When Two Winters Met (Henrietta and Yosef) novel Chapter 285

Artina ran to the rest area on set and saw Jethro's car parked there. He had someone bring him a chair and was sitting outside. "Jethro!" Artina cried, running toward him with tears streaming down her face. "Thank God you're here!" Jethro frowned. Before he could speak, Artina sobbed, "Have you come to your senses? Do you want to get back together? I agree! I'll do whatever you say, anything you want!" Her knees buckled, and she collapsed at his feet in a heap of desperation. "I know I was terribly wrong! I'm willing to spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins. But please… can you save my family first? We're about to go bankrupt, Jethro." Jethro let out a cold laugh. "Are you out of your mind?" Artina froze. "What… what do you mean?" He wasn't here to reconcile? "I came to tell you," Jethro said, "that your family's bankruptcy is your punishment." "What?" Artina was stunned, as if struck by lightning. "What did you say? What do you mean? Why?" "Not only are you out of your mind, you can't even understand plain English," Jethro sneered. "Is the literal meaning that hard to grasp?" Staring at the man who had once doted on her but was now as cold as ice, Artina sank to the ground in terror. But then, a surge of disbelief made her scramble back to her feet. "Why? Why are you doing this to me? Yes, I was going to deceive you! But I'm a victim too! I was just confused for a moment and—" Before she could finish her frantic explanation, Jethro stood up. His massive frame cast a sudden, cold shadow over her, the sheer force of his presence enough to choke the words right out of her throat. Before another word could escape her lips, Jethro’s hand cracked across her face in a brutal arc, sending her sprawling across the floor as her world spun into a blur of pain. It was a vicious slap, so forceful that it sent her sprawling to the ground in a pathetic heap. "You're a victim?" Jethro stared down at her coldly. He took out his phone, pulled up a video, and tossed it at her. "What kind of person did you think you were, that you could hide things from me?" Artina's face throbbed with pain, and a sharp ache shot through her abdomen. She felt a warm gush of blood between her legs. Terrified, she looked at Jethro and shakily picked up the phone. "What is this…" The words had barely left her mouth when she saw herself clearly on the screen. She was leaning against a bathroom wall, her pants pulled down, her eyes glazed over with a look of pure ecstasy. And she was unconsciously moaning the name of that untouchable, superior man. In that instant, Artina completely fell apart. How… how did Jethro have this video?! For the first time, Artina had no idea what to do. Her lies had been mercilessly exposed, her true self laid bare for all to see. She was frozen in shock. Jethro bent down and snatched the phone back. Straightening up, he suddenly lifted his foot and planted it on her chest, pinning her hard to the ground. Artina's eyes widened in terror. Her face was beyond pale; every muscle was twitching in fear. "Do you have any explanation now?" Jethro asked, his face a cold, emotionless mask as he pressed his foot down on her. Artina couldn't even speak. "After kissing me," Jethro said coldly, his voice laced with a fury he rarely showed, "you weren't satisfied, so you went to the bathroom to pleasure yourself. Fine. But whose name were you moaning?" He swore for the first time. "You filthy, shameless woman!" Jethro's rage was boundless. He lifted his foot and stomped it on Artina's deceptively beautiful face. "Do you still dare to call yourself an innocent victim? Do you still dare to say you deceived me because you love me?" The video had shattered all of Artina's self-deceiving lies. But even so, she desperately tried to explain. "No, it's not like that. Jethro, please, let me explain…" Jethro couldn't believe it. Even now, she still thought she could talk her way out of this? He was almost curious to hear what new lies she would spin. "What more could you possibly have to explain?" Jethro demanded. "I… no… I just… I called out the wrong name," Artina cried. "I… I was so delirious that I didn't know what I was saying. I was thinking of you, Jethro, I swear! Your brother… your brother is already married. I really… I just made a mistake… Really, you… you have to believe me!" Jethro almost laughed out loud. "Do I look like an idiot to you? How dare you even say an excuse like that?! You can't even get my name right, which just shows how little you care about me! I think that mouth of yours should be sealed shut!" With that, he stomped his foot down on her mouth again. Artina could only stare, her eyes practically bulging from their sockets. Seeing her in such a wretched state finally brought Jethro a sliver of satisfaction. He spoke again, his voice cold. "So, Artina, your family's bankruptcy is the fate you deserve. You wanted to climb the social ladder, didn't you? You wanted to marry into a top-tier family and become a trophy wife? As long as I'm around, you can forget about it for the rest of your life. I’ll make sure you stay in the gutter where you belong." Jethro then lifted his foot. "I just came here today to make sure you understood exactly why this was happening." Artina's mouth was red and swollen. Trembling, she still tried to argue, "Why won't you believe me? I really did just say the wrong name! Why do you have to do this to me?" In that moment, she seemed to be trying to cast herself as the tragic, misunderstood heroine of some soap opera, utterly innocent and wronged.