I leaned back against the bed and said firmly, "Wendy, we need to be realistic about our limits. Some people are simply out of our league. Let's not daydream. I still have unresolved issues to deal with. How can I even consider whether a man has feelings for me when I'm already wary of relationships after what happened with Max? From now on, I'm practically immune to men."To be honest, after narrowly escaping death this time, I have no illusions left about marriage and love. I'm too scared to even think about it.What has marriage brought me as a woman?Wendy didn't respond.Suddenly, I remembered something important and looked at Wendy seriously. "Wendy, there's something I need your help in investigating.""What is it?""Max said he never touched me."Wendy, who had watched the live stream, remembered this. She asked, "Do you want to check the surveillance footage?"I nodded. "Yes, it was Valentine's Day, and it should be easy to find out who booked the executive suite. Ther
On the day Taylor arrived, the doctor removed the stitches from my head wound and said I could be discharged, only needing to return for regular check-ups.Wendy helped me pack my things, and as we were about to leave, Taylor entered the room holding a bouquet of sunflowers and a briefcase. "Miss Middleton, are you being discharged?" she asked.I nodded. "If I stay any longer, I might start growing mold."Taylor handed me the sunflowers with a bright smile. "Perfect timing! Happy discharge day!"I accepted the flowers. "They'll look great in a vase at home. Thanks!"Wendy and Taylor accompanied me home, with Wendy arranging for an Uber to pick us up.In the car, Taylor handed me a file. I opened it to find Lucy's statement. As expected, Lucy took all the blame but did not admit to being instructed by anyone. She claimed it was a professional error and expressed willingness to compensate for the harm caused, accepting any necessary punishment.This outcome aligned with Steven's p
“Yes, she claimed that from the beginning she knew Max was married, but it was too late. Max assured her he would divorce soon, but after over a year, he still hadn’t followed through. Her family wouldn’t allow her to be the other woman, so she broke up with him,” Taylor explained. “However, Cindy said Max was very emotional at the time, insisting he would resolve things quickly. Cindy claims she had no idea Max would harm you.”Wendy fumed, “That woman is washing her hands clean of this!”Taylor added, “Since there’s no direct evidence linking Cindy to Max’s crimes, and she brought a lawyer, was very cooperative, and provided detailed records of her expenses with Max, the police have to proceed based on the facts. Cindy portrays herself as another victim, deceived by Max.”I pondered for a few seconds and then asked Taylor, “Taylor, I want to arrange a meeting with Cindy. Is there anything I should be aware of?”“What if she refuses to see you?” Taylor asked.I chuckled, confiden
As soon as the call connected, Cindy was the first to speak. "Jen, couldn't hold back, huh?"I sneered, "You've been waiting for my call, right?"Cindy chuckled, sounding smug. "Of course, I've been waiting for this call for a month. If you didn't call soon, I would've thought you were either really stupid or too scared to dig for the truth. I'm guessing you have a lot to ask me, right?"I cut straight to the point. "How about we meet?"Cindy casually replied, "Sure, you pick the place."I said, "Let's meet at the same restaurant as last time. You know where it is."Cindy paused for a second before responding with a cold laugh, "Fine. But Jen, if I see anyone else there, it will ruin my mood. I won't tell you a single thing.""Fine. I'll come alone," I said.I changed into a white dress, grabbed a cardigan, and slipped into comfortable flats before heading out.At the restaurant, I chose a seat by the window and ordered an iced Americano with lemon slices and an egg mayo sandw
I asked, "Why?"Cindy pointed at me. "Because of you."I frowned. "Because of me?"Cindy nodded. "At the time, I thought Max was handsome but had no interest in him, especially since he was just a poor student with a frayed shirt collar. But after the event, I saw you. You came running, jumped into his arms, and he twirled you around. Your laughter under the trees was so picturesque. In that moment, I thought, what a perfect couple. It would be a shame not to destroy it."I was about to call Cindy a twisted, crazy person.Was she psychologically damaged, unable to see others happy?Before I could speak, Cindy's expression turned cold, and she spoke through gritted teeth. "You had a perfect family, loving parents, and an impressive academic record. Was that not enough? Why did fate also give you a perfect boyfriend? Why?""I couldn't stand such unfairness.""But soon I realized that your boyfriend seemed to have ulterior motives with you. Aaron didn't think much of him either. I
I listened attentively as Cindy described her reasons for targeting Max and her decision to involve me. I remained patient, refraining from interrupting or pressing her further. Today, I would finally uncover the truth."At that time, I grew disinterested in Max. I was taken aback by how easily he could be manipulated, lacking any backbone whatsoever. His shallow nature disgusted me, and I no longer wanted to engage with him. I believed someone like him would be better suited for you, given your fondness for him. I thought it would be amusing to witness you eventually discovering his true character."Cindy casually crossed her legs, admiring the exquisite latte art in her cup. "That morning, after breakfast at the hotel, I asked him to leave. I then proceeded to block him on all platforms and caught an afternoon flight back to the Unitedland."This marked Cindy's first breakup with Max.I looked at her intently, curiosity filling my eyes. "What happened next? If you held such disda
Cindy smugly exclaimed, "He spent his entire month's allowance to take me out for afternoon tea at a five-star hotel. He said, even though he had no money, I deserved the best in the world. He was willing to give everything to treat me well."If this had been earlier, when I first found out about Max's affair, hearing Cindy boast like this would have caused me immense pain. But now, as I faced Cindy's arrogance, I felt nothing.Well, maybe I did feel something—I realized just how foolish I had been. I never questioned Max's "thoughtfulness" when we were together. I never complained about eating street food or drinking free bottled water. He couldn't even afford a ten-dollar boba tea.Cindy was right. I had been completely deceived by Max's cheap yet romantic gestures.But was I wrong for falling for it?Even now, I don't think I was wrong. The mistake lay with the scoundrel and his tactics, not with my sincerity and genuine feelings."Max was wrong to think his tactics would work
I met her gaze calmly and replied, "I do want to know, but don't you need to finish boasting about your accomplishments before explaining why?"There was a flash of anger in Cindy's eyes, but she quickly suppressed it. She took a deep breath and looked at me intensely. "Because I was furious. I had been away for over a year, and that useless Max still hadn't dealt with you. He was still being looked down upon by Aaron Middleton as a gold digger! He was still your lapdog, and you were still happily playing princess. It sickened me to see it!"Puzzled, I frowned and was about to ask Cindy what I had done to make her hate me so much.Through gritted teeth, Cindy said, "Especially when I was in so much pain, seeing you happy made me livid."Unable to hold back any longer, I asked Cindy in confusion, "Do you have some sort of mental issue? We've never met before. What did I do to make you hate me so intensely? You even went as far as purposely rear-ending my car when I was pregnant and