Meanwhile, while Sara slept soundly, an unexpected phone call woke her up, and it was by far the most shocking wake-up call she had.

"What?! Alright, I'm coming." Sara bolted up and quickly dressed up.

Coincidentally, Mark was outside her apartment, looking for Tessa.

"Mark!" Sara came at him.

"I'm sorry, but please tell her to come out and see me. I called her, but she wouldn't answer. Please, I needed to talk to her," Mark begged, making Sara all the more confused.

"What are you talking about? Tessa's been detained! How could she come out and see you here?!" Sara yelled at him, confused.

"What?" Mark uttered in shock.

"For the love of! She just went out to get her veil. Why did she end up at the police station?" Sara muttered in distress.

With that, the two rushed towards the police station where Tessa was currently detained.

Sara quickly spotted Tessa talking to a female officer when they walked in. She appeared dazed in her disheveled state.

"What the hell is going on?" Sara asked Tessa after walking toward her friend, her brow wrinkled, "You came to your new house to get your wedding veil, didn't you? Why did you end up here at the station?"

She glanced at Tessa's disheveled state and added, "Mark also couldn't get through to you, so he came to my house to find you. Who would have known..."

After having an eventful night and staying at the police station for some time, Tessa's makeup was a complete mess, her skirt was wrinkled, and her white blouse was soiled with red wine.

Mark scowled when he saw Tessa in this state. He took off his coat and was about to put it on for her when Tessa looked at him viciously and hissed, "Get lost!"

Mark flinched, stung by the hatred that flashed in Tessa's eyes.

Witnessing all this, Sara looked at Tessa in disbelief. She finally realized that something had happened between them, and it wasn't an easy matter. Even though Sara was dying to know what happened, she held it in as Tessa had to complete all the procedures before they released her.

It was an arduous process. By the time the three left the station, it was already daylight.

While leaving, Tessa ran into Phil, surrounded by a group of people wearing coats. Tessa had drunk a lot of wine last night, so now her head was throbbing in pain. Even after being pestered by Sara, Tessa remained quiet. But when she saw Phil again, her face couldn't help but flush in embarrassment.

Last night, Tessa didn't know what came to her and only realized what she was doing after seeing the shocked looks on the police officers' faces who barged into them.

Meanwhile, Phil's deep facial features were cold, and he kept a straight face. However, after noticing Tessa's figure across the corridor, complicated emotions flashed in his eyes; disgust, indifference, and dislike.

Phil stopped walking, and his eyebrows were slightly wrinkled.

Seeing Phil's expression, Tessa's heart seemed to skip a beat, wondering what the man would do to her after what she did last night. Thankfully, Sara pulled her right away and said, "Let's go!"

Having walked past Phil, Tessa inwardly heaved a sigh of relief.

Stepping outside, Mark, who had been silent for a long time, couldn't help but ask, "Tessa, what's going on? Why are you suddenly involved in human trafficking? "

Tessa looked at this cheating bastard and parroted, "Human trafficking?"

"Yes, I became a prostitute overnight," Tessa sneered. "Why? Got a problem with that?"

Mark had an affair with Martina first, so who was he to condemn her even if she somehow became a prostitute?

Mark frowned and quickly responded, "I know you're not like that, but..."

Before Mark could finish his sentence, Tessa screamed in frustration, "You had a son with Martina. Why can't I have a fling with a man?" Her eyes were red and puffy, with dark circles under them.

Hearing Tessa's words, Sara was taken aback. "What? Is Arthur Mark's son? "

"Yes!" Tessa answered vehemently and turned to leave, not wanting to see Mark's face as she kept remembering how he and Martina cheated on her.

But Mark quickly stopped her. Then, he asked, "Where are you going?"

"It's none of your business!" Tessa shoved him away and strode forward.

"None of my business?" Mark incredulously exclaimed as he followed Tessa. "Looking at the time, it's past six o'clock now. The ceremony will start at eight-thirty and then the hotel reception at ten o'clock. "

Tessa's rage grew when she heard Mark say these things, so she grabbed whatever her hands could get, and it was the garbage bags out in the corner. She tossed them at him, screaming, "Fuck you and our wedding!"

Mark showered in different kinds of trash, including some greasy vegetable leaves. After being momentarily stunned, Mark furiously swiped all the filthy and smelly garbage on him and scolded her as though she was a kid throwing a tantrum. "Tessa, what's wrong with you? Have you forgotten? We're getting married today! "

Tessa laughed dryly, her gaze fixed on Mark. "Didn't you say you don't want to get married any time soon?" she smirked, remembering what he said to Martina the night before.

