Chapter 1

I was drenched and stunned by the glass of red wine Chloe threw at me.

Before I could even react, her voice lashed out again.

“Audrey Smith, you only got your position because of Mr. Scott, didn’t you? Don’t think everyone doesn’t know about your past!”

“Remember when your nude photos were auctioned off for a pittance, causing a massive scandal that rocked the entire city? Tsk, tsk, what a show!”

Every word she uttered felt like a poisoned needle piercing my wounds.

All eyes in the room fixed on me – shocked, disgusted, and gleefully malicious.

A chill ran through me, the humiliation from years ago washing over me again.

Instinctively, I looked at my husband, Liam Scott.

I still remembered how he saved me when I was at my most desperate, buying all my private photos for an astronomical sum.

I’d always seen him as my savior.

But now, he stood just a few feet away, motionless.

He saw my plea for help in my eyes.

Yet, he only frowned, his gaze flickering before he looked away.

No defense, no explanation, not even a hint of concern.

He silently condoned Chloe’s insult and didn’t care about the judgment raining down on me.

My breath hitched in my chest.

Seeing this, Chloe leaned triumphantly towards Liam. “Mr. Scott, I didn’t mean to. It was Manager Smith who… she pushed me first!”

Liam patted her arm reassuringly. “I know.”

Then he pointed at me, clearly annoyed. “Audrey, what are you even doing? You’ve been so unreasonable lately.”

“You weren’t like this before.”

His words stabbed into my heart like a knife.

Before?

Yes, I was so “reasonable” then. I never questioned him when he didn’t come home at night. I cleared his name when rumors about his affairs spread.

But what did my “reasonableness” get me?

In my panic, someone tripped me, and I stumbled backward.

The wine glass in my hand shattered on the floor. I instinctively put my hand down to brace myself, feeling a sharp sting. Blood stained the polished floor.

I looked up, wincing in pain, and met Liam’s gaze.

Those eyes, once filled with tenderness, now held only icy disgust.

In that moment, I clearly understood: in his eyes, I was perhaps never a cherished lover.

I was just a shameful stain in his life, someone to be constantly reminded of, lest I embarrass him.

I had always believed those sordid past events were a secret between only him and me.

But I never imagined he’d casually tell an outsider like Chloe, giving her ammunition to attack and humiliate me.

My heart turned to ice, inch by painful inch.

I picked myself up from the floor, blood still flowing from my palm, but I no longer felt the pain.

I just wanted to escape this place.

I ducked my head, pushing through the crowd, and stumbled out of the ballroom.

Liam’s voice pursued me. “Audrey Smith, where are you going? Get back here!”

I didn’t look back, quickening my pace.

I had just found my car in the parking lot when he appeared, like a ghost, behind me.

“Audrey, have you had enough?” He grabbed my arm.

I looked at him with vacant eyes.

He seemed a little uncomfortable and let go of my arm, but his tone remained firm. “Chloe is young, why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

“Where’s that dress in the car? Chloe’s dress is ruined, she can wear it as a backup.”

I paused, then remembered the dress I’d specially prepared, sitting on the back seat. I’d intended to wear it for our anniversary.

How ridiculous it seemed now.

Seeing my inaction, he impatiently opened the car door himself, roughly pulled out the dress box, and without a glance at me, turned and walked away.

I deflated, too drained to go after him and question him.

Chloe jogged over from a short distance away. Liam handed her the dress box, and she broke into a delighted smile, intimately linking her arm with his.

Then, as if to spite me, she pulled the dress out and threw it on the ground, stomping on it several times with a look of vengeful satisfaction.

Liam stood by, watching her foolishness with a tolerant smile.

I closed my eyes, feeling the last bit of strength drain from my body.

They walked away together, leaving me in the parking lot with the soiled dress on the ground.

As I was about to get into my car, several dark figures suddenly surrounded me.

Leading them was my ex-fiancé, Derek Stone.

He smiled maliciously, closing in on me. “Long time no see, Audrey Smith.”

“What, you’re Mrs. Scott now? I hear Liam can’t satisfy you, so you remembered me?”

The men behind him chuckled obscenely.

A warning bell rang in my head, but I forced myself to stay calm. “Derek, what do you want?”

“What do I want?” He sneered. “Chloe’s under my protection. You’d better not get in her way, or else…”

He reached out for my face.

I recoiled in terror, screaming, “Don’t come any closer!”

But they pressed in, cornering me against my car door.

My vision blurred, and I completely lost consciousness.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed. The nurse said a passerby had found me and brought me in.

She also told me I was about six weeks pregnant.

My mind exploded with a boom.

I was pregnant?

This was Liam’s and my child…

My emotions were a complicated mess.

The nurse gave me instructions for early pregnancy care, then left the room.

I lay on the bed, staring blankly, my hand unconsciously stroking my lower abdomen.

Here, a tiny life was forming.

Liam and I had always wanted a child.

But for various reasons, we’d put it off.

Now I had his child, but our relationship was no longer intimate.

In the evening, I completed the discharge procedures.

My body was still weak, but a certain thought in my mind grew clearer and clearer.

I returned home. The living room was dark; he hadn’t come back tonight.

I wearily walked towards the bedroom on the second floor.

As I reached the staircase, I heard gasping sounds coming from under the bedroom door.

The sounds were all too familiar: Liam and Chloe.

I was rooted to the spot, unable to move.

My fingers dug into my palms, but I felt no pain.

I turned and walked back down the stairs.

No tears, no hysterics, not even a flicker of emotion.

There is no greater sorrow than a heart that has died.

I left the house and wandered the streets.

The night wind blew cold on my face, but it was nothing compared to the chill in my heart.

As dawn approached, I made a decision.

I booked an abortion for early the next morning and a flight to another country for three days later.

Finally, I contacted an agency specializing in faked deaths, paid a large sum, and asked them to stage an accidental death for me.

Three days from now, there would be no more Audrey Smith in this world.

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