The cold hardwood floor offered no comfort to Kayla as she collapsed onto her knees, the crushing weight of reality pressing down upon her chest until breathing felt like a monumental effort.
Tears blurred her vision, hot and unrelenting, spilling over her eyelashes to track damp paths down her pale cheeks.
Suddenly, the sharp, jarring chime of her cellular phone sliced through the oppressive silence of the room.
Kayla blinked through the haze of her sorrow, her gaze falling upon the illuminated screen.
There, frozen in a moment of artificial bliss, was a photograph of herself and Oliver, smiling radiantly against a backdrop of a sun-drenched beach. It was her wallpaper.
The image did not bring comfort; instead, it ignited a volatile spark of fury within her soul. The memory of Oliver's betrayal—the calculated lies, the venomous infidelity, and worst of all, his hand in the horrific accident that had left Leah broken and bleeding—rushed through her veins like poison.
With a cry of absolute revulsion, Kayla snatched the device and hurled it across the room with all the strength she could muster.
The phone struck the far wall with a sharp, splintering crack, the glass shattering into a web of dead crystals as it fell uselessly to the floor.
Breathing heavily, her chest heaving, Kayla turned her head slowly toward the side table.
Two frames rested there side by side. One contained a photograph of her and Leah, laughing without care, their bond evident in the brightness of their eyes. The other was an ornate, silver-trimmed frame showcasing her and Oliver on their wedding day, a day she had once foolishly believed was the beginning of her eternity.
A fresh wave of wrath overtook her. Kayla reached out, seized the wedding photoframe, and cast it violently aside, letting it crash against the floor.
Immediately after, she reached for the remaining frame, pulling the photograph of herself and Leah tightly against her chest.
She clung to it as if it were a lifeline, sinking lower onto the floor, her body trembling with violent sobs. The glass was cool against her skin, but the warmth of the memory it held was the only thing keeping her from shattering completely.
The tears continued to roll down her cheeks, soaking into the fabric of her blouse.
In the quiet sanctuary of her mind, Leah's gentle voice echoed, clear and steadfast despite the distance of tragedy.
"I will always be there for you."
The words repeated like a sacred vow, cutting through the fog of Kayla's despair.
Kayla remained motionless for several long minutes, her breathing gradually slowing as a cold, hard resolve began to solidify beneath her grief. The sorrow in her eyes slowly gave way to a sharp, calculating focus.
She looked down at the image of her dearest friend, her lips tightening into a thin, grim line.
"I know what to do," she whispered to the empty room, her voice trembling but filled with a dangerous certainty.
"I know how to punish Oliver for his sins. And I will not leave his own girlfriend, who orchestrated this dangerous plan against me and my friend Leah."
With a deliberate movement, Kayla rose to her feet, pressing her palms against her knees to steady her shaking limbs.
She walked over to the side table and placed Leah's photoframe back down with immense care, ensuring it stood upright and safe.
Turning on her heel, she walked out of the bedroom and moved down the dimly lit corridor toward the guest wing, her footsteps silent but purposeful.
As she approached the guest room door, the faint sound of muffled laughter and familiar voices filtered through the wood. Kayla hesitated for a fraction of a second, her hand hovering over the brass handle.
She pushed the door open slightly, peering through the gap.
Inside, Susy and Oliver were tangled together, their lips locked in a passionate, brazen kiss, completely unbothered by the sanctity of the home they were violating.
A volatile mixture of disgust and rage flared in Kayla's chest. Without another moment of hesitation, she flung the door wide open, the wood banging loudly against the interior wall as she stepped into the threshold, her eyes blazing with absolute fury.
The sudden noise broke the pair apart. Susy looked toward the door, her expression shifting not into shame, but into a mocking, dismissive sneer.
"Please close the door."
"Your husband is mine."
Oliver looked up, a cruel, mocking smile spreading across his face as he joined Susy in a low, derogatory laugh that echoed sharply in the confined space.
Kayla did not utter a word. She barged into the room, her eyes scanning the immediate surroundings until they locked onto a crystal water glass resting on the vanity table.
In one swift motion, she snatched the glass and hurled the contents directly into the faces of the laughing couple.
The cold water drenched them instantly, cutting their laughter short. Susy gasped, wiping the moisture from her eyes as her expression turned venomous.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Susy shrieked, scrambling backward on the bed.
