With that, Everett ignored my wounds and dragged me to the storage room, slamming the door shut behind me.

I was not released until the next day when the housekeeper let me out.

He looked at me with disdain. "Get out of here. Mr. Ashford said he's letting you off easy."

I stumbled out of the storage room. In the end, I had only managed to recover a fraction of Mom's ashes.

On my way to the kindergarten to process my resignation, I bought a plane ticket. As soon as I got my resignation papers, I would take all my documents and leave this place for good.

When I submitted my resignation, the principal sighed.

"Why did you have to offend Mrs. Ashford? Mr. Ashford values his wife and children above all else. No one can protect you now."

My dead heart ached again. Because the Ashford family refused to accept me, my relationship with Everett had never seen the light of day.

I forced a bitter smile and waited for the principal to stamp my papers.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the kindergarten. I instinctively ran out, only to see Autumn standing triumphantly in the courtyard, throwing photos everywhere.

Behind her hung a red banner, glaringly obvious.

"Homewrecker Stella Quinn slept with my husband. Available for $3."

The moment people saw me emerge, their eyes filled with judgment.

Everything spun around me. I nearly collapsed. Seeing my pale face, Autumn pressed her advantage.

"This is Stella Quinn, the mistress who's been sleeping with my husband. Parents, remember not to let your husbands pick up the kids. You don't want Ms. Quinn setting her sights on them."

She spoke with fake concern. The surrounding parents immediately looked at me with disgust.

"I never thought Ms. Quinn was that kind of person!"

"Women like her use their looks to wreck families. I always thought there was something slutty about her."

Seeing everyone condemn me, Autumn's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. She lunged forward, grabbed my hair, and slapped me across the face.

I struggled to break free, then looked at the crowd with a pale face and explained, "That's not true. Everett and I are legally married. Autumn is the mistress."

I pulled out the documents I carried with me. The marriage certificate showed both our names, clear as day.

After the parents looked at it, they glanced at each other, unsure whether to believe me.

Seeing this, Autumn's expression instantly twisted with rage. As the standoff continued, Everett appeared with the twins.

When he noticed the marriage certificate in my hand, he frowned deeply.

A nosy bystander filled him in on everything.

"Mr. Ashford, which one is actually your wife?"

I stubbornly held up the marriage certificate, refusing to look at him.

A moment later, Everett's cold voice rang out.

"Stella Quinn and I have no relationship. As for that marriage certificate, I have no idea where she got it from. My wife is Autumn Roswell. No one else."

The marriage certificate slipped from my fingers and fell to the ground. My eyes burned red as I stared at him in disbelief.

Everett avoided my gaze, scooped up the twins, and left in a hurry.

Under the scornful eyes of the crowd, Autumn beat me with dozens of slaps.

After she finally vented her rage, they stripped off my clothes and dumped me outside the kindergarten gates.

When it was all over, the principal placed my stamped resignation papers beside me, sighed, and left.

It was not until the early hours of the morning that I limped home. After gathering all my documents, I tore the marriage certificate to shreds without hesitation and threw it in the trash.

In this lifetime, I would never have anything to do with Everett Ashford again!