Tessa continued, "Since that's what you wished for, let's break up and call off the wedding!"

"What makes you think I'd agree with that?" Mark furrowed.

"What a joke! What about you? Did you get my permission when you and Martina had an affair behind my back?" Tessa spat back and turned to leave. She felt nothing but deep hatred towards this man she had loved deeply for years.

However, Mark wasn't done with her yet and grabbed her arm fiercely, saying, "Where are you going? You have yet to tell me why you went to the bar and fooled around with a stranger in the middle of the night."

Losing her patience, Tessa shoved him away and roared, "Fuck off!" Before Mark could react, Tessa threw him punches and kicks, and he couldn't do anything but endure Tessa's anger.

Unbeknownst to Tessa, a black car had parked across the street, and the people inside witnessed this scene.

Phil's secretary, Sally Eden, was dressed professionally in her buttoned-up suit, wearing light makeup, and had her long hair coiled up. Her clear and calm voice rang inside the car, "President Scott, the proposal for the new site has been finalized. MD Group's president expressed his interest in investing in one of our projects. He wants to make an appointment with you for a detailed discussion."

Sitting in the back seat, Phil had a mysterious look on his face while watching the scene outside.

Afterward, he averted his eyes from Tessa and answered coldly, "You can schedule that later. Now go back to the company. "With that, he closed his eyes and tried to catch some sleep.

Hearing this, Sally stopped talking and motioned for the driver to start driving.

As soon as Tessa arrived at Sara's apartment, she went straight to the guest room and fell asleep, feeling completely depleted and exhausted. It was nearing dusk when Tessa woke up, disturbed by Sara's consistent shaking.

Tessa then heard Sara whisper urgently, "Tessa, wake up! Mark and his mother are in the living room."

Blinking her eyes, Tessa quickly covered her head with a quilt, grumbling, "Drive him away!"

Sara frowned in irritation. "It's obviously his fault, so why are you the one hiding from him?"

Then, she yanked the quilt away from Tessa and hissed, "Since that bastard came here with his mother, we should demand an explanation from them!"

Sara dragged her to the living room without waiting for Tessa to react. Helpless, Tessa had no choice but to follow Sara.

As soon as he saw Tessa, Mark stood up immediately. However, Karina, his mother, who was seated next to him, didn't get up. The middle-aged woman had her arms crossed and exuded an air of arrogance.

"What are you doing here?" Tessa asked weakly. After all, Tessa once loved this man deeply, so she felt a pang in her heart whenever she saw Mark and remembered his betrayal.

Before Mark could answer, Karina answered haughtily, "Of course, to ask for an explanation from you. Why did you suddenly decide to call off the wedding?"

Tessa was accustomed to Karina's icy attitude towards her. Eight years ago, Karina seemed indifferent and distant when Mark formally introduced her to his parents. However, that all changed when the Crossley family filed for bankruptcy.

At that time, Tessa had to take care of Mark's parents while funding his education abroad, so her relationship with Karina improved. However, after Mark returned to work for TL Group, Karina treated her coldly and even sometimes abused her for no apparent reason.

Sara was an amenable person. However, she didn't like to be coerced. As such, facing Karina's rude demeanor, Sara furiously said, "How dare you come here and question us?! It's Tessa who should ask for an explanation from you!"

Pulling Sara's arm, Tessa shook her head and signaled Sara to stop talking.

Then, Tessa slightly raised her head to meet Karina's eyes and said, "I think I have made it very clear to Mark."

After all, Mark had broken his promise and cheated on her. How could they expect Tessa to marry him as if nothing had happened?

"Why are you making a big deal out of this?" Karina scoffed, "Didn't you flirt with a man in the bar and have sex with him?"

Sara rolled her eyes and said in ridicule, "No wonder Mark is an asshole. It turns out his garbage character runs in the family."

Karina felt extremely insulted when she heard this. She pointed her finger at Sara and exclaimed, "You uneducated wench!"

Karina turned to Tessa in disgust. "What kind of people are you mingling with, Tessa?!"

Unfazed, Sara challenged, "Huh, I'm uneducated? Do you think you educated your son well by teaching him to cheat on his fiancee for years and have a baby with her best friend?"

Mark, who was sitting next to Karina, remained silent. Tessa gave him a disappointed look. Unlike before, he didn't stop his mother from accusing and wronging her.

"Mark," Tessa quietly said, "Tell your mother what happened last night in the new house in Arlington Suburbs."

Mark gazed at Karina but said nothing.

