A Heart Left in the Cold

Chapter 1 On Will Henderson and Hollie Olsen’s seventh anniversary, Will gifted Hollie an organ donor agreement for her heart.

The intended recipient of her heart was a college student, Tiffany Meyer.

Will had spent millions in an attempt to win Tiffany’s heart, but his advances were to no avail.

When Hollie saw the recipient’s name, she did not hesitate to rip the agreement into pieces. “Will, have you lost your mind? I will never agree to this!”

Unfazed, Will watched the shredded paper flutter in the air. Then, he picked up the shreds calmly and said coldly, “Hollie, you will agree to it.”

He had never failed to get what he wanted.

Sure enough, Will had abducted all of her loved ones that night, just to force Hollie into signing the organ donor agreement.

…

Will sat down as he slid a new agreement toward Hollie. “I’ll let them go as long as you sign the agreement.”

Although his voice was calm, the clinking sound of his rosary beads came to an abrupt stop. He was silently reminding her that his patience was running thin.

A chill ran through her veins, and the way her trembling hand had clutched the pen was a testament to how terrified she was.

Seeing the taut rope hanging over the edge of a cliff, Hollie could not believe that Will was willing to go so far for Tiffany.

Tied to the other end of that taut rope were her parents and her best friend. Not just them, but even her grandparents, both over the age of 80, were tied to that same rope.

On their seventh anniversary, the man whom she had once shared a bed with had decided to abduct everyone she loved. It was ironic and pathetic.

Soon, Will’s patience wore thin.

He picked up the agreement papers and looked at her quietly. The threatening look in his eyes was apparent.

Before Hollie could even react, she heard her best friend, Maya Abbott, screaming at the top of her lungs for her not to sign the agreement.

With a snap of his fingers, the length of rope wrapped around Maya’s body was cut.

Hollie’s hand trembled as she placed the tip of the pen on the agreement papers and saw the tortured state her parents were in.

The next second, her parents suddenly began to scream at Will with bloodshot eyes, yelling about how much of a monster he was.

With a small chuckle, Will shook his head, and in the blink of an eye, the sea had swallowed her parents’ bodies.

Next, Will picked up a pair of scissors and stood by her grandparents’ side with a calm expression.

Tears streamed down Hollie’s cheeks as she screamed in pain, “Will, they’re my family. My grandparents are already in their 80s. How could you treat them like that?”

Instead of getting mad, Will merely walked toward her and said, “Hollie, I didn’t want to do this. You’re the one who disobeyed me.”

“What if I refuse to sign this paper?” Hollie laughed in rage.

Will’s expression immediately turned cold before he smirked and warned softly, “Then your grandparents will meet the same fate as your parents.”

Hollie stumbled back at his words, staring in disbelief at the man who once claimed to cherish her more than his own life.

Seven years ago, he was an infamous playboy, notorious for chasing money, not feelings. But then, he had fallen for her at first sight.

To get Hollie to marry him, he had cut ties with all of his flings and had even gotten her name tattooed over his heart.

Everyone in their circle kept talking about Will’s transformation, and they kept encouraging her to accept Will’s advancements.

She had continued to refuse all of his advances, but one day, tragedy struck. As her life was threatened, Will had rushed up to her and gotten stabbed in her place.

After that incident, Hollie ignored her parents’ objections and agreed to marry him without hesitation.

Will had spoiled her endlessly once they got married. As long as there was something that Hollie liked, he would buy it without hesitation, even if it cost him hundreds of millions of dollars.

Everyone admired Hollie for taming the infamous playboy.

But one day, Will had introduced her to a woman. He told her that the woman’s name was Tiffany and that he wanted to keep Tiffany as his mistress.

Before Hollie could object, Tiffany’s eyes overflowed with tears. “Although I’m poor, I still have my dignity. I refuse to be the other woman in someone else’s relationship!”

After hearing Tiffany’s words, Will chased after her without hesitation. That was the first time he had chosen someone other than Hollie.

From that day onward, he started coming home late and would rarely speak to Hollie.

She could only keep track of his whereabouts through Tiffany’s Instagram posts. He had gifted her a villa, a yacht, and everything that he believed was best in the world.

