Late at night, Sebastian and Carl returned home.

As usual, Carl wrapped his arms around mine and acted spoiled. "Mom, I missed you so much today, like I always do."

Sebastian pulled out a bouquet of roses from his arms. "I got you pink Jumilia roses today."

Looking into their affectionate eyes, I felt a chill run down my spine. Why was I incapable of acting as naturally as they did?

The smile on my lips almost failed to hold. "It's getting late. You should go to sleep."

Carl chimed in, "Yeah! We still have to attend the award ceremony tomorrow. I'm so excited!"

He couldn't hide the excitement in his voice.

Worried that he might reveal something, Sebastian shot me a cautious glance. I pretended not to understand and got up to walk toward the bedroom.

Fresh flowers filled the vase by the bedside every single day. Sebastian remembered that roses were my favorite, so he always bought me different varieties.

Now, every sweet memory had been brutally shattered by the ugly truth.

My whole body trembled uncontrollably as I used all the money left in my account to book a plane ticket to leave. I tossed and turned the entire night and only fell asleep when it was almost dawn.

Upon being awakened by a burst of laughter, I walked out of the bedroom in a daze.

The moment the people outside saw me, they instantly fell silent.

My eyes caught the agate jewelry around Jolene's neck and wrist, and I froze in place.

Sebastian explained in a low voice, "Jolene is receiving an important award today. She didn't have any suitable jewelry to match her outfit, so I lent her this set."

That was the jewelry symbolizing the status of the lady of the Lester household. Yet, it was lent to an outsider like Jolene so casually and tactlessly.

Jolene walked over and held my hand. "Pamela, I'm really thankful to Seb for lending me this set of jewelry. Otherwise, I am going to make a fool of myself today."

My gaze fell on her glamorous appearance, and bitterness surged through my heart.

After five years in prison, my skin had become rough. Five of my fingers had been broken. My joints had also become enlarged and ugly.

Sebastian never allowed me to attend any public events. And knowing my own place, I never blamed him for it.

Worried that I might overthink things, he kept explaining, "Pamela, I'm just afraid those media reporters will publish something that may hurt you."

I had stupidly believed all his lies.

At the present moment, Sebastian himself seemed dazzled by Jolene, who was wearing the jewelry.

He couldn't help but try to comfort me. "Pamela, you never liked attending public events anyway. Why not just give this set of jewelry to Jolene? She's become an internationally renowned photographer now. She needs some expensive jewelry to uphold her image."

My grandma had personally handed me the agate jewelry before she died. As I was afraid of damaging it, I had always stored it away in the safe carefully.

Had Sebastian completely forgotten that this particular set of jewelry symbolized one's status as the lady of the Lester family?

I suppressed my anger, and my gaze landed on their tightly clasped hands. Bitterness spread within my heart.

Once upon a time, he used to hold my hand like that too.

Sebastian sighed, as if he were being very understanding. "Never mind. If you don't want to, I won't force you. But just lend it to Jolene for today."

Carl pouted from the side. "Mom, our kindergarten teacher told us that we should generously share good things!"

I recalled their conversation from last night. Since I was already preparing to leave, this jewelry would eventually end up in Jolene's hands anyway.

Forget it. I didn't want to argue with them anymore.

I closed my eyes bitterly and turned to leave.

Sebastian grabbed my wrist. "Pamela, you should come to the award ceremony too."

"Yeah, Mom! The three of us haven't attended an event together in so long!" Carl ran over and hugged my leg pleadingly.

If I hadn't discovered the truth last night, I would have willingly and foolishly gone there just so they could use me like a tool.

I gently pushed Carl away and looked at Sebastian. "If I go, I'm afraid it'll attract attention…"

Afraid of losing the contrast I provided, Jolene hurried forward and warmly grabbed my hand.

She said earnestly, "Pamela, it's my award ceremony. Of course, I want the whole family to be together."

I wanted to refuse again, but Sebastian made the decision for me. "Just come. Jolene's begging you already. Can you really bear to ruin her mood?"

Left with no choice, I nodded. "Fine. I'll go get changed."

I opened the wardrobe, but everything inside was outdated and old-fashioned. In the end, I picked out a white dress that was barely wearable.

After I was done getting ready, I walked out of the villa. I saw Sebastian and Jolene already seated in his Bentley.

When Sebastian turned and saw me, a flash of amazement crossed his eyes.

Jolene clearly hadn't expected that even if I was dressed simply, my beauty still shone through.

