Eugene paced outside the operating theater. He looked up when he heard us approach and checked his watch. Then, he looked at Michael impatiently. "You're nine minutes late. Take responsibility and accept your punishment in a bit."Michael's gaze was filled with shock and disappointment. He probably hadn't expected the man he'd been loyal to for so many years to lack so much empathy.Eugene couldn't care less about him, though. He turned to look at me. Then, he snapped irritably, "What are you guys waiting for? Get her!"I didn't know what he was talking about, but I sensed it didn't bode well for me. I shook my head and roared, "Are you insane? Ivy isn't sick at all! She's been lying to you this whole time!"That seemed to strike a nerve. Eugene raised a hand and slapped me hard. "Shut up!"It was so forceful that half my face went numb, and my ears buzzed. I fell to the floor, and blood trickled down the corner of my lips.A trace of guilt flashed in his eyes, but it disappeared
The commotion outside slowly faded. My eyelids grew heavy, and I drifted in and out of consciousness.I dreamed about the things that had happened between Eugene and me when we were younger. Back then, Ivy's family had yet to go bankrupt, and she'd yet to move into the Fort residence.I failed a test in middle school. I was scared to head home when I saw the big, fat F on my paper, so I wandered the streets as it weighed down on me. As I walked past a cake shop, I suddenly remembered it was my birthday.Mom had passed away due to labor complications after I was born. Dad was worn out from managing Castor Group and caring for a newborn. At the time, he probably wished he could clone himself.Later, to ensure the company's steadiness, he'd chosen to live there, only returning home once a month. He'd hired a nanny for me, but she'd secretly hidden the funds he'd given her to care for me. The money for groceries was repeatedly halved, leading to her cooking nothing but a plate of veget
My head shot up in surprise as I gaped at Michael. He quickly averted his gaze, though.I'd never expected him to help me. I didn't know whether my abrupt departure would land him in hot water, but this was my only chance to leave this place. I didn't want to let it go.I picked up my breakfast from the bedside table and gobbled it down. Then, Michael helped me out of the ward. Everything went so smoothly that I almost couldn't believe it. There weren't even any bodyguards outside.Michael hailed a cab and helped me in. Then, he handed me a knapsack. "All your identification and documents are inside. The flight is at 3:30 pm, so don't miss it."I stubbornly wanted an answer, so I gripped his sleeve tightly. "Why are you helping me?""Don't ask. There's also a divorce agreement in the bag; mail it to me once you've reached a safe place, and I'll deal with the rest. Remember to use a fake address…"He seemed to have plenty more to say, but the driver smacked the wheel impatiently.
Lucas and I became friends after a few encounters. He would take me to the specialty shops around town so we could stuff our faces. I would give him a bouquet for every holiday and special occasion to repay him.After lunch, I stood before the window and looked at the snow. Even the trees by the roads were covered in frost. Lucas stood beside me. "It's snowing really heavily this year."I nodded. Alden City saw snow, so this was the most snow I'd ever seen in my 28 years. I wondered when it would stop.I was about to turn away when Lucas grabbed my arm. "Let's have a snowball fight!"I followed his line of sight to see several children making snowmen with tools. Before I could turn him down, he moved his hand down to my wrist and dragged me out of the shop.Snowflakes descended from the sky, and people ran across the snow. I'd yet to get ready for the fight when a snowball the size of my fist landed on my leg.I turned to see Lucas had already prepared another snowball. I bent do
In the end, I was brought back to the marital home I had once shared with Eugene. Though Lucas worked out regularly, he couldn't take on Eugene's professionally trained bodyguards alone. Everything in the house was the same, save for the wedding photos that had once hung in the living room. Ivy's portraits had replaced them.Eugene frowned at that. "Who allowed these to be placed here?"One of the maids trembled fearfully. "M-Ms. Green ordered it…"He roared, "Take them down now!"I didn't want to watch his performance and hurried upstairs to my old room. He followed me closely, though. I didn't even have the chance to shut my door.He pinned me to the wall, his fury evident in every word as he snarled, "What? Are you that unwilling to return? Don't forget how hard you worked to make me marry you."I allowed the tears to stream down my face. "Is that so? I truly regret it now."He grabbed my wrist tightly and threw me onto the bed. "You regret it? Because of that fresh-faced j
