Upon hearing the word "poisoned," Nina was taken aback.Miranda was poisoned while in the hospital! What was going on?Miranda's throat tightened, and she felt a chill at the base of her heart. Nash knew about it but had not come immediately. Nash had changed. The Nash she knew would never have acted like this.Miranda choked up, "Nash, do you think I’m pretending? I’m not, everything is documented in medical reports, and that collagen supplements have been sent for testing."Hearing this, Nina finally understood. Miranda was poisoned because of those collagen supplements she had sent over. Since Sally held Miranda in such high regard and even thought to send her supplements, Sally could not be the one poisoning her. The only possible culprit was Nina herself!Nina said coldly, “I delivered the supplements to the hospital as your mother wished, but I never opened the package. If I had, Miranda would have noticed.”She would not bear the blame for something she had not done.
Nash remained silent. His thin lips pressed into a straight line, his handsome face taking on an especially stern appearance. "Nina, have you also learned to play the victim to get a divorce? Should I consider sending you into show business?" His voice, low and laced with sarcasm, rang in Nina's ears.Nina was incredulous, "In your eyes, am I playing the victim?"After all the time she had spent by his side, even if there were no emotional ties, through their daily interactions, he couldn't possibly have no understanding of her character.Yet, he had uttered such words!Nina was disappointed, "Think whatever you want. We're just married by contract, and what I do in other aspects of my life is my freedom, and you have no right to interfere."Whether she entered the entertainment industry was her choice.As for the poisoning accusation Miranda mentioned, she needed to prove her innocence."Mr. York, are you going to drive? If you're not planning to, then I'll get out," Nina sai
"All this scheming, it could be made into a movie. Truly astounding!"...Nina no longer paid attention to the comments online. She knew that once the evidence was out there, as long as she could prove her innocence, how it fermented online was irrelevant to her.Since she was staying at Riverside Estate, she had left some items there. She gathered what she needed and left behind what she did not. There was not much to pack, and she was done quickly.Just as she opened the door, she saw Nash standing at the doorway. His gaze fell on the items in her hands, and his expression instantly clouded over, becoming stark and cold."I was going to show you those things, but the comments online were too harsh. I just needed to prove my own innocence." Whether Miranda was truly framing her or if she had been poisoned by someone else but mistakenly attributed it to her, everything else seemed irrelevant now that she had proven her innocence. Even if Nash was angry, there was nothing she cou
Nina's eyes, clear and resolute, were full of defiance. She was very different from before."I'll go with you to make an appointment at the district court next Wednesday," Nash coldly declared.Nina was determined. Nina checked the date and it was only Monday today, leaving several days until next Wednesday. Every second counted, especially in the coming days!Nina pursed her lips, "Why can't we make the appointment today? I don’t want to delay unnecessarily.""Miranda’s situation hasn’t been fully resolved yet," Nash coldly dropped this comment, showing his reluctance to continue discussing the topic.His attitude suggested he could not bear another second of seeing her.And his comment—what did he mean by that?Did he think she was involved in Miranda’s poisoning?Even though she had already provided clear evidence, Nash’s attitude still suggested disbelief in the validity of her findings.However, Nash agreeing to make the appointment at the district court was still better
Nash’s father placed his tea on the table, speaking softly, “What’s the use of saying all this? He said he has a clear idea about what to do, so let him handle it.”Sally became even more agitated upon hearing this. "How can you be so indifferent? Leaving him to handle it alone. What if he can't go through with the divorce?"Nash's father glanced up at Sally, replying coolly, "Whether he can divorce or not is his own affair. Why are you so concerned?"“How can I not worry about my son?” Sally emphasized.Seeing her like this, a hint of disgust flickered in Nash’s father’s eyes, but he remained silent.Seeing his reaction, Sally became more agitated, “Do you even consider him your son? All these years, you've never cared. This family might as well not have you at all!”“He’s been doing fine all these years, hasn’t he?” Nash’s father’s tone was as indifferent as ever, as if Nash was not his child.Sally retorted, “He’s not close to us, how can he be fine? It’s all your fault. If i
Nash's words were thrown at her with a cold tone. The things she cherished seemed laughable and indifferent in his eyes. Nina found it ironic. "Just asking, after all, it's a free trip, might as well enjoy it. I don't want to waste any more time with useless chatter. Anything else?"Her implication was clear that if there was nothing else, she would leave.Nash remained silent. Nina did not wait for him any longer and left.What caught Nash off guard was Miranda's attempt to end her life by cutting her wrist. Ruby, her assistant, called frantically, "Mr. York, Miranda said she never intended to throw all the blame on Nina. I witnessed her taking the supplements."I've been with her and I would never harm her. Miranda said she did not want your company to suffer from the backlash. She felt her only option to prove her innocence was through death." Ruby's voice shook violently with genuine fear."How is she now?" Nash's expression was grave.Ruby cried out, "Miranda is still bein
