Over the past few months, whenever I called Daniel, the calls went unanswered.

And when they weren’t, she was the one picking up, relaying excuses on his behalf:

“Mr. Carter just stepped into the shower and isn’t out yet… Mr. Carter just fell asleep, maybe you can call again in the morning…”

Those boundary-crossing words slipped off her tongue as if they were perfectly natural.

Even now, I still marveled at how thick-skinned some people could be.

And just like this moment, when she saw me, she immediately jumped up, feigning innocence:

“Emily, don’t misunderstand. Daniel was drunk and didn’t know who he was with—he only clung to me, so I had no choice but to bring him back.”

But my eyes were locked on Daniel’s hand, gripping hers tightly.

Her hands were soft and delicate. Mine—those of the official Mrs. Carter—were calloused from years of toil.

Like my marriage, my hands had become unrecognizable.

When I stayed silent, she pressed on, emboldened:

“Honestly, Emily, you’re the one at fault. Ethan’s health isn’t good, and as his mother you should be more attentive. Daniel’s always traveling, and yet you keep calling nonstop. Luckily, I stopped the calls—otherwise, you’d have woken him up.”

At some point Ethan had woken up and ran straight over, yelling at her:

“You bad woman! Don’t take Dad away and make Mom sad!”

I instinctively reached for him, but I was a step too late.

The next second, Ethan was shoved hard to the ground. He fell sideways, a massive lump already swelling on his head.

Before Ethan could even cry, Sophia burst into tears first.

As I rushed to scoop up my son, a stinging slap landed across my face.

“You can’t even raise a child properly, Emily. What good are you for anything?”

I froze. In six years of marriage, this was the first time Daniel had ever hit me.

When Sophia taunted me, he stayed asleep.

When Ethan was shoved to the ground, he stayed asleep.

But the moment Sophia faked tears, he sobered right up.

And his first words upon waking were to condemn me.

Ethan was so stunned he forgot his own pain:

“Dad, how could you hit Mom?”

Daniel brushed it off, scolding instead:

“Look at Sophia’s leg! Do you see what happened to her?”

Following his gaze, I saw the red mark on Sophia’s thigh—bright and swollen. Yet I knew Ethan hadn’t even touched her skirt.

How could a five-year-old possibly cause such an injury?

It was blatant framing.

Ethan sniffled, trying to defend himself, but Daniel only caressed Sophia’s leg with concern.

I couldn’t bear Ethan’s hurt:

“He’s only five years old. How could he lie?”

Daniel didn’t even lift his eyelids:

“Like mother, like son. You lie constantly—of course he learned it from you.”

Speechless with rage, I held Ethan up to him:

“Daniel, open your eyes and look! Your son’s injured, and you still refuse to tell right from wrong?”

He blinked, but his tone stayed firm:

“Who knows if he didn’t fall on purpose just to frame Sophia?”

“That’s right,” Sophia added softly, her voice fragile,

“Emily, I know you dislike me, but you shouldn’t say such things in front of a child. If it’s my fault, I’ll admit it. But you can’t make accusations without proof.”

I laughed coldly and pointed to the wall.

“Who says I don’t have proof?”

There, a small camera blinked.

It was a camera I had installed long ago to keep an eye on Ethan when he was little. Later, after he moved into his own room, I’d forgotten to take it down.

At that moment, Sophia started crying again:

“If Emily says it’s my fault, then it’s my fault. I never should’ve been here.”

Daniel’s heart ached instantly. He turned to scold me:

“It’s nothing but a trivial matter. Do you have to nitpick endlessly? Emily, you’re becoming more and more unbearable.”

I ignored him and pulled up the footage.

The video showed everything clearly: Sophia had pinched her own thigh red before Ethan even touched her. And she had deliberately pushed him to the ground, injuring his forehead.

I shoved the phone toward their faces. Sophia’s eyes reddened instantly as she scrambled for an excuse:

“It’s not like that!” she cried, leaning pitifully into Daniel’s arms.

“Daniel, I didn’t mean to. I must have just panicked…”

Daniel gently cut her off:

“Don’t be afraid, Sophia. I believe you. This isn’t your fault. If Ethan hadn’t run out, none of this would’ve happened.”

In the next moment, my phone was knocked from my hand. The screen shattered, the video disappearing into a black void.

His face was as dark as his voice:

“What’s there to see? At the end of the day, it’s your fault, Emily, for not controlling the child.”

“If you’d done your job, none of this would’ve happened.”

I laughed—an untimely, bitter laugh.

How foolish of me, thinking I could expect fairness from Daniel.

Thinking he might one day bow his head and apologize.

