Chapter 3

My heart jolted violently. All the blood in my body seemed to freeze at that moment.

I was an orphan from childhood. My adoptive mother took me in despite others' gossip.

By collecting recyclables and doing odd jobs, living frugally, she raised me bit by bit.

When I first started dating Ethan, I never wanted him to take me home.

I was afraid he'd look at me and my family with the same judgmental eyes as everyone else.

But when Ethan found out, he cried with heartache.

He held me in his arms, gently stroking my hair, his voice choked with emotion.

"Winona, I'll work hard to earn money, give you the best life, repay your mother, and slap the faces of everyone who looks down on you."

Later, he truly did it.

When he proposed to me, he hired the city's most authoritative planning team and created a sea of ten thousand roses that became the talk of the town, making me the envy of everyone.

He bought a wedding house and put it in my name. He found doctors to care for my adoptive mother's health and covered all medical expenses.

Those who had once looked down on me and mocked me all came forward to congratulate me, saying all kinds of flattering things.

Back then, they always said behind my back that Ethan must have done something terrible to feel guilty enough to treat me so well.

I was deeply immersed in it, believing this love would last forever.

Until Vivian's intrusion shattered that dream.

But I never imagined that now he would use my adoptive mother's life to threaten me.

Using my only weakness to please Vivian.

I clenched my fists, nails digging hard into my palms, yet it didn't compare to one ten-thousandth of the pain in my heart.

Despair suffocated me. I closed my eyes as tears silently rolled down.

When I opened them again, my eyes were filled with deathly stillness. I spoke softly.

"Fine. I'll apologize."

Ethan looked at me with satisfaction and snapped his fingers. His assistant placed a paper covered in text on the hospital bed.

"Read it exactly as written. Don't miss a single word."

I picked up the paper, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

The entire page twisted the truth.

It pushed all the blame onto me, saying I became vindictive from unrequited love and maliciously slandered Vivian.

It even claimed that Ethan's fake death was something I had imagined due to mental problems.

But I had no way out. I could only force down my emotions and record a video reading from his prepared script, then post it.

After finishing all this, my whole body was ice-cold, drenched in cold sweat.

Ethan looked at the wound on my neck, took out a checkbook and pen from his pocket, quickly wrote several zeros, and stuffed the check into my hand.

He sighed deeply.

"Here's a million dollars—consider it my compensation to you."

"Hurry and switch to another hospital so Vivian doesn't see you and get upset."

Then he turned and left.

I shakily completed the discharge procedures and left the hospital. My phone rang.

It was my supervisor.

"Winona, the company is restructuring and optimizing personnel. Your termination notice has been sent to your email, and the corresponding compensation has been transferred to your bank account."

I was stunned, finally managing only a few words.

"Thank you for the company's support. I understand."

After hanging up, I scrolled through my phone. The apology video I'd just recorded had already shot to the top of trending topics, while all negative news about Vivian had been scrubbed clean without a trace.

Then my phone suddenly flashed with several new messages.

They were from Vivian.

In the VIP room, piled high with this season's clothes, jewelry, and handbags.

[Winona, look—this is just the tip of the iceberg of what he gives me.]

[I'll tell you the truth: he and I never broke up. During the time he was appeasing you, he came to me every single day.]

[There's no right or wrong in love. The one who isn't loved is the real mistress.]

I stood in the cold wind, tears dripping onto the screen, biting my lip hard to keep from crying out loud.

Just then, I received a call from my adoptive mother's attending physician.

"Miss Walker, your mother had a sudden heart attack. The situation is critical. Get to the hospital immediately to sign for emergency surgery!"