"What kind of broke trash thinks they’re qualified to eat at Mooncrest Pavilion? Do you even know who you’ve offended? Miss Rhodes is Mr. Hale’s precious favorite. You made her unhappy. Just wait and see how Mr. Hale deals with you!"

Mr. Hale already had trouble with his legs. After his knee slammed heavily into the ground, he couldn’t get back up. Beads of sweat instantly broke out across his forehead.

I rushed forward and shouted sharply, "I’m Lyra Hale. Orion Hale’s wife. These two are Orion Hale’s parents. Open your eyes and look carefully! Get Mr. Hale to the hospital immediately! If anything happens to him, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!"

The manager, Calvin Brooks, snorted coldly. Grabbing my chin, he swung his hand and slapped me hard.

"I’ve seen this kind of pathetic dine-and-dash trick countless times. Every day, someone claims to be Mr. Hale’s girlfriend to get out of paying. So why haven’t I ever seen Mr. Hale bring you here to eat?

"Up to now, the only person Mr. Hale has personally brought here is Miss Rhodes. We only listen to Miss Rhodes."

At that, Vera burst into laughter, grinning wildly. "Looks like these people can’t afford to pay. Just take them to the kitchen and make them work it off. Washing the dishes should cover the bill."

Calvin and the others ignored everything we said. They confiscated our phones and dragged the three of us into the kitchen at the back, forcing us to scrub dishes and sweep floors under watch. If we stopped working, we were beaten.

It wasn’t until Mr. Hale was locked inside the garbage room and was unable to breathe and collapsed unconscious that Calvin finally realized someone might die. Panicking, he threw us out through the back door.

As I climbed into the ambulance, I happened to lock eyes with Vera, who was just leaving after finishing her meal.

She stood at the entrance, her expression vicious. "Lyra, this time was just to teach you a lesson. This is what happens when you go against me."

Mrs. Hale came to her senses not long after that, still worried about her husband. With tear-filled eyes, she clasped my hands tightly.

"Lyra, don’t worry about us. Please go and bring Orion back. I don’t want Edmund to leave this world without even hearing his son’s voice."

She threw back the covers and got out of bed, trembling as she insisted on waiting outside the operating room.

I had been full of resentment. I thought that since Orion treated me like that, I would no longer involve myself in matters between his family. However, when I saw the pain on Mrs. Hale's face, I simply couldn’t bring myself to be that cruel.

By the time I reached Vera’s place, they had just finished.

Using a fire extinguisher to smash open her front door, I stormed inside and threw clothes onto Orion’s bare upper body.

"Get dressed. Come with me to the hospital and see Dad one last time."

Vera hooked Orion’s shirt with her foot and disdainfully kicked it out the window. "Lyra, can’t you see Orion’s busy? You’re so utterly unromantic. No wonder he doesn’t want to come home."

I ignored her. I flung the critical condition consent form straight into Orion’s face and stared at him as I repeated myself, "Mom is holding herself together with her own frail health, waiting outside the operating room for the results.

"She begged me to bring you to the hospital to see Dad one last time. I’ll give you five minutes. Get dressed and leave."

With one arm wrapped around Vera, Orion casually picked up the notice with his free hand and glanced at it. He scoffed, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it out the window.

"You think forging a critical condition consent form like this will make me believe you? Lyra, you’re still the same as you were five years ago. Stupid and blindly confident. Disgusting."

I let out a deep sigh. A sense of helplessness surged up from my chest.

I had deliberately taken the critical condition consent form just to prove to Orion that the man lying in the operating room really was his father.

I never imagined he wouldn’t believe it at all.

I could only stand there, pale and desperate, as I forced myself to explain.

"Our phones were all taken. I have no way to prove that the people who were hurt are your parents. But they really are at the hospital right now. Your mom dragged herself there despite being so sick, and she begged me to come get you.

"You need to come with me. They need us. Don’t waste any more time.

"And besides, Orion, we’ve been married for eight years. Even if the ones lying in the hospital right now were my parents, would that really have nothing to do with you? Don’t you have any obligation to at least go see them?"

Orion suddenly grabbed the water glass from the bedside and hurled it at me. The shattered glass sliced a deep gash across my face. Blood immediately dripped onto the floor.

"Lyra, what right do you have to talk to me about obligation? You know exactly why you married me.

"Learn something from Vera. Look at her. Even though she came from nothing, she’s never once opened her mouth to ask me for money. And you? Even if your parents die, what does that have to do with me? Aren’t you just trying to get me to pay your parents’ medical bills?

"Or even make me handle their funerals? Dream on. I won’t give you a single cent—"

Before he could finish, I lunged forward and slapped him across the face.

I couldn’t take it anymore. Mr. Hale was still lying in the operating room, his life hanging by a thread, and Orion kept talking about funerals and coffins.

