After signing the paper, I stood up, only to be hit by a sudden wave of dizziness. Years of malnutrition in prison had left me with severe hypoglycemia. My body gave way, collapsing forward uncontrollably.

Then, a pair of arms caught me. I was lifted gently, cradled horizontally, and placed on the sofa. Moments later, the sweet taste of honey water touched the corner of my lips.

With each spoonful, the haze slowly lifted. My vision steadied. The face before me blurred and shimmered through my tears.

Once upon a time, Callum had cared for me just like this.

Ten long years. So many grievances were swallowed, and so much pain endured. Through it all, the one belief that had kept me going was seeing him again.

If bringing Callum back meant throwing myself into the fire, I would do it without hesitation.

Still drifting in memory, I barely realized when I woke again, only to feel a hard shove. Jaxon had pushed me away.

Caught off guard, I hit the floor, the back of my head slamming hard. Pain pulsed through my skull as I clutched it.

His cold voice rang out above me.

“Don’t flatter yourself. This was just compensation.”

Murmurs rippled through the guests nearby.

“Give her a drop of kindness, and she wants to drown in it. Bootlickers are all the same.”

“Young Master Jaxon is too soft. She’s already clinging to his leg like a leech. Disgusting.”

“Young Master Jaxon, don’t bother with someone like her. She’s marrying into the Montgomery family, right? Just let them take her already.”

I struggled to my feet, breath shallow and hands shaking. Just as I braced myself, Arabelle sauntered over.

In a swift, hidden move, when no one was looking, her stiletto heel crushed down on my hand.

A sharp cry escaped me as pain ripped through my fingers. I jerked my hand back, blood already pooling beneath my palm.

But before I could react further, Arabelle suddenly stumbled backward in a dramatic arc right into the towering stack of wine glasses.

The crash was deafening.

Glass shattered. Red wine splashed everywhere. The entire hall seemed to freeze.

“Arabelle!” Jaxon’s voice rang out in panic as he rushed to her side, lifting her from the jagged mess of broken crystal.

Her white gown was drenched in red, the stains vivid and jarring, like blood blooming through silk.

“Arabelle! Are you alright? Say something!” Jaxon’s hands trembled as he brushed the tears from her face. “Someone, call an ambulance! Now!”

But Arabelle didn’t speak to him. Her tear-brimmed eyes were locked on me.

My hand throbbed, bleeding from where her heel had torn skin. But over the noise and chaos, I heard her soft, trembling voice.

“Liora, why did you push me? Didn’t you already agree to marry into the Montgomery family?”

Her voice cracked, perfectly timed, as a tear rolled down her cheek. “You must still hate me. You smiled and acted generously, but deep down, you still wanted revenge.”

The room went still. A suffocating silence swallowed the air.

Arabelle’s best friend was the first to charge over and slap me hard across the face.

“I knew you had bad intentions! You faked fainting just to win pity, didn’t you? So Jaxon wouldn’t send you to the Montgomery family?”

Suddenly, the entire banquet hall turned into a storm of righteous fury. People grabbed whatever they could reach, pastries, glasses, scraps, and hurled them at me without mercy.

Cream and cake splattered across my body. I crouched in shame, trembling, clutching my injuries as laughter and scorn rained down like knives.

Then, a pair of leather shoes came into view, cold, polished, and unforgiving. They stopped in front of me.

Jaxon stepped forward and lifted his foot, then slammed it down on my head.

His sole ground into my scalp, forcing my head low until my cheek smeared against the sticky cream on the floor. The humiliation was bone-deep, unbearable.

“You actually dared to hurt Arabelle? You’ve got some nerve. Did you think gaining my sympathy meant you could stay? Dream on. Get out. From this day on, there’s nothing between us!”

He pulled his foot away. I gritted my teeth against the pain and slowly stood, staring him down. My voice was steady, each word sharp and final. “Fine, as you wish. From now on, we are completely done.”

As long as I could marry that vegetative man and bring Callum back, I could vanish from this cruel world. I no longer needed to trail behind Jaxon, scraping for scraps. I was finally free, and I could walk away whenever I pleased.

Jaxon looked stunned as if he couldn’t believe I had the nerve to talk back. Then he sneered coldly. “I’d like to see how long that stubborn mouth of yours lasts. Don’t come crying to me later, begging me to take you back!”

