Chapter 11
“Did you do this?”
As the words left my mouth, Ruslan fell silent, his face a mask of unreadable emotions.
In an instant, fury surged through me.
“Ruslan, are you even human?”
That wasn’t just something; it was a life, a living, breathing life, and most shockingly, his own flesh and blood.
His eyes reddened, and I saw a tremor in his voice as he spoke, “Didn’t you say if I gave up the child, I could be with you? I gave up both, so why are you still acting like this?”
“I never said that!”
My blood boiled. His twisted
understanding of everything left me speechless.
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But as the rage ebbed, my mind drifted. back to the letters and the photos; everything began to connect.
I quickly pulled out my phone.
Ruslan, still confused, asked, “What are you doing?”
“Calling the police.”
I said it simply, but before I could hit send, Thea charged at me, a knife glinting in her hand, fury twisting her face.
“Call the police? Don’t even think about it! Go to hell and apologize for that unborn child!”
Her words cut through the air like a blade.
In a blink, Ruslan’s eyes widened in panic, and instinctively, he stepped behind me.
I watched the knife come toward me, but I didn’t move to avoid it.
Instead of stepping back, I threw a powerful right hook, sending Thea’s knife.
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spiraling from her grasp. A swift kick followed, and she was sent sprawling to the ground.
Pinning Thea beneath me, I felt the heat of her furious gaze searing into me.
Ruslan stood motionless, his eyes wide with shock.
I had never once considered relying on anyone, especially not a man.
When I walked away from Ruslan, I knew the only person I could trust to have my back was me.
When I first set foot abroad, I sought out the best boxing coach to teach me how to defend myself.
American boxing was deep and rich with techniques, and I poured myself into it.
Ruslan, snapping back to reality, stuttered, “Aurelle, I was just acting on instinct.”
I didn’t acknowledge him, instead. assisting the police, who had arrived a little
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late in restraining Thea and pushing her into the patrol car.
As she was shoved inside, she screamed at me, demanding I pay with my life.
I remained calm, my voice steady, “Have you figured out who really harmed your son?”
Her fury faltered, a moment of doubt. flickering in her eyes.
I turned to Ruslan, my gaze cold.
“So, this is your love? You want me to take the knife for you?”
I let my words hang in the air, sharp and unforgiving.
“Then your love is truly horrifying.”
The word “horrifying” struck him like a knife, deep into his chest.
Every moment of this day, every word I spoke, hammered home the reality, without him, my life was so much better.
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After a long pause, he nodded, his voice
barely above a whisper, “Okay, I
understand.”
Soon after, I returned home.
Faster than I ever expected.
This time, I had only one mission: to file
for divorce.
When the divorce certificate finally
arrived, I allowed myself a smile, one that I had long withheld from Ruslan.
Without warning, he wrapped me in his arms, his body shaking with emotion.
He had lost so much weight, his sobs echoing like that of a child.
“Aurelle, maybe we’ll never cross paths again after this.”
His words confused me, but before I could process them, the doors of the marriage registration office burst open.
The police flooded in, handcuffing Ruslan
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in a flash.
To this day, I can’t forget the look in his eyes, the guilt, the pity, as he glanced at me one last time.
It wasn’t long before Thea, who had been jailed for intentional injury, seemed to find some form of twisted redemption.
Fueled by rage and revenge, she exposed every secret Ruslan had buried–his embezzlement, bribery, and a list of crimes. I never knew existed.
The corruption ran deep, and the consequences were disastrous.
In the end, Ruslan was sentenced to death.
Before the final blow fell, I left the country again.
I returned to my business, to my life, and continued to build what I had started, far away from the wreckage he had left behind.
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