Divorce The Duke, Marry The King!
Chapter 83: Ray?

Chapter 83: Ray?

"Betray me?" Mia echoed in shock, but before she could step aside, the bouquet struck her harshly, drawing a startled yelp from her lips.

"I am not cheating on you, Laura. Please, calm yourself," Klaus implored, moving to stand beside the furious woman. He reached for her hands in an attempt to soothe her, but Laura wrenched them free and stormed toward Mia.

Without warning, she seized Mia’s hair, yanking it mercilessly.

"Ahh! What are you doing?!" Mia cried out, thrashing against Laura’s grip, panic rising as she struggled to break free.

"He is my mate! How dare you try to seduce him, you harlot?" Laura snarled, her voice trembling with rage. "I will strip you bare before everyone here today, I swear it!" She dragged Mia down from the couch, her hold like iron.

"Laura, release her at once!" Klaus commanded, stepping forward to grab her arm. Yet Laura’s fury made her nearly unyielding. She flung his hand aside with surprising strength, her focus fixed solely on Mia.

"Mate? How can that be? Klaus has no mate, at least, not that I have ever heard of!" Mia managed to gasp out as she continued struggling, but Laura only tightened her grip.

"Liar!" Laura spat venomously. "Everyone in this estate knows we are mated! Or is it that you plan to carry his child and steal him from me?" Her voice rose as her accusations grew sharper, her grip on Mia’s hair unrelenting.

"Laura, I beg you, let her go," Klaus pleaded, his tone filled with regret. Inwardly, he cursed himself for losing control earlier. He should have restrained his emotions and rejected Mia gently. Now, his actions had thrown her into an avoidable storm.

"I didn’t know he had a mate!" Mia shouted in defense, wincing against the pain. "I wasn’t trying to seduce him! He kissed me and I...I...only came here to confess my feelings, unaware of your bond."

"Do you think I am a fool, you wench?!" Laura roared, her fury growing. "I have heard enough of your lies!"

Just as Mia thought the ordeal might be over, Laura suddenly released her hair only to seize her shoulders, grasping the fabric of her dress at the seams.

"No!" Mia screamed, summoning a burst of strength to shove Laura back. Laura staggered for a moment, just enough for Klaus to intervene.

Taking advantage of the pause, Klaus grabbed Laura’s arms and held her firmly. "Mia, leave now!" He ordered, his voice sharp with urgency.

Mia scrambled to her feet, clutching the torn fabric of her dress as she bolted from the room. The guards stationed nearby looked on, murmuring in concern as she ran past, but she ignored them, her face flushed with shame and tears welling in her eyes.

"I will explain later, I swear," Klaus said to Laura before roughly shoving her into the room. He quickly slammed the door shut and locked it, ignoring her furious cries.

"Klaus! You bastard!" Laura screamed, pounding against the door with all her might. But Klaus didn’t turn back.

He sprinted down the corridor, his heart racing as he sought Mia. Relief washed over him when he spotted her near his horse, her torn dress fluttering in the wind as she hurried away.

"Mia, wait!" He called out desperately, quickening his pace. "Please, just listen to me, I am so sorry for what happened!"

He closed the distance between them until he was only a few steps away. But when she turned to face him, her tear-streaked face and trembling form stopped him in his tracks.

"Stay away from me!" She cried, raising a hand as though to ward him off. Her voice was laced with heartbreak, and tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

His heart twisted painfully as he saw the tears streaming down her face. In that moment, Klaus wished for nothing more than to be struck down, punished a thousandfold for being the cause of her sorrow.

"I should not say this," he began, his voice trembling with emotion, "but I fell in love with you the very moment I first saw you. The only reason I held back was the fear that we might not be mates, and that fear, it seems, was justified. Mia, when you confessed your feelings to me, I..." he paused, struggling to find the words. "I lost control. Kissing you wasn’t something I planned, it was my heart acting before reason. If I could, I would reject my mate, but you know as well as I do what torment that would bring to both of us. I am deeply sorry."

Tears welled up in Mia’s eyes once more, spilling over as she listened to his confession.

"I am sorry too," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I should have kept my feelings to myself. Goodbye, Klaus."

Though her heart shattered at the thought of letting him go—the first and only man she had ever loved—she knew there was no other path forward. With a heavy heart, she mounted the horse and rode away, her tears carried by the wind.

As she rode, her thoughts spiraled in anguish. ’How could I have been so blind? Why didn’t I think to confirm if he already had a mate?’ She had never been this careless before, and she loathed herself for falling for him. Yet, even amidst her self-reproach, she could not regret loving him.

The palace gates stood open as if to grant her swift escape, sparing her the humiliation of facing the guards in her disheveled state. She assumed this was Klaus’s doing, though she no longer cared. All she wanted now was to leave him, and everything he represented, behind.

She rode aimlessly, spurring her horse onward with no regard for direction or her surroundings, lost in a storm of emotions.

Suddenly, the horse reared to a halt, jolting Mia violently. She was thrown to the ground as they reached the heart of a crowded market.

"Ahh!" She cried out, clutching her injured arm as pain shot through her body.

"What’s wrong with her? Is she mad?" Murmured the onlookers, their judgmental gazes cutting through her.

"She seems lost and helpless."

"What could a fine lady like her have done to end up in such a state?"

Despite her obvious distress, no one stepped forward to help her. They either passed by with disdain or stood whispering cruel assumptions.

Mia curled into herself on the cold ground, sobbing helplessly. In her despair, she longed for the comforting presence of her late father, wishing he were alive to shield her from this moment.

"Do you seek attention this desperately?" A voice cut through the noise, accompanied by the soft weight of a blanket being draped over her.

Startled, she raised her tear-streaked face to meet the speaker. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Ray?" She uttered, her voice barely above a whisper, as if questioning whether he was truly there.

Their eyes locked, and for reasons she couldn’t comprehend, a sense of safety washed over her. A shiver ran down her spine, but it was not from fear—it was something else entirely.

Ray stared at her with his usual blank expression, offering no words of comfort. Instead, he bent down and effortlessly scooped her up into his arms.

Caught off guard, Mia opened her mouth to protest, but something deep within her urged her to stay silent. Now was not the time for words, but for trust. Yielding to this instinct, she allowed him to carry her away without resistance.

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