So, I hired a few well-known models. However, when I glanced over the list earlier, Quinn’s name definitely wasn’t on it. Then, it hit me. One of the scheduled models couldn’t make it, and Quinn was brought in as a last-minute replacement.

At that thought, I lifted my gaze and said calmly, “Shouldn’t you be heading backstage to get ready by now?”

Quinn’s expression stiffened, clearly offended by my tone.

“Don’t pretend to know what you’re talking about,” she snapped. “You think you understand better than I do, do you? I have plenty of time.”

I frowned. With an attitude like that, it was no surprise she hadn’t made any real progress all these years.

Noticing that I was alone, Quinn suddenly hooked her arm around Jake’s, leaning into him as she spoke in a sweet voice, “Emma, did something happen to you? This cruise isn’t exactly a place just anyone can get into. I’ve heard some people sneak in with scalped tickets, hoping to hook up with a rich husband.”

Her words carried an obvious undertone.

Jake looked at me, his expression complicated. His gaze dropped briefly to my clothes before he spoke, his voice tinged with disappointment.

“Emma, this isn’t the kind of outfit you should be wearing. Did you rent it or borrow it?” As he spoke, he pulled out a card and held it out to me. “There are two hundred thousand dollars on here. After all, you’re the mother of my child. I can’t just stand and watch you go down the wrong path. I thought you were so decisive in leaving me because you had something better waiting for you, but I didn’t expect… this.”

His tone carried a faint, condescending pity.

Quinn covered her mouth as she laughed softly. “Maybe it’s a knockoff. Emma, you don’t have to feel embarrassed. This amount of money isn’t much to us, but it should be enough to keep you from looking so miserable.”

However, right after she said that, a young woman suddenly chimed in.

“It’s not a knockoff. You can tell from the craftsmanship and the fabric. It’s the latest piece from the designer, Bridgette. It’s actually very hard to get your hands on one.”

Quinn’s face froze. She turned, ready to lash out, but when she saw it was an old acquaintance, Natalie Grace, her expression changed.

Natalie lit up in surprise and immediately rushed over to hug her. “Oh my god, it really is you! How have you been? After you got pregnant, you just disappeared.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Spencer, a hint of confusion crossing her face. “Is this your son? The timeline doesn’t seem to add up.”

Quinn’s expression tensed, but she forced a smile, replying, “There were some complications. I lost the baby.”

I was a little surprised, yet not really. Jake had low sperm motility, and to protect his pride, I never told him the truth back then. Behind the scenes, I went through countless hormone injections just to keep the pregnancy stable. At one point, I even suffered a hemorrhage and nearly couldn’t carry the baby to term.

Instead of comforting me, Jake did nothing but criticize me, even while I was still recovering after childbirth. I cried for three days straight. It wasn’t until my vision started to blur and fade that I realized I couldn’t keep going like that.

Those memories felt like a long, filthy rag—torn and impossible to clean. I let out a quiet breath and forced myself not to dwell on it.

Natalie let out an awkward laugh, offered a few words of comfort, and then quickly left. I checked the time and was about to leave when suddenly, Quinn grabbed my arm. Her fingers dug deep into my skin.

Her composure completely shattered, her face twisted with hatred as she snapped, “Are you happy to hear that I lost the baby? It’s all your fault! You’re the reason Jake never came home. He was out looking for you! I got so upset that I miscarried. You’re a murderer!”

The pain made me shove her away on instinct. Then, I froze.

He had been looking for me? Why? Wasn’t he the one who insisted on the divorce in my past life? And besides, what did Quinn’s miscarriage have to do with me? His sperm quality had always been poor, and she had been dieting the entire time. If the baby was lost, that was on her.

I looked down at my arm. The crescent-shaped marks had broken the skin, faint traces of blood surfacing. As my skin bruised easily, Luca would notice it immediately.

Knowing how fiercely protective he was of me, his wife, I was really worried something might happen.

Yet, the very next second, Jake stepped forward and blocked my path, his face dark with anger. He helped Quinn up, her face streaked with tears, and barked at me, “Emma, apologize!”

My body trembled when I heard that. In an instant, memories from the past came rushing back.

There was a time when I added a little too much salt to a meal. Quinn had burst into tears at dinner, claiming I was jealous of her figure and deliberately trying to make her fat. Without a word, Jake had shoved me to the ground, treating me like a dog with no dignity.

Every scene was still vivid. My fingers curled tightly, nails digging deep into my palms. Fortunately, things were different now. I wasn’t going to let anyone drag me through the mud.

With that, I sneered and spat, “In your dreams.”

Spencer paused mid-motion as he wiped Quinn’s tears. Then, he turned to me and shouted in disappointment, “You’re so vicious, and you won’t even admit it. I don’t have a mom like you!”

It wasn’t the first time he had said something like that. Giving birth to him hadn’t been easy, so I had always doted on him. Even when his demands were unreasonable, I would quietly give in. However, if he thought this could still threaten me now, he was wrong.

Looking at the stubborn, almost smug expression on his face, I replied calmly, “It doesn’t matter. You have more than one mom anyway.”

Spencer froze at my reply. He opened his mouth, a little flustered, and his eyes shimmered, as though tears were about to fall. Suddenly, he exploded. He yanked off the chain hanging around his neck and threw it straight into the ocean, bursting into tears.

“I don’t want you anymore! You’re an evil woman!”

