Trapped in Betrayal and Distrust

That was the year the love story of Henry Ridley and me began.

Just for my sake, he was stabbed three times, one on his brow, one on his ankle and one on his back.

Everyone said he loved me dearly.

Till another woman came knocking on my door with a pregnant belly.

"You're Tatiana Arnaut, right?"

That woman threw a stack of photos at my face.

"Henry no longer loves you. I advise you to be sensible and leave him quickly."

In those scattered photos, Henry had a warm and gentle look.

I scrutinized them as the rain grew heavier, raised my hand and she let out a scream mingled with the sound of the rain.

"He won't let you go!"

I just looked at Henry, sitting across from me, coldly.

"Sign it!"

"I find you dirty."

——

"Tatiana!"

Behind him was the righthand man who had supported his rise to power over the past two years, with bodyguards and dozens of people surrounding my spacious hall, not like negotiations, but more like coercion.

He banged the table, suppressed his anger.

"She's still in the ICU."

He raised his brows, as the perfect light shone on him, making the scar even more eyecatching.

"She's innocent," he said in a low, but oppressive voice. "She's only twenty years old and you, nearly killed her. Do you know what the doctor told me?"

"She might never be a mother."

I listened to his voice, mingling with the regular patter of rain on the window and remembered the woman's dying cry that day.

"Henry won't let you go!"

"So" I met Henry's sullen face and handed the hot tea to the servant, saying, "You're mobilizing all these forces and pulling this off, are you trying to stand up for her?"

"What?" I chuckled, finding it amusing. "Are you going to take half my life? Or, are you planning to remove my uterus to make up for her inability to become a mother?"

I smirked and pulled up the blanket on my body.

Matteo Trent, our family’s butler, immediately adjusted the indoor temperature.

My gaze fixed on Henry.

"Who the hell is she? Deserves to have you come here to confront me? Henry, have you forgotten, it's me, who's been with you until now, not her! Are you going to turn against me for her, or are you planning to take my life today?"

I questioned him.

Matteo, who had been observing the situation, immediately pulled out a gun to Henry's head. And Henry, immediately put his hands on guard, but laughed along with me.

"Tatiana, stop arguing with me, it's over." Henry pushed away the divorce agreement I had prepared. "Divorce is traumatic, I won't sign it, but you have to apologize in person or don't blame me for being cruel."

He, then, stood up from the sofa, walked over to the butler, grabbed his wrist and pressed the gun to his forehead.

"Shoot me?"

"You're worthy?"

Henry twisted his wrist and a crisp sound of bone cracking echoed. Soon, a roar came from Henry's righthand man, the fruit knife on my desk stabbed firmly into his thigh.

I smiled facing Henry's incredulous face.

"Henry, if my men don't resist you, it means they respect me, but that doesn't mean ...." I walked over to him and took his hand away from Matteo. "You're allowed to touch them."

I understood.

Here, the relationship between me and Henry came to an end.

While the doctor was setting his bones, Matteo was still furious.

"Miss, you once accompanied that guy through so much hardship and now you're just going to watch him get in your face?"

I gave no answer.

I looked at my phone and a new friend request popped up. The profile picture was eyecatching, a photo of a woman kissing Henry, Sophia Hayes.

Soon after I added her as a friend, she sent me a voice message.

"Tatiana, I told you, Henry won't let you go. Breaking your butler's hand is just a warning. He wants you to apologize to me in person. So, I'm waiting."

"Everyone said, Henry loves you as much as his life. I wonder what kind of love you got from him," she said as she sent a few more pictures, "Which bed do you think is suitable?"

"He said, the most dangerous place is the safest. When I'm discharged tomorrow, I'll be living in your and his yard."

"I'll be coming to the door that no one is allowed to enter."

I listened to her blabber as I lifted my head to giant wedding dress photo placed in the hall, with a sense of mockery. And the dagger I was playing with pierced into Henry's eyes smiling at me.

"How filthy."

Then I came out of the hall and saw Henry leading people to unload the bed out of the car and ordering them to carry it into the house. He bumped into me, his expression froze.

