Bella couldn't remember what was said later that day.

It marked the first silent standoff between her and Brad in over twenty years, lasting half a month.

Then came the second, the third... many, many more.

There were so many silent standoffs between them that they hadn't spent more than ten days together throughout the long year.

Every time their silent standoff came to an end, it was almost always Bella who, worn down by the emotional frost, would be the one to swallow her pride and extend an olive branch.

She always thought that their two-decade-long friendship and the ties between their families shouldn't be strained over trivial matters.

But her concessions seemed to symbolize victory in Brad's eyes, prompting him to act more recklessly and speak more hurtfully each time.

Before the incident about the photo on social media, Bella declined to go scuba diving with Brad, so he blocked her on all social platforms.

He knew full well that she had a severe fear of water, let alone the vast, unpredictable ocean, ever since she had an accident in the swimming pool at six.

He unblocked her only because of the birthday of Brad's sister, Juliana Simpson. She's Bella's best friend as well.

Just a few hours after he unblocked her, the single photo nearly triggered another silent standoff.

Since it was Juliana's birthday, Bella didn't want to dampen the mood for everyone due to her small issue. She typed a message and then deleted it. In the end, she sent a cute emoji.

When she arrived at the Simpson family's mansion, she was surprised to find Brad already there.

As soon as he saw her, he whistled and called out with a grin, "Bella, we've been waiting for you."

Instantly, Bella felt all eyes in the banquet hall turn towards her with scrutiny, surprise, disbelief, and a hint of subtle mockery.

Bella had barely sensed that something was wrong when Juliana dragged her aside.

Juliana was concerned while gazing at Belly. "Bella, Brad may be acting foolish, but why are you enabling him like this? How can you allow him to take such a photo and post it on his social media? Now everyone knows it, including my parents."

Bella's heart sank.

She had always been the epitome of an elite socialite in Bexwell. She was circumspect, meticulous, and never once stepped out of line. Deep down, she knew she was the face of the Shaw family, and her family was one of the most prominent families in Bexwell. In high society, she was her family's golden ticket.

If others mistook that photo for her, it wouldn't just tarnish her reputation but also the entire Shaw family's honor.

She hurried to explain. "Not that. The photo isn't..."

"Juliana, why are you pestering Bella again?" Brad's voice abruptly interrupted their conversation. Then a large hand firmly pressed down on Bella's shoulder.

Brad wrapped an arm around Bella affectionately and winked at Juliana. "So? Are you jealous of Bella's great figure?"

He sounded playful, but he subtly pinned the social media photo's subject on Bella.

Bella was stunned and glanced at Brad. He smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. Instead, he gave her a cautionary glance.

"The photo was of..." Bella began to say, but Brad turned her head and cupped her chin.

He silenced her with a deep kiss, completely blocking her from saying anything further.

After the kiss ended, Bella was still catching her breath when Brad raised his chin towards Juliana, who blushed. "I need to talk about our snow mountain adventure with Bella at the end of this month. So excuse us."

With that, he forcefully dragged Bella all the way to the back garden.

Bella struggled to break free from his hold, and just as Brad managed to call out her name, she slapped him across the face.

The slap landed with full force, causing Brad's head to jerk to the side.

"Why did you spread the rumor that the woman in the photo was me?" Bella was both angry and aggrieved. Her eyes turned red as she wrestled with a mix of emotions.

Brad touched the wound in his mouth with his tongue and suddenly gave Bella a light laugh. "Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Bella was stunned. Before she could respond, Brad stepped closer and said with a teasing tone, "You've always wanted me to make our relationship public on social media. Now that I have, why are you upset?"

Bella stared at Brad. His good-looking face was still adorned with that usual playful grin, but her heart was filled with a new sense of disappointment. "Brad, you know how closely tied my image is to the Shaw Group. If someone with ill intentions uses that photo to stir up trouble, do you know how damaging it could be to the Shaw Group?"

Taking a deep breath, Bella was about to leave. "I need to clarify that the woman in the photo is Kori, and I've never had a tattoo..."

"You can't!" Brad gripped her arm tightly, and his tone was colder than ever. "You know how strongly my grandpa disapproves of Kori. If he finds out about that photo, he might target her more."

Bella was the perfect daughter-in-law tailored for the Simpson family, but Kori was the complete opposite, hitting every sore spot for Brad's grandfather, Martin Simpson.

Kori's rebellious and headstrong nature, along with her penchant for dragging Brad into extreme sports, was enough to earn her an unforgivable offense in Martin's eyes.

Besides, Kori's parents were recently embroiled in an academic fraud scandal. The Simpson family valued reputation a lot and tried their best to avoid such a scandal at all costs.

From the moment Martin learned what Kori was like, he warned Brad to keep his distance from her. He even contemplated intervening personally to separate Brad and Kori.

So Brad had to use Bella as a shield.

The longstanding friendship between the Simpson and Shaw families, coupled with Martin's fondness for Bella since she was a little girl, meant that as long as Bella was mentioned, he would support it unconditionally.

But Bella had long grown weary of being the scapegoat, bearing responsibility and risk. She looked at Brad calmly at that moment. "If you understand Grandpa's intentions, why did you still post that on your social media?"

Brad paused. Then he raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "Are you jealous?"

Bella froze.

Brad seemed to sense he'd found Bella's weak spot. He suddenly pulled her close by the waist and whispered sweetly in her ear, "I've told you that she's just a companion. I'll only marry you, and you will be my bride. There's no need for you to feel insecure."

Bella pressed her hand against Brad's chest and avoided his intimacy. "Brad, I'm not joking. I need to clear up the rumor. I never agreed to go to the snow mountain..."

