Soren’s fingers tightened around the glass as he stared at the photo.
The woman Theron loved for years, whom he called his dream girl, whose identity he had kept secret from everyone, was none other than his wife, Elowen.
For a moment, he couldn’t breathe.
Theron had loved Elowen for ten years, long before Soren had known her. And he came back for her.
The realization struck him like lightning. A sharp, unfamiliar jealousy ripped through his chest.
He had never felt anything like that before. The thought of another man loving his wife twisted something dark and possessive inside him.
"This can’t be true," Tahlia muttered, her eyebrows shooting upward in shock and disbelief.
"So she is his dream girl?" another friend blurted, blinking frequently as he struggled to process what he was seeing.
Alex looked pale. His gaze shifted nervously toward Soren. The fury burning in Soren’s eyes made his stomach tighten.
"Theron, are you joking?" Alex asked, forcing a smile. "You are messing with Soren, aren’t you?"
"I am not joking," replied Theron. His expression turned serious. "She is the woman I have loved for ten years. I wanted to marry her once I finished my studies. But someone stole her from me."
Soren’s mouth twisted in rage. His grip tightened further. The glass cracked faintly in his hand.
"Soren..." Tahlia reached out for his hand.
Soren shoved her aside.
The glass slipped from his grip and smashed on the floor.
Everyone gasped, shocked and terrified.
Soren jumped to his feet and grabbed Theron by his collar. "Do you know what you are talking about? Elowen is my wife. Mine. And you dare to claim that you love her."
His jaw clenched so hard that the muscles stood out along his cheek. "Keep your dirty thoughts away from her."
Theron didn’t move. His eyes settled on Soren with a cold intensity.
"She is the one I loved before you even knew her." He shoved him away. "She was supposed to be mine. I wanted to marry her. But you raped her and snatched her away from me."
Soren felt blood rushing to his brain. His fist flew before he could think.
Thud
His punch landed squarely on Theron’s face.
Theron staggered backward.
Soren immediately jumped over him, grabbed his collar again, and raised his fist.
"Soren. STOP." Alex rushed over, wrapped his arms around his waist, and pulled him back.
Other friends scrambled toward the corner of the room, terrified.
Soren struggled violently against Alex’s hold. "Get away from me," he roared.
"No, I am not letting you go."
Theron wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He glared at Soren with undisguised hatred.
"You don’t love her. You never cared about her. Everyone knows how you treated her all those years. Why keep her around when you don’t have any feelings for her?"
Soren’s rage exploded. He charged toward Theron, despite Alex desperately pulling him back.
"Say that again. I’ll pluck your tongue out."
"No, Soren. Don’t do this. Stay calm."
Alex tightened his hold.
"Let go of me, Alex," Soren yelled, twisting his body from side to side. "Or I’ll kill you."
"Even if you kill me, I’ll not let you go." Using all his strength, Alex dragged Soren out of the private room.
Soren let out a furious growl and punched the wall. His knuckles split open instantly. Blood dripped down his hand. But he barely felt anything.
His whole body radiated heat, his chest heaving.
"Why did you stop me? Why?" His loud voice echoed in the corridor.
Alex stared at him, pale and shaken. He had never seen Soren this furious before.
"I-I was afraid you would hurt Theron."
"What do you expect me to do?" Soren snapped. "He said he loved my wife. MY WIFE."
His eyes were blazing. "He is challenging me. And you expect me to stay calm and let him take her away."
Alex was at a loss for words. He had no explanation.
Soren held up a finger, his jaw clenched. "No one, no one can take her away from me."
Alex swallowed.
"And if Theron comes after her, I’ll kill with my own hands."
"This..." Alex pointed at him helplessly. "This is why I pulled you out of that room. I know the whole thing is a mess. We never thought Theron would say something like that. But... You can’t start fighting him."
He took a step toward him carefully. "Leave now. Try to calm down. I’ll talk to Theron. I’ll tell him not to think anything inappropriate about Elowen. But if you stay here, things will only turn ugly."
Soren snorted.
"Please, listen to me, Soren," Alex pleaded. "I am terrified that this will turn into a big fight. Don’t go in."
Soren ground his teeth, forcing himself to put his rage back down.
"Fine. I’m leaving. Tell him never to try to get close to Elowen. Or I’ll destroy him."
He hurried away.
Alex let out a deep sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." He patted his chest as he watched him disappear down the corridor. "I stopped the fight for now."
His expression turned serious the next moment. "But I need to talk some sense into Theron."
He pushed the door open and walked back into the room.
Theron was sitting calmly on the sofa, sipping his drink, as if nothing had happened. The rest of the friends sat there in a tense silence.
When Alex entered, everyone turned to him.
"Alex." Tahlia rushed over. "Where is Soren?" Her gaze moved past him toward the door. "He didn’t come with you."
Theron glanced up. The corner of his lips twitched.
Alex glared at him. He couldn’t believe Theron was so calm after everything he had done. He pushed Tahlia aside and marched toward Theron.
"What was that, Theron?" he grumbled. "You came back to cause trouble for Soren. How could you say you love his wife?"
"I only said the truth," Theron replied. He didn’t raise his voice. Instead, his expression went unnervingly blank.
"I have loved her since I was in school."
He looked up at him, his expression unreadable. "I wanted to tell her how I felt about her. But I never had the courage. I thought I would stand in front of her and propose once I became successful."
A muscle jumped beneath his eye as his temper strained against his self-control.
He gritted his teeth in fury. "But Soren snatched her away from me."
He rose from the sofa, his aura threatening. "He treated her like trash. He never cared about her. Everyone in the friend circle knows he doesn’t love her. He married her only because of that incident seven years ago."
Something feral moved behind his eyes. He wanted to take her away back then. He really had.
But Soren’s grandfather had told him to stay away. That old man had threatened to destroy his family if he dared to interfere.
Back then, the Knox family wasn’t powerful enough to stand against the Vales.
Theron had been forced to back down. But things had changed now.
He had built his own power. He was no longer the young man who had been forced to surrender. And he was determined to take the woman he had loved for ages.
"A marriage without love is bound to fall apart," Theron said with absolute confidence. "Sooner or later, they will divorce. And when they do, I’ll be there."
His eyes gleamed with determination. "I am here to win Elowen’s heart. I’ll make her fall in love with me. And I’ll take her away, right in front of Soren."