The fireworks, roses, and drone portraits…

Everything Ken had planned for this confession mirrored the dream scenario Melanie once described to him. But now, he was using it for someone else.

Her gaze locked on Ken and Jennifer, who both stood together on the stage.

She had already been heartbroken to realize she was just a stand-in, but this scene was a new level of devastation. It felt as though someone had ripped her heart out and trampled all over it.

"Is Melanie here?"

Jennifer's voice could be heard over the speaker, drawing everyone's attention to her.

The crowd parted, and Melanie was ushered forward and onto the stage.

As she passed Ken, he didn't bother to explain the situation. Instead, he leaned close and whispered a warning, "This is an important night for me. Don't screw it up!"

Melanie hadn't even spoken when Jennifer approached them with her tongue stuck out.

"What's the secret? You two seem awfully close—anything going on?" she teased deliberately.

Ken waved his hands dismissively and denied it right away. "No way! Don't misunderstand. She's just a screenwriter for my company. Plain, annoying, and absolutely not my type. I'd have to be blind to be interested in her!"

Melanie's eyes widened in disbelief.

Ken couldn't wait to dissociate himself from her, speaking as though she were some repulsive object.

At that moment, whatever goodness she perceived in him had vanished completely. She could feel her heart breaking, piece by agonizing piece. It hurt, but she would endure it. She would carve him out of her heart, no matter how much it cost her.

Off stage, Ken's friends added to the humiliation by laughing and jeering at her.

"Ken's status is way above someone like Melanie. How could he possibly be into her?"

"Jen, everyone knows Ken only cares about you. When you got a boyfriend and moved abroad eight years ago, you had no idea how devastated he was!"

"Good thing you're single again now. Just say yes to him already. He's been waiting for you all these years!"

Melanie turned to them.

Ken's relationship with her was a secret, but these people knew about it. She used to think they simply didn't like her. Now, she realized it wasn't that. They had never seen her as anything but irrelevant because they knew Ken's heart was never truly hers.

Melanie couldn't find the words to speak. Ken's cold warning glance followed her, as if daring her to react.

The absurdity of it all struck Melanie. For the first time, she felt she was truly seeing him for what he was.

"It's fine. I'm leaving," she said, her voice void of emotion.

Ignoring the laughter, she stepped down from the stage and left the banquet hall. The night air was chilly, stinging her eyes and making her tears harder to hold back.

It wasn't losing Ken that made her mourn. Instead, it was the version of herself who had loved him in the past.

Biting her lip and clenching her fists, she tried to keep herself composed.

For the past eight years, not only had Ken used her as a stand-in, but now he had moved on to confess to someone else without even breaking up with her.

He had played his part well, and she had been foolish enough to believe it.

Her phone buzzed twice, pulling her back to reality. With tears streaming down her face, she checked it.

Jamie had sent her a photo along with a message. [Here's your flight ticket. I'll be waiting for you.]

[Alright. I'll be there in five days.]

Five more days, and she would leave for good—free of Ken and Jennifer forever.

Melanie headed to the stairwell to compose herself before returning to the hotel.

To her surprise, Jennifer followed her.

"There you are, Melanie! You little stand-in," Jennifer spat, her tone full of contempt. "How dare you get pregnant with Ken's child? I'm ordering you to get an abortion right now and leave him. If you don't, don't blame me for what happens next!"

Melanie frowned. How did Jennifer know about her pregnancy?

She was a little taken aback. The hostility in Jennifer's tone unnerved her, but she forced herself to stay calm.

"I'll break up with Ken, but this child is mine. I've always had difficulty conceiving, and I want to keep the baby. Don't worry, I'm leaving the country at the end of the month. Neither I nor my child will ever interfere with you and Ken's lives."

However, Jennifer wasn't interested in a compromise. She sneered, stepping closer before pushing Melanie down the stairs.

"You scheming little tramp! I've seen your kind before. Trying to use a child to secure your place? Dream on!" Jennifer snarled viciously.

Melanie fell unexpectedly down the stairs, barely stopping at the landing. She was both shocked and terrified. Her entire body ached terribly.

When she saw the blood between her legs, her face turned pale in an instant.

"Save me and my baby!" Melanie, her phone broken, trembled as she pleaded with Jennifer for help.

Jennifer, however, slapped herself twice and sat on the floor.

"Ah! Melanie, stop hitting me!" she screamed shrilly. "Even if you hit me, I can't make Ken fall in love with you!"

Upon hearing the commotion, Ken rushed over. "Jen, are you okay?"

