Chapter 391


    The chill in Natalia''s heart was palpable as she tried to assuage Lexi''s fears. "Lexi, you might have got


    this all wrong. Maybe when Cal spoke, he wasn''t talking about your child. No, no, no, he would never


    do something like that."


    But Lexi''s gaze grew more deste. "I told myself that, too. But the next day, I saw with my own eyes,


    from behind the curtains of the balcony, how Callum handed over Mason, my son, to Rita—then drove


    off with both of them. I called him in a panic, and he had the nerve to lie that he was taking Mason to a


    charity g. When I asked about Rita, he imed she was already locked up in the police station. He


    was lying!"


    "What happened next?" Natalia could barely articte her shock, and half-believed Lexi was spinning


    tales. "Lexi, could it be... could it be that you dreamed all this up? That none of it really happened?"


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Lexi let out a bitterugh and pointed to a scar on her shin. "Natalia, see this scar? It''s from when I fell


    off the balcony and broke my leg. How could a dream leave such a mark?"


    Lexi sighed deeply. "Marrying Callum felt like a fairytale. Now I see it was never real. From the


    beginning, I was nothing more than an object for him, a way to sate his desires. There was never any


    love."


    Natalia''s heart ached for her friend, offering words offort. "It’s not like that, Lexi. Maybe there''s


    been a misunderstanding. Like with me and Magnus—if I had taken the time to understand my heart,


    we wouldn''t have had so many ups and downs."


    Lexi nodded, her smile tinged with sorrow. "That''s what I thought too. I waited through the night, in the


    agony of my broken leg, hoping Callum woulde back and tell me himself whether he still loved


    me."


    Tears spilled from Lexi''s eyes. "But what I got was a visit from Rita, furious. Callum didn''t return with


    her. She dragged me to the basement, saying Callum had grown tired of me, but because of Mason, he


    had to endure. And today, she said, he took Mason for a paternity test, only to find out the child wasn''t


    his."


    "What?! That''s impossible!" Natalia was incredulous. "How could he not know if the child is his? Why


    the hell does he need a paternity test? I need to call Cal and give him a piece of my mind!"


    As Natalia rose to find her phone, Lexi''s pale hand clutched her wrist. "Please, Natalia, let me keep


    some dignity."


    Natalia sat down again, soothingly stroking Lexi''s back. "There must be some mistake, Lexi. A phone


    call can clear this up, really."


    Lexi shook her head. "It''s no use. I also believed in Callum, even in the darkness of that basement. But


    what I never expected was to hear about Callum''s engagement to another woman—not Rita."


    "Not Rita?"


    Lexi confirmed with a nod. "When Rita threw the invitation in my face, I could see her tears. She


    admitted she knew she was never worthy of Callum but couldn''t stand the thought of someone of my


    humble origins being with him. Honestly, Natalia, my heart was already numb when she said that.


    Callum never came for me. Whoever he marries doesn''t matter to me anymore. Suddenly, I just wanted


    to go home, to see my parents."


    Tears flowed down Natalia''s cheeks, too. "Lexi, I believe Cal isn''t that kind of person. He must have his


    reasons."


    With a hollowugh, Lexi continued, "Can you believe it? At that moment, I thanked her. Though I


    wasn''t sure what for. Was it to spare my life? I didn''t know. Drifting through the night, blindfolded, all I


    could hear was thepping of the waves. When I woke up, fishermen had rescued me."


    Lexi''s story was a stark reminder of how quickly life could turn, a fairytale marriage descending into a


    nightmare of betrayal and imprisonment. And through it all, the strength and resilience to face the truth


    and find a way back home.