Luka’s voice carried a touch of gentle affection. “I just like cooking for you.”

Ten years ago, Luka had taken a culinary class just to please me. He once told me that if he could win over my stomach, I would never leave him.

But the person who said those words no longer existed.

I stepped out with a cold expression. The moment they saw me, both fell silent, their voices cut off.

At the dinner table, none of the dishes Luka used to prepare especially for me appeared.

It was clear now that he only cooked what Quincy liked.

“Talia, there’s a gathering with friends tonight. Come with us. They’re all our old friends, and it’ll be a good chance to let everyone know you’re back.”

I gave a quiet nod.

As night fell, I covered my pale face with makeup. Since none of my clothes remained in the house, the former mistress could only borrow Quincy’s to wear. Even so, it was still better than returning to that hell.

Luka came to take Quincy and me to the gathering. Out of habit, I reached for the passenger door, but the sticker there caught my eye and stung.

Quincy’s exclusive seat. That spot had once belonged to me.

I pulled my hand back and slipped into the back seat instead.

“Quincy, come on.”

Luka’s affectionate call guided her straight to the passenger side.

The entire ride felt like endless torment.

When we arrived, most of the faces were childhood friends Luka and I had once shared. The moment they spotted Luka and Quincy together, they rushed over.

“I swear, do you two have to be this lovey-dovey?”

“You’re not even married yet, and already stuck together.”

Their teasing was so familiar it felt like I’d been thrown back ten years, only the heroine had changed.

Luka cleared his throat gently, hinting for them to look behind him.

When their eyes landed on me, the laughter died at once. They glanced at Luka, their expressions saying without words: She’s back, then what about Quincy?

The air turned heavy with awkward silence.

At the table, the conversations drifted over topics I could no longer keep up with, and I realized I no longer belonged in what used to be my own circle.

All those once-close friends now gathered around Quincy, the very same person I had brought into this circle back then.

The suffocation became too much, so I stood and slipped away to the restroom. I stayed hidden there for a long time before I finally gathered the courage to come out.

But just as I reached for the door, voices floated in from outside.

“Luka, now that the two of them aren’t here, tell us honestly, your old lover is back. What’s going through your head? Don’t tell me you’re planning to start things up again?”

Luka let out a sharp click of his tongue.

“How could that be? The hospital report says she already has two children. Rekindle? What, you expect me to play the fool?”

One friend sounded doubtful.

“But when she went missing, you were the one who panicked most. You acted like you couldn’t live without her. And now you’re saying you feel nothing?”

Luka stayed silent for a long time before finally speaking.

“I don’t even know myself. But now, whenever I see her, I can’t stop imagining that she’s been touched by someone else. I do feel sorry for her, but she’s not the same as before. Now she’s just… secondhand, isn’t she?”

I leaned weakly against the wall, my legs barely holding me up.

“So you’ve chosen to embrace a new life with Quincy? In stories, this is the part where the man hurts the one who once shone like heaven, clings to his first love, but in the end still chooses the one from above.”

Luka’s voice hardened. “I won’t hurt Quincy. As for Talia, as long as she doesn’t cause trouble or do anything against Quincy, I can let her stay by my side.”

His friend sounded puzzled. “Then why not just send Talia away?”

Luka didn’t even pause. “No, she can’t leave. Even if I marry Quincy, I still have old ties with her. She has nothing now, not even her parents. How could I just throw her out? Besides… she only has me left.”

“And besides, I also carry the blame for her kidnapping. If I hadn’t walked Quincy home that day, maybe Talia wouldn’t have been taken.”

I was about to slip away, but when I turned, I ran right into Quincy.

“Talia, why aren’t you going inside?”

At that moment, the door behind me opened.

“Talia? When did you come back?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I bolted straight out of the hall.

“Talia!”

Out on the roadside, Luka caught up and grabbed my arm.

“Talia! Calm down, please! Tell me, what exactly did you hear?”

I yanked my hand free with a sharp motion. “Calm down? Luka, I’ve lived through hell for six years! I come back only to see you about to marry Quincy, how do you expect me to calm down?”

At last, Luka snapped. “Then what do you want? These days, Quincy and I have already tolerated you enough. Just look at yourself, don’t you think you’re pathetic?”

