Chapter 100 The Showdown–No More Tolerance! Nova’s Final Breakup
As soon as Nova got back to the villa, she grabbed every item of Kael’s and stuffed them into storage bags.
She was determined to erase every trace of him from her life–starting with his things.
In the walk in closet, she tossed his suits into the bags one by one, a hollow ache spreading through her chest.
She’d once picked out each of these pieces with care, pouring her love into every choice… After all, what woman enjoys folding laundry or organizing
closets?
But she’d done it happily, thinking he’d cherish the effort. Instead, he’d worn her gifts to meet another woman.
Nova let out a bitter laugh, turning away so she didn’t have to look at the bags anymore. She hauled them to the front door and dumped them outside–five full bags, each one a reminder of what they’d lost.
When she finished, she felt a strange sense of relief… until she turned around and tears blurred her vision.
Who would have thought that when they’d moved into this wedding home together, so full of hope, it would end like this?
Nova tilted her head back, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She wiped the tears from her eyes, then slammed the front door shut.
From now on,
they’d go their separate ways–no more looking back.
Kael arrived just in time to see it: all his belongings, stuffed into bags and left out on the doorstep.
It was like she’d thrown away his things… and thrown him away too.
Agony twisted Kael’s features.
His eyes burned with unshed tears. For the first time, he understood the despair Nova had felt earlier in the fire escape–when he’d asked her to lie at the press conference, when she’d said she wanted to leave. It was a pain so sharp it felt like dying.
“No… this can’t be happening,” he whispered, his voice breaking as he tried to convince himself it was a mistake.
He ran to the door, fumbling with the keypad. The lock beeped–wrong password.
Kael froze, then typed it again. And again.
Each time, the same cold beep.
Nova had changed the password.
She really didn’t want him anymore.
His legs gave out. He stumbled, barely catching himself on the wall.
He pounded on the door, his fists slamming against the wood until they ached “Nova, open up! I’m sorry–I know I was wrong!
“Don’t leave me…”
His last words came out as a choked sob.
Upstairs, Nova watched from the window, her heart throbbing with pain.
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She forced herself to look away, going back to packing her own things–she’d need them when she moved out.
As she sorted through her closet, her fingers brushed against a familiar coat.
It was old, its style outdated by now, but she’d never been able to throw it away.
Memories flooded back. That winter, Kael had his first year of running his own business after leaving the Voss family. They’d been so broke, but he’d saved up for months to buy her this coat–the one she’d admired in a shop window but refused to let him purchase.
Her eyes watered. She traced the soft fur trim, a wave of sadness washing over her…
Her phone buzzed, jolting her back to reality.
It was Kael.
After a moment’s hesitation, she answered, walking to the balcony to talk.
She could see him still standing at the door.
The sky was darkening–rain was coming.
His voice was tight, as if he was holding back tears. “Nova… don’t leave me.”
Nova’s throat tightened.
She looked at his tall, lonely figure in the dusk, her voice breaking. “You need to go. We agreed-”
“I changed my mind,” he cut her off. “Punish me any way you want–yell at me, hit me, make me beg. Just don’t leave me.”
There was a loud thud from the other end of the line.
Nova’s eyes widened–she watched in horror as Kael, the man who’d always stood tall and unyielding, dropped to his knees on the wet sidewalk.
“I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “I’m so useless–I couldn’t protect you. The online hate was too much… I had to ask you to speak up, or they would have kept attacking you. If there was any other way, I would have done it–I would have given up everything to keep you from being hurt. Please… forgive me.”
Nova gripped the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her heart ached for him, but she forced herself to stay strong.
Even if he hadn’t done it for the company–even if his motives had been pure–none of it erased what he’d done.
She frowned, her voice quiet but firm. “Kael, where were you when this all started?”
If he’d stayed faithful.
If he’d respected their marriage.
If…
But there were no “ifs“, He’d made his choice.
“I’m begging you–leave,” she said, her voice rising with frustration. “Or I’ll call security.”
