When Dana woke up in the hospital, she found Gary sitting by her bed.

There was a hint of worry in his eyes, but it was quickly swallowed by anger as he frowned deeply. "You're finally awake! Do you know you almost died? If Sandy hadn't called the ambulance in time, you would be gone..."

Dana opened her mouth, and her voice was painfully hoarse. "It was Kelly. She pushed me in."

"You're still trying to pin it on her?" Gary's face darkened at once.

"She really pushed me..." Dana tried to sit up, wanting to tell the truth.

"Shut up!" Gary leaned forward, the fury in his eyes almost spilling over.

"They already told me everything. You tried to hurt Kelly, and Sandy stopped you. In the end, it was Sandy who called for help, and that is the only reason you were saved."

"You can check the cameras..."

"Check the cameras?" Gary cut her off, his tone full of disappointment and anger. "I watched Kelly growing up. Do you think I don't know what she's like? Sandy is gentle and kind! You're the one who has always held a grudge against Kelly, and now you actually tried to hurt her! Dana, when did you become so petty and cruel?"

Every word he hurled at her was like a cold blade driving deep into her heart.

She stared at the man who had once promised to protect her for a lifetime. Now, he was using the harshest words to condemn her, refusing to listen to a single explanation and unwilling to offer even the smallest bit of trust.

Dana closed her eyes and pressed the call button by the bed. "I want to call the police."

"Are you out of your mind?! Do you need the police over something like this?" Before the nurse could come in, Gary stepped out first and said, "She just woke up. Her emotions are unstable, and she hit the button by mistake."

When he came back into the ward, his face was cold. "If you don't want to rest here, then we'll go home."

He did not give her a choice and forced Dana to go back to the villa.

The villa was very quiet that night.

As soon as Kelly saw Dana, she hid behind Sandy, her voice shaking. "Gary! She tried to hurt me! She wanted to push me into the river!"

Gary soothed her gently. "It's alright. I'll keep an eye on her, and I won't let her get near you again."

He reached for Dana, intending to take her upstairs to the guest room, but Kelly clung to his sleeve and would not let go. "No! She'll sneak out in the middle of the night and hurt me!"

Sandy stood to the side, looking troubled.

"Gary, Kelly is already emotionally unstable. If she gets frightened again..."

Gary was silent for a moment, then said, "Lock her in the basement."

"You have no right to lock me up!" Dana screamed as she was dragged down into the damp, cold basement.

In the darkness, she leaned against the wall for a long time as she calmed herself down. Then, she suddenly remembered the house staff mentioning that the outdoor well's pipe was connected to the basement.

Feeling her way along the wall in the dark, Dana finally found the pipe and climbed up through it.

She went back to her room and used her spare phone to dial 911, her hands shaking.

The police arrived soon.

Gary looked helpless. "Officers, I'm really sorry. My wife hasn't been feeling well mentally. That's why she made the call."

Dana grabbed one officer's arm in a panic. "I'm not sick! He locked me in the basement..."

She was cut off by Gary before she could finish. His tone was full of concern. "Something happened at home recently, and she keeps imagining that I wanted to hurt her. I was just about to take her to a psychiatrist."

When the police saw that it was a family dispute and Gary sounded sincere, they had no choice but to advise them to communicate properly before leaving, as they had no evidence either.

The moment they were gone, Gary's anger exploded. "Dana, are you done causing more problems now?!"

Kelly cried out, her eyes red, "Gary! She'll definitely sneak out and hurt me! She even called the police! Who knows what else she will do?!"

Sandy sounded worried as she said, "Gary, she knows this villa too well. As long as she still has any strength left, she'll get out sooner or later. When that happens, Kelly is..."

"I did not!" Dana cut them off, her voice shaking but stubborn. "I never wanted to hurt Kelly! The two of them are in this together! They are framing me on purpose!"

Gary looked at how unapologetic Dana was and shouted at the house staff, "Drag her back to the basement!"

There was already a wooden barrel about half as tall as a person prepared in the basement, and it was packed full of water and ice. The freezing water rose to Dana's chest in an instant as she was thrown inside, the cold making her whole body shiver.

There was a hint of hesitation in Gary's mind, and he was just about to say something when Sandy stepped to his side. "Gary, Kelly just had a nightmare. She was crying that Dana was going to hurt her..."

