On the way back, I sat in the backseat, staring out the window. At an intersection, the car suddenly jerked violently.

At that moment, I saw Michael pull the steering wheel and protect Olivia with his body.

The accident happened suddenly. When I regained consciousness, my legs were numb and I was trapped in the narrow space.

Screams and cries for help mixed with the sounds of ambulances and police sirens.

Half-conscious after being rescued, I heard Michael shout at the medical staff, “Hurry and save Olivia first! Can’t you see her arm’s all scraped?”

The medic hesitated. “But the woman in the backseat is more severely injured. Without quick treatment, she could become paralyzed.”

Michael’s eyes were reddened with anger “I’m her husband. I order you not to treat her. Save Olivia first!”

“As long as Olivia is in critical condition, she can’t get treatment.”

My heart ached so much it felt hard to breathe. Silent tears ran down my face, erasing my last feelings for Michael.

When I opened my eyes again, Michael was sitting beside my bed.

His voice trembled when he saw me awake, “Nichole, I almost lost you again.”

“The doctors said your injuries were serious. You were almost paralyzed, so I immediately called and gathered the best doctors to treat you.”

“How do you feel? Is there any pain?”

As I opened my mouth to speak, my throat burned fiercely, as if torn apart.

Michael picked up a glass of water beside him and handed it to me. “Drink some water first to ease your throat. Don’t rush.”

After drinking the water, I felt much better.

Michael handed me some apple slices. “I prepared this for you earlier, but my skills aren’t great, so the pieces are a bit weird.”

I stayed silent. My eyes kept seeing Michael, badly injured. He demanded that the doctors save Olivia rather than himself, who only had minor wounds.

Michael seemed about to say more when the phone suddenly rang.

From the corner of my eye, I saw his contact’s name was “Via”. In less than a second, I knew it was Olivia.

As I expected, after the call, Michael looked sorry for me. “Nichole, I can’t stay with you. There’s a new project that needs my attention. Rest well and recover. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”

Then he walked away without hesitation. Shortly after he left, a friend request popped up on my phone. It was from Olivia.

After I accepted, she sent a message and a photo. The photo of a carved rabbit-shaped apple.

[A useless woman like you only deserves what I threw away.]

I gripped my phone tightly, seeing the plate of uneven apple pieces. Then a cold laugh escaped me. So, she’d only given me her leftovers.

Ignoring Olivia’s message, I tapped lightly to open another app. There was a message from Karina.

[What’s going on? Are you okay?]

[I’ve cancelled it for you, but it’ll take seven days to finish.]

[Come to the airport. I’ll send someone to pick you up.]

After replying with a simple “Got it,” I called Mr. Orseolo from the Barkworth Law Firm.

He answered quickly. I then said, “Uncle Peter, prepare a divorce agreement and get Michael to sign it without him finding out.”

Remembering the anger in Michael’s eyes when I mentioned divorce, my heart tightened in pain.

Uncle Peter nodded. “Yes, Miss Barkworth. I’ll take care of it right now.”

Soon after the call, I saw Michael rushing past my hospital room door. Thirty minutes later, Uncle Peter sent me a photo of the contract signed by Michael.

I suddenly noticed Uncle Peter had added a note to the contract: Michael would leave with nothing.

Before I could ask, he called and explained the situation to me, “Since Michael joined the company, he’s been endlessly spoiling Olivia. I had someone to investigate them privately. They have been secretly together for a long time.”

“So, I drafted this document myself. I hope you won’t blame me, Miss. I just couldn’t stand seeing Mr. Barkworth’s legacy destroyed by such a beast.”

The tears filled my eyes. “Uncle Peter, you did the right thing.”

After the call, I got up and went to the restroom. As I entered with my crutch, someone suddenly shoved me from behind.

I fell hard to the floor, my leg aching in sharp pain.

Olivia’s crazed, mocking voice rang behind me, “Look at you now, so pathetic. The proud Barkworth daughter has become nothing more than my footstool.”

Lying on the floor, I quickly turned on my phone’s voice recorder.

My leg ached as I weakly asked, “Why are you doing this to me? I don’t remember ever have a problem with you.”

Olivia glared at me with disgust. “Hmph! I’m Michael’s real wife, but you, the shameless mistress, got in the way. Without you, I’d have been Mrs. Cordero long ago.”

“You really think Michael loves you? Ha! Don’t get any ideas. Without your money, he wouldn’t even look at you.”

