I carefully packed Mom's ashes, ready to head home.

Seeing me alone, the crematorium attendant asked curiously, "Young man, where's your wife? Surely she should be here to support you through all this?"

I glanced down at my phone.

"I took Sean for a drive along the beach. I'll be back later."

I forced a bitter smile.

I'd suggested going to the beach many times before, but she always turned me down, claiming she had a migraine.

"Don't ever bring up the beach again. Just thinking about it gives me a headache."

Scrolling through Instagram, I saw Sean had posted nine photos of his new car with the caption, "A cool ten million dollars, and it's mine."

It was exactly the same amount as Mom's insurance.

I switched off my phone, feeling dead inside.

That night, Lily didn't come home at all.

The next morning, I delivered the divorce papers to her office.

The receptionist sneered the moment he saw me. "Look who it is—our ex-deputy CEO, Mr. Foley, the man who tried to frame Mr. Clements. You've been fired, so why are you back here causing trouble?

"Careful now. If you upset Mr. Clements again, Ms. Peterson might finally divorce you."

I ignored him and walked straight into Lily's office.

I was tucking the divorce papers into her desk drawer when Sean burst in. His voice dripped with contempt as he said, "Playing thief now that you're unemployed? Who gave you permission to be in Lily's office? Get out before I call the cops."

I was used to his two-faced act. I finished what I was doing and turned to leave.

My silence clearly angered Sean. His expression darkened. He grabbed a vase and smashed it over my head.

Blood began to pour down my neck. Stars danced in my vision as I tried to stay upright. I yelled, "Are you insane? You're going to kill me in the office?"

Sean just gave a dismissive laugh. "So what? I'm the exception to Lily's rules."

I tried to bolt for the door, but he tripped me. I hit the floor hard, and the impact snapped two of my front teeth.

Seeing my mouth full of blood, Sean erupted into laughter and beckoned the rest of the staff to come and watch.

The crowd gathered, snickering at my broken teeth.

I covered my mouth in shame. "Stop staring! Someone call an ambulance!"

Just then, Lily pushed through the crowd, sprinting straight toward me.

"Tristin! What happened?" Lily rushed over, frantically dabbing the blood from my face with her handkerchief.

The employees lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.

Sean pointed a finger at me. "Tristin stole the surveillance footage of that accident where I hit his mom. He just wants to send me to prison. I got so upset that I lashed out and hurt him, and then he screamed at me."

He grew sad right after speaking.

Lily instantly felt bad for him. She shoved me away. "The case is closed! Why can't you just let it go? If you really can't, you could have told me. I never realized you were the kind of person who would stoop to such a vile trick!"

I opened my mouth, but the words died in my throat.

With Sean there, my mere presence was an eyesore to her. What right did I have to expect her to stand up for me?

I let out a hollow laugh and rasped, "I don't want anything from you. I just want a divorce."

Lily's gaze softened for a fraction of a second.

When she started to speak, Sean suddenly let out a sharp cry. "Ah! It hurts so much! Tristin! You're psychotic! You actually smeared poison on me?"

He began to convulse, white foam bubbling at the corners of his mouth.

I froze. "I didn't—"

Before I could even react, a slap cracked across my face. My cheek stung.

I couldn't believe it. Lily had actually hit me because of an accusation Sean made without a shred of proof.

This was the man who had just killed Mom!

The more Sean convulsed on the ground, the angrier Lily's gaze toward me became.

"Force-feed Tristin ten pounds of chili peppers! Maybe that will help him reflect on what he's done!"

My heart skipped a beat.

She knew I was deathly allergic to peppers. Even a tiny amount could trigger a fatal asthma attack.

The employees didn't hesitate. They pinned me down, brutally prying my mouth open to shove the chili peppers inside.

"Lily…" I choked out through the pain.

I watched as she rushed Sean toward an ambulance without a glance back.

Witnessing the scene, one of the employees laughed even more brazenly. "Mr. Clements is the only one who matters to Ms. Peterson. You're out of her league."

Time blurred. My mouth went numb, and I gasped violently for air.

Seeing the onset of the asthma attack, the employees panicked and dropped me.

My phone, lying beside me, buzzed incessantly with provocative messages from Sean.

"I hand-picked those ghost peppers for you. How do they taste? Cross me again, and I'll play with you until you're dead.

"By the way, I killed your mom on purpose. You think Lily doesn't know? She'd let anyone die as long as it makes me happy.

"And that ten million dollars? I had a blast spending it. Maybe next time we can do the same thing with your dad."

I collapsed on the floor in total despair. My vision grew dark, and I didn't even have the strength to call the cops.

But I didn't expect Sean to actually start a live stream. "You didn't think I'd let you off that easily, did you? That would make my 'seizure' a waste of breath."

Sean ripped at my clothes and positioned the camera in front of me.

The live stream quickly swelled to ten thousand viewers. People donated gifts, demanding I crawl like a dog for the camera.

I couldn't take it anymore and threw a punch at Sean with all my strength.

The next second, Lily violently shoved me aside. "Tristin Foley! How dare you lay a finger on Sean?"

She seemed utterly blind to how miserable I was or how hard I struggled to breathe. Her only concern was inspecting the bruises on Sean's cheek.

Sean whimpered, "Lily, I was just trying to use the live stream to promote the company. I had no idea Tristin would react like this. If he hates me this much, maybe I should just kill myself!"

With that, he bolted for the rooftop. We were 20 stories up.

Lily's voice shook with terror. "Sean, come back! Tristin isn't worth doing something stupid over! I love you! That's all that matters!"

Sean stubbornly pressed her, "Then tell me. Between me and Tristin, who do you actually love more?"

Lily hesitated for only a heartbeat before giving the answer I already knew was coming. "It's you, Sean. Of course it's you."

"If you really love me, make him apologize. Otherwise, I'm jumping."

Lily gritted her teeth and grabbed me. "Apologize to Sean, now! Are you really going to stand there and watch him die?"

My breaths were coming in short, and my chest felt like it was being crushed.

"Lily, do you have any idea what he did to me?"

I reached for my phone to show her the messages, but her patience had evaporated. She slapped the phone out of my hand. "Apologize! Now!"

She grabbed the back of my head and forced me down, slamming my forehead against the ground.

Sean finally put on an act of being the bigger person. "Fine, fine. I'll forgive him. But Lily, you owe me a trip around the world!"

Still trembling from the scare, Lily pulled him into a hug and nodded frantically. "Anything. I'm with you all the way."

My consciousness began to fade. My face was turning a bruised purple from the lack of oxygen.

But Lily didn't spare me a single glance as she hurried Sean toward the airport.

In the end, it was a janitor who called the paramedics.

When the doctors arrived and saw my condition, their faces turned grim.

"His brain isn't getting enough oxygen. Where's his family? We need to start emergency resuscitation now!"

They tried calling Lily from my phone, but she wouldn't pick up.

Then, they had the receptionist call from the office line. It picked up after only a few rings.

"Ms. Peterson, Mr. Foley is in critical condition. The doctors need to—"

Lily interrupted, her voice dripping with annoyance. "What is Tristin faking now? Ignore him. I'm busy with Sean, so stop bothering me with Tristin's nonsense!"

With that, she hung up.

My heartbeat grew faint. As my mind drifted into the gray, someone suddenly gripped my hand tight.

A panicked voice cried out to the doctors, "I'm his wife! Please, use every resource you have. I don't care what it costs! Just save him!"