The next day, Melanie went to the embassy to apply for a visa.

At 7:00 pm, she arrived at Johnson Manor right on time. It was a grand birthday celebration, attended by all the renowned families in their social circle.

The Strickland family used to be one of them.

Back then, Laura had often said, "Out of all the ladies in Bell City, only Melanie is worthy of our Raymond. When she marries into our family, I'll treat her like my own daughter."

But when the Strickland family went bankrupt, it was also Laura who, at Morris' funeral, flung a check for 100 thousand dollars at Melanie's face and told her to leave Raymond, warning her not to ruin his bright future.

Collecting her emotions, Melanie entered Johnson Manor.

As soon as she stepped inside, she felt mocking, disdainful, and amused gazes on her.

At the center of the crowd, Laura was chatting warmly with the guests while holding Tracy's hand. "That's right. This is Raymond's beloved Tracy Lambert. She's three months along."

A guest intentionally tried to cause tension, asking, "Isn't your daughter-in-law from the Strickland family? Aren't you afraid she'll flip out when she sees you acting so brazenly with Tracy?"

Laura rolled her eyes, her disdain obvious as she replied, "What's there to be afraid of? She's nothing but a nobody who's now living off my son. If it weren't for him, she'd probably be dead somewhere on the street.

"Besides, she can't even have kids. If she's so capable, she can try having children then."

Melanie had been pregnant before. It was three years ago.

Raymond was driving her to the beach when the brakes failed, causing a massive pileup.

At the critical moment, Melanie instinctively shielded Raymond.

As glass from the windows pierced Melanie's skin, she blacked out on the spot. By the time she woke up, she was in the hospital.

The doctor told her she'd been pregnant, the child was lost, and she might never be able to have children again.

Hearing this, Melanie cried all night.

Then the butler told her that Raymond had been saved by a woman and planned to bring her into the company as his assistant, as a gesture of gratitude.

That woman was Tracy.

A mocking glint flashed in Melanie's eyes as she withdrew from the crowd, heading to the back garden to clear her head.

Alas, Tracy wasn't about to leave her alone. She quietly made her way to Melanie's side. "Melanie, why aren't you heading in? Afraid you'll cry when you see how nice Mrs. Johnson is being to me?"

She blinked, not even trying to mask her provocation. "See this? Mrs. Johnson just gave this to me. She said it's something every lady of the Johnson family has. It's pretty, right?"

Tracy flaunted the emerald bracelet on her wrist.

Melanie had long stopped caring about such things. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying Raymond doesn't like you anymore, and Mrs. Johnson doesn't care for you either, so why are you still shamelessly clinging to the title of Raymond's wife?

"You should have some sense and let me have it already. Just last night, Raymond promised I could be by his side openly and that neither the baby nor I would have to face mistreatment."

In the face of Tracy's aggression, Melanie simply smiled. "Well then, congratulations."

Whether it was the Johnson family or Raymond, Melanie no longer wanted anything to do with them. She then turned to leave after speaking.

Tracy, struck by an idea, suddenly yelped and collapsed to the ground.

"Help! Someone help me! My stomach hurts so much!"

Raymond came running and saw Tracy clutching her stomach, crying out in pain. Almost instinctively, he slapped Melanie hard across the face. "How can you be this vicious? You'd even hurt a pregnant woman?"

Melanie covered her face, disappointment evident in her eyes. "I didn't."

"I literally saw you!"

Raymond grabbed her wrist, squeezing so hard that it felt like her bones would shatter.

"Did you forget your last lesson already? If anything happens to Trace, I swear I'll reduce your mother to ashes!"

"You don't need to wait. You can do it right now."

Laura stormed over with bodyguards, ordering them to hold Melanie down.

Sobbing, Tracy shook her head. "Mrs. Johnson, Raymond, it's fine. Melanie didn't do it on purpose. She's just jealous because I'm pregnant with Raymond's child. I understand."

She turned around and dropped to her knees in front of Melanie with a dull thud. "Melanie, you should just hit me two more times. I'll do anything to appease your anger. Just… don't hurt my baby."

