Hannah said, "I will keep you beneath my heel, always."

"Take your time." I looked at Hannah emotionlessly. "I'll give the position of Mrs. Blakely to you."

While I wasn't sure how much she believed, Hannah suddenly turned around. As she brushed past me, she whispered in a voice only she and I could hear, "I won't forgive either of you."

I had no intention of responding to Hannah's provocation. I was about to step out onto the balcony for some fresh air when a loud noise erupted behind me.

I instinctively turned around to see Hannah raising her hand to slap Paige Hughes with all her might. Before Paige could react, Hannah kicked at a nearby stack of props. The rack tilted under the force.

Erick rushed over just in time to see the rack about to crash down on Hannah. He kicked it aside with force and pulled her into his embrace tightly to protect her.

"Paige!" Erick was furious. "I let you come here because you are Kimberly's friend. But you tried to kill Hannah when I wasn't around?"

"Not that..."

"Not that? What do you mean? I saw it clearly."

He grabbed Paige's neck in a tight grip. Veins bulged on his hand. "I've warned you before that Hannah is the most important one in my life. If you or Kimberly dare harm her, I'll make you face the consequences."

Hannah wiped her tears with a look of grievance. "It's okay... I'm fine... After all, Paige is Mrs. Blake's friend..."

"I'm here to protect you. What are you afraid of?" Erick whispered tenderly and then kissed away her tears. "I've told you many times that you can do whatever you want. No matter what happens, you don't have to worry about anything. Don't be too kind-hearted and let others bully you. Today's lesson for Paige also serves as a warning for Kimberly."

With that, he ordered his bodyguards to restrain Paige and grabbed a stick from nearby. He handed it to Hannah. "She almost had you crushed by the props. Now, beat her with full force."

Hannah pretended to be scared. "No. I don't dare..."

Erick held her hand and swung the stick hard at Paige.

"This is to teach you to protect yourself."

They swung the stick twice.

"And this is to teach you not to be too kind-hearted."

They swung it again and again.

"Ugh!" Paige was in such pain that she felt dizzy. A metallic taste rose in her throat before she coughed up blood.

It wasn't until the air was thick with the scent of blood that Erick stopped.

The guests murmured among themselves in hushed tones. "Oh my, that woman must be miserable..."

"Who can she blame? She tried to crush Hannah with the prop rack..."

Erick handed the stick to a bodyguard and then gently blew on Hannah's palm with concern. "Your hand must be numb. Let me help with that."

As the bodyguards released Paige, she collapsed to the floor unconsciously. Her body was battered and bruised.

Erick scooped up Hannah in his arms and cast a cold glance at me as I rushed over. He left a curt remark. "As my wife, you'd better behave well. Manage your friend and think about what you've done."

"Alright."

"Well, Erick, do you think I'll stay here for you?" I sneered inwardly.

He seemed surprised by my compliance but didn't dwell on it before leaving without another word.

"Paige!" I got down in a panic to check on Paige. My eyes were filled with guilt and pain, and my hand was trembling uncontrollably as I reached out. "Paige!"

She didn't respond. My voice cracked with fear as tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

I took deep breaths and tried to suppress the terror in my heart. I wiped my face haphazardly before dialing the emergency number.

In the hospital, from the moment Paige was wheeled into the operating room, every second felt like torture to me. I stood helplessly at the door and felt as if every breath was painful.

Images of Paige being brutally beaten flashed through my mind. My eyes widened in horror.

I reached for my phone and contacted the owner of that number. The call connected instantly. "Paige has been severely injured. Please arrange for her to be taken to the safest place within your territory."

"Alright."

I didn't breathe a sigh of relief until Paige was wheeled out of the operating room by the nurses. After repeatedly confirming with the doctor that she was not in danger, I accompanied the security and medical team as we helped her onto a private jet. Only then was I truly relieved.

Tears began to blur my vision. Something was taking root inside me.

Without a moment's hesitation, I hurried towards another private jet nearby.

As the bodyguards helped me into the cabin, that guy was already waiting for me.

Seeing me looking drained and my hands clenched into fists, he was about to speak, but I stopped him.

Choking back my emotions, I said, "I'm fine. The nightmare is finally over."

It was indeed completely over.

