Chapter 116 Victor
Lina’s POV
“Don’t you dare utter my name from that disgusting mouth of yours.” The words left me sharp, jagged—each one slicing through the air between us.
My teeth clenched so tightly my jaw ached, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t care. Not when he stood in front of me like this… like he had any right.
I turned my head quickly, my eyes darting past him, scanning the street, the windows, the faint movement behind the curtains inside the house. The laughter from within still echoed faintly—my girls, my parents—unaware.
Safe. They were still safe. And I intended to keep it that way.
Ruciano shifted, his hand brushing against the door as if he meant to step in.
Big mistake.
Before he could even try, my palm slammed against his chest, shoving him back hard enough to make him stumble a step. I stepped out immediately, pulling the door shut behind me with a quiet but firm click.
A barrier.
A line he would never cross.
“What are you doing here?” My voice dropped, low and shaking with a barely contained rage. “You know, you’ve got some really audacious audacity…” I let out a breath, slow, controlled, forcing my chest to rise and fall evenly. If I lost control now… if I let everything spill—
No.
Not here.
Not in front of my home.
“My girls are inside,” I said, my tone colder now, quieter. Deadlier. “And I do not want them setting their eyes on a wretched human like you.”
I took a step closer, my gaze locking onto his.
“Leave.”
“Lina, listen to—”
“If you call my name again—” I cut in sharply, my hand lifting, finger pointing straight at him, “I swear to God, Ruciano, you’ll see a side of me you’ve never seen before.”
Silence fell between us, thick and suffocating.
For a moment, neither of us moved. Then something twisted inside me, something bitter, something broken.
A humorless laugh escaped my lips.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I can’t believe I actually fell in love with a man like you.”
His face shifted slightly, but I didn’t stop.
“You disgusting motherfucker.”
The words were quieter now, but they hit harder.
I looked at him—really looked at him. Those same eyes. Oceanic. Deep. Once warm enough that I had drowned inside them.
Once.
Back then, I had seen kindness in them. Softness. A man who listened. A man who made me feel… chosen. Loved.
My stomach twisted violently.
But now?
Now all I saw was coldness.
Cruelty.
A stranger wearing the face of someone I used to love.
“The man standing in front of me…” I said slowly, my voice trembling despite my effort to steady it, “is nothing like the man I knew.”
“Lina, let me explain,” he said quickly, stepping forward again. “It’s not what you think—”
“Don’t you dare.” My hand shot up again, palm facing him this time, stopping him in his tracks. “I won’t warn you again.” My fingers pointed at him.
The air felt heavier. Thicker. Like it was pressing against my lungs.
“You do not have the right,” I continued, my voice rising despite myself, “the right to come to my house and explain or plead for forgiveness after all these years, you bastard!”
My chest tightened.
More memories came rushing in, uninvited, unwanted.
“You, Ruciano?” My voice cracked, but I pushed through it. “You beat me. You broke me down piece by piece. You made me question my own sanity—”
His jaw tightened.
“—and when that wasn’t enough,” I went on, my vision blurring slightly as tears gathered, “you sold me.”
The word hung between us like a gunshot.
“You sold me,” I said, quieter now, but far more dangerous. “Because Malder and Kailen offered you money.”
He shook his head quickly. “It wasn’t like that—”
“Shut up!” I snapped, the tears spilling now despite my effort to hold them back. “God, you’re sick. Do you hear yourself? You’re a sick bastard who belongs to be locked away somewhere deep, somewhere no one ever has to see your face again.”
My breathing grew uneven.
I hated this.
Hated that even now, even after everything, it still hurts this much.
“Get out of here before I call the police.”
My voice wavered at the end, betraying me.
I turned, ready to walk away—ready to shut this down before I broke completely—
His hand grabbed mine.
Firm. Rough.
Familiar.
“I’m not done talking to you,” he said, his voice hardening. “Don’t walk away from me.”
Something snapped. Not fear. Not pain. Just… instinct. My hand moved before I even thought about it.
Smack.
The sound echoed sharply in the quiet street.
His head jerked to the side, his grip loosening instantly as my palm stung from the impact.
For a second, neither of us moved. Then he looked back at me.
Shock. Pure, unfiltered shock.
And for the first time since he showed up—
I felt something close to satisfaction.
“Don’t,” I said, my voice low, deadly. “If you ever touch me again I'll chop your hands into pieces.”
“Lina, what—?” Mom’s voice cut through the tension like a blade.
I froze. I hadn’t even heard the door open. I turned quickly. Mom stood there, Dad just behind her. And for a moment, confusion flickered across her face—
Until her eyes landed on him.
Everything changed.
Her expression hardened instantly, her body going rigid.
“What are you doing here, you bastard?” she snapped, her voice louder than I’d ever heard it.
Ruciano straightened slightly, but didn’t respond.
“How dare you come here after everything you did?” she continued, stepping forward, fury blazing in her eyes. “Lina, this man definitely has some nerve.”
“Mom—”
“No,” she cut me off, already pulling out her phone. “I’m calling the police right now.”
My heart skipped.
“Mom, wait—”
But she had already dialed, lifting the phone to her ear.
I turned over to Ruciano, his expression had already darkened.
And then—
He moved.
Fast.
His hand shot out, snatching the phone from her grip.
“Hey!” Dad stepped forward immediately. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Give that back,” Mom snapped, reaching for it.
Everything started happening at once. Voices rising. Tension snapping. And then—
From inside the house—
“Mama?”
My heart dropped. I turned sharply. Rotha stood by the doorway, Erla just behind her, both of them staring wide-eyed.
No.
No, no, no.
I rushed toward them instantly.
“Inside,” I said quickly, my voice urgent but trying to stay calm. “Go inside, now.”
“But mama—” Erla started.
“Now,” I repeated, more firmly this time.
They hesitated. Confused. Scared.
But before they could move—
A loud thud echoed.
I turned back instinctively—
Just in time to see it.
A fist connecting with Ruciano’s face.
Hard.
The impact sent him stumbling backward, the phone slipping from his grip and clattering onto the ground.
Everything went still.
My breath caught.
And then I saw him.
Standing there, his chest rising and falling heavily, his jaw clenched, his eyes dark with fury.
“Victor…” I whispered, my voice barely audible.