Chapter 6

Scarlett's POV

My throat was hoarse from screaming. My face was stained with tears, and my wrists were bruised from the silk tie.

Tristan calmly buttoned his shirt and adjusted his cuffs, immediately reverting back to the cold, sophisticated billionaire. It was as if the beast from a minute ago had never existed.

Meanwhile, I lay there with my dress torn and my hair wild, looking utterly broken.

Tristan looked down at me, his eyes dark. "I prefer you like this, helpless. Not loud and arrogant."

A wave of intense humiliation washed over me. The tears wouldn't stop flowing.

Seeing me like this, his expression softened slightly.

"Scarlett, be good." He leaned down, untying my wrists and kissing the tears from my eyes. "If you just listen to me, I won't have to be so rough."

I jerked my head away from his lips, letting out a cold laugh. "In your dreams."

I used to listen to him because I thought he cared. I thought we had something real.

Now I knew I was just a physical outlet.

"Tristan, you are a hypocrite and a coward," I whispered, my voice cracked. "You love Chloe, yet you keep me in your bed. You're disgusting. I hate you."

Tristan stiffened, his eyes narrowing. "Disgusting?"

Before he could say more, his phone rang.

He frowned and answered it.

A panicked voice came through the speaker. "Tristan! Where are you? Some drunk guys are harassing Chloe in the VIP lounge! Get over here now!"

Tristan's face fell.

He hung up and looked at me. "I'll finish disciplining you at home."

With that, he turned and ran out, leaving me shivering and ruined on the sofa.

Watching him run to her, my heart finally shattered into dust.

It was always the same.

The second Chloe needed him, I was garbage to be thrown away.

I bit my lip, forcing myself to stop crying.

Men like him didn't deserve my tears.

I spent a long time cleaning myself up, fixing my dress and hair until I looked presentable before walking out of the suite.

At the end of the hallway, a loud commotion was happening.

I saw Tristan shielding Chloe behind him. Two drunk men were lying on the floor, groaning in pain.

He was beating them mercilessly, his face contorted with a primal rage I had never seen before.

Chloe, sensing my presence, turned her head. Our eyes met.

A slow, victorious smirk spread across her lips.

I ignored her, walking right past them with a blank face.

I walked out of the club and stood on the curb, waiting for a cab.

The cold night wind blew, chilling me to the bone. I wrapped my arms around myself.

"Scarlett."

A soft, weak voice called out behind me.

I turned. It was Chloe.

She walked over, looking concerned. "Scarlett, you don't have a car? Let me drive you home."

I looked at the keys in her hand. A brand-new Porsche.

My father was indeed generous to his stepdaughter.

"No thanks," I said coldly. "Riding in a mistress's daughter's car makes me feel dirty."

Chloe's sweet facade dropped instantly. "Who are you calling a mistress? Scarlett, say that again!"

"Your mother is a home-wrecking whore. If you like hearing it, I can repeat it all night."

As we argued, a pair of blinding headlights suddenly rounded the corner.

An out-of-control SUV was speeding directly toward us.

In that split second, Tristan rushed out of the club. Without a single hesitation, he threw his arms around Chloe and pulled her out of the way.

And I...

Crash.

The impact threw me onto the hard asphalt.

I lay in a pool of my own blood, my vision fading.

I could hear distant screams and running footsteps, but I couldn't tell who they belonged to.

As darkness took over, my mind flashed back to last winter.

After a massive fight with my father, I had run to my mother's grave. I sat there in the snow, crying until I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was wrapped in a warm wool coat.

Tristan had found me. He held me tightly against his chest, shielding me from the freezing wind.

He had looked down at me and said, "Whenever you're hurt, come to me. Don't carry it alone."

Those were the sweetest words I had ever heard.

I had cried into his chest like a child, believing that after my mother's death, I finally had someone who loved me.

But now...

The man who promised to protect me had chosen to save another woman, leaving me to die on the street.