Furious, she clenched her fists tightly and said, "Pamela, I have to walk the red carpet with Seb, so I'm afraid we can't take you in the car with us."

I frowned. What now? Was I supposed to walk there?

Sebastian looked at me awkwardly. "Pamela, there's no time for me to hail a ride for you. How about this? You can make do with Adam's electric scooter in the garden."

Carl clapped his little hands excitedly. "You'd look so cool riding a scooter when you're dressed so nicely!"

The whole situation was incredibly ironic. I was Sebastian's wife, yet I wasn't even worth the trouble for him to arrange another ride to take me to the destination.

Without saying a word, I walked toward the scooter. Before I could even start it, the Bentley had already sped away with a loud roar.

By the time I arrived, the award ceremony was just about to begin.

The moment I walked into the hall, I saw Sebastian arm in arm with Jolene, toasting the guests.

Everyone praised them for being a match made in heaven.

I also saw my father, Maurice Coleman. He took Jolene as his goddaughter in front of the media. Even from far away, I could see the affectionate fatherly look in his eyes when he looked at her.

He publicly announced, "I will transfer 30 percent of my shares to Jolene as her wedding gift for marrying Sebastian."

A shy smile appeared on Jolene's face as she buried her face in Sebastian's arms.

The moment I walked up to them, Dad frowned and asked me harshly, "Why are you here? Is this the kind of place you should be showing up at? You may not care about yourself, but I still care about my reputation!

"You're a murderer! If I were you, I would've hidden in some dark corner and not shown myself. If you know what's good for you, hurry up and divorce Sebastian so Jolene can take your place!"

I clenched my hands so tightly that my knuckles turned pale. "Dad, I'm your daughter. I'm your flesh and blood!"

In order to completely distance himself from me, Dad suddenly raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

He roared, "How much longer are you going to embarrass us? Get out!"

Countless cameras instantly turned toward my face.

Jolene seemed frightened by Dad's actions and timidly hid in Sebastian's embrace. He had been busy socializing with some guests, but he instinctively shielded her first while shooting a piercing gaze at me.

Even Carl, who normally teared up whenever I accidentally cut my finger while cooking, showed no concern at all for my humiliation.

Dad clutched at his chest and shouted, "Why didn't you just die in prison back then? Why did you have to come out and disgrace the family? How did I give birth to a daughter like you?"

When I remained silent, he raised his hand again to hit me.

Sebastian glanced at my swollen cheek and frowned. Instinctively, he came over to stop Dad.

"Maurice…"

But there was a sudden commotion in the crowd as an important guest made a grand entrance.

Jolene's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Sebastian's hand. "Seb, the chairman is here. Take me over to say hello, okay? Don't worry. At the end of the day, Maurice is still Pamela's biological father. He won't really do anything to her."

And just like that, she pulled him away. After taking two steps, he turned back and coldly glanced at me, as though warning me not to cause trouble.

Some of Jolene's angry fans grabbed water bottles and hurled them at me. More people joined in. Soon, they were throwing salad and vegetables onto my body.

Sebastian ignored all of it. Linking arms with Jolene, he walked away calmly without a care.

I left the hall in humiliation.

Behind me, Dad's mocking voice rang out. "You have no conscience to speak of! How did I even produce such a terrible human being?"

I found the restroom and was about to clean myself up. But just a moment later, Jolene walked in.

She looked at me provocatively and said smugly, "How does it feel, Pamela? The golden girl has become the person everyone loathes. Don't you find it thrilling?

"Your father was right. You should've died in prison back then. At first, I only wanted to win the award and force you away while I was at it. Who knew Carl would be such an idiot and switch the eye drops?"

At that, she covered her mouth and laughed loudly. "I should really thank you for helping me get rid of my biggest threat. Now, I'm a gold award winner, and you're a murderer. Even an idiot would know who to choose, let alone Seb."

Every word she spoke turned into knives stabbing into my heart.

I had lost all my dignity as a doctor. For five whole years, I had lived every day in guilt and remorse! The people I loved—even my own father—had all wished for my death. They were the ones who had destroyed my bright and promising future.

At that moment, I lost control of my reason. Unable to suppress my rage, I raised my hand to slap Jolene.

She didn't dodge or resist in the slightest bit. After taking my slap, she suddenly screamed dramatically and crashed her body to the side.

