[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-26032200D266-471":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},471,4,"Chapter 4: A Final Apology Before The River","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My heart sank, cold and heavy.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Diego, you are absolutely despicable!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He didn't even blink. He signaled his security team to start the livestream. The viewer count skyrocketed, thousands of people salivating for a front-row seat to my destruction.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The mother of the university student I’d crossed paths with lunged forward, her face twisted in rage, and doused me with a bucket of red paint.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You monster! You ruined my daughter’s future, and you think a pathetic apology is enough?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She and her cohorts swarmed me, ripping at my clothes. What little fabric remained did nothing to shield me from the biting wind.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Diego shoved the camera right into my face. \"Now you know how those girls felt, don't you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He studied me—disheveled and exposed. His eyes held no pity, only cold, unadulterated disgust. He paced a short distance away, his jaw clenched, hands shoved deep into his pockets to mask his volatility.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I bit my lip until I tasted copper. I didn't even have the strength left to clench my fists.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The live chat flooded with comments.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Finally, this psycho gets what she deserves. So satisfying!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Since when did someone like her belong in our circles? Look at her now—just a spectacle for us to gawk at.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"She’s ruined enough lives. Make her grovel!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Even the tabloids that had always hated me jumped at the chance to stir the pot, posting a headline:\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">#Shocking! Diego Cox’s wife forced to apologize, humiliated and exposed—trading her dignity for a payout?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Aliza Cook flashed a \"kindly\" smile and ground her designer heel into my shoulder.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mrs. Cox, if you're going to apologize, you need to show some actual sincerity.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I collapsed, my body failing me as I scraped against the hard pavement. I used to be so proud. But thinking of my mother, fighting for her life in the ICU, I forced myself to stay put. I swallowed every ounce of pride I had left.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I wiped the red paint from my face, locked eyes with the camera lens, and let out a broken, hollow laugh.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I... am... sorry!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Diego’s expression shifted, his gaze softening just a fraction.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Good. I'll wire the funds for your mother’s treatment to your account immediately.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He tossed his coat over my shoulders and walked off, his arm wrapped firmly around Aliza.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">No sooner had they left than the death notice pinged on my phone. My heart died right then and there.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Thrown out of the private hospital like trash, I took one last look at Diego’s retreating back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"This time, it's for real. Goodbye, Diego.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I crawled toward my phone, dialed a number I knew by heart, and kept the camera rolling as I walked to the edge of the river.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I threw myself over the railing.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The freezing water rushed into my ears, deafening and absolute. As my consciousness began to fade, I heard a panicked scream from the shore:\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mr. Cox, look! Mrs. Cox just jumped!\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272929100]