Chapter 4

The VIP wing of St. Jude's Private Hospital was so quiet you could hear the drip of the IV fluids.

I stood behind the fire exit door diagonally across from Room 307, staring through the narrow glass pane.

My heart was beating fast, like a trapped rabbit.

Time ticked away, minute by minute.

Finally, the elevator door chimed open, breaking the silence of the hallway.

Tyler stepped out first. His face was filled with exhaustion and anxiety. He looked around warily.

Right behind him was Lily. She was wearing a cream-colored dress with a light blue knit cardigan.

She kept her head down, her long hair covering half her face. Her small hand clutched Tyler's sleeve tightly. She looked so fragile and helpless. It was a look that could make any man want to protect her.

Tyler confirmed the room number, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door of Room 307.

There was no answer.

He hesitated for a moment, then gently pushed the door open.

The moment they both stepped inside, everything changed!

The room door slammed shut behind them with a heavy, deafening thud, cutting them off from the hallway.

Immediately, Lily’s sharp gasp echoed from inside, followed by Tyler's angry roar. "Christian?! What are you doing here! Let her go!"

I pressed myself against the fire exit door, holding my breath.

The room was well-insulated, but the violent shouting and struggling could still be heard.

Suddenly, the room went quiet.

Then came Tyler's broken scream. "Christian! You sick bastard! Let Lily go!"

My heart leaped into my throat.

Through the crack of the door, I saw the door of Room 307 crack open—perhaps Tyler had tried to run out. But he was instantly pushed back by the muscular bodyguards waiting outside. The door slammed shut again.

But in that split second, through the open crack, I saw it.

Inside the room, Lily was pinned tightly in Christian’s arms.

His tall, commanding body completely overwhelmed her small frame. One hand gripped her waist like an iron band, while the other forced her head back by her neck.

He was kissing her.

It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was a punishing, possessive bite.

Lily struggled wildly in his arms, her hands pushing uselessly against his chest. Her soft whimpers were muffled, turning into broken cries.

And Tyler stood less than two steps away. His eyes were bloodshot, his face pale as a ghost, and the veins on his forehead looked ready to burst. He looked like a trapped, dying beast, trying desperately to rush forward, but two bodyguards held him down by his shoulders.

He could only watch. He had to watch the woman he loved being claimed by another man in the most humiliating, forced way possible.

The mouth that had once sworn eternal love to me was wide open, but no words came out. Only desperate, choking gasps.

The door shut mercilessly once again, blocking out the struggle, humiliation, rage, and despair.

The hallway returned to a deadly silence. The bodyguards stood at the door like statues.

I slid down against the cold wall of the fire exit, swallowed by the darkness.

I had imagined Tyler's downfall many times, but seeing it with my own eyes made my chest tighten.

It wasn't pity. It was a more complex, chilling realization of how powerless we were.

Christian's methods were direct, brutal, and highly effective. He didn't just break you; he destroyed your soul.

I could hear Lily’s muffled crying and Christian’s low, commanding voice drifting through the heavy door.

Tyler was finished.

His love, his dignity—the moment he chose to betray me and run away, they had already been marked with a price tag.

And today was the day Christian came to collect the interest.

I looked down and pulled the Black Card from my pocket. Its cold touch cleared my chaotic thoughts.

I was beginning to realize the price of being an accomplice.

I leaned against the wall, my fingers tracing the smooth surface of the card.

On the other side of the door, Tyler’s hoarse, cracked voice suddenly shrieked in despair, "Chloe! Chloe, is that you?! Did you set us up?! Show yourself!"

He figured it out.

Not surprising. After all, I was the one who fed him the "dying mother" bait.

I took a deep breath, slipped the Black Card back into my pocket, wiped any expression from my face, and pushed open the fire exit door.