She exclaimed, "Ah! If you don't want me wearing this jewelry, I'll take it off and give it back to you. Why did you hit me, Pamela?"

The next second, Sebastian and Carl rushed in from outside.

When Sebastian saw the blood flowing from my forehead, his eyes paused briefly with concern before his expression quickly darkened.

He said grimly, "No need to take it off. A murderer like her isn't worthy of wearing the symbolic jewelry worn by the lady of the Lester family and showing it off in public."

So, he hadn't forgotten about the significance of that set of jewelry after all.

Carl nodded in agreement too. "Exactly. A murderer doesn't deserve to be my mother!"

As he spoke, he viciously kicked me in the stomach. "I don't have a mother as evil as you! You're the worst!"

My face turned deathly pale as I clutched my stomach and collapsed onto the floor.

Where they couldn't see, Jolene's lips curled up into a taunting smile, as if she were saying, "See? There's no place for you here anymore."

Before I lost consciousness, I felt deeply grateful that I still had the ability to choose to leave. Just one more day, and I would never have to see my heartless husband and son ever again.

When I opened my eyes again, I was still in the restroom.

No one had come to help me. I could only endure the pain radiating throughout my body. I forced myself to stand as I staggered back home.

The moment I pushed open the door, I saw Carl using a pair of scissors to cut apart our family photo. He shredded the part with me into pieces. With vicious ferocity, he stabbed at my face in the picture.

"Go die! Just die already! Only when you're dead can Ms. Short become my mommy!" he hissed.

When he saw that I was back, he made a face at me. Then, he snorted coldly and left.

At that moment, I no longer had the strength to stop him. I only wanted to get my passport and leave as quickly as possible.

During the five years I spent in prison, my health had deteriorated badly. My blood-clotting disorder made it difficult for wounds to heal. Now, my entire face was a bloody mess.

Making my way to the bedroom was an arduous task. As I reached the door, my ears picked up on Jolene's soft and aroused moans.

Sebastian was nibbling at her lips with his hands roaming all over her body. Perhaps because he was too eager to have her, he accidentally yanked off the agate bracelet I treasured more than anything. And all I could do was watch helplessly.

With a sharp crack, the bracelet shattered into pieces. My heart clenched as a sharp pain tore through it. I nearly lost my balance and collapsed to the floor.

Jolene noticed me because of my movements. She cried out even more passionately.

Only at that moment did I truly understand what heartbreak felt like.

Come to think of it, Sebastian had only touched me once. We had only ever slept with each other on our wedding night because he had wanted a child.

My mother had died during childbirth, so I had always been terrified of giving birth. Even so, I willingly got pregnant and gave birth to a son for him.

But now, the child I had risked my life to bring into this world had become a fiend wishing for my death.

Silently, I closed the door and went to the living room.

I listened to their passionate lovemaking the entire night. Eventually, I fainted from losing too much blood.

The next morning, Sebastian walked out looking refreshed and energetic. When he saw me lying pale-faced on the couch, he froze for a moment.

He asked, "Pamela, when did you come back? Why didn't you take care of your wounds? Jolene wasn't feeling well last night, so I stayed with her for a while. She's always had poor health since she was a child. Don't be jealous."

Hearing his excuses, I snorted. "Really? Does taking care of someone require holding them in your arms as you sleep?"

My words were like a tight slap to his face. I exposed his lie mercilessly.

A trace of guilt flashed across his face before anger and embarrassment quickly replaced it.

He argued, "Her body gets cold easily. She needed me to warm her up. It's perfectly normal for people to hold each other in these situations. Stop being unreasonable! If there were really something going on between us, do you think you could have become Mrs. Lester?

"Besides, with your current status…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but I understood perfectly well.

He was the richest man in the country, who was highly respected, while I was nothing more than a murderer hated by everyone.

I didn't argue anymore and simply nodded. "I get it."

Sebastian's expression softened a little as he went on, "When Jolene wakes up later, make her something to eat. She can't handle spice, so be careful with it. I still have company matters to deal with, so I'm leaving first."

All these years, I had worked tirelessly to serve him and Carl without complaint. Was she supposed to serve Jolene as well now?

Why should I?

I was a living, breathing human being too. Besides, I hadn't done anything wrong at all in the first place.

I watched Sebastian's departing figure and bade farewell to him in my heart.

"Goodbye, Sebastian," I said inwardly.

I took out my passport and packed my luggage lightly, bringing only the essentials. While Jolene and Carl were still asleep, I left the villa.