“Don’t worry. I’ve promised to marry into the Montgomery family. I won’t go back on my word. I won’t pester you again.”

Without another glance, I turned on my heel and pushed open the Aldridge family’s doors under the weight of countless gazes.

I walked out, head held high, not once looking back.

Mocking voices rang behind me like sharp thorns:

“Leave her! Let her go! She dared to hurt Sister Arabelle; breaking her legs would be doing her a favor.”

“Young Master Jaxon, don’t worry. She’ll be back, crying within three days.”

But as I stepped into the sunlight, the world ahead seemed to shimmer. I thought of Callum’s warm smile, and for the first time in a long while, my eyes filled with hope.

This time, I didn’t need to look back.

Callum, once I finished this final task, we’d meet again.

The pain from the wounds on my forehead and hand flared up with each step as I left the Aldridge estate. I gritted my teeth, the blood staining my skin, but I didn’t stop. I had to go to the hospital.

The nurse took one look at me, bruised and battered, and then glanced toward a distant, luxurious ward, shaking her head.

“Comparisons will kill you,” she muttered.

Following her gaze, I saw Arabelle had also arrived. The doctor was removing glass shards from her skin. She had gone all out to frame me, willing to sacrifice her own flesh to see me suffer.

Each time the doctor touched her, Arabelle’s soft cries filled the air, and she clung to Jaxon as if they were the only two people in the world. Their affection for each other was sickening to watch.

The nurse pressed alcohol onto my wounds, the sting sharp enough to make me flinch. My hand, where Arabelle’s heel had stomped, was raw; a deep gash and ugly purple bruises marked the spot, a clear sign of her intent to destroy me.

Once my wounds were bandaged, I grabbed the bill and turned to leave. But as I rounded the corner, I ran straight into Arabelle.

Jaxon wasn’t around. Arabelle immediately dropped the act, crossing her arms and eyeing me with a mocking smile.

“How does it feel to be kicked out of the Aldridge family? Doesn’t feel so great, does it?”

Her words were hollow, like an echo that meant nothing to me. The truth was, the only two real consequences of leaving the Aldridge family were the lack of food and nowhere to sleep. She still thought I cared about Jaxon and still believed I was clinging to him.

I ignored her, trying to walk past, but she stepped forward, blocking my way. I frowned, meeting her gaze.

“Miss Kingsley, since I’m no longer part of the Aldridge family if you keep this up, things might get ugly.”

Arabelle sneered.

“Stop pretending. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re really up to. You’re acting like you’re leaving just so Jaxon will come after you, right? You think playing hard to get will get you back in his bed?”

I knew full well that Arabelle had the power to cancel the arranged marriage with the Montgomery family. To ensure the marriage went through and I could complete my final task, I didn’t dare provoke her. All I could do was grit my teeth and bear it patiently.

“So, what exactly do you want?”

“What do I want? I want you completely out of Jaxon’s life.”

“He only loves you. Besides, I’ve already agreed to marry into the Montgomery family. I won’t interfere with you.”

“That’s not enough…”

Arabelle’s eyes gleamed as she pulled out an invitation. She handed it to me, and I saw it was an invitation to her and Jaxon’s engagement party.

“Jaxon and I are getting engaged soon. I want you to come to our engagement banquet. I want you to see it with your own eyes. I want you to give up completely.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to go. I’ve got other things to do.”

Clearly expecting my refusal, Arabelle wasn’t surprised. She asked, “So you don’t want your diamond pendant either?”

I froze. “My diamond pendant is with you?”

A smug smile crossed her face. “Of course. Jaxon saw I liked it and gave it to me while you were serving your sentence.”

My vision blurred, and my heart sank. That diamond pendant had been handcrafted for me by Callum. It wasn’t worth much, but it held his heartfelt intentions.

Before leaving, Arabelle’s voice was cold, almost a warning. “If you don’t come, I won’t give you the pendant.”

I sighed. It seemed I had no choice but to attend the engagement party.

On the day of the engagement, the banquet was filled with the city’s elite, a grand and bustling event. I arrived late, hoping to slip in unnoticed, but Arabelle spotted me right away and called out my name loudly.

