Prey

"Miss Vespera, you really are something. You clearly had a valid reason—why didn't you say so earlier?" Elena shot Vespera a vicious glare, her unspoken threat hanging heavy in the air.

"I..." Vespera deliberately feigned fear, playing along with Elena's intent. "It... it was my fault for not explaining clearly and causing a misunderstanding."

"Since it was a misunderstanding, and now that everything is cleared up, let's put this behind us. Everyone, disperse. Felix, come, Daddy will take you to play." Damien, lost in thought, led Felix away.

Inside Dr. Marcus's apartment, he pressed an ice pack against Vespera's swollen cheek, sighing. "That was too dangerous. That woman is completely insane! How could she resort to violence against you?"

Vespera took the glass of water Marcus handed her and chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I once thought I knew her better than anyone. But if I hadn't taken the risk, how else would she have exposed herself? From today's outcome, I can tell Damien wasn't conspiring with her to get rid of me. And today… he's finally starting to have doubts."

"I haven't even thanked you yet. If it weren't for your timely delivery of that anonymous letter to Damien, I might have really been thrown out." Vespera relaxed her tone, trying to lighten the mood.

Marcus, still worried, said, "As soon as I got your message, I delivered it immediately. Was this a last-minute decision? It was far too risky. You can't do this again."

"I realized in the evening that this was a perfect opportunity. I didn't want to let it slip away."

Marcus hesitated before asking, "Since you're certain Damien isn't involved, why not just tell him you're the real Elena?"

Vespera toyed with the water glass in her hand. "Damien loves 'Elena.' More than anyone, he trusts his wife. If someone else tells him the truth, he won't believe it. He has to discover the truth about that imposter himself."

"'Elena'… When all of this is over, will you go back to Damien?" Marcus placed both hands on Vespera's shoulders, his voice filled with sincerity. "I haven't known you for long, but I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you."

Elena turned slightly away, shaking her head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Marcus. I'm not in the right mindset for this right now. I want to wait until everything is settled before thinking about it."

She paused, then continued, "Damien and I… we can never be. He and that imposter already have a child."

Back at the villa, Vespera sat upright before her vanity mirror, carefully inspecting her face to ensure it had returned to its flawless state. Yet deep within, the voice of another Vespera questioned her coldly: You're too slow! These small tricks—once or twice—aren't enough to shake the perfect wife image Sophia has crafted for the world.

Vespera gazed at the beautiful face in the mirror, her expression indifferent as she murmured, "When a cat toys with a dying mouse, it is never because it wants to eat it."

Creak—

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

The sound of knocking echoed through the room, followed by the door slowly swinging open. Someone had entered.

She cast a sidelong glance at the intruder, lips curling into a faint smile.

"Look—prey has walked right in."