Chapter 2
I didn't want to stay here for even a second longer.
But just as I was about to leave with my suitcase, Miguel blocked the doorway.
He'd just finished a call, looking exhausted, and his eyes landed on my suitcase. His face instantly darkened.
He stared at my suitcase, and his expression turned stormy.
"Bethany, where are you going?" he asked.
I kept it short and to the point.
"I want a divorce," I said.
He lunged for my suitcase, trying to snatch it from me.
"I'm not letting you go," he said.
I sidestepped him and pulled the jade hairpin from my hair.
He'd spent months perfecting his skills just to craft it for me.
It was the very first gift he ever gave me, the symbol of our bond.
For eight years of marriage, I never took it off.
He stared at the hairpin, his gaze tangled with emotions.
Without a second thought, I stabbed the hairpin hard into his chest.
It wasn't fatal, but it hurt enough to make him let out a muffled groan.
"Miguel, you saved me once," I said coldly.
I added, "But because of you, I lost my child. Now, we're even."
"
"From now on, we're strangers. All debts settled," I said coldly.
Blood bloomed across the front of his shirt.
He just locked his gaze on me, unfazed by the pain.
He gripped the hairpin and slowly pulled it out.
Drawing out a trail of blood that made my stomach twist.
He murmured, his voice low and husky. "All debts settled?"
He gripped the hairpin tight, wiping away every last drop of blood from its surface.
Jaw clenched, hands shaking, he slid the hairpin, still warm from his body, back into my hair.
"Bethany, unless I'm dead, you're not getting away from me. Ever," Miguel said, his voice cold and unyielding.
A rush of memories hit me.
When I was eighteen, I stabbed my foster brother for trying to assault me, and instantly became the target of everyone's scorn.
It was Miguel who stood up for me in court, under immense pressure, fighting for me when no one else would.
He said, "The law won't condone any evil.
"From now on, no one gets to hold her hostage with family bonds.
"She deserves to live her own life."
He was the one who saved me from hell itself.
And now, it was Miguel himself who shoved me into a whole new hell.
My whole body trembled. I hurled the hairpin to the ground.
The ruby splintered, the pin snapped clean in two.
Not sparing him a single look, I turned on my heel and walked away.
The day after I moved into my own hotel, Colette showed up at my room.
She knocked on the door, holding an insulated food container in her hand.
She gave the container a little shake, her eyes glinting with malice.
She said, "Bethany, everything you've done, I'll return to you in full.
"Unlike you, I'm not petty. This is a pregnancy meal Miguel made himself."
"Thought you'd never get to taste something like this, so I specially brought it for you."
She strolled in without waiting for an invitation, set the container down on the table, and her eyes lingered on my stomach before she let out a dramatic sigh.
"Such a pity, Bethany. If you'd had any luck, your baby would be here by now..." Colette sneered.
Before she could even finish her sentence, I snatched a pitcher of ice water from the fridge and walked right up to her.
With her stunned expression frozen on her face, I tipped the pitcher and drenched her from head to toe.
She screamed.
Without missing a beat, I landed a sharp slap across her face.
The blow left her speechless, her words dying in her throat.
I stared down at her soaked, pathetic state, my voice icy.
"You like picking at other people's scraps? Then eat your fill," I said.
I snatched up the insulated container and dumped every last drop of soup right over her head.
The sticky, greasy broth oozed down her hair in thick rivulets.
With ice water and soup running down her, she looked just like a miserable drowned rat.
She shrieked and tried to rush at me, wild-eyed.
"Bethany, you're out of your mind!" Colette screamed.
I stepped back and slammed the intercom button.
"Security, there's a rabid dog loose in the presidential suite. Toss it out," I ordered.
Two burly security guards burst in, grabbed her by the arms, and hauled her out like she was a stray dog.
They dragged her out, treating her like nothing more than a sack of potatoes.
Her furious yelling echoed down the hallway.
"Bethany, just you wait! Miguel won't let you get away with this!" Colette shrieked.
I shut the door, cutting off all the noise.
This entire hotel chain under the Kane Group was mine.
On my turf, she didn't get to act out.
When Miguel stormed in to confront me, he had his elite legal team trailing behind, all looking ready to go to war.
They were dressed to kill, radiating pure hostility.
It was like they'd crush anyone who dared stand in their way.
When they stormed into the top-floor conference room, I was right in the middle of a high-stakes merger meeting.
Miguel stood at the doorway, flanked by his team.
The reps from both companies exchanged uneasy glances, the air thick with tension.
I closed the file in my hand and signaled for a break.
Outside the conference room, Miguel got straight to the point.