So, this is how he thought of me. He never considered why I’d become this way—only how to make me accept Lucy’s existence.

I had thought seeing him treat me like this now wouldn’t trouble my heart. But after loving him for eight years and dreaming of growing old together year after year, I still felt a wave of helpless sorrow rise within me.

“I want to go home.”

Return to my own home.

Jeremy let out a cold laugh and directly scooped me up in his arms.

“Lucy wants to go home too. But because of you, she’s standing by an icy bridge right now, exposed to the chill wind. You need to take responsibility. Come with me to persuade her to come down and I'll take you home.”

Hearing this, I ignored the risk of my wounds reopening and twisted my body relentlessly, trying to force him to put me down.

“Let go! She's the one who's crazy, trying to jump into the river! What does that have to do with me? Why should I be responsible for her?”

Seeing my reaction, the nurse hurried over.

“Sir! Please release our patient! Otherwise, I'll call security!”

Could not withstand the force of two people, Jeremy had no choice but to put me down.

"Anne! You're ruthless!”

I laughed bitterly, lifting my hospital gown to reveal the wound. From the struggle, the gauze had soaked through again, stained with fresh blood.

“Jeremy, I didn't do anything, but you made me take responsibility for Lucy? Then who should bear this responsibility?”

It seemed Jeremy had finally reached his limit. After grabbing a few hairs, his fingers were trembling when he pointed at me, as if I had bullied him; he looked devastated.

"Anne, that wound is barely the size of a palm. It’ll heal in a month at most. Yet you used it as an excuse to wrong Lucy time and again, but she never held it against you. Now, to earn your forgiveness, she’s willing to prove her loyalty with her life. If she really jumps into the river, she’ll lose her life!"

I stared coldly at him as he accused me. The man I once loved so deeply had become utterly repulsive.

“I can go with you… with one condition. If you agree to sign the divorce papers, I'll go with you.”

I heard myself talking calmly.

Hearing this, Jeremy didn't grab me in anger as I expected. Instead, a faint smile touched his lips, an expression that said, “I knew it,” and “Here we go again.” I knew he must have misinterpreted me.

But it didn't matter. As long as he agreed to divorce me.

“Anne, I didn’t expect you to say something like divorce just to avoid saving Lucy. Fine! You think I’d be hesitant?”

He grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the door.

“Didn’t you want a divorce? Anne, I’ll take you right now. I’ll let you see the consequences of acting on impulse. When you want to beg me to remarry later, it won’t be so easy!”

My arm was red from his grip, but hearing his agreement to divorce made the pain in my wounds feel somewhat eased.

I signaled to the nurse who’d been trying to help me, then followed Jeremy out the hospital doors and into the car. Leaving everything else aside, when it came to efficiency, his efficiency was truly remarkable.

While driving, he called his lawyer and had the contract drafted. By the time we reached the law office, the lawyer handed him the freshly prepared divorce papers.

At least, Jeremy still had some decency. He split everything equally, leaving me nothing to complain about.

Just as I was about to take it and sign, Jeremy impatiently yanked me up, eager to go to Staten Bridge to Lucy.

“I haven’t signed yet.”

“Anne, you’ve been through business battles too. The contract is already drafted, so you need to let me see some ‘down payment,’ don’t you?”

Sure enough, it was like snatching food from a dog's mouth. I knew getting a “divorce” from him wouldn't be this easy. I got in the car.

As soon as we reached the riverbank, the cold wind made me shiver violently. Only then did I remember that in my haste to leave the hospital, I had left my coat on the hospital bed.

“Lucy!” Jeremy shouted excitedly beside me, then sprinted toward Lucy by the riverbank as if he had just spotted a lover he had not seen in years.

Lucy's pitiful, delicate appearance at that moment really did match the fragile, lovable little innocent girl often seen in Korean dramas.

He rushed to Lucy's side, draped his coat over her shoulders, then used those hands that had once said they would only ever hold mine to gently clasp another woman’s hands. Afraid she might be cold, he even breathed warm air onto her fingers.

I stood by like an outsider, my icy hands tucked deep into my jacket pockets. It was simply too cold and I couldn’t help but speak to them.

“Let’s go.”

After glancing at me, Jeremy raised his hand to feel Lucy’s forehead, then strode toward me.

Eight years of being together made me instinctively alert; it seemed he was furious.

I instinctively took a step back, but couldn't dodge his slap. The hand that once warmed me now struck my face with force.

Heartbreak, agony, disappointment and even hatred became a tangled complex of emotions that overwhelmed me, leaving me without the strength to react immediately.

“It's all your fault! If you'd come sooner, Lucy wouldn't have stood by the river so long and caught this fever!”

Compared to the pain on my face, my heart really hurts at this moment.

“Jeremy, when did you become this stupid? Did I make Lucy come to the river? Did I tell her to jump? She’s an adult. If she won’t take responsibility for her own life, why should I take responsibility for her actions?”

I pointed angrily at Jeremy. “And you! Jeremy, we're getting divorced! What right do you have to lecture me now? I'm calling the police. What you just did was intentional assault. I think you need to spend a few days in jail to reflect on your actions!”

Jeremy's face darkened slightly. But before he could speak, Lucy's slightly excited and surprised cut him off. "Jeremy, are you getting a divorce? Is it true?"

