Zia’s body was roughly shoved backward, and her head slammed into the table.

Zia groaned in pain. She touched her head, feeling blood trickling down the side of her temple.

Brian paid her no mind and hurried away anxiously, carrying Rachel in his arms.

Rachel looked down at her from over Brian’s shoulder with a triumphant smile.

Zia clenched her teeth.

Brian, you don’t know that the woman you’re defending is faking her pregnancy.

She got up, enduring the pain in her head, and grabbed the first-aid kit to treat her wound, then began packing her belongings into a suitcase.

All the wedding photos and pictures of her little family were thrown into the trash.

She continued packing the remaining items, then contacted a moving company to dispose of them.

Suddenly, a commotion could be heard outside her room.

“Where is that slut!”

Her bedroom door was flung open roughly. Her mother-in-law, followed by her bodyguards, entered the room.

Zia stood facing her mother-in-law. “Mom, what are you doing here?”

Emily pointed at her face in anger.

“You’re still asking after what you did to Rachel? She had a miscarriage because of you! Grab this wretched woman! Ever since the day you married my son, you’ve always brought bad luck. Today I’ll teach you a lesson you deserve!”

The bodyguards rushed to grab Zia’s hands and dragged her out of the room.

They forced her to kneel in the living room.

Zia struggled, but Emily’s bodyguards were strong enough to hold her down, so she remained on her knees.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brian standing at the door with Rachel and their children. He wanted to step inside, but stopped when Rachel clung tightly to his arm. The children just stared at Zia but made no move to protect their mother.

Emily swung the whip mercilessly at Zia’s body.

Zia flinched as a sharp pain tore through her skin.

She felt blood running down her back.

On the fifth lash, Brian finally moved and snatched the whip from his mother’s hand.

“Mom, that’s enough.”

“Brian, it’s not over yet! She killed the child in Rachel’s womb, a descendant of the Ridge family! Your child….”

“Mom, that’s enough!” Brian’s voice was loud, cutting off Emily’s words.

Emily glared at him, clearly dissatisfied. “You’ve been too soft on her all this time. She even apologized after what she did to Rachel.”

Brian shifted his gaze to Zia and whispered in a low voice.

“Zia, you have to apologize to Rachel. Only with an apology will she forgive you and this punishment will stop.”

Zia shook her head stubbornly. Her lips trembled with pain. “I don’t believe that woman was pregnant, let alone that I caused her miscarriage. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Rachel approached her and said in a hurt voice. “Zia, I’ve lost my baby. Why are you hurting me with that painful slander?”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She covered her face and began to cry.

Hendry shouted. “Mom, apologize to Aunt Rachel. Don’t make Aunt Rachel sad.”

Alec nodded. “If Mom doesn’t apologize to Aunt Rachel, we won’t acknowledge you as our mother.”

Zia’s eyes reddened as she stared at the children. When she was punished by Emily, they just stayed silent. But when Rachel started crying, they forced her to apologize and even threatened not to acknowledge her as their mother.

Zia kept her mouth shut and shook her head, refusing to apologize.

Brian’s expression hardened.

“Zia, apologize to Rachel!”

Zia pressed her lips together stubbornly.

“You’ve really made me so angry!” Brian’s gaze turned icy.

He gave an order to the maid.

“Bring that urn of ashes here.”

Zia’s eyes widened; she tried to stand, but the bodyguard behind her held her down, forcing her to remain on her knees.

“What are you doing to my father’s urn!”

Brian didn’t answer. Shortly after, the maid arrived with the urn and handed it to Brian.

“Brian, what on earth are you doing! Give my father’s urn back!” Zia screamed.

The bodyguards held her down so she remained on her knees.

Brian’s expression was cold as he held the urn in his hands.

“If you don’t apologize, I’ll smash your father’s urn right in front of you.”

Zia’s eyes turned red with rage and pain.

“Why are you doing this to me? What did my father ever do to you! Have you forgotten that my father saved the Ridge Group from bankruptcy! You ungrateful bastard,” Zia screamed like a child, thrashing to break free from the bodyguards behind her.

“Zia!” Brian’s face hardened as he heard his wife call him an ungrateful bastard in front of everyone and the maids who were watching.

“Apologize to Rachel! Now! I won’t repeat myself!” Brian was about to drop the urn.

“Fine! Fine! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Zia cupped her hands in supplication before Brian and Rachel. Tears streamed down her face.

“Please give me back that urn, I beg you... it’s the only thing left of my father.”

Brian exhaled. “You should have said that earlier.”

He then turned his gaze to Rachel. “Zia has apologized to you, can you forgive her?”