But Tiffany had rejected all of his gifts, saying, “Mr. Henderson, you’ve crossed the line.”

Her firm rejection only fueled Will’s obsession with her.

Hollie had been heartbroken. She had questioned Will with bloodshot eyes, and she had even handed him divorce papers.

However, all Will gave in return were half-hearted promises. “Hollie, life’s been a bit boring recently. I just wanted to find myself some fun. I know the difference between love and infatuation.

“You’re my one and only wife. So stop asking for a divorce, I’ll never let you leave me.”

He had then placed her under house arrest, ordering the housekeepers to take care of all her needs. His only request was for her to wait for him.

He wanted her to wait until he had gotten bored, and once he did, he’d return to their family and love her wholeheartedly again.

As Will began coming home less and less, Hollie had begun to plot her escape.

But now, he had suddenly shown up before her with an organ donor agreement, forcing her to sign it.

Tiffany had a sudden flare-up of her congenital heart condition and needed a heart transplant urgently.

Unfortunately, Hollie was the only compatible match. She had expected him to ask her to sign the organ donor agreement, but she never thought he’d abduct her loved ones for Tiffany’s sake.

She also never thought that he’d use her loved ones to threaten her.

“I’ll sign the papers.” Hollie’s voice quavered. She picked up the pen and signed the agreement without any hesitation.

Seeing that she had signed the papers, Will’s fingers brushed over the ink, seemingly trying to check if the signature was real.

Once he had confirmed that the signature was legitimate, he got in his car and left without hesitation. Nothing but a dissipating exhaust trail was left.

Hollie began coughing from the fumes. The pain in her heart was unbearable, and it felt like there was a blade piercing through her heart with each breath that she took.

Looking at the bottomless sea, she suddenly wanted to end it all.

Just as she began walking toward the edge of the cliff, her mother’s voice sounded from behind her. “Hollie.”

…

After hearing her mother, Jasmine Hills’, explanation, Hollie found out that Will had arranged a rescue team to wait by the ocean bed.

He had orchestrated the entire thing just to force her to sign those papers.

Hollie’s eyes reddened. That man was her husband, the man who had claimed to love her and slept by her side for seven years!

Looking at her loved ones, Hollie said, “Mom, Dad, I’ve already bought the airplane tickets. You need to take Grandpa and Grandma with you. Maya, I’ll need your help to send them to the airport.”

Jasmine looked at her, worried. “Hollie, what about you?”

“I’ll head over there to accompany you once I settle the divorce.”

…

The next day, Will asked Hollie what she wanted as compensation, and she handed him a property transfer agreement.

Once he read the title of the contract, he didn’t question it as he signed the agreement quickly.

“Hollie, I know you love the ocean. Once you’re pregnant, we’ll move to the seaside as a family, okay?”

Hollie looked at the signed divorce papers and gave Will an indifferent nod.

She murmured quietly to herself, “Will, we won’t have a future together anymore.”

Chapter 2 Just as Hollie was about to leave with the divorce papers, Will’s words made her freeze.

“Oh, right. Your parents haven’t been in the best health recently, so I’ve brought them to our family’s private sanatorium. Why didn’t you tell me they wanted to go abroad for a vacation? As their son-in-law, it’s only right that I treat them well.”

Hollie’s knees buckled, and she quickly stumbled back.

After absorbing the meaning behind his words, her eyes turned red. Her voice trembled as she asked, “What do I need to do for you to let my parents go?”

Will stubbed his cigarette out and gently placed his palm on Hollie’s head. “Just behave yourself. Once the surgery is completed, I’ll ensure they’re well taken care of.”

Despite his gentle tone, the threat behind his words was evident.

Hollie laughed self-mockingly. She had never planned to escape the surgery for the transplant, so why was he going to such lengths?

The second he finished his words, he quickly added, “Hollie, there’s one more thing I need your help with.”

She was about to ask what he needed when a pot of boiling stew was brought before her.

Will explained, “Tiffany’s stubborn. I’ve tried to get her to move into our villa multiple times, but she keeps refusing me. So, I’ll need you to suffer a little as I burn your hand.

