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?"

Under the intense effects of altitude sickness, Bella didn't even have the strength to call for help.

After Kori left with her friends, there was only Bella left in the cold place.

Her outer coat had been violently stripped away, and the thin layer underneath was instantly robbed of all warmth.

Her exposed limbs quickly lost heat, and soon she began to lose feeling in them.

Bella grew conscious, with the cold wind slicing at her like knives.

No. She couldn't just sit there for death.

In a few hours, she would surely die.

She struggled to turn her head and saw the satellite phone that had been kicked away. It hadn't fallen into the water but had instead landed on a block of ice.

In what seemed like a last burst of strength before death, Bella crawled to the lake's edge and reached out for the satellite phone.

Thankfully, luck was on her side. She took it in her trembling hands. As her vision blurred, she managed to dial an emergency number.

"Help... me..." she whispered.

But before she could finish, her hand slipped, and she fell into the bottomless, icy lake along with the phone.

When Bella awoke again, it was five days later.

From Juliana's explanation, Bella learned about what had happened after she passed out.

She had just set out for the snowy mountain when her brother, James Shaw, who had just returned to the country. As soon as he received the news, he rushed to the mountain in a frenzy.

Fortunately, he was there. Upon receiving the distress call, he immediately dispatched a helicopter to search the mountain.

When they found Bella, she was submerged at the lake's bottom, barely alive.

She was resuscitated for 12 hours, receiving multiple critical condition alerts.

Martin was furious. He whipped Brad severely and forced him to be on his knees at the hospital room door to pray for Bella's recovery.

Juliana sighed, "Brad must have been bewitched by Kori. Even when he was on his knees at the door, he kept defending her, insisting that it was an accident due to your inexperience..."

"Juliana." Bella quietly interrupted her complaints. "Is there something wrong with my legs?"

Since waking up, Bella could feel that her legs seemed completely numb.

Juliana's face froze, and she dared not speak.

Her silence confirmed Bella's worst fears. She seemed to have been struck by lightning.

She had learned classical dance since childhood, and she joined the prestigious national dance troupe at ten. She dreamed of performing at Vienna's Golden Hall. How could she lose her legs?

"The doctor says the frostbite is severe and has damaged the tendons and nerves in your legs. They might not be able to recover for some time..." Seeing Bella's tearful face, Juliana quickly reassured her. "Don't worry. James has gone abroad to find the best doctor. It's said that the doctor specializes in treating frostbite. As long as you take good care of your legs, there's hope."

Bella let out a sigh of relief. She gently touched her legs and couldn't imagine how devastated she would be if she could never dance again.

Perhaps because of the mess Brad had made this time, the Simpson family covered all expenses during her recovery. They even brought a lot of expensive supplements to her hospital room.

Brad visited Bella on the sixth day after Bella woke up.

His injuries hadn't healed. He grimaced in pain as he sat down. But he still tried to reach for Bella's hand. "Bella, I'm sorry for what you've been through. I'll be more careful next time..."

But before he could touch her fingers, Bella expressionlessly moved her hand away. "There won't be a next time."

Brad's smile froze. "Come on. Don't be mad. Kori was careless this time. She thought you were faking your altitude sickness to slack off and wanted to go down early. You're generous. Please don't hold it against her. She's just immature..."

He was clearly showing blatant favoritism towards Kori.

He didn't even make a sincere apology or explain why Bella had been left on the mountain alone.

He seemed to be certain that Bella wouldn't be angry with him. He spoke as casually as if they were discussing the weather.

Bella suddenly found it absurd. "Do you know that I almost died?"

Brad paused and then grinned. "But you didn't, right? Stop jinxing yourself. Okay, okay, I know you're upset. I'll make it up to you later."

Seeing Bella remain silent, he assumed she agreed with his request and leaned in with a smile. "But you have to put in a good word for me with Grandpa. He's furious because of you and says I can't go out with Kori anymore. This whole thing started because of you, so you have to help me fix it..."

Bella stared at Brad in disbelief. She couldn't believe he could say such things.

"Brad, Kori abandoned me halfway up the mountain. She even took all my supplies and stripped me of my winter clothes. I'm lying here because of her, and you want me to speak for her?" Bella let out a cold laugh. "Sorry, but I can't do that. And don't drag me into your extreme sports anymore. I can't afford to risk my life."

Brad froze.

Bella had always spoken to him with gentle and accommodating words, going along with his every wish. No matter how serious his mistakes were, the mere semblance of an apology from him would be enough for her to meekly make amends.

It was the first time she had spoken to him so coldly.

Brad believed that he had already humbled himself. He had felt disgruntled by Martin's scolding before. So his anger flared. "Fine. You just don't like Kori, don't you? You make it sound all high and mighty. Aren't you just jealous and deliberately picking on Kori?

He sneered, "If it weren't for the arranged marriage between our families, I would never be so patient with you, such a pampered woman."

As Brad stormed out, Bella found herself questioning for the first time whether the marriage between the two families is really necessary.