Suzanne picked up the bowl of burning sage and walked back to the villa."Madam."She turned.A man in a smart suit came up to her and gave her a polite nod as he handed her an envelope. "General Morrison told me to give you this."Suzanne took the letter. "What is it?" she asked curiously."I'm not sure," the man said. "The general said that he will be away for business for the next few days, so if there's anything you need, do let us know."Suzanne felt her heart clench when she heard that Nathan wouldn't be home for some time.She quickly pulled herself together and handed the bowl to the man. Then, she opened the envelope and pulled out a bank card.There was a note with the card, written in firm handwriting. "The password to the door and the card is 1516117. I will be away indefinitely for business in Sunterland."Suzanne folded up the note and placed it in her pocket. She couldn't stop running her fingers over the card as she stared at it. This belonged to Nathan.Her h
Suzanne was creeped out. "What do you want?"Sally smirked at her coldly. "Nathan is on his way home. Did you know that there are no surveillance cameras in this house apart from the doorway, since this is where he meets other countries' dignitaries?"A horrible feeling crept up Suzanne's back. Her hair seemed to stand on end when she saw Sally's terrifying expression.Before she could react, Sally rushed over to the bookshelf and swept all the books to the ground haphazardly. Then, she slapped herself hard several times until there was a red mark in the shape of a hand on her face.Suzanne watched all this in shock. She was frightened by her actions.She'd known about Sally's underhanded tricks before this, but she really hadn't expected that Sally would be willing to hurt herself just to frame her.Nathan loved Sally with all his heart. He wouldn't believe Suzanne's explanation, especially since her reputation was already ruined.There was no way out of this.While gritting h
Nathan's expression darkened when he heard what Suzanne said. He gave her a cold glare.Suzanne was frightened. She was afraid that he would kill her out of anger, but she couldn't just let herself get framed like this. She wanted to fight for a chance to explain herself, even if it meant her death.Whether Nathan believed her or not was not important. She knew she couldn't change his perception of Sally no matter what she did.Nathan fell silent.He could see the fierce determination in Suzanne's eyes. She had looked just like that when he'd saved her in Technive, and when she had beaten up her own brother in the casino.The teary yet determined look reminded him a lot of how Sally had been when she was young. She was always determined to get over whatever difficulty she had been facing at the time.Dazed by the illusion, he felt his heart lurch in sympathy.After saying all that, Suzanne wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. The wounds on her palms were red and bleed
Vera patted Suzanne on the head fondly and smiled. "Your husband is here."Suzanne paused, and her face paled.Vera pointed toward the house. "He's in there."Suzanne turned to look in a panic. Was he here to get revenge on behalf of his beloved Sally? Or was he here to divorce her?"You slept here last night," Vera said in a low voice. "I think he missed you, so he's here to take you home."Suzanne forced out a smile and tried not to let her bitterness show.Vera didn't know about the fiasco that was their relationship. She thought that they were a loving couple.Under Vera's instruction, Suzanne helped her back to the mansion. As soon as they entered, Nathan came out of his room.Vera beamed. "Come here, Nate, come.""Grandma." Nathan approached them and greeted Vera.He was in casual clothing. His black shirt accentuated his dignified presence.Suzanne couldn't help the twinge of attraction she felt toward him, despite her loathing. She didn't want to see him or speak t
That evening, Suzanne, Nathan, and Vera had dinner together. The table was silent as they ate.Suddenly, Nathan's phone rang and disrupted the peace.He took out his phone, glanced at the screen, and frowned.Sally was video-calling him.It wasn't appropriate to pick up her call with Suzanne and Vera at the table. Moreover, he still hadn't had time to deal with Sally over what happened yesterday.Without hesitation, he rejected Sally's call and texted her instead. "I'm busy. I'll call you when I'm free."With that, he placed his phone back on the table and continued earring.Vera glanced at him. "Have you been very busy lately?""A little.""With work, or with personal matters?" She pointed at his phone."It's not an important call," Nathan explained.Right after he said that, Sally called again.Suzanne knew without doubt that it was Sally calling. She continued eating quietly, but her mood was ruined.Nathan glanced at her before rejecting the call again.Embarrassed th
Suzanne smiled stiffly. "He's not," she said. She was defending Nathan."Then who is that woman?"Suzanne hesitated. Vera was sick. She wouldn't do well with bad news.Using Nathan's words, she said, "She's just a child who doesn't know what she's talking about."Nathan was taken aback. He hadn't expected her to come to his defense even though she had been framed and hurt badly.She hadn't done what Sally had done—slandered and hurt the other woman.Under Suzanne's reassurance, Vera did not continue to push the issue.After dinner, the three of them retreated to the pergola in the garden for leisure.It was a misty night. The quiet garden was filled with the sounds of crickets chirping and frogs croaking.The relaxing fragrance of the tea added to the peace.Vera was in a good mood, as she was being accompanied by her grandson and her granddaughter-in-law.Just then, one of the servants came over and said, "Madam, there's a lady by the name of Ms. Hoffis asking to see you an
Vera was trembling with anger. She clenched her fists and turned to Nathan. "She's lying, isn't she, Nate?"Nathan looked dejected. "She is Sally, Grandma."Devastated, Vera's eyes reddened. She gripped Suzanne's hand with a trembling hand and asked tightly, "Chubs, they're lying, aren't they? You are my granddaughter-in-law."Suzanne knew that Vera was upset by this revelation, but it was a long time coming.She hadn't known before that she had mistook her for someone else, so she had accepted her kindness without question.Now that she knew this was all just a misunderstanding, she couldn't let Vera continue to love her. She had no right to continue to be Nathan's wife.Suzanne's heart ached at the impending loss of the last person who loved her, but she plowed on anyway. "Grandma, I thought you called me Chubs because I had a round face. I didn't know you mistook me for someone else."Vera's eyes were filled with tears. She gripped Suzanne's hands tightly and sobbed, "I didn'
Vera pushed away the phone that Sally handed to her. "I don't want to look at it!"She looked at Nathan emotionally, tears already rolling down her face. "Tell me, Nate! Tell me I wasn't mistaken!" Nathan walked over to Vera before sinking down on one knee. He held her slightly trembling hand. In a gentle voice, he comforted her, "Grandma, don't be so sad. If you think Suzanne is Chubs, then she's Chubs. You can do whatever you want."Sally shot up to her feet at that moment. She exclaimed angrily, "Nate, I'm the real Chubs! You can't just twist the truth to appease Grandma! How long do you plan on letting her live in her delusion?""Shut up!" Nathan shouted, his expression icy. The sight of Nathan looking so furious and intimidating shocked Sally to the core. She could only pout while feeling upset, and tears started to pool up in her eyes. Vera gazed at Suzanne sadly. Affection and regret flashed across her eyes as she said, "That's right. I think she's Chubs. I know she's