Chapter 169

Angela POV

Sean stood before me, his emerald eyes locked with mine. "Angela, there's nothing between Christina and me. There never has been."

The hallway fell silent as his declaration hung in the air. From the corner of my eye, I could see Christina standing a few feet away, her lips pressed white with tension. She clearly hadn't expected Sean to deny their relationship so publicly and definitively.

I glanced toward the corner where Aria and Ethan had retreated. Aria was tugging at her brother's sleeve, whispering something as she watched the adults with undisguised curiosity.

I needed to end this confrontation quickly-my children had already witnessed too much.

"Ethan," I heard Aria ask in a small voice, "did Mr. Night and Mommy know each other before?"

I immediately shot Ethan a warning look. Thank goodness for my son's perceptiveness. He quickly took his sister's hand and led her away. "Aria, let's go look over there, okay?" They moved to the far end of the hallway, away from the tension.

As the children walked away, I noticed Christina's gaze following them, lingering particularly on Ethan's green eyes-eyes identical to Sean's.

My heart clenched, and I felt an overwhelming urge to shield them from her scrutiny.

I looked down at my wrist, still firmly in Sean's grip, and pulled it away decisively. "So what?" I asked coldly. "What does that have to do with me?"

Christina's expression shifted at my words, as if my apparent indifference offered her some strange comfort. Sean frowned, clearly caught off guard by my dismissal of his explanation.

Five years had taught me how to protect myself from emotional harm. I wouldn't easily trust anyone again-not even Sean.

I straightened my posture, looking at each person in turn. "I haven't had any relationship with Sean Shaw for five years. Whatever grievances exist between you all have nothing to do with me."

I turned toward my children. "Aria, Ethan, we're going home."

Seeing them dutifully come to stand behind me filled me with relief. No matter what happened, they would always be my priority.

As I led the children past William, he suddenly grabbed my arm. "Nothing to do with you? If that's true, why are you here with these children? Aren't you just trying to use them to get Sean back?"

I looked down at his hand on my arm with disgust. "Mr. West, in your eyes, is Christina always right no matter what she does?"

William responded immediately, "Of course! To me, Christina is a thousand times better than you. She's the one who deserves Sean."

I gave a cold laugh. "That's only because you're in love with Christina but can't have her, isn't it? You're just as pathetic as she is."

William's expression froze-I had clearly hit a nerve. I yanked my arm from his grasp and continued toward the elevator. I wouldn't let anyone stop me from taking my children away from this toxic situation.

Behind me, I heard William's panicked explanation: "Christina, I..."

I didn't look back, but I could imagine the disappointment on Christina's face. Exposing William's secret feelings hadn't been my intention, but I wouldn't apologize for it either.

I quickened my pace, desperate to reach the elevator and escape this place. Yet something told me William wouldn't let this end so easily.

Sure enough, I heard his footsteps approaching from behind. "Stop right there, Angela Wilson!"

To my surprise, Aria suddenly stepped in front of me, bravely positioning herself as a shield. "You bad man! Don't touch my mommy again!"

My heart swelled with both pride and fear. William's face contorted with rage, seemingly provoked further by Aria's appearance-her features so unmistakably inherited from Sean.

"Get out of my way!" he shouted, raising his foot to kick toward her. "How dare a little girl stand in my way?"

"Aria!" I screamed, instinctively lunging forward to protect my daughter.

I saw Sean rushing toward us, his face pale with fear. Even Christina looked shocked by William's actions, clearly not expecting him to attack a child.

In that moment, my only concern was protecting my child. I successfully pushed Aria aside and shielded her with my body, but William's kick had too much force behind it. Pain shot through me as I lost my balance and fell backward.

Before consciousness slipped away, I felt my head strike the corner of a decorative console table.

Excruciating pain radiated through my body. I heard Ethan's terrified voice: "Mommy!"

I wanted to respond, to tell him I was okay, but my body wouldn't obey. Darkness closed in around me.

In the last moment before losing consciousness, I felt someone lift me into their arms.

Even through the haze of pain, I recognized Sean's scent.