“My child! My baby, what happened?”

“Honey, she pushed me and the kids down the stairs!”

“Our daughter’s head—she’s bleeding... she’s barely breathing... ahhh!”

Louise rushed over, panic flashing in his eyes as he bent to check the children.

“Quick! Call a doctor!”

Then he turned on me, his hand striking across my face with all his strength.

The sharp crack echoed and my cheek burned, swelling instantly.

“You’d better pray my daughter is safe,” he snarled, eyes blazing. “Or I’ll make you pay with your life.”

The way he looked at me—like a predator about to devour its prey—froze my blood. This version of Louise felt utterly unfamiliar. Terrifying.

I stood in shock, unable to comprehend how things had spiraled this far.

“No... it wasn’t me...” My voice shook.

I had only taken the jade pendant. I hadn’t laid a single finger on her. Unless—unless Karen had done it deliberately. She had taken the child with her as she fell down the stairs, just to frame me.

If that were true, I was as good as dead.

The doctor arrived swiftly and began resuscitating the children.

“Mr. Darren,” he reported solemnly, “the boy has been revived. His life is no longer in danger, but he’s unconscious and must be rushed to the hospital immediately.”

“As for the girl... her injuries were too severe. She’s passed away.”

The words hit like a thunderclap.

“No!” Karen collapsed over her daughter’s body, howling in grief until she nearly fainted.

I stood rooted to the spot, my mind reeling.

How could this be? Had Karen truly sacrificed her own child—Louise’s biological daughter—just to trap me?

The price was too high. Unthinkable.

Before I could process it, she lunged at me, her nails digging into my throat.

“It was you! You venomous witch!” she shrieked. “Impersonating me wasn’t enough—you had to kill my daughter too!”

“Everyone, look at this vicious woman! Give me and my child justice!”

The crowd erupted in fury.

“Murderer! Heartless snake!”

“She wouldn’t even spare a newborn—may she rot in hell!”

“Film her! Expose her! Let the world see her true face!”

Phones were raised, flashlights glaring as they recorded me like a criminal.

“It wasn’t me,” I cried, desperate. “She fell on her own! I didn’t push her!”

But no one listened. They only believed what they wanted.

Then—splat.

A cake smashed against my forehead, sticky cream dripping down my face.

Pop—Champagne sprayed, soaking me from head to toe.

The hall filled with twisted laughter.

“Teach her a lesson!”

“Shameless vixen!”

My brother tried to push through to protect me, but the mob blocked his way.

I couldn’t let him get dragged into this. He had greater responsibilities than to be trapped here with me. Catching his eye, I gave him a look. He froze, then nodded grimly, slipping away with a heavy heart.

Meanwhile, I remained trapped in the center. Cake and cream plastered my hair to my face, my clothes drenched, clinging cold against my skin.

Flashbulbs went off endlessly, capturing me as if I weren’t a human being, but a monster on public trial.

In that moment, I became the rat everyone wanted to beat.

Louise shoved through the crowd and stopped in front of me.

Clinging to a sliver of hope, I whispered, “If I say I didn’t push her—that she rolled down herself—would you believe me?”

He didn’t answer. His boot crashed into my side instead.

I hit the ground hard, agony shooting through my abdomen as I spat blood.

“I really didn’t push her...” I forced the words out, teeth clenched.

For a flicker of a moment, doubt crossed his face. But rage swallowed it whole.

“My daughter died because of you. And you still dare to lie?”

He turned to the guards. “Drag her away. Make her kneel outside!”

Then, without another glance, he rushed off with Karen—who clung to her son, wailing dramatically for the cameras—as they headed for the hospital.

Before leaving, Karen jabbed her finger at me, eyes wild.

“I’ll never let you go! I’ll make you pay with your blood!”

A bitter laugh slipped from my lips.

“You know exactly how the child died.”

“The humiliation I suffer today—I’ll return to you a thousandfold.”

After Louise and Karen left, the furious guests dispersed one by one. The security guards stopped watching me closely as I knelt in punishment.

I rubbed my numb knees, then slipped inside to retrieve my phone.

Jimmy had already uncovered surveillance footage proving I hadn’t pushed Karen, along with evidence confirming I was the real Naomi. He sent both to my phone, assuring me he had also arranged everything for my departure.

With his message in hand, I wasted no time. That very night, I met with the shareholders of Scott Group.

I presented them with the proof of my true identity and undeniable evidence of Louise’s infidelity.

After hours of negotiation, I reclaimed my shares and regained control of Scott Group.

Once the company’s affairs were secured, I reached out to major media outlets, instructing them to prepare for the truth to be revealed.

By the time everything was settled and I returned home, it was nearly noon the next day.

Louise and Karen had just come back with their son, a mountain of luggage trailing behind them.

The moment Louise saw me, his face darkened.

“Karen and the child are injured. To make it easier to care for them, I’ve decided they’ll move in. Your objections are useless.”

Karen nestled into his arms, her smugness unbearable.

“Honey, why argue with her? I’m the only lady of the house now.”

She strolled around the living room, pausing in front of a vase—the one Louise had bought for thirty million yuan on our second wedding anniversary, his gift to me. My most cherished possession.

“This vase is ugly. I don’t want to see it. You—throw it out.”

Louise stayed silent, tacitly indulging her cruelty.

I walked over, picked up the vase and smashed it to the floor with a resounding crack.

It shattered into glittering shards.

“Satisfied?”

Whether it was Karen moving in or being forced to destroy what I loved most, I showed no anger. My face remained impassive.

Without another word, I turned and went to the bedroom, calmly packing my belongings into a suitcase.

Seeing me so obedient—so quiet, even making space for Karen without protest—Louise felt uneasy, though he couldn’t pinpoint why.

He glanced at the suitcase.

“Why pack it up? You could just move your things to the guest room.”

“It’s more convenient this way.”

More convenient to leave.

But I didn’t voice that part.

Instead, I pulled out a stack of documents and handed them to him.

“These are from the company assistant. They need your signature.”

Just as he picked up a pen, Karen’s syrupy voice called from the bedroom.

“Honey, I’m about to shower, but I can’t find the body wash. Could you come help me?”

Her tone dripped with innuendo. Restlessness flashed in his eyes.

Without even glancing at the papers, he scrawled his signature and turned eagerly toward the bedroom.

“Wait.”

I called him back.

Instead of irritation, he actually looked pleased—smug, as if convinced I still cared and couldn’t let him go.

He raised an eyebrow.

“She’s new here and doesn’t know where things are. I’ll go check. Be magnanimous—after all, you’re her older sister.”

I let out a low laugh, then dropped the subject.

“Louise, I prepared three gifts for you. I hope you’ll like them.”

His anxious heart finally settled. Even after everything, he thought, I was still willing to prepare gifts for him—proof I must be madly in love.

He smiled warmly.

“Thanks, honey. Don’t worry, once Karen recovers in a few days, I’ll spend more time with you.”

With that, he disappeared into the bedroom. Within minutes, the sounds of their shameless flirting spilled into the hall.

I calmly picked up the stack of documents and set one aside on the table. Hidden among them was a divorce agreement.

Looking at the papers bearing Louise’s careless signature, I finally allowed myself to smile.

I left the signed divorce agreement behind, along with the vow he made on our wedding night promising eternal love.

Then I picked up my suitcase and walked out—without looking back.

Three years. A marriage buried in lies and false affection was finally over.

I was free.

From this day forward, Louise and I had nothing more to do with each other.

The moment I boarded the plane, my heart felt lighter than it ever had. I was gone—never to return.

But the reckoning? That had only just begun.

The pain they inflicted upon me—I would make them pay double.