Zayn subconsciously gave me a glance.

I smiled and said, "Go ahead. I'll take a taxi home myself."

With that, I swiftly got out of the car.

Even though I knew his gaze lingered on me, I didn't turn my head back once.

As soon as I got home, I received a text from Zayn.

He said he would come home early tonight.

He told me to wait for him because he had something to say to me.

I didn’t know what he wanted to tell me.

But I knew he wouldn’t be home.

Sure enough, as I expected, Zayn didn't come home all night.

I was used to it.

Truth be told, before Candace returned to the country, Zayn and I had our moments of sweetness.

Back then, he hadn’t yet developed the "directionally-challenged syndrome".

Every weekend, he would take me to various popular spots for photos.

He would also take me around to try all the snacks I wanted to eat.

Knowing that I liked fairy tales, he specifically chose Disneyland as the place to propose to me.

In front of a crowd, he held up a diamond ring and declared loudly, "It doesn't matter how lively or glamorous this city is; without you, it just feels like an empty city to me. Without you, there is no home. Shirley Anderson, will you give me a home?"

I was so moved that I agreed to his proposal without any hesitation.

He happily hugged me and spun me around.

He vowed loudly, "I, Zayn Smith, will only love Shirley Anderson for the rest of my life. She's the only woman I will be good to. I hope she'll bother me for the rest of her life."

Never could I have imagined back then that "the rest of his life" only lasted a few short years.

I already knew he had a childhood friend before we got married.

But at the time, he told me that Candace had settled abroad and would probably never come back.

He said he saw her as just a little sister.

But to my surprise, Candace suddenly returned to the country not long after we got married and became my coworker with Zayn's help.

And he suddenly had difficulty finding his way home.

When I questioned him, he said, "Do you think I want to suddenly become directionally-challenged? I only developed this rare condition because you're always being so unreasonable, which causes me a lot of mental stress.

"Candace needed a job after returning to the country. Of course I would help her in any way I could.

"Shirley, you're a university lecturer. Can you not be so narrow-minded? There can be pure friendship between men and women, you know?

"Just because you don't have a childhood friend, I can't have one?

"Shirley, if I had known you were such a jealous woman, I wouldn't have married you."

If I had decisively left him when he said those things to me, perhaps I could have avoided many unhappy things that would later happen.

However, no one could turn back time.

But that's okay. After experiencing pain and heartache again and again, it wouldn't hurt so much when the time came to leave him.

I was just gradually detaching myself while waiting for an opportunity to sever the relationship.

To my surprise, that opportunity came really soon.

That day, I was teaching as usual.

Suddenly, a large group of reporters rushed into the lecture room with cameras, snapping photos of me.

"Are you Ms. Shirley Anderson?"

I nodded with a frown, then sternly yelled at the reporters, "Who are you? I'm teaching right now. Please leave!"

However, not only did the reporters not leave, they shoved their microphones in my face.

"Ms. Anderson, do you have anything to say about your academic fraud and plagiarism?"

"Did you refrain from participating in the recent professor selection because you felt guilty?"

"Do your students know that their lecturer committed academic fraud?"

I thought I must have misheard them.

But when I saw the doubtful gazes of the students below the podium, I knew I had not misheard.

I looked at these obviously malicious reporters and denied loudly, "I did not commit academic fraud! I did not plagiarize other people's papers! If you keep spreading false rumors about me, I'll sue you for defamation!"

When I said that, someone among the reporters suddenly snorted.

"There's no need to deny it, Ms. Anderson. Your husband has already issued an apology statement on your behalf!"

That paper was something I had spent half a year on. I went through countless materials to complete it.

Zayn knew that.

I frantically called him to ask him what was going on.

But all my calls went unanswered.

Just like that, I was forcefully suspended from work.

That evening, Zayn finally came home.

As soon as he came in through the door, I gave him a hard slap.

"I already let Candace have the professor position. Why would you still help her frame me?! Why are you doing this to me?!"

Zayn’s face was turned to the side from the impact.

To my surprise, he wasn't angry at all.

Instead, he licked the side of his face that had been hit and chuckled.

"I knew that you were just pretending to be generous and understanding lately. See? All it took was a little trick for you to reveal your true colors."

I glared at him with bloodshot eyes full of disbelief.

"So, in order to make me reveal my true colors, you ruined my career? You've gone mad, Zayn Smith!"

He shook his head. "It's not entirely because of that.

