Braeden didn't linger at the estate for long.

After he thought he had sufficiently appeased Anna, he quickly drove away.

Anna stood by the window and watched as Braeden's figure disappeared into the distance. Her heart was cold.

As she numbly removed her bracelet from her wrist, she noticed the indicator light was on.

Anna frowned.

Braeden truly didn't care about her. He even managed to get such an important gift wrong.

He had installed the chip incorrectly.

The receiver meant for the ring was mistakenly placed on the bracelet.

Anna gently pressed the switch of the receiver and heard a woman's sweet voice. "Braeden, hurry up. How can you have me waiting alone at City Hall for so long?"

"OK. I'm on my way."

It turned out that he was going to get married.

For the past two years, Braeden had always assumed the role of Anna's fiancé.

Sometimes, he even directly said she was his wife.

Anna thought sometimes that the marriage certificate and the wedding weren't so important.

As long as he loved her and always stayed with her, that was true happiness.

But he had become Carol's husband now.

Anna became the real hidden third wheel.

Next, she saw Carol and Braeden embracing and kissing.

She heard them vow at City Hall that they would love each other forever.

Those scenes had played out in Anna's mind thousands of times.

But she got nothing after five years.

Anna curled up on the floor and hugged herself tightly.

The pain was unbearable.

She felt so much pain that she couldn't breathe, and her whole body trembled.

Braeden had always known how much she would hurt, how much she would hate, so he never dared to get married to Carol openly.

But eventually, the truth would come out.

Anna heard Braeden, as he left, repeatedly instructing the photographer not to post the edited photos on social media.

Anna suddenly burst into laughter.

He was still hiding from her and deceiving her.

How long did he plan to keep her in the dark? Forever?

She could not speak only due to shock and fear, but she was not an idiot.

"Now you're my husband," Carol said happily. "I'll book the whole venue at a well-known luxury restaurant this evening to celebrate. What do you think?"

Braeden replied in an indifferent tone, "I don't think so. I have to spend the anniversary with Anna this evening. I'm afraid that she'll get suspicious if I am out for too long."

"Alright." Carol sounded disappointed. "On our wedding night, my husband will go to be with another woman. As your wife, can I make one request?"

Braeden asked, "What is it? Go ahead."

"I want you to set off the most beautiful, grand fireworks for me this evening."

Braeden was silent for a long moment. "Okay."

In the evening, Braeden prepared an extravagant cake for Anna in a restaurant.

On the table lay a folder.

"Honey, it has been hard for the past two years. This is my gift to you. Take a look and see if you like it." Anna picked it up and saw a contract and a design blueprint. "The estate you're currently staying in is a bit small, and I worry you might get bored. So I bought a larger piece of land and designed a new estate."

Braeden enthusiastically explained. "Look here. I designed an amusement park for you. If you're ever bored, you can play all day long. Over there, I plan to build a swing for you with my own hands."

After that, Braeden kept talking, but Anna couldn't hear another word.

Her head buzzed, and her vision blurred.

Braeden had truly gone to great lengths to ensure she was completely trapped.

"Oh, honey, let's name the estate Anna Estate, and you will be the owner." Once Braeden finished his lengthy discourse, he took Anna's hand. They both looked out of the window. "Wait a moment. There's another surprise for you. It's our fifth anniversary. I want you to remember it forever."

Anna laughed.

He was right.

It was indeed unforgettable.

It would be her unforgettable memory of profound shame and pain.

Just then, a woman wearing a fox mask showed up. She gracefully poured each of them a cup of coffee.

Braeden frowned slightly and seemed to notice something.

He whispered in Anna's ear, "Anna, I need to use the restroom."

With that, he turned and quickly left.

Anna turned her head and saw the masked woman following him upstairs.

Soon, a notification chimed on her phone.

She received a video message.

Anna felt as if her heart had stopped beating.

She held her breath and lightly clicked on the phone screen to open the video.

"Who let you come here? What if Anna finds out?" Braeden's angry voice came through the video.

"She'll find out sooner or later." Carol said and pouted. "Braeden, I am your wife now. Since we got married, why are you treating me this way? I have given myself to you completely."

Braeden sighed and pulled Carol into his arms. "Alright, honey. I know you're unhappy about it, but we had an agreement before, didn't we? I loved Anna back then, and she was utterly devoted to me. I'm afraid she might not handle it well and kill herself without me. I can only give you the title as my wife, but I have to give some of my affection to her."

Anna stood frozen. Her blood rushed to her head instantly and made her scalp tingle and ache.

In the video, Carol whimpered, feigning tears, "Sorry, I won't do this again."

Braeden eagerly lifted Carol onto the table and pinched her chin seductively. "Then I must punish you."

In the next moment, he pinned her to the table.