"YOU SLUT!"
Before the insult could fully leave Susy's lips, Kayla stepped forward and delivered a fierce, resounding slap across her cheek.
The impact cracked through the room. Susy surged with shock, clutching her face as she shouted out in sudden, sharp pain.
"Ah!"
Oliver bolted upright, his face darkening with rage as he glared at his wife.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Oliver shouted, his voice booming.
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM BEFORE I THROW YOU OUT!"
Kayla ignored his threats entirely. Driven by the agony of Leah's condition, she struck again, her palm connecting hard against Susy's opposite cheek with unyielding force.
Susy whimpered, trying desperately to shield her face with her arms as she shouted in pain and panic.
"AHHHHHHH!"
"PLEASE STOP IT!"
"HOW DARE YOU!"
Desperate to defend herself, Susy lunged forward and grabbed Kayla's hand, locking her fingers around Kayla's wrist with a tight, punishing grip. With a sudden burst of malice, she began to twist Kayla's arm backward.
"Get over with it, baby," Susy spat, her voice dropping into a venomous hiss as she maintained her hold.
"How dare you beat me? I am Susy, and you are not even worth of me."
Oliver remained on the mattress, a satisfied smile creeping back onto his features as he watched Susy gain the upper hand, taking pleasure in his wife's distress.
Susy tightened her grip, leaning closer to Kayla's face.
"How can you expect a handsome man like Oliver would fall for you?"
A sharp, throbbing pain shot up Kayla's arm where Susy continued to twist her wrist, but she refused to let her expression falter, staring back with cold defiance.
"I waited for this long to punish you for stealing my boyfriend and my husband," Susy sneered.
Kayla's breath caught in her throat, a sudden shock rippling through her despite her anger.
Susy raised her left hand, deliberately flaunting a large, brilliant diamond ring that caught the light of the room. A triumphant, mocking smirk distorted her features.
Leaning in until her lips nearly brushed Kayla's ear, Susy murmured in a chilling whisper, "Your husband married me on the same day that you married him."
The revelation struck Kayla like a physical blow, a sickening sense of betrayal washing over her as she realized the sheer depth of the deception.
Oliver chuckled softly from the bed, looking at Kayla with eyes devoid of any remorse.
"What can you expect from me, Kayla?" he asked, his tone casually cruel.
"I married you for your father's property."
He paused, casting a dark, appreciative glance toward the woman beside him.
"But Susy is always my hot girlfriend who is my type."
Susy tightened her twist on Kayla's wrist, her eyes gleaming with avarice. "Now your property and everything you own belongs to Oliver."
"Yes, baby," Oliver agreed smoothly.
Susy looked directly at Oliver, deliberately raising her voice to ensure Kayla heard every word of their transactional romance.
"Baby, will you write or give me Kayla's mansion on my name and your future baby?"
Oliver nodded without a second thought. "YES BABY."
"BUT I WILL OWN HER BUSINESSES AND OTHER ASSETS."
As they spoke, a brief memory flashed through Kayla's mind, recalling the moments just before she entered this room.
After placing Leah's photograph safely on the table, Kayla had reached into her drawer, retrieving a small, activated digital voice recorder and hiding it securely beneath the inner lining of her coat.
A slow, unexpected smile crept onto Kayla's face, catching Susy completely off guard.
Before Susy could question the expression, Kayla shifted her weight and drove her leg forward with precise, sudden force, delivering a powerful kick that struck Susy squarely in the torso.
The momentum broke Susy's grip entirely. She stumbled backward, losing her balance and crashing heavily onto the floor.
"AH!" Susy shrieked, tumbling against the rug.
Oliver surged forward, his face contorted in disbelief. "HOW DARE YOU!"
Susy lay on the floor, clutching her side as she looked up at Oliver with frantic, angry eyes.
"Will you be silent when your so-called wife is kicking your girlfriend?!"
Oliver's jaw set. "NO, baby."
"I will punish her severely."
Oliver stepped off the bed, pulling his arm back as he raised his hand, intending to strike Kayla across the face with all his weight.
But Kayla was already moving. "Not so fast, Oliver," she whispered.
Her hand had already locked around the neck of a heavy ceramic flower vase resting on the nearby console table.
With a swift, fluid motion, she swung the vase upward, bringing it down hard against the side of Oliver's head.