For a brief moment, I was dazed. I had gotten that chain for him when he was six years old. He used to think it was old-fashioned and refused to wear it, often tossing it aside at home. When had he started wearing it?

Quinn quickly pulled him into her arms, gently comforting him. “Spencer, from now on, I’ll be your mother. Someone like her doesn’t deserve to be your mom.”

Then, she turned to look at me. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes, and her tone turned cold.

“Emma, you don’t even have a pass on you. It looks like you bought a scalped ticket. I was going to let you off, but since you insist on being so shameless, don’t blame me.”

As she spoke, she raised her hand, about to call the bodyguards over, but I didn’t move an inch.

What a joke. This cruise was a gift from Luca, so it was under my name. I’d like to see who would dare touch me.

The next second, a hand shot out and firmly pressed hers down. Jake looked at me with a complicated expression, then turned and said something to Quinn. She stared at him in disbelief, her face full of resentment, but in the end, she reluctantly nodded.

Only then did Jake’s expression soften. He turned as if he was about to say something to me when Quinn suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her red lips against his.

Jake froze for a moment, instinctively glancing at me. Seeing that I didn’t react at all, a shadow flickered in his eyes, and he turned back and kissed her deeply.

Just then, my phone suddenly rang. Before I could even answer, Jake’s eyes lit up.

His voice carried barely concealed excitement. “Do you still listen to that song?”

I was taken aback. I was just about to ask what he meant when it suddenly clicked: this song had been our song back then, which I had long forgotten. I’d only set it as my ringtone because I liked it, but clearly, Jake had misunderstood.

There was a spark in his eyes, as if he wanted to say something more. I simply ignored him and picked up the call.

Luca’s deep, pleasant voice came through the line. “Em, where are you? The runway show’s about to start. We’ve got a speech to give.”

I couldn’t help but smile, letting out a soft hum in response. “I’ll be right there.”

Before my smile could fade, somebody suddenly grabbed my wrist.

“Who was that man?”

Jake’s jaw was tense. He looked like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

After everything that had happened today, I had run out of patience. So, I shook off his hand, turned around, and walked away quickly.

Behind me, Quinn grabbed Jake, who was about to run after me.

Her voice rang loud as she mocked, “Look! She’s guilty. Otherwise, why is she running? Jake, let’s just ignore this shameless woman!”

Their voices gradually faded into the distance, and I couldn’t even be bothered to look back. By the time I reached the stairwell, my daughter, Kenzie Ziegler, who had been looking for me, ran straight into my arms.

“Mommy, who were you talking to just now? Daddy’s looking for you!”

I gently tapped her nose and coaxed her softly. “I have a task for you. I need to go to the dressing room to fix my makeup. Can you tell Daddy to look for me?”

“Okay!” she answered brightly, then quickly ran off.

While I continued toward the second floor, a group of security guards rushed into the stairwell.

Quinn stood behind them and pointed at me as she shouted, “It’s her! She snuck onto the cruise with a fake identity!”

The guards approached me, their tone serious. “Miss, please show your boarding pass.”

As the owner of this cruise, I didn’t need any kind of pass. At that moment, I felt a headache coming.

“Who’s your supervisor? Get him to see me,” I told the guards.

Quinn let out a mocking laugh. “Emma, who are you trying to fool? Still talking tough, huh? Just get off the ship already!”

In just a few short hours since we met, she had provoked me again and again. I had ignored her every time, but now that I thought about it, there was no need to spare her any dignity.

I pulled out my phone, about to make a call, when Quinn darted forward and snatched it away.

She looked at me smugly. “Trying to call Jake for help, huh? Dream on, you shameless slut, flirting with everyone you see.”

Then, she turned to the guards and said, “What are you waiting for? Throw her off the ship already! Someone like her is a disaster waiting to happen!”

The guards didn’t dare offend a guest, so they began closing in on me. “Miss, without proper authorization, you are not allowed to remain onboard. Please leave immediately.”

As they spoke, their hands clamped onto my arms like iron pincers, twisting them behind my back as if I were some kind of criminal. A sharp pain immediately shot through me. Sweat broke out across my forehead, and even my teeth began to chatter.

“Let go of me. I’m the owner of this cruise!”

The guards hesitated for a moment, their grip loosening slightly.

Quinn burst into laughter. “Hey, don’t fall for her tricks! Why would the owner be on this deck? The president and his wife are on the upper decks!”

She sized me up with open disdain. “Besides, just look at her. Do you really think someone rich would be interested in her?”

Her voice was shrill and excited, and soon a crowd of onlookers had gathered around us. Worried about causing trouble, the guards tightened their grip again and started dragging me toward the exit.

I struggled, wrenching one arm free to brace myself against the wall. “Let me make a call. I really am–”

Before I could finish, one of the guards cut me off impatiently. “Crazy woman, quit talking nonsense. Get off the ship!”

With that, he yanked my arm and shoved me hard to the ground. My carefully styled hair fell loose instantly, and as I hit the floor, my ankle twisted with a sharp crack. A piercing pain spread through my entire body. My face turned pale, and I cried out in agony.

At that moment, my phone rang. Quinn glanced at it before casually tossing it straight into the ocean. My eyes widened in shock. That phone had been a gift from Luca. It also contained many important files that hadn’t been backed up.

Seeing that I was still glaring at her, Quinn’s expression darkened. She raised her hand and swung it toward my face. Just then, a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist firmly.