Without realizing it, Jaguar's feet moved, following the young man like a ghost. He pursued him through the corridors until he saw him standing anxiously before the doors of the operating theater, while Fati sat outside, waiting with him as if she were a true member of his family. The young man approached and sat beside her; she turned to him, offering a tender smile, and together they kept their eyes anchored to the closed door in anticipation.
At that exact moment, a wave of fatal bitterness struck Jaguar. He vividly remembered how she had walked away and left him entirely alone after his grandfather's surgery, refusing to stand by his side as family. Yet here she was, sitting with this strange young man, guarding him with her presence and waiting behind the door as if she were a foundational pillar in their lives!
Sparks of fury flying from his eyes, he stepped forward heavily and stood directly in front of her. He fully expected with all his towering pride that she would panic the moment she saw him, that she would tremble and scramble for flimsy excuses to justify being with a strange man at midnight, wearing male clothing. But she shocked him. She maintained an legendary composure, standing tall before him, holding his gaze with eyes as cold as steel, and said in a decisive tone,
- We need to talk, Mr. Jaguar.
She turned to walk with him, prompting Peter to intervene, driven by protective anxiety. But she halted him with a simple gesture, saying reassuringly,
- Wait here, Peter... your grandmother will emerge from the operating room at any moment. Do not leave your post.
She walked ahead of him with confident strides until they entered her private medical office, closing the door upon a silence packed with explosives. She turned to him immediately, and without any preamble, struck him with her question:
- So... you knew from the very beginning that my mother was dead, and you chose to hide it from me and deceive me... Why did you do this, Jaguar?
Jaguar internally took a step back, realizing the game was utterly over. He spoke in a tone he desperately tried to keep calm,
- So... this is the reason for your raging anger at me?
He asked her, well aware in the depths of his soul that he had blundered severely, yet his stubborn pride prevented a full confession. He continued defensively,
- You were so deeply grieved and broken that day... I didn't want to compound your sorrow and agony, because you were thoroughly convinced in your heart that she was still alive
Jaguar had entered the office with every intention of turning the tables on her, intends to rain burning questions upon her about that strange young man and unleash the full force of his fury and madness. Yet, ironically, he found himself standing on the defensive, weakly justifying his blunders before her gaze. Fati was not satisfied with his flimsy excuse; she took a step toward him, locking her eyes onto his as she asked in a tone dripping with cold sarcasm,
- Were you truly worried about my feelings, Jaguar... or were you just terrified that I would discover the truth?
He knitted his brows in dread, uttering tightly,
- What?! What do you mean?
She answered with a steel like coldness that shook his very foundation,
- I mean... you married me solely for revenge... didn't you?
The blood froze in Jaguar's veins, and his face turned deathly pale at this thunderbolt of a question. He stared at her calm features in utter shock, forcing out a faint, wounded whisper,
- How?! How did you find out?
A bitter smile played on her lips as she replied,
- How did I find out? It was quite simple, Mr. Jaguar... I listened with my own two ears to your phone conversation with your partner in hatred and revenge
Jaguar was utterly paralyzed, as if the ground were shifting beneath him. His world spun as he connected the dots... So, when she had been standing by the balcony that night, she had overheard his entire heated conversation! She knew everything about his vile conspiracy, and that was precisely why she had fled from him, escaping like someone running from the plague! He wanted to speak, he wanted to justify it, but the words withered on his lips. What could he possibly say? And then, she struck him with an even more fatal question:
- Won't you tell me now... who is your partner in this hatred?
Jaguar ceased staring into her eyes. For the first time in his life, he lowered his gaze to the floor in absolute defeat and helplessness. Thoughts swirled through his mind like a storm; if he told her now that his partner in this game was their grandfather, "Pike," she would despise everyone around her without exception. She had only just found her grandfather and had not even tasted the warmth of safety yet; if she discovered that this old man had been plotting a revenge that targeted her, she would lose faith in all of humanity, never to recover. A burning lump lodged in his throat, and at that very moment, he resolved to take the blade to his own chest alone to protect her fragile new world, even if the price was that she would consume him with her hatred.
He lifted his eyes back to her, speaking in a raspy, helpless tone of full submission,
- There was no partner... It was me. I was the only one who planned this revenge from the very beginning.
Fati suddenly flashed him a bright smile a smile overflowing with power and resilience, as if she no longer feared him, and no longer cared about his revenge or tyranny. She then said in a decisive tone,
- So... you are personally confirming to me right now that you married me solely for revenge.
But within a single second, that smile vanished, and her calm features contorted into a look dripping with pure hatred and revulsion. It was a scorching animosity that Jaguar found impossible to believe Fati's tender face could ever hold. She stepped toward him, piercing him with a gaze as sharp as a guillotine as she continued,
- And... was my late grandfather's death also a part of your vile revenge?! Did you get rid of him just to make him silent forever so he wouldn't expose your secret?
Jaguar flinched, utterly horrified by the monstrosity of the accusation, and gasped in panic,
- No... that... that never happened
She cut him off with a strictness that froze the letters in his throat,
- Do not say a word... there is absolutely no room for me to believe you anymore. Your lies are officially over, Jaguar.
Jaguar pressed his lips together, rendered entirely speechless. He knew for certain that no matter how hard he tried to justify himself or plead his innocence regarding her grandfather's blood, she would never believe him. His earlier confession to being the sole mastermind of the revenge had validated her worst suspicions, rendering him a monster in her eyes. He didn't bother defending himself, but looking into her cold eyes, he uttered in a raspy tone heavy with genuine remorse,
- I know... I know I have committed an unforgivable sin, and that you will never forgive me tonight or tomorrow, no matter how much I try to justify my wretched actions... But believe me, Fati, after marrying you... every single feeling I had toward you completely shifted. I never wanted to take revenge on you again... I loved you.
Unable to bear her hatred, Jaguar lunged forward, trying to pull her into a tight, desperate embrace to mend what had been broken. In a split second, Fati recoiled like a panicked bird, furiously raining blows upon his chest with all her might, fighting to break free from his iron grip. Yet, he tightened his hold on her even further, locking her against him and refusing to let go, whispering in a voice choked with remorse,
- Hit me, Fati... if it brings comfort to your burning heart... hit me as much as you like, just don't go.
She didn't stop. Her heavy blows continued to hammer against his solid chest, her voice cracking as she shrieked through torn sobs,
- And will... will hitting you bring my late grandfather back?! Will your hollow apologies bring him back?! Or will these late feelings of yours return him to life?! Tell me
With every fist that struck his chest, she hurled a question dripping with agony. Then... after a moment of tempestuous fury, her blows suddenly slowed, and her strength withered away, as though she realized in a bitter instant of clarity that physical rage was futile; it could not soothe her raging wound. Her knees buckled, and she buried her tear-stained face into the center of his chest, weeping with a searing, profound bitterness, letting her hot tears soak into the fabric of his shirt.
Jaguar did not let go. He clung to her like a drowning man, wrapping his arms tightly around her frail frame so she wouldn't slip away or collapse to the floor. She wept until her voice completely gave out, and nothing but her shattered, breathless gasps filled the heavy silence of the office. Finally, without even lifting her hidden face from the sanctuary of his chest, she uttered in a tone as cold as death, stripped of every ancient feeling,
- Divorce me... for I no longer love you.