Paul’s POV.


    My world had been shattered into a million pieces, and the sight of Elena kissing another man was more than I could bear. The anger that surged within me was uncontroble, and I couldn’t stop myself from unleashing my fury.


    Gritting my teeth, I grabbed a vase and hurled it in their direction, the shattering sound filling the room. The crash of porcin was a violent punctuation to the chaos that had erupted. Elena stopped the kiss abruptly, her eyes fixing on the shattered vase, and then on me.


    As I struggled to catch my breath, my gaze was drawn to her lips, the same lips that had once tasted my kisses. But now, they were marred by another man’s touch, and I couldn’t contain the rage that swelled within me.


    In that moment, all the doubts and insecurities that had been simmering beneath the surface boiled over. I had believed in Elena, trusted her with my heart, and now it felt like a cruel betrayal. The love I had felt for her had been genuine, but it seemed that she had seen me as nothing more than a means to an end.


    My mind raced with usatory thoughts. Was Elena just like my mother, driven by material gain? Had she been using me for her own gain all along? The words “gold digger” echoed in my mind, a damning indictment of the woman I had once loved.


    My mother’s words echoed in my mind, a painful reminder of the toxic influence she had wielded over me. She had used me of suffering from a paranoid disorder, using it as a means to manipte and control me.


    But the harshest truth of all was that Elena, the woman I had loved and believed in, had beenplicit in this maniption. She had yed her part in the mind games, feeding into my insecurities and nting seeds of doubt about our rtionship. It was a revtion that cut deep, a betrayal that left me feeling utterly lost.


    I was on the verge of reaching out to grab her, to shake some semnce of reason into her.


    But before I could grab her hair, the man who had been the center of this chaotic evening intervened. He grabbed my hand with surprising calmness, a stark contrast to the turmoil that had unfolded around us.


    “How dare you touch my wife?” he stated firmly, his tone unwavering.


    “You don’t even know I’m the only one who can touch her,” I shouted.


    **


    Derek’s patience had been pushed to the brink by Paul’s words, and the simmering tension in the room finally reached its breaking point. Paul’s insinuations, fueled by the alcoholic haze that surrounded him, had be too much to bear.


    Without hesitation, Derek’s anger boiled over, and he unleashed a swift and powerful kick that sent Paul sprawling to the ground. The force of the blow was enough to knock Paul off bnce, and he crumpled to the floor.


    The room fell into a stunned silence as the unexpected act of defiance yed out before them. Paul disheveled and reeking of alcoholy on the ground, his eyes filled with a mixture of pain.


    Anne reacted swiftly, dashing over to her fallen son. Her concern and worry were evident as she attempted to assess the situation and soothe her son’s distress.


    ‘Damn this bastard. I will kill him now.’ Anne thought. She shot Derek an angry look, her maternal instincts kicking in to protect her son.


    But in that moment, Anne knew that she needed to maintain a semnce of calm andposure. The situation was already fraught with tension and chaos, and she couldn’t afford to let it escte further.


    “Paul, listen to me, honey,” Anne advised, her tone softening as she addressed her son. She knew that a public confrontation would only make matters worse, and she hoped to guide Paul away from further conflict.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Paul’s stubbornness and anger were palpable as he flinched away from his mother’s attempt tofort him. His emotions were in turmoil, and the revtion of the truth had left him seething with resentment.


    “Shut up,” he snapped at Anne, his voiceced with frustration and betrayal. His usatory gaze bore into her as he demanded answers. “You were aware of everything. Why didn’t you tell me before? You knew everything.”


    Anne’s attempts to shield herself had backfired spectacrly.


    As Paul’s anger swirled around them, he turned his gaze toward Elena, the source of so much turmoil and confusion in their lives. He called out her name, his voice wavering with a mix of emotions.


    “Elena.”


    “Paul,” as Anne called him, Derek grabbed Paul’s cor as he heard him call Elena’s name, and Paul did the same. The physical confrontation between the two men threatened to escte further, and the atmosphere grew increasingly charged.


    “Boss, let me handle this,” Obin said, his voice steady andposed as he moved between the two men. His presence served as a buffer, a reminder of the need to maintain control in the face of the chaos that had erupted.


    Paul, however, remained unyielding. With a sense of ownership and determination in his voice, he dered, “Elena belongs to me. Everything she has is mine.”


    “Shut up, fucker,” Derek shouted.


    The room erupted into chaos as Derek’s patience finally wore thin. He could no longer tolerate Paul’s relentless ims and confrontations. In a fit of anger, heshed out and punched Paul square in the face, his frustration and pent-up rage unleashed in that single, shocking blow.


    Elena, already overwhelmed by the tumultuous events of the evening, was left stunned by Derek’s sudden act of violence. The sound of the punch reverberated through the room, and the sight of Paul clutching his bloody nose sent shockwaves through the onlookers.


    Anne rushed to Elena’s side, her desperation and fear evident as she begged for help. Her maternal instincts were in overdrive as she pleaded, “Please save my son,” her voice trembling with worry.