As they had sex, Anna couldn't hold back any longer and rushed to the bathroom to vomit.

At that moment, there was a loud "bang." Fireworks were exploding.

Anna turned her head to see the fireworks that lit up the night sky. It was stunningly beautiful.

The groans from the video mingled with the sound of fireworks.

Anna was overwhelmed and felt her blood surge within her. Then she spat out blood.

The long-suppressed emotions seemed to finally find an outlet. She broke down and cried with a hoarse voice that had long been silent. "Braeden, I hate you with every fiber of my being!"

After a long time, Braeden finally finished having sex with Carol upstairs and joined Anna.

He looked in high spirits, with his complexion glowing with health.

Meanwhile, Carol had put her mask back on.

They seemed oblivious to Anna's unusual reaction. They served Anna dishes while exchanging flirtatious glances.

The two coordinated with seamless precision, carrying on as if nothing had happened.

Yet, Anna had no appetite at all.

She looked down, only to see Carol boldly brushing her leg against Braeden's.

A wave of nausea surged through Anna, and she put down her knife and fork.

Although the earlier thrill had restored her speech, her full recovery was still a long way off.

Moreover, Anna had no intention of letting Braeden know about her recovery, so she frowned and gestured. "I don't want to eat anymore."

As they were leaving, Carol said to Anna, "I heard it is your fifth anniversary today. Our restaurant has a gift for you."

With that, she took Anna's arm and led her to the front desk.

Braeden furrowed his eyebrows and seemingly wanted to stop them. But he managed to restrain himself.

Anna glanced back at Braeden and suddenly felt an emptiness inside herself. She couldn't be bothered to care about anything at that moment.

"Miss Briggs, here's a celebrating card we've prepared especially for you. Please take it."

Through the mask, Anna saw the provocative gleam in Carol's eyes.

Anna opened the card to find a wedding invitation inside.

"You are really something, acting like nothing has happened even though you know the truth." Carol's voice was low but smug as she leaned in and whispered in Anna's ear. "It seems that the incident really shook you. How can you compete with me for Braeden? You are such a loser."

Anna looked up and met Carol's gaze.

But the former was calm and said nothing.

They walked out of the restaurant. Braeden looked at Anna with some guilt for a long moment and then said, "Honey, I just got a message from the company. I have an urgent business trip tomorrow. Take care of yourself while I'm away, and don't wander around before I get back."

Anna replied in sign language, "I see."

She no longer cared how long he intended to keep her in the dark.

She would continue the game a little longer with him.

Anyway, she was about to disappear from his world completely.

One day before the wedding, Anna received a text message. "Ms. Briggs, all your identification information has been canceled. Please schedule an appointment to obtain new identification as soon as possible."

Anna looked out of the window and smiled with relief.

Then she received a message from Collin as expected. "Anna, I've got all the dirt on Braeden. I won't let him get away with this. I will depart at dawn and bring you home tomorrow."

As she read Collin's message full of concern, Anna's eyes welled with tears.

She wanted to call Collin to hear his voice so much, but her speech was still limited by her condition.

She didn't want him to worry, so she simply replied briefly with the message. "Okay."

After that, she removed her SIM card and flushed it down the drain.

Since she had decided to disappear from Braeden's world, she'd better do it thoroughly.

She deleted all the unnecessary content on her phone and left only the most "precious" images.

On Braeden's wedding day, Anna took out everything from the small storeroom that held memories of her and Braeden, including photo albums, diaries, and portraits.

She lit a small flame and threw in the title to the new house Braeden had given her.

The flames leaped high.

Anna opened the gas valve and quickly fled the "cage" that had trapped her for two years.

The sun shone brightly overhead.

"Anna, you are free," she whispered to herself.

The sounds from Braeden and Carol's wedding came through the receiver on her bracelet.

Anna heard the applause and blessings from the guests.

Braeden serenaded Carol with a song of love.

The host's exuberant voice was heard as well as their vows with determination.

Anna seemed to have witnessed their wedding, their love, and how miserable and absurd Anna was.

But nothing mattered now.

Anna took off the bracelet and tossed it into the flowerbed.

Meanwhile, Braeden was toasting to the guests, with Carol happily clinging to him.

His face was slightly flushed from the alcohol, while Carol looked blissfully content as she leaned against him.

Just then, Braeden's assistant, Richard Norris, came over. "Braeden, the estate is on fire."

Braeden squinted and said impatiently, "Since it's on fire, put it out. I'm at my wedding now. Don't disturb me!"

With that, he was about to turn away when he suddenly sobered up. He grabbed Richard and asked, "What did you say? Which estate? Is Anna safe?"

Richard hesitated before finally saying, "I did not see her."

Braeden couldn't breathe.

The wine glass slipped from his hand suddenly and shattered on the floor.