"You lying bitch!" Gilbert roared, his face twisted with rage as his handshed out, striking Sophia so hard that she crashed onto the floor, her body crumpling
painfully.
"How dare you stand here and talk about loving another man! Are you trying to die?" he spat viciously, his eyes zing with fury.
Alex couldn''t hold himself back any longer.
Anger surged through his veins, propelling him forward until he stood inches from Gilbert''s smug, sneering face.
"What?" Gilbert taunted, his lips curling arrogantly. "I pped my fiancée. What the hell can an outsider like you do about it?"
"Plenty,” Alex snarled, delivering a brutal p across Gilbert''s jaw.
The crack echoed sharply in the room, and Gilbert tumbled onto the floor, spitting out three bloodied teeth.
Sophia watched, horror flooding her heart. Gilbert would never forgive this.
He''d kill Alex without hesitation.
"Alex, stop it!" she screamed desperately, her voice trembling with fear.
Alex shot her a fierce re. "Stop? After what he just did to you?"
"Yes! Please, Alex, don''t hurt him," Sophia pleaded, her voice breaking with dread.
She knew all too well-Gilbert had control over Alex''s life, his brother, and his mother. All their fates rested cruelly in Gilbert''s ruthless hands.
Alex felt a painful stab in his heart, his eyes filled with anguish.
"Do you love him that much?" he asked bitterly.
He longed to scream at her: You''ve never loved me like this.
Gilbert groaned from the floor, fury contorting his battered face. "Of course she loves me, you worthless piece of—!”
His words were cut short by Alex''s powerful kick, cracking Gilbert''s nose with a sickening crunch.
Blood gushed from Gilbert''s face as his head mmed back violently.
"Gilbert!" Sophia gasped, her body trembling uncontrobly.
How could Alex be this reckless, risking death without hesitation?
"What, now you''re worried about him?" Alex scoffed bitterly, his tone filled with disgust.
"If you''re in love with trash like him, then you must be blind!"
Alex lunged again, ready to deliver another punishing blow.
But Sophia threw herself between them, gripping Alex''s arm tightly.
"Stop! Don''t hit him again!" she cried desperately.
Sophia''s body shook uncontrobly, panic clouding her mind as she imagined the savage vengeance Gilbert would unleash on Alex and her family.
"He just hit you, and yet you''re protecting him?" Alex''s voice cracked with hurt and disbelief.
"You really do love him, don''t you?"
"That has nothing to do with you!" Sophia shouted, her voice shaking with suppressed tears.
"Get out! I never want to see your face again!" She bit her lip hard, forcing herself to remainposed.
Hurting Gilbert meant Alex had already stepped too far into danger. He needed to get out of here as quickly as possible.
Alex stared at her coldly, betrayal darkening his eyes.
"So you''re kicking me out to finish what you started before I interrupted?"
"That''s none of your concern!" Sophiashed back fiercely.
"I am engaged to him, Alex. Our wedding is next week!"
Alex staggered back, his expression twisting into a storm of pain and anger.
"Wedding? So it''s true. You really do want him?"
Sophia''s heart screamed in agony, but terror for Alex''s safety and her family overwhelmed her.
Gilbert stirred slightly, and panic surged through her veins.
"Who I marry isn''t your concern! Just get out, Alex! Now!" she pleaded urgently.
Alex''s voice turned cold, every word dripping with usation. "So this whole time, you were just ying games with me?"
Sophia felt her heart shatter piece piece.
She knew she had to sever any chance Alex might cling to her. It was the only way he might survive.
She hardened her heart, forcing out cruel words that burned like acid.
"Yes, you idiot! I was just toying with your pathetic feelings! And why not? You
were stupid enough to fall for it," she spat venomously.
Tears streamed silently down her
cheeks even as she continued mercilessly, "Look at yourself, Alex! Did you really think a worthless nobody like you could ever stand by my side?"
“And what about him?" Alex''s voice was sharp, cutting through the air like ice.
"Gilbert''s different!" Sophia spat back bitterly. "His family''s wealth and power control the entire Paris region. Marrying him means a life of luxury!"
"Next to him, you''re nothing—absolutely nothing! You wanted the truth? There it is! Are you satisfied now? Now get the hell out!"
Alex felt a knife twisting deep in his chest, pain and rage swirling in a storm inside him.
How could the woman he loved sopletely be capable of such cruelty? She kept shattering his heart, no matter how desperately he fought for her.
His hand shot upward, raised high, trembling with fury.
Sophia braced herself, eyes closed tight, waiting for the blow she knew she deserved.
Her heart acknowledged she had deeply wounded him, perhaps unforgivably. But even through the storm inside him, Alex knew one thing with chilling rity:
If he let his fury win now, he''d carry the regret of this moment for the rest of his life.
Slowly, Alex''s hand softened, gently cupping her cheek.
The unexpected tenderness forced Sophia''s eyes open, her heart pounding in shock and confusion.
"Sophia," Alex whispered, his voice gentle yet filled with unbearable sadness.
His eyes held a deep, serene sincerity. "I loved you with every part of me. I was ready to do anything for you."
Sophia stood stunned, her heart aching as she absorbed the tenderness of his words—words she had never heard before, words she never expected.
"You''re my first love, Sophia. Loving you was the happiest, most precious part of my life."
Tears glistened in Alex''s eyes as he struggled to continue, his voice trembling with raw emotion.
Leaning forward, he gently kissed her forehead. "But maybe this is where our paths finally part."
Sophia''s chest tightened painfully, overwhelmed by both sweetness and sorrow.
She could find no words, her emotions tangled hopelessly within her.
"I wish for nothing more than your happiness, Sophia," Alex whispered, his voice breaking as tears began to escape down his cheeks.
"Even if that happiness isn''t with me. I''ll pray for it every single day."
With a final, anguished look, Alex turned away, his steps heavy but resolute.
As she watched him walk away, Sophia glimpsed a tiny flicker of hope amidst her suffocating darkness.
If she reached for that glimmer, perhaps her life could finally be her own.
She wouldn''t remain a pawn to her family, her mother, or the countless others who
wanted only her beauty without caring for her soul.
No one had ever cherished her happiness the way Alex had.
Trembling, Sophia stretched out her hand toward that faint beacon, desperately
grasping for the only real happiness she''d ever known.
Her hand caught Alex''s, stopping him in his tracks.
As he turned around, startled, Sophia surged forward, pressing her lips
passionately against his in a deep, fervent kiss.
Alex stood stunned, his heart racing wildly.
Breaking the kiss, Sophia whispered
1.n
fervently, her voice trembling with urgency, "Alex, please-take me far away from here. Anywhere you want. Make me yours, and let me be yourspletely. Let''s escape this life and start anew."
In that profound moment, she felt as if the entire world had faded away, leaving only the two of them.
Alex''s eyes locked deeply onto hers, emotions raw and intense.
V
Sophia gazed back fiercely, tears streaming down her face as she dered softly yet firmly, "From now
on, nothing-not even death will ever separate us again."