Chapter 72

Chapter 72

MADDIE

The heavy linen invitation felt like lead in my hands. Beside me, Annie was still staring down the dusty road where the black SUV had disappeared, her hand over her mouth in absolute disbelief.

"The Grand Vista..." Annie whispered, turning to me with eyes wide with astonishment. "Sofia, that’s the five-star luxury resort near the city boundary! Only high-ranking politicians and billionaires stay there. Who on earth sent you that?"

I swallowed hard, forcing my fingers to fold the heavy card back inside its envelope. "Just... an old acquaintance, Annie. Someone from my past."

"Are you going?" Annie asked, her tone laced with a mixture of awe and protective concern. "A luxury car, a personal delivery... sweetie, if you're in any kind of trouble—"

"I'm not in trouble," I lied softly, offering her the most reassuring smile I could muster. "It's just something I need to settle. Don't worry about me."

An hour later, I was standing in front of the small vanity mirror in my room. I didn't dress up in a glamorous evening gown or put on heavy makeup like I used to when I was Hades' wife. Instead, I wore a simple maroon long-sleeved blouse, dark trousers, and my practical leather flats. I left my thick glasses on and kept my hair tied in a modest clip.

I was not going as Maddie, the trophy wife who cowered in his shadow. I was going as Sofia Collins.

Julian waited for me downstairs by his truck, leaning against the hood with a solemn expression. He had seen the card, and though every protective instinct in his body urged him to stop me, he knew I had to do this.

"You don't have to do this alone, Sofia," Julian said quietly as I approached. "I can drive you there. I'll wait in the parking lot."

"No, Julian," I said gently, placing a hand on his arm. "If you come, it’ll only escalate things. Hades thrives on control, and seeing you there will give him a target. I need to face him on my own terms."

Julian sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair before nodding reluctantly. "Alright. But my phone will be right in my hand. One call, one word, and I'm tearing down that highway."

"Deal," I smiled faintly.

The twenty-minute drive to the boundary between Oakridge and the neighboring city felt like a descent into another world. The dusty, tree-lined roads gradually gave way to wide, polished avenues, culminating at the grand gates of The Grand Vista Resort & Villas.

Marble pillars, cascading fountains, and ambient golden lighting framed the entrance. As I stepped out of the local taxi I had hailed, the contrast between my humble attire and the opulence around me was stark. But I held my head high.

A sharp-looking host in a tux approached me at the lobby entrance. "Ms. Sofia Collins?"

"Yes," I replied, keeping my voice steady.

"Right this way, ma'am. Mr. Hades is waiting for you in Private Dining Suite A."

Every step deeper into the resort made my heart hammer against my ribs. We walked down a secluded, carpeted hallway lined with high-end artwork until we reached a set of double mahogany doors. The host knocked twice, opened the door for me, and stepped aside.

I took a deep, steadying breath, squared my shoulders, and walked in.

The private dining suite was breathtaking—floor-to-ceiling glass windows offering a panoramic view of the resort's illuminated infinity pool and the city skyline beyond. A long mahogany table sat in the center, set for two with fine crystal and silverware.

And standing by the glass window, a swirl of amber scotch in a crystal tumbler, was Hades.

He looked as imposing and devastatingly handsome as ever. Dressed in a bespoke charcoal-grey suit without a tie, his dark hair neatly styled, he radiated the same cold, effortless authority that used to terrify me.

At the sound of my footsteps, he turned around slowly.

His dark, piercing eyes locked onto mine, scanning every inch of my face, my simple clothes, my glasses, and my posture. For a fraction of a second, something raw and dangerously intense flared in his eyes—a mixture of disbelief, possessiveness, and profound relief.

He set his crystal glass on the table with a quiet thud and crossed the space between us in long, urgent strides.

Before I could even process his movement or step back, Hades pulled me into his arms.

He wrapped his arms around me tightly, burying his face into the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply as if he were a drowning man finally breaking the surface for air. His body was trembling against mine—a subtle, desperate tremor that I had never felt from him before.

In that exact second, the world shattered around me.

