Semua Bab Sold Myself to My Husband’s Rival: Bab 121 - Bab 130

My breath steadied. My eyes cleared.There was no more time to waste.I reached for the emergency phone hidden in the drawer by the bed and dialed a direct line.“Vin.”My personal guard answered within a single ring. “Sir.”“There’s a woman coming. Possibly today. Pregnant. Her name is Athena.” My voice dropped into a low command. “If she shows up at the estate or near it—I don’t want Bella to see her. Or hear her. Or know.”Vin was silent for a moment. “Understood.”“Lock her in the lower security post. Restrain her. Tie her mouth if you have to. No one, and I mean no one, is to interact with her except you.”“Yes, sir.”I stood from the bed, pacing now, blood still hot with panic disguised as resolve.**“Once she’s locked in, call me immediately. If I cough after answering—**even once—it means I’m not alone and you can’t speak. If I answer and say nothing, it means you’re clear to talk. Got it?”“Crystal clear.”I tightened my grip around the phone. “Good.”He hung up.If Athena sh

No goodbye. No message. No explanation. Just headlines and pictures of a life he was about to build without me.Didn’t he love me?Or was everything between us just timing? A moment that was never going to last?Was it because of the photos with Julius?Had he seen them? Had he assumed the worst and moved on?Or was this marriage something else entirely—a lie to protect something bigger?I couldn’t stop asking the questions.I couldn’t stop seeing his face.I couldn’t stop missing him.The morning of the wedding arrived.I sat in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection like I was waiting for it to speak for me.It didn’t.I stood, my hands clenched into fists.No.I wasn’t going to sit here while Jesse married someone else. Not without hearing the truth from him. Not without standing in front of him one last time and saying what I should’ve said long ago.No, I won’t allow that to happen.I pulled on a dark blue dress—elegant, simple, not flashy.I didn’t want to be seen.I want

An hour passed.I didn’t expect a reply.But then… my phone buzzed.Anna.Tell me more.I glanced around, made sure I was alone, and began typing.I told her everything.The call with Kael. The research into her father’s empire. The theory about memory drugs. Bella’s plan to act.I sent it all.There was a pause.Then:Thank you.That was it.Just two words.But they felt like a knife twisting between guilt and satisfaction.Bella’s POVTwo days after I told Kael to dig into Anna’s background, I got a message.It wasn’t anonymous. It wasn’t a threat.It was a polite request.From Anna.Let’s meet. There’s a café nearby. Let’s talk.I stared at the screen for a while, debating. But I knew I had to go.The café she chose was quiet. I spotted her immediately—sitting at the far end, in a corner seat, tea already waiting.She smiled as I approached, perfectly composed.“Bella,” she said, standing slightly as if we were two old friends meeting for brunch.I didn’t return the greeting. I ju

He walked beside me as we moved toward the armored vehicle waiting beyond the runway.“We’ve reestablished order in the outer provinces. The council is restless but compliant. Your presence alone has stabilized the unrest.” He paused. “Your uncle’s name hasn’t been spoken in weeks. He’s in hiding.”The gates of the Dominion estate swung open.As I stepped out of the car, the familiar scent of power, blood, and memory greeted me like an old friend.Guards lined the entrance.Servants bowed.Kael stood at my side as the heavy doors opened.We hadn’t been inside the main hall for five minutes before I turned to Kael.“Set up a meeting with the council. Now.”Kael didn’t hesitate. He nodded once and slipped out the corridor without a word.An hour later, the great chamber doors opened.Every member of the Dominion council stood or sat stiffly in their appointed seats—lined in gold, trimmed in pride. Some of them tried not to look surprised. Others stared at me like I’d returned from the g

Chemical-induced psychosis.Someone had been feeding Reza a micro-dose of hallucinogenic toxins over the last year—strong enough to twist her mind without killing her.Only one family had the kind of expertise needed to pull it off perfectly, without detection.The Elmore family.Anna.I slammed the file shut, my fury cold and precise.“She’s not working with a ghost,” I said.“She’s just another broken toy.”Kael nodded grimly. “Anna used her. Planted the fear. Fed her the stories. Made her believe she was part of something bigger.”"And when she was done with her?"Kael’s expression hardened. "She left her to rot in her own madness."Later that night, I returned to the dungeon alone.Reza was curled on the floor now, muttering to herself.She didn’t even look up when I entered.I stood there for a long time, watching her.She had betrayed me.She had tried to weaken the Empire.But somehow, staring at her now, I didn’t feel hatred. Just indifference. Bella’s POVI stood at the high