I leaned against the door and heard Sophia's joyful voice.

"Henry, why aren't you coming in?"

She turned and met my eyes thereafter.

"Oh, Tatiana," she said, taking the man's arm and challenging me. "Are you welcoming me?"

"Have you made up your mind apologizing to me?"

Looking at her arrogance and her doting in Henry's eyes, my heart ached. But before I could respond, Henry explained for her, "The doctor said Sophia needs to rest more." He mentioned her name in a gentle tone. "You have a nutritionist anyway. It's not a big deal to have one more person to handle. Tatiana, don't miss the opportunity I'm giving you."

I actually had no idea.

Henry Ridley, on what basis you make such determination?

I accepted whatever came my way, sacrificed my principles and bottom line for him, again and again. I laughed hearing his selfrighteous voice.

Along with it, Matteo had someone done moving down the wedding photo and asked me, "Miss, where to put this?"

Henry's face was grim and I pointed to the trash can nearby.

"Cut it to pieces and threw it away."

Matteo nodded and asked someone to get the scissors. But Henry stopped him and walked over to me.

"What are you throwing a tantrum about?"

"Tatiana." His voice softened. "I told you, you were wrong in the first place. I'm helping Sophia recover as a blessing for you. Don't be ungrateful!"

"That's true," Sophia added.

"He's already told me everything. You lost your baby because of your promiscuous behavior. The elder said, if you want to have a child, you have to do a lot of good deeds. You don't appreciate his kindness and keep causing trouble, forcing him out."

Her words were piercing, like a knife pierced into my heart, stirring up my wound to tear open again.

I looked at her smug expression, then turned to face Henry, who was about to stop her. Too bad, I grabbed her hair first and laughed.

"Who gave you the guts to talk harsh to me?"

Not waiting for her to beg for mercy, I already dragged her and slammed her against the solid wooden door, causing a dull, loud noise. Sophia screamed and Henry immediately grabbed my hand not to continue.

"Enough!"

He glared at me.

"She's just young and outspoken! But what she said is true. How long are you going to continue doing this evil?"

I stared at him in disbelief.

It was him, who seized someone else's business and was ambushed. I rushed into the enemy camp and captured the rival leader regardless of the danger. I lost my child after saving him. He knelt in front of me, slapped himself 99 times and begged me for mercy while crying.

"Tatiana."

His face was swollen, blood mixed with nosebleeds covered his face and even his voice was hoarse from sobbing.

"I, Henry Ridley, will spend my entire life loving and serving you! If I ever let you down, I'll be struck by lightning!"

His swear, were still fresh in my mind.

He ordered a complete news blockade, forbidding anyone from discussing my child behind my back.

He ordered the blockade of all information and did not allow anyone to discuss my child behind his back. Knowing it was a taboo for me, we had a tacit understanding not to mention it, yet we also prayed together for a child.

Then, I let go of Sophia and glanced at Henry sighing in relief and softening his tone a bit.

"Tatiana, your temper,"

I stabbed his brow bone with my knife and smirked.

"Henry, those betraying one's sincerity must take the consequences. It's just the beginning!"

The dagger slashed his brow and blood splattered on his face, his selfrighteous turned into grim and ferocious.

A mocking smile rose in the corner of my lips, but then, Sophia shoved me hard till stumbled back.

"Dare you hurt him?"

The next second, I walked over to her, raised my hand and slapped her in the face. "Why? If you have the guts, don't just babbling and whining."

"Have him divorce me too and take my place as Ms. Ridley," I said, pulling her hair and kicking her knee, until she knelt on the ground, "Or I won't hesitate ...."

I leaned closer to the girl and grinned, whispering. "To bring you to death, so just wait ...."

Her eyes turned red, her body trembled like a chick, but she gave me a fierce glare.

"Try it if you dare."

"If you dare not, I won't ever step an inch away from Henry!" She shed tears under the sunset light. "I'll be with him for the rest of my life."

I was stunned.

I remembered when I was sixteen, my father, Peter Arnaut, was in ambush and fell into the sea and my mother, Daphne Arnaut, risked her life to protect me on the shore, with the sunset dyed bloodred.