I was negotiating a huge business deal with a prospective client when I received the hospital's call. If I could score this deal, Castor Group would stand a better chance of turning the tables.However, from the conversation, the client made his attitude clear to me—if not for the fact that I was Eugene Fort's wife, he wouldn't have given me the time of day.That wasn't the most pressing matter, though. I panicked when I heard what the doctor told me over the phone and hurried off, not even remembering to apologize to the client before leaving.I crouched by Dad's bedside, my face covered in tears as I watched him speak with difficulty. "I won't ask for anything else. All I hope is that you and Eugene are happy together…"He looked behind me. "Where is he?"I pulled out my phone with trembling hands. "He's busy at work. I'll call him right now."The call connected but was rejected almost immediately. I tried again several times, but nothing changed.Eugene and I had a business m
Michael cut me off. "The last time you used this excuse, you caused us to lose half a year's pay, Mrs. Fort. This time, we won't let you in, no matter what. Who knows whether we'll still have jobs if we do?"One of the bodyguards chimed in. "Yeah. We have families to feed. Please stop making things hard for us."I was taken aback by their words, unsure how to react. I hadn't been lying the last time, though. At the time, Dad had a cerebral hemorrhage and fell down the staircase. Fortunately, a maid had discovered him soon enough and called an ambulance.After Dad was taken to the hospital, the doctors told me to be ready to say goodbye. That had scared the living daylights out of me. Still, I'd been worried about Eugene missing out on seeing Dad one last time.Upon consideration, I'd gone to his company for the first time to look for him. Fortunately, Dad had pulled through and survived the ordeal.I had no idea Eugene would vent his anger and frustration on Michael and the bodygu
In the end, I was brought back to the marital home I had once shared with Eugene. Though Lucas worked out regularly, he couldn't take on Eugene's professionally trained bodyguards alone. Everything in the house was the same, save for the wedding photos that had once hung in the living room. Ivy's portraits had replaced them.Eugene frowned at that. "Who allowed these to be placed here?"One of the maids trembled fearfully. "M-Ms. Green ordered it…"He roared, "Take them down now!"I didn't want to watch his performance and hurried upstairs to my old room. He followed me closely, though. I didn't even have the chance to shut my door.He pinned me to the wall, his fury evident in every word as he snarled, "What? Are you that unwilling to return? Don't forget how hard you worked to make me marry you."I allowed the tears to stream down my face. "Is that so? I truly regret it now."He grabbed my wrist tightly and threw me onto the bed. "You regret it? Because of that fresh-faced j
Lucas and I became friends after a few encounters. He would take me to the specialty shops around town so we could stuff our faces. I would give him a bouquet for every holiday and special occasion to repay him.After lunch, I stood before the window and looked at the snow. Even the trees by the roads were covered in frost. Lucas stood beside me. "It's snowing really heavily this year."I nodded. Alden City saw snow, so this was the most snow I'd ever seen in my 28 years. I wondered when it would stop.I was about to turn away when Lucas grabbed my arm. "Let's have a snowball fight!"I followed his line of sight to see several children making snowmen with tools. Before I could turn him down, he moved his hand down to my wrist and dragged me out of the shop.Snowflakes descended from the sky, and people ran across the snow. I'd yet to get ready for the fight when a snowball the size of my fist landed on my leg.I turned to see Lucas had already prepared another snowball. I bent do
My head shot up in surprise as I gaped at Michael. He quickly averted his gaze, though.I'd never expected him to help me. I didn't know whether my abrupt departure would land him in hot water, but this was my only chance to leave this place. I didn't want to let it go.I picked up my breakfast from the bedside table and gobbled it down. Then, Michael helped me out of the ward. Everything went so smoothly that I almost couldn't believe it. There weren't even any bodyguards outside.Michael hailed a cab and helped me in. Then, he handed me a knapsack. "All your identification and documents are inside. The flight is at 3:30 pm, so don't miss it."I stubbornly wanted an answer, so I gripped his sleeve tightly. "Why are you helping me?""Don't ask. There's also a divorce agreement in the bag; mail it to me once you've reached a safe place, and I'll deal with the rest. Remember to use a fake address…"He seemed to have plenty more to say, but the driver smacked the wheel impatiently.