"I've already agreed to marry you. Why are you still unsatisfied?" Brad suddenly seemed upset, and his tone carried resentment. "I've tolerated your boring personality and promised to take on the responsibility of the Simpson family's business. After marrying you, I'll give up all my passions and interests. I've put up with so much. Why can't you give me just a bit of freedom?"

Bella looked at Brad in disbelief.

What was he talking about?

Was the marriage she had dreamed of so unbearable in Brad's heart?

She said in a trembling voice, "If you don't want to, you can..."

The words got stuck in her throat.

Brad rolled up his sleeve to his shoulder and revealed a scar that ran almost the entire length of his right arm.

Despite undergoing the most precise surgeries and using top-tier medical resources, the scar still couldn't be hidden. It reminded Bella how terrifying the wound had been.

"Bella, isn't this scar from when I was twelve proof enough of my love for you?"

Bella's breath hitched instantly.

She would never forget when they secretly went mountain climbing without being allowed by their families, only to accidentally fall off a cliff due to inexperience.

Brad was twelve back then. He had bravely clung to her arm, and his arm was pierced by a broken branch from the cliff.

Blood dripped from his fingers onto Bella's cheeks, bringing tears to her eyes.

Yet, Brad had smiled to comfort her. "Bella, it doesn't hurt... Just hold on a bit longer. We'll survive..."

When the rescue team arrived, Brad's right arm was severely injured. After they were rushed to the hospital, he almost lost his arm.

Bella had vowed then that she would stay by his side no matter what happened, unless Brad refused.

Bella closed her eyes and sighed as she let go. "I see. I won't say anything. I'll go to the snow mountain, too..."

Brad had always wanted to climb the snowy mountains.

The Simpson family had typically turned a blind eye to his antics over the years, as long as he came back safe and sound.

But when Kori suggested they venture to an undeveloped snow-capped mountain without a guide, it crossed a line for the Simpson family, and they outright refused.

Brad tried every possible way and finally sought Bella's help.

Bella, however, was not inclined to agree. She was unaccustomed to hardship. Extreme sports were out of the question for her. She would have the butler meticulously plan even simple trips, leaving her unruffled in her travels.

Bella and Brad often clashed over such matters. Now that Bella had agreed, Brad was overjoyed to use her name to persuade the family. Martin was skeptical but eventually relented, for Bella's sake.

Bella was uneasy about the journey before setting off. Despite her thorough preparations, something went wrong during the actual climb.

Bella experienced severe altitude sickness.

Her face flushed red, and she was so dizzy that she could barely see the path ahead. Her breathing became increasingly labored. She couldn't take it anymore and clutched at Brad's sleeve. "I... I need to go down... I think I'm suffering altitude sickness..."

Brad's expression changed instantly. He held her tightly and said anxiously, "I'll call for help with the satellite phone and have someone come up for you..."

"No way!" Cory snatched the phone from his hand before he could even dial.

She frowned and said unhappily, "Your grandfather barely agreed to let you go. If he finds out something happened to her, he'll definitely make a big deal out of it and might even drag you down, too. Do you still want to reach the summit?"

Brad hesitated.

"Besides," Kori glanced disdainfully at Bella and continued, "it's just altitude sickness. It won't kill her. She's too weak to follow us. Should we jeopardize the whole team for her, one sheltered woman?"

Kori grew increasingly agitated. She glared at Brad and added, "I told you from the start not to bring this burden. If you keep this up, we won't take you on the next adventure."

Brad's face immediately fell. "No way."

He forcefully picked up Bella, who was slumped over, trying to drag her up the mountain. "Bella, just hold on a little longer..."

Bella's face was ashen. Her breath felt like knives slicing through her nose, leaving a metallic taste in her mouth.

"Why not let Miss Shaw wait here?" Kori suddenly suggested, interrupting Brad's actions. "It's not as cold here as the summit, and she has plenty of gear. Waiting for a few hours won't hurt her."

Bella looked at Kori in disbelief.

They asked her to stay there for a few hours in the snow with altitude sickness. And she was an inexperienced novice. It was practically a death sentence.

Desperately, Bella fumbled for the satellite phone in her backpack. Her only hope was self-rescue.

But as soon as she took it out, Kori kicked it into the icy lake.

"No..." Bella cried out.

Kori sneered, "Miss Shaw, I'm sorry, but we won't let you ruin our plans before we reach the summit."

Anger surged through Bella. Her heart pounded furiously. She struggled to turn to Brad, and her words came out in broken gasps. "I'll... explain to them... won't disrupt your... plans... but I really need... to go down... please..."

By the end, Bella was practically on her knees, pleading with Brad.

Brad couldn't bear it any longer and turned away. He walked off in another direction. "Settle Bella in. I'll wait for you at the pines up the mountain."

As he left, Bella's last glimmer of hope vanished.

Kori stepped closer and crouched down to mockingly whisper in Bella's ear, "You loser, what makes you think you deserve to marry Brad?"

Bella's breathing grew more labored. She was too weak to respond to Kori's taunts. "The best end for you is to die quietly, saving Brad and me from unnecessary hassle."

Kori stood, looked down at Bella with cold disdain, and said to her friends, "She's not consuming anything as she just rests here. Take all her supplies away. We shouldn't waste anything."

Bella leaned against a tree weakly. She helplessly watched as Kori and her friends took all her food and emergency supplies. They didn't even leave a single energy bar.

"She doesn't need so many oxygen tanks. Leave the one she's using. Let's take the rest with us."

One of her friends hesitated. "But Miss Shaw has altitude sickness..."

"She's not suffering altitude sickness. It's just an act. She can argue back with such vigor. Take them all. Avoid waste."

Soon, Bella was left with just her cold-weather gear, slumped against a tree.

Kori was about to leave, but she suddenly paused. She returned to Bella with a smile. "The summit is much colder. I don't have many clothes, so why not lend me your cold-weather gear?"