For some reason, Karina became anxious. She quickly said, "We all know what you did in the bar last night. Instead of admitting your mistake, you are accusing Mark instead."

Tessa suppressed her anger and tried so hard not to lash out. "Last night, I caught Mark and Martina in our bed, both naked. Martina also admitted that Arthur is Mark's son," she said, through gritted teeth.

Although Tessa didn't want to recall or talk about it, Karina and Mark forced her to do otherwise.

Hearing this, Karina was not a bit surprised. She even retorted, "Arthur is Mark's son, but our family hasn't acknowledged his existence, nor do we intend to welcome Martina into the family. So, what's the big deal about that?"

Her words undoubtedly shattered Tessa's heart even more. Mark's family was aware of his relationship with Martina and Arthur, but they all lied to her and treated her like a fool.

Tessa dryly chuckled while holding back her tears. Forcing herself to stay calm, Tessa said in frustration, "What's the big deal?! Well, for me, your son having an affair with my best friend and even having a son together was a big deal, so I've broken up with him!"

Karina raised an eyebrow at Tessa and coldly said, "After your scandalous acts last night, even if you don't mention breaking up with Mark, our family won't still accept you."

Although Tessa expected this to happen, she was slightly sad when she looked at Mark. This scene wasn't new to Tessa, but his silence while his mother degraded her was soul-crushing to Tessa. He was nothing but a shell of who he once was on that memorable evening eight years ago. Despite Karina's fierce scolding, Mark showed firmness about their relationship when he formally brought her to his home. He even planned to sever ties with his parents if they refused to accept their relationship.

But when Karina tried to justify his wrongdoing, Mark was indifferent and even looked upright. As though all of these had nothing to do with him. Why did it seem that the man she thought she knew all along became a stranger in the blink of an eye?

Sara couldn't believe what she had heard. Glaring at Karina, she flared, "Mark is the one who cheated on Tessa. How can you blame Tessa as if she was the one at fault and even accused her of cheating? How shameless can you be?!"

"Sara, stop talking," Tessa murmured, shaking her head and motioning for Sara not to say anything else. She knew Karina well when it came to matters like this. Tessa didn't want to have another useless argument with Karina since she had decided to end this relationship.

Karina still looked composed and turned a deaf ear to Sara's words. As though she was an understanding elder, Karina gently said, "Although you later supported Mark's study abroad, that was your responsibility as you were his girlfriend at that time. We've been paying your tuition and living expenses since your sophomore year. We've done everything we could for you. Now that you've broken up, you can think of it as being even, and no one owes anyone anything."

Karina's words somehow saddened Tessa. Karina was obviously drawing a line. Could their eight-year relationship be reduced to just that? Karina stated they were "even," but did Mark really not owe her anything for what he did to her?

Sara was enraged, so she asked, "What about the new house in Arlington Suburbs? Tessa paid the down payment and spent a considerable amount on its renovation. She also paid off the mortgage every month before that! You should compensate her for her expenses!"

Karina didn't bat an eyelid when she answered shamelessly, "That house is under Mark's name. It has nothing to do with Tessa."

Tessa was stunned and turned pale. When Karina insisted on naming the house she bought only in Mark's name, she didn't think much of it. It turned out that they had taken precautions in case something like this happened. So, although Tessa was the one who bought the house, from a legal standpoint, she was technically not its owner.

Thinking of this, Tessa couldn't help but laugh to herself instead of being angry. She could only blame herself for trusting others and why she ended up like this.

Looking at the farce in front of her, Tessa badly wanted to end this and never see this asshole again. She said in a resolute tone, "If you are done, please leave!"

Karina was relieved when she heard that Tessa didn't plan to argue about the house. Still, as though she was not satisfied with embarrassing Tessa, Karina added, "Since you two won't get married, you should return all the jewelry we gave you."

Tessa sneered. Karina was really awesome. After looking so upright saying those things, all Karina wanted was to take back the jewelry box they gave her. Without thinking much, Tessa grabbed the jewelry box from her bag and handed it to Karina.

Karina received the box and carefully opened it. Inside was a set of jewelry consisting of a pair of rings, a necklace, and earrings. Karina counted them before closing the box and nodded with satisfaction.

While putting the jewelry box into her bag, she looked at Tessa and arrogantly said, "Tessa, remember, from now on, you have nothing to do with Mark. So, don't you ever pester him again!"

After saying this, Karina and Mark exchanged looks before they got up and headed to the door.

Sara, who saw everything on the sidelines, grew so enraged that she used a broom to chase them away and smacked Mark in the back while yelling, "Get out of here, you shameless bastards!"