A strange fragrance suddenly entered her nose. Zariah opened her eyes, instinctively wanted to thank him, but met Denzel’s deep eyes.

His temple had been cut by the rim of the bowl, a clear streak of blood showing.

At that moment, drops of blood moved down along his face, falling onto her collar, burning.

The man, after hitting someone, still wanted to keep causing trouble. Denzel’s eyes turned cold and hard, reaching out to grab his wrist.

“Denzel, stop!”

A soft voice sounded. Allison quickly ran over, pulling Denzel’s arm.

“He is my younger brother, Oswald. What just happened was not intentional; he only had a stomach issue and felt uncomfortable. His temper became a bit rushed.”

Denzel’s hand holding Oswald’s wrist suddenly loosened.

He even unconsciously stepped a little closer to Allison, standing in front of her and Oswald.

That movement had been natural and familiar, like it had been done many times before.

Zariah froze; the blood in her whole body seemed to grow cold.

She recalled that in the first year of their marriage, Denzel brought her to meet his friends. When she was being targeted, he frowned and said, “Why do they not trouble others, only you? Look at yourself first.”

But now… in front of Allison, he had instinctively protected her.

Zariah’s heart ached a little, and she suddenly understood.

The person Denzel wanted to guard had never been her.

The ones he wanted to protect were Allison and her younger brother.

Before she could speak, Allison had already wiped her tears and walked over, reaching out to hold her hand.

“Miss Ambrose, sorry. My younger brother really does not mean it. Can you forgive him this time, okay? We cover the hospital costs, and we also compensate for the shop losses.”

When Zariah showed no reaction, Allison’s hand stayed hanging in the air.

Denzel walked closer. His voice held some pressure, with a bit of softness she had never heard before.

“Allison wants to eat pierogi, so we come here. We do not expect to run into this. Since she already says sorry, and her younger brother does not mean it, maybe it really is the pierogi’s issue. Be understanding, don’t pursue it.”

Understanding.

These two words were like a blunt knife, slowly stabbing Zariah’s heart again and again.

For three years, she had heard these words from Denzel many times, yet she had never been the one understood.

If he truly cared, he would never let others keep bullying her again and again.

Staring at Allison, who was guarded behind Denzel, crying softly like flowers in the rain. Her lips slowly lifted into a faint smile.

She opened her mouth a little and said calmly, “Alright.”

Denzel was stunned for a second, clearly not expecting her to agree so quickly.

She paid no attention to him and instead looked straight at him.

“I can stop pursuing this, and I can be tolerant, but I have one condition.”

“Denzel, we're divorcing.”

Denzel heard her, and the impatience on his face disappeared. He froze in place.

It looked like he had never imagined separating from Zariah at all.

Allison had just opened her mouth when a surprised voice suddenly rose from the crowd.

“Wait, isn’t she Allison from the late-night show? And that man, isn’t he the husband she just talked about on the live broadcast?”

The crowd suddenly became noisy.

Some people recognized Denzel. Some pointed at Zariah and whispered.

“Then who is this woman? She just called Mr. Lopez her husband. What is happening?”

“Could it be one of them is the mistress?”

The questioning voices grew louder and louder. Someone directly shouted, “Stop talking, if you can, take out the marriage certificate! Who is real, we will know at once!”

Allison’s face turned pale right away. She instinctively held Denzel’s arm tightly.

Zariah also looked at Denzel. She wanted to know what he would choose.

In the next moment, Denzel took out a small book from his pocket and raised it high.

“Stop arguing, this is the marriage certificate.”

After looking at the marriage certificate, the crowd suddenly went silent.

Zariah’s eyes also moved to it, but when the inner page opened, it showed Denzel and Allison’s faces.

That was their marriage certificate.

She finally realized why Denzel never let her hold it and why he did not want to appear beside her in public.

So from the start until the end, they were never truly together.

In that instant, Zariah felt like she stood in a quiet, lifeless space, strange and almost laughable.

What made it worse, he even kept the marriage certificate with him.

She remembered that one month after getting the marriage certificate, she invited them for a meal and said she wanted to see it.

But even after she reminded him again and again. Denzel still forgot, and after that, he never brought it up again.

But now… even without Allison asking, he still had it with him.

How deeply did he love her!

When Denzel’s eyes met Zariah’s, his heart suddenly felt like it was stabbed by a thin needle.

That quiet feeling, like wet cotton, pressed on him and made it hard for him to breathe.

He moved without thinking, wanting to walk to her and say he would take her home, but someone suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Denzel, my head feels very dizzy, and I feel a bit unwell.”

Allison’s fingers looked pale. Her body leaned toward him, and her face showed tiredness.

Denzel stopped. He turned to look at Allison. When he looked back again, the small change in his eyes had already turned cold.

“Allison does not feel well. She is a public person; she cannot stay here and be watched. I sent her back first. You take a taxi home yourself.”

Zariah lowered her head. Her lashes hid all the feelings in her eyes.

She fixed the matters in the shop, then walked home like an empty shell.

After Denzel sat in the car, he looked at the rearview mirror without thinking.

Zariah’s figure grew smaller in the evening light, slowly fading away.

Denzel frowned without knowing why, but Allison’s soft cough pulled him back. He stepped on the gas.

After reaching home, Zariah took out her phone and called a number she knew by heart.

“Kendrick, after seven days, come take me away. I go with you.”

Kendrick was Denzel’s rival.

Years ago, at a banquet, Denzel left her and walked away. It was Kendrick who came and helped her out.