Rachel nodded with a feigned, weak smile. A cold gleam flashed in her eyes as she stared at the urn of ashes in Brian’s hands. She clutched her head, and her body swayed.

“Brian, my head is spinning....”

“Rachel!”

As Brian embraced her, Rachel pretended to accidentally knock the urn out of Brian’s hands. It shattered into a thousand pieces, the sound echoing loudly through the room. Ash flew everywhere.

Everyone fell silent.

“No!”

Zia’s eyes turned red, her body trembling. She crawled to gather the ashes from the shattered urn, heedless of the shards cutting her hands. She pressed them to her chest. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision.

“No, Dad... no…”

“Zia, I’m sorry.... I didn’t mean to....” Rachel’s eyes widened, looking remorseful as she clung tightly to Brian’s arm. “Brian, I really didn’t mean to....”

Zia glared at Rachel until the woman hid behind Brian, terrified.

She stood up and lunged at the woman. Brian shielded Rachel and held Zia back. “Zia… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I’m the one who dropped the vase… blame me. I’ll replace your father’s vase with a new one.”

Zia paid him no mind, raging and striking Brian until Emily’s bodyguards pulled her away.

Zia began to tire; her chest felt tight until she couldn’t breathe. Her consciousness slowly faded.

Before she lost consciousness, she faintly saw Brian shouting with a panicked expression.

“Zia!”

Zia opened her eyes. The sunlight was blinding. The smell of disinfectant made her realize she was back in a hospital ward. This time, it was a larger and cleaner room.

Zia raised her hand to block the sunlight. Something heavy held her hand down. She turned her head, looking at Brian, who was lying face down beside the bed, clutching her hand.

Her two sons were sleeping on the sofa.

Zia stared blankly, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

Every time she got sick and had to be hospitalized, Alec and Hendry insisted on skipping school to stay by her side.

Brian even canceled a multi-million-dollar business deal to be by her side, staying awake all night and sleeping while holding her hand tightly.

After Zia recovered, he went for a checkup on his back pain, but never complained in front of Zia.

If it weren’t for the memories flooding back, Zia would have thought things were back to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

Brian woke up feeling Zia move. His eyes fluttered open, filled with relief.

“Zia, you're awake!” He held her hand and kissed the back of it tenderly.

The children woke up, too, then ran to her bed.

“Mommy!” they called out in sweet, childlike voices, their eyes brimming with tears.

“Mommy’s awake! We were so scared we wouldn’t see Mommy again.”

‘I bet you were hoping you’d never see me again, weren’t you?’ Zia whispered to herself.

She looked at them indifferently. The worry and fear in their eyes seemed like a joke to her.

Zia pulled her hand away from Brian’s grip and looked up at the ceiling, pretending her husband and children weren’t there.

Brian was startled for a moment when Zia pulled her hand away, then tried to smile, “Zia, about yesterday… I’m truly sorry. I’ve moved your father’s ashes to a new urn.”

But Zia ignored him.

Zia pulled her hand away and turned her back on them. “I’m tired; I want to rest.”

The three men fell silent, staring at her back.

Hendry said sadly, “Dad, is Mom starting to ignore us? Does she not love us anymore?”

“Mom is still sick. Once she gets better, she’ll be back to normal.” Brian reassured his children, even though he was far from certain himself.

“Okay.”

Zia closed her eyes, ignoring the three of them, letting silence fill the room.

Brian and his children stayed in her room until she recovered and was allowed to go home. Zia knew Brian was doing this to atone for his guilt.

After the final checkup, the doctor allowed her to go home.

“Honey, are you ready to go home?” Brian entered her hospital room with a smile on his face, carrying a large gift box in his hands.

“Yes,” Zia replied indifferently, glancing at the large gift box without any interest.

Brian followed her gaze and handed her the gift box.

“Tomorrow is the company’s anniversary, which coincides with our wedding anniversary. We can celebrate it together. This is our wedding anniversary gift for you. You’ll come with me and look your best to show off Brian Ridge’s wife.”

Zia fell silent for a moment, staring at the gift box. When she opened it, she saw a stunning red dress.

“Why are you inviting me to your family party? You never usually invite me.”

“My mother has given her permission. We have to attend. Besides, since our relationship hasn’t been harmonious lately, I want to mend it so the children feel comfortable.”

Zia pretended to accept the gift.

“I understand. I’ll wear it….” She paused for a moment. “By the way, I have something that needs your signature.”

Zia pulled out a prepared buyback agreement for her shares. She intended to collect every penny her father had lent her 10 years ago, plus interest.

“This is the report on my father’s accident. It’s been five years; the police want to close the case because they can’t find any evidence or the culprit. Since you’re my husband, help me sign it.”