Jeremy’s voice rose, as if desperately trying to prove something. “Whether it’s true or not has nothing to do with a child like you! Your sister-in-law is just acting on impulse and making a fuss about divorce. She’ll regret it sooner or later!”

Hearing this, Lucy's almond-shaped eyes darted about. After feigning a few coughs, her body began to sway unsteadily.

Jeremy hurriedly helped her.

“Don't stand out here in the wind. I'll take you to the hospital to get checked, so it doesn't get worse.”

Saying this, Jeremy picked Lucy up. As he did, he shot me a sardonic glance. “Since you want to divorce so much, get out of the house first and let me see your determination!"

He didn't need to remind me; I was going to go back and pack my bags anyway.

After Jeremy drove off, I took a taxi home. There wasn’t much worth taking, so two suitcases were enough.

When I passed by Jeremy's study, I pushed the door open and placed the document folder in my hand on his desk. I didn’t know when he would see the gift I’d left him, but it's not too late to see it.

After leaving, I checked into a hotel. I didn’t look for a place or leave immediately, because I planned to return to the orchard my father had left me once the divorce agreement was signed.

But before that, I needed to wrap up the procedural matters my father had left behind here.

I hadn't realized how complex his affairs were until I started sorting them out. I'd thought it would take three or four days, but a week had already passed and I'd barely managed to get things in order.

The doorbell rang.

Aside from going out to eat, I had hardly ever left the hotel for a l week. I shouldn’t have had contact with anyone.

Through the peephole, I saw that it was Jeremy.

Was he coming here to sign the divorce agreement? But he wasn’t holding anything and he looked irritated. It didn’t seem like good news.

“If you're not here to sign the divorce papers, leave.”

Though I could not see Jeremy's expression through the peephole, I could see him knocking impatiently on the doorframe, muttering something about needing to speak with me.

“Other than divorce, nothing interests me," I said coldly.

Obviously, Jeremy had exhausted his patience. He began hammering the door frantically.

"Anne, open the door!"

"Jeremy! This is a hotel! Not some place for you, Mr. Hudson, to make trouble!”

“If I break it, I can afford to pay for it! Just open the door first—I only need a favor!”

Afraid that the security guard would come up and cause trouble, I opened the door for him.

“What is it? Say it quickly!”

“Simple. It’s just a small favor. Film a sweet interaction between the two of us to prove that our relationship is normal right now. That’s all.”

He walked in naturally and sat down on the sofa.

"Jeremy, don’t you think you’re ridiculous? We’re going to get divorced!”

“I know. But you're well aware that many of Hudson Group's clients partnered with us because of your father. Now rumors are spreading about our divorce. Today, some clients have already canceled contracts. You need to take responsibility.”

Sometimes, when people are truly speechless, they end up laughing.

"Jeremy, you can let yourself out while I'm in a good mood. Don't force me to call the security guard up.”

“Anne, after eight years together, must you be so heartless?” he demanded.

I stared into the eyes I had once loved the most. Now, all I saw in them was naked exploitation and a desire for control.

“Get out.”

“Anne! How long will you keep throwing these tantrums? I've indulged you this far—is it because of Lucy? If you truly can't tolerate her, I'll send her abroad for school after graduation. Is that not enough?”

In that moment, I finally saw him clearly. Jeremy was a refined egoist. He prioritized satisfying the needs of whoever served his interests. Since he had never offered genuine care, how could he talk about love?

Just as I was about to call security, they had already arrived. Someone must have complained about the earlier banging. I had chosen this hotel precisely because its security was known to be excellent.

As Jeremy was dragged out, he was still trying to get me to film the video with him, even offering to pay me if I agreed.

If I stayed here any longer, he would keep pestering me. And judging by his attitude, expecting a peaceful divorce from him was nothing but a fantasy.

When I thought about the folder in Jeremy's study, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, my father had prepared an escape route for me.

So, I turned on my mobile phone and booked the earliest plane for tomorrow. The plan to return to the orchard had to be moved forward.

The moment I stepped out of the hotel entrance, a Rolls-Royce Phantom screeched to a stop in front of me. I did not even need to look to know who it was.

Jeremy walked out of the car with an anxious expression. He did not even bother to say polite words before he took my arm.

“Anne, as long as you can save Lucy!”

Lucy, Lucy. It's always Lucy!

“Pulling the suicide stunt every day—can you at least switch to another tactic?” I snapped, shaking his hand off in both exasperation and anger.

My reaction seemed to be exactly what he expected because he put on a guilty expression.

“Anne, what happened before was my fault. But this time, it’s truly a matter of life and death. I didn’t want to disturb you, but I honestly couldn’t think of anyone else who could save Lucy…”

I sensed something was off and asked, “Save her? What happened to her?”

“Lucy has been kidnapped!" Jeremy took out his mobile phone to show me.

The screen showed Lucy was tied up in what looked like a warehouse, her mouth sealed with tape. The warehouse environment was visibly awful—damp, filthy and completely dark. The white dress on Lucy was already stained with grime.

No wonder Jeremy was so frantic. His little princess had never endured such hardship.

"What's the use of calling me? Am I supposed to break down an iron door for you, or play the hero?” I knew the situation was urgent, but that still wasn’t a reason for him to stop me from catching my flight. I was not a police.

“The perpetrator is a hacker!” Surprisingly, he showed no sign of irritation. He patiently explained the situation to me.