The impact was loud and solid. Oliver cried out, a sharp yell of agony tearing from his throat.
"AH!"
His knees buckled beneath him, and he collapsed heavily onto the floor, clutching his head as the world spun out of his control.
Kayla did not pause. She stepped over to where Susy was attempting to scramble to her feet, grabbing her by the collar of her dress and pulling her upward.
"SUSY, YOU BITCH!" Kayla shouted, her voice echoing off the walls.
Susy looked up, her breath catching as she met Kayla's gaze. Kayla's eyes were completely bloodshot, wild with an intense, unyielding rage that struck a sudden chord of terror deep within Susy's chest.
Still, Susy tried to bluster through her fear, shouting back, "HOW DARE YOU!"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOURSELF?!"
"I will not spare you for hurting Oliver!"
Instead of answering, Kayla turned her attention back to the groaning Oliver, delivering a series of sharp, stinging slaps across his face and head, refusing to let him find his bearings.
"You cheated on me," Kayla said, her voice a mix of fierce anger and deep, underlying betrayal.
"I gave you everything and you cheated on me and betrayed me, and also you and your evil girlfriend orchestrated a dangerous plan against me and Leah!"
She struck him again, her palm cracking against his cheek.
"You could have asked me if you really needed my wealth! And you know how much I love Leah!"
Tears re-emerged in her eyes, burning with a fierce intensity.
"Leah treated me with love, and I am her only family!"
"You should have left Leah out of this mess!"
Kayla's voice rose to a piercing shriek as she struck him once more. "Because of you, she is fighting for her life!"
She continued to hit him, her blows fueled by weeks of accumulated deception and pain, while Oliver could do nothing but groan and shout in agony.
"AHH!"
Susy, watching from the side, screamed out in a desperate attempt to intervene. "If you beat Oliver again, I don't know what I will do to you, Kayla!"
Kayla stopped. She slowly raised her hand, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of her wrist.
Oliver lay still on the floor, rendered completely unconscious by the assault.
Kayla turned her gaze to Susy. Her expression had completely drained of emotion, becoming terrifyingly blank, like a calm before a devastating storm.
She walked silently over to Susy.
Without a word of warning, she delivered a devastating slap across Susy's face.
Susy recoiled, a sharp cry of pain escaping her lips. "AH!"
"It's paining, and my cheeks are turning red!"
Kayla stood over her, her voice dropping into a low, menacing whisper. "Are you satisfied?"
Before Susy could answer, Kayla began hitting her repeatedly, her words striking as hard as her hands.
"I WILL NOT SPARE YOU, IDIOT!"
"HOW DARE YOU PLAN AN ACCIDENT ON LEAH?!"
"HOW DARE YOU TO STEAL EVERYTHING FROM ME?!"
"I WILL NOT SPARE YOU!"
Kayla's eyes drifted over Susy's attire, recognizing the familiar fabric and the scent that lingered in the air.
"HOW DARE YOU TO WEAR MY DRESS AND MY JEWELRY AND EXPENSIVE PERFUME AND SANDALS?!"
"Take it out!" Kayla commanded, her voice shaking with disgust.
Susy shielded herself, crying out defiantly, "IT'S ALL MINE!"
Kayla's palm struck Susy's face once more, a harsh, unforgiving blow.
Susy wept openly now, the pain finally breaking through her arrogance. "AHHHHHHHH!"
"These are all mine," Kayla said, her voice dropping into a cold, absolute certainty. "My father bought it for me, and I bought this all for me."
As she spoke, Kayla's eyes caught the glint of gold around Susy's wrist and ears. It was the specific gold bracelet and matching earrings that Leah had given her for her birthday.
The sight fractured the last of Kayla's control. She slapped Susy again, her fingers reaching out to tear the jewelry away, holding the precious metal pieces tightly in her palm as a fresh wave of tears spilled over her eyelids.
Reaching blindly toward the washstand, Kayla seized a large ceramic water mug.
Without hesitation, she poured the entire contents over Susy's head, drenching her hair and the stolen dress completely.
"YOU DESERVE THIS, SUSY," Kayla spat, throwing the empty mug aside.
"NOT ONLY YOU, EVEN OLIVER DESERVES THIS."
"YOU TWO ARE MAD FOR EACH OTHER."