Melanie almost laughed from sheer rage. "I already said I didn't touch her. If you don't believe me, you can check the surveillance footage. There are cameras here."

Tracy abruptly went pale. Gritting her teeth, she collapsed.

Raymond completely lost it, dragging Melanie to the pool and forcing her head under the water by yanking her hair.

As Melanie's head was shoved into the water the second time, pool water rushed into her mouth and nose, flooding her lungs.

Pain blurred her vision. Her throat burned, and her ears buzzed.

By the pool, Tracy had woken up at some point and was nestling in Laura's arms pitifully.

The guests whispered among themselves. "Isn't Mr. Johnson going too far? He's going to kill her at this rate."

"She deserves it for hurting others…"

Half an hour later, Raymond finally let go of Melanie.

He approached Tracy, his voice gentle as he said, "Don't be afraid. I've already avenged you. Does your stomach still hurt? I'll take you to the hospital."

He then carried Tracy in his arms and left without looking back. Laura kicked Melanie contemptuously before storming off.

Soon, everyone left, leaving Melanie lying on the floor, limp and motionless.

When her tears finally ran dry, she looked at the wedding ring on her finger. A mirthless laugh escaped her lips.

Pulling out her phone, she dialed a number she'd never called before. "You said before you'd pay 300 million dollars for evidence of the Johnson family's tax evasion. Does that offer still stand?"

From that day on, Melanie never went home again, opting to stay in a hotel for over ten days.

During that time, Raymond deliberately kept updating his social media with all things Tracy as a form of punishment to Melanie.

He gave Tracy the jeweled brooch Melanie had once wanted as Tracy's early birthday present.

He moved Tracy into the villa and used the sheets and bedding that Melanie had personally picked out.

He promised Tracy a wedding at the same church where he had married Melanie.

Friends and acquaintances in their circle offered their blessings, saying they were a perfect match.

They also said that Raymond had finally realized he should have dumped Melanie a long time ago, calling her a hag.

Someone even commented, "Forget about the ceremony. Just divorce Melanie and marry Tracy already. You might as well go all the way!"

That comment was the most liked.

Raymond didn't respond, and it was already deleted the next day.

Melanie couldn't care less about such petty things, focusing entirely on her deal with Vincent Corbett.

The day before the divorce was finalized, Melanie returned to the villa.

Unsurprisingly, everything inside had been changed to suit Tracy's taste. Melanie's photos and clothes had all been shredded.

Fortunately, the documents and divorce agreement hidden in the wardrobe weren't discovered.

With the documents in hand, Melanie was about to leave when Tracy blocked the door, her belly protruding.

"Melanie, I seriously didn't expect you to be able to put up with so much. I've made you the laughingstock of high society, and yet here you are, still clinging to the Johnsons.

"I guess it's understandable, though. Now that both of your parents are gone, it's only natural that you'd hang onto the Johnson family for dear life. After all, who else in Bell City would want you besides Raymond?"

Suddenly, Tracy had an amusing thought, and she looked at Melanie, grinning innocently.

"Do you know why Raymond likes me so much? Because I told him that on the day of your car accident, you ran away to save yourself and left him behind, and that I was the one who got him out of the car.

"When I took Raymond to the hospital, you were still stuck in the passenger seat, bleeding heavily, so I literally watched your miscarriage happen.

"And I was the one who paid off the doctor and had him tell Raymond that taking a vegetative patient off life support wouldn't be a problem. I made you watch helplessly as your mother died.

"After all I've done, there's just no way you can beat me, is there, Melanie?"

Melanie's handbag fell to the ground with a thud. Unable to take it anymore, she slapped Tracy across the face.

The next second, a sharp pain shot through the back of her neck. Someone had knocked her out.

She woke to find herself and Tracy trapped in a wrecked car, just like three years ago. Only now, Raymond was the one who would decide their fate.

After the rescue team assessed the situation, one of them said, their expression solemn, "Mr. Johnson, both Mrs. Johnson and Ms. Lambert are trapped in the wreck. Time is of the essence. We can only save one first. Who do you want us to save?"