I let out a cold laugh, tears spilling down my face.

“Pathetic? Luka, you truly are something.”

I turned to leave again, but once more, Luka stepped in front of me to block the way.

“Talia, stop making a scene. You have nothing now, and throwing a fuss won’t help you. I won’t cast you aside, but the condition is that you can’t go against Quincy, because she’s done nothing wrong. Be obedient, alright? Otherwise, besides me, who else will take care of you?”

Even now, every word from Luka was still for Quincy’s sake.

If it hadn’t been for me back then, Quincy wouldn’t even have had the chance to attend school. I was the one who took her home to recover from her injuries, who persuaded my parents to sponsor her education, and who led her into my circle of friends.

And now, everything that had once been mine belonged to her instead.

“Luka, you really do fall in love quickly.”

My voice shook with sobs.

In Luka’s eyes, a flicker of heartache appeared. After a long, tense silence, he reached out to wipe the tears at the corner of my eyes.

He gently pulled me into his arms. “Talia, don’t cause trouble. Quincy is pregnant, and I don’t want things to turn ugly. As long as you stay sensible, the love I give you will never be less than what I give her.”

My arms hung limp at my sides, refusing to return his embrace. At that moment, my heart had completely died.

Not far away, Quincy stood watching, a chilling smile curling at her lips.

Within days, the headlines exploded. The bachelor who had once bought me appeared in front of the cameras, holding two children in his arms and playing the victim.

He accused me of being irresponsible, of being unfaithful.

Reporters swarmed me as I searched desperately for any news about my parents.

“Miss Pearson, don’t you feel guilty for abandoning your husband and children? You robbed them of a mother’s love from such a young age.”

A wall of cameras pressed closer, and those dark, endless six years replayed in my mind all over again.

I clutched my head, struggling to push my way out, but every path was blocked by reporters.

“Miss Pearson, society will condemn your actions. Didn’t you just run away because you couldn’t stand the poverty of the countryside?”

I raised my head, and not far away, I saw Quincy standing arm-in-arm with Luka, watching me with cold satisfaction.

“I didn’t. I was trafficked,” I said, my eyes burning red.

“Don’t use trafficking as an excuse every time something happens. How can you prove it’s real? There are always people who despise poverty and crave wealth, twisting their stories just to gain sympathy.”

Then, the man from my nightmares appeared.

He clutched the children, his face streaked with snot and tears, and fell to his knees before me.

“Wife, come home with me. The children need you, too.”

Instinctively, I turned to Luka for help, praying he would prove the truth for me. “He can prove what I said is true.”

Following my gaze, countless eyes shifted toward Luka.

“Talia, since you already have children, you must take responsibility. The children are innocent.”

In his eyes, Quincy wasn’t wrong, and the children weren’t wrong. No one was wrong, except me. Even you, Luka, chose to stand against me.

In an instant, I became the woman who abandoned her husband and children, the one who despised poverty and chased after wealth.

When the crowd saw the pitiful children, their contempt only grew stronger.

“I’ve seen plenty of women like this.”

“The most poisonous thing in the world is a woman’s heart; she doesn’t even want her own children.”

“Truly disgusting.”

Trash and dirty water rained down on me as Luka stood off in the distance, shielding Quincy behind him.

He cast me a single glance, a silent signal telling me to endure. In his eyes, the only thing that mattered was keeping Quincy out of the storm.

My vision blurred, and the world spun. Years of malnutrition had left my body too weak, and I was on the verge of collapsing.

Just then, a van screeched to a halt nearby. Several men in black suits rushed out, forming a wall around me as they hurled two suitcases full of cash at the bachelor.

The men in black steadied me and said, “Miss, forgive us, we came late.”

The reporters and onlookers stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened.

Before being helped into the car, I turned to look at Quincy, my lips moving soundlessly, “Don’t worry, Quincy, it’s not over yet.”

Her face went pale as she trembled uncontrollably, shrinking behind Luka.

“This woman really managed to cling to a rich man. Look at the one in the passenger seat; his silhouette just screams extraordinary.”

Drawn by the whispers, Luka turned his gaze to the passenger side, and sure enough, the figure of a man sat there.