She had started dancing at five, living her entire life for ballet. If she could no longer perform on stage, it would feel like losing everything.

Lisa’s shoulders trembled, her voice caught in her throat as she fought back tears. No... not her. What could she possibly do to make Adam believe her?

Suddenly, a harsh, female voice cut through the air. "It was this bitch who broke Emilie's leg!"

Before Lisa could react, a forceful shove sent her stumbling away from Adam, and she was slapped across the face. The blow was so strong that she lost her balance, crashing to the ground and hitting her head on the trash can. Stars danced in her vision.

Emilie's mother, Marry Grant pointed at Lisa, her voice venomous. "You stole Emilie's boyfriend and ran her over with a car! A wicked, malicious woman like you deserves to rot in hell!"

Lisa’s ears rang. "I didn’t hit Emilie with my car! Stop spreading lies about me!"

"The evidence is clear, and you still deny it? You shameless bitch!" Marry’s rage turned her into a madwoman. "Let’s see how you escape this!"

Like a wild animal, she lunged at Lisa, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her forward. "Come on, everyone! Look at this woman! She destroyed my daughter's future—she’ll never dance again. Let’s expose her for what she really is!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, reporters flooded the scene.

"That's her! The woman who was behind the hit-and-run!"

"She's the one who ruined Emilie's career and kept her from ever performing again!"

"Someone call the police! Arrest her now!"

...

"Adam, help me!"

Lisa turned desperately to Adam, but he stood silently by, his face devoid of emotion, as if he were a stranger.

The insults rained down, and reporters closed in on Lisa, their cameras flashing relentlessly. Each word felt like a slap, the pressure mounting as she struggled to hold herself together.

The world around her began to blur. Blood rushed to her head, and her vision darkened. In that moment, everything went black, and she fainted.

The day after Emilie's car accident, Lisa’s heart shattered.

She collapsed at the ward's door, overwhelmed by both hypoglycemia and the crushing weight of betrayal. But Adam, cold and unforgiving, dismissed her collapse as an act—an attempt to avoid responsibility. He had her unceremoniously thrown into a hospital utility room, where medical waste was stored.

A compassionate nurse, passing by, noticed Lisa and used her phone to contact her family. They were the ones who picked her up.

Back at home, Lisa fell ill.

The controversy surrounding Emilie’s car accident continued to rage, and soon Lisa was being hunted online. Her name was plastered across social media, inundated with hate and vitriol from Emilie’s fans. The comment sections of her posts were soon flooded with curses, forcing them to be shut down altogether.

Some of Emilie's most extreme fans went so far as to send Lisa dead mice and shrouds in the mail.

Unable to return to her normal life, Lisa took leave from work and retreated to the Hale family home to escape the media frenzy.

Meanwhile, Adam made a public announcement that their engagement was over, and had his assistant collect all the betrothal gifts the Jackson family had previously given to the Hale's.

The large flat in Clear Water Bay, a wedding gift from the Jacksons, had been intended as the couple's new home. Lisa had moved in and lived there for two months, only to be told by Adam to pack her things and leave within a few days.

Lisa was in the yard, sunbathing weakly, when she received the call. Since falling ill, she'd lost her appetite and couldn't keep food down, causing her to lose weight rapidly.

During this time, the police came to the Hale house, taking Lisa in for questioning.

While the surveillance video showed Lisa's car at the scene, the driver’s face wasn’t clearly visible, and there were no other witnesses. It was only confirmed that Lisa’s car had struck Emilie, but there was no solid evidence to prove she was the one behind the wheel. After the investigation, Lisa was granted bail and released.

"Lisa, your brother has arranged for the driver to move your things out of the Clearwater Bay apartment. Once you're feeling better, I'll take you abroad to relax for a while," said Leslie Hale, Lisa's mother's voice, full of concern as she looked at her daughter, who was now looking frail and thin. She tried to hide her discomfort, but it was clear how deeply troubled she was by the situation.

Lisa gathered herself and said, "I should go alone."

Returning to the wedding apartment once again, it felt as though a century had passed in just two weeks.

As soon as she opened the door, an unpleasant, rancid smell hit her, and her stomach churned. Unable to bear it any longer, she rushed into the bathroom and vomited up her breakfast.

"Second Miss, are you okay?" the driver asked, his voice full of concern.

Lisa shook her head, turned on the faucet, and rinsed her mouth. Stepping out of the bathroom, she immediately noticed the moldy snacks and white porridge sitting on the dining table. She quickly covered her nose.

It was the day of the accident when she had returned to eat the leftovers. Now, after sitting out for so long, the food had gone rancid, causing the smell to linger in the apartment. She guessed that Adam hadn’t been home during this time.

Perhaps as long as Emilie was still in the picture, Lisa would never be Adam’s first choice.

Lisa and Adam had been university sweethearts. They had dreamed of this moment—starting from school uniforms to wedding dresses, believing they would be each other's forever.

But now, in the wake of a car accident, she found herself accused of being the murderer, a label pinned on her based on rumors and baseless claims.

Her tears had dried up, leaving her heart numb. As she looked around the apartment, the traces of their life together seemed to mock her, reminders of a love that had been shattered.