Years ago, Eric had given me a dazzling beginning to our relationship.

And now, he had personally severed the bond between us.

I looked at that guy seriously. "To what extent are you willing to go for me?"

He kissed my eyes gently and then solemnly got down on one knee before me. "Back then, you saved me from the clutches of death. From that moment, I fell in love with you for having courage and strength. I am willing to do anything for you, even if it costs me my life. I wouldn't hesitate for a second. The entire family and organization will follow your orders, my empress."

I paused for a few seconds, took out my phone, removed the phone card, snapped it in half, and threw it in the trash before replacing it with a new international card.

Although I couldn't fully trust this guy, Hannah dared to use Eric to injure me, even gravely injure my best friend. Then I had to use everything I had to take revenge.

After the jet took off, I uploaded the full recording of Hannah stealing the Blake Group's core secrets, including Erick's attempts to cover up her criminal actions after he learned the truth. I exposed everything online.

"Erick, I will make sure you feel every ounce of my pain." I swore.

...

On the wedding anniversary, in the CEO's office of the Blake Group.

Erick sat in his chair, sipping coffee, when his heart suddenly skipped a beat. Something incredibly precious seemed to have been lost forever in that moment.

He instinctively looked towards the door, but I didn't appear.

Erick frowned and felt a little annoyed.

The banquet was about to begin soon. What was going on?

These days, Hannah had been clinging to him tightly, and he had indeed neglected me.

But hadn't I already been compliant and considerate?

How dare she presume favor and act so recklessly once more?

With that thought, Erick put down his coffee cup, pulled his tie forcefully, and picked up his phone to call me.

The phone rang for a long while, but no one answered.

He was very displeased. "How dare she ignore the call now? She is truly getting bolder."

He thought I was just trying to get his attention and deliberately provoking him.

In his eyes, Hannah and I were secretly competing for his favor. It was nothing more than a ploy to catch his eye.

He figured buying a gift would surely appease me.

Erick dialed the secretary's internal line and said, "Buy the latest limited edition."

The secretary hesitated for a few seconds before asking, "Mr. Blake, should it be for both Mrs. Blake and Miss Harrison?"

Erick paused for a moment and replied, "Of course, for Mrs. Blake."

After hanging up the internal line, Erick grabbed his car keys, got up, and left. He drove from the office back to the villa.

As he pushed open the door, the villa was pitch black inside. Not a single light was there.

He froze for a few seconds and couldn't believe his eyes. He repeatedly confirmed and then believed that the villa was indeed empty.

Erick felt a bit panicked. "Kimberly, stop these mind games."

Erick's face turned dark instantly. He then searched every corner of the villa.

But the villa was eerily silent. He could hear a pin drop.

His facial muscles tightened. "Kimberly, stop messing around. Come out now, and I'll promise to spend more time with you. I've told you that Hannah is my relative's adopted daughter and that I love you the most."

No matter how long Erick spoke, the only response was the deathly silence.

I had never left without a word. In the years of marriage, I had always answered his calls immediately.

But now I disappeared without a trace?

With this thought, Erick frowned more tightly.

He casually tossed his suit jacket onto the sofa and thought that my disappearance was just another way to get his attention.

But then... Erick inadvertently glanced at the gift box on the table. His heart suddenly skipped a beat, and panic gripped him.

He stepped forward, trembling, and picked up the box and slowly opened it.

Erick's pupils contracted sharply, and the first thing that came into view was a notice of death.

Erick's hand trembled reflexively.

The box and the death notice fell to the floor.

His mind went blank with shock, and his legs gave way. He collapsed to the floor, and tears immediately welled up in his eyes.

"No way. It's impossible." Erick's voice broke as he trembled. He reached out in disbelief to scoop up the death notice lying on the floor.

After a few seconds, he took out his phone and dialed his secretary in panic. "Find out the whereabouts of Kimberly and her parents as quickly as possible. Find out every single place they've been since that kidnapping. I want all the details."

After a while, the trembling voice of his secretary came through the phone. "Mr. Blake, we've found the information. According to the hospital director, Mrs. Blake's parents tragically passed away on the way to the hospital after the kidnapping. Mrs. Blake was overwhelmed by grief and passed away despite the doctors' best efforts. Her identity records have been expunged by the authorities."

