Chapter 4

Maya’s POV

I blinked rapidly to brush away the last of my tears, then let out a long, exasperated breath. I forced myself to stand, my legs trembling, and reached for the heavy glass ashtray that sat on the corner of the glossy office table. Without really thinking it through, I swung it hard and struck Adrian squarely on the side of his head. The impact echoed in the room. He staggered, spasmed, and collapsed onto his backside with a sharp, “Agh! What the hell, Maya!”

“Adrian!” Sabrina’s voice flew across the room like a knife. She darted forward, concern flashing in her eyes before she turned that same expression angrily toward me. “What’s wrong with you, you bi—”

Her insult was cut short by my sudden roar. “What!” I raised my voice so loud that it ricocheted off the marble walls and polished wooden doors. In that moment, I was utterly unrecognizable to myself—an enraged storm unleashed.

I glanced at the windows lining the back of the office, aware that the building’s guards were stationed just beyond the hallway. Good. They could hear everything.

Sabrina’s mouth fell open. Adrian gingerly pressed a crisp white handkerchief to his injured temple, pooling red against the clean fabric. “How dare you—”

“Dare me?” I laughed, the sound harsh and uneven. I slammed the ashtray down again, this time against the marble floor, where it shattered with a sharp crack. “How dare I? I have every right to do this. After everything you’ve done to me!”

“Maya—” Adrian began, but I cut him off with another bellow.

“Go ahead—file assault charges! You already filed for divorce! Sue me! You’ll end up with nothing, because you stole everything from me!” I raised my hands in a mocking gesture of surrender, then shook my head in bitter amusement. “You took my money. You took my dignity. You took my husband!”

I spotted a small, elegant lamp on his desk and, without hesitation, hurled it toward his head. It flew through the air in a graceful arc, but Adrian ducked just in time. The lamp shattered against the far wall, glass tinkling like broken promises.

“Maya, please stop!” He stumbled back several paces, his voice thick with shock and fear. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you crazy?”

I advanced on him, each step deliberate and slow. “Crazy?” I smirked. “You think I’m crazy? Fine. Call me crazy. That’s exactly what you did in your divorce papers—you said I was not of sound mind. Scared to admit you cheated, weren’t you? So now I’m doing the same to you.” My laugh was hollow and bitter.

In a sudden sweep of motion, I knocked over a nearby chair. Its legs scraped loudly across the floor as it spun and fell. I reached out and tipped over a vase of fresh lilies, watching petals scatter across the carpet. They wilted, color fading, like everything good in my life.

“That’s enough! I’m calling security!” Sabrina declared, marching toward Adrian’s desk. She jabbed at a discreet red button half-hidden under a paperweight. “Where’s the button, Adrian?”

I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh so fierce that tears welled up. “Oh, this is priceless!” I cried. “Your little wife doesn’t even know where your own buttons are!” I pointed at Sabrina with scorn. “How could she? You’ve screwed her on that table more times than I can count!”

“Adrian! Where is it?” Sabrina screamed again, panic rising in her voice as she stepped backward. I seized a pen from the desk and flicked it toward her, narrowly missing. It clattered against a file folder.

I rolled my eyes, feigning boredom as I scanned the desk drawers. “You idiots, it’s beside the second drawer on the left!” Sabrina shot at me, as though I were the one confusing her. For a moment, the three of us were locked in a ridiculous standoff, punctuated only by the distant hum of the city outside the office windows.

“Maya, please,” Adrian begged. “Stop this. You’re going to get someone hurt.” His voice wavered between anger and desperation.

I scoffed, dropping into a mock curtsy. “Hurt people? Great. Count me out—I’m already living in my own personal hell. And you two? You’re right here with me. If someone’s skull ends up cracked, I don’t give a rat’s ass if it’s yours.”

My gaze darted to a small stone statue perched on a low shelf. Carefully, I lifted it and positioned my arm. A slow, cruel smile spread across my face. Adrian and Sabrina retreated toward the back of the room, near the floor-to-ceiling window that offered a panoramic view of the city’s skyline. They looked like fugitives cornered in a high-rise.

