"That Juliana... She has no manners at all. She’s really not worthy of Jacob."

"A woman like her will ruin three generations."

"Jealous, paranoid, stirring up chaos at home. I really don’t know how Jacob puts up with her—poor man."

"If she can get violent at her own mother’s funeral, imagine what she’s like on a normal day!"

I couldn’t defend myself. Tears welled in my eyes as I silently tidied up my mother’s memorial table.

At some point, Jacob had come to stand behind me.

"Juli, I spoke too harshly earlier. I came to apologize."

I turned around and stared at him.

His voice was gentle, but his expression was cold—completely devoid of warmth.

Sure enough, he added, "But you went too far with Wendy."

"No matter what, she was a guest."

"Do you know how many rumors are spreading right now? They’re all against you."

"I’ve been trying to explain things for you, but it’s not working. Listen, if you come with me and apologize to Wendy, she’ll clear things up. That way, your reputation won't be ruined."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, and I replied sarcastically, "I won’t apologize. I don’t need that kind of reputation."

Jacob’s patience wore thin. His face darkened as he stepped closer, his voice dropping into a low growl.

"You made a mistake. You should own up to it. Don’t you think you owe Wendy an apology? Juliana, when did you become so shameless?"

I closed my eyes, letting the tears slip down my cheeks.

Jacob had always been gentle to me. He had never spoken to me like this before. But today, he had lashed out at me twice.

Both times—because of Wendy.

I opened my eyes, my vision blurred by tears.

Jacob’s face was hazy, out of focus.

Then again, had I ever truly seen him clearly?

My voice trembled. "Jacob, did you really never find out who blinded my mother?"

He stiffened for a moment before shaking his head firmly. "There were no leads. And now that she’s gone, what’s the point of bringing it up?"

A hollow, bitter smile spread across my lips.

Jacob didn’t care what I was thinking. He grabbed my wrist and dragged me into another room.

"Wendy, Juli is here to apologize," he announced.

I looked around. The guests were all there.

Every pair of eyes watched me with interest.

Jacob leaned in and whispered, "I gathered everyone here to clear your name."

Clear my name? Or force me to bow my head in front of everyone—so I could "compensate" Wendy for her supposed grievances?

Jacob gave me a slight push, forcing me toward her. "Go on. Apologize."

I said nothing.

Wendy, playing the magnanimous victim, smiled gently. "There’s no need for an apology. I understand. Juliana is going through a difficult time."

Someone started clapping. Soon after, the entire room was filled with applause.

Under the cover of the noise, Wendy leaned in and whispered so only I could hear.

"Juliana, do you know why your mother was blinded?"

"Maybe it was because you stole someone else's happiness."

"Do you really think you deserve Jacob?"

A deafening roar filled my head.

Without thinking, I grabbed the nearest object and hurled it at her face.

I couldn’t hear anything.

I couldn’t see anything.

All I could think about was my mother’s muffled sobs in the dead of night—the sound of her pain after she had been hurt.

By the time someone pulled me away, Wendy’s face was already swollen.

Jacob stormed over, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

He slapped me hard—twice.

Then, without a second glance, he carried Wendy away.

The guests shook their heads in disappointment before quietly leaving one by one.

The once-crowded funeral hall was suddenly empty.

I held my mother’s memorial portrait, staring at the vacant space around me.

Maybe this was for the best.

I had been deceived by this fake love for too many years.

My mother’s funeral didn’t need these hypocrites anyway.

The ceremony ended in a rush, and I became the joke of the city.

Someone even leaked the incident online, where it spread like wildfire.

Now, everyone knew Jacob’s wife, Juliana, was an unfilial disgrace. A crazed woman unworthy of respect.

But I didn’t care.

My heart had long since died. Nothing could stir it anymore.

I met with my lawyer, obtained the divorce papers, and asked him to investigate my mother’s injury and her medical records from when she was hospitalized.

As for me, I returned home to pack my things.

Once the divorce was finalized, this place would become Jacob and Wendy’s love nest, wouldn’t it?

I didn’t want to leave a single trace of myself behind.

The thought of it made me sick.

As I sorted through my belongings, I realized that I had kept a lot of things about Jacob.

The autumn leaf he once casually gave me. The calendar from the day we first met. An old phone filled with our past conversations.

Even the fridge held remnants of our relationship—the first cup of milk tea he ever bought me, a leftover piece of cake from our engagement party.

Jacob used to complain that I kept too much trash. However, I always corrected him, telling him those were the memories of our love.

But looking at them now—he was right.

They were trash.

I threw everything into the garbage.

As I continued packing, I stumbled upon a thick photo album belonging to Jacob.

Curious, I flipped it open.

Inside were printed screenshots—pages and pages of messages between him and Wendy.

He had carefully preserved their conversations, turning them into a photo collection.

Every message was soaked in his longing for her.

[Wendy, I married her, but my heart belongs to you.]

[Wendy, even when I’m with her, I think of your name.]

[Wendy, I never turn on the lights when I’m with her. That way, I can pretend it’s you.]

