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!"

Mark fell silent and didn't bother to block the broom. He was somewhat heartbroken, but he was more disappointed in Tessa.

Karina was furious and wanted to get back at Sara for hitting her son, but before she could, Mark stopped her.

"Mom, you've gone overboard this time." Mark's brows furrowed as he dragged Karina down the stairs. However, he couldn't get over the fact that the woman who had always been clinging to him suddenly became cold-hearted and even chased them away. It was as if Tessa had become a different person overnight.

Karina looked at him with displeasure. "What did I say wrong? That bitch shouldn't take all the credit! We paid for her tuition. Otherwise, do you think she could graduate from college? Why are you speaking up for her? Do you still love her?"

Mark looked at his mother and said nothing. Coming up with an answer to whether he still loved her or not was hard. Mark did love Tessa. Her braveness and gentle nature made him fall for her repeatedly, but he couldn't say for sure that he still loved her as much as he did eight years ago. Perhaps what he felt right now was only a lingering emotion. After all, they had been together for eight years, and forgetting what he had been used to wasn't easy.

Karina's face became ugly seeing her son's expression. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets as she eyed Mark. "Don't you dare think about getting back with her! You've already broken up with her, so stop caring about that damn girl. Even if she didn't take the initiative to break up with you, I would find ways to separate the two of you. Do you think I would let that girl marry into our family?"

She didn't say that even if Tessa successfully married her son, Karina had long thought of ways to break them up on the same day they married. She didn't expect the two of them to break up even if she hadn't taken action. Even the heavens were against letting the two of them be together.

Mark was surprised that his eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. "Mom! How could you say that? Tessa worked hard to support my studies abroad, but in contrast, we only paid a small part of her tuition. She never treated us badly, but the money we spent on her couldn't compare to what she gave us!" he argued.

"What? Why are you making it sound like it's my fault? Are you even hearing yourself? Didn't you cheat on her and have a son with Martina? Don't push all the blame on me, and use your brain! You kept speaking up for her, but did you even think where all the money she gave you came from? She was just a fresh graduate then, but she had that huge sum of money and supported you from studying," Karina scolded.

"I... I don't know. All I know was she worked part-time jobs and gave me money." Mark scratched his cheek and tried to think.

Karina raised her brow at him and scoffed. "Even if she worked multiple part-time jobs, do you think she could earn that much?"

Mark frowned and asked, "Mom, what are you-"

"I don't think she got her money in a good way. We both know she had been socializing outside and often returns drunk." Karina paused for a moment, then sneered. "Didn't she just get arrested for prostituting herself last night? Do you honestly think she'd go to a bar to order a few drinks? Think about it, son. Who knows what kind of talent she had to earn millions-"

As Karina continued to prattle on, Mark's expression turned ashen, and he immediately interrupted his mother. "Don't say that to her! I know she's not that kind of person!"

He knew her very well and could say that Tessa wouldn't do such a thing. He wouldn't believe it, no matter what.

"Regardless of what you think, Tessa is such a woman in our eyes!" Karina glared at her son. Of course, Mark wouldn't think that way because his thoughts blinded him. But she was different. She had weathered many storms and experienced many things, so her thoughts weren't as shallow as her son's.

"Pay attention to your image since you are taking a civil service exam next month. Being around that girl won't do you any good," she added.

Mark's expression turned sour as soon as he heard her mention the exam. He clicked his tongue and said, "Mom, I don't want to take the civil service exam. We're already in a good situation, so why are you insisting on making me take that test? Besides, even if Tessa didn't break up with me, she wouldn't stop me from taking that examination. She would've supported me."

It had always been like that, so he had gotten used to it. Hence, when all the secrets he hid from Tessa came to light, he felt guilty and ashamed to face her. After all, his mother treated Tessa coldly and always scolded her. Then he cheated on her.

She almost gave him everything because her world revolved around him. But now that they had broken up, she had nothing, and he was uncertain if she would live on the streets after a few days. In addition, she also had to support her grandmother and a sick uncle in Lockwood City, almost three hundred kilometers away from Bay City.

"Support? That's useless! She's just a burden to you! Have you forgotten what happened before? Once you became a civil servant and married her, what do you think people would say to you? Do you want them to point fingers at you and say your father-in-law is a corrupt official who committed suicide because he was afraid of punishment? They would say you're just like him! Like what I've said, it won't do you any good and would instead drag you down."

"Forget about her and focus on preparing for the exam. We might have gotten that through connections, but don't mess this up, even if it's just for formality."

Karina had planned everything for Mark's future, and she wouldn't let someone like Tessa ruin it.

In truth, Tessa was indeed good to them, but the thing was, her background would become a blemish to their family. It would ruin their credibility, and Karina didn't want people gossiping about her family because of Tessa.

Mark fell silent and just averted his eyes.

The cool, early spring breeze gusted, making Tessa and Sara shiver. They were sitting by a lake in the park, holding a can of beer.

Tessa gulped down her beer and threw the empty can aside. She lost count of how much beer she had drunk, but it still couldn't fill the emptiness inside her heart.