“Then, I’ll ask her to move into the villa to cook for you. She’ll be indebted to you after that, so she’ll be compelled to move in.”

Hollie’s eyes were filled with disbelief upon hearing Will’s words. She never thought she would hear Will say something so absurd.

In the past, he would panic over a single strand of hair falling out of her head, yet he now wanted her to burn herself for another woman.

Looking at the boiling pot of stew, Hollie began screaming desperately in refusal.

Without a second thought, Will instructed his bodyguard to force her hand into the boiling pot. He remained indifferent as he watched her hand burn and listened to her screams of pain.

The bodyguard had only stopped once her hand had become disfigured.

At that moment, whatever remaining feelings Hollie had for Will had vanished completely.

The family doctor quickly stepped up to bandage her hand, but Will showed no signs of concern toward her well-being.

Instead, he took a picture of her injured hand and turned around to call Tiffany. “Hi, Tiffany. I wasn’t lying. My wife got hurt…

“I’ll head to the hospital to pick you up now.”

Once Will left, the remaining bodyguards surrounded Hollie.

“Mrs. Henderson, Mr. Henderson has instructed us to send you to the hospital to get an artificial heart fitted. He also wants you to do a full body check-up.”

Hollie laughed bitterly in her heart. Will was the one who had hurt her, yet he was still pretending that he cared.

She knew she had no right to refuse his arrangements, so she headed to the hospital.

…

When Hollie returned from the hospital, she saw Tiffany alone in their villa.

Tiffany wore a long white dress, and her sickly complexion made her look fragile and pitiful.

The second she saw Hollie, she remained calm and composed as she said, “Mrs. Henderson, although you’re donating your heart to me, it doesn’t mean I’m willing to be a homewrecker. Please keep your husband under control, or I’ll move out immediately.”

Tiffany, the woman who would be receiving her heart, had dared to ask her to keep Will in check. Hollie was suddenly struck by how ridiculous her failed marriage was.

She ignored Tiffany and left for her room for a nap. She was exhausted after the day’s events and wanted to rest.

However, when she opened her eyes again, she realized her head felt heavy.

The second she opened the door, she realized that the entire villa was filled with smoke.

Hollie immediately covered her nose and mouth as she made her way to the kitchen. Once she was there, she realized that the gas was left on despite the kitchen being empty.

Her blood immediately turned cold. If she hadn’t woken up halfway through her nap, the consequences would have been deadly. In the worst-case scenario, she might have even died in her room.

By the time she swallowed her discomfort and turned off the gas in the kitchen, Tiffany came strolling back in.

Upon seeing her, Hollie pointed toward the stove and asked, “Do you have any common sense? How could you leave the house without turning the gas off? Do you know I could have died if I didn’t react in time?”

Tears immediately began to flow down Tiffany’s cheeks as she choked, “I just went out to buy some groceries.

“It’s not as dangerous as you make it out to be. I can just leave if I’m not welcome here. You don’t have to use such an excuse just to humiliate me.”

With that said, Tiffany picked up her bag and ran out of the villa. But before she could make it out, she bumped into Will.

Will asked, “What’s wrong? Did someone bully you?”

With teary eyes, Tiffany sobbed, “I just went out for a few minutes, yet Mrs. Henderson has accused me of trying to kill her. She’s attacking me!”

Upon hearing her explanation, sympathy filled Will’s eyes as he said softly, “What do I need to do to make it up to you?”

Tiffany bit her lip and said, “I decided to cook for her out of kindness, yet she ended up framing me. I don’t want to see her for the next few days.”

“Alright,” Will said affectionately.

When Hollie heard their exchange, she began to explain angrily, “Will, I didn’t frame her. She’s the one who went out without turning the gas off. She nearly—”

Will coldly interrupted, “So what if Tiffany had forgotten to turn the gas off? Aren’t you doing just fine? Not to mention, Tiffany’s sick. To thank you for your sacrifice, she went out of her way to cook for you. Shouldn’t you feel grateful?”

With that, he called his bodyguards over.

