Natalie felt as if her wrist might snap under Jensen's grip. He had never treated her so harshly before. And now… for the first time, she saw it—panic and anger flashing in his eyes. All because she showed up? A slow, cold smile curled at her lips. She leaned in suddenly, her warm breath brushing against Jensen's throat. He flinched, a shiver running almost imperceptibly down his spine. Then, in a voice meant for him alone, she whispered, "This is my launch event, Mr. Luke. After all these years… don't you think it's time I finally showed up?" Her clear, luminous eyes unsettled him in a way he couldn't explain. His tone hardened. "It's not your time to appear yet. I'll arrange it later. Just go home for now." His brows dug together, his temper barely contained. Natalie's chest tightened.Even now—even after hearing everything—some foolish part of her still hoped he might confess. That he might give her something, anything, to hold on to. If he admitted the truth now, if he begged her not to expose anything, maybe… maybe she would've stopped. But he didn't. He gave her nothing. Again. She swallowed it down and smiled. "You really plan to reveal my identity?" "Natalie, what are you trying to do? You've never been this unreasonable." He dragged in a breath. "Just go home. We'll talk later. I'll have the driver take you." He fumbled for his phone, some instinct inside him screaming that something was very wrong. Natalie curled her fingers into fists, her eyes shimmering. This was the man she'd loved for five long years. "I'm not leaving." Her voice didn't tremble—it cut.Jensen's gaze darkened. "You don't have a choice." He reached for her again. Natalie slipped out of reach. Her eyes slid toward Sharon… and she lifted her wrist deliberately, letting the diamond bracelet catch the lights and shimmer. Natalie smiled—slow and provoking. That was all it took. Sharon's face twisted with rage. Natalie, flaunting her closeness with Jensen in public, in front of reporters, in front of the board—humiliating her in her moment. She was Jensen's legal wife. She should be the one showing off. She should be the one adored. And that bracelet—why did it look so familiar? Sharon stormed forward and shoved her hard. “Natalie! Today is Luke Corp's launch of the Devotion series. Why do you have that bracelet? Did you steal it?" Ah.So this was how Sharon wanted to play it. Public humiliation. Character assassination. Perfectly timed. Her voice rang through the room, loud enough for every guest and every camera. Heads turned. Natalie, in her pearl-white gown, the moonlight diamond glittering on her wrist—she looked breathtaking. But with Sharon's accusation hanging in the air, everything shifted. "Someone that pretty… stealing?" "You never know. And the way she was clinging to Mr. Luke—definitely not clean." Natalie's face drained of color as the weight of their judgment crashed over her. She bit her lip, forcing her voice to stay steady. "This is mine." Sharon burst into mocking laughter. “Yours? You? A broke fraud can afford diamonds?" She whipped toward the crowd dramatically."Let me tell you all who she really is. Her name is Natalie. She was the fake daughter our family raised by mistake. We kicked her out five years ago. She couldn't possibly afford that bracelet." Natalie's hands shook. Kicked out? What a joke. She had nearly died in that house. The whip scars down her spine still pulsed like phantom fire. And Jensen—he had known. He had treated those wounds himself, with trembling fingers terrified of hurting her. Now, when she looked at him… He looked away. He didn't defend her. He didn't correct Sharon. He didn't speak. He didn't dare go against Sharon.She had known better. But it still hurt like hell. Five years of love—every touch, every whispered promise, every morning spent curled in his arms—now felt like blades carving through her. She forced herself to breathe and managed, "Ms. Summers, accusing me of theft just because of who I used to be—don't you think that's a bit much? Got any proof? How do you know I haven't made something of myself in the last five years?" Sharon rolled her eyes. “You? Made a name?" She scoffed. "You want proof? Fine, I'll give you proof." She flipped her hair and turned proudly to the crowd. "Everyone knows today's launch features the Devotion series designed by the elusive Sunny. Well—" she rested a hand on her chest, "I'm Sunny. That bracelet is my design. Mr. Luke can confirm it." Gasps exploded around the hall. “What? Ms. Summers is Sunny?" “Mr. Luke, is that true? Sunny only works with Luke Corp, and no one's ever seen her face—is it really her?" Reporters surged forward, cameras flashing. Natalie didn't look at them. She looked only at Jensen—at the man who had once sworn she was the only one he'd ever trust. She needed to hear him say it. Jensen felt her eyes on him. His jaw tightened painfully. Then Sharon held onto his arm and murmured softly, "Jensen~" Just that one word. A plea. He remembered she didn't have long to live. And he caved. "Yes," he said quietly. "Sharon is Sunny. She's been Luke Corp's chief designer for the last five years." The moment the words left his lips, Natalie felt her heart crack apart.No one—not a single person in that room—knew better than Jensen how much she had bled for those designs. And he gave them to Sharon without hesitation. Fine. So be it. She bit down so hard she tasted blood, the metallic tang fueling the flames rising in her chest. Sharon, ecstatic with her victory, turned smugly to the crowd. "You heard him. That bracelet is my work. Which means Natalie stole it. She probably stole other designs too. Security! Strip her down and check everything she has!" Two guards stepped in immediately. They seized Natalie's arms and slammed her against the cold ground. Her dress strap tore with a sharp rip. Gasps erupted throughout the room. Whip scars—deep, vicious, horrific—ran down her exposed back.And among the crowd, a man clenched his wine glass so hard it shattered in his hand. Blood dripped from his palm onto the broken shards, red pooling at his feet—his eyes blazing with a murderous rage that could level kingdoms. Someone had just declared war. And they didn't even know it yet.