At the hospital, a nurse carefully cleaned and disinfected her wounds.

“Miss, this burn is pretty serious. You need to take good care of it, or it may leave a scar.”

Hailey nodded quietly. Layer upon layer of gauze wrapped around her body, the stark white almost blinding.

All of a sudden, she was reminded of the year when she was working in a restaurant, washing dishes, and had accidentally cut her finger. Jeremy had panicked so badly that he nearly cried. He had pulled her hand to his chest, holding it carefully, as if the pain were his own. Yet now, she was nothing more than an irrelevant stranger to him.

Then again, it made sense. Once she signed the divorce papers, she and Jeremy were no longer connected.

Her phone vibrated. It was a message from Jeremy.

“Are you okay? I can’t get away right now. If you need anything, contact my secretary.”

“I’m fine,” she replied quickly, then left the hospital and went home.

Back in the bedroom, she lay down. Both her body and mind were utterly exhausted, and she soon fell into a deep sleep. In her haze, she felt the mattress beside her sink, followed by a warm body pressing down on her. The man’s movements were rough and impatient, grinding painfully against her wounds.

“It hurts!” Hailey pushed away the hands roaming over her body.

It was Jeremy.

She could not remember how long it had been since he last came home. It was probably since the first time he asked for a divorce—the night she jumped from the rooftop.

Back then, Jeremy’s eyes were red as he rushed her to the hospital. However, ever since, there had been some sort of distance between them. It was as if he had made up his mind that as long as she refused to divorce him, he would never come home.

She waited for him in that house, day after day. Later, she went to his company to look for him. She even hired a private investigator to track his movements. However, she no longer needed him now.

The man’s hands paused slightly, clearly surprised by her reaction.

He turned over and sat up, apologizing, “I’m sorry. I was too impatient and forgot you were hurt. I just wanted you to understand that no matter what’s going on between Whitney and me, in my heart, you’re the only wife I have.”

Hailey laughed. A wife with no wedding, status, or a marriage certificate? She did not want to be that kind of “wife” anymore.

Seeing her remain silent, Jeremy thought she was angry about what had happened earlier. Hence, he lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.

“Hailey, I know you’re upset, but you have to think about the bigger picture. Rest well and recover. I’ll sleep in the study tonight.”

In the middle of the night, with the pain from her wounds making her body tremble, Hailey got up and went to the living room to look for painkillers. As she passed by the study, she heard Jeremy’s voice from inside.

“Yes. I got the divorce settlement agreement today. Tomorrow, I can inform the board about my marital status.”

The other person scoffed. “Did Hailey agree to divorce you? That’s rare. How did you convince her?”

Jeremy sighed. “She probably figured it out. She’s always been considerate of me.”

“So you’re planning to marry Whitney after this?”

Jeremy was silent for a long time before speaking again. “When I first approached Whitney, I did want to use the Addams as leverage. But later, every day I spent with her felt easy. She always understands me. Sometimes, just a look is enough, unlike with Hailey. Every time I see her face, I’m reminded of how miserable I was back then. So poor that I had to rely on a woman to support me. That period of my life was nothing but a nightmare.”

Outside the door, Hailey stumbled backward in shock. Tears spilled down her face, burning hot against her cheeks. It seemed the days she cherished—the days she had suffered for him—were, to him, an unbearable nightmare. In that case, what was she to him, really?

Jeremy continued, “Once the company goes public, I plan to propose to Whitney.”

Just moments ago, he had said Hailey was his only wife, and now, he was planning to propose to another woman.

Hailey cried until she started laughing. Her wounds throbbed faintly, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. She had had enough. She wanted nothing but to leave this place as soon as possible.

The next day, Hailey went to the mall to pick out a gift for her Aunt Iris. After entering a boutique, she set her eyes on a silk scarf. Just as she was about to ask the sales assistant to wrap it up for her, a commotion broke out outside.

“Make way. Mr. Fisher has booked out the entire floor today. All other customers, please leave immediately.”

Several tall bodyguards began clearing the area. Through a narrow gap, Hailey caught sight of Jeremy and Whitney walking together.

Soon, all unrelated customers were escorted out. She remained unnoticed, hidden away in a corner, out of the bodyguards’ line of sight.

A doting smile curved on Jeremy’s face. “Whitney, pick whatever you like. They’re all on me.”

A shy blush spread across Whitney’s cheeks. “Jeremy, I trust your taste. Why don’t you pick something for me?”

“Alright.”

Jeremy’s gaze swept across the display cabinets before quickly settling on a limited-edition handbag.

“Excuse me, can we take a look at this bag? Whitney, this bag is this year’s new release. It’s small and elegant. It’ll suit you perfectly.”

