MARIA

Although I was curious about what exactly was inside that mysterious bottle Vincent had been carrying around, I had to admit that my attention was far more focused on the scene unfolding before me.

And honestly?

I was enjoying every second of it.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I watched Vanessa kneeling there.

Vanessa.

The same Vanessa who always walked around with her head held high.

The same Vanessa who looked down on everyone else as though they were beneath her.

The same Vanessa who never apologized for anything.

Yet there she was, on her knees and worse apologizing to me.

If someone had told me a few weeks ago that I would witness such a thing, I would have laughed right in their face.

But now it was happening, right in front of me and it felt surprisingly satisfying.

I folded my arms across my chest and allowed myself to enjoy the moment a little longer.

Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind seeing this happen every single day.

Especially if Anabel was involved too.

The thought immediately made my smile widen.

Unlike Vanessa, Anabel owed me far more than a simple apology. An apology could never erase everything she had done.

Could never erase the humiliation, the insults, or the pain she had caused.

No amount of sorry would ever make things even between us.

Still, watching Vanessa brought low was a good start. Satisfied with what I had seen, I finally turned away from the scene.

There was no reason for me to remain there any longer.

The drama was over.

My body suddenly reminded me just how exhausted I was.

The events of the day had drained every ounce of energy from me, and all I wanted was peace.

Just a few moments without arguments, threats, mysteries, or Vincent’s endless games.

So I headed straight toward my room.

The walk wasn’t long, but it felt longer than usual because of how tired I was, not like I did anything. Eventually, I reached my door and I pushed it open and stepped inside.

I stepped in and began pulling the door closed behind me but before I could fully shut it, another figure appeared directly in front of it.

I froze and then within seconds, I groaned internally.

Vincent.

Who else could it possibly be?

He stood there casually, looking entirely too comfortable for someone who constantly made my life more complicated.

"What do you want now?" I asked immediately.

My voice carried every bit of exhaustion I was feeling. I simply did not have the patience for him at that moment.

Vincent, however, appeared completely unaffected.

A playful smile crossed his face.

"I want you, my princess," he said smoothly. "You wouldn’t possibly throw me away, right?"

I stared at him.

My annoyance skyrocketed.

Was he serious?

After everything that had happened, this was what he wanted to talk about?

I slowly raised a brow.

For a moment, Vincent looked almost hopeful, and that was his mistake.

Without saying another word, I slammed the door directly in his face.

Bang!

The sound echoed through the hallway.

I immediately locked the door afterward and leaned against it. I wasn’t ready for any form of petty conversation.

All I wanted was my old life back.

I should have been with my husband at that moment, curled up safely in his arms while enjoying peace, enjoying comfort and enjoying the life that was supposed to be mine.

Instead, thanks to Vincent and all the chaos he seemed to attract, I was trapped in a situation that grew more complicated with every passing day.

And honestly?

I was beginning to run out of patience.

Vincent kept banging on the door relentlessly.

The loud thuds echoed throughout the room, each knock more forceful than the last. Every few seconds, I could hear him twisting the handle, attempting to force it open despite knowing perfectly well that I had locked it.

The handle rattled repeatedly.

But the door remained firmly shut.

"Maria, we need to talk!" he shouted from the other side.

His voice carried through the wood clearly enough that I didn’t have to strain to hear him.

I rolled my eyes immediately.

"There is nothing to talk about, Vincent. Just leave!" I commanded loudly.

My voice echoed from within the room, firm and uncompromising.

For a brief moment, silence followed and I thought perhaps he would finally get the message.

Unfortunately, I had clearly underestimated his stubbornness.

"There is, Maria," Vincent replied immediately. "And there is no time."

I closed my eyes in annoyance.

Of course he wasn’t leaving.

I knew Vincent well enough by now to understand that responding to him would only encourage him to continue.

The more attention I gave him, the longer he would remain outside my room.

So I decided to ignore him completely.

Maybe if I refused to engage, he would eventually grow tired and leave.

Slowly, I moved toward the bed and sat down.

The day was still bright outside, sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the room. Ordinarily, I would never think of sleeping at such an hou but the emotional rollercoaster of the day had drained me more than any physical battle ever could.

I stretched out on the bed and tried to relax— tried being the key word.

Because Vincent apparently had no intention of allowing me a moment of peace.

"Maria, trust me, you wouldn’t want them to suffer because of you." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

I froze.

His voice had changed and there was something heavier in it now, something that instantly caught my attention.

"Especially Noah." He added.

The moment Noah’s name left his mouth, my eyes flew open. All traces of exhaustion disappeared immediately and anger surged through me instead.

I sat upright on the bed and then stood slowly.

Was he serious?

Was he actually using Noah to get my attention?

My jaw clenched tightly.

And another detail immediately stood out to me.

Them!!

He had said them.

Who exactly was he talking about?

Who were the others?

Questions flooded my mind instantly.

I stared toward the door, my irritation growing with every passing second.

Outside, Vincent continued speaking.

"So Maria, open the damn door and let us speak like adults."

A scoff escaped my lips.

Adults?

The word alone almost made me laugh.

There was absolutely nothing adult about standing outside someone’s room and refusing to leave, nor was there anything adult about throwing around vague threats.

Because that was exactly what this felt like.

A threat.

Deep down, I knew exactly what Vincent was trying to do.

He wanted leverage and he wanted to use Noah’s safety against me, as he wanted to make me panic and to make me feel cornered, just to force me into doing whatever he wanted—Most likely marrying him.

The thought alone made my blood boil.

If that was truly his plan, then he had made a terrible mistake, because threatening people I cared about would never make me trust him.

It would only make me resent him more.

"Maria, open the door!" Vincent yelled again, as another loud bang followed.

The entire door shook beneath the force of his pounding.

Meanwhile, I remained where I stood, staring at the entrance with narrowed eyes as my anger continued to grow.