Page 129 of Beautiful Agony

I shouldn't care. IknowI shouldn't care. But some traitorous part of me still does. That naïve girl who once believed in Nathan's promises, who dreamed of a future together, who trusted him completely.

She's still there, buried deep inside. And she's screaming in pain at Caroline's revelation.

But I refuse to let that pain control me.

The past is written in stone—Nathan's betrayal, the months of lies, the way he made me feel worthless—none of that can be changed. What matters now is what lies ahead. My future with Vadim. Our daughter growing inside me. The life we're building together.

The life that I'm fighting to save right now.

My fingers brush over my wedding ring, and I draw strength from its familiar weight. This isn't about Nathan anymore. This isn't about Caroline or their affair or my broken engagement. This is about protecting my husband—a man who has shown me what real love looks like.

A man who would do everything to keep me safe.

Now, it's my turn to do for him what he's always done for me.

I take a deep breath, steadying myself.

"Caroline—" I start, but she cuts me off.

"Don't." Her voice is ice. "Don't you dare pity me. Your husband took everything from me, and I'm going to make him pay."

"I understand how you feel," I say softly. "After I caught you both that night, all I could think about was revenge. It consumed me. Every time I closed my eyes, I imagined different ways to make him hurt like he hurt me."

Caroline's eyes flash dangerously. "So you admit it." Her voice rises with each word. "You wanted revenge. You and your Russian mobster husband plotted to kill Nathan!"

"No." I shake my head firmly. "That's not what happened."

"Then what did happen?" Tears start rolling down her cheeks, smearing her mascara. "One day he's alive, the next hismutilatedbody washes up on the shore with—" Her voice breaks. "With his fingers cut off and his teeth pulled out."

My heart aches at the raw pain in her voice. Without thinking, I reach across the table for her hand.

She yanks it away as if my touch burns. "Don't touch me!" she hisses through her tears. "You don't get to comfort me."

"There was a time I would've said the same thing to you," I say, watching her tears fall. "When I caught you both that night, I wanted to claw your eyes out. I wanted to make Nathan feel the same betrayal that was tearing me apart."

"You don't know what—" Caroline starts, but I raise my hand.

"Let me finish." My voice carries an edge of steel that surprises even me. "Because what I'm about to tell you is more important than either of our feelings about Nathan."

She falls silent, jaw clenched.

"Nathan wasn't just cheating on me with you, Caroline. He was involved with dangerous people. The kind who trades in human lives like they're commodities."

"What are you talking about?" Her mascara-stained face contorts in confusion.

"Human trafficking. With the same people that Vadim’s company is rescuing girls from.” The words taste bitter on my tongue. "Nathan helped move money for those monsters. He helped them buy and sell women and children."

Caroline's face drains of color. "You're lying."

"I'm not." I meet her gaze steadily. "Think about all those late-night calls he'd take. Those mysterious meetings that he couldn't tell you about. The deals that seemed too good to be true."

"That doesn't mean..." Her lips tremble. "Are you saying he deserved to die?"

The question hangs between us like a loaded gun. I think about everything I've learned since that night—about the trafficking victims, about Kirsan's operation, about the countless lives destroyed. I think about what Vadim would say.

"Yes." The word comes out stronger than I expected. "He did."

Caroline's hands shake as she grips her coffee cup. "Why?"

---