When he turned to me, his voice dropped a few degrees. “Did you hear me? Quit throwing a tantrum. Go out there and apologize to Chloe. Tell her you weren't thinking straight, that you shouldn't have accused her, shouldn't have worried your mother.”

All I'd done was walk away with a cold face after Chloe slandered me in front of everyone. And he wanted me to go back and apologize.

Laughable.

Fine. If he wanted an apology, I'd give them one they'd remember.

Mark half-dragged me out of the restroom.

The second I stepped back into the living room, my mother slapped me across the face.

“You ungrateful girl! Chloe has been nothing but kind to you, and you dare accuse her? You pick fights with Mark? Won't you stop until this whole family is in ruins?”

She jabbed a finger at my face, screaming, every word dripping with disgust and disappointment.

“If Chloe hadn't risked her life to save your brother, there wouldn't even be remains left! She gave him an heir. This whole family owes her!”

“And what about you? No ambition, no decency, sleeping around. Compared to Chloe, you're not worth a fraction of her!”

Her face darkened further, and she added coldly：“Apologize to Chloe. Now. And from today on, you are not to cause her any more trouble, and you are not to go near Mark. Stop humiliating this family.”

Relatives chimed in from every side. Someone muttered：“Doesn't know what's good for her. Chloe's such a kind person, and she has the nerve to bully her.”

“Cheated on her own boyfriend, and now she's got the gall to go after her sister-in-law's man!”

“Exactly. Sleeping around, ten abortions. What a disgrace to the family.”

“Lucky we've got Chloe. Without her, this girl would've destroyed the whole household.”

Chloe stood beside Mark, my brother's posthumous child cradled in her arms, her eyes faintly red—wronged yet gracious, forgiving yet wounded.

“Please, everyone. Constance is still young, she doesn't know better. Don't scold her. I don't blame her.”

She paused, then looked at me, her voice gentle.

“Constance, I know you might have the wrong idea about me and Mark. We're just friends. He only feels sorry for me raising a child alone and wants to help, that's all. Don't take it to heart.”

Mark draped an arm around Chloe's shoulders and smiled warmly at the room：“That's right, everyone. Chloe and I are just friends. Constance is too sensitive.”

“Chloe's heart has only ever been with your brother and the child. She even tried to kill herself several times after he died. Constance, you really shouldn't have doubted her.”

“I'll have a good talk with Constance. I promise, she won't be causing anyone trouble again.”

He turned to me, his gaze sharp with warning：“Well? Apologize to Chloe.”

I just looked at them coldly, so chilled through I couldn't bring myself to say another word.

When I didn't speak, Chloe let out a deliberate little sigh, her voice soft：“Constance, I know you're upset. Why don't you go rest in your room? Don't ruin your health over this.”

“After all, it hasn't been long since your last abortion. Your body's still weak.”

My mother jumped right in：“Yes, yes, go back to your room. Stop being an eyesore. And don't you bring any of your filthy diseases near Chloe and the baby!”

“Everyone, I know Constance hates me. She hates that I've taken her place, hates that Mark looks after me. But I really don't mean anything by it. I just want to raise this child and survive, that's all.”

The relatives started up again, and the looks aimed at me turned even uglier.

I stared at that lying face of hers, and every last drop of rage and grief I'd been swallowing finally broke loose.

I raised my hand and slapped Chloe as hard as I could.

Chloe's head snapped to the side from the slap. She froze for a few seconds, then burst into heaving sobs, clutching the baby against her chest, shaking all over.

My mother saw it and came charging forward, trembling with rage, and slapped me across the face.

Harder than before. My cheek swelled instantly, and blood seeped from the corner of my mouth.

“You ungrateful wretch! You actually dared hit Chloe! You've completely lost your mind!”

Mark rushed over and gathered Chloe carefully into his arms.

When he turned to look at me, his eyes were cold. “Constance, are you insane? You put your hands on Chloe! Apologize to her. Right now.”

I pressed my hand to my burning cheek, biting down hard on my lip. “I'm not apologizing! She accused me first. Why won't any of you believe me?!”

Mark let out a cold laugh and stepped closer, leaning in toward me.

“You won't apologize? Constance, don't forget. I'm still your boss.”

“That chance to study overseas you've been waiting for? Whether you get it comes down to one word from me.”

“You care so much about this job, about this chance. You really want to wreck it all with your own hands over a tantrum?”

I stared at him in disbelief.

He knew. He knew exactly how hard I'd worked for this, how many years I'd poured into it.

His threat left me no choice.

Work had been my only way out of this family.

Before I ever met Mark, all I wanted was to be independent, to move out of this house.

Falling in love with him hadn't changed that. I never let go of the plan.

Go overseas, come back, build a real career, stand on my own two feet. That was the whole point of everything I'd done.

