Gabriella's POV

When William got home, he found me with eyes swollen from crying. He pulled me into his arms, his expression full of concern.

"Gaby, I'm sorry," he said. "My dad passed away from illness back then, so I had to return to Frostmere and take over the family business. Your social status is too low, so the elders in my family would never have allowed me to marry you."

I couldn't take another word. I shoved him away, tears streaming down my face. "So you married someone else? William, what did our seven years of long-distance relationship mean to you?"

William looked down at me, his expression settling into calm. "Gabriella, as the head of the Harrington family, I have obligations. Alexandra and I are of the same social standing, and our marriage benefits both our families.

"Lexi said that as long as you behave yourself, she'd turn a blind eye and let you stay by my side."

I looked up at him as tears rolled down my face.

William leaned down and brushed the tears from the corners of my eyes. "Gaby, we've been together for so many years; I won't treat you badly. If you want to stay in Frostmere, I can arrange a position for you at the company as my assistant."

I slapped him across the face. Under his stunned gaze, I grabbed my suitcase and quickly walked out of the front door.

As I rode away in a cab, William sent me a voice message. "Gabriella, don't be difficult. Not everyone can work for Harrington Group. I'll give you three days to think it over."

Then he transferred 100,000 dollars to my account. Back when he was pretending to be broke, he never sent me more than 1,000 dollars at a time. Now, he sent a hundred thousand without a second thought.

I didn't reply and returned all the money.

Once I had rented a place and settled in, I opened my phone to find that the situation between William and me had gone viral. Someone had posted a video of me outside his office building. In the footage, I looked completely disheveled, and my eyes were darting around.

The trending posts claimed William was having an affair and that his mistress had shown up uninvited. I was his real girlfriend, yet somehow I had become the homewrecker everyone despised.

I immediately posted the full story of our relationship along with our chat history. The timeline made it clear that William and I had been together long before he married Alexandra.

Public opinion flipped. The entire internet turned on William, calling him a scumbag.

William called me several times, but I hung up each time.

A few minutes later, Alexandra posted their marriage certificate on Instagram. She claimed their relationship was harmonious and accused me of staging the whole thing for attention.

Harrington Group's PR team insisted that the chat history I posted was fabricated and threatened to sue me for defamation. Paid accounts flooded the internet with rumors, branding me as a scheming mistress trying to ruin a marriage.

The comment section of my post was completely overrun with negative comments.

"The mistress tried to fight back and got hit with a legal warning instead. That's hilarious!"

"That's the real wife for you—shut down that arrogant homewrecker in just a few words."

"She destroys someone's marriage and then tries to use it for clout. Disgusting!"

My inbox was flooded with insults, and some even wished for my death.

Half an hour later, my post disappeared, and my account was banned. It was the first time I truly realized how powerless I was against people with immense influence.

My phone kept ringing, and every time I ignored it, the caller called again. With no other option, I finally picked up.

It wasn't William who called me, but Alexandra. Her laughter carried a hint of disdain. "Ms. Bennett, let's have a little chat."

Gabriella's POV

Early the next morning, Alexandra asked to meet me at a cafe. When she saw me again, there wasn't a trace of surprise in her eyes.

"Gabriella, I recognized you the moment I saw you at the office yesterday," she said.

I froze.

The next moment, she explained calmly, "I knew about you before I married William. In our social circle, it's normal for men to have mistresses. William is actually restrained by comparison; he only has you."

"I'm not a mistress!" I shot back immediately.

Alexandra sneered and rested her hand on her belly. "What you are doesn't matter. The Harrington family has an heir on the way, so we never intended to deal with you. But then you ended up on the trending page, so I had to step in."

She slid a non-disclosure agreement and a blank check across the table toward me. "Sign the agreement, record an apology video, and leave Frostmere within two days. Fill in any amount you want."

I pushed the documents back and stood up to leave, but Alexandra stopped me. "Gabriella, you won't last in Frostmere. If you change your mind, come find me anytime."

…

Alexandra was right.

Throughout the morning, I visited several companies to interview for positions. After reviewing my information, the HR managers all shook their heads and turned me away, saying my conduct was unbecoming and a liability to their company's reputation.

Someone even mocked me to my face. "Why is a mistress like you looking for a job? Why don't you just go find yourself another sugar daddy?"