From the appliances and furniture to the smallest refrigerator magnets, she had carefully chosen each item. Now, all that remained was endless pain and unbearable memories.

People around her often said that Adam would always hold Emilie in his heart. They believed that if Emilie hadn’t left without a word to chase her career, Lisa would never have stood a chance.

At first, Lisa didn’t let these words bother her. She was certain that even the hardest stone could eventually be warmed.

After graduation, Lisa turned down an offer from a prestigious top-three investment bank to work in a financial company, determined to be the woman who supported Adam’s success.

Adam once said he didn’t like takeout, so Lisa spent hours perfecting her cooking skills.

Adam preferred women with slim figures, so Lisa meticulously controlled her weight, cutting out carbs after dinner.

Though Adam’s demanding job often kept him away for days or even weeks, Lisa never complained, patiently waiting for him to return.

Even Mrs. Jackson, who came from a wealthy family and had a discerning eye, praised Lisa for being well-behaved, graceful, and cultured.

But what good was it to be sensible?

Whenever something happened to Emilie, Adam would rush back to her without a second thought. He didn’t believe Lisa, nor did he believe that the woman who had loved him for five years, lying next to him every night, could be innocent.

Lisa swallowed her heartache and instructed the driver to pack up all her belongings. She even tore the wedding photo on the wall in half—ripping her own portion into pieces and flushing them down the toilet.

Once it was done, Lisa called Adam, intending to return the valuables in person. But he kept insisting he couldn’t be reached. After pondering for a long while, she decided to go to the hospital, determined to end everything herself.

Just as Lisa had suspected, Adam had taken a long leave and was staying at the hospital with Emilie.

How ironic.

In the five years they’d been together, Adam, a workaholic, had never taken a single day off, even when he was sick. Yet now, he had abandoned everything to be by Emilie’s side.

In the rehabilitation room, Adam gently supported Emilie’s shoulders, speaking to her softly, his face full of the compassion and concern Lisa had never once received.

When Emilie asked for water, Adam, ever attentive, brought it to her lips after the wind had cooled it.

Emilie claimed she was tired, and Adam gently guided her aside to rest, wiping the sweat from her brow and massaging her uninjured leg.

It turned out that Attorney Jackson could care for someone—but that someone had never been Lisa.

Suddenly, Emilie’s eyes widened, and she saw Lisa standing in the doorway. Her face twisted with fury: "Why is she here? Isn't it enough what you've already done to me? I've given you up to her, so why are you trying to take my life too?!"

"Adam, get her out of here! I don't want to see her!" Emilie screamed, her voice wild. She struggled to stand but lost her balance, the weight of her casted leg pulling her down.

Adam rushed to her side, catching her in his arms and pressing her head against his chest. His face turned pale with fear, his eyes red with panic.

"Calm down, Emilie. No one will hurt you again... I’ll get rid of her right away. As long as I’m here, everything will be fine."

Turning his gaze toward Lisa, he spoke with cold disgust: "Lisa, why do you have the nerve to show up here?"

Perhaps from the constant crying, Lisa had grown numb. Seeing Adam now, her heart no longer hurt as much as it had before.

"I have some important items to return to you."

Twenty minutes later, after Adam had finally managed to calm Emilie, he stepped out of the physical therapy room alone.

Lisa handed him the apartment key, car key, safe key, and the bank card they had both signed. As she placed them in Adam’s hands, a sense of relief washed over her.

"From now on, we don’t owe each other anything."

Lisa had expected tears when she saw Adam again. She had once loved him deeply, believing he was the only one for her in this life. But witnessing Adam tenderly holding Emilie in his arms had shattered that final shred of hope.

She had made up her mind. She could no longer afford to love Adam, nor did she want to.

Adam looked at the keys and bank card in her hand, and then he laughed, a bitter edge to his voice. "Do you think this is over? You owe Emilie, and you’ll never be able to repay her in this lifetime!"

At that moment, Adam still clung to the belief that Lisa was responsible for the accident. The police may have released her due to insufficient evidence, but in his mind, she was guilty.

Lisa’s expression remained calm as she spoke, her voice steady: "I have nothing to fear when I stand tall. I owe Emilie nothing."

"It's a good saying, Lisa. One day, the truth will come out, and when it does, I’ll make you pay ten times the pain I’ve endured!" Adam shot Lisa one last glance before taking the keys and bank card from her hand and turning to leave.

His resolute departure marked the final end of their relationship.

Five years of deep love had crumbled in an instant. It wasn't life or death that separated them, but the absence of love.

With the wedding cancelled, there was still much to take care of in the aftermath. The invitations had already gone out the day before Emilie's accident. Lisa made the difficult calls one by one, informing the guests about the cancellation and offering sincere apologies.

Her family and friends were understanding, offering kind words of reassurance, telling her everything would be fine. But when it came to Adam's brothers, the responses were nothing but scorn and ridicule.

The harshest of them all came from Adam’s close friend, Vera—Emilie’s devoted follower.

"Lisa, you've caused Emilie so much misery! She deserves to be struck by lightning!"