Chapter 115

Luka wasn't troubled by Laura's worries. His mind was fixed on the fact that his sister had been brutally beaten.

When Alec's fists tightened and it looked like he might lash out again, Luka stepped between them,placing Kaia behind his back. "Dad, don't do anything rash! Please try to calm down. I get that you're furious, but we need to find out the truth first.There's a real chance Kaia's being framed here-someone else might be behind this..."

Kaia cut him off, her voice clear. "No. I'm the one who did it."

Lying to Alec would only make things worse. She was done pretending.

With her face red and swollen, Kaia glared at her father, her eyes burning with resentment. "What now? You planning to kill me or something? Your entire life revolves around keeping up appearances.You never cared about any of your daughters, not really."

Her words struck Alec like a slap, landing exactly where it hurt most.

His features twisted with rage, and he spat out,11|S that so? Then I'll do as you say-I'll beat my ungrateful daughter to death right now."

Before he could lift his hand a second time, Laura and Luka stepped in and held him back.

"Get your hands off me! Let go!" Alec yelled;his voice rough as he fought against the two holding him down.

Kaia flashed him one last look of defiance, pushed herself up from the sofa, and bolted for the door.Alec's voice chased her down the hall. "If you're so bold, don't ever set foot in this house again!"

Without the slightest pause, Kaia bolted from the villa. She raced out into the open, but in a place this remote, there wasn't a taxi in sight.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as she finally slowed, her chest burning.

At least her phone was still with her. With trembling hands, she dialed Adrian.

"Kaia?" The sound of his voice felt like a lifeline in a storm.

Her words broke apart as she said, "Adrian, my father nearly beat me to death. I just managed to get away,and I have nowhere to go. Can you come for me?"

Adrian's reply was hesitant. His mind flashed back to Isaac's warning at the wedding.

With his father still holding the reins of the family business, Adrian had no room for error-especially now, with every move being watched to gauge whether he was fit to take over. Crossing Isaac could cost him more than pride. It could put the entire company at risk.

The silence stretched before Adrian finally spoke, his voice low. "Kaia, I'm sorry. I just can't step in this time."

The line went dead.

The steady beep on the other end left Kaia frozen,her mind reeling with disbelief.

He had never once gone against her wishes-Adrian had always done as she asked.

How could this be happening?

Desperate, she dialed his number again, but this time, all she reached was his voicemail.

Kaia's fingers clenched the phone so hard, her knuckles lost all color. Though her teeth had broken the skin on her lip, she didn't feel a thing.

Numb to everything except the burning hatred that filled her chest, she pinned all the blame on Verena.

In her mind, Verena was the one who had driven everyone she loved far away.

A sudden crack of thunder tore through the sky,and within seconds, the rain came down in sheets,giving her no time to find shelter.

Drenched to the bone, Kaia's hair clung to her skin and her makeup ran down her cheeks, leaving her looking like some haunted specter in the downpour.

Thunder rolled again, louder this time.

It wasn't until that moment that Kaia thought to find Cover.

The storm made it almost impossible to see, and after a few steps, she lost her footing, tumbling into a puddle and scraping her hands and knees. Rainwater mixed with fresh tears on her face, hot and cold running together.

Blood welled from her scraped skin, and as she watched it trickle down, Kaia's eyes turned glassy and red, veins standing out.

It hit her then-she truly had no one left. She was utterly alone. The day after the wedding, Verena found a message from Miranda waiting-she was asking if she could drop by and spend some time together.

Reluctantly leaving her bed, Verena freshened up and went downstairs, finding Isaac already at the breakfast table.

With a warm smile, she said, "Good morning."

Isaac looked up, a faint smile on his lips. "Why not sleep a little longer?"

The maid handed Verena a slice of toast, and she replied, "A friend's dropping by today."

"Miranda, right?" he guessed.

She gave a brief nod.

Breakfast had barely ended when Miranda appeared.

After a quick nod in Isaac's direction, she led Verena upstairs without another word.

Miranda wandered through the master bedroom,taking in every detail before giving an approving sigh. "Nice place. It's your favorite theme."

Spotting the crisp new linens on the bed, she shot Verena a playful grin and nudged her.11SO,did you have fun last night?"

With a sharp glare, Verena snapped, "Don't pretend you don't already know."

Only Miranda had been entrusted with Isaac's secret,so her teasing was all in good fun.

Laughing, Miranda held up her hands. "Okay, I'll drop it."

Meanwhile, Isaac was downstairs flipping through the business section of the newspaper. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the maid making her way toward the staircase.

"Where are you headed?" he called out.

Pausing with polite composure, the maid said, "I'm on my way to deliver a fruit platter to Mrs. Bennett and Miss Beckett." Isaac maneuvered his wheelchair over. "I'll take it. Let me bring it to them myself."

It seemed only right for him to look after his wife's guest.

Upstairs, Miranda and Verena were deep in conversation when Miranda suddenly grinned as a memory popped into her head. "Hey, what about your first boyfriend? You were so head-over-heels,always saying he was the only one who had your heart. He seemed flawless-so what went wrong?Why did it end?"

Just as Isaac lifted his hand to knock, Miranda's words from inside caught his ear.

His hand paused, hovering in the air, a surge of nerves making him hesitate.

For a moment, he worried what answer might come,even as a part of him held out hope.

He wished more than anything to hear what his heart longed for. A beat later, Verena's answer came through the door,light and teasing. "I could never forget him. I'm still crazy about him, to be honest."

Miranda burst into laughter, shaking her head."You're impossible!"

Their giggles echoed in the room, and Isaac's heart fell as he listened from the hallway.

Dropping his gaze, he turned his wheelchair from the hallway and headed into the elevator, descending to the lower floor.

After the laughter faded, Verena's tone grew earnest."If I'm being honest, my first love is lsaac. But he doesn't remember any of it now."