It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over Kylee's head, sending a bone-chilling cold through her body and soul.

Michael was turned on by Sonya, but he came to her to vent his desires.

What did he take her for?

A plaything he could use at will?

A wave of immense humiliation engulfed Kylee. She let out a painful shout and shoved him away with all her might. Then she landed a fierce slap across his face.

Michael's face turned to the side from the impact, and his desire subsided.

He was about to lose his temper when he saw her face, streaked with tears.

She was always strong, rarely crying like that.

His gaze softened, and he reached out and wanted to touch her cheek.

"Michael, why are you here? Weren't you going to take me home?" Sonya suddenly appeared. She looked at Michael and Kylee with a hint of grievance and exclaimed in surprise. "Did I... did I interrupt something?"

Michael immediately retracted his hand, as he didn't want Sonya to misunderstand him. "Of course not. I just came to use the restroom. Don't be upset, Sonya."

He gently pinched her cheek, and his eyes softened with tenderness.

Sonya broke into a smile. She linked her arm with his and extended an invitation to Kylee as if she were Michael's wife. "Kylee, why don't you join us? I'll have Michael take you home first."

"No, thank you. I'll go back on my own." Kylee suppressed the anger and bitterness in her heart and headed straight for the door.

But it was raining, and it was not easy to get a cab. In the end, Kylee was almost forcibly pushed into the backseat of the car by Michael.

On their way, Sonya chatted animatedly with Michael and occasionally touched him intimately.

He showed no signs of impatience. He kept smiling, and his profile looked gentle and focused.

Kylee couldn't remember when he had looked at her with such affection before.

It had been so long that it seemed like it only happened in dreams.

Kylee lowered her gaze, and her nails dug deeply into her palms, causing a continuous ache.

Suddenly, Sonya's terrified scream pierced the air. "Ah, there's a cat!"

Visibility was already poor in the storm. The car veered sharply, careened out of control, and crashed into the bridge.

It plunged into the river.

They all felt a sensation of weightlessness.

"Sonya!" In the critical moment, Michael instinctively shielded Sonya beside him. He smashed the window open and swam out with her.

Kylee watched his figure leave her and felt her heart being carved out. The pain was excruciating.

The water poured in relentlessly, and she gradually lost her consciousness.

In a daze, she remembered how Michael used to protect her when they first met. As danger struck, he had shielded her, although a large wooden plank struck his shoulder and left it bloodied.

She felt immense guilt, but he endured the pain and comforted her gently. "Kylee, if you keep crying, you won't be pretty. I promise nothing will happen to you. If we are in danger again, I'll save you first."

At that moment, he was like her sun, warming her long-neglected and loveless soul.

She chose to trust him and gave herself completely to him.

But she was about to drown now.

"Michael, can you see me now?" she asked in her heart.

Tears fell into the cold river and disappeared. Her vision darkened, and she lost consciousness.

She awoke again in a hospital, and the smell of disinfectant filled her nose.

"Kylee, are you awake?" Sonya looked at Kylee with concern. She said guiltily, "I'm sorry. You're Michael's girlfriend. He should have saved you first. It's just that I'm too weak."

She coughed lightly, and her eyes were red. She looked so vulnerable.

Michael immediately pulled Sonya into his arms with concern. He acted as her protector. "How can you blame yourself? Whether you are healthy or not, I would save you first. We've known each other for over twenty years. No one is more important than you in my eyes."

It was a statement more shocking than saying "I love you."

Kylee's face turned pale instantly. The love she held for him withered entirely. "I'm tired. Could you both leave?"

Sonya was beaming with happiness. She gently pushed Michael away after hearing his words.

"I'll leave, and you two can talk. Michael, take good care of her, or I'll be against you."

Michael watched her walk away, feeling both comforted and moved. When he turned to Kylee, his gaze was filled with reproach.

"Sonya is kind and considerate. Even though she's not feeling well, she insists on watching you in the hospital room as she is afraid something might happen to you. But you are so narrow-minded and always get jealous. Don't show her your temper, or our wedding will be postponed for more than just a week."

Kylee was stunned for an instant. Then she found it amusing.

How confident could Michael be? She had announced their breakup in front of so many of his friends, but he still thought he could use the wedding to threaten her.

Kylee raised her head slightly and said firmly, "Michael, we have already broken off the engagement."