She hoped Nash could calm down. Otherwise, being dragged in front of Miranda to atone, she did not know what kind of punishment would be awaiting her. Especially if it affected the child in her womb, that would be a lifetime of pain. Nash had no choice but to grasp her shoulder, applying some force to help her calm down. "I understand. I did not send you to Miranda's place. If you don't trust me, why don't you call Yvonne now and have her come pick you up?"Seeing Nina in this state, Nash could not bear to let her leave alone. Nina looked at Nash in disbelief. It was unbelievable. Finally, seeing Nash's silence, she quickly dialed Yvonne's number. "Yvonne, I'll send you my location. Can you come pick me up now?" Nina's voice trembled. Yvonne sensed it but did not ask further. "Alright, I'll be there."As Nina sent her location to Yvonne, her hands were shaking. It was not until she finished everything that Nash finally spoke to her, "You should trust me. I never intended to tak
Upon hearing this, Yvonne finally understood. They had just gone through an unpleasant experience themselves. Yvonne scoffed, "Just a suicide attempt. No one really knows if she actually cut herself. Since the original packaging of those supplements was intact, the issue must lie with Miranda herself."In essence, Miranda was trying to divert everyone's attention by attempting suicide, wanting everyone to know that she was proving her innocence in this manner. Some might think that if Miranda could go to such lengths to clear her name, she might turn the tables on Nina and cast doubt on her.Miranda was playing a risky game.Nina remained silent, feeling particularly heavy-hearted.Miranda's actions were her own affair, but the bottom line was that Nash would not allow any harm to come to his beloved Miranda. Even Sally was deeply concerned about her.As Yvonne drove, she could not help but bring up Sally. "It's quite amusing. You're not even divorced from Nash yet, and here we
Vera watched as Leonard stumbled out of his house in nothing but a pair of pants, rushing toward the fire. Disgust churned in her stomach, but more than that, she worried about Sera’s safety. The darkness of the night concealed the emotions on her face, and no one noticed anything unusual. Women in this village were nothing more than tools for childbirth—no one paid them much attention. Especially now, with the fire raging, no one was thinking about her. The village chief had come by to ask how the fire started, but she had convinced him with a quick excuse. With all the men busy putting out the flames, Vera quietly slipped away toward Leonard’s house. Inside, Sera had been startled by the commotion outside. But the moment she saw Vera rush in, she understood immediately. “Was this you?” Sera’s eyes widened. “You set the fire?” Vera grabbed her hand. “There’s no time to talk about that!“We have to go—now. Do you know where the other women are being held?
Vera put on her best obedient act. “Of course, I know that. I was just making conversation. I’ll be sure to keep my distance from him.” That was all Chloe needed to hear to feel reassured. She was starting to think she had made the right call by letting her son bring this woman home. After ordering Vera to wash the rice, Chloe busied herself with other tasks. By the time Vera finished, the sky had already darkened. Her thoughts drifted to Sera’s situation, and her chest tightened. Tonight was the night. If she didn’t act now, who knew how long these women would remain trapped here? *That evening, Vera carried a few bottles of liquor up from the cellar. Chloe’s eyes widened in distress. “What are you doing with those? Put them back! “We only drink those on holidays and special occasions.“It’s not like we’re throwing a wedding right now. This is a waste!” Vera hesitated deliberately. “But I heard the doctor say he can fix Peter’s leg.“I though
“First, we get a free doctor for my son, and now, a beautiful wife just lands right in our lap!“God must really be smiling on the Cooper family!” Caleb’s frown deepened at the mention of a "wife." He had read enough news stories to know how these situations usually played out—women lured into remote villages, tricked, and trapped with no way out. He decided to dig deeper. “That’s some unbelievable luck. Where exactly did this beautiful wife come from?” Alice perked up, practically beaming. “She got lost in the mountains! I found her and brought her home.“My brother’s crippled, and no woman wanted to marry him, so I asked her to stay and repay us by becoming his wife.“She agreed!” Caleb’s expression turned colder as he listened to their casual justifications. This was nothing but moral coercion. Chloe beamed with excitement. “It’s just a shame she’s got such delicate hands—doesn’t look like she’s ever done a day of real work. We’ll have to break her i
