In the days that followed,not seeing Xavier brought a certain peace,but on the third night he returned—and Vanessa was trailing behind him.

“Several murders have happened recently near where Vanessa lives.I didn’t feel safe,so I brought her home to stay for a while.Once the police catch the killer I’ll take her back,”Xavier said calmly,as if he were merely informing me.

The marriage was already over;this wasn’t my home anymore.I didn’t have the energy to argue.“Suit yourself,”I said.

Xavier didn’t expect me to let it go so easily.Seeing the calm on my face,he frowned and was about to say more when Vanessa spoke up.

“Mia,I just got off a late shift and haven’t had dinner yet.Could you help me with it?”Vanessa smiled,but there was a look of provocation in her eyes.“Xavier says your cooking is great;I’ve never tried it.”

“Call a servant,”I replied.

She turned to leave,but Vanessa let out a petulant hum.Xavier reached out to stop her.“Mia!”

He didn’t say anything further,but the meaning was clear.

The divorce agreement would soon take effect;I didn’t want to start a scene now.I forced a smile and trudged toward the kitchen.

The soup boiled in the pot;I mechanically ladled it into bowls and set them on the table.

“Is this all we’re eating?It looks horrible,”Vanessa said,covering her nose as she stood by the table.

I had no patience left.“You don’t have to eat it,”I shot back.

At that,I saw a calculating glint cross Vanessa’s eyes.In the next instant she grabbed my wrist and shoved it into the scalding soup.

“Ah—”

A searing burn shot from my palm through my whole body and I jerked my hand back reflexively,but Vanessa held it down.In the struggle,a ceramic bowl toppled and shattered on the floor,hot soup splattering everywhere.

I yanked my hand free,but blisters were already rising and my skin reddening.

“What’s going on?”Xavier shouted as he rushed in.

Vanessa,eyes rimmed red,lifted her hand to show soup stains on her forearm.“Xavier,Mia wouldn’t make me food and,in a fit,poured the soup on me.My hand hurts….”

Xavier’s face went pale.He grabbed my wrist.

“Mia!Are you serious?Apologize to Vanessa right now!”

White with pain,I bit my lip and tore my hand from his grip,holding up the burned,blistered palm.“You want me to apologize?Look closely—who deliberately threw the soup,who put their hand on whom?”

He froze.

He turned and gave Vanessa a suspicious look.

Vanessa went pale.

Suddenly she clutched her stomach and wailed,“Ah,my stomach—it hurts so much,Xavier.There’s chicken in the food;I’m allergic to beef!”

“I just asked a question and Mia got angry and dumped the soup on me.If you don’t believe me,check the security footage—I never lie.”

“Ah,my stomach,it hurts…”she sobbed.

Suspicion in Xavier’s eyes was replaced by anger.He looked at me coldly.

Vanessa’s beef allergy—he had told me about it!

“I didn’t do it!Whoever’s lying will be caught on the footage!”I snapped.

Xavier’s temper flared.He scooped Vanessa up and barked an order.“That’s enough,Mia!”

He called the housekeeper.“Lock her in the basement.Do not let her out without my permission!”

The basement—Xavier’s pet room,a dark,windowless damp chamber where he kept hundreds of snakes—sent a shiver through me.I recoiled instinctively.

“I won’t go…!”

“Let go of me!”

I struggled with all my strength,but Xavier didn’t look back;I was thrown into that basement.

They slammed the door and the stifling heat rushed at me.The quiet room occasionally hissed;goosebumps covered my skin.Something strange brushed my feet and began to crawl up me with soft,whispering movements.

“Ah—”I screamed,flinching and trying to fling off the things crawling on me.

“Open the door!Let me out!”

“Open up!”

I pounded the door until my hands ached,but no one answered.The heat brought a rash that itched and burned;I grew dizzy and thrashed through the night until I had no strength left to call out.

I curled up in a corner,panting,my eyes filled with despair.

I don't know how long it took,but just before I lost consciousness,the door opened.

Xavier stood in the doorway,his backlit,silent for a long time.

Thinking I could finally leave,I forced myself to stand,holding onto the wall,and took a stumbling step.

"Hold her down,"Xavier's voice sullenly rang out.

Before I could react,my arms were pinned down by the bodyguards.Then,my jaw was forcibly pried open,and a cup of unknown substance was poured into my mouth.

"Cough,cough,cough!"I choked,my head swollen."What did you give me?"

Before I could answer,my body gave the answer.

A rash quickly broke out on my skin,and the intense feeling of suffocation made me feel like I was dying.

I had an allergy.

"Because you deliberately gave Vanessa the allergen,she's still in the hospital having her stomach pumped!Today,I'll make you feel her pain,so she'll learn a lesson."

Xavier's eyes were cold.Even as I writhed in agony,not a trace of heartache lingered in them.

I clutched my stomach,the intense discomfort making it extremely difficult to breathe."I said I didn't..."

No one would listen to my explanation.

Xavier stood before me,watching me writhe,wailing,and finally,losing consciousness...

At that moment,I truly gave up!

Xavier,you will pay for everything you've done to me for Vanessa!

When I opened my eyes again, I was already in the hospital.

The doctor looked at her with regret and said, "Madam, you haven't eaten in days. You had a miscarriage, and you were bitten by a venomous snake. You may never get pregnant again. I'm so sorry."

I instinctively touched my belly. This was where Xavier and I had our child, but he died on our third wedding anniversary. Now, I might never even have the chance to have another child, and all because of Xavier.

Tears streamed silently down my cheeks.

"Madam, your body needs time to recover. Where's your husband? He should be here taking care of you."

I calmed myself down and shook my head. "I don't have a husband." Then she asked, "Doctor, how long can I stay in the hospital? I want to leave."

I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Three days."

I nodded. Three days—just enough time for my father to come pick me up. That's enough.

As I spoke, the door to the ward suddenly opened. Xavier walked in. "Leaving? Where are you going?"

Xavier frowned at the woman before him, sensing something amiss, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

Vanessa interjected sarcastically, "Ivy, you weren't treated with favoritism growing up. How did you become so weak?"

Xavier looked at me, pale and frail. His anger from the past few days seemed to dissipate, and his tone softened.

"When did you become so stubborn? Admitting your mistakes won't kill you."

There was a hint of reproach in his voice.

I just stared at him silently, a sneer welling up in my heart.

"I won't admit to something I didn't do."

For some reason, hearing her words, Xavier felt a flicker of guilt.

Perhaps realizing he'd gone too far, he started going to the hospital every day.

The day I was discharged, I spent the entire morning texting my dad.

Xavier remembered that I wasn't someone who was obsessed with my phone—but lately, I've been using it constantly. "Mia, who are you texting?"

He reached for my phone, but I quickly snatched it back. "Do you really need to see private messages between girls?"

Xavier retracted his hand at my words. "Stop using your phone. We'll be home soon."

"Yeah."

He'd been nice to me these past few days, but I knew it was just out of guilt.

After dropping me off, Xavier left.

I went into the study, opened the safe, and placed the hospital's miscarriage report inside.

Then I took out my notebook and added a final note.

[My baby is gone.]

[Because of your snake, I'll never get pregnant again.]

[Finally, happy divorce!]

I wrote the last sentence and closed the notebook.

A divorce agreement, a miscarriage record.

This was my final "surprise" for Xavier.

After packing everything, I picked up my suitcase, placed the villa's key on the dining table, and deleted my fingerprint from the smart lock.

Every trace of my presence in the villa—completely erased.