“Lock her up in the study so that she can reflect on her actions. She’s not allowed to come out unless she finishes copying the book, ‘Etiquette for Women.’”

Then, Hollie was forcefully shoved into the study, and the door was locked.

Looking at the tightly closed door, Hollie leaned against it, feeling helpless. Images of Will throwing himself in front of a knife to protect her suddenly flashed across her mind.

The man who had once looked at her with eyes full of love only existed in her memory, while the woman who had once believed that Will could change had become the biggest joke of all.

Chapter 3 An entire day had passed, but still, Hollie refused to write a single word.

When Will found out, he flew into a rage and cut off all her food.

Just when Hollie began to believe she would starve to death in that room, the door to the study finally opened.

A bodyguard had opened it, and despite his sympathy-filled voice, his next words landed on her like a heavy blow.

“Mrs. Henderson, Mr. Henderson has instructed me to escort you to Mr and Mrs. Olsen Senior’s funeral.”

…

On the way to the funeral, Hollie was informed of the reason behind her grandparents’ deaths.

The two old folks were almost 100 years old, so after being suspended in midair for a prolonged period, they had suffered from insufficient blood flow to their brain.

They had been in the emergency room for two days, but passed away shortly thereafter.

Upon finding out what had happened, Hollie felt like a giant hand was squeezing her heart, suffocating her.

She curled up helplessly in the backseat, wrapped her arms around herself, and cried out in pain. “I’m sorry, Grandma and Grandpa. I regret it now. I regret marrying Will…”

When Hollie arrived at the funeral dressed in black, the crowd’s whispers and murmurs reached her ears.

“Did you hear what had happened? Mr. Olsen Senior’s death had something to do with the college student that Will is pursuing. Mrs. Henderson sure is useless. She can’t even get a grip on her husband.”

“Oh my God! Is that true? How can that homewrecker be so shameless? Honestly, those rich men tend to fall in and out of love so quickly. They’re spoiling you one day and taking your family’s lives the next.”

“She had it coming. She should have expected such a day to come when she decided to marry rich!”

A sharp pain seized Hollie’s heart. She was planning to ignore the murmurs when Will’s harsh voice sounded from behind her.

“If anyone dares to slander Tiffany again, I’ll cut off their tongues!”

When she looked over, she immediately noticed Tiffany standing next to him, wearing a red dress. She was tugging tightly at Will’s sleeve, looking pitiful as she depended on him.

The second Hollie saw them, she smiled mockingly.

Despite being one of the main targets of the crowd’s gossip, Will had turned a blind eye to her and was focused on speaking up on Tiffany’s behalf.

Hollie looked at Will coldly and said, “This is my grandparents’ funeral. Outsiders are not welcome here.”

She had purposely added emphasis on the word “outsider.”

However, Will merely shielded Tiffany behind him and frowned. “Hollie, Tiffany came here out of sincerity. I know you’re in a bad mood, but that doesn’t give you the right to take out your anger on her.”

“Sincerity? You mean like showing up to a funeral in a bright red dress?” Hollie laughed incredulously.

Will immediately defended Tiffany and retorted, “Hollie, you’re being too much. How can you insult someone’s sincerity to such an extent?

“Tiffany’s naive. She wore red because she wanted to bless your grandparents’ passing. She didn’t wear it for the reasons you think she did.”

Upon hearing Will’s explanation, Hollie smiled self-deprecatingly as disappointment flooded her eyes. She knew nothing she said would carry any weight with Tiffany there and decided to shut up.

After looking around the place and noticing that her parents weren’t there, Hollie frowned and asked again, “Will, where are my parents?”

A flicker of disbelief flashed across Will’s expression. “Your parents are still at the sanatorium.”

Hollie’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Will, can’t you see what’s happening? We’re at my grandparents’ funeral. What right do you have to stop my parents from attending? They’re family too.”

Will immediately frowned. “Hollie, don’t be stubborn. Once the heart transplant is complete, I’ll let you meet your parents.”

Hollie stood frozen in place.

She had expected him to use her parents as leverage against her, but she never expected him to be so deranged that he’d stop them from attending her grandparents’ funeral.

