A Journey from Bitterness to Truth

Yvan’s presence seemed to plummet with the weight of a leaden sky when he heard Matilda’s plea for mercy. Gripping her chin firmly, he spat out each word with venomous force, “Matilda, you don’t get to call it quits until I say it’s over!”

How much more did he want her to lose before he’d be satisfied?

Matilda’s silent laughter was laced with scorn as she mocked his cruelty. “Yvan, someday, I’ll have nothing left, and I’ll have you to thank for it.”

When that day came, she knew the world would no longer have a place for her.

Without a word, Yvan stormed out, this time leaving the door unlocked. He was probably confident that Matilda wouldn’t dare defy him again, especially since Logan was still under his control. If Yvan wanted to crush her, it would be as easy as snapping his fingers.

But that very night, the unexpected happened.

Ella showed up.

Yvan was shocked. Who had called Ella? And who had let slip that Matilda was at his place?

As soon as Ella arrived at Yvan’s doorstep, she headed straight for Matilda’s room and pushed the door open without a second thought. Yvan didn’t even have time to stop her.

Upon seeing Matilda in Yvan’s home, Ella turned ghostly pale. She murmured to herself, “He didn’t lie… he really didn’t lie…”

Who was she talking about? Yvan’s mind was a whirlwind of confusion, but before he could unravel it, Ella stepped forward and raised her hand to deliver a stinging slap to Matilda’s face. Yet in the next heartbeat, her hand was caught mid–air by Matilda, who glared back fiercely and sneered, “You want to hit me?”

Ella stumbled backward, tears welling up in her eyes. She had been the one to make the first move, and now she was playing the victim. Quivering, she pointed at Matilda, “Why are you in Yvan’s house?”

Ella herself rarely entered Yvan’s home, sometimes lounging in the living room when he was in a good mood. The number of women who made it to Yvan’s bedroom was even smaller. So, how did Matilda manage to lie so comfortably in the master bed of Yvan’s house?

Matilda found Ella’s feigned shock laughable. “Ask him, not me.”

She, too, wanted to know why Yvan insisted on keeping her trapped in the Boyd family estate.

Ella was livid, her face deathly white.

Yvan stepped forward. “Ella, don’t be rash…”

But Ella, tears streaming down her face, threw herself into Yvan’s arms. “Yvan, why is there

another woman in your house?”

Yvan was exasperated and unsure how to explain it to Ella. Yet she clung to him as if they were the closest of lovers while Matilda observed them with a touch of amusement, her gaze undisturbed.

Yvan felt a sting from Matilda’s indifferent stare and quickly pulled Ella aside, saying. “She’s just staying here temporarily.”

His tone suggested he didn’t even want to delve into the reasons.

Matilda scoffed. Could Yvan really not see the ferocity in Ella’s eyes? Her own heart trembled at the sight. How could Yvan be so blind to this vicious woman’s true nature?

It was a pity, Matilda thought, that Ella had such an innocently angelic face. The moment she played the victim, she seemed pitiful. Matilda shook her head in mock sympathy. If Ella’s sister Rachel were here, she’d be turning in her grave at the treachery of her own kin.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.