Chapter 3

Lila came again that afternoon.

She wore light makeup that only made her face look paler, with a trace of grievance between her brows that made people's hearts ache.

Adrian followed behind her, his face dark enough to drip water.

Lila sat down, her voice so soft it could squeeze out water:

"Natalie, I heard you and Adrian had an argument?"

"You're still young, and you just had a miscarriage. You're hurt and feeling wronged. I understand all that."

Her tone was gentle, like coaxing a child who didn't understand:

"But divorce—that's not something you can just say casually. A divorced woman's reputation is damaged. The gossip in our circle could drown you."

"The Sterling family has such prestige and cares most about appearances. Plus so many eyes are on the company. If you make this kind of scene, Adrian will be laughed at in our circle."

With each sentence she spoke, Adrian's frown smoothed out a bit, and his eyes looking at her filled with gratitude for being understood.

Lila raised her hand, gently pressing her fingertip to the corner of her eye, her voice choking:

"It's all my fault really. My poor health has kept Adrian worrying about me, making him neglect you."

"I'm the one who caused you two to fight like this. It's all my fault."

Adrian cut her off sharply:

"Lila! How can you say that! Taking care of you is my responsibility."

He looked at me, his eyes carrying a hint of threat:

"Natalie, Lila is so much more thoughtful than you! She's this worried about you, and you don't even appreciate it!"

Lila looked up, her eyes brimming with tears that hung precariously on the edge of falling:

"No, it's all my fault. If I hadn't stayed at the Sterling house, always making Adrian worry about me, you two wouldn't have..."

She got halfway through before she couldn't hold on anymore, lowering her head to cover her face, her shoulders trembling slightly as she sobbed quietly.

I watched her crude performance and suddenly laughed out loud.

Hearing the laughter, Lila's crying stopped abruptly. She looked up, her face full of shock.

Adrian roared: "What's so funny!"

"I'm laughing at Lila for having at least some self-awareness." I spoke each word clearly, my voice bright.

"She knows she's freeloading at the Sterling house, distracting Adrian, stirring up trouble between us as husband and wife."

"Watching you cry, I almost believed it. With your acting skills, it's a real waste you're not making movies."

"Natalie West!" Adrian bellowed.

Lila suddenly stood up, her body swaying:

"Natalie! How can you slander me! I'm doing this for you two..."

I stared at her, my eyes cold as ice:

"On my wedding night, you said you weren't feeling well. Adrian didn't even change out of his wedding clothes—he spent the whole night in your room."

"On my birthday, you said you were afraid of the dark. He abandoned me and the cake to rush over and keep you company through the night."

"The day before my miscarriage, it was pouring rain in the suburbs. You said you felt dizzy and your heart was racing. Without a word, he left me behind and drove to pick you up. I walked home alone in the rain."

"Your body really knows when to get sick. Every single time right when I need my husband!"

I turned to look at the guilty-faced Adrian:

"Everything I just said—don't you, as the person involved, have any idea?"

Adrian opened his mouth, speechless.

As soon as I finished speaking, Lila held her head, swaying unsteadily:

"Adrian... Adrian, I can't... I'm dizzy..."

"Dizzy again?"

I picked up the glass of water on the table, raised my wrist, and splashed the water directly in her face.

Lila's elaborate hairstyle plastered against her face, her expression stunned.

I put down the glass, my voice cold:

"If you're going to faint, go faint in your own place. Don't be an eyesore here."

Lila's motion to collapse into Adrian's arms froze mid-air. She slowly straightened up, the fragility instantly fading from her face.

A cold glint appeared in her eyes. The fainting act couldn't continue.

"Emma, call security to throw them out. I'm tired."

Emma came forward with two security guards, directly blocking them.

Lila gave me a long look, stopped pretending to be weak, turned on her high heels and walked out. Where was any trace of frailty now?

Adrian stayed behind last, looking at me with shocked and unfamiliar eyes:

"Natalie, you've changed."

I turned my back to him, too lazy to look at him again:

"It's you who never truly saw me."

That evening.

Emma placed a thick stack of transaction records and divorce papers in front of me:

"Miss West, it's all been verified. Your account is missing $56 million. The money trail and handlers are all listed here."

I picked up the divorce agreement, signed my name at the bottom, and pressed my fingerprint.

"Send this to Adrian's office. Tell him to transfer back my prenuptial assets and everything else that belongs to me within three days. And sign the divorce papers."

"Otherwise, I don't mind letting everyone in the business circle know how Sterling Group sucked its daughter-in-law's blood to maintain their empty shell of a prestigious family. At worst, we'll mutually destroy each other and let Sterling get delisted."