The familiar scent of his expensive cedarwood cologne, the heavy warmth of his chest pressed against mine, and the sheer possessive weight of his touch sent a suffocating tidal wave of memories crashing right back into my chest. The longing, the pain, the terror, the undeniable obsession—every single suppressed emotion from the life I thought I had left behind rushed back with terrifying force, making my heart hammer wildly in my ribs.

For a terrifying heartbeat, I almost weakened. I almost let myself sink into the memory of him.

No, I told myself fiercely, digging my nails into the palms of my hands until the sharp pain grounded me. You are Sofia now. You survived him.

Using every ounce of willpower I possessed, I forced my entire body to go rigid. I kept my hands flat against my sides, refusing to wrap them around his back, refusing to melt into his touch. I kept my face blank and completely impassive, locking away the emotional storm raging inside me behind an unyielding wall of composure.

Slowly, sensing the cold, unyielding wall between us, Hades pulled back just an inch. His hands lingered heavily on my shoulders as he looked down at me, his dark eyes searching my face, desperately looking for a flicker of the woman who used to love him.

Finding only cold detachment, his jaw tightened.

"Maddie," he rasped, his voice rough and laced with an ache he couldn't hide.

"Sofia," I corrected immediately, my tone icy, steady, and completely devoid of fear or warmth.

Hades paused, his eyes narrowing as he reluctantly let his hands drop from my shoulders, stepping back just enough to give me air. He took a slow, heavy breath, trying to regain his usual commanding mask.

"You look different," he murmured softly. "Simpler. But still... you."

"I am different," I replied, smoothing down the front of my shirt without taking a step back. "I didn't come here to play nostalgic games, Hades. You sent a luxury car to my workplace and scared my boss. What do you want?"

A faint, bitter smile touched the corner of his lips as he observed my unyielding stance, though the possessive flare in his eyes never dimmed. He turned slowly toward the table, reaching into his jacket pocket and sliding a set of fresh photographs across the polished mahogany toward me.

They were the photos his operative had taken that morning—capturing the moment I pulled Julian close, laughing up at him with a look of pure warmth and comfort.

Hades leaned forward, resting his palms on the table as he locked his gaze onto mine, his voice dropping into a low, threatening murmur.

"A peaceful life..." Hades echoed softly. "Is that what you call playing house with an auto mechanic, Sofia?"

I glanced down at the photos on the table, then looked straight back into his dark eyes. A sharp, icy fire ignited in my chest. I slammed my hands down on the mahogany wood, taking a bold step closer to him.

"Don't you dare drag Julian into this!" I hissed, my voice dripping with pure venom and absolute conviction. "And don't you dare drag the people of Oakridge into this either! They have nothing to do with you or the poisonous world you created. Leave them out of it!"

Hades' breath hitched at the sheer hatred in my tone. The muscle in his jaw clenched hard, and for a second, his composure completely cracked. The dangerous, ruthless billionaire faded, revealing a man utterly consumed by desperation and grief.

He closed the distance between us once more, grabbing my hands in his. His grip was tight, almost pleading, as he stared down at me with raw vulnerability.

"I'll make this right, Sofia... please," he pleaded, his voice breaking, stripped of all its usual arrogance. "I know I ruined everything. I know I broke you. But I spent every single day thinking you were dead... believing I had lost you forever. Please, come back. Let me fix this. Just come back to me."

I stared at his desperate face, feeling the warmth of his hands, but my heart remained stone cold. I slowly, deliberately pulled my hands out of his grip.

"There is nothing to fix, Hades," I whispered mercilessly. "Maddie is gone. I am never coming back."

The moment those words left my mouth, the desperation in his eyes morphed into a dark, suffocating shadow. The air in the room suddenly grew heavy and freezing cold. The pleading lover vanished, and the dangerous predator returned in full force.

Hades straightened his shoulders, towering over me as a terrifying aura settled around him.

"Don't ever push me to the point where I have to become a monster, Sofia," he threatened softly, his voice a low, terrifying growl that sent shivers straight down my spine. "Because if that's what it takes to keep you from walking away from me again... I will burn this entire town to the ground just to bring you home."