I didn't say a word and tried to walk away, but he grabbed my arm.

He said, "Just because the wedding didn't happen, you're making a fuss about breaking up and running away from home, aren't you?"

His casual tone infuriated me, and just as I was about to lash out, Carrie interrupted with a sarcastic tone, "Norma, let me explain. I've been sick these past few days, and Zackary took care of me, which disrupted your wedding plans. I'm really sorry."

Carrie affectionately hugged