Next came the clothes.

“Whitney, this ink-blue dress looks stunning. It’ll complement your skin tone beautifully.”

Then came the shoes.

“Whitney, these shoes have a detailed design. The heel isn’t too high, so they’re comfortable but still look classy.”

Several sales associates standing nearby could not help whispering among themselves.

“No way. This is my first time seeing a man who understands women and fashion so well.”

“Exactly. Mr. Fisher really is the perfect man. He’s successful, rich, and has such good taste. Everything he picked is one of our bestsellers.”

“When will I ever meet a man like that? I’m so jealous.”

…

Hailey shrank into the corner, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. As it turned out, he understood fashion perfectly well; he just never bothered showing her that he did.

After Jeremy became successful, Hailey had bought countless outfits and accessories to match his status. Every time she showed them to him, all excited, he would not even glance up.

He, with his head always buried in work, would say calmly, “I know nothing about women’s fashion. All that matters is that you like it.”

Now, seeing how knowledgeable he was about fashion felt like a knife stabbing straight into her heart.

Whitney soon came out of the fitting room. As expected, the outfit Jeremy had chosen suited her perfectly, as if it had been tailor-made for her, making her look even more alluring.

Jeremy looked at Whitney tenderly, his eyes filled with a softness that could melt hearts. “Whitney, when the company goes public, you’ll stun everyone wearing this. I have a surprise waiting for you that day.”

Taken aback by what she heard, Hailey lost her balance. With a loud crash, she stumbled and knocked over a display rack.

The bodyguards reacted instantly, rushing in and yanking Hailey up. One of them slapped her hard across the face.

“How dare you have the nerve to hide and spy on Mr. Fisher?”

“What’s going on? Didn’t I tell you to clear the place beforehand? How could someone be hiding in here?” Jeremy’s voice was icy.

The lead bodyguard quickly replied, “Sorry, Mr. Fisher. We’ll handle this right away.”

Before Hailey could even call out his name, a hand covered her mouth, and she was dragged away. They pulled her to a deserted corner.

The lead bodyguard cursed viciously. “What bad luck, running into trash like you. Are you trying to ruin my job? Teach her a proper lesson.”

The others immediately surrounded her.

Hailey trembled, fear filling her eyes. “If you touch me, Jeremy will never let you off.”

The men burst into laughter. “Who do you think you are? Dreaming of being Mr. Fisher’s woman?”

Then fists rained down on her body, her head, and her legs. The pain was so overwhelming that she could not even scream for help.

Before losing consciousness, the last thing she saw was Jeremy wrapping an arm around Whitney, who was holding bags upon bags of purchases, as they got into a luxurious Maybach. Her heart felt hollowed out, and strangely, it no longer hurt.

Her thoughts drifted far back in time, when Jeremy never left her side. Every day, he would take her to work in the morning and pick her up in the evening.

She used to joke, “You sure keep a close eye on me. Are you afraid I’ll run away?”

The man would smile shyly and reply, “Of course. You, my wife, are so beautiful. I have to keep a close eye on you. I can’t allow anything to happen to you.”

A young man cycling the girl he loved eventually disappeared around the corner of the street…

When she woke up again, she was lying in a hospital bed. Jeremy sat beside her, his face dark. Seeing her awake, his expression shifted slightly.

“Hailey, who did you offend? How did you get beaten like this? Tell me. I’ll make them pay.”

She struggled to open her mouth, about to speak, when his phone rang.

“Alright, I got it. I’ll be right there.”

With that, Jeremy stood up and walked out, saying to her, “I’ll be back!”

However, he never did; he never came back again.

On the day she was discharged, Hailey felt unusually light. She no longer hoped for Jeremy’s love, and when there was no expectation, there would be no disappointment.

After returning home, Hailey began packing her things. All the memories she shared with Jeremy were carefully scattered throughout the house.

On the living room wall were dried bouquets made from flowers he had given her over the years. On the table sat a pair of matching mugs that they had crafted together. The throw pillows on the sofa were souvenirs from their travels. Even the teddy bear on the bed was the very first birthday gift he had bought her after receiving his paycheck.

Thinking about how all those things had become symbols of shame in Jeremy’s life made her chest feel painfully heavy. The massive mansion resembled a gorgeous cage, yet all these years it had only imprisoned her, consumed by unrequited longing.

It took Hailey a full five oversized trash bags to clear everything out.

Iris called soon after. “Hailey, I’ll be arriving in New Vegas the day after tomorrow. Don’t forget to pick me up at the airport.”

Hailey replied softly, “Okay, Aunt Iris. I’ll be there early.”