Countless eyes turned toward me, all eager for the spectacle. I knew I was the one who shouldn’t be there.

Jaxon walked through the crowd toward me, his face cold as ice.

“What happened to your pride? Weren’t you all tough and proud yesterday? Regretting it now?”

“I knew you couldn’t live without me. What dirty tricks are you playing this time? I’m warning you, I won’t let you ruin my engagement!”

Arabelle, dressed elegantly in her noble engagement gown, walked gracefully over and stood close to Jaxon.

“Liora, you came too? Could it be you still can’t forget Jaxon?”

It seemed Arabelle hadn’t told Jaxon why I was there. Before I could say anything, she teared up.

“Jaxon, it looks like Liora really does love you. Maybe I should give you up to her.”

She reached for the necklace around her neck. Only then did I see the diamond pendant Callum had given me.

“Arabelle!” Jaxon shouted, his voice filled with panic. “I only love you. To me, she’s not even worth a dog.”

“Get lost!”

“But my diamond pendant…”

I tried to explain, but the guests quickly surrounded Arabelle to shield her.

“The parasite’s back? Didn’t she push Arabelle last time? What’s she up to now?”

“Just go die already, you disgusting trash. Can’t you stop ruining things for them?”

Amid the crowd’s harsh words, Arabelle looked at me smugly. It hit me: I had fallen into her trap once more. She never intended to return the diamond pendant. Her real plan was to invite me here to humiliate me.

I looked at the diamond pendant hanging from her neck. I couldn’t let Callum’s gift fall into someone else’s hands.

I pulled a gift box from my bag, looking at Jaxon sincerely.

“I’m not here to ruin your wedding. This is premium ginseng; I wish you both a long and happy life.”

“And I hope you can return the diamond pendant to me. Let me keep it as a memento.”

Jaxon stared at me, taken aback. He hadn’t expected that, even after he’d discarded me like trash, I still cared about his health at his engagement to another woman.

After a long silence and under the stunned eyes of the crowd, he accepted the gift box. His gaze flicked to the pendant on Arabelle’s chest, then he nodded.

“Fine. I’ll agree.”

With my goal accomplished, I quietly retreated into the shadows. My gaze fixed on Jaxon as he pulled Arabelle close and kissed her tenderly.

As the engagement came to an end, I made my way toward the exit, intent on slipping away unnoticed, when suddenly Arabelle called out from the stage.

“My diamond ring is missing.”

A ripple of panic spread through the crowd. I didn’t want to stir up any more trouble, so I headed for the door, but a security guard suddenly stepped in front of me.

“Miss, may I check your bag?”

Before I could respond, the guard yanked my bag open, and a diamond ring slipped out, clinking onto the floor.

The appearance of the diamond ring felt like a death sentence, sealing my fate.

The banquet hall erupted in chaos, like boiling oil splashed by a drop of water. Guests rushed toward me, hurling wine and food in my direction.

“She’s a thief!”

“Don’t let her escape!”

“I knew she came with bad intentions; how dare she steal the diamond ring!”

Security guards swarmed and pinned me to the ground. My face was pressed harshly against the floor, like a fish caught on a chopping board, helpless and at their mercy.

Somehow, Arabelle’s engagement ring ended up in my bag. I looked up and caught sight of a waiter quickly slipping away. It dawned on me that he had bumped into my bag earlier. That must have been when the ring was planted.

Through the noise and confusion, Jaxon pushed through the crowd, snatched the ring from the floor, and looked at me with cold disdain.

“I thought you had truly repented. Turns out I was wrong to go soft on you.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words stuck in my throat. With the evidence so clear, any explanation would be pointless.

Jaxon grabbed my hand so tightly that red marks quickly bloomed across my skin.

"Looks like you won’t learn your lesson unless you’re taught one."

Arabelle clung to Jaxon’s arm, her voice dripping with feigned kindness as she pleaded, "Let it go, Jaxon. Maybe Liora was just jealous of me. It's fine, I don’t mind..."

"Arabelle, you’re too kind. People like her don’t deserve sympathy."

With a snap of his fingers, an assistant quickly handed over a dagger.

"You’ve always wanted to take what belongs to Arabelle, right? Without these hands, how will you take anything?"

