I was in a veterinary hospital, the sharp smell of disinfectant burning my nose.

Not far away, on the operating table, the Caucasian Shepherd that had once bitten me was lying completely still for some reason—no sign of life left.

Shanna collapsed over her dog’s body, screaming so hoarsely that it sounded like her voice might snap in half.

But the moment she saw me awake, she jerked her head up, her eyes red, and pointed right at my face, shrieking.

“You wicked woman! You hated that I broke your bracelet so you took it out on me? Why did you have to poison and kill my Hawkeye?!”

I stared at the scene, completely lost. Before I could even figure out what was happening, she was already rushing at me, her nails sharp as blades, clawing straight across my face.

A few stinging scratches instantly split open on my cheek, the pain shooting straight into my bones.

Instinctively, I looked toward Leland. But he only frowned and turned his head away, not even bothering to say a single word to stop her.

It was as if I really was nothing but a stranger to him.

It wasn’t until I finally snapped and raised my hand, ready to fight back, that he rushed forward and pulled Shanna away not because he was afraid I’d get hurt.

It was because he was terrified she would.

My throat tightened. My heart felt even colder than my face.

“She used chocolate to poison Hawkeye!” Shanna trembled violently as she cried into Leland’s arms. “This dog was the one we adopted together from the rescue center when we were kids! How can you just watch him die for nothing like this?!”

The stinging in my cheek kept burning. I bit down hard on my lip, swallowing back the tears in my eyes. My voice shook, but I forced it to stay firm.

“I didn’t even touch your dog!” I protested. “Since yesterday until now, I’ve been unconscious and locked in the room. When would I have had the chance to go near that dog?!”

“You’re still pretending!” Shanna snapped her head up, her eyes full of pure malice.

“We asked all the servants. Someone saw you leave your room! And the thing that killed Hawkeye was that limited-edition chocolate Leland brought you from Belgium on his last business trip!

“Besides you, who else could’ve gotten their hands on it?”

As soon as she finished accusing me, she buried herself into Leland’s chest again, her voice breaking with despair.

“Leland… if you don’t handle this… I… I don’t want to live anymore…”

Leland’s whole body tensed at once, worry written all over his face.

He patted her back gently, murmuring to calm her down. Only once she’d settled did he finally look over at me.

His eyes were cold, filled with disappointment.

“Charmaine… I never thought you’d become this cruel.”

I looked right back at him, my voice silent but my heart full of mockery.

‘Who’s really being cruel here—me, or the man who only ever listens to that woman?’

He then had someone bring over a bowl of cheddar cheese soup and set it in front of me. The surface was still bubbling from the heat.

“You did something wrong. You need to pay for it. Today, you’re going to taste what it’s like to eat something that could kill you.”

My chest tightened so hard my breath caught.

He knew. Leland knew I was severely allergic to cheese; even a bite could make me stop breathing.

Yet he still wanted me to drink the entire hot bowl.

All for Shanna, he was willing to gamble even my life.

I slowly lifted my eyes, my sorrow settling deep into my bones.

“Leland… After all these years we’ve been together, you trust her that easily? You’d condemn me based on her words?”

For a moment, a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes.

But Shanna saw it, too. She immediately tore herself out of his arms and ran to the window, half her body leaning dangerously out.

“Leland… I know she’s your fiancée. I don’t want to make things hard for you… but Hawkeye was my family! If you’re going to protect that woman, then… then I’ll just meet you in another life!”

Leland panicked instantly, any hint of pity he had for me gone in a heartbeat.

He rushed toward her but didn’t dare touch her too suddenly.

“Don’t be impulsive! I’m not protecting her!”

Then he whirled around, his face turning frighteningly cold, and barked at the stunned bodyguards.

“What are you waiting for?! Pry her mouth open and force the whole damn bowl of soup down her throat!”

My mouth was forced open, and scalding-hot cheese soup was shoved down my throat before I could even react.

The burning spread instantly, making my whole body tremble.

I didn’t even have time to swallow; its thick, steaming consistency filled my airway in seconds.

A sharp wave of suffocation quickly hit me. I struggled with everything I had, but Leland just shot the bodyguards a cold look, signaling them to pin me down and force the entire bowl into me.

Red blotches broke out across my skin almost immediately. The allergic reaction hit fast and harshly.

But Leland didn’t even spare me a glance.

Instead, he hurried to cover Shanna’s eyes, afraid she’d be frightened by how I looked.

By the time the torment finally ended, I collapsed on the floor—itching, burning, and my mind drifting in and out.

But I still stared at Leland, who was still protectively shielding Shanna in his arms, my hatred boiling up so violently it almost swallowed me whole.

At that moment, I wanted to shout and curse him.

But my throat was so swollen that it felt stuffed with cotton; I couldn’t make a single sound.

My stare made Leland uneasy, but his voice stayed just as cruel as ever.

“Don’t look at me like that. This is what you owe Shanna. Reflect on yourself at home, and maybe I’ll spare you.”

Despair washed over me. I slowly closed my eyes and let myself sink into the darkness.

When I woke up again, the bright hospital ceiling stung my eyes.

A nurse walked over with a tray. When she saw me awake, her voice still carried leftover fear.

“Thank goodness, you’re finally awake! Did you know you were unconscious for three whole days and nights?

“If you know your allergy is this bad, why’d you still eat cheese? Luckily, someone found you collapsed by the roadside and brought you here. One minute later and you might not have made it!”

She turned to leave, but her lowered voice still drifted back to me.