As the secretary's words ended, the villa fell silent. It was as quiet as a tomb.

Her parents tragically passed away?

Kimberly died after the doctor failed to save her, and even her identity records were expunged?

No way.

It couldn't be.

Erick's mind was buzzing so loudly that he couldn't comprehend anything else the secretary said.

He looked down at the death notice in shock, and his phone slipped from his hand.

"Mr. Blake... Mr. Blake?" The secretary's voice echoed from the phone.

Erick felt as if his heart had been ripped out. He clutched his head and trembled all over uncontrollably.

He pressed the cold death notice to his face and cried in unbearable pain. He was nearly fainting from grief.

Lately, he had been entangled with Hannah, and he even hurt me for her.

And yet, he was clueless about the anguish I had suffered.

Erick had once thought my disappearance was just a petty rivalry between two women.

He even held onto a sliver of hope.

He thought perhaps I had returned to our marital home.

He thought maybe I was warning him in that way.

He thought if he went home and sincerely apologized to me, perhaps he still had a chance to win me back.

Even though I had completely disappeared from his life, he still felt my presence in the villa.

He looked numbly towards the closet not far away and even recalled the scene where I picked out clothes for him.

He saw the large floor lamp by the sofa and remembered that I feared the dark previously. I always felt the house was too empty and scary, and I often clung to him, refusing to leave his embrace.

Such sweet and warm times were now gone forever.

Somewhere along the line, what remained between us had devolved into nothing but endless suspicion and cold violence.

Even sleeping in the same bed, we dreamt different dreams.

We used to be renowned for our loving relationship. How did things fall apart like that?

Erick regretted his past behavior. If only he hadn't sought excitement, if only he hadn't been pressured by his friends into infidelity, would things have turned out differently?

But since he was a little boy, every guy, including his father and those in the entire circle, was like that. It was common among them to have affairs. Besides the wife, anyone kept many women and more than one child born out of wedlock.

He only had Hannah, never intending to undermine my position as Mrs. Blake. Why couldn't I, like other women in the circle, understand and accept this?

Erick couldn't figure it out. He sat on the floor, and his eyes were unfocused.

After what felt like ages, he suddenly remembered something, grabbed the phone from the floor, and dialed Paige's number.

But no matter how many times he dialed, all that echoed from the other end was the cold, automated voicemail greeting.

Closing his eyes tightly, Erick stood still for a long while before heading to the bathroom.

He splashed cold water on his face and looked at the disheveled man in the mirror. It was a far cry from the figure of strategic mastery he presented in the business world.

After he calmed down completely, he soon reviewed the surveillance footage.

As he was about to head to the study, the doorbell rang.

His heart skipped a beat. His first thought was that I wasn't dead and that it was just a painful lesson for him. Now that the point was made, I returned home.

Erick rushed to the living room door. And his handsome face looked excited as he pulled the door open swiftly.

"Kimberly..." The word barely left his lips before stopping abruptly as soon as he saw the one before him. His excited and tender expression changed, replaced by a cold demeanor. "What are you doing here?"

Hannah was dressed in a deep-V lace dress. She subtly brushed against him and attempted to seduce him. "Aren't you going to let me in? I've prepared a surprise just for you."

Erick frowned and pushed her away in disgust.

"Erick, is Kimberly whispering bad things about me again? Her hostility towards me is so strong. She must really want me gone from your life. But I want nothing more than to stay with you for the rest of my life. Yet Kimberly... if she forces me like this, maybe I should leave you."

Hannah cried with an alluring charm. It was a manipulative tactic she used to get her way. Whenever she wept and pretended to leave Erick, he would chase after her and find ways to pamper her.

But as she pretended to leave this time, Erick surprisingly didn't chase her.

Hannah glanced back several times and feigned nonchalance. She walked out very slowly, waiting for him to catch up. But instead of pursuing her, Erick turned and went back into the villa.

Hannah stood stunned. After a while, she stomped away with anger.

Meanwhile, Erick sat in the study. His jaw was clenched as he quickly reviewed the surveillance footage.

Through countless clips, he pieced together my behavior over the past days.

I had never stooped to provoking Hannah, while she repeatedly schemed and set traps against me.