Mia's suggestion to call the police elicited interesting reactions from both Xena and Nick.

Xena’s gaze darted nervously, while Nick erupted in anger. “Mia, do you think I wouldn’t dare call the police because I’m unwilling to let you go?!”

“No, Nick, I know you would,” Mia silently answered him in her heart. “But your precious Xena won’t let you. She knows her little tricks might fool you, but they won’t fool the police.”

If the police were to uncover that the peanut powder was something she added herself, wouldn’t that be incredibly awkward for her?

Sure enough, a second later, Xena spoke in her sweet voice. “Nick, don’t do this. Mia is still your wife. You can’t send her to jail because of me.

“Besides, I’m fine now, aren’t I? And think about it—if not for Mia, then at least for the Ford family. If the public finds out that your wife went to jail, it would damage the company’s reputation, and Ford Corporation’s stock would surely take a hit.”

With Xena’s persuasion, Nick managed to rein in his temper and didn’t call the police.

But while there would be no police involved, there still had to be punishment.

“Mia,” Nick said coldly, his voice venomous as he grabbed her by the neck, “Xena is too kind-hearted to hold you accountable, but that doesn’t mean you’ll walk away unscathed. The pain she suffered tonight—you’ll feel every bit of it yourself.”

“Dr. Jason, bring the prepared medication,” Nick commanded.

Gripping Mia’s chin, he forced an unknown liquid down her throat.

The effects of the medicine were almost immediate. Mia doubled over in agony, her body drenched in sweat. She clutched her stomach, writhing and convulsing on the floor. Several times, the pain was so unbearable she nearly passed out.

Nick stood towering over her, his cold eyes fixed on her suffering without a flicker of emotion, not even a crease in his brow.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” he said icily. “When Xena drank that bowl of soup you supposedly tampered with, she was in just as much pain. Remember this feeling. Pain is the only thing that will teach you a lesson.”

Mia bit down hard on the back of her hand, breaking the skin and drawing blood, yet she didn’t let go or cry out in pain.

“Nick, don’t worry. I’ll do exactly as you said. I’ll remember this pain clearly.

“This is what it feels like to love you. This is the outcome of loving you.

“I understand now. I won’t make the same mistake again,” she silently remarked.

The pain lingered for an entire day, only subsiding late at night when the effects of the drug finally wore off.

Her body was drenched in cold sweat, and her face was pale, completely drained of color.

It was then that Zoe called. Summoning all her strength, Mia answered the phone. “Hello—”

“Sweetheart, it’s me,” Zoe said, her warm, gentle voice bringing a faint comfort. “I’ve taken care of all the paperwork for your move abroad. When are you planning to leave? I’ll book your flight.”

Mia lay on the floor, her eyelashes trembling. She wanted to say she would leave at sunrise. She couldn’t stand another minute here.

But after a full day of agony, her body felt completely drained of life. Even lifting a finger seemed impossible. In this condition, there was no way she could make it to the airport, let alone travel.

And showing up like this would only worry Zoe.

So, Mia forced herself to sound calm. “The night after tomorrow. The divorce will be finalized by then, and I’ll be ready to go.”

“Alright, I’ll book a flight for 7 p.m. the day after tomorrow. Just bring your passport to pick up the ticket at the airport.”

After spending a full day and night in bed recovering, Mia had finally regained enough strength to face what lay ahead.

Today was the day she would leave.

Her flight was at 7 p.m., and once she boarded, she would never come back.

As dawn broke, Mia got out of bed and began packing her belongings. She decided to donate everything to a local community center.

Among the donated items were all the gifts Nick had given her over the years—clothes, handbags, jewelry and even the wedding ring he had placed on her finger.

Anything of value was donated to benefit others, while the less valuable items were tossed into a fire.

If she was starting over, she would leave with nothing that tied her to him.

By the time she finished, it was already afternoon. Mia glanced at her phone—it was 3 p.m.

Just four hours until her flight.

She was about to change clothes and head to the airport when Jenna suddenly appeared, blocking her path. “Mia, what are you standing around for? Come on, get moving! You’re coming with me to get your makeup done.”

“Makeup?” Mia frowned slightly. “For what?”

“Don’t play dumb,” Jenna said with a scowl. “Isn’t today your wedding anniversary with Nick? He told me that when you got married, my parents didn’t approve, so you skipped the ceremony and just signed the paperwork. He’s always felt guilty about that. And lately, with everything going on with Xena, he knows he’s been neglecting you. So, he wants to make it up to you by throwing you a proper wedding for your five-year anniversary.”

Fake. It had to be fake.