“So strange… She was out cold for three days, and not a single family member came to visit…”

My hands clenched tight. I hadn’t expected that after I passed out, Leland didn’t even bother taking me to the hospital.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

Just two more days.

As long as I survived two more days, I’d finally be free.

I took out my phone and texted Galen, each word sharp with resolve.

[Two days from now, Leland will take me to that party by the cliff. Destroy my identity completely then.]

From then on, Leland and I would have nothing left tying us together.

When I dragged my weak body back home, he was sitting on the couch, tenderly feeding fruit to Shanna.

He didn’t acknowledge me until I walked in. Suddenly remembering my existence, he rushed over, wrapping an arm around my shoulders like he was worried sick.

“Babe! You’re finally back! I’ve been worried to death these past few days!”

I stepped out of his reach, my eyes flicking between him and Shanna. I let out a cold laugh.

“You? Worried about me? I was lying in a hospital bed for three days, you know. Funny, I never saw you once. But you clearly had time to sit here flirting with that woman.”

Shanna rolled her eyes and tugged Leland back to her side.

“Come on, Leland. Look at her—does she look like someone who just got out of the hospital? She’s obviously just trying to make you worry for nothing.”

I raised a brow, not bothering to hide the mockery in my voice.

“Still better than someone who steals someone else’s fiancé and pretends to be innocent.”

The moment I mocked Shanna, Leland’s expression darkened.

“Charmaine! You’re out of line! Shanna’s dog died of poisoning because of you. She only scolded you a little, and you still have the nerve to mock her? Keep this up, and I’ll ground you for a week!”

My fingers twisted into the hem of my top, swallowing down the curse burning at the tip of my tongue.

I knew exactly what kind of person Leland was—if he said he would do something, he’d do it.

And I couldn’t afford to ruin what I planned to do two days from now.

Without looking at either of them again, I turned around and went straight back to my room.

I finally made it to the day of the party. After getting ready casually, I slipped into a dress. I figured leaving early might keep trouble away.

But the second I opened my door, Shanna dumped an entire pot of scalding coffee all over me!

My arm turned red instantly. She leaned in with fake concern, but her fingers dug hard into the burned skin.

The pain was unbearable; I shoved her away. She shrieked dramatically and staggered back.

She was about to fall off the second floor when Leland rushed over and caught her just in time.

Without even asking what happened, he rounded on me, shouting, “Charmaine! What the hell is wrong with you?! You can’t go one day without causing trouble? Apologize to Shanna right now!”

Shanna’s eyes reddened as she pretended to stop him.

“Forget it, Leland. I just wanted to pour your fiancée a cup of coffee. It’s fine if she didn’t appreciate it… I’m okay…”

Her act only made Leland angrier.

“Charmaine! Apologize to Shanna right now, and beg for her forgiveness. Otherwise, you’re not going to the party later!”

My whole body trembled.

At tonight’s party, everyone would be attending with their partners. I was still his official fiancée, yet he was willing to throw even that away for Shanna.

Of course, he was. If he ever cared, would he have abandoned me ninety-nine times during our supposedly wedding ceremony?

Thinking about how I only needed to endure today before I could be free pushed me forward, I swallowed my pride, looked at Shanna, and forced the words out.

“I’m sorry.”

That made her lips curl with triumph.

Leland pulled me up like he was doing charity.

“You’re about to become my wife. Can you behave for once, please?”

I forced down the wave of nausea and said nothing more.

On the way to the party, I sat in the back while Shanna claimed the passenger seat, laughing and chatting with Leland like I didn’t exist.

When we got out of the car, she deliberately stepped on my dress and ripped the hem.

“Oh no! Sorry! Didn’t mean to!”

Before I could even react, Leland was already frowning at me, asking why I didn’t pick a sturdier dress.

He said I was embarrassing the LaVeaus, so he let Shanna take his arm while I had to follow behind them.

People around us whispered and pointed, but I tuned it all out. All I cared about was how I could escape soon.

Eventually Leland went off to socialize. Just as I was about to slip away, Shanna cornered me in the back garden.

She was holding a sharp pair of scissors and spoke to me with ill intent.

“Charmaine, I was supposed to bring Hawkeye here, but you poisoned him to death. So tell me… how are you going to make it up to me?”

I stepped back, my voice cold.

“Leland’s not here. You don’t need to pretend anymore.”

Her smile twisted.

“I’m not pretending. Leland already believes you killed my dog,” she replied. “My dog is gone… so you can replace him. Now… be my dog.”

As soon as she said it, Leland’s personal bodyguards grabbed me, one on each side.

I shouted in a panic. “Think this through! Leland won’t let you get away with this!”

Without flinching, the bodyguard answered, “Sir Leland told us to follow Miss Shanna’s orders.”

I was pinned so hard that I couldn’t move. Shanna came over, dumped a bucket of filthy water over my head, then lifted the scissors and shredded my dress into pieces!

I struggled, but she grabbed a metal rod and swung it down, snapping my leg!

By the time she was done, I was beyond recognizable and barely breathing. She tossed a dirty piece of fur over me, looped a cold chain around my neck, and dragged me forward like I was livestock.

At this point, I was completely powerless, unable to resist.

As we passed the cliffside, I saw the signal from Galen down below—the one we had planned.

I used everything I had left to lunge toward the edge.

But Leland, who came looking for Shanna at that moment, misunderstood and thought I was trying to hurt her.

He ran up and kicked me square in the chest… hard.

In front of everyone, my body flew off the edge of the cliff.

But all I felt… was relief—a lightness I’d never felt before.

As I closed my eyes, one final thought settled in—at last… I was free from Leland!