However, she still tried her best to suppress her emotions as she said, “Will, I never thought of escaping that surgery. Let my parents out so that they can attend the funeral.”

She looked at him with hope, but that hope was crushed instantly.

“I can’t do that, Hollie. I won’t feel at ease if I do.” With that, Will answered a call and quickly left, leaving Hollie rooted in place.

At that moment, Hollie wanted nothing more than to break down and cry her heart out. However, her rationality didn’t let her do so.

She was at her grandparents’ funeral, and there were a lot of people waiting to see her make a fool out of herself. She couldn’t cry.

After composing her emotions, she looked at the open coffin and listened as the priest gave the final rites. Then, just like everyone else, she closed her eyes in silent prayer.

However, Tiffany’s startled yell rang out.

When Hollie opened her eyes, she saw Tiffany accidentally kick a candle over, lighting the coffin on fire.

Hollie’s eyes widened as she rushed forward and tried to extinguish the fire with her bare hands.

Unfortunately, the flame was too big. By the time the fire was extinguished, her hands were already burned, and her grandparents’ faces were scorched beyond recognition.

The priest immediately pointed at Tiffany and said sternly, “You’ve disrespected the deceased and harmed their body. Please kneel and bow your head to the deceased, or I won’t be able to proceed.”

Tiffany pursed her lips upon hearing the priest’s words. “What’s the big deal? They’re about to be cremated anyway.”

Hollie’s eyes blazed with fury as she looked at Tiffany and choked out, “Ms. Meyer, please bow your head and apologize to my grandparents.”

The guests around them also began to urge Tiffany. “You should just hurry up and apologize. Why are you just standing there? Can you handle the consequences if you don’t apologize in time?”

Tiffany’s eyes turned red, and she started to glance around for Will.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

In the end, under the crowd’s urging, she had no choice but to kneel and bow her head reluctantly.

The second Will returned, Tiffany immediately ran toward him and cried, “Mr. Henderson, you’re the one who asked me to come to this funeral. I don’t understand why everyone is bullying me.

“Is it because I’m wearing red? Is that why they made me kneel and apologize to the two corpses?”

Will felt his heart break as he looked at Tiffany. The veins on his neck bulged out as he shouted furiously, “Who made Tiffany kneel? Who did it?”

Chapter 4 Everyone immediately fell silent upon hearing Will’s tone as they held their breaths, afraid of offending him.

Once Hollie ensured the coffins were sealed, she remained indifferent as she said coldly, “I did.”

Will suppressed his anger upon seeing Hollie’s red and swollen eyes. “Hollie, explain things to me.”

The priest couldn’t help but interject, “Sir, this young lady had disrespected the deceased by desecrating their corpses. If she did not kneel and apologize, they’ll—”

Upon hearing the priest’s words, Hollie interrupted him and said, “Thank you for your kind intentions, but I have nothing to say for myself.”

She knew that no matter what she said, Will would only believe Tiffany. There was no need for her to explain herself.

Hollie’s attitude only fueled Will’s anger.

Just as he was about to explode, Tiffany suddenly grabbed his hand in tears and sobbed, “Mr. Henderson, I was wrong. Mrs. Henderson had explicitly told me that I wasn’t welcome here. I’ll just leave right now and stop sullying the atmosphere.”

Tiffany had just turned around when Will quickly stopped her. Then, he grabbed Tiffany’s hand and guided her to yank Hollie’s hair.

“Society preys on the weak. If you keep acting weak, other people will just bully you more. I need to teach you how to fight back and give other people a taste of their own medicine!”

He turned to Hollie and said coldly, “Since you’re so respectful and love making others kneel, I’ll make sure you prostrate yourself to your heart’s content.”

He forcefully pushed Hollie’s head to the ground. Then, he yanked her head up again by her hair and smashed it roughly onto the ground.

Hollie’s forehead was bruised on the first hit, but Will did not stop.

The second time, blood seeped out of Hollie’s forehead, but he never paused.

He continued for a third, fourth, and fifth time.

Will only stopped when Hollie had lost consciousness.

Instead of looking at Hollie, who had fainted on the ground, he gently rubbed Tiffany’s hand and asked, “Have you learnt what to do next time?”