Her tone was resolute and unwavering.

Michael was stunned. Then he felt unusual irritation rising within him.

He suddenly stood up. "Kylee, I had someone rescue you right after I saved Sonya. What else do you want? Do you really think I'm afraid to call off our engagement?"

Just then, a sharp scream came from the room next door. "Ah, it hurts!"

Michael was jolted. Then he suppressed his anger and said, "Fine, just focus on recovering."

With that, he hurriedly left the hospital room.

In the following days, Michael did not appear in front of Kylee again.

But Kylee often overheard the nurses talking about him and Sonya enviously.

"Miss Wheeler is really lucky. Her boyfriend loves her so much. Even for a slight scratch, he calls the city's best specialists and stays by her side. He does everything she wishes."

"You are right. I even envy her. Look at Miss Stewart. She almost drowned, but her family never showed up here to take care of her. So tragic she is."

"Life deals different hands..."

Endless bitterness filled Kylee's heart. A heavy stone seemed to be pressing down on her chest and making it hard for her to breathe.

Michael had vowed to care for her, but he was now doing that to another woman.

Kylee was left alone to heal and to recover. She silently mended herself.

It was alright. Soon she would leave.

On the day of Kylee's discharge, Michael seemed to finally remember her. He asked her to attend his birthday party.

She didn't want to go. But James insisted she go there because the Stewart family's business still relied on the Powell family, so Kylee couldn't afford to sour relations.

Kylee eventually attended the party. It was bustling with the elite from the social circle in the city.

The moment Michael appeared, hand in hand with Sonya, they instantly became the focal point of everyone's attention.

Michael introduced Sonya with flair and invited her to lead the first dance at the banquet.

Their garments fluttered gracefully as their bodies touched. Sonya blushed deeply.

Sonya said, "Michael, am I too thin? I am not like Kylee, with curves that catch the eye."

Michael leaned in and whispered softly in her ear. "To me, you're the most beautiful. How could she compare to you?"

As he spoke, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her body tightly against his. She could feel his private part hard.

Sonya gasped, and her face turned crimson as she buried her head into his chest shyly.

Kylee was close to them so as to hear their conversation clearly.

Each word pierced her heart with a subtle pain, but she maintained a polite smile.

The guests around them began to whisper among themselves.

"They're so intimate. Isn't Kylee supposed to be Michael's fiancée?"

"You're behind the times. Sonya is the apple of his eye now. He never celebrates his birthday as his mother died while giving birth to him, but he organized this one just because Sonya asked him to."

"Exactly. Kylee has long been out of favor. Look at her wearing an outdated dress. Without the Powell family's support, she is really nothing."

Kylee clenched her fists and endured the contemptuous gazes of others. But she was unable to escape.

If she walked away now, she would be a bigger joke.

She forced herself to engage with the crowd, holding onto her last shred of dignity.

Unexpectedly, Sonya and several friends stopped Kylee.

Sonya looked Kylee over in surprise and exclaimed, "Kylee, isn't your dress last season's style? Why didn't you wear the dress I asked Michael to give you? Was it not to your liking? If you didn't like it, I can have Michael send you another one. He never refuses my requests."

Though Sonya sounded considerate, she was actually flaunting Michael's affection for her.

Kylee sneered, "Not necessary. You and I have different tastes. The dress you choose doesn't suit my figure."

Sonya glanced at Kylee's voluptuous curves and bit her lip secretly. Then her eyes reddened. "Kylee, you have such a nice figure. Why not flaunt it in front of everyone?"

As soon as she finished speaking, her friends jumped in to defend her.

"That's right! Sonya and Michael are childhood sweethearts, a perfect match destined to be together. It's your fault for interfering, you homewrecker."

"Let's all go for it! Humiliate her by ruining her dress and let this homewrecker leave in shame."

They laughed maliciously, surrounded Kylee, and reached out to tear at her dress.

Kylee struggled desperately and called for help, but others feared offending Sonya and dared not step out.

Just as Kylee was about to collapse, the banquet hall doors burst open.

A group of security guards in black rushed in. They pinned Sonya and her friends to the floor forcefully.

Jerald entered slowly from outside. Although he was seated in a wheelchair, he exuded a suffocating aura of authority.

He looked around the hall before his gaze settled on Sonya.

He said in a chilling voice, "How dare you offend my future wife? You're courting death."