The headlines had started to sting, but Hena refused to hide.
With her journal now weaponized against her, public sympathy had turned into suspicion. The media labeled her "unwell," tabloids plastered phrases like "unstable heiress" and "unfit to lead" across their pages.
Yet, in the middle of it all, Hena walked into her office at the foundation—head high, spine straight.
She had decided: she would not be buried by lies.
That afternoon, a press conference was held.
Hena stood behind a podium, wearing a modest cream blouse and charcoal slacks. Behind her was the foundation's logo, flanked by her lawyer and Damian.
"Thank you for coming," she began, voice clear. "Recently, a private journal entry of mine was leaked without my consent. It was written during one of the most difficult moments of my life—after I discovered I was stolen from my real family as a baby."
Cameras flashed.
"I want to be clear: emotional trauma does not make a person unworthy. I am not ashamed of having survived what I did. But I am furious that someone would exploit that pain."
She looked directly at the cameras.
"I will be filing a lawsuit for the unauthorized use of my personal writings, and I will pursue criminal charges for blackmail and defamation. This was not just a betrayal—it was a crime."
The room was silent. Then came the applause.
---
Later that night, Damian stood in his office, watching the clip of Hena's speech.
"She's stronger than they think," he muttered.
But something still bothered him.
He called his assistant. "Run a trace on that leaked document. Find out who sent it to the media and how they got it. Use any tool necessary. I want a name."
Within hours, his suspicions were confirmed.
"It was sent through a third-party proxy, but the original upload came from Claire's phone," his assistant reported.
Damian's heart sank. Claire?
He called her in immediately.
When she arrived, she looked pale, eyes heavy.
"Claire," he said quietly, "did you leak Hena's journal?"
She broke down. "No! I didn't mean to! Hara blackmailed me—my brother's debts—she said she'd ruin my family."
"You could have come to us. To me."
"I didn't know who to trust."
Damian's voice turned cold. "You betrayed the woman you called your best friend. You don't deserve her forgiveness, but you better hope she gives it anyway."
Claire nodded, sobbing. "I'll fix it. I'll testify."
---
Meanwhile, Hara stood in her new penthouse, watching Hena's press conference replay on TV.
"She really knows how to play the victim," she scoffed.
But she could feel it—the shift. The media was beginning to turn back toward Hena.
She needed a new strategy. A fresh scandal.
And she knew exactly where to begin.
She called her new "ally"—a gossip journalist known for twisting truths into weapons.
"I have a story," she whispered. "And proof."
---
The next morning, Damian walked into Hena's room with a determined look.
"I know who leaked your journal."
Hena stared at him. "Claire?"
He nodded. "But it wasn't entirely her fault. Hara blackmailed her."
"She used my friend... again."
"She regrets it," Damian said. "And she's agreed to testify that Hara orchestrated the entire leak."
Hena didn't speak for a while. Then: "I want Hara destroyed—not just exposed, but brought down for everything. She's hurt too many people."
Damian placed a file in front of her.
"Then this will help. I found evidence—fake contracts, shell companies, bribed reporters. Everything traces back to Hara."
Her eyes widened. "You've been building a case?"
He nodded. "Since the villa incident. I knew she wouldn't stop."
---
But Hara wasn't done yet.
That afternoon, she released an anonymous tip to the press—photos from years ago of Hena at a psychiatric clinic in New Zealand, where she'd briefly stayed after her breakdown.
The media exploded again.
Only this time, Hena was ready.
Her team released full medical statements confirming she had voluntarily sought therapy after discovering her identity—no diagnosis of instability, no history of violence.
Damian held a televised statement.
"Seeking help does not make one weak. It makes them brave. And brave is the only word I use for my fiancée."
---
Meanwhile, Hara's plan began to unravel.
The gossip blogger she trusted had sold her name to another outlet in exchange for immunity.
Within hours, police arrived with a warrant. Claire's testimony had officially opened a criminal investigation.
Hara was now a person of interest in a defamation case, a fraud inquiry, and possible attempted coercion.
She laughed bitterly as she was handed the notice.
"So they're turning on me too, huh?"
But what hurt more was what she read next.
Jae-woon was leaving the country.
---
That night, alone in her suite, she stared at the message he had left:
> "I loved you once, and maybe I still do. But I can't chase someone who doesn't want to be saved. Goodbye, Hara."
She crushed her phone in her fist.
"No. No, you don't get to walk away. None of you do."