He anxiously picked Jennifer up and was ready to leave while completely ignoring Melanie below.

Melanie frantically pleaded with him for help. "Ken, save me!"

Ken noticed the blood on her, and his expression changed. Before he could do anything, Jennifer nestled in his arms and started crying.

"Ken, Melanie attacked me and threw herself down the stairs to frame me! Look, she even prepared fake blood! She must have planned this all along to make me look bad. I have no idea what I did to upset her!"

After hearing this, Ken looked at Melanie in disgust. "You make me sick!"

"I didn't, Ken! It was Jennifer! She…"

Melanie hadn't finished speaking but Ken was already walking away with Jennifer in his arms. She called out to him in fear, over and over, but he didn't even stop.

Watching him disappear around the corner, Melanie's shock turned to disappointment, sadness, and finally hatred. She never thought that despite their relationship of eight years, he would still believe Jennifer's lies so easily and leave her to fend for herself.

A stand-in was merely a stand-in. In his heart, she was worthless.

What happened to his promises of being a loving boyfriend and her hero?

Lies, all of them!

Ken was the worst scammer in the world!

Unable to stand, Melanie endured the pain and crawled her way up, trembling as she did so. Blood trailed behind her; the pain was unbearable, but she didn't dare pass out. She feared that if she died there, no one would ever know.

Her voice had gone hoarse from shouting. Finally, the hotel staff discovered her and quickly sent her to the hospital. She couldn't hold on anymore, and fainted upon arrival.

On the morning of the 26th, Melanie woke up. Apart from a mild concussion and extreme exhaustion, she had no other major injuries.

Yet… The baby was gone.

After undergoing a surgical evacuation of the womb, Melanie left the operating room in a daze.

There were only four days left before she would leave. Why did this have to happen now? She could feel that the tiny life inside her was gone forever.

"You're here anyway, so go apologize to Jen!"

Ken suddenly appeared, grabbing her from behind.

Melanie looked at him. Her heart filled with sorrow. "I didn't hurt her. She was the one who pushed me down the stairs and killed our baby!"

"Jen said you'd lie about having a miscarriage. I didn't believe her, but it turns out she was right," he said. His eyes filled with disappointment.

"I'm not lying! I was three months pregnant. You can ask the doctor. I…"

"Enough! Stop making excuses. Go apologize to Jen! Otherwise, I'll tell your parents all about the terrible things you've done!"

Melanie was used to seeing him treat others coldly. However, she never thought he'd be this cruel to her.

Her mother had breast cancer and underwent surgery several years ago. She needed to avoid stress. Her father had a heart disease, and couldn't handle such shocking news.

Thinking of them, Melanie felt her resolve crumble. Her voice hoarse, she said, "Fine, I'll apologize to her. Just don't get my parents involved."

"See? That wasn't so hard."

Melanie, physically unwell and unable to move fast, couldn't keep up.

However, Ken ignored this and impatiently dragged her to Jennifer's ward. "Apologize to Jen!"

"I'm sorry," Melanie said softly, clenching her fists.

Jennifer smirked. "I didn't hear that. Say it louder."

"I'm sorry!"

"That sounded insincere."

Melanie knew what Jennifer wanted—humiliation.

Thinking of her parents, Melanie took a deep breath and said hoarsely, "I was petty and despicable. I was envious of Mr. Lambert's love for Ms. Knowles, so I tried to harm Ms. Knowles. It was all my fault. I'm sorry."

"That barely sounded sincere, but I'll take it. Since you slapped me twice, just saying sorry doesn't make us even. I'm kindhearted and can't bring myself to hit you, so why don't you slap yourself twice?"

Jennifer snuggled into Ken's arms, blinking innocently.

Melanie couldn't understand how someone could be so shameless. Jennifer killed her child and still demanded that she, the victim, slap herself.

Melanie suppressed her overwhelming anger and instinctively looked to Ken.

However, he avoided her gaze and said coldly, "Do it. Once you're done, it'll all be settled."

"Haha…"

Melanie let out a bitter laugh, but tears began to fall. She must have been blind to love a man like this, to think he was perfect in every way.

Jennifer’s eyes were full of mockery. "Melanie, are you trying to gain sympathy?"

Ken frowned impatiently. "Hurry up and do it! Jen still needs to rest!"

"I know."

Melanie took a deep breath, and slapped herself across the face. Then, she slapped herself again.

With her cheeks burning, she looked at them with empty eyes and asked, "Is that enough?"

Jennifer pouted. "It seemed a little light."