Brian seemed to tense up for a moment, then a flash of relief crossed his eyes, which he quickly hid.

However, everything was crystal clear to Zia.

“Yes, it should be closed. I know you’re deeply grieving over it. Don’t dwell on the past; let’s look to the future. You need to focus on taking care of our children.”

Then, without reading the contents, he signed it quickly as if he wanted the case closed immediately, then returned the document to Zia.

He smiled, unaware that he had signed a 50% share buyback agreement.

The Ridge family business that Brian had loved his whole life would go bankrupt.

What expression would he show if he knew this?

Zia tried to keep her expression calm.

Brian’s phone rang. He answered it in front of Zia for a few moments, then ended the call and looked at Zia regretfully. “Sorry, I have some work I need to take care of. How… about taking a taxi home?”

“It’s okay, I’ll take a taxi.”

“Thanks for understanding,” Brian tried to kiss her forehead, but Zia quickly turned away.

Brian awkwardly pulled back, then turned and left the hospital room, leaving Zia alone.

Zia didn’t pay him any mind and checked her phone for incoming messages.

Zia received a notification from her broker that her shares had been sold.

“Ms. Storm, your shares have been sold. Someone bought them for 10 billion. We’ll begin the transfer process.”

10 billion dollars?!

With that amount of money, Zia could live comfortably for decades and buy back her father’s orange grove, which had been sold ten years ago. She could live comfortably, far away from the children and Brian.

Zia sent a quick message. [Yes. Please process the transfer quickly.]

[Yes, Miss Storm.]

A smile appeared on Zia’s lips; relief filled her chest.

Today, she would leave everything behind and start a new life far away.

Feeling lighthearted, she walked out of the hospital and booked a flight to leave that very night.

Just then, her phone rang again.

A video call from Hendry. Zia hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Mom! Save us!”

Hendry and Alec’s faces filled her phone screen. Both were crying out to her.

Zia froze.

A stranger’s face replaced her children’s.

“Mrs. Ridge, we’re demanding a ransom of five million dollars for your children’s lives. Come here in ten minutes. If you bring Mr. Ridge or the police, we’ll kill your children.”

“Mom! Please save us! I’m so scared.”

The children’s cries sent Zia into a panic. Even though they weren’t her biological children—she had carried and raised them since they were babies—she couldn’t ignore their lives.

Zia tried to contact Brian, but his number was disconnected. Zia redirected her calls to Rachel and the Ridge family, but none of them picked up.

“Three minutes have passed, Mrs. Ridge. If you’re ten minutes late, we’ll kill your children.”

The criminal sent a photo of his children with knives held to their necks.

Zia was terrified. They were just little kids.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zia hailed a taxi and headed for the abandoned warehouse the criminal had mentioned. She arrived within ten minutes.

“Alec, Hendry....”

Suddenly, she was struck on the head from behind and lost consciousness.

When she woke up, she saw only Rachel and her children standing in front of her, looking safe.

The thugs stood beside them.

“Hendry, Alec… Why are you….”

“Surprise!” Alec and Hendry stuck their tongues out at her.

“Mommy, you’re so stupid."

“We were playing a prank on Aunt Rachel. If we got you to come here, she’d take us on vacation to Greece.”

Hendry frowned. “No wonder Grandma always says you’re from a lower class—you’re stupid! So easy to fool. Mom, you’d better stay here while Aunt Rachel takes your place at the party as Dad’s wife. After the party is over, we’ll come pick you up.”

Zia stared at them, speechless.

“Do you think this is a game? Hitting your own mother?” She said in a hoarse voice and tried to sit up, but her body felt limp, and her vision was spinning. It felt as though she’d been drugged.

Zia shook her head, trying to focus her vision.

“It’s just a game, Zia. Kids love to play,” Rachel smiled sweetly as she hugged Alec and Hendry.

“Aunt Rachel, Dad’s here. Let’s keep playing,” Alec called out happily, pointing at the car approaching from a distance.

Rachel turned her gaze to Zia. “Let me show you—between you and me, who Brian will choose.”

“Rachel, stop your crazy game! What do you actually want?” Zia hissed, trying to stay conscious.

“You should have left when I gave you the chance; you just kept provoking me,” Rachel whispered coldly, then glanced at one of the thugs.

One of the thugs set the warehouse on fire.

Alec and Hendry clung to Rachel, terrified and panicked by the flames.

“Rachel! What exactly are you planning! There are limits to jokes! Do you want to burn us all here?!” Zia struggled to get up.

Rachel just smiled. “Kids, stay calm—this is just a game. When your dad arrives, he’ll save us.”

“Rachel! Alec! Hendry!”

Brian’s voice echoed from outside the warehouse.

