CHAPTER FOUR
847 Words
CHAPTER FOUR
LENA'S POINT OF VIEW
Beneath me, the city glowed, a steel and glass kingdom. It once intimidated me. It is mine now.
It had been months since I had signed the divorce papers and left Matthias Wagner's life without turning around. And during those months, I had reconstructed myself as a different person rather than the woman he had cast aside. Someone who cannot be touched.
Tonight's demonstration proved this.
With his hands in his pockets and an air of quiet confidence, Niklas stood next to me in the elevator. Calmly, he said, "Are you ready?"
I let out a slow breath. "Always."
The elevator doors opened, revealing a grand ballroom filled with some of the biggest names in business. The world that had previously shunned me now watched me enter—not as a wife or an afterthought, but as a formidable force.
People whirled. Talk was quiet. The eyes grew wide.
Through the crowd, whispers slithered. "That's Lena Fischer."
"Have you heard about her new business?"
"Incredible. After everything she endured at the hands of Wagner..."
Their disbelieving curiosity and the weight of their stares were palpable to me. However, I wasn't available for them. For the man who had once thought I was nothing without him, I was here.
And I located him almost immediately.
Across the room, holding a drink, Matthias's typically confident demeanor wavered. His jaw clenched, and he gripped the glass tightly. He had expected me to disappear. Rather, he was witnessing the woman he had dismissed turn into his greatest danger.
Niklas leaned a little closer. "He appears to have seen a ghost."
"Good," I whispered.
As we made our way through the throng, the sea of people parted as though they were naturally giving way. Some nodded in recognition, while others grinned. Others just gazed.
Matthias remained motionless. He did nothing but observe.
His lips slightly parted as though he were about to speak when we finally came to a stop a few feet away. However, I denied him the opportunity.
I strode toward the stage, turning away and only looking at the back of my head at him.
The spotlight was ready.
As I approached the podium, the room fell silent. Though it didn't feel heavy, the weight of expectation descended upon me. It was a sense of power.
I scanned the crowd, observing the faces of women who had faced rejection and men who had ignored me. My gaze then returned to Matthias.
"To the men who underestimated me—thank you," I said steadily. "I became unstoppable because of you."
Everywhere became quiet.
Then roaring applause erupted.
Although Matthias' face remained the same, his eyes grew gloomy, and his hold on his glass became. He wasn't cheering.
I grinned.
He had prevailed in the divorce dispute.
However, I was winning the war.
The evening dissolved into strong handshakes, whispered congrats, and champagne toasts. I now own the city.
Later, however, I felt him before I saw him as I stood on the balcony and gazed out over the skyline.
"You're different," There was something beneath Matthias's quiet voice. Something unprocessed.
I didn't look around. "Am I?"
A pause. "Yes."
A cool wind blew across my skin. "So perhaps you didn't know me well."
One more moment of silence passed. It was long enough for our past to weigh on us.
"Lena—"
"Avoid it. Don't say what you think you'll say.
With a sharp exhale, he moved closer. "Everything was rebuilt by you. You did it, really.
Finally, I c****d my head slightly to look at him. "Did you think I wouldn't?"
He clenched his jaw. He gave me the impression that he was looking for something that was no longer there.
"I simply didn't anticipate—"
"That I'd live without you?"
His silence was a sufficient response.
I moved closer until I could see the glimmer of something dangerous in his eyes. "You always believed that you were everything to me. That I wouldn't exist without you. But Matthias, look at me. Check out what I constructed. You are not necessary for me. I didn't.
As he swallowed, his throat bobbed. "I was mistaken about you."
I chuckled quietly. "You made many mistakes."
His eyes were dark, but the city lights shimmered around us.
His voice was low as he asked, "Is this revenge?" "Did you just prove a point with all of this?"
After examining him for a while, I leaned in and put my lips just inches from his ear. "No, Matthias. This has nothing to do with you.
Then I turned and left him standing there, alone in the empire he believed to be his.
Niklas was waiting as I entered the elevator. His mouth twitched. "How did it feel?"
With a steady pulse, I let out a breath. "Like freedom."
I felt the burden of my past finally subside as the doors slid closed.
Matthias believed he had shattered me.
However, I had risen from the ashes.
And he didn't know what was going to happen next.
- Writer
