Chapter 418

Daniela's voice was low, like it came from the hell.

Caiden recoiled and spoke in a quiet, shaky voice."When you care about something too much, you throw yourself into it completely at the beginning,but eventually, it becomes tiring. Your mother was incredible. Everyone said I was the luckiest man, and at first, I believed it. She never demanded anything from me except my presence. In the beginning, l cherished those simple, carefree days. But as time passed, I began to notice the whispers from others.My pride was wounded, and I couldn't find peace.Then I met Katrina. She made me feel a sense of worth I'd never experienced before. I found comfort in that and got caught up in it."

Daniela's hand tightened around the cold blade, her grip silent but unyielding. Caiden's voice quivered as blood dripped from the chair, staining the floor beneath him. "I found a sense of fulfillment with Katrina, something I never experienced with your mother. Katrina respected me,put me first, and let me indulge in my every desire without holding back."

At his words, Daniela let out a bitter laugh. Her voice was cold and sharp as it echoed through the empty halls of the villa.

She looked down, her gaze dark and intense, before asking, "When you were caught up in your affair, did you ever stop to think about the fact that the self-worth you showed Katrina was built on the honor and status my mother gave you? Without her wealth, do you honestly think Katrina would have even looked at you?"

Caiden quickly looked up, his voice desperate as he tried to explain, "No, no, that's not true. Katrina always told me she valued me for who l am, not my money. Even if I had nothing, she would still marry me." Daniela's lips curled into a mocking smile, as if she'd heard the funniest joke. "Is that so? If it were really like that, then why didn't you come clean to my mother? If you truly loved each other, she wouldn't have kept holding on. So,tell me, why did she end up jumping off a building?"

Caiden tried to speak several times, but no words came out.

He desperately wished he could prove he had once been deeply loved, but no matter how hard he tried,his mind came up empty.

Finally, it clicked for him, and he looked up at Daniela,speaking desperately, like someone drowning and trying to grab anything to survive. "Back then,Katrina really loved me. She was always careful about contraception because she didn't want to hurt you emotionally. Even when she left, she regretted not having another child with me."

Daniela stared at him with an unreadable expression.

Human nature is the easiest thing to break apart. In that moment, Daniela felt likeshe was holding a sharp blade, slowly cutting through the illusion that Caiden had worked so hard to keep up.

"Really? She cared so much about my feelings that she never had a child with you all these years?"

Caiden nodded, his desperation palpable. "Yes."

"Ah,well, that's certainly love."

Just as Caiden began to smile, Daniela's voice,full of confusion, cut through the moment. "Then why did she treat me so badly? You knew how she treated me, didn't you?"

In the bitter cold, Daniela was left without proper clothes.

In the burning heat of summer, she was sent to pull weeds in the garden.

Every lesson a young girl should have learned about her body, Daniela had to face on her own, anxious and overwhelmed.That wasn't love-not even close.

The smile on Caiden's face faltered, his expression stiffening as Daniela's words sank in.

"Do you knowv why Katrina never had a child with you?" Daniela picked up a piece of paper from the table behind her. "Look at this. After Joyce was born,Katrina suffered abuse from her ex-husband and had her uterus removed years ago."

The revelation hit Caiden like a blow to the head,leaving him utterly stunned.

Caiden tried to laugh, but the sound wouldn't come.He stared at her with wide, confused eyes for a long time before managing to say, "You're lying to me."

Daniela didn't need to say more. She knew the truth had already taken root in Caiden's mind.

Even if he didn't believe her, it made no difference.Her mother didn't need Caiden's hollow remorse.His regret held no weight for either of them.

"Enough of this. Next question. When you met my mother, someone kept feeding you information. What did they want from you? What deal did you make?"

Caiden slowly raised his head from the fog of confusion, his chest tightening with every breath.After a long silence, he finally choked out, "No. I didn't do anything. They didn't ask for anything...Ah!"

The blade sank deep into his thigh again.

But this time, Daniela didn't pull the knife away right away. Instead, she leaned in closer, her gaze fixed on him.

As Caiden cried out in agony, she began to twist the blade slowly, turning it deeper into his wound.

Caiden gasped, his body wracked with pain, but Daniela's expression remained unchanged, a cold smile on her lips.

"Relax. I'm trained in anatomy. I'll make sure every cut is exact and won't kill you. You'll survive."

Veins popped from Caiden's forehead and neck as his body trembled uncontrollably. He struggled to breathe, gasping for air with each desperate inhale.

Never before had he felt such a strong urge to end his own life.