He was not fit to be my parents' son-in-law, let alone his own parents' son.

When Orion realized I actually dared to hit him, he immediately grabbed my throat with one hand. With the other, he mercilessly drove punch after punch into my temples.

"You dare hit me? You put on this whole performance just to squeeze money out of me for your parents, and now you even dare to hit me? I’ll beat you to death!

"I’m telling you, Lyra. Not only am I not going to the hospital today, but neither are you. Aren’t you so devoted to your parents? I’ll make sure you don’t get to see your dad one last time. This is your punishment for hitting me."

As he spoke, he slapped me hard twice more, until my mouth and nose were filled with the metallic taste of blood and my swollen eyes could barely open. Only then did he pull out a thick coil of rope and bind me tightly to the window pillar.

I could only brace my body and desperately keep my balance. The moment I tried to struggle, I would lose my footing and fall out the window, hanging headfirst in midair.

Seeing the terror on my face, Orion was clearly satisfied. He gripped my chin tightly.

"Gold-digging witch. That’s all it takes to scare you? Didn’t you say back then that as long as I gave you money, you’d do anything? You can’t even handle this little bit of suffering. How are you supposed to beg other men for money in the future?"

I didn’t want to waste any more time settling old scores with him.

I twisted my head away from his hand, spat out the blood in my mouth, and spoke each word slowly and clearly, "Orion, go to the hospital and see your parents. As long as you go, I’ll agree to the divorce. When you come back from the hospital, we’ll get it done immediately."

At those words, Vera’s eyes lit up. Without saying a word, she ran to the wardrobe, grabbed a new shirt, and moved to help Orion put it on.

Orion didn’t even look at her. He shoved her aside and sneered, grinding the cigarette butt out against my collarbone.

The pain made me suck in a sharp breath, tears streaming down my face. He clamped his hand over my mouth, not letting me make a sound.

Orion laughed. "Divorce? I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want a divorce anymore. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re really after by suddenly agreeing to it. There’s no clean break anymore. You want to split my assets.

"You can’t squeeze money out of me through your parents, so now you’re aiming for a big payout so you can run off. On what grounds? I won’t let you have it easy. I won’t give you a single cent."

Vera panicked. "Orion, why are you keeping this gold-digger? Isn’t she bad luck?"

Orion merely kept kissing Vera’s hair, again and again. "Baby, don’t you think it’s interesting to keep her here and let her watch how affectionate we are? Baby, I’m not done playing yet. Let’s go for another round, okay?"

A rag had been stuffed into my mouth. I could only watch helplessly as the man who had once loved me for five years now held another woman and tangled with her in passion.

Time passed, second by second. Orion showed no intention of getting up. Instead, he carried out wave after wave of deliberate, extravagant psychological humiliation against me.

Three hours had already passed since I came to find him. I had no phone, no way to contact Mrs. Hale, no way of knowing what was happening at the hospital.

Thinking of her bearing everything alone, I closed my eyes in despair.

I didn’t know how much time passed before the sound of a phone ringing pulled me out of unconsciousness.

It was Vera’s phone.

A heavy voice came from the other end. "Hello, is this Miss Rhodes? We haven’t been able to reach Mr. Hale. Please inform him to come to the hospital immediately.

"Mr. Hale has passed away despite resuscitation efforts. Mrs. Hale’s mental state is extremely unstable and requires a family member to sign for surgery."

Vera let out a mocking laugh. "Isn’t it boring to use the same trick twice? Break it up already. Lyra doesn’t even have the money to pay you acting fees. Why work so hard putting on a show for her?"

I struggled and whimpered behind the gag, clinging to the hope that a miracle would happen and that Orion would believe it this time and rush to the hospital to save Mrs. Hale.

Just as Vera was about to hang up, Mrs. Hale’s voice came through the phone.

"Orion, come quickly and see your father one last time! Come now!"

Orion suddenly grabbed Vera’s hand, his face drained of color. "Wait… that was my mother’s voice?"

Vera hung up the call and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Orion, AI technology is so advanced these days. It’s probably just their little trick. AI-generated audio, you know? Just to lure you over and make you pay for surgery."

Orion thought about it for a moment, then lifted his hand and lightly flicked Vera’s nose.

"My baby really is smart. You’re right. Mom would never sound as hysterical as that woman on the phone. I almost got fooled by Lyra again. Come on, let’s continue."

However, that short audio clip haunted Orion. He tried several times but couldn’t summon any further interest.

He spat in irritation, abruptly grabbed his shirt, and pulled it on. Then he roughly yanked me down from the window pillar.

Orion’s gaze was dangerously cold. His teeth were clenched as he spoke in a chilling voice, "Lyra, if I go and find out you were fooling me, I’ll kill you."

He sped to the hospital. The moment he rushed through the entrance, he saw Mrs. Hale being wheeled into the operating room.