Gary swallowed hard and said coldly to the staff, "Begin!"

"Say it! Did you try to push Ms. Miller into the river?!"

Dana shook from head to toe, but she still shook her head. The house staff grabbed her by the back of her neck and pushed her in. The freezing water immediately flooded over her mouth and nose as panic crushed her chest. She thrashed blindly until her vision went dark and her consciousness was starting to fade, and only then did they haul her up.

Dana coughed wildly as she collapsed against the rim of the barrel, gasping for air with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Gary's nails dug deep into his palm, and he could not stop himself from saying, "That's enough..."

"Gary..." Sandy's voice was tight with anxious concern. "If Kelly isn't satisfied with this, her depression will only get worse. What if she does something stupid later?"

Gary closed his eyes and turned away, refusing to look at Dana again.

With his silent consent, the house staff grabbed her and forced her under the water once more.

Her hair clung to her pale face. Her limbs were so weak she could barely struggle, and she could only shiver.

"Will you admit it?"

The house staff's voice kept echoing beside her ear, testing her endurance again and again.

After several rounds, Dana finally broke, and she used the last of her strength to shout,

"I admit it..."

Only then did Gary turn around, his eyes red. "If you had admitted it earlier, you wouldn't have had to suffer."

He stepped forward and reached out, wanting to lift her out of the barrel.

Dana flinched away like a frightened cat, jerking out of his reach.

Gary's hand froze in midair. His face then hardened and turned cold. "Get her out of there. Lock her up down here for the night so she remembers tonight."

Then, he turned and walked away.

He never saw the look Sandy gave the house staff.

Early the next morning, when the house staff escorted Dana out of the basement, her arms and legs were so weak that she was practically limping. Her skin had been soaked in cold water for so long that the slightest touch made her whole body tremble with pain.

After they got her back to the guest room, she swallowed the fever medicine the servant handed her and sank into a groggy sleep almost immediately.

Only when a hand gently shook her shoulder did she wake up, startled, and she saw Gary standing by the bed. His gaze fell on her bare forearm, where the skin was still wrinkled from being soaked too long. He frowned tightly, and his voice held a hint of confusion. "You were in the water for less than ten minutes yesterday, so how did you end up like this?"

Dana pulled her arm back under the blanket and turned her eyes away. Gary reached out wanting to feel her forehead.

However, Sandy's voice came from outside the doorway. "Gary, the dresses for tomorrow just arrived. Shall we go downstairs together and pick one?"

Gary's hand stopped in midair as he hurried to explain to Dana, his tone meant to soothe her. "The wedding for Sandy and me tomorrow is just for show. We're just doing this for Kelly."

Before he could finish, Sandy opened the door and entered. "Dana, you have been married before. Why don't you come downstairs and give some advice?"

Gary frowned and glanced at Dana's pale face. "She doesn't look well. Forget it."

"That's exactly why she should come down and get some fresh air," Sandy said as she hooked her arm through his, her voice soft. "I'm a little nervous, and I want to get some tips from Dana. If something goes wrong tomorrow, Kelly will worry again, right?"

Gary hesitated before saying, "Then… You should go take a look. Just sit for a moment."

Dana remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

When she reached the living room, most of the dresses had already been tried on. Sandy was standing there trying on some necklaces.

She tried several, but she didn't like any of the ones that she tried.

Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, and her tone became sweet. "Right, Dana, I remember when you and Gary got married, you wore a pearl necklace. It looked beautiful. Why don't you bring it down and let me try it?"

"No." Dana snapped her head up, her eyes full of wariness.

Sandy turned to Gary with a gentle smile. "Gary, I just want to try it."

Gary said quietly, "Let her try it. It's only a necklace."

"Gary, you know exactly what that necklace means to me." Dana's body trembled from how upset she was.

Even so, he still told the house staff, "Go get the pearl necklace."

"Gary!" Dana tried to stop the house staff, but the fever had left her with no strength. "You can't do this!"

Gary's voice carried a hint of impatience. "Enough with the drama. It's just a necklace. I'll buy you a better one."

The house staff soon came back with it. Sandy put it on and smiled at herself in the mirror. "It looks amazing. It has more class than anything they have in the shops."

Dana did not say anything. She simply stared at the necklace without blinking.

