He didn't know that every time he went, Martha would send a video to report.

“Serena, I took the initiative to report it because I don't want you to misunderstand. Women don’t make things difficult for other women, right?”

What was the result now? In the video, she was happily leaning in Joseph's arms. And he was gently humming a song to lull her to sleep.

That kind of tenderness has never been with me. Even when I had a high fever of forty degrees, he would only tell me to drink more hot water. He said that I was too pampered and raised by the Berneux Family to be too delicate. So I should exercise more to exercise my body.

But every time he went outdoors to climb mountains, he would only take Martha with him. Because Martha was a professional. It was only fun to explore with her, unlike me who would only hold him back.

My heart trembled. And I subconsciously looked at him.

After answering the phone, his whole person became soft. The corner of his lips was stained with a smile.

 “Martha.”

Martha, however, was very depressed. Her soft voice answered, “I've thought about it for a long time. I will keep the child, but I will never live in your house. No matter how bad I am, I know what it means to be shameless.”

“I can't go back to the Duckett Family, Joseph. I plan to go to the Jasna Gora Monastery for meditation. When the child is born, I will become a hermit.”

Joseph stormed out, “Don't even think about it! Martha, you dare to step into the monastery and live there!”

Joseph suddenly realized his loss of composure and suppressed his anger. “Martha, if you become a hermit, what if my brother wakes up? You won't wait for him?”

“Our child…”

“Can you bear to let our child be born without a mother?”

Martha’s voice choked. “It's been two years, Kenneth won't wake up, Joseph. About this child, you'll tell him that Serena Berneux is his mother. However, that's what you were going to do anyway.”

Joseph glanced at me coldly. “The Berneux Family is always engaged in feudal superstitions. I changed my mind and don't want her to teach the child bad things.”

I laughed coldly and directly snatched the cell phone. “Martha, I'm not interested in being a stepmother for your child. And I've seen enough of your drama. Let's get it out of the way today. I’m out of this disgusting love triangle, I quit!”

Panicked sobbing sounds came from the other end of the phone and Martha hurriedly hung up the phone. In the next second, Joseph violently grabbed my hair and pressed my face hard against the car window.

His voice was gloomy and said, “Serena, are you fucking crazy?”

My face was squeezed out of shape. My lips were pressed against the cold glass. I couldn't make a sound and could only struggle desperately.

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and hesitantly spoke, “Mr. Duckett, Mrs. Duckett is just angry for a moment with you…”

“It's not your turn to interrupt!” 

Joseph interrupted sternly, “She has been spoiled for so many years that she has forgotten even the basic manners.”

As he spoke, he increased his force again. “Serena, when we get home later, you’ll apologize properly to your sister-in-law!”

The glass pressed painfully against my cheekbone. Then it was getting harder and harder for me to breathe.

The traffic light coincided with a red light and the passengers on the bus next to me raised their cell phones. Perhaps in a few minutes, my ugliest and most humble appearance would be on the social news of all major platforms. 

The Berneux Family's century-old reputation and grandfather's lifetime pride would be ruined because of me. My whole body trembled and nodded with difficulty.

Joseph finally released his grip. Looking at the red marks that flared up on my face, he reached out to touch it.

“You really are still too delicate, Serena.”

I subconsciously avoided him. My entire body curled up in the corner of the car door.

He suddenly let out a sarcastic smile at me. “Are you pretending to be a victim again?”

Then he absently hooked up the corner of his mouth again and said in a coaxing tone, “Alright. I was wrong just now. I'm letting Miss Berneux feel wronged. Is that enough?”

I bit my lower lip tightly and didn't let go until I tasted blood. “As long as you're happy.”

He kicked the front seat violently and cursed under his breath, “Psycho! I'm going to kill you!”

Just after we arrived at the door of this house, Joseph dragged me towards the villa. At the entrance, Martha was dragging her suitcase and was about to leave.

Her originally long and smooth hair was cut unevenly. She wiped her tears as she walked.

Joseph took a big step forward and hugged her. His fingers lightly trembled as he touched the tips of her hair. The heartache in the bottom of his eyes was about to overflow.

“Martha, please, don't cry anymore. I've already taught Serena a lesson. She just doesn't speak without thinking. Please, don't take it to heart.”

Martha suddenly broke away from his embrace and fiercely knelt down in front of me and kowtowed heavily. “Serena, please persuade Joseph to allow me to abort my child and let me leave the house.”

“I'm sorry to his brother, I'm sorry to you, I'm sorry to everyone, this child is just a curse…”

Joseph panicked and hugged her. But she fumed and pounded her belly.

“We are mother and son who deserve to die! When Kenneth wakes up in the future, don't tell him about this. I want to be a pure woman in his mind, okay?”

I was so angry that I laughed at her. This bitter drama was sad and tragic for whoever likes to watch, except me. I rolled my eyes and turned around.

“Serena! Admit your mistake now!”

Joseph knelt on the ground with his arm around Martha, who was crying like a kid. He looked at me coldly. It was as if I was the one who was the worst offender.

I snorted lightly, “I'm sorry, it's all my fault, okay?”

Martha was stunned. She then cried even louder. Joseph's face was gloomy as he dragged me into the bathroom. He picked up the razor on the sink and reached for the top of my head.

“Martha was so angry with you that she cut the hair she had kept for ten years, Serena. Since you are unrepentant, you should pay the same price!”

My heart trembled. He was going to shave my hair?