Photos of me attending interviews were posted online. Someone even tagged William in the comment section.

A moment later, William called me. "Gabriella, how long are you going to keep embarrassing yourself? I offered you a job, you turned it down, and now you're out there making a spectacle of yourself. Can you stop this?"

"William, do you see me as your mistress too?" I asked.

The cold wind in Frostmere bit at my skin.

William instantly went quiet. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Gaby, I—"

I didn't want to hear his explanation, so I hung up.

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed again. Mom's voice came through the phone, raw and broken by sobs. "Gabriella! How did I raise a daughter like you? You've been someone's mistress for seven years!"

"Your dad got so upset that he had a heart attack. The surgery will cost 500,000 dollars. Where are we supposed to get that kind of money?"

Just then, a snowball slammed into my head with a thud.

Two kids pointed at me and shouted, "Homewrecker! Hit the homewrecker!"

Snowballs came flying at me one after another. They ran off laughing, then turned back and made faces at me.

I sank to my knees in the snow, tears falling onto my phone screen. With shaking hands, I dialed Alexandra's number.

Alexandra's mocking laughter came through the receiver. "Made up your mind already?"

I replied in a hoarse voice, "I'll do it."

Gabriella's POV

Alexandra arranged for me to issue a public apology on a live broadcast at the TV station.

After signing the non-disclosure agreement, I stood in front of more than a dozen cameras and numbly read the script.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Gabriella Bennett. Regarding the controversy I recently caused online, I would like to sincerely apologize to Ms. Alexandra Rowland and Mr. William Harrington. I fabricated the chat logs just to gain attention. Mr. Harrington and I are nothing more than former classmates."

The viewer count spiked, and netizens flooded the comment section with insults, telling me to get out of Frostmere.

By the time I came back to my senses, the wave of hatred had already torn through me.

After the broadcast ended, Alexandra pulled out several stacks of bills and tossed them onto the floor without a second glance. The green bills drifted down like falling snow.

"They slipped right out of my hands. Please pick them up yourself," she said.

"Alexandra, you've gone too far!" I snapped.

I was about to lunge forward when a bodyguard grabbed me and held me in place. He kicked me in the knee, and I fell to the ground in pain. As I struggled, my head was forced down against the floor.

I was forced to kneel and apologize to Alexandra in front of everyone. Laughter erupted as the cameras focused on me again, each laugh cutting deeper.

Alexandra grabbed my hair and gave a mocking smile. "Gabriella, take the money and get out of Frostmere. Don't ever think about challenging me."

She turned away and called William, her voice turning soft and playful. "Darling, I've taken care of everything. You'd better say something nice to me!"

William's voice was as warm and indulgent as ever. "You've worked hard, Lexi."

I stayed on my knees, picking up the bills one by one. This money was meant for Dad's surgery.

After the crowd dispersed, a pair of black leather shoes appeared before me. "Gabriella, are you really that desperate for money that you're willing to kneel on the ground and pick it up?"

William grabbed my wrist and dragged me all the way downstairs. Then he shoved a bank card into my hand. "If you need money, come to me. Don't degrade yourself like this."

Afterward, William drove me home himself. Pleased with how I had handled the apology, he softened his tone considerably.

"Gaby, I bought you a house with a river view. Move in tomorrow. Once things die down, I'll get you set up at the company. We won't have to be apart anymore," he said.

I said nothing and quietly counted the bills in my hands.

As I got out of the car, William suddenly pulled me into his arms. He pressed his lips to my forehead, his eyes filled with pity.

He said, "Gaby, you've suffered during these seven years. I promise I'll give you anything you want from now on. Lexi went a bit too far today. She has a bad temper, so please bear with her."

…

Two hours later, I dragged my suitcase to the airport.

At that moment, a news alert popped up on my phone. It reported that William and Alexandra had attended a charity gala together and were being praised as the picture-perfect couple of high society. Meanwhile, I was still the homewrecker that everyone on the internet despised.

Just before boarding, William sent me the address of the place he had arranged for me.

Without hesitation, I replied, "William, let's break up."

After sending that, I blocked him. There were no extra questions or hysterical accusations. I ended this seven-year-long fraud just like that.

As the plane took off, I turned to look at the city lights outside the window. This city would never feel like my destination again.