Without a second thought, Raymond said, "Save Mela—"

"Raymond, save Melanie. She's been with you for seven years. All I did was save your life once. Choose her. The baby and I will be fine," Tracy muttered weakly while clutching her stomach before Raymond could finish speaking.

Raymond hesitated as the words caught in his throat. "Save Tracy."

The first responder frowned. "Are you sure? Ms. Lambert is only stuck between the airbags, but your wife's whole leg is trapped. Her injuries are far more serious. If we don't act fast, she could end up losing the leg—"

"I said, save Tracy," Raymond cut him off coldly. "Melanie is my wife. Even if she loses a leg, the Johnson family can take care of her for life. Tracy is different. She saved my life before. I have to put her first."

The first responder didn't argue further and started prying the car open.

Melanie watched as they carefully lifted Tracy out. On her side of the car, a piece of metal had pierced her thigh when the front end crumpled, sending a sharp pain shooting through her body.

In her daze, she seemed to be reliving a moment from seven years ago.

She had tripped, and Raymond was half-kneeling in front of her, gently blowing on the wound to ease the pain. "Melanie, are you trying to kill me with worry?"

Now that she was trapped in a car and bleeding profusely, the last thing she saw was Raymond striding away with Tracy in his arms, their figures growing smaller until they were gone from her sight.

When Melanie came to for the second time, she was lying in the ICU.

The doctor examined her wounds, looking relieved. "That piece of metal missed your femoral artery by a hair. You're really lucky. If you'd been brought here a minute later, forget your leg, you might not have made it."

Melanie managed a weak smile, but her mind was still replaying what she'd heard when she was in a semi-conscious state a while ago.

"The patient's lost a lot of blood. Why hasn't there been blood from the blood bank yet?"

"Don't even get me started. Mr. Johnson's girlfriend complained of stomach pain, so he ordered the entire blood bank locked. All the blood had to be reserved for his girlfriend, just in case."

"That's insane! If we can't get blood from the hospital's blood bank, what happens to this patient?"

"She's on her own."

So Raymond really did want her dead.

Perhaps she was in so much pain that even her heart had gone numb, because Melanie couldn't shed a single tear at this moment.

At least their divorce would be finalized in just a few hours.

That evening, Raymond came to see her. Upon seeing her bandaged thigh, he froze for a long moment before speaking. "Trace saved me… I have to look out for her."

Melanie said nothing, merely studying the man in front of her, the one she had sacrificed seven years for.

She wanted to ask him if he remembered how much he had once loved her and if he remembered that she had lost a child for him during that car accident.

But more importantly, she wanted to ask if he had ever considered what would happen if she actually died.

Although she had a lot on her mind, she merely said, "I understand."

She knew that he didn't love her, had never cared for that child, and wouldn't even bat an eye if she died. And she was very much aware that after that day, they would no longer have anything to do with each other.

Taking a deep breath, Melanie slowly said, "Raymond, we're divor—"

The sound of a phone ringing interrupted her. Soon, Tracy's coquettish voice could be heard. "Raymond, your mom hired a photographer to take our family portrait. You're the only one missing."

Raymond's expression faltered. He instinctively turned to the hospital bed, only to find Melanie with her eyes closed.

Did she not care about him anymore? The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly shook it off.

No. Melanie loved him too much not to care. Besides, Bethany still needed the Johnson family to survive.

At that thought, Raymond's gaze became gentler all of a sudden. "Get some rest, Melanie. After you're discharged, I'll personally bring your mother back here."

Once the door was shut, Melanie pulled out her phone to call the butler working in the villa. "Send the bag full of documents that's in my room to the hospital."

She then messaged Vincent. "Come get me."

An hour later, Melanie deleted all of Raymond's contact information, got into a wheelchair, and left the hospital.

Meanwhile, Raymond, who was in the middle of the photoshoot, got a message from a lawyer. "Congratulations, Mr. Johnson. Your divorce from Ms. Melanie Strickland is now officially finalized."