Arthur’s jaw tightened.

“And eventually,” Elena said quietly, “I believed him.”

For a long moment neither spoke.

Then Arthur said something unexpected.

“He said the same thing to my daughter.”

Elena looked up sharply.

Arthur’s expression had changed completely now.

Older.

Haunted.

“She worked for the company briefly,” he said. “Marcus convinced her he loved her.”

Elena felt cold.

“She disappeared from our family within a year.”

Arthur stood and walked toward the windows again.

“When she finally came home, she barely spoke. Barely ate. She looked…” He stopped himself. “Broken.”

Elena whispered, “What happened to her?”

Arthur closed his eyes.

“She died three years later.”

The room went silent.

Elena stared at him in horror.

Arthur turned slowly.

“She overdosed.”

A sharp ache crossed his face before he buried it again.

“I spent years blaming myself for not seeing what he was sooner.”

Elena’s throat tightened painfully.

“Marcus did that to her?”

Arthur’s voice remained calm.

“He didn’t hold the pills in her hand. But some people destroy others slowly enough that nobody notices until it’s over.”

Elena suddenly understood why Arthur had attended the gala.

Why he watched Marcus so carefully.

This wasn’t business.

It was personal.

“You hate him.”

Arthur gave a hollow smile.

That answer surprised her.

“Hate burns hot,” he said quietly. “What I feel for Marcus is colder than that.”

A phone buzzed on the table.

Arthur glanced at the screen.

Then handed it to Elena.

It was social media.

The gala audio had exploded online.

Videos.

Headlines.

Comment sections.

Billionaire HUMILIATES Wife During Live Gala

Placeholder Wife Walks Out on Tech Mogul

Marcus Martinez Scandal Goes Viral

Elena stared numbly.

Millions of views already.

“Oh God.”

Arthur watched her carefully.

“You don’t have to read any of it.”

But she kept scrolling.

Some comments defended her.

Others mocked her.

Some blamed her for staying.

Some called her weak.

Some called her brave.

Her hands began shaking.

Arthur gently took the phone away.

“Enough for tonight.”

She suddenly laughed.

A sharp, exhausted laugh.

“My whole life just exploded in four hours.”

“Yes,” Arthur said quietly.

“And tomorrow will probably be worse.”

Tomorrow arrived too quickly.

By sunrise, reporters had gathered outside Arthur’s building.

Marcus’s company stock had already started falling.

News channels replayed the audio nonstop.

Elena sat at the kitchen counter wrapped in a blanket while television anchors dissected her marriage like entertainment.

Arthur entered with coffee.

“You should eat something.”

“I think I’d throw up.”

He nodded knowingly.

Then the elevator doors opened.

Jessica stepped inside.

Elena stood immediately.

Jessica looked exhausted. Dark circles shadowed her eyes.

“I came before the reporters saw me.”

Arthur quietly left them alone.

Jessica walked forward slowly.

“I barely slept.”

Elena didn’t know what to say.

Jessica looked miserable.

“He’s losing his mind.”

Elena laughed bitterly. “That implies he had one.”

Jessica almost smiled.

Then tears filled her eyes unexpectedly.

“I’m sorry.”

Elena froze.

“For what?”

“For every time I watched him belittle you and pretended it was normal.”

Elena looked away.

Jessica shook her head.

“He controls everyone around him. Even me.”

That, Elena believed.

Marcus had a gravitational pull. People bent around him without realizing it until they no longer recognized themselves.

Jessica lowered her voice.