Vera tilted her head, looking up at him with an obedient expression. Peter grinned, his crooked teeth showing. As he set down the basket of supplies, he chuckled. “You really know how to read the room.“Who would’ve thought I’d get this lucky?” He patted his bad leg and let out a loud laugh. “Even with this bum leg, I still managed to land a beautiful, obedient wife.” His eyes darted around the room. “Where’s my mom and Alice?” Vera pointed outside. “A doctor came to the village—he’s doing free check-ups.“Everyone lined up to see him. Your mom went too. She said he’s really skilled, and there’s a chance he could fix your leg.” Peter’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re serious? If he can actually fix my leg, my life would be perfect.” Vera nodded, playing along. “Yeah, you should go check it out.” “Good idea.”The thought of finally having his leg fixed filled Peter with excitement. He hurried toward the door but paused to issue a warning. “
“Everyone in this village is in on it. There's no way to escape during the day, and at night, they lock us inside the houses.“There's no chance to get out.” Even as the woman spoke, Vera’s eyes remained firm with determination. “You can’t think like that. As long as we escape, there’s hope.” The woman let out a bitter laugh. “You’re too naive. There was another woman who was sold here before. She tried to run.“She actually made it to town—only to be caught and dragged back.” Vera stood up, her fists clenched. “We can’t give up. If someone made it that far before, then there’s still a chance. We just have to be smarter.“For now, you should just play along.” Vera turned to her, her expression serious. “If you keep resisting, they’ll just keep beating you.“It’s better to make them lower their guard first.” The woman didn’t respond. Instead, she changed the subject. “Didn’t you ask me to teach you how to cook?“Let’s do that now. We can talk about escapi
Vera shuddered at the thought of the woman locked up, beaten like an animal. How many others were trapped in this village, suffering the same fate? It was unbearable to think about. By the time Vera had finished her water and eaten most of the pastry, Leonard returned—dragging a woman behind him. Her head was bowed, her frail body swallowed by a coarse, tattered dress. Her hair was a mess, and she didn’t even dare lift her eyes. Leonard shoved her forward. “Go on! The girl wants you to teach her how to cook.“Behave yourself, or you won’t be eating when you get home.” Vera’s heart twisted in pain at the sight of the woman trembling. She gripped the chair for support as she slowly stood up. Stepping forward, her lips trembled slightly as she gently took the woman’s hand. “I just got married into the family. I don’t know how to cook yet.“Would you be willing to teach me?” The woman didn’t say a word. A single tear slipped down her cheek, hitting
Leonard stared at Vera eagerly, his eyes full of anticipation. Vera said, “That’s right. Mrs. Watson is always saying how capable you are, a real manly man. I don’t know why, but for some reason, your wife just doesn’t appreciate you.“A man like you deserves better.” It was the first time someone had ever spoken highly of him, and Leonard slapped his thigh with excitement. “That ungrateful woman!“A man like me!” Leonard huffed, growing more indignant. “You won’t find another like me, no matter how hard you look.“If only more people had your kind of good sense.”Vera smiled without saying a word and casually glanced inside the house. “By the way, where’s your wife?” Leonard snorted, his expression instantly darkening. “That ungrateful wench is locked up out back. She never listens.” Vera’s expression hardened immediately. “Why even bring her up? Just ruins the mood.” Leonard quickly perked up and waved Vera inside. “You’re already here, but you haven
“That’s true.” Chloe scoffed, then pointed a finger at Vera before leaving. “Listen up. Everyone in this village is on the same page.“The neighbors? We all look out for each other. If you try to run, they’ll tell me right away.“We’ve been nothing but good to you, so don’t blame us if we have to lock you up like an animal.” Vera had only seen threats like this on TV. She never imagined she would experience this kind of madness in real life. For now, she had no choice but to play the obedient daughter-in-law. In a situation like this, the more she fought back, the worse things would get. “I won’t run.” She forced a smile, pretending to affectionately ruffle Alice’s hair. But her other hand, hidden behind her back, was clenched into a fist. “This little girl saved my life.“I need to stay and properly repay your family.” She kept smiling, warm and sincere. Chloe didn’t notice anything unusual. She simply huffed again before leaving. “I hope you’re
Chloe scoffed, “What’s the big deal? When I married your father, I just threw on a simple dress and walked into the house. I still have that dress, you know.”She muttered under her breath, “Marriage is about building a life together. What’s the point of all these fancy extras?”A wedding dress? A suit? That sounded expensive. Their family had barely saved a few thousand dollars over the years. How could they justify spending it all on a wedding? *Vera, taking advantage of the last bit of battery on her phone, quickly pulled up photos of wedding dresses and suits. She handed the phone to Alice. “Your brother would look really handsome in a suit.” Alice gasped in excitement. “Wow! These clothes are so pretty! Vera, you’re already beautiful—if you wear this, you’ll look just like a fairy!” Then she hesitated. “When we get the dress… can I try it on too?” “Of course.” This wasn’t a wedding Vera had agreed to in the first place. She had shown Alice the pictur