It was Henry, a teenager who had no fear and forged a path through death, waiting for me on the shore.

It was Henry, with a split brow bone medal and a fierce scar on his back, straight into my heart, shouting.

"Miss!"

"Hurry up!"

I panicked, yet I still risked my life and rushed into the sea of blood, surviving to this today with him.

He forcefully pushed me away and blood was still dripping down to his face.

"Tatiana," he said, closing one of his eyes in pain, "You truly disappoint me."

"I'm not divorcing you, not because of love."

He held Sophia in his arms.

"Just because ...." He continued. "Your parents have done me a favor and I have had a close relationship with you. Don't waste my patience, or you'll regret it!"

Sophia collapsed into his arms, crying. "Henry! I don't want to live here! I don't want to!"

"I'm scared!" She cried, tugging at his collar, hysterically. "I don't want to live a lunatic like her! She'll kill me, she'll kill me!"

The air felt suffocating.

I could almost see my sixteenyearold self going crazy and Henry was the one embraced and gently soothed me. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

But now, he was also giving Sophia similar thing to me back then, embrace and comfort.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here, I'm here, Sophia."

He was wary of meeting my eyes. "I won't let you hurt Sophia and since you ignoring my warn, don't blame me."

On the same day, he had all his belongings moved out and took Sophia to the Caspian Island. Sophia expressed her desire for an island of her own, so he spent a lot of money to buy an island for her.

He also took Sophia to Ivyland to chase the aurora.

Sophia posted a photo of the pigeon eggs Henry bought for her on her social media, even snapped a photo of a star with the caption:

[From now on, whenever I look up, I'll see a star of mine, Sophia, a lifelong romance.]

He was passionate and never hid her love, wishing the whole world knew. I even admire his fondness for Sophia.

Looking at the half empty villa and the sterling silver ring he had ordered for 520 that year on my ring finger, I chuckled.

"Matteo."

He poured me some hot tea and I whispered. "If I'm not mistaken, the Ridley Co.'s largest supplier owes a debt of gratitude to my parents."

Matteo immediately took out the agreement and placed it in front of me.

"Please read this, Miss."

He pointed to the terms and conditions.

"Your father and mother have devoted their lives to you, paving the way for your future."

I read the content, recalling the sunset over the Caspian Island, the Ivyland aurora and that star. I called Henry, but the line was busy. I, then, made a video call on WhatsApp, but Sophia was the one appeared on screen in sexy pajamas and asked me.

"What's up?"

"Henry is showering."

Sophia turned the camera to the bathroom, the misty glass tinged with a hint of ambiguity.

"I thought you should understand his attitude very well. Why are you still persistent?" She sat on the bed, revealing the red mark on her neck. "There's actually something I shouldn't tell you, but I don't think it's a good thing to keep it a secret."

"Tatiana, why do you think Henry loves me and not you?"

I immediately clicked the "end call" button.

I sat in the living room, feeling the air tighten around my throat and noticing an irregular heartbeat, before making a second call.

Henry who brought Sophia to dinner party, went viral.

Everyone thought, Sophia finally fulfilled her wish to be with Henry and no longer dared to criticize Sophia as a mistress, instead, give her a compliment.

"Miss Hayes."

Sweettongued people would even smile and say, "Mr. Ridley, you're a perfect match."

In the ballroom.

Henry held Sophia in his arm to the stage, like a prince and a princess in a fairy tale under the spotlight, drew a thunderous applause just standing there.

"Today, on this occasion." He looked at Sophia tenderly. "I would like to introduce her to everyone."

"She's Sophia Hayes."

All of a sudden, the door was flung open and countless men in black filed into the ballroom. The leader, Nolan Spencer, threw the outstanding bill directly in Henry's face.

"Henry Ridley, right?"

Henry's face was full of puzzlement and his anger reached its peak. Just as he was about to call for security, he realized none of his men in the ballroom.

"The debt you owe me," Nolan said, pressing his handgun against the stillunhealed scar on Henry's brow. "You must pay it back now."