Chapter 40: An outsider has no right to interfere with my marriage.

Theron approached them, his gaze settling only on her.

"I have been waiting for you," he said. "Come with me."

Elowen pursed her lips.

She had come to the party with her boss. She had promised to help him with the project. Leaving so suddenly would be unprofessional.

But Soren wanted to take her home.

She had already upset him by lying. The last thing she wanted was to make matters worse by refusing to leave with him now.

Caught between her professional responsibilities and her husband’s feelings, Elowen struggled to decide what to say. Her lips parted.

But before she could respond, Soren answered for her.

"She is coming with me." His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

Theron wasn’t looking at Soren. His eyes were fixated on Elowen.

"You know how much I need you here," he said, his tone pleading. "Please, Elowen. Stay a little longer."

He wanted her to choose to stay by his side.

"Think about the company, about the project," he continued. "You are the chief designer. You know why you agreed to come tonight."

He reminded her of the promise she had made and the responsibility she had accepted.

Elowen’s breathing turned shallow and rapid under the weight of the moment. She looked at Soren, hoping she could somehow make him understand that she hadn’t come here for fun. She had come for work, and the project mattered to her.

But the moment her eyes met his, the words died on her tongue.

His jaw set stiffly, and the muscles on his face had tightened. Though he remained silent, she could sense how hard he was fighting to keep his rage in check.

"She won’t go," Soren said with the finality in his voice. "She is going home with me."

Theron wouldn’t give up yet. He turned to face Soren. "I am her boss. And she is here representing my company. She can’t walk away in the middle of the event."

"First, this is a private gathering for investors and business leaders," Soren reasoned. "There is no architectural work for her to handle here. She doesn’t need to be here in the first place. And now, by forcing her to stay, you are only making her uncomfortable."

Theron’s patience was fraying. "You are pulling her away from an opportunity that matters to her."

His voice sharpened.

"You, as a husband, should be supporting her career, not holding her back. Elowen is talented. She deserves the chance to prove herself. But you are suppressing her potential just because you don’t like the man she is working for."

The two men stared at each other, neither willing to retreat.

Elowen’s heart pounded.

She had come to the party hoping to advance the project and fulfil her responsibilities. She had never imagined that the evening would end up with a battle between her husband and her boss.

Soren’s anger flared. He took a step toward him, his eyes blazing with a murderous intensity.

"Think before you speak."

Theron’s gaze didn’t waver. "I know what I’m saying."

He also moved a step closer to him. "You know how important this event is. Some of the biggest names in the corporate world are here tonight. If Elowen builds connections with them, it will only help her career. But you don’t want that, do you? You want to suppress her talent. You want her to remain your shadow, forever standing beneath you."

Theron deliberately twisted the knife, knowing exactly where to strike to provoke Soren. And it worked.

Soren’s last strand of restraint snapped. He swung his fist and punched him right in the face.

The impact was so brutal that Theron could barely keep his balance. He staggered a few steps backward. A sharp pain shot through his cheekbone.

Elowen gasped, shocked and terrified. Her hands flew to her mouth instantly.

"An outsider has no right to interfere with my marriage," Soren warned. "I’m still alive to take care of my wife. She doesn’t need you to rise in her career. I’ll make her the best architect in the world myself."

As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled Elowen toward him and kissed her fiercely, possessively.

Elowen stiffened in surprise.

His arms tightened around her waist, holding her firmly. There was no mistaking the message he intended to send.

Elowen was his wife. And he had no intention of another man taking her away from him.

Theron could barely comprehend what was happening. For several seconds, he could only stare at them, dazed.

Soren was kissing the woman he had loved for years right in front of him.

A violent surge of anger tore through him.

He wanted to rush forward, grab Soren by his collar, and tear him away from her. He wanted to make him understand that he couldn’t treat Elowen like his possession after everything he had put her through.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to move. His feet seemed to root to the floor. His hands curled helplessly at his sides.

’Why is he kissing her? Didn’t he love Tahlia?’

As far as he remembered, Soren had treated Elowen like she was nothing more than an unwanted burden. He had ignored her and made her suffer for seven years. He had never cared about her.

Why was he suddenly behaving like a possessive husband?

Something wasn’t right.

He then remembered something.

According to the timeline in his previous life, Elowen should already have left Soren’s house by now and had that accident. But she was still with him.

That accident had not happened, which was good. Whatever the reason, Elowen was alive. And that was all that should have mattered.

Yet Theron’s uneasiness only deepened.

’The past has changed. The sequence of events has altered.’

His gaze returned to Soren, who was still kissing Elowen and holding her as if she were his precious possession he couldn’t lose.

He could sense Soren’s attitude toward Elowen had changed.

’I’m still alive to take care of my wife. I’ll make her the best architect in the world myself.’ Those words echoed in the back of his mind.

A disturbing thought struck him.

’Could it be Soren was reborn too?’