"Candace just became a professor and needs a high-quality paper to gain a foothold. Your paper is just right for the job.

"Don't look at me like that. The fact that I chose a paper that you wrote is a recognition of your ability. I know, it might be a little unfair to you, but don't worry, I'll compensate you later.

"You had a miscarriage not long ago, so you should use this opportunity to recuperate."

I trembled with anger.

He happily hummed a little tune and went into the bedroom.

Not long after, I heard his voice from the bedroom.

"Candace, don't worry, I've already taken care of Shirley. She won't cause you any trouble. Just focus on preparing for the international seminar next week. Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you."

Listening to his gentle tone, I felt a trace of hatred growing in my heart.

Just then, my phone also rang. It was a text from Candace.

[Shirley, your paper is really good. Thank you! ]

[I always get what I want, whether it's your paper, the professor position, or Zayn. As long as I want it, you can't take it away from me.]

[So, if you have any self-awareness, just get out of the way. Otherwise, you’ll only lose everything and embarrass yourself.]

At that moment, I completely lost all reason.

I immediately sent screenshots of the chat to the dean and called him.

"Dean, did you see that? Candace herself admitted that she plagiarized my paper. She's the fraud! I hope the university will immediately publish a statement online to clarify my innocence, and then revoke Candace's professorship."

But before the dean could reply, my phone was snatched away by Zayn.

He held me back with one hand, and with the other hand, he held up my phone and said to the dean, "Sorry, my wife has developed delusions because she was under so much mental stress recently. She photoshopped all those screenshots. I plan to take her to Switzerland for treatment, so she probably won't be able to go to work for a while."

"I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you and the university. To express my apology, I will donate two more laboratory buildings. Please take good care of Professor Jones."

After hanging up, Zayn threw me onto the couch with force and told me in a cold voice, "Shirley, I made it very clear that I would compensate you. Why won't you listen to me? I'm so disappointed in you. Fine, if that's how you want to play, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The man who once vowed to take care of me for life locked me in a pitch-black basement.

To punish me for not obeying him, Zayn ordered the bodyguards to only give me spoiled food.

But that conveniently gave me the chance to fake a stomachache and escape.

After finally shaking off the bodyguards, I wanted to take a taxi to my parents' house.

Besides them, there was no one else I could trust.

But because I hadn't showered or changed clothes for a week, I smelled terrible.

No taxi driver was willing to pick me up.

In the end, I could only walk.

I was exhausted and hungry.

If not for the indelible hatred fueling me, I probably would have passed out by the roadside.

After walking for nearly three hours, I finally arrived at the neighborhood where my parents lived.

I immediately saw my dad standing outside the apartment building.

My eyes welled up with tears, and my anxious heart finally found a moment of peace.

But before I could approach my dad, I suddenly noticed someone else standing in front of him.

It was Zayn's assistant.

I instinctively hid in the stairwell of the next building and pressed my ear tightly against the wall.

"Tell Zayn not to worry. If Shirley contacts us, we'll notify him immediately. We know it's Shirley's fault. We'll make sure she learns her lesson. As for our son's job..."

These words pierced my heart like sharp blades, causing me unbearable pain.

Even my closest family members had betrayed me for a bit of benefit.

Who else in this world could I trust?

No, besides myself, I couldn't trust anyone!

I would never let Zayn and Candace get away with it.

I would expose them in front of everyone.

Even if it would cost me my life.

With that thought, I had no more hesitation. I turned around and ran.

This time, my destination was the university.

If I remember correctly, today was the opening ceremony of the international seminar.

Candace, as the university's youngest professor, was scheduled to give a speech.

At the same time, the university would take advantage of this rare opportunity to formally present her with the letter of appointment.

Zayn was the special guest invited by the university to present the letter of appointment.

For them, today was a day of both fame and fortune.

For me, today was the only chance to prove my innocence and make them pay.

I sneaked into the lecture hall.

Candace was wearing an elegant suit fit for the occasion. Holding the paper she stole from me, she talked eloquently on the podium.

The university leaders and guests below looked at her with admiration.

The students' eyes were also full of respect and envy.

The affection in Zayn's eyes could not be hidden.

Seeing this scene, my fists clenched tightly, and rage burned within me.

Just as Zayn took the letter of appointment from the host and was about to hand it to Candace, I suddenly stood up and shouted as loudly as I could, "She's a thief! She doesn't deserve to be a professor!"