This was definitely a trap, Mia thought.

She and Nick had been married for five years, and he had never once mentioned holding a wedding for her. Why would he suddenly decide to do it now, on the very day Xena was back in his life?

“What, you don’t believe me?” Jenna sneered, giving Mia a disdainful look. “Then call Nick and ask him yourself. Do you think I’m doing this for fun? If he hadn’t forced me, I wouldn’t be wasting my time on you.”

Mia didn’t believe her, and she certainly didn’t want to call Nick.

Seeing Mia standing there like a statue, Jenna lost her patience. She pulled out her phone, dialed Nick’s number, and shoved the phone into Mia’s hands.

“Mia, I’ve already heard about your mom. You’ve been through so much lately. Let me make it up to you today.”

Fake. It had to be fake. Nick would never speak to her in such a gentle tone.

“I’ve already arranged everything. Go with Jenna and change into your dress. We’ll see each other at the wedding.”

Fake. All of it was fake.

Mia’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. What was Nick up to? Why would he suddenly hold a wedding for her? What was his real motive?

She knew deep down it was all a lie. She knew she was the unloved one.

But when she put on the custom wedding dress Nick had supposedly prepared for her, she couldn’t stop the faint glimmer of hope that stirred within her.

There is a universal human tendency to cling to hope, even when logic and experience insist the outcome is impossible.

What if?

What if, this time, it was real?

She had been unlucky for so long.

Surely, she deserved a win, just this once.

“Fine,” Mia thought. “I’ll go and see for myself. There’s still time.”

With the mindset of a gambler taking a one-in-a-million chance, she went to attend the supposed wedding.

By 4 p.m., her makeup was done.

By 5 p.m., she arrived at the wedding venue.

When she pushed open the doors to the banquet hall, a bucket of cold water poured down on her from above.

“Hahahahaha!” Laughter erupted around her, loud and cruel.

Jenna stood behind her, laughing so hard tears streamed down her face. “Mia, you idiot! Did you really think Nick was going to throw you a wedding?

“Hahahaha, what a fool! Today is Xena’s birthday. This isn’t the wedding you’ve been dreaming of—it’s her birthday party!”

The banquet hall was full of people, all there to celebrate Xena’s birthday.

Xena herself was there, dressed in a wedding gown identical to the one Mia was wearing—except hers wasn’t drenched in water and still looked pristine and elegant.

“This dress?” Jenna said smugly, pointing to Xena’s gown. “It’s the one Nick had custom-made for her. Isn’t it beautiful? He’s planning to propose to her today.

“Mia, Nick and Xena are true love. You’re just a pathetic joke in their legendary love story. If you have any self-respect, you’ll leave on your own. It’ll be even more humiliating if Nick throws you out.”

Mia reached up and touched her face, only to realize she was crying.

Crying? Why?

Hadn’t she already known this was all fake?

“Mia, you really are a fool. How many times has fate played cruel tricks on you, and yet you still fell for it?

“You knew it was a lie, and yet you came anyway. What were you trying to prove? How pathetic you are?’ she silently cried.

She turned and fled from the suffocating venue, practically running out the door.

Flagging down a taxi, she rushed to the airport as fast as possible. Once there, she bolted into the restroom and began tearing at the wedding dress she was wearing.

“Take it off. Take it all off,” she thought desperately.

The dress was too tight, too stifling.

“Help me! Please, someone help me!” the plea echoed in her mind.

She couldn’t take it anymore. Everything about it—the dress, the situation—was suffocating her. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. She had to get out of this cursed wedding dress and leave. Leave everything behind, never to look back.

Finally, after frantically pulling and tearing at it, the wedding dress was reduced to shreds.

Mia tossed the once-pristine white dress onto the dirty restroom floor. From her bag, she pulled out a long black slip dress and slipped it on.

Her phone was vibrating furiously. She pulled it out to see dozens of missed calls—all from Nick.

Apparently, he had been calling her nonstop since she got in the taxi, over thirty times at least.

But she had been too consumed by her breakdown to notice.

The phone was still vibrating, Nick still calling.

Mia calmly removed the SIM card, snapped it in half, and tossed it into the trash.

It was almost 7 p.m. She collected her ticket, cleared security, and boarded the plane without any issues.

Moments before takeoff, she deleted all her social media accounts, severing every tie to her past.

When the flight attendant came by to remind her to turn off her phone, she smiled and nodded.

The phone’s screen went black as the plane lifted off the ground.

Mia leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

“Nick, I won’t bother with goodbye.

“Because I hope this is the last time I’ll ever see you,” she muttered.