The Villains Must Win-Chapter 77: Alexander Vale 27

Alexander released her with a frustrated sigh, straightening up. His expression was blank, but there was an unmistakable finality in his stance.

He turned toward the door.

Panic surged through Riley’s veins. She couldn’t let him go like this. Not when she had finally found the courage to say what had been weighing on her heart.

"Wait!" she blurted out, her voice cracking.

Alexander paused, his shoulders tensing. Slowly, he turned back, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Riley gripped the bedsheet tightly. "I—I know I’ve been acting selfish. And maybe I have been jealous of Celeste," she admitted, her voice quivering. "But I swear, I never wanted to hurt her. You know me better than that, Alexander."

His gaze flickered with something unreadable. "Sometimes, I wonder if I still do."

Riley bit her lip, summoning every ounce of courage she had. "The truth is . . . after our breakup, I couldn’t stop thinking about you." Her fingers curled into the sheets. "I tried to move on. I really did. But no matter what I did, it was always you."

She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I love you, Alexander Vale." Her voice cracked on the last word. "I was stupid to let you go. Please . . . can we start over again?"

Silence hung between them like a thick, suffocating fog.

Alexander stared at her. A few months ago, those words would have sent him over the moon. He had spent so long waiting for Riley to realize that he was the one for her—that he had always been the one standing by her side and gave her everything to the moon and back.

But as he looked at her now, all he felt was . . . nothing.

No spark. No excitement. No longing. Just a dull ache in his chest and the distant echo of what used to be.

Alexander exhaled softly, shaking his head. "Too bad," he said, his voice laced with finality. "You’re too late."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Riley frozen in place, her world crumbling around her.

As the door shut behind Alexander, Riley sat frozen in stunned silence. His words echoed in her head, a brutal, inescapable truth:

"You’re too late."

Too late?

Her breathing turned shallow, her pulse pounding in her ears. Too late for what? Too late to fix things? Too late to make him love her again? Too late to reclaim the life she was supposed to have?

A sharp, ugly laugh bubbled up from her throat, trembling on the edge of hysteria. Her fingers curled into fists, nails digging into her palms. Then, without warning, she grabbed the nearest object—a glass of water sitting on her bedside table—and hurled it across the room. It shattered against the wall, the sharp crack ringing in her ears.

But it wasn’t enough.

With a strangled scream, she gripped the IV stand beside her and yanked it down, ignoring the searing pain that shot through her battered body. The sting was nothing compared to the fire raging inside her.

"AGH! This is all your fault!"

Her voice ripped through the air like a wounded animal’s cry. Her carefully curated mask of calm beauty shattered, leaving behind nothing but a wild, unhinged woman with fury burning in her eyes.

She clenched her teeth, her whole body shaking. The pain of her injuries was insignificant—nothing compared to the unbearable torment clawing at her chest.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Alexander had always chased after her. Ethan had always been there to dote on her, to give her everything she wanted. She was used to living in a world where two powerful men fought for her affection, where she was the center of their universe.

And now . . .

Now Alexander had walked away. Without hesitation. Without regret.

Now Ethan had turned against her too, all because of her.

Celeste.

Riley’s breath hitched as she hissed the name between her teeth. The mere thought of her sent another wave of white-hot fury coursing through her veins.

Celeste had stolen everything.

She was the reason Ethan looked at Riley with disappointment instead of devotion. She was the reason Alexander, the man Riley had once kept wrapped around her finger, had looked at her tonight with nothing but indifference.

How dare she?

How dare Celeste waltz into their lives and strip away everything from her?

A bitter, twisted smile curled on Riley’s lips. If Celeste hadn’t come into the picture, none of this would have happened. Alexander would still be hers. Ethan would still adore her.

And if she wanted that life back . . . there was only one solution.

Jealousy twisted into hatred. Hatred festered into madness.

Her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood, but she hardly noticed. Her mind was already spinning, calculating, scheming.

Celeste had taken everything from her.

Now, it was time to take everything from her.

Once and for all.

=== 🖤 ===

Fays passed and Riley sat in the dimly lit hospital room, her fingers trembling as she gripped the phone. The screen cast a cold glow on her bruised face, highlighting the storm raging in her eyes. She had debated this for hours—days even—ever since she lay in this sterile white bed, abandoned by the people who were supposed to care about her.

Alexander had turned his back on her. Ethan had distanced himself. And all because of her.

Celeste.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. It was ironic, really. The very people who had once risked their lives for her now saw her as nothing more than an afterthought.

Disposable. Replaceable.

Well, if that’s how they wanted to play it, she would show them just how far she was willing to go.

Her thumb hovered over a name on her contacts list. A name she never thought she’d call again.

It had been years since she last heard their voices, years since she had severed all ties with them.

Her real family.

The ones she had long forgotten.

The ones she had buried in the deepest corners of her mind because their existence had once brought her nothing but shame and fear.