My feelings for Rosalie started three years ago. Ironically, they ended three years ago as well. When I first met her, she had just come out of a rough relationship and would drink herself senseless at the bar every night. One evening, while passing by a bar, I ran into some rivals from a recent business deal. They cornered me in an alley, seemingly intent on "teaching me a lesson".However, Rosalie stepped in, her voice trembling as she warned them, "If you want to hurt him, you'll have to go through me."I was so young and naïve back then that I fell in love with her from that very moment.After we got together, I invested a large sum to help her start her business, which eventually became the now-renowned Clarke Group.Meanwhile, my decision to cancel an arranged marriage to be with Rosalie led to my parents cutting me off.I thought she'd leave me to find someone wealthier, but instead, she started treating me even better.Back then, whenever the company hired a new male
As dusk fell and Rosalie still hadn't returned, the wedding festivities had already reached the traditional wedding pranks stage. In this village, where women outnumbered men, the custom of teasing the groomsmen had been preserved. Mona had wandered off somewhere to chat, leaving me alone with a group of men and women I didn't know.Soon, I was surrounded by bridesmaids in dresses, while villagers nearby had already raised their phones, their faces lit with anticipation.The bridesmaids, eager to begin, grabbed at me. Seven or eight hands started pulling me toward the grassy area's center. I hadn't noticed until then that a chain had somehow been hooked onto my clothes—one end connected to the base of a wooden doghouse, the other held by the bridesmaids.By the time I realized and tried to resist, a dozen people had already rushed in, forcing me to the ground and crudely binding my hands and feet with iron chains.I instinctively reached for my pocket. However, the villagers
Before long, an argument broke out above me as they fought over the small knife."That's cheating! Hand over the knife!""How is this cheating? The rules didn't say we couldn't use tools! Besides, you all jumped in yourselves!"Amid the struggle, the knife slipped from their grasp and lodged itself into my inner thigh. Blood immediately soaked through my pants, and only then did everyone pause, panicked, scattering in all directions.I was discarded to the side like trash, stripped of all dignity.In despair, I turned my head, and that was when I saw Mona, who'd been nowhere to be seen until now. She was hurrying over, half a peanut shell still stuck to the corner of her mouth.Thinking she'd come to help me, I stretched out my hand toward her, signaling for her to call 911. Mona finally reached me. However, instead of helping, she swatted my hand away. She pulled out a new phone. Ironically, it was the one I'd given her just last week.She began snapping pictures and record
Noticing my gaze, Rosalie softened her tone and tried to reassure me."Zayne, I'm just protecting your dignity! Without any videos of what happened, what good would a lawsuit do?"Zayne, I won't cast you aside because of this. Let's pretend today never happened. No one else has to know. Didn't you always want a child? We can adopt one as soon as we get back. What do you think?"My mind was in turmoil. Rosalie had a point. After all, she had pulled me back from death's door. And my phone and computer were still in their hands. If news about my business leaked, who knows what Mona might use against me next?Visibly conflicted, Suzy was about to say something when Rosalie shot her a cold glance. "This is between my husband and me. It's none of your business."At her command, her bodyguards dragged Suzy out of the room.Rosalie then smiled at me. "Honey, let's go home. You can rest and recover there; no need to go anywhere."After that day, Rosalie's actions made it clear she ha
I had indeed sworn to Mona that I wouldn't call the police that time, but I never promised I would tolerate it this time. So, I submitted all the surveillance footage from this incident, along with the injury assessment results. While Lester's involvement was unexpected, visiting Rosalie's hometown had been part of my plan from the start.As the previous time had been an accident, no solid evidence was left.This time, however, I was prepared for my visit back to Rosalie's home. I deliberately stepped into their trap while recording every move in high definition.I hadn't expected to catch an idiot like Lester in the act, too. Just what did Rosalie see in him? Then, I realized she was just as foolish. The only one who had been blind was my younger self.I chuckled bitterly; I'd already paid my price. Now, it was time for others to pay theirs.Night had fallen by the time I finished giving my statement. As I stepped outside, my phone lit up—first with Rosalie's email refusing to
Rosalie Clarke and I had been estranged and separated for several years now.That was why I was surprised when her family called me."Zayne, your mother-in-law has passed away. We can't reach Rosalie. Please, come back and handle the funeral arrangements."Hearing that Mona North, my mother-in-law, had passed away, I felt a sudden jolt in my chest. It wasn't grief, but rather as if a tightly strung string in me had snapped.Rosalie and I had separated about three years ago.Since then, she'd been living as if she'd never been married—constantly hitting up bars and clubs, hiring male escorts, and completely ignoring my messages and calls. I frowned upon hearing the news, thinking Rosalie had crossed the line. Something had happened to her mother, and yet, Rosalie was nowhere to be found. I stared at the voice message for a long time before finally canceling all meetings for the week and heading to Rosalie's hometown. My assistant wordlessly signaled for ten bodyguards to accomp
I sighed and put my phone away.There went another unfortunate soul wounded by love.If I ever had a chance to help him in the future, I thought, maybe I would. Rosalie still hadn't replied to any of my messages or calls.Around me, her relatives had already split into small groups and started a game of cards, leaving piles of peanut shells scattered across the floor.I sat far away. Seeing they weren't interested in bothering me and were even ignoring me, I relaxed a bit. The stale, foul smell in the room was starting to give me a headache. Lips pressed into a tight line, I contemplated escaping to the outdoors just as chaos erupted beyond the walls. Opening the door, I came face-to-face with Lester.He had a crowd of seven or eight people behind him, a phone in one hand and a stick in the other, looking ready to start trouble. "Lester?" I was taken aback. "What are you doing here?"He froze for a moment before he waved his stick around and loudly announced to his group,
Lester sneered. "You pathetic, worthless leech. Even your family doesn't stand with you. Who's going to help you now? You're an embarrassment to all men!"Lester glanced at the memorial photo, and then at the scattered gifts in the house. He scoffed, "That photo must be of your mother, right? And all these gifts are probably from Rosalie."You're living off the dead. Don't you have any shame? Your whole family's a bunch of parasites. Don't think for a second you'll get a penny from my fiancée even if someone's dead!"With that, he directed his group to smash everything in sight. Only then did I realize Lester had brought over two or three dozen people, each one holding a club or stick. As the memorial photo crashed to the ground, glass shards scattered across the floor. My newly purchased porcelain vases, each worth tens of thousands, toppled one by one, sending sharp fragments flying and cutting into my legs.I wanted to speak up to stop them, but seeing the recently installed s