"That asshole would surely regret hurting you like that! He's blind for not seeing how precious you are!" Sara looked at Tessa and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. You're still young, so you'll meet someone who genuinely loves you. That bastard will be green with envy once that time comes!"

Tessa nodded at Sara's comforting words but wasn't sure about the future. Even if she told herself those exact words, she still couldn't get over the fact she got cheated on by the man she had loved for eight years. What Mark had done to her left a scar in her heart and cast a psychological shadow on her mind.

Tessa took a deep breath and opened a new can of beer.

"Cheers!" She raised.

Sara clinked her beer with hers and gulped it down.

With a downcast mood, Tessa stared blankly at the lake and coldly laughed at herself as she realized how foolish she was. She thought that once she got drunk, she would somehow forget the pain, but it only increased as time passed. It was as if a void took form within her.

She closed her eyes and screamed, hoping the pain would all disappear.

"Ahhhh!"

Sara looked at her and screamed as well.

"Bastard, Mark! I hope you get retribution for what you did!" Sara shouted.

Tessa suddenly laughed after hearing her words. Her friend appeared more hurt than she was.

"See? You laughed. If cussing him could vent your anger, don't think twice and do it! He doesn't deserve you, so don't be soft-hearted, okay?"

Tessa nodded and shouted at the top of her lungs. After doing it several times, the burden inside her heart lightened. She leaned her head on Sara's shoulder and sighed. The latter hugged her and stroked her back.

Sara knew Tessa would soon recover from this heartbreak because that had always been the case. Unlike her, Tessa was much calmer because she wasn't the type of woman who would weep over a broken heart as if the world had collapsed.

However, Sara knew that it would be difficult to forget the past. She was even shocked when she learned of Mark's cheating. After all, she was witness to how they fell in love. Tessa and Mark were like a pair of lovebirds that couldn't be separated, so it never crossed her mind they would break up in the ugliest way.

"Tessa, you're a strong girl. You'll get through this," Sara warmly said.

Tears pooled in Tessa's eyes. The truth was, she wasn't strong. She just didn't know how to express how hurt she was. Even though the heaviness in her heart lightened by drinking and shouting, the pain wouldn't disappear immediately.

She sighed and continued to drown her sorrows in the malty liquids. Sara silently accompanied her friend until her world spun. She thought she could hold her drink, but she overestimated herself.

"Hey, you're already drunk. Let's go home." Tessa blinked and hiccuped. She stood up and tugged Sara's sleeve.

"I'm not drunk." Sara laughed and stood up. Tessa put Sara's arm over her shoulder and supported her. She wasn't as drunk as Sara because she could hold her liquor.

Just then, Sara suddenly broke free and danced, singing in high spirits even though she was staggering. "Baby, you go ahead boldly!" Albeit she was off-key, she kept singing loudly, attracting the passerby's eyes.

Tessa immediately sobered up when she saw Sara almost fall. She rushed and tried to pull her up, but Sara dodged her hand and hopped happily.

Tessa felt her temples throb in frustration. She followed Sara but let her do as she pleased this time. However, she regretted her decision the next second when Sara bumped into someone and stumbled.

She quickly ran to her and pulled her up while profusely apologizing.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

When she raised her head and looked at the man Sara had bumped into, her eyes widened upon seeing a familiar handsome man in front of her. The dim light from the yellow lamp on the street illuminated his cold and devilishly handsome face. He was emanating a noble and dignified air.

She never thought they'd run into each other in her drunken stupor twice. Recalling what she had done last night suddenly flushed out all the alcohol in her system. It was the most embarrassing thing she had ever done in her life.

She tucked the stray hair behind her ear, averting her eyes, and said softly, "I'm sorry..."

Tessa's breath reeked of alcohol when she spoke, which made him frown in disgust. Phil pursed his lips and turned sideways, ignoring Tessa.

He had just finished dinner with his business partner and drank wine, so he waited for the driver to pick him up. Running into her again was a surprise he didn't want. Despite that, his expression remained impassive.

"Baby, you go boldly, go ahead, don't look back..." Sara sang loudly, not caring whether she was out of tune. Her body swayed as she pointed her finger at Tessa. "Tessa, why aren't you singing? Come on. Sing with me-"

Sara's drunken antics only doubled Tessa's embarrassment. She hushed her friend and hurriedly said, "Sir, I'm sorry about what I did last night."

As if he didn't hear her, Phil said nothing and walked away when a black Range Rover pulled up in front of him.

Speechless, Tessa gawked at him as he boarded the car. She thought he would at least say something, but he just left!

Perhaps he already forgot what happened last night because she was just a stranger in his eyes. If that was the case, it couldn't be any better.

Taking a deep breath, she helped Sara stand up, and they went home.

At the same time, inside the Range Rover, the driver, Edward, looked at Phil and asked, "President Scott, are you going home?"

Phil nodded slightly, but his eyes were fixated on Tessa's receding figure. A few minutes later, he rolled up the window, leaned back, and closed his eyes.