Chapter 259

Philip's POV

I stood before Annie, my world crumbling around me. Her words about Sarah's pregnancy echoed in my mind like shards of broken glass, each syllable cutting deeper than the last. The possibility that the child wasn't mine-that I'd been manipulated again-was toopainful to accept.

"That's impossible..." My voice trembled despite my efforts to sound confident. "Sarah is carrying my child." Even as I spoke the words,doubt gnawed at me. Was I defending Sarah or desperately clinging to what little remained of my dignity?

Annie's eyes softened with something worse than anger-pity. "Do you really believe that? Why don't you call Robert and confirm?"

The suggestion itself was like acid in an open wound. What if she was right? What if I had been played for a fool again? First by Annie, then by Sarah? The thought made my chest constrict painfully.

I bit my lower lip, hand reaching for my phone with reluctance. Just then,it vibrated in my pocket as if summoned by our conversation. Sarah's name flashed across the screen. I answered immediately, desperate for reassurance but dreading what I might hear.

"Philip!" Sarah's voice came through, urgent and tense. "Howard isn't coming. He went to find Annie. Proceed with the plan immediately!"

My throat tightened as I clutched the phone, knuckles turning white.The question that had been poisoning my mind forced its way out. "Sarah, tell me the truth. Whose baby are you carrying?"

The silence that followed was deafening. In that brief pause, my entire world shifted on its axis. Each millisecond of hesitation from her was a nail in the coffin of my self-respect.

"This isn't the time to discuss that!" she finally snapped, impatience evident in her tone. "I'm trying to deal with Robert here, but I'll try to delay Howard. He could arrive any minute. Move quickly!"

The call ended abruptly, leaving me standing there with the phone feeling impossibly heavy in my hand. A cold realization settled in my stomach like lead. Sarah's non-answer was answer enough. The child wasn't mine.I had been a pawn in her game all along.

"What did Sarah say?" Annie asked, her voice calm but wary.

I didn't answer immediately. I slipped the phone back into my pocket, my expression betraying the storm raging within. Sarah hadn't denied Annie's accusation. Her ambiguous response hurt more than an outright confession.

My mind flashed back to all the intimate moments we'd shared, all her whispered promises-had any of it been real? Or was I just a convenient stepping stone in her pursuit of Howard Thompson?

"She said the baby is mine," I finally replied, my voice hollow,lacking conviction-I couldn't even convince myself of this lie. The words tasted bitter on my tongue, like ashes of everything I thought I had.

Annie shook her head, those intelligent eyes seeing right through me."Your face tells me you already know the answer."

Her words broke the last of my restraint. Years of accumulated frustration,betrayal, and anger erupted at once. The humiliation of being manipulated

by both my es-wife and my lover crashed over me in waves. I had built my identity around being a successful businessman,a man in control, but the truth was painfully clear-I was nothing but a puppet whose strings were pulled by women who saw me as a means to an end.

"Shut up!" I roared, my face contorting with rage, blood rushing to my head. "This is all your fault If you hadn't left me, if you'd just been a good wife, none of this would have happened!"

Even as the words left my mouth. I knew they were unfair, but I needed someone to blame. I couldn't bear the thought that I was the architect of my own misfortune.

I lunged toward Annie, roughly grabbing her arm. She struggled against me. but the ropes binding her limited her movement. Her skin felt familiar under my fingertips-a reminder of the years we'd spent together, years now tainted by betrayal and resentment.

"What are you doing?" she asked, alarm rising in her voice asshe watched me begin to loosen my tie with trembling fingers.

"Since everything is over anyway," my voice dropped to a dangerous low,revenge and lust mixing into a toxic cocktail in my veins, "I might as well enjoy your body one last time."

The thought was intoxicating-taking back control, proving I still had power over something, over someone. If I couldn't have Annie's love or Sarah's loyalty, I would take what little satisfaction I could.

Annie's eyes widened, a flash of fear crossing her face before hardening into defiance. "You've lost your mind! Do you really want to destroy your life?"

Her resistance only fueled my determination. "I don't care anymore," I said,removing my suit jacket and tossing it carelessly aside. "Nobody cares about me, so why should I care about anyone else?" My voice cracked slightly, revealing the wounded child beneath the vengeful man.

"Philip Baker, you'll regret this decision for the rest of your life," Annie's voice turned ice-cold, cutting through my haze of anger.

I paused briefly, her words stirring a flicker of unease deep within me.Perhaps she was right-this decision would irrevocably destroy everything.But anger and desperation had already taken control; there was no turning back. I had crossed a line, and the only way was forward.

"Maybe." I continued unbuttoning my shirt, exposing my chest to the cool air of the abandoned factory. "But since I'm about to lose everything anyway, I might as well enjoy one final pleasure."

I removed my clothes piece by piece, each item discarded taking me further from rationality. My tie, my shirt, my belt-symbols of the respectable man I once pretended to be. By the time I stood completely naked before Annie, I was consumed by darkness, stripped not just of clothing but of humanity.

I reached out to remove Annie's clothes, my movements rough and urgent,ignoring her protests. She fought back fiercely, twisting and turning despite her bonds, her resistance only heightening my perverse determination.

"Stop it!" Annie shouted, her voice filled with anger and fear. "This isn't who you are, Philip! Think about Brian! What would he think if he saw his father like this?"

The mention of our son sent a jolt through me, but I pushed it aside.

"How would you know who I am?" I sneered, continuing to tear at her clothing. "You never really knew me. Annie. None of you did."

As Annie's body was gradually exposed to the cool air, I paused, my gaze becoming unfocused. Looking at her once-familiar form, memories flooded back unbidden. Our first date. Our wedding night. The birth of Brian.There was a time when we loved each other, respected each other, created beautiful memories together. Now it had all devolved into this nightmare-me standing naked. preparing to commit an act I could never take back.

The realization of what I was doing began to penetrate the fog of my rage.This wasn't about desire; it was about vengeance, about hurting Annie the way I had been hurt. But even as I recognized this truth, part of me wanted to continue, to prove I still had some control in a world that had reduced me to nothing.

I began touching myself, trying to arouse desire. A flicker of my former self briefly surfaced-this was wrong, this was beneath me-but I pushed those thoughts aside. What did "right" and "wrong" matter anymore? The world had proven itself devoid of justice. Sarah had betrayed me. Annie had abandoned me. I deserved retribution.

My movement was getting urgent as I fed my anger. Images flashed through my mind: Annie and Howard together, Sarah and Robert laughing at my expense, my reputation in ruins. Each humiliation fueled my determination to reclaim some form of control, to inflict a fraction of the pain I'd endured.

I stared at Annie's partially exposed body, steeling my resolve. Yes,I would do this. I would take what little satisfaction remained available to me in this life that had become a mockery of my ambitions.

And when Howard Thompson eventually found us, he would know that I

had marked what he treasured, just as he had taken what was mine.