And Mark knew it perfectly well.

After I apologized, I went back to my room, shut the door, and finally broke. I wrapped my arms around myself and sobbed until I couldn't breathe.

Once again, I was the person the whole world had thrown away.

A long time later, Chloe's gentle voice drifted through the door：“Connie, I made you some soup. To help you feel better. Will you open the door?”

She came in carrying a bowl of soup.

I stopped her. “Get out.”

The gentleness dropped off her face. She sneered：“You think you can steal my man? You're not even close.”

“I actually came to offer you a way out.”

“Leave this house on your own. Disappear from Mark's life for good. It's better for everyone……”

I cut her off. “I feel sorry for my brother. He died without ever seeing what you really are……”

The smugness dropped from her face. Her voice turned vicious：“Shut your mouth! You little bitch, everyone in this house hates you. Why don't you just die? You should've been dead a long time ago……”

Halfway through, her expression changed. Her eyes went vicious.

Then she let her foot slip on purpose, and the entire bowl of scalding soup splashed across her own body.

A piercing scream tore out of her, and the tears came instantly.

“Connie, why would you do this to me? I brought you soup out of kindness, and you threw it on me?”

“I know you hate me, but I've never done anything to hurt you……”

And then Mark appeared.

He strode to Chloe's side, checking her burns with careful hands, his face tight with pain and fury.

He turned to me, and his voice was laced with cold hatred：“Constance, you've gone too far! Chloe was trying to be kind to you, and this is what you do to her?”

“Is this what I get for indulging you? You think there's nothing you can't do?”

Only then did it hit me what had just happened, and the words tumbled out on instinct：“It wasn't me! She poured it on herself on purpose! She's framing me!” “Mark, believe me. I didn't hurt her!”

Mark let out a cold laugh.

“Chloe is the gentlest person alive. Why would she ever hurt herself?”

Chloe leaned against his chest, crying and pleading on my behalf at the same time：“Mark, don't scold Constance. Maybe she really didn't mean it. I don't blame her.”

But her eyes never left mine, sharp with provocation, and the faintest smirk played at the corner of her mouth.

My mother heard the commotion and came upstairs. One look at Chloe and she didn't even ask what happened. She just pointed at me and started screaming.

“I can't believe I gave birth to an animal!”

“Get out, Constance!”

“From now on, don't you dare set foot in this house again! You are no daughter of mine!”

Mark looked at me, his tone ice-cold, more command than speech：“Apologize to Chloe, Constance. Then get the hell out.”

So that was it. Everyone wanted me gone.

Fine. I didn't want to stay in this house anyway.

I walked aimlessly through the freezing wind in nothing but a thin jacket, shivering so hard my teeth rattled.

After a long time, Mark's car pulled up beside me.

The window slid down. His voice was casual, as if nothing had happened.

“Get in. It's freezing out here. Are you trying to kill yourself?”

I didn't move. I just stared at him：“It's over between us, Mark. Stop following me.”

He scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt.

“Over? It's over when I say it's over.”

“Where do you think you'll go? You have no money, no place to live, no family backing you up. You can't survive out there.”

He pushed the door open and dragged me into the car.

Then his voice softened, slipping back into that familiar tenderness as his hand stroked my hair：“Baby, don't throw a tantrum, okay?”

“I know you feel wronged. But there's nothing I can do.”

“Chloe's raising a child on her own. It's not easy. I have to help her.”

“Once I've sorted everything out, I'll come back to you. I won't leave again. Okay?”

I shoved his hand away. “Could you stop making me sick?”

The softness dropped from his face in an instant. “Constance, I'm being nice. Don't make me stop.”

“Be good. Stop making me angry. And don't try fighting me again.”

“Because trust me, I have plenty of ways to make you regret it.”

The car pulled up at an apartment I'd never seen before.

Chloe's presence was everywhere inside. Her skincare, her clothes, even framed photos of her and the baby.

“This is where Chloe and I have been staying. You'll live here from now on. Take care of her and the baby, and stop causing problems.”

His tone was flat and final. “Consider it your chance to make up for what you did to Chloe.”

“Remember what you are. You're the mistress. Don't ask what isn't your business, don't meddle in what isn't your concern. Do as you're told, and maybe I'll still have some patience left for you.”

The words had barely left his mouth when Chloe walked in, the baby in her arms.

She saw me and her lips curved into a taunting smile：“Constance, you're here? How nice. We'll be living together from now on.”

“Mark says you'll be handling all the housework. My health isn't great, and I have the baby to look after, so I'll be counting on you.”

She held the baby out toward me：“Here, Constance, hold the baby for me. I need to rest for a bit.”

“After all, someone just threw soup all over me. I should probably go take a shower.”

Before I could reach out, she let go. The baby dropped straight toward the floor.