When he saw her in that state, he wanted to take her away, but she refused.

He did not force her. He only gave her his number and said, “Whenever you call, I'll take you away.”

At this moment, the man on the phone gave a soft laugh, as if he already knew.

“So you finally understand? You should have known Denzel’s true self long ago.”

“Hmm.”

Zariah only answered one word, then ended the call.

It was not that she only understood now. She had just been lying to herself for too long.

Since there was no marriage, there was no need for divorce. Leaving meant everything ended.

She went into the room, opened the closet, and started packing.

Almost everything in this house had been arranged by her, but she only packed a few sets of clothes into the case. She did not touch anything else.

Halfway through, Denzel rushed in angrily. He threw the phone hard in front of her.

The screen was on. The bright light showed his dark face.

“Zariah, you are really something. You even buy trending topics to ruin Allison’s name and say she uses power to bully people?”

Zariah picked up the phone. On the screen was the diner event from today, but it had been edited badly beyond recognition.

Anger rose inside her heart. She lifted her head and looked at Denzel.

“I do not do it. You go check. After I come back from the diner, I stay here packing. I do not go out at all.”

“Check? Of course, I check.”

Denzel laughed coldly, his tone sarcastic. “The one behind this is your close friend who operates self-media.”

“Impossible.” Zariah’s voice suddenly got louder. Her eyes were full of shock. “Shizel does not do this kind of thing. She also looks down on this kind of bad way.”

Denzel looked at her. The corner of his lips lifted into a cold smile. That smile was dark like a ghost.

“Not true? The proof is clear. You still want to protect her?”

Right after he finished speaking, Zariah’s phone rang. The screen showed the name “Shizel”.

She quickly answered. A crying voice came from the other side.

“Zariah! Help me! They lock me here! Help me…”

Zariah quickly lifted her head and stared hard at Denzel. “What do you do to her?”

“Nothing.” Denzel rested on the door, his arms folded, his voice cold and harsh.

“I only used the same way on the same person. Allison is easy to fool. After she saw the trending news, she has been crying until now. Her eyes are swollen. Zariah, go say sorry to her and fix this. If not, I cannot promise what will happen to your best friend.”

Zariah pressed her nails deep into her hand. The hurt turned dull, but it did not match the chill in her chest.

She looked at the strange man in front of her. At last, she clenched her teeth and said one word, “Okay.”

Denzel took her to a program’s venue.

She thought it was only a simple sorry, but she did not expect the floor in the middle of the stage to be filled with broken ceramic pieces.

The sharp edges caught the light and shone coldly.

Denzel stood next to Allison, lifting his hand to hold her shoulder. The way he looked at Zariah had no warmth at all.

“Allison is a well-known person. This issue has grown too large, and the effect on her is too serious. You kneel, read this apology letter fully, and take it as saying sorry to her. Only if you accept punishment will others believe you admit your fault, then Allison will not be dragged into it.”

“Kneel down?”

Zariah’s body froze at once, a loud ringing filled her ears, and she even forgot to argue back.

Old memories from many years ago suddenly appeared in her mind.

Back then, she and Denzel went to a family gathering. Just because she accidentally hit a young woman, she was publicly splashed with red wine by that person.

She stood there, looking miserable, but Denzel only gave her a short glance, letting his assistant deal with it casually.

Also being treated unfairly, Allison only needed a short edited video, and he gathered people, forcing her to kneel and apologize.

Zariah slowly lifted her gaze, looking at the two people holding each other in front of her.

She said nothing more, holding a firm determination like cutting off all paths, step by step, moved toward that heap of shattered porcelain.

When her knees dropped down, the sharp shards stabbed directly into her skin.

Hot blood quickly flowed out, falling onto the fragments, spreading into bright red marks like blooming flowers.

She knelt upright, did not frown, did not cry, and even her eyes showed no change, only staring straight ahead.

Denzel stood nearby, the hand holding Allison slowly tightening.

Seeing the bright red on the floor, seeing Zariah’s blank side face, it felt like something pressed in his chest, making him unable to breathe.

The apology letter was very long; Zariah nearly used all her strength to finish reading it.

After she finished, she pushed herself up from the ground, slowly rising, bearing the severe pain in her knees, and said, “Where is Shizel? Give her back to me.”

Denzel still looked a little annoyed. He lightly waved his hand. “Let the secretary bring you there.”

Zariah turned around and followed the secretary outside, but she did not expect the car to finally stop at the door of a warehouse.

As soon as she stepped out, Oswald walked out from inside with several people.

Zariah’s heart dropped. She asked in a cold voice. “What are you trying to do? Where is Shizel?”

“What am I trying to do?” Oswald stepped closer, stretched his hand, and grabbed her wrist. “You bullied my sister, made her get cursed online. Today, I will get back at you for her!”

“Denzel will not let you off.”

Zariah did not think Denzel would allow Oswald to act against her, after all, even if there was no love, there were still many years of ties.

Oswald looked like he had heard something very funny and coldly laughed.

“Let you go? He cares too much about my sister to bother. But I’ll give you a chance, call him and see if he comes to help you.”

Zariah’s heart suddenly tightened, but she still held onto the last bit of hope.

First try, the line was busy.

She called again, still busy.

After several tries, the phone only gave a cold machine sound.

She refused to stop, her fingers shaking as she still wanted to try again, but she saw Oswald take out his phone and press a number without care.

In less than a second, Denzel’s voice came from the phone. “What is it?”