Chapter 109


    Yvan thought she had temporarily calmed down as he watched her return to her room and quietly lie


    down, but little did he know, it was all an act – a pretense of tranquility in the aftermath of the storm.


    When Yvan left for the office, Matilda took matters into her own hands, handling her discharge. She


    cleaned herself up, tended to her wounds, and applied her makeup with a frightening level of


    composure.


    It was like thest surge of energy in someone on the brink of death.


    Matilda left the hospital in a hurry, picking up a cake on her way home. Upon arriving, she tidied the


    entire house and then prepared a spread of dishes, cing the cake in the center with candles on top.


    She watched silently as the candles burned down. As if the mes were a metaphor for her own life


    flickering away.


    Staring at the candle, Matilda whispered softly after a long while, “Gideon, happy birthday. I’m sorry I


    couldn’t celebrate with you, and now, your life is forever frozen at 27.”


    Matilda didn’t cry. She sat down to eat, then cut a piece of cake, setting it aside for Logan. She knew


    that if Logan realized he had missed his uncle’s birthday, he would throw a tantrum for a slice of cake.


    But Matilda couldn’t bring herself to deliver it to the Boyd family for Logan; she couldn’t face Yvan


    anymore.


    Facing him would unleash the uncontroble pain and hatred within her, turning her into a devil. Yvan,


    the man who ruined her life, the nightmare she couldn’t escape!


    Matilda’s thoughts were clouded with grief and pain. From the initial shock to the eventual screaming, it


    seemed as if she had exhausted all her strength in her defiance and attempts to wound Yvan.


    It was only in these quiet moments alone that the immense, tidal pain crashed over her, leaving her


    most vulnerable and desperate, yet terrifyingly silent.


    True despair wasn’t wailing or thrashing about–it was this deadly stillness.


    Her eyes reddened as she finished eating and cleared the table. She tried to muster a smile, but her


    lips were too heavy. Eventually, she sank back into the couch, burying her head in her hands. Her body


    convulsed like a trapped animal, emitting a subdued, agonized growl- as if trying to shatter her own


    soul.


    At that moment, Matilda thought of someone who might help her deliver the cake to Logan. She


    reached for her phone, only to remember it had smashed on the doorstep of the Boyd Mansion–she


    was cut off from any means ofmunication.


    After a long silence, Matilda decided to leave the house. She went to a nearby phone store, randomly


    selected a model, and got a new number. Returning home, she searched for a


    10:28


    Chapter 109


    business card and dialed the number.


    After a long wait, the call connected, and Mason’s voice came through colder than usual. “Who is this?”


    he inquired.


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    A flurry of thoughts crossed Matilda’s mind before she finally spoke, “Mason, it’s me, Matilda.”


    Hearing her name seemed to strike a nerve in Mason’s mind, his expression hardening as he


    reflexively asked, “Why did you switch numbers?”


    “I…” Matilda struggled to exin, “My phone broke on the doorstep of the Boyds. I… I need to ask you


    for a favor.”


    The doorstep of the Boyds? Why was Matilda still entangled with Yvan after everything?


    A surge of anger, unbidden, filled Mason’s mind. He shouldn’t be getting angry; he wasn’t the type to


    be easily swayed.


    But the words that escaped his lips betrayed his fury. “Matilda, don’t you think you should have some


    self–respect? Why are you going back to Yvan again?”