Chapter 5

Scarlett's POV

The internet's celebration meant nothing to me. The second the stream ended, I didn't go back to the hospital bed. I pulled out my IV line, changed into my own clothes, and took a cab straight to my private studio.

Pushing through the heavy glass door, the familiar scent of polishing paste, metal shavings, and lapidary fluid hit my senses.

The walls were covered in my sketches, and workbenches held scattered tools and unfinished casts.

This was my battlefield—and the empire Lucas had stripped away from me in my previous life.

Walking over to the safe, I used my left hand to punch in the code, transferring every rare raw gemstone and unreleased master draft into an impact-resistant security case.

Just as the metal latches snapped shut—

*BANG!*

The heavy glass entrance was violently kicked open from the outside.

I didn't turn around. I calmly gripped the handle of the case with my left hand. I already knew it was Lucas.

Within seconds, Lucas closed the distance, grabbed my left shoulder, and slammed me hard against the edge of the workbench.

"Scarlett! Have you lost your mind?!"

"Do you have any idea what you did on that live stream today?!"

The impact against the wall knocked the wind out of me, but I didn't even flinch.

"What did I do?" I looked up into his eyes, my voice chillingly calm. "I merely exposed a thief to the public. What, is Mr. Star heartbroken over her?"

"Did you really have to push it this far?!" Lucas's chest heaved with fury. "Chloe is the biggest talent my agency is pushing right now! She has over a dozen brand deals and three major film roles lined up! Pulling a stunt like this didn't just end her career, it dragged my entire company through the mud! Destroying her is destroying me!"

"Destroying you?"

A low laugh slipped past my lips.

"Lucas, Chloe destroyed herself the second she chose to steal. If she had stayed in her lane, who could have touched her?"

I paused, dropping my gaze down to the thick plaster cast wrapped around my right arm.

"You're crying over her ruined career? Then tell me—" My voice rose sharply. "Is her hand shattered?!"

Lucas's pupils shrank, and his grip on my shoulder instinctively loosened.

"Were her creations stolen?! Was she branded a fraud, hunted down by millions of strangers, and terrified to step outside her own front door?!"

Using all the strength in my left arm, I shoved Lucas backward. The sheer force sent the grown man stumbling half a step back.

I closed the distance, staring down his rapidly paling face:

"Was she locked away in an isolated suburban house, stripped of her pencils and laptop, accused of acting out just for glancing at a sketch?! Did she ever reach a point of such utter despair that swallowing an entire bottle of sleeping pills felt like her only way out?!"

The agonizing memories of my past life collided with the boiling rage of the present. My eyes burned red, but not a single tear fell.

"What are you talking about? What sleeping pills? Who locked you up?" Lucas looked completely lost, rattled by my words.

"You don't understand? That's fine."

I drew a deep, ragged breath, forcing down the metallic taste of blood rising in my throat.

I looked down. Using the thumb and forefinger of my left hand, I pinched the diamond ring sitting on the middle finger of my right hand.

A five-carat pink diamond. The exact ring Lucas slipped onto my finger when he proposed.

Once upon a time, I treated it like the most precious treasure on earth, refusing to take it off even when showering.

"Lucas, my hand was crushed because I shoved you out of the path of that falling rig. I thought I was saving the love of my life."

My voice dropped back into a flat, icy monotone. "And how did you show your concern? By handing me a prenuptial agreement, conveniently clipping my wings, and trying to turn me into a helpless parasite who had to beg you for survival."

"I never wanted to turn you into a parasite!" Lucas blurted out defensively, though his voice lacked conviction. "I just wanted to protect you! With your hand in that state and the design industry being so brutal, I didn't want you to suffer out there!"

"Stop dressing up your sick need for control as romantic devotion. It makes me sick."

I scoffed, tugging hard on the ring. My knuckles were still swollen, and the band cut painfully into my skin, leaving an angry red welt, but I ripped it free without a second thought.

"Protect me? Your idea of protection was letting your mistress steal my life's work! Your idea of protection was taking her side while the whole world tore me to shreds, demanding to know why I had to ruin her!"

The ring popped off my finger.

I looked at Lucas's completely bloodless face. "This is your so-called love. Cheap. Hypocritical. Repulsive."

The moment the words left my lips, I flicked my wrist.

*Ping—*

The multimillion-dollar pink diamond ring hit the polished marble floor with a sharp, ringing crack. It bounced and skittered across the tiles, rolling straight toward the corner until it settled right next to the trash can.

Lucas parted his lips, but not a single sound came out.

"We're done."

Picking up the security case from the workbench, I didn't spare him another glance. I brushed past his shoulder and stepped out into the midnight air.