[Wendy, I bought you a seaside villa. You’ve suffered at the hands of that mother and daughter for so long—this is the least they owe you.]

[Wendy, I want to give you all my money. I know it’s crude, but it’s the only way I can make it up to you. Please, don’t refuse me anymore.]

[Wendy, I hate her. She trapped me, keeping me from being with you.]

I slowly closed the album.

A silent, bitter smile curled my lips.

So, Jacob did have a heart—he just never used it on me.

This album had been sitting on his bookshelf all along. I had been too stupid to check. Too foolish to ever doubt him.

Or maybe Jacob never cared if I found out.

If I had caused a scene, demanded a divorce, wouldn’t that have been exactly what he wanted?

Then he’d be free to be with Wendy.

Fine. I’d give them what they wanted.

By the time I had thrown away everything, it was already late at night.

I signed the divorce papers and called Jacob.

He didn’t answer for a long time, but when he did, he hung up immediately.

I sent a message instead. [Can you come home? There’s something I need to discuss with you.]

Thirty minutes later, my phone rang.

His voice was filled with fury. "Juliana, you know Wendy is injured, and you’re still calling me home? What’s your problem? Are you really this cruel? This petty?"

"I’m not coming home tonight. I won’t return until you apologize to Wendy."

"Juliana, you brought this on yourself. I can’t believe I was foolish enough to marry you in the first place."

Before I could respond, Jacob hung up.

When I tried calling him back, I realized—he had blocked me.

I sat on the couch in silence, staring into the empty night until the first light of dawn crept through the window.

It was time to leave.

This wasn’t my home.

There was no family here for me.

Just as I stepped outside, my phone rang. It was my lawyer.

"Ms. Juliana, I have an update on the case you asked me to investigate. We’ve found substantial evidence. The perpetrator has been identified."

Three years.

Jacob had spent three years claiming he couldn’t find the culprit.

But my lawyer? He uncovered the truth in just three days!

Obviously, I had been too naive, too trusting.

If I hadn’t placed my faith in Jacob, my mother wouldn’t have died with injustice weighing on her soul.

The lawyer sent the files to my phone.

And just as I had suspected—my mother’s attacker was Wendy.

Even worse, when Jacob arrived at the scene, Wendy was still beating my mother.

Instead of stopping her, he erased the evidence and helped her escape.

He silenced every witness with hush money.

For three years, he had fed me lies.

This time, my lawyer went in person to uncover the truth.

A small shop owner nearby, unable to bear the weight of guilt any longer, handed over surveillance footage they had kept for years.

My mother’s medical records were also in the file he sent.

The report clearly stated that her condition could have been treated. She could have recovered.

Tears blurred my vision as I whispered into the phone, "Send all of this to Jacob."

I didn’t want to see him again.

Dragging my suitcase behind me, I left the home we had once shared and returned to my mother’s old house.

The irony stung.

Jacob had always claimed to love me, yet he had never once visited the place where I grew up.

He didn’t even know the address.

Yet here, everything remained just as it had when I was a child.

Curled up on the old couch, I felt a long-lost sense of safety.

The next morning, I went to the telecom store to cancel my phone number. I wanted to cut all ties with Jacob.

As I waited, the store’s television played an interview with him.

Onscreen, Wendy clung to his arm, looking blissfully content.

The reporter smirked and asked, "Mr. Williams, there are rumors online that you and Ms. Wendy were once lovers. That she is the one you truly love. Is that true?"

Jacob hesitated before answering, "When my father passed away, he wished for me to marry Juliana."

A single sentence. But at that moment, the entire audience gasped.

Wendy, emboldened, tightened her grip on his arm, her face full of triumph.

I bit my lip, forcing back tears.

So, he had only proposed to me because of Uncle Jayce’s dying wish.

All this time, I had believed he loved me. I had thought his confession came from the heart. But from the very beginning, I was just fooling myself.

Our families had been close for generations. But after my father died saving Uncle Jayce, my family fell from grace.

Out of gratitude, Uncle Jayce had taken care of my mother and me.

I just never imagined that before he passed, he would force Jacob to marry me.

I finally understood—Uncle Jayce had wanted to compensate me. But his kindness had only made Jacob resent me. And in the end, it had cost my mother her life.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a message.

It was from Jacob.

"Juli, in love, the one who cares more is always the first to give in. So, I’m giving in. Let’s stop this, okay? Let’s make up."

"I’ve already apologized to Wendy on your behalf and comforted her. I’ll be coming home tonight. I want to eat your handmade noodle soup."

My tears finally fell, unstoppable.

Even now, he was still lying to me? Did he ever truly love me?

To him, “comforting” Wendy was just another way of declaring his love for her.

The store clerk glanced at me in surprise, hesitating before asking cautiously, “Ms. Juliana, do you still want to cancel your number?”

I nodded. “Yes. Cancel it. I don’t need it anymore.”

As I watched the scissors snip through my SIM card, I felt a strange sense of closure—like I had severed my last connection to the past.