She hung up, turning away from the window so she didn’t have to see him anymore.
But Kael didn’t move. He stayed on his knees, as if he thought begging long enough would make her change her mind.
The rain started to fall–light at first, then pouring. The weather app on her phone flashed a thunderstorm warning.
Nova felt a twinge of worry, but she pushed it down. He’d made his bed; let him lie in it.
20:45
He Cried at My Funeral, I Laughed at His Gala
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Chapter 100 The Showdown–No More Tolerance! Nova’s Final Breakup
She went downstairs to get a glass of water. Passing the balcony, she glanced outside–and froze. Kael was still there, soaked to the bone, his shoulders hunched under the rain. If he stayed out much longer, he’d get hypothermia… maybe even worse.
Guilt gnawed at her. She thought of the old coat in her closet–of that rainy day years ago, when Kael had run home in the downpour, clutching the coat to his chest so it wouldn’t get wet.
She dug her nails into her palm, the pain grounding her.
Didn’t he hurt me enough?
Kael’s body was soaked through by the icy rain, his temperature plummeting to the edge of hypothermia.
His vision blurred, his mind fogging–but he forced himself to stay kneeling there, waiting for Nova.
Then, suddenly, a warm weight settled on his shoulders.
“Kael, stop this. Let me take you away.” Sloane’s voice was tight with worry as she wrapped her arms around him. He was freezing to the touch; if this went on, he’d get hypothermia for sure.
Kael’s consciousness was too muddled to tell who it was. He thought it was Nova–so he wrapped his arms around her waist on instinct, clinging to the warmth. “Baby… you forgive me? You’re not mad anymore?”
A sharp pain twisted in Sloane’s chest. She knew exactly who he was talking to. But she couldn’t bear to see him like this–couldn’t stand the thought of him wasting himself on someone who didn’t deserve it.
She cupped his rain–drenched face in her hands, forcing a soft smile. “Yes. I forgive you. Let’s go home, okay?”
At her words, Kael felt a surge of heat rush through his chest, spreading to every part of his body. He pulled her closer, desperation fueling him as he leaned down to kiss her–hungry, urgent, like he was afraid she’d vanish if he let go.
“Nova… baby… don’t leave me.”
Sloane’s eyelashes trembled. Even though she’d known all along his heart belonged to Nova, hearing him say her name now felt like a knife to the gut.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure in the distance.
Sloane’s lips curved into a cold, deliberate smirk. She slid her arms around Kael’s lean waist, kissing him back with every ounce of fake passion she could muster.
Thud!
The blanket slipped from Nova’s hands, hitting the wet ground with a dull sound.
She stood there, frozen, her face streaked with rain and tears–she couldn’t tell which was which.
Not far away, Kael held Sloane like she was the most precious thing in the world, his kiss soft yet fevered.
Nova’s eyes burned. How ridiculous she’d been, worrying he’d get sick in the rain–rushing to grab a blanket to beg him to leave safely.
He didn’t need her kindness. He didn’t need her at all.
Or maybe… maybe his whole kneeling apology had been a lie.
The thought made her laugh–a bitter, hollow sound. She bit down on her pale lower lip, squeezing her eyes shut for a second before opening them again.
And there, Sloane’s gaze locked onto hers, mocking–You lost. Again.
20:45
He Cried at My Funeral, I Laughed at His Gala
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Chapter 100 The Showdown–No More Tolerance! Nova’s Final Breakup
Nova’s face drained of color.
She felt like a clown, standing there in her own driveway, watching the man who’d begged for her forgiveness hours ago make out with another
woman.
It was absurd! Humiliating! Unbearable!
He’d knelt for her one minute, then thrown himself at his mistress the next–right in front of her house.
This wasn’t just betrayal–it was outright cruelty!
Nova’s eyes blazed red with rage. She clenched her fists so tight her nails dug into her palms, and screamed at the top of her lungs, “Kael! Is this your idea of an apology?!”
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