Ken turned his head away, avoiding her gaze. "Keep going."

Slap!

Slap!

By the time blood trickled from Melanie’s mouth, Jennifer finally seemed satisfied.

"Melanie, I recorded that and sent it to the group chat. It’s for your own good, to teach you a lesson. Don’t blame me."

Melanie’s face throbbed with pain and swelling. She just wanted to leave. "Can I go now?"

"Sure," Jennifer said. "Just remember not to fake a miscarriage again. Your acting skills are terrible. You're like a clown!"

Melanie thought of the child she had lost, her heart aching sharply, and turned to leave. In this failed relationship, she had indeed been nothing but a pathetic clown.

As Melanie walked out, Ken chased after her. "Don’t forget to make dinner for Jen tonight. She wants crab roe pasta. Make sure there’s plenty of crab roe!"

Melanie couldn’t understand how he could act as if nothing had happened. He was expecting her to cook for the woman who caused her miscarriage. She should have felt sadness, but her feelings had long turned numb. She couldn’t even muster anger—all that was left was disgust.

"Jennifer caused my miscarriage. I won’t cook for her. Ken, I won’t press charges this time, but remember this. From now on, I owe you nothing!" she spat.

In the past, he had done a lot for her and her family.

But from now on, it was all over. His kindness would no longer hold her hostage.

Melanie had spoken with finality.

Ken was momentarily stunned, but his shock quickly turned into rage. "What do you mean by that? You hurt Jen! What right do you have to press charges?"

Just then, Jennifer called out coyly from the ward, "Ken!"

Without another word, Ken stormed back to Jennifer, leaving behind a cold warning as he left. "Melanie, you'd better watch out!"

Very soon, Melanie heard the sound of passionate kissing from the ward.

It reminded her of when she first met Ken. Back then, he always seemed melancholic, often holding her tightly and repeatedly asking, "Baby, you’re not like the others. You’ll never leave me, right?"

Melanie didn’t know what he had been through to make him so insecure, but her heart ached for him. No matter how many times he asked, she would patiently promise, "No, I’ll always stay with you!"

He didn’t like her having male acquaintances, so she deleted them all from her contacts. If she talked to other men, he would get upset, so she avoided interacting with them altogether. When he wanted her by his side at all times, she gave up career opportunities to stay with him.

For eight years, he had taken for granted that she would always be there.

But now, she had decided to leave.

Her phone kept chiming. Melanie opened it and found that the video of her slapping herself had been shared in several group chats.

[She looks like a stray dog no one wants!]

[Isn’t she just Ken’s lapdog? If Ken told her to eat dirt, she would.]

Screenshots from the group chats spread online, fueling the excitement of Ken and Jennifer’s fans.

[Who is this mistress getting what she deserves? (smirks)]

[Ken truly loves his wife. He’s so ruthless to this gold-digger! I love it!]

[Stick to being a screenwriter! Why try to be a mistress? Did you really think Ken, the ultimate boyfriend, would put up with your nonsense? Serves you right!]

Countless people swarmed Melanie’s social media accounts, leaving vile comments.

Staring at the insults, she left the group chats, deleted her accounts, and logged out of everything.

Jamie soon called. "Do you need my help?"

"Thanks, but no. I’ll be gone in four days anyway."

Melanie hung up and, amidst whispers of 'that’s the mistress-screenwriter,' took a taxi back to the 'home' she had once thoughtfully decorated.

At that moment, she was only grateful her parents were too old to use the internet and wouldn’t see the scandal.

Despite the physical pain Melanie was in, she gathered all their items—matching slippers, toothbrush cups, pajamas, trinkets, photo albums, love letters, and souvenirs from their trips. She threw away anything that was remotely connected to her relationship with Ken. Then, she marked off the 26th on her calendar.

"Just a little longer, Melanie," she told herself. "In four days, you can leave."

She placed her hand on her empty stomach, feeling a bleak void in her heart. In the eight-year-long relationship, she was the only one who fought to save it.

She only wanted to get through the next few days peacefully.

But on the morning of the 27th, Ken called, demanding her to deliver food to Jennifer. When Melanie refused, he showed up with Jennifer in tow.

"Go be a stand-in for Jen and act in the drowning scene for her!" Ken demanded.

Melanie had been telling herself to endure. Just a few more days, and she’d be free. Yet, his demands grew more and more absurd.

Holding back her anger, she refused.

"I won’t be her stand-in! It’s freezing in the dead of winter. I just had a miscarriage. Getting soaked in cold water could kill me!" she snapped.