The bodyguards obeyed instantly, raining blows on me until I could barely breathe.

Minutes later, they dragged my battered body to Carmen’s feet.

“Well, well. The great beauty, crawling like a dog before me.”

“You might be pretty, but a sparrow is still a sparrow—you’ll never be a phoenix. Walter’s family isn’t somewhere just anyone can marry into. Consider this a lesson.”

I could hardly believe this was the same woman Walter called his beloved.

Before she could taunt me further, one bodyguard spoke.

“Miss, Walter is coming down. Should we clear the room?”

Carmen sneered.

“Such bad timing—I was just getting started.”

Walter pushed the door open and froze at the scene.

“Who told you to come in here? Didn’t I say no one enters without my permission?”

I lay on the floor, too weak to speak.

Carmen put on a pitiful look and grabbed his hand.

“I only came to give her some water. But she accused me of framing her and said I should die with her.”

“Luckily my bodyguards were here—otherwise she might have attacked me.”

Walter glanced at me lying on the ground, expression cold.

“Didn’t I tell you? Don’t go soft on her. If she dies here, she deserves it.”

“Go now. I’ll come find you later.”

After sending Carmen away, Walter crouched in front of me, still icy.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you die before Grandma wakes up. You’ll apologize to her yourself.”

His words chilled me—Grandma was still unconscious in the hospital. The poison would destroy her cells slowly, and in a few days she might never wake again.

With all my remaining strength, I pointed at the bag in the corner.

“T—the antidote… take it… save her…”

Walter smirked, dumped the bag’s contents, and spotted the small vial that rolled to his feet.

“So many poisons. Were you planning to silence me too when you got caught?”

He crushed the vial under his heel, snuffing out Grandma’s last hope.

Even if I flew back to my hometown, she wouldn’t survive until I returned.

“Jada, pray Grandma wakes up soon.”

He left, locking the door behind him.

I stared at my bruised body and thought back to the day we met.

We were in college then—he was a student council leader under me.

By chance, we grew close. My family was poor, and I lived on the cheapest food.

He never handed me cash, afraid to hurt my pride. Instead, he brought an extra bowl of food every day and shared it with me.

Whenever Carmen sent people to bully me, Walter would stand up for me—even at the cost of cutting ties with her family.

Half the trouble I faced in college was solved by him.

After graduation, I started working. Each month, after sending money home, the rest was just enough to cover our shared expenses.

When Walter Shaw’s family found out we were together, they were furious and immediately froze his credit card.

Walter, stubborn as ever, refused to back down and moved out with me into a cheap rented apartment.

We barely had two thousand dollars a month, and after rent and utilities, we were left with almost nothing.

Walter was born into privilege, and after a while he couldn’t stand living like that. One day, he grabbed my hand and took me back to the Shaw Family Mansion.

When I saw his mother, I wanted to speak, but Walter stopped me.

He let go of my hand and suddenly dropped to his knees.

“Mom, please don’t make things hard for Jada. She’s a good girl.”

His parents glanced at me with disdain.

“A good girl should understand the difference in status between our families. Don’t you think we know how much you’ve done for her?”

Their words made me shrink in shame, clutching Walter’s hand even tighter.

He suddenly pulled out a small knife and pressed it against his own neck.

“If you keep pushing, I’ll die right here. I won’t marry anyone but Jada.”

The determination in his eyes stunned everyone—including me.

In the end, they had no choice. After all, he was their only son. They reluctantly agreed to let me stay, on the condition that Walter would start taking on responsibilities in the family company.

And so, I was moved into the mansion, spending my days working in the family business.

But now, lying on the basement floor, I couldn’t understand why he would believe I poisoned Grandma without even asking me for an explanation.

The darkness stretched on, until a thin beam of light appeared as the basement door opened.

Walter stepped in, holding a bowl of leftover food. He crouched in front of me.

“Eat. I don’t want you dying too soon—you still owe me my pound of flesh.”

He tossed the bowl on the floor in front of me.

I was starving, so I grabbed the food with my hands and devoured it like a beggar.

When I finished, I looked up at him, ready to speak, but a hurried voice came from outside.

“Sir, the hospital just called. Madam’s condition has worsened. She might not make it through the night.”

“What?”

Walter dropped everything and told the butler to drive him to the hospital.

The basement door stood wide open. I staggered to my feet, slowly making my way toward freedom—

Only to be shoved back.

“Where do you think you’re going? Walter didn’t say you could leave.”

It was Carmen Simmons.

If Grandma’s condition was worsening, why wasn’t she at the hospital?

I shoved her away and tried to head upstairs.

“Move. I don’t have time to fight with you right now!”

Her sweet mask finally cracked, revealing her true face.

She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me back hard.

“You think I’ll let you go save that old witch?”

“You don’t know, do you? Fine, I’ll tell you—I poisoned her. I spread the powder evenly on her bowl that night.”

“I even had an alibi ready. I planned to frame the maid. But you just had to play the good little housewife and cook for her yourself.”