The commotion outside slowly faded. My eyelids grew heavy, and I drifted in and out of consciousness.I dreamed about the things that had happened between Eugene and me when we were younger. Back then, Ivy's family had yet to go bankrupt, and she'd yet to move into the Fort residence.I failed a test in middle school. I was scared to head home when I saw the big, fat F on my paper, so I wandered the streets as it weighed down on me. As I walked past a cake shop, I suddenly remembered it was my birthday.Mom had passed away due to labor complications after I was born. Dad was worn out from managing Castor Group and caring for a newborn. At the time, he probably wished he could clone himself.Later, to ensure the company's steadiness, he'd chosen to live there, only returning home once a month. He'd hired a nanny for me, but she'd secretly hidden the funds he'd given her to care for me. The money for groceries was repeatedly halved, leading to her cooking nothing but a plate of veget
Eugene paced outside the operating theater. He looked up when he heard us approach and checked his watch. Then, he looked at Michael impatiently. "You're nine minutes late. Take responsibility and accept your punishment in a bit."Michael's gaze was filled with shock and disappointment. He probably hadn't expected the man he'd been loyal to for so many years to lack so much empathy.Eugene couldn't care less about him, though. He turned to look at me. Then, he snapped irritably, "What are you guys waiting for? Get her!"I didn't know what he was talking about, but I sensed it didn't bode well for me. I shook my head and roared, "Are you insane? Ivy isn't sick at all! She's been lying to you this whole time!"That seemed to strike a nerve. Eugene raised a hand and slapped me hard. "Shut up!"It was so forceful that half my face went numb, and my ears buzzed. I fell to the floor, and blood trickled down the corner of my lips.A trace of guilt flashed in his eyes, but it disappeared
The woman in the video was on her knees as she clutched the sleeve of the suited man before her. After a brief conversation, the woman suddenly groveled at the man's feet.The video seemed to have been zoomed in a lot, so the image was rather blurry. It had probably been taken from a distance. Despite the blurriness, I immediately recognized the woman to be myself.The video had been uploaded online, and the comments were negative."Why am I being shown this video? Do you think I'm a piece of trash who watches everything and anything?""What the hell is that woman doing? What's wrong with her?""Is this part of a film crew's shooting? Damn, look at that woman go. I could do it, too!""Wait, you guys don't know the story? This woman has a crush on that man and chased him all the way to his workplace!""What? Isn't that just sexual harassment? Why hasn't anyone called the cops on her? She can't get away with these things just because she's a woman!""Don't you guys think she look
Michael cut me off. "The last time you used this excuse, you caused us to lose half a year's pay, Mrs. Fort. This time, we won't let you in, no matter what. Who knows whether we'll still have jobs if we do?"One of the bodyguards chimed in. "Yeah. We have families to feed. Please stop making things hard for us."I was taken aback by their words, unsure how to react. I hadn't been lying the last time, though. At the time, Dad had a cerebral hemorrhage and fell down the staircase. Fortunately, a maid had discovered him soon enough and called an ambulance.After Dad was taken to the hospital, the doctors told me to be ready to say goodbye. That had scared the living daylights out of me. Still, I'd been worried about Eugene missing out on seeing Dad one last time.Upon consideration, I'd gone to his company for the first time to look for him. Fortunately, Dad had pulled through and survived the ordeal.I had no idea Eugene would vent his anger and frustration on Michael and the bodygu
I was negotiating a huge business deal with a prospective client when I received the hospital's call. If I could score this deal, Castor Group would stand a better chance of turning the tables.However, from the conversation, the client made his attitude clear to me—if not for the fact that I was Eugene Fort's wife, he wouldn't have given me the time of day.That wasn't the most pressing matter, though. I panicked when I heard what the doctor told me over the phone and hurried off, not even remembering to apologize to the client before leaving.I crouched by Dad's bedside, my face covered in tears as I watched him speak with difficulty. "I won't ask for anything else. All I hope is that you and Eugene are happy together…"He looked behind me. "Where is he?"I pulled out my phone with trembling hands. "He's busy at work. I'll call him right now."The call connected but was rejected almost immediately. I tried again several times, but nothing changed.Eugene and I had a business m