Maybe my laugh sounded too strange, because Daniel’s tone softened for the first time:

“Emily, I…”

But before he could finish, Sophia cut in.

She dropped to her knees in front of me, slapping her own face repeatedly:

“Emily, it’s all my fault! Please, hit me instead! It’s all my fault…”

Daniel exploded in anger again:

“Emily, haven’t you had enough? Haven’t you had enough already?”

When word spread that I wanted a divorce, everyone urged me not to.

Even my mother took Daniel’s side:

“The child’s already so big—what’s the point of causing a scene now?”

“You insisted on marrying him back then, and now you want to leave?”

“Don’t you realize the Parker and Carter families are tied together with so many business deals? If you file for divorce, both families will be in chaos!”

The very woman who once opposed Daniel the most had now become his advocate, every word blaming me for being unreasonable.

Yes, Daniel was no longer the man he once was.

After our marriage, I handed over all my savings to invest in his company.

In six years, the Carter Family’s business had flourished so much that even the Parker Family sought their cooperation.

Daniel no longer needed to humble himself.

The one left groveling was me.

When I stayed silent, my mother pressed on:

“Men are like this. As long as he maintains appearances, you’re still Mrs. Carter. So what if he has a few women on the side?”

“As long as there aren’t any illegitimate children, all of Carter’s assets will still go to Ethan in the end. Just endure it—what harm will it do you?”

Finally, I laughed bitterly.

Endure?

How much more was I supposed to endure?

Hadn’t six years been enough?

Still, my mother nagged:

“Men value their reputation above all. Why did you have to cause such a scandal that day?”

A scandal? What scandal?

All that came of it was Sophia fainting, and then everything swept under the rug.

The justice I longed for never came.

But my mother was right about one thing.

It was me who had insisted on getting married back then, so now I had to accept the consequences.

Still, if I wanted out of this marriage, I would leave—and I would never hand over our assets or the company to anyone.

Daniel Carter adored Sophia Miller so much, didn’t he?

Then how could I not let her have the grand title of Mrs. Carter?

Predictably, Daniel refused to divorce me.

Everyone in our circle knew—no matter how much fun a man had outside, appearances mattered most. As long as he wasn’t divorced, business partners still saw him as reliable and respectable.

Whatever scandals erupted, they would be dismissed as nothing but fleeting affairs.

And so Daniel began to beg me.

In six years of marriage, this was only the third time he had bowed his head.

Had my brain not already been washed clean of foolish love, I might have mistaken it for genuine remorse.

But I knew better. It was just another ploy.

The first time he humbled himself, it was to trick me into handing over my savings. He rose higher while I was left with nothing.

The second time, it was to seize back the company shares he had once given me. In the end, he held absolute power while I was left with empty hands.

And this time? The company had a major deal in progress. Too much money had already been invested; a divorce scandal now would increase the risks.

I was about to lash out in refusal, but at the last second I changed course.

“I’ll agree—but only if you promise me one thing.”

After leaving the hospital with Daniel, I stopped mentioning divorce. Outwardly, I became once again the perfect Mrs. Carter.

Three months later, Daniel and I attended a corporate gala in Manhattan, where we successfully secured a deal crucial to the company.

But back at home, Daniel slipped right back into his arrogant ways, looking down on me:

“Emily, isn’t it better like this? Acting the part of my graceful wife? You really wanted a divorce just because I quit smoking? That was so childish.”

To this day, he still thought I was upset over him quitting cigarettes.

He didn’t know that his ten-year “sacrifice” had nothing to do with me—that I had been forced to endure years of second-hand smoke while he gave up the habit only for Sophia.

I couldn’t even be bothered to argue anymore.

Just like tonight—he thought I had humbled myself to help him secure that deal.

He had no idea this was merely my first step back into the company.

The Carter Corporation had been calm for too long—it was time to turn it upside down.

…

Back in the day, the Carter Family held little weight in New York City. Internal strife was constant, and Daniel had nearly been killed by his illegitimate half-brother.

If not for marrying me, he never would have lived such a stable, prosperous life.

I had paid dearly for my foolish love. Now, it was his turn.

No sooner had the Carter Corporation announced its partnership with the prestigious Harrison Group than news broke of Daniel’s affair with his secretary—and her pregnancy.

The scandal trended online for three full days.

In our circle, nothing was more taboo than illegitimate children. If you couldn’t even manage your household, how could you possibly manage a corporation?

To protect the partnership with Harrison, the board of directors forced Daniel to step down.

Cornered and desperate, he once again lowered himself before me.

This time, in his office, he knelt at my feet:

“Emily, after giving birth, your health was damaged. You can’t have any more children. But the Carter Family’s assets are too vast—how can we have only Ethan?”