“So, you and Michael have a plan to steal my father’s company?” I asked through gritted teeth.

Olivia’s eyes burned with hatred. “You could’ve avoided this pain. It’s your fault for not dying in that kidnapping.”

“Aren’t you afraid of the law?” I shot back.

“Law? Come on. Michael and I were promised to each other as kids, so we’ve been inseparable since childhood and never betray each other.”

“Just arrange a little ‘accident’ for you. Who would ever suspect a ‘loving husband’ such as Michael Cordero is a murderer?”

Olivia’s eyes were full of disdain. When her phone rang, she gave me a disgusted look and answered the speaker.

“Honey, are you finished yet? I’m craving those dumplings on East Street. Pick me up later, okay?”

Michael’s deep voice replied, “Of course, whatever my dear wife wants.”

After the call, Olivia smirked. “Hmph. Only women who aren’t loved end up as mistresses.”

With that, she turned and walked away in her high heels.

I froze when Michael said “wife.” In our two years of marriage, he’d never called me that.

I held my breath. The phone’s ring sounded like a death knell in the silent room.

When I answered that call, an angry voice said, “What’s going on with your Barkworth Family? Mr. Barkworth has been dead in our hospital for almost six months and no one has come to claim him?”

“What do you mean?”

I froze and was shocked. My ears buzzed and my mind went blank.

Snapping back to reality, I hurriedly grabbed the phone to ask for the address. I got up unsteadily, left the hospital in a daze and took a cab to the place.

When I arrived, all I saw was a corpse covered in a white sheet. Grief and anger overwhelmed me and I could barely cry.

My heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand, heavy and suffocating pain. I realized my bank card didn’t have enough money when the medical staff member told me to pay at the front desk.

I stopped for a while, checked in disbelief and saw my balance was zero. I called Michael over ten times, but he didn’t answer. He finally picked up on the thirteenth call.

“Michael…”

I barely said a word before the line was filled with a woman’s moans and a man’s muffled groans.

I stood frozen for three minutes, my mind spinning. When I came back to reality, the call had ended.

Pale and shaken, I called Uncle Peter. After paying, I took my father’s body to the crematorium.

I stepped out and smiled at him. “Uncle Peter, thank you.”

His eyes were full of sorrow. “Sweetie, I’ve seen you grow up. Your parents must be upset in heaven, seeing all the unfairness you’ve faced.”

“Whatever you want to do right now, just do it. I’ll always stand behind your Barkworth family.”

I never expected Uncle Peter to be so loyal to my family, all because of one meal my father gave him years ago.

I didn’t go back to the hospital. I went straight to the home I hadn’t visited in five years.

The first time I entered the code, it displayed an error. I tried again, but it still didn’t work.

After five failed tries, the smart lock automatically triggered an alarm. Michael opened the door shirtless. His eyes looked shocked when he saw me.

“You... why are you back so suddenly?”

I noticed his wet hair and replied bitterly, “This is my home. Why shouldn’t I come back?”

Michael was shocked to hear my words. “Nichole, that’s not what I meant. Shouldn’t you be resting properly in the hospital?”

Holding my father’s urn and leaning on my crutch, I replied, “Do you expect me, injured, to stand and talk all day like this?”

Michael finally led me inside. All the furniture and decorations had been replaced.

Seeing me stare, Michael smiled and explained, “Since your accident, Olivia thought the house had bad energy, so she had me renovate it.”

I frowned. “What about the photos of my parents’?”

Michael was silent for a long moment, unable to answer. Meanwhile, Olivia came downstairs in her silk pajamas.

“They’re in the basement. Dead people’s stuff is just eyesores to keep around.”

I glared at her, gritting my teeth. “Say that again?”

Perhaps fearing I might lash out, Michael stepped in front of Olivia, smiling to smooth things over. “Olivia was just doing what a master of healer advice. Don’t take it too seriously.”

“I just didn’t want your father to see those old things and get nostalgic when he came back, so we put them away.”

I didn’t pay attention and returned to the basement to get my things.

The moment I stepped out of the basement, I ran straight into Olivia, who was holding a bowl of hot soup.

Olivia screamed, “Ah!”

Michael rushed out and kicked me in the chest, sending me crashing to the floor.

The urn in my arms hit the ground, spilling all the ashes. The photo frame in the box also broke.

“Nichole, if anything happens to Olivia, don’t expect your father’s medical costs to be covered!”