A single tear slipped down my cheek. I wiped it away without breaking eye contact, then flung the statue at them. “Die, you bastards!” I yelled. The statue arced through the air, but before it could strike, a pair of enormous bodyguards materialized at my side. One of them clamped a huge hand on my wrist.

I whirled around, scowling at the two immovable figures. With a frustrated sigh, I dropped the statue onto the plush carpet. “You’re always ruining the best moments,” I muttered under my breath.

Adrian’s voice cut through the chaos, calm and commanding. “Escort her out.”

The two guards nodded in perfect unison. “Yes, sir,” they rumbled. They turned back to face me, blocking both exits. One of them cleared his throat and said with false politeness, “Let’s go, Miss Maya.”

“Miss?” I echoed, arching an eyebrow. “What happened to Mrs. Maya?” I whirled on Adrian. “Don’t tell me you’ve already told the entire staff. You’re going to let me leave this building in utter shame, too?”

I fought to rein in my tears and keep my voice steady. “Why am I the one humiliated here?” I asked, my tone equal parts accusation and heartbreak.

Sabrina straightened her shoulders and spoke up with unexpected pride. “It was me,” she admitted, raising her chin. “I hit the button.”

“Enjoy your walk of shame,” I said coolly, though my voice trembled. Then Adrian’s furious roar cut me off. “That’s enough! I never told you to do that!” He lunged forward, touching his throbbing wound.

Sabrina shrank back under his glare. Adrian’s anger softened for a moment as he glanced at me, though I could see pity lurking in his eyes. “Don’t let her exit through the front,” he instructed the guards. “Keep her away from the other staff.”

“Understood,” they answered together, forming a barrier once more.

One of them reached for my arm again. “Please cooperate, Ms. Maya.”

I snapped, slapped the outstretched hand hard across its broad back, and hissed, “Don’t you dare touch me! I’ve been here longer than you have, and I know exactly how to get out.” I yanked my purse from the chair where it sat, turned on my heel, and strode toward the door. The guards fell in step behind me, one still rubbing his reddened cheek.

Just as I stepped through the doorway, I paused. My heart thundered in my chest. I turned back to face Adrian one last time. He stood among the wreckage of papers, fallen furniture, and shattered glass, looking smaller and more vulnerable than I’d ever seen him.

I inhaled deeply, summoning every shred of courage I had left. “You asked me earlier if I needed anything,” I said quietly, yet with firm determination. The room fell silent. Even Sabrina froze, her smug expression faltering.

He didn’t speak; he simply watched me with heavy eyes, waiting.

My blood still boiled, but beneath the fury lay a sharper pain—sadness. Maybe this would be the last time I saw him, the final chance to say what I’d bottled up for so long. My lips trembled as I swallowed hard. “All I needed was you, Adrian.”

At my words, his eyes widened. He looked down, unable to meet my gaze.

I steadied my voice. “You could have been more than enough for me.” I forced myself not to weep in front of him. “But I was never enough for you. You always wanted more. You took everything from me—even my husband.”

I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. He glanced at me once, briefly, before turning away. Beside him stood that other woman—Sabrina—looping her arm through his, her face triumphant. I drew a steadying breath and allowed my tears to fall, unashamed now.

“I always knew who you were,” I continued, voice soft yet firm. “But even so…” I offered him a sad, gentle smile. “…I really, truly loved you, Adrian.”

He opened his mouth as if to respond, but I turned on my heel. I couldn’t bear to see his expression—whether it was relief or contempt. It didn’t matter because we were finished. He would not reverse what he’d done.

I walked out of the office, each step echoing in the silent hallway. Those words hung between us like a final, fragile promise: I loved you. I walked away without a backward glance. I didn’t say goodbye. Part of me wondered if that was a mistake—if someday we might cross paths again, and perhaps he would feel the same. But today taught me something invaluable: hope, when misplaced, is the cruellest despair of all.