As I recalled my husband's betrayal and my stepsister's treachery, a double blow that left me reeling, I felt a crushing despair. I didn't know if I could even rise from this abyss.

After the doctor left, Dylan stayed by my side, watching me cry. "Why is the world so unfair to me? I haven't done anything wrong, yet I'm constantly punished?" I sobbed.

"Because you're a fool. You let people manipulate you," Dylan said, his words surprisingly comforting.

"It's my fault? I didn't want to be manipulated." I snapped, wiping my tears with a tissue.

"I'm not blaming you, but you're a lawyer, you have the skills to read people's actions. Didn't you notice something was wrong?" He asked, with a sarcasm.

"I noticed things, but I trusted my husband. I thought he would never betray me. I can't believe my stepsister was his mistress. I think I'm going crazy," I sighed, trying to calm myself.

"So what are you going to do? Just let them betray you?" Dylan asked, his voice sharp.

I thought for a moment, a new determination hardening my resolve. "I'll divorce him. That's the solution to all of this."

"That's it? You're not going to press charges for adultery? What he did was against the law. You could sue him for damages," Dylan suggested, he wanted to take the case if I needed his help.

"I need to think about it carefully. Besides, I need a long rest. Can you please stop pushing me to make a decision?" I said. I didn't like him dictating my choices.

A silence fell between us. My mind drifted back to the scene I had witnessed, Dylan taking down the criminals one by one. My skin prickled as I looked at him, still unable to believe he had killed for me.

"Dylan, what are you going to do about the people you killed?" I asked. He was sure to be arrested for using violence.

"Killed? I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean," he replied, his expression unreadable.

My brow furrowed. "What? I saw everything. You killed those men at the corner."

"I didn't. I sent them to jail," Dylan insisted.

My confusion deepened. I remembered it vividly. He had killed those men, beating them mercilessly, their bodies covered in blood. I wasn't mistaken, I wasn't hallucinating.

"Don't lie to me, Dylan. I know you're hiding something." I locked eyes with him, recalling the crimson hue of his gaze that night.

"Lorelei, you're not just dumb, you're delusional," he blurted.

***