I desperately struggled but my hands were pressed against the wall with his hands clipped back. The razor also buzzed above my head.

“Joseph, you're crazy! Let go of me!”

But he spoke coldly, “You forced me to do it, Serena.”

As I watched strands of hair fall to the ground, my tears continued to pour out of my eyes. I begged for mercy in a trembling voice, “Joseph, please, I apologize to her. I will apologize properly.”

Joseph suddenly stopped. He then threw me away like throwing dirty things.

“What are you crying for? It's just a few hairs, it's not like they can't grow back!”

Looking at my own comical appearance in the makeup mirror. With messy hair and red and swollen eyes, I looked like a clown. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Martha falsely sympathized and came over. “Serena, it's fine, I'll introduce you to a good hairstylist. You can consider it a new hairstyle.”

I directly smiled at her. My voice said loudly, “Martha, I was wrong! It was my dirty mind that misunderstood you guys! You and Joseph are innocent. I apologize to you!”

When I looked up, I saw Joseph nervously observing Martha’s expression. It wasn't until he confirmed that she wasn't crying anymore that he breathed a sigh of relief.

Joseph picked up his cell phone and operated it a few times. His voice said flatly to me, “I transferred a million dollars to you. Go get your hair fixed tomorrow.”

I looked at the notification of the arrival of the account and silently held the phone tightly. “Yeah, alright.”

Five years of our relationship couldn’t be exchanged for a word of concern from him. And a casual word from Martha could make him throw away millions.

My obedience made his face easy. He even commented on it, “Just cut a shoulder-length short hair on the line. Don't follow your sister-in-law’s hairstyle. You have to stay black long and straight. One more thing, you don't have that kind of temperament.”

Martha covered her mouth and laughed lightly, “Joseph, how could my sister-in-law deliberately imitate me? It's just that our aesthetics are similar, right?”

My whole body froze after hearing her words.

It dawned on me that in order to please him, I was unknowingly imitating Martha's dressing style.

“Can I go now?” I asked in a low voice.

He swept a disgusted glance at me. “Go change your clothes and come with me to meet Mom and Dad. What to say, you know well, right?”

I nodded in silence and walked straight to the bedroom. Just as I pushed the door open, my steps stopped violently.

My clothes were all cut into pieces. My wedding photo was also trampled and thrown on the bed. Martha followed behind me. 

Her voice carried a deliberate apology. “I'm sorry, Serena. I just now had a sudden attack of bipolar disorder. When I came back to my senses, it was like this...”

I interrupted with a cold smile. “Martha, you can commit a crime anywhere! Why did it have to be in my bedroom?”

Her eyes immediately turned red. “It was Joseph who let me rest here, the other rooms were not cleaned.”

Joseph couldn't bear to see her suffer a little grievance. He directly threw the black card at my feet.

“It’s enough for you to buy the entire mall.”

In the past five years, the birthday gifts he gave me never exceeded three digits. He said that the Duckett Family was rich, but he wanted our relationship to be pure and untainted by money.

It was the first time I had the feeling of being in a wealthy family. I bent down to pick up the black card and smiled at him.

“Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Duckett.”

Joseph looked at me with contempt. “Serena, if I had known that I could get rid of you by spending money, why would I bother coaxing you? The daughter raised by the Berneux Family shouldn't look like this.”

I clutched the card with a death grip and broke the jar. I then smiled brightly.

“That's because you looked away, I'll do anything for money! I've been stalking you for two years and I didn't do it for money?”

The knot in his throat rolled and his chest rose and fell violently. “Disgusting!”

Joseph dragged Martha and slammed the door. They left me.

Martha asked him in disbelief, “Joseph, why are you with someone like Serena? She doesn't deserve you no matter her family history or character.”

Joseph was in a troubled mood. “It's not even my dad! He insisted on believing the words and prophecies of the old man from the Berneux Family. He says that the Duckett Family has a death curse and that he has to find someone with a pure destiny to resolve it.”

“What a coincidence that it was Serena?” 

Martha asked suspiciously, “Could it be that the Berneux Family is doing the trick on our family?”

Joseph sneered, “There's no way, my dad is convinced. Otherwise, why would I agree with Serena? After chasing me for two years, she's average-looking and still spends all day making a fool of herself like a kid.”

“If it really worked, two years ago my brother and I wouldn't have gotten into a car accident, Martha.”

I leaned against the back of the door, my tears falling uncontrollably. I tried hard to wipe them away, but the more I wiped, the more they fell down.

I fell in love with Joseph at first sight. Just because he smiled at me at the school debate.

“Opposing debaters, please answer yes or no directly.”

He was handsome and well-built, with a noble temperament. But I answered him stupidly, “Opposing debater, yes, I like you.”

The whole room was in an uproar. Joseph, however, said with a sour face, “I don't like girls who are too proactive.”

From then on, I became the object of ridicule in the whole school, Joseph's licking dog.

His fortune wasn't calculated by my grandpa. My grandfather could read fortune-telling, but fortune-telling wasn't his domain. When I decided to give up on him, I asked the master to secretly look at our destiny.

The master frowned. “There is karma, but there is no share. If you stay with him, you can ensure his longevity, but your life will be miserable.”

I didn't hesitate to ask my grandfather to reveal this information when he was reading fortune telling for Joseph's father. I didn't realize that Joseph had instead decided that the Berneux Family had set up a trap to force him to give in. He tied his uneven hair into a bun, barely covering the traces of shaving.