She had just hung up when Jeremy walked in.

“Who are you seeing?” he asked.

Hailey lowered her gaze. “No one. I’m just going to pick up a piece of clothing I ordered online.”

Jeremy stepped closer, guilt flickering across his face.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been tied up with the company audit for the past few days. The lead auditor from a third-party firm will arrive the day after tomorrow. It’s a critical step before the company goes public, so I can’t afford to be careless.”

“I see.” Hailey nodded perfunctorily. She no longer cared about his affairs.

For some reason, Jeremy felt a sudden pang of unease. The Hailey before him seemed like a different person. She was no longer clinging to him or asking about his whereabouts. However, when he reconsidered, he figured she probably understood that this was a crucial period for his career and did not want to add to his burden.

Relief washed over him. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his eyes.

“Hailey, you’re much more sensible now.”

Hailey smiled faintly and said nothing.

When she loved him to the point of madness, he labelled her willful and troublesome. Now that she no longer loved him and had chosen to let go, he said she was sensible. Men… really were boring creatures.

Jeremy glanced around the room and only then realized something was missing. The space felt emptier than before.

“Hailey, have you been doing a major cleanup lately? I think it looks great now. The space feels relaxing.”

Hailey’s expression remained calm as she spoke, “Yeah. I threw away a lot of trash.”

As it turned out, all those things had always been an eyesore to him.

The next day, Hailey received an anonymous text message claiming that there was something important to tell her. Confused, she decided to go and see what it was about.

She had just taken a seat in the café when a person with a slender figure sat down across from her. The woman removed her sunglasses, smiled, and extended her hand with composed elegance.

“Hello, Ms. Arnold.”

Hailey looked up and froze slightly when she saw it was Whitney. A trace of barely concealed pride flickered across Whitney’s face.

“Didn’t expect me to find you, did you?” She paused, her gaze slowly sweeping over Hailey’s face before continuing, “After we ran into each other at the restaurant that day, I had someone look into your background a little. It seems Jeremy has kept you hidden pretty well.”

Her voice lowered, carrying an unmistakable hint of sadness.

Looking at the beautiful yet dejected woman before her, Hailey felt an unexpected twinge of sympathy. Jeremy may have hurt her, but had he not also been deceiving Whitney all along?

Just as Hailey was about to speak, Whitney pulled out a check from her purse and gently pushed it across the table.

“Ms. Arnold, no matter the relationship you and Jeremy had in the past, I hope you’ll make a clean break from now on. As for compensation, you can fill in any amount you want. The Addams family can afford it.”

The corner of Hailey’s lips lifted slightly. She found it all so ironic. She had thought Whitney was a victim like herself, but instead, Whitney was the same kind of person as Jeremy—someone who believed money could solve everything. They were truly a match made in heaven.

Meeting Whitney’s gaze, Hailey spoke gently but clearly, “Miss Addams, no amount of money can buy the end of a genuine relationship. Don’t you agree?”

Whitney’s expression instantly sank.

“Ms. Arnold, I advise you not to refuse a kind offer,” she said in a hushed voice, yet each word cut like a knife. “No one has ever rejected my requests.”

Hailey replied indifferently, “In that case, let me offer you a piece of advice as well, Miss Addams. Money sure is good, but the things it can buy are often the least valuable.”

She had no intention of continuing the conversation, so she picked up her purse, stood, and turned to leave.

Just then, Whitney grabbed the glass on the table and smashed it hard against her own temple. A sharp cracking sound rang out. Blood immediately gushed out, dripping down her delicate face in a horrifying sight.

Almost at the same time, Jeremy pushed open the café door. At a glance, he saw Whitney covered in blood. His expression changed dramatically as he rushed forward and pulled her tightly into his arms.

“Whitney! What happened? Who hurt you?”

Whitney trembled as she raised her hand and pointed at the stunned Hailey. Tears mixed with blood streamed down her face as her voice broke. “It was her… She was the one who asked me out…”

Jeremy whipped his head around. That was when he noticed Hailey standing nearby, her face pale. Rage instantly overcame him.

He clenched his jaw as he growled, “Hailey, are you out of your mind? How dare you lay a hand on her?”

At that moment, Whitney struggled free from his arms and staggered to her feet, her eyes filled with heartbreak and despair. “Jeremy… why did you lie to me?”

With that, she turned and ran out of the café without looking back. Jeremy shot Hailey a vicious glare, then spun around and ran after her.

Hailey, on the other hand, stood frozen in place. Only then did she finally understand Whitney’s true purpose in asking her out. It was to stage this entire scene in front of Jeremy.