumbled. With his image in ruins, investments dried up. Even his sold paintings faced refund demands, with buyers slapping him with exorbitant breach penalties. A former colleague whispered updates: Henry now prowled the studio in perpetual fury. No amount of Tamara's coaxing could soften his temper. Soon, he ordered her to please investors at dinners. "Dress skimpier,' he would say. Tamara, still clinging to her innocent, pure-girl image, refused. In response, Henry slapped her across the face ---- and told her to get lost. With no other choice, she attended anyway. A businessman in his fifties took an immediate liking to her. Tamara didn't hesitate and slept with him that very night. Afterward, when she demanded his commitment, he scoffed at her. "Everyone knows you're Henry's mistress. Why should I foot the bill for his leftovers?" The investment never materialized, and Tamara gained nothing but a sullied name. Disgusted by her "impurity," Henry fired her shortly after. Both became pariahs-Tamara unemployable, and Henry shunned by investors. But what did that matter to me? It was just gossip about people I used to know. ---- I thrived in Maxwell's studio, immersed in exhibition planning, investor meetings, and even securing jobs for my ex-colleagues. The best part of it all? Maxwell's talent spoke for itself, and there was no need for drunken networking. On rare occasions when socializing was unavoidable, he'd shield me from toasts-always with stomach medicine ready in his pocket. Ino longer had to sacrifice my health for anyone's ambitions. Later, despite being blocked, Henry reached me through a mutual friend's phone. To my surprise, he didn't rage. Instead, he exhaled as if relieved. "You've won, Rosalind. You ruined Tamara. Isn't that enough? "Stop this. Come back. If this continues, it will be ---- the end of my career." For a moment, I wondered if he'd lost his mind. A bitter laugh escaped me. "Henry, what delusion makes you think I'd return after everything? "Why blame Tamara alone? Weren't you the one who vowed to protect her?" "N-no... 've always loved you, Rosalind. I just pitied her-" he stammered. Icut him off. "You love no one. You're just floundering without your human crutch. Your only true love is yourself. " "That's not true! Ten years together-you're the only woman I've ever-" "Exactly. Long enough for me to finally see you for who you truly are."