“It’s Daddy! Daddy! Daddy’s here!” Hendry and Alec shouted joyfully.

“See, Brian was just worried about us.”

Rachel smiled mysteriously, covered her mouth, then collapsed to the floor and closed her eyes, pretending to faint.

“Aunt Rachel!” Alec and Hendry knelt beside Rachel’s body, frantically trying to wake her up.

The warehouse door swung open, and Brian appeared with a group of people.

Brian’s gaze briefly fell on Zia, and he approached her with a worried expression. “Zia....”

The bodyguards immediately apprehended the thugs Rachel had hired. The thugs pretended to resist and then surrendered.

“Mr. Ridge! We were forced to do this because your wife paid us.”

Zia’s eyes widened, and she shook her head, “Brian, that’s not true. Rachel orchestrated all of this....”

Brian’s expression was icy toward Zia. “Zia, why do you keep hurting Rachel?! You even dragged the kids here. You know this is dangerous!”

“I didn’t do anything to her! Brian, you know me best....”

“I know you’re doing this for me. But please, stop now! This has gone too far.”

“Brian, can't you hear me?” Zia replied, her eyes red.

“Daddy, Aunt Rachel fainted!” Alec and Hendry shouted, grabbing Brian's attention.

“Mr. Ridge, we have to leave immediately... this place is going to burn down; the smoke is getting thicker...” one of the bodyguards said.

Brian nodded with a worried expression and approached Rachel. He lifted her into his arms.

Rachel opened her eyes weakly. “Zia, please forgive me... I know I was wrong... Don’t hurt me anymore, I beg you....”

She lost consciousness.

Brian stared at Zia with a very cold gaze.

“Zia, let’s take it easy for a few days. Go home on your own.”

After saying that, he turned and left, followed by his children.

His bodyguards apprehended Rachel’s hired thugs.

“Brian!” Zia tried to stand up, but she fell.

Her head was still spinning from the effects of the anesthetic.

The smoke was getting thicker, making it hard for Zia to breathe.

She gave a bitter smile, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and tried to find a way out.

The warehouse was burning behind her, while everyone else had already left. Her car keys had fallen inside the burning warehouse.

With great difficulty, Zia tried to flag down a ride and asked passing cars on the highway for help. A middle-aged couple came to her rescue and took her to the hospital.

Vaguely, as she opened her eyes, she heard the nurses whispering beside her bed. Their gaze was fixed on a cell phone.

“Wow, Dr. Rachel would definitely make a perfect match for Mr. Ridge.”

When she opened her eyes, the nurses’ expressions immediately changed.

“Tsk, why didn’t this woman just die? She keeps hurting Dr. Rachel over and over again.”

“It’s better to keep her sedated longer than have her ruin Mr. and Mrs. Ridge’s wedding anniversary.”

Then, the nurses were about to give her an injection. Zia sat up, grabbed the vase next to her bed, and threw it at the nurses.

She fled the hospital room before they could catch her.

Stumbling down the hospital hallway, Zia’s gaze fell on a television mounted on the wall.

[Daily News: The Ridge Group is hosting a grand company founding party at a five-star hotel. Many officials, businesspeople, and celebrities have been invited. Rumor has it that the CEO of the Ridge Group will make his first public appearance with his wife and children. We’re all curious about his wife, who’s been kept hidden all this time. The legendary marriage proposal ten years ago was stunning: Mr. Ridge scattered dandelions across the city as he proposed to his wife, symbolizing his extraordinary love. Let’s see who his secret wife is....]

A black limousine pulled up in front of the hotel.

Three men step out of the car—Brian and two handsome young boys—reaching into the car to help her out.

The woman, wearing a stunning red dress, takes Brian’s hand.

The red dress Brian had given Zia as a wedding anniversary gift has now been given to another woman.

Zia chuckled. Her heart grew cold.

“What an amazing wedding anniversary gift. Well then, I’ll send you a wedding anniversary gift for our tenth anniversary, Brian,” she whispered.

Mr. Finch sent an email stating that the divorce had been finalized and forwarded it to Zia’s home address.

Zia then contacted her broker. It was time for her to withdraw her 50% stake in the Ridge Group, which would cause the company to lose a significant amount of capital.

Brian would have nothing left to save his company.

Zia returned home and grabbed her pre-packed suitcase. She packed all the DNA test results Rina had sent and the divorce papers into an express package, then sent it to the hotel where the party was being held, listing her name as the ex-wife.

Zia pulled her suitcase out of the house and looked at it one last time.

A smile appeared on her lips. Not a smile of sadness, but a smile of freedom.

“Goodbye....”

She tossed her phone into the trash and walked away without looking back.