Seeing that, Sandy let out a little sigh that sounded almost regretful. "I know it matters to you. I won't take what belongs to you."

She took the necklace off and reached out as if to hand it back, but before Dana could touch it, the necklace slipped from Sandy's fingers. It hit the floor with a sharp crack, and the pearls scattered everywhere.

Dana rushed over like a person gone mad and grabbed Sandy's arm. "You did that on purpose!"

Sandy let herself fall, tears spilling at once. "You were the one who didn't catch it! How can you blame me?"

Gary hurried over and helped Sandy up. "Enough! She was handing it to you. You're the one who dropped it."

Dana stared at him with red eyes, and in a hoarse voice, she said, "That's the only thing my parents left me!"

Gary froze for a moment, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. Sandy suddenly slipped into his arms, crying, "Gary, my foot hurts so much…!"

Gary immediately picked her up, his tone cold. "Stop making a scene! I know you just don't want us to have this wedding, but nothing will change tomorrow."

He then carried Sandy away.

Dana crouched on the floor, crying as she picked up the scattered pearls one by one. She finally understood that love was like a broken necklace.

It could never be put back together once broken.

Only when the living room lights came on did Dana finish gathering every pearl.

She held on to the couch and pushed herself up, then dragged herself up the stairs. Just as she reached the end of the stairs, faint sounds drifted from the master bedroom.

A woman's soft moans, tangled with a man's rough panting, struck right into Dana's heart. All the blood in her body seemed to freeze as her fingertips turned cold, and she leaned against the wall.

"Gary, be gentle..."

"Keep your voice down."

"We're getting married tomorrow, anyway. What's there to be afraid of?"

In the sharp rhythm of bodies clashing against the bed, Sandy asked in a hoarse voice, "When are we going to the Clerk's Office to get our marriage certificate?"

"In a few days."

The pain in Dana's chest and stomach was twisting and turning, making her almost want to puke.

He had said the wedding was just for show, yet he had already slept with Sandy.

He had promised she would be the only woman in his life, but that promise had become a lie.

Dana clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, and she walked back to the guest room one slow step at a time.

The moment she closed the door, her tears were finally free to roll down.

But the sounds from the master bedroom felt like a demon's murmur. They seeped through the door and went on all night, keeping her staring at the ceiling until morning.

-

Early next morning, noises came from downstairs.

Dana stepped out of her room and saw Gary in a groom's suit, carefully helping Sandy in a white dress down the stairs.

Kelly, dressed in pink as the bridesmaid, bounced around them. "You're finally getting married! Gary, Sandy, I hope you stay happy forever!"

Dana watched them go down the stairs together, the man's gentle gaze, the woman's shy smile, and the young woman's excited expression formed a dazzling picture that shut her completely out.

Tears rolled down without warning and fell on the cold floor without a sound.

Gary suddenly turned around, as if he could feel it, and saw Dana with tears streaming down her face. His eyes narrowed, and a sharp pain flickered in his eyes.

The next second, he suddenly let go of Sandy, ignoring the looks behind him as he ran upstairs and stopped in front of Dana. His voice edged with a trace of panic as he asked her, "Are you going out?"

"To the Clerk's Office." Dana's voice was hoarse.

Gary froze. He clearly did not expect that answer. Then, he frowned. "You're going to the Clerk's Office to apply for remarriage?"

Dana stayed silent, her eyes lowered.

He then said in a casual tone, "Submit the documents first for today. When I get back, we'll go pick up the certificate."

Dana nodded.

Gary let out a breath and even showed a rare smile. When he turned to go back to Sandy, he could not help looking at Dana one more time.

The warmth in his eyes felt especially mocking to her.

He swept Sandy up into his arms and carried her toward the bridal car at the entrance.

Sandy lifted her head as she lay resting in Gary's arms. She then glanced at Dana on purpose and smiled in open triumph.

Dana stood where she was and watched them disappear. Then, she wiped the tears from her face and headed for the Clerk's Office.

She quickly received the reissued divorce certificate, the red seal on it looking especially bright.

Her fingertips brushed over her own name. Instead of the pain she had imagined, she felt a sense of freedom.

She slipped the divorce certificate into her purse and went straight to the airport.

As the plane lifted off, the city below grew smaller and smaller.

In her mind, Dana whispered, "Gary, we'll never meet ever again."