She stared down at the shivering, weeping woman on the floor.
"You can keep Oliver and also the dress, and I don't want it anyway."
"I will not leave you both for your sins."
With that final declaration, Kayla turned her back on them, walking out of the guest room without looking back at the wreckage she left behind.
Kayla walked down the main hallway, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she pulled her tablet from her bag, her fingers trembling as she dialed a familiar number.
The line rang repeatedly before switching to voicemail.
Kayla took a deep breath and left a hurried, urgent voice message.
"I need to talk to you, Leo."
"Please, I need to speak to you, it's very important about Oliver which I came to know."
She ended the call, clutching the tablet to her waist as she hurried toward the exit.
Kayla murmured to herself, "I have to tell Leo about Oliver," her thoughts racing.
"He is involved in ruining my life and Leah."
"Oliver is also trying to sell my company, and I can get help from Leo..."
Suddenly, a faint rustle of movement sounded directly behind her.
Before Kayla could turn her head to look, a heavy, blunt force struck her violently against the back of her skull.
A sharp, blinding pain exploded in her mind.
Kayla's vision fractured instantly. The tablet slipped from her fingers, clattering against the floorboards as her knees buckled.
As she collapsed into the darkness, her eyelids fluttered, her vision blurring into distorted shapes.
Through the haze of her fading consciousness, she could see Oliver standing over her, a dark expression on his face, with Susy hovering close behind him. Beside Susy stood another woman, her features obscured by the shadows.
Kayla's eyes grew heavy, the world spinning away into blackness, but the final image that burned into her failing sight was a distinct, intricate butterfly tattoo stamped clearly upon the stranger's knee.
Then, everything went completely dark.
Meanwhile, within the quiet, expansive walls of the residential estate, Richard walked slowly down the corridor and pushed open the door to his son's bedroom.
Leo was sitting up against the headboard, his expression subdued.
Richard stepped inside, his face etched with fatherly concern as he looked at his son.
"How are you feeling, my son?"
Leo offered a faint, reassuring nod. "Better, Dad."
Richard walked closer to the bedside, sighing softly. "Are you feeling bad about the accident? Are you feeling bored?"
"No, Dad," Leo replied quietly, his gaze drifting toward the window. "I'm okay."
Richard reached out, patting his shoulder gently. "Take some rest."
The older man turned and began to walk toward the doorway, intending to leave his son to his thoughts.
"Dad," Leo called out, his voice striking a firmer tone.
Richard paused, turning back around to face him.
"From tomorrow, I will come to the office and will continue my CEO and Vice Chairman responsibilities, Dad," Leo stated, his expression serious. "I really feel bored."
A warm, proud smile spread across Richard's face as he looked at his son's determination.
"Take some rest."
"If you really wanna come to office, as you wish, my son."
Richard walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Left in the sudden solitude of the bedroom, the silence seemed to amplify the thoughts Leo had been fighting to suppress all evening.
Elsa's image immediately flooded his mind, vivid and unyielding.
He closed his eyes, but it only made the memories clearer—the heavy downpour of the rain incident, the sudden proximity of their bodies, and the undeniable intensity of being so close to her.
Leo shifted uncomfortably, a deep frown settling between his brows as he questioned his own actions.
"I just want to say to Elsa that I didn't love her."
"And I used her to escape from Amy and tested Elsa previously to know that she has feelings for me or not."
He tightened his jaw, remembering the previous day's events.
"I got the best chance yesterday to reveal that I don't love her."
"But I can't able to say it to her."
He stared blankly at the ceiling, the internal conflict tearing at his usual composure.
"When she is coming in front of me, I am remaining silent and want to see her only."
"Why always my eyes want to see her and keep her close to me?"
The questions began to mount, each one chipping away at the logic he pridefully maintained.
"Why am I missing her so much if she wasn't there with me even for a second?"
"Why do I every time miss her voice, her presence, and her talks... everything of Elsa?"
Leo ran a hand through his hair, a low sigh escaping his lips as the truth stared back at him from the shadows of his room.
"What have I become because of this Elsa?"
The ache of her absence felt heavy in his chest, making him feel entirely uncharacteristic of the clinical, detached vice chairman he supposed himself to be. He missed her deeply, and the realization was impossible to ignore any longer.
"Am I falling in love with Elsa for real?"