The words echoed in my ears, but strangely, fear didn’t grip me as expected. My only thought was, how could I still marry into the Montgomery family if I lost my hands?

A bodyguard held my hands down as Jaxon slowly approached, the knife glinting ominously. Cold sweat poured down my face. I knelt, my voice trembling as I begged, "Please, don’t do this to me. Even if I haven’t done anything good, I’ve suffered enough for you. Have you forgotten what happened at the forest lodge?"

Jaxon paused, his expression faltering. In that storm at the forest lodge, I took care of his injuries for three months.

Back then, the Aldridge family was embroiled in a fierce battle for the heir position. As the youngest son, Jaxon had far less power and fewer shares than his older brother, who had already secured the Vice President role. In a carefully planned car crash, Jaxon was trapped inside the vehicle. I risked everything to pull him out. The explosion sent us flying, throwing us dozens of meters away. Jaxon hit a rock, and all feeling in his legs was lost.

To keep the incident under wraps, I carried him through the snow-laden night to a secluded villa in the forest. The roads were blocked, and there was no chance of reaching a hospital. Jaxon held his numb legs with a look of despair. In my past life, I had been a herbalist, so I decided to treat his legs myself. At dawn, I climbed the mountains to gather fresh herbs, boiled medicine through the night, and performed massages three times a day. After three months, his legs finally began to heal.

When he could walk again, Jaxon’s face lit up with hope. He promised me that once he secured his position, he would never let me down.

But instead of gratitude, I received three years in prison.

I later discovered that Arabelle had sent him a pack of medicine at that time. She, too, was involved in the medical field, and Jaxon always believed it was her medicine that had healed his legs. But I had seen that medicine was nothing more than a basic treatment for superficial wounds.

I never explained. I saved him out of pure instinct as a doctor and out of love for my fiancé. Holding onto the hope that I’d one day see Callum again, I endured each lonely night.

Jaxon clearly remembered. His hand, still gripping the knife, slowly dropped. After a long silence, he spoke, "Forget it. It's a happy day. We shouldn't shed blood."

Arabelle’s face tightened slightly, and she let out a sob. Hearing this, Jaxon added, "But for Arabelle’s sake, I can’t let you go so easily either."

"Since you tried to come between us, why don’t you kneel right here and let Arabelle and me walk over you into our happiness?"

Tears silently traced down my cheeks. Just hold on a little longer. As long as I can see Callum, I can bear any humiliation.

I nodded and whispered, "Okay."

As long as I could still marry into the Montgomery family, I would endure anything.

I knelt before Jaxon and Arabelle, bowing so low that my posture resembled that of a dog. The sight of me, humiliated beyond measure, caused the guests to burst into laughter. The shame was so overwhelming that even though my arms remained unbroken, the crowd no longer cared.

Flashes from cameras flickered relentlessly, each one capturing my degradation.

"Look at her, she’s just like a dog."

Jaxon took Arabelle’s hand, raised his foot, and stepped over me.

"From now on, don’t show your face in front of me again. Get lost."

I quietly dusted off my knees and walked out, my head heavy with humiliation.

The next day, the front page of every newspaper displayed a photo of me kneeling at the engagement banquet, with the headline:

"Aldridge Family Criminal Kneels Like a Dog at Engagement Banquet; Why?"

As I glanced at the newspaper, I was already on my way to the Montgomery estate.

Only four days remained. In those four days, I had to awaken the man in the coma and marry him.

The Montgomery family was an old, prestigious lineage.

Once one of the top families in Greenville, their power had faded when their only son became paralyzed ten years ago. Yet, their legacy and influence still lingered.

Their business still thrived, and even Jaxon seemed to flinch at the mention of the Montgomery name.

In the misty rain of Roseville, I pried open the heavy iron gate of the Montgomery Residence. The door swung open, and I smiled, hoping for a warm reception. But the moment the butler saw me, he slammed it shut.

"Disgusting. Where did this dog come from?"

Through the crack, I caught sight of the newspaper tucked under his arm. I quickly pounded on the door.

"I’m here to save your young master!"

The door creaked open again. The butler eyed me skeptically.

"You?"

Before I could answer, a familiar voice called out from inside.

"Butler Dayne, who is it?"