Once Tiffany nodded, he grabbed her hand, and they left the funeral together.

Once he was gone, Hollie vaguely heard the sympathetic voices coming from the people around her.

“Ms. Olsen is so pitiful. I used to envy her for being able to make a playboy like Will settle down. Now, I’m just glad that Will has never set his eyes on me.”

“How will Mr and Mrs. Olsen Senior rest in peace after seeing how their granddaughter is being treated?”

…

When Hollie came to her senses, she realized she was lying on a hospital bed. The medical report by the bed stated that she was suffering from a mild concussion.

When she saw the report, she immediately laughed bitterly.

The man whom she had loved for seven years had beaten her until she suffered a concussion, all because of another woman.

For a short moment, she wasn’t sure if she should blame Will for being such a good actor or if she should blame herself for falling for the wrong person.

As she processed her discharge alone, she quickly realized that Will had not called her once to ask about her condition. She hadn’t even received a single text from him.

Her missing husband was soon found on Tiffany’s Instagram feed.

In her photos, Will was hugging her shoulders intimately, and they were both smiling happily. From the location tagged in her post, it looked like they were in the Kalzives.

No wonder Will didn’t have time to message her; it turned out he was out on vacation with Tiffany.

From the intimate nicknames Tiffany had for Will, it was clear that Tiffany no longer rejected his advances. Their relationship had progressed greatly during their vacation.

It seemed Will was about to win Tiffany over soon.

Almost immediately, Will’s message had confirmed her guesses. “Hollie, once I return home, let’s find some time to get a divorce.”

Chapter 5 Will said, “Tiffany says she’s unwilling to be the other woman, so I’ll have to trouble you to fake a divorce with me. Once I get tired of her, I’ll return to your side.”

Once Hollie saw his message, she clenched her fists so hard that her fingers turned white. However, she merely replied, “Alright.”

She had been racking her brains on ways to get through the mandatory cooling-off period for a divorce and was more than happy to divorce Will.

She clenched her phone tightly and chuckled. “Will, what makes you think I’ll be grateful and welcome you home with open arms once you return to my side?”

He was wrong about that.

Once Will had submitted the divorce papers to the courthouse, he had explicitly instructed the officers to delay the review process.

But against his expectations, Hollie had used her identity as his wife for the last time to instruct the employees to speed up the process instead.

After three days, Hollie had finally gotten what she wanted and received her divorce certificate. Upon obtaining the certificate, she took a deep breath.

She was finally free.

…

Two days later, Will held a grand wedding ceremony for Tiffany.

Tiffany had personally requested that Hollie attend the wedding. “I would never take someone else’s man. I would only be at ease once I receive Hollie’s blessing.”

Hence, Will used Hollie’s parents as leverage once again to force Hollie to attend.

She sat among the audience, watching the couple’s emotional performance indifferently. Her heart was completely numb.

When she saw how happy Tiffany was, she couldn’t help but remember how happy she had been seven years ago.

Back then, Will had also vowed to love her for the rest of his life and swore he’d never betray her. He had even vowed that he’d rot in hell if he ever betrayed her.

Everything seemed so ridiculously ironic when she looked back at their vows. It seemed vows only mattered during the moments when they were spoken.

She had made the mistake of falling for the lies of a playboy.

“The bride and groom may exchange their rings,” the emcee’s voice quickly snapped her back from her reverie

Hollie noticed that the ring Will had worn for seven years was no longer there. Only a faint red mark remained to prove that their marriage had ever existed.

Moments later, a new ring hid the faint marks, eradicating all signs of their ridiculous marriage.

The ceremony soon came to an end. Just as Hollie prepared to leave, the sound of a woman’s loud moan caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

On the big screen, a video of Tiffany lying naked below Will’s body as she moaned in pleasure began to play.

Will quickly reacted and shouted furiously for someone to turn the video off.

However, the screen quickly turned dark as blood-red words appeared. “A homewrecker will die miserably!”

The red words were big and eye-catching, and the guests erupted into murmurs as they took their phones out to record the moment.

