Chapter 8

Celine POV

"Celine! After three years abroad, I never imagined you'd become so vicious, actually capable of pushing someone off a balcony!"

After Westley pulled Sophie from the pool, he glared at me furiously, filled with towering rage.

"How exactly did Sophie offend you? Why do you dislike her so much that you'd even try to kill her!"

My nails dug into my palms.

"I didn't push her!"

"I saw it with my own eyes, and you still want to deny it!"

Sophie was soaked through, curled up in Westley's arms like a frightened deer, her slender fingers clutching his shirt tightly.

She seemed traumatized, on the verge of tears, trembling as she said,

"Mr. Ford, don't blame Miss Sterling. I was careless before and caused her allergic reaction. She was angry at me, so she accidentally pushed me. She definitely didn't mean to..."

"She's always had prejudice against you. Whether it was deliberate or not, she knows in her heart!"

Westley said darkly.

"Celine, I've spoiled you too much, indulged you too much, which is why you've become so arrogant and presumptuous!"

Finally, he ordered the servants coldly.

"Lock her in the basement freezer. Let her calm down and reflect!"

Several servants immediately stepped forward, holding my arms on both sides, dragging me toward the basement freezer.

"I didn't push her! This was all Sophie Evans's self-staged act! Westley, what gives you the right to treat me like this?!"

I couldn't believe it, struggling angrily.

The servant sneered coldly.

"What gives Mr. Ford the right to treat you like this? Because during the three years you were gone, the person by his side was Miss Sophie! And you dared to push Miss Sophie off the balcony. That's utterly heinous!"

I was shoved into the basement freezer, stumbling and falling to the ground. My scraped palm immediately oozed blood, the pain making me furrow my brow tightly.

Looking up, I saw those servants carrying a burlap sack, pouring something inside.

My pupils constricted violently.

"What did you put in here?"

"Miss Sophie was afraid you'd be too lonely in the freezer alone, so she had us catch some rats to keep you company!"

The servant finished speaking with a cold laugh and slammed the iron door shut with a bang.

The basement freezer was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

In the vast space, not only did a bone-chilling cold spread, but there were also sounds of rats scurrying and squeaking.

My scalp tingled as I shivered from the cold, hugging my legs tightly as I curled up in a corner.

Rats occasionally crawled onto my body. At first, I would scream uncontrollably and swat them away, but after an unknown amount of time passed, my hands and feet grew so numb from the cold that I no longer had the strength to deal with the rats scurrying all over me.

Before losing consciousness from hypothermia, I hazily remembered.

Westley knew I feared cold the most. During those years abroad when he couldn't be by my side constantly, he would video call me almost daily to confirm I was dressed warmly enough.

But now, for Sophie Evans's sake, he had locked me in the place I feared most.

How laughable. How ironic.

I met him when I was fourteen and fell in love with him at eighteen.

Until now, a full ten years had passed.

Ten years of devotion, yet it was no match for Sophie, who had only been by his side for less than two years.

I don't know how long I was locked in the basement freezer, don't know how I was rescued, and have no idea how long I was unconscious.

When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital room.

The space around me was empty, not a single person.

I reached for my phone by the bed and opened Instagram. Sophie Evans had posted another update, as expected.

"He knew I was traumatized and upset, so he put aside all company business to specially take me out to cheer me up."

The photo showed them walking hand in hand on a beach at sunset.

They looked exactly like a couple in love. Tender, sweet, loving, and romantic.

My heart grew utterly cold, yet I laughed instead.

Laughed until tears came.

He locked me in the basement freezer without a care, then turned around to take Sophie Evans out for fun.

Ten years, Westley.

So this is all ten years of devotion amounts to.

After being discharged this time, I went directly to close my bank accounts, then took my luggage, visa, and passport.

As I was going through security at the airport, a message from Westley appeared on my phone.

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

Less than two seconds later, he sent another message.

"The custom wedding dress I ordered for you has arrived. I'll be back tomorrow. Let's discuss our wedding date and go try on the dress together."

I stared coldly at the two messages.

This wedding would never happen.

And we would never see each other again.

Soon enough, he would receive the "gift" I left for him.