Sarah reacted sharply, collapsing to the ground and crying out, "I came here to care for your wife, but I'm treated like a bumpkin. She didn't even taste the soup I made and even splashed it on the floor. My life is so miserable."

Alex's face changed immediately.

Before I could explain, he slammed his briefcase to the ground and shouted, "Ariana, what's the meaning of this? Our quarrel is between us. Why take it out on my mom? You know she raised me alone with great effort, yet you still disrespect her. I regret marrying someone as evil as you!"

But when he turned to his mother, his tone softened. "Mom, Ariana is not sensible. So please don't hold it against her. Come, let me take you to your room to rest and calm down."

Sarah followed him out, still sobbing, leaving me alone in the living room.

A sharp pain shot through my arm, and I noticed my skin was red and blistered.

But Alex didn't see it.

He was so fixated on his mother that he failed to grasp the situation, blaming me entirely.

I wanted to call an ambulance, but my phone was in the bedroom. I picked up Alex's briefcase that he had thrown down, trying to use his phone.

Instead of the phone, I discovered two insurance contracts naming Alex and me as beneficiaries, each worth ten million dollars.

I stood frozen, my blood running cold.

The poster was truly Alex. He wanted me to die.

Hearing noise from the bedroom, I quickly stuffed the contracts back into the briefcase, wiped my tears, and feigned normalcy.

Luckily, Alex was focused on his mother's complaints and didn't notice anything off about me.

He glared at me.

"I'm taking Mom out for a bit. Clean up the mess you made and think about your actions."

The security door slammed shut, and the room became quiet again, but my thoughts were chaotic.

I couldn't understand why I was being treated this way.

I was older, financially stable, and had always taken care of everything.

I covered all our expenses, and while the property was in both our names, I paid for it entirely.

Despite agreeing before marriage not to have children, his mother continued to pressure us, and I tolerated it for his sake.

Then, during a critical time of promotion in my career, I accidentally got pregnant.

I hadn't planned on keeping the child, but Alex begged me to. I eventually agreed.

But all my efforts were treated like this.

Why was this happening?

Frustration and resentment surged within me.

I returned to my bedroom to pack my things, wanting to leave but feeling it would be too easy for them.

Instead, I found a hammer in the toolbox.

Looking around, I realized I had purchased most of the items in our home.

I was reluctant to destroy them, except for two things.

I raised the hammer and smashed Alex's prized computer and model without mercy.

Then I dumped out all the luggage Sarah had brought, poured the remaining soup over it, and stomped on it repeatedly.

Once everything belonging to them was in disarray, I grabbed my suitcase and left.

I wanted to divorce Alex.

I couldn't endure this life any longer.

With my luggage in hand, I decided to join my best friend, Vanessa.

We were the same age. Vanessa was now unmarried and worked at the same company. We maintained a cordial relationship.

I felt she would understand my situation best.

Upon arriving at her place, I explained everything, omitting Alex's attempt to kill me for insurance money.

However, her reaction surprised me.

Vanessa frowned.

"Ariana, I don't want to criticize you, but you've made a mistake.

"Alex's filial piety should make you happy, not angry.

"Perhaps your pregnancy hormones are affecting your mood. Just stay here for now."

I gripped my luggage tightly, frozen in place.

There was no comfort or shared anger, only accusations.

I hadn't expected Vanessa to speak to me this way.

I stared at her in disbelief, but she had already pushed my luggage into the bedroom.

She said, "What are you waiting for? Come on in."

I said nothing, took out my phone, and searched for a suitable house.

Because I had realized this wasn't where I belonged.

Not long after, there was a knock at the door.

Alex's voice came from outside. "Honey, let's go home and sort this out. Why did you run away from home?"

How did he find me? I hadn't told him where I was going.

Vanessa appeared behind me. "Ariana, I don't want to see you and Alex quarreling like this, so I called him. You won't blame me, right?"

She opened the door.