“Will had only divorced his wife a few days ago, yet he’s already found someone else. It’s obvious that his new wife’s a homewrecker.”

“This is my first time seeing such a shameless homewrecker. She had just ruined someone’s marriage, yet she dares to hold such a grand wedding. Is she worried that no one will know she’s a homewrecker?”

The crowds’ murmurs were getting harsher, and Tiffany broke down as she pointed at the screen and shouted, “Turn it off! Turn it off now!”

Hollie was still standing there dumbfounded, but before she could come to her senses, Tiffany’s best friend slapped her, jerking her face to the side.

“How can you be so disgusting? Tiffany and Will decided to marry each other after dating—just like any normal couple. How can you do such a disgusting thing at their wedding?”

Once her friend had finished scolding Hollie, Tiffany’s eyes blazed as she screamed, “Ms. Olsen, I never thought you’d do something like that!

“I had invited you out of good faith, hoping that you’ll be able to bear witness to our happiness. Not only did you ruin our wedding, but you also used such degrading words to insult who I am as a person. Why would you do this to me?”

Will glared at Hollie, his expression unreadable.

Meanwhile, Hollie cradled her cheek with one hand, her body was trembling in rage. “You can ask everyone here, and they’ll tell you that I’ve been sitting here from the beginning till the end.

“I’ve never even moved, so how could I possibly have the opportunity to do such a thing? Not to mention, I would never stoop so low to do something—”

“That’s enough!” Will shouted furiously, cutting Hollie off mid-sentence.

He continued, “How could you still deny it? Hollie, I’ve never once cared about the times you had targeted Tiffany.

“However, you’ve crossed the line this time! I’ll give you three seconds to apologize to Tiffany. If you do, I’ll let this go. Three…”

“Will, it wasn’t me!” Hollie screamed.

“Two.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong, so I refuse to apologize. I don’t know who did it!”

“One.”

“Will, I’ve been married to you for seven years. If you just use your resources to look into this matter, you’ll know that someone else is behind this. So why…

“Why aren’t you willing to give me that much trust?”

Hollie’s voice was choked with tears as she screamed at Will.

The Will who had once sworn to love and protect her forever, to trust her no matter what, was now looking at her with chilling indifference.

He enunciated his words with finality, “No one would do such a thing, other than you.”

With that, he took out his phone and called a number. “Hello, is this Ivory Etiquette? I’d like to send someone over to learn their lesson…

“Yes, that’s right. You can release her once she admits that she was wrong.”

Hollie stood rooted to the spot upon hearing his words. The crowd around them looked at her with sympathy as they discussed what had happened.

“Oh my God. My brother went to that school once, and when he came out, he was so severely depressed that he threw himself off a building. That place is inhumane.”

“Will’s too cruel. How can he treat someone he once loved like that? He might even treat his enemies better than her!”

Chapter 6 When Hollie heard Will’s conversation on the phone, the blood in her veins turned ice cold. She would’ve never imagined that Will would be the one to send her to Ivory Etiquette.

He knew exactly the kind of place Ivory Etiquette was.

A few years ago, Ivory Etiquette was exposed for abusing its students. Countless horrific cases were brought to light.

There were even dismembered remains found on Ivory Etiquette’s grounds. The sight of those dismembered limbs had sent chills down everyone’s spine.

However, with the help of certain connections, the news was quickly suppressed, and Ivory Etiquette did not receive any backlash. Instead, the school had expanded even more rapidly.

Back then, Hollie had been furious when she saw the news.

When Will found out about it, he immediately pulled her into his embrace.

“Don’t worry, Hollie. Once I have enough power one day, the first thing I’ll do is take these bastards down. When that happens, I’ll make sure they’ll be brought to justice.”

Did Will even remember the words he had once said?

…

Hollie spent a week in Ivory Etiquette, and those seven days were the darkest in her life.

During the day, she was forced to learn embroidery and copy paragraphs from the book, “Etiquette for Women.”

At night, she would be locked in a dark and cold room. She would then be beaten, stripped naked, and paraded around in humiliation.

After seven days, there was not an inch of her body left uninjured other than her face.

The teachers there would hold a cane while they asked her a single question, “Do you admit that