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Chapter 13

Author: Kite Chime
Tessa watched as Charlotte was wheeled into the operating room. She watched the doors slowly close and the red light above flicker on. At that moment, her last shred of hope shattered.

Feeling as if all of her strength was drained, she muttered, "Why?"

Her voice was so soft that Ethan almost couldn't hear it. "What?"

"I said why!" Tessa suddenly shouted, her emotions boiling over.

"Why would you do this to me, Ethan? What did I ever do to deserve this? You think I drugged you? Fine. But I didn't force you to sleep with me. I didn't force you to marry me either!

"You said you didn't like your wife showing her face in public, so I gave up my career and stayed home for you. I cooked, cleaned, and played the good wife. I molded myself into someone you'd like.

"I accepted all your sarcasm, coldness, and neglect. Even when I knew you were messing around with Charlotte, I kept making excuses for you to protect your image.

"I've done nothing to wrong you. So why? Why do you hate me this
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    Tessa truly hated Ethan. She hated Charlotte, too. But most of all, she hated herself for not seeing Ethan's true colors sooner so that she could've left him earlier.She decided that she wouldn't be foolish again from then on."How pathetic," Tessa mocked herself. "I didn't think that you'd see me like this. This is all on me. I was blind to fall for the wrong person. And this… this is the ending I deserve."A sharp pain pierced through her chest when she thought about the corneas."Don't say that." Zachary's firm voice sounded, and Tessa felt her hand being gently held. "This isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself. It's Ethan's fault. He didn't deserve your love. He never did. From now on, love yourself. Don't ever let him hurt you again."His voice was soft and gentle. It made her nose sting."I won't," Tessa replied hoarsely. "I'll take care of myself."Zachary watched her hold it all in and thought that she might need a space to let it out. So, he said, "You must be starvin

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    "What a mess…" David sighed. "I never should've forced you two together in the first place. I ended up pushing you into a miserable marriage and let Tess down."Forget it. Come home tonight. I'll have Tess come too. I need to talk to you both."David hung up the phone after that.Tessa was in the kitchen preparing a meal when she got David's call."Tess, where are you? Did Ethan bully you again? Tell me what he did. I'll teach him a lesson for you."The sound of David's caring voice made Tessa's nose sting with emotion. After everything she had endured these past few days, she suddenly felt the urge to tell him everything."David…" Her voice trembled. "If I wanted to divorce Ethan… would you support me?"There was a long silence on the other end before David sighed heavily. "So it's come to this after all."He had always said that if things didn't work out, they could divorce. Nevertheless, deep down, he'd hoped they could make it work. But now that she had said it, it meant th

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    Tessa let out a cold laugh but said nothing as she pulled her hand free from Ethan's grip. "I'll walk by myself," she said.She tapped her cane on the ground and took slow, deliberate steps forward.Ethan's words meant nothing to her. Not a single one was worth believing.Frowning, Ethan lifted her in his arms, placed her in the car, and told the driver to head off. Neither of them spoke during the drive.When they arrived at the Ziegler residence, Ethan helped Tessa out of the car.David was already waiting. When he saw them, he grinned widely. "Ethan, Tess, you're here!"David took Tessa's hand and asked, "Tess, how have you been? Has Sophie's cooking been to your liking?"Tessa smiled. "I'm fine, David. Sophie's cooking is delicious. I think I've put on a little weight lately.""Really?" David chuckled. "A little extra weight is good. You're too thin now. Come. Let's go inside."The evening wind was picking up. David was concerned Tessa might catch a cold from being outside.

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    "I don't feel like going," Tessa said coolly.David truly had been kind to her, but the idea of facing so many unpleasant people at the family dinner made Tessa hesitate.Especially Cameron Ziegler and his family—Ethan's uncle.They had never gotten along with Ethan's family. To make matters worse, his cousin, Shannon Ziegler, couldn't stand Tessa. Whenever they met, Shannon would inevitably give her a hard time.Back then, Tessa believed that being Ethan's wife meant giving her all in every way. She even tried to win over Cameron's family, but all she got in return were cold shoulders.Now, with her mind set on divorcing Ethan, she had no desire to attend any family dinner."I'll visit David some other time," she said."Some other time?" Ethan continued slowly, "After this, you'll leave only if I allow it. If I don't, do you think you'll get to leave too?"Tessa smiled. "So, you won't let me leave even if I want to see David? Is that what you're saying?""I'm taking you to the

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    Tessa was stunned. She asked, "What?"Charlotte sneered. "I drugged the wine for myself, but you ended up drinking it. And somehow, it brought you and Ethan together." Her face twisted with resentment. "Tell me. How do you get so damn lucky?""It was you!" Tessa hissed through clenched teeth. "It was actually you!"Because of that wine, Ethan and the entire Ziegler family had misunderstood her. She'd carried the blame for years, and no one ever believed that she was innocent.Not even she knew what had happened that night. It turned out that it had been Charlotte all along."But so what if you married Ethan? He still despises you. He doesn't love you. To him, you're invisible. He even leaves to sleep alone every night." Charlotte continued casually, "And now you're blind. Honestly, I almost feel bad for you. I guess that's your karma for stealing what was supposed to be mine.""Karma?" Tessa laughed coldly. "You schemed first, failed, and then blamed me for the fallout. Don't you

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