Ashley’s gaze wavered as she looked into Mathias Kende’s eyes. A flicker of fear crept across her face, a shadow of unease settling in.
“Mathias Kende, what is the meaning of this? Are you interrogating me?” Ashley’s voice trembled slightly as she avoided his piercing gaze, her tone defensive and wary.
Mathias Kende let out a stern hum, his voice steady and cold. “Think of it as an interrogation if you like. People in your position don’t get dismissed so easily. Now tell me-what have you done? I want the full truth.”
“Mathias Kende!” Ashley’s voice rose sharply as she shot up from the sofa, her agitation evident. Her face hardened with anger. “What right do you have to interrogate me? Do you think you’ve gotten to where you are today all on your own? Without my father, what would you be? A nobody. Probably some rural schoolteacher living in the countryside, tending to a few acres of land, staring at your two-story house with its cramped rooms.”
Her voice grew shrill as she pointed an accusatory finger at him. “I’ve been beaten like this, and you don’t even care! Instead, you pour fuel on the fire by interrogating me? You’re supposed to be my husband! Look at yourself-do you even resemble a husband anymore?” She glared at him like a furious mother hen, her eyes blazing with indignation.
Mathias Kende clenched his fists, suppressing the anger boiling within him. His voice was low and sharp. “Your father! Every argument we’ve ever had, you drag your father into it! What did he really do for me? At most, he gave me a stepping stone. But everything I’ve achieved-I earned it myself!”
He paused, narrowing his eyes. “And you-do you even resemble the wife I once knew? Tell me, where’s the woman I married?”
“Mathias Kende!” Ashley screamed, her voice cracking. She was on the verge of losing her mind. The humiliation she had endured outside-the sting of those five slaps, the burning stares as she walked out of the school building, her utter disgrace-was carved deep into her memory.
And now, at home, her husband, the one person she thought she could count on, was turning on her.
The Mathias Kende standing before her now was unrecognizable. Though powerful and influential, he had always been meek within their home. This sudden reversal in their dynamic was something she couldn’t accept-she refused to accept it.
Her hand shot up toward his face in fury, aiming to strike him. But before she could land the blow, Mathias Kende grabbed her wrist firmly. His eyes burned with an intensity that made her flinch.
“Smack!” Without hesitation, Mathias Kende raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face. His palm landed precisely on the bruised and swollen cheek that had already borne the brunt of violence earlier.
Ashley staggered backward, losing her balance and collapsing back onto the sofa.
“Ah!” “Ah!” “Ah!” Her body trembled uncontrollably. She was overwhelmed-on the brink of madness.
Mathias Kende had hit her. In all their years of marriage, he had never once laid a hand on her. And yet, in her most vulnerable, desperate moment, he had struck her.
Her hand slowly rose to her cheek, which was now flushed and throbbing. Her bloodshot eyes bore into him as she shrieked, “Mathias Kende! How dare you slap me?”
“Slap you?” His voice was filled with cold disdain. “Yes, I slapped you. And if I didn’t, maybe you’d keep thinking that everything you’ve done is justified. Ashley, you are the most disgusting woman I have ever met. How could you do something so vile, so beneath even a beast?”
Mathias Kende pounded his chest in anguish, his voice trembling with rage. “What do you want from me? Huh? Do you want me to hit you back? Do you want me to use every connection I have to ruin that man? Tell me! What do you want me to do?”
Ashley was stunned into silence, her defiance momentarily replaced by genuine fear. She had never seen him like this before-so enraged, so utterly broken.
“Ashley,” he continued, his voice cutting through the tense air. “How could you betray me like that? Are you even human? How could you do such a thing?”
His words struck her like blows to the chest. She began to panic. Did he know? Had he found out about the affair? Had he discovered her betrayal?
“Mathias Kende!” Her expression shifted, her tone defensive. “You, of all people, should know why I did it. If you weren’t so-so useless-why would I have done it? Why would I betray you?”
“Shut up!” Mathias Kende stormed toward her, raising his hand again. This time, the slap was even harder, and blood trickled from the corner of Ashley’s mouth.
“Do you think that’s what I’m talking about?” he roared. “Do you think I just found out about your disgusting affair? I’ve known about it for a long time-I just didn’t care enough to bring it up!”
He took a deep breath, his voice trembling with fury. “What enrages me isn’t your infidelity. It’s something far worse. You’re a teacher, Ashley. A teacher! And yet, you had the audacity to conspire with others and commit acts that even animals wouldn’t stoop to. We have children, Ashley. A daughter! What if someone did to her what you’ve done to others? How would you feel? How could you live with yourself? How do you even sleep at night?”
Mathias Kende’s entire body trembled with rage as he lashed out. “I used to think you were just spoiled, just headstrong. But now I see-I was blind. You’re a monster.”
He paused, struggling to compose himself. The truth of her actions had come to him from Kayden, who had revealed everything. Every sordid detail.
When he learned that Ashley had collaborated with a teacher to harm students, he was consumed by fury-unimaginable, uncontainable fury.
His voice lowered, and his anger seemed to dissipate as he sank onto the sofa. His eyes stared blankly at Ashley, who now sat frozen, her tear-streaked face betraying her guilt and shame.
“Ashley,” he said with a heavy sigh. “Turn yourself in. This isn’t about me or you anymore. It’s about doing the right thing. Kayden gave you a chance-not so you could deflect blame onto me, but so you could redeem yourself. Tomorrow, I’ll resign. I can’t stay in this position anymore. The kids are grown now. They can take care of themselves.”
His words carried the weight of finality. He looked like a man who had aged a decade in an instant.
“Mathias! Mathias!” Ashley collapsed to her knees, crawling toward him. She clutched at his pant leg, her voice desperate and pleading. “Please, don’t do this! Don’t make me turn myself in-and don’t resign! It was a mistake, a moment of weakness. I wasn’t thinking clearly. Please, I’m begging you, don’t leave me like this.”
Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed. “We had good memories once, didn’t we? Please, don’t throw it all away. You can fix this, can’t you? You can make it all go away.”
Mathias Kende shook his head slowly, his face filled with despair. “I never realized you were this kind of person. Now I know. Ashley, it’s time to face your conscience. If you won’t turn yourself in, then I’ll resign. I can’t live with this shame anymore. Do what you will.”
With that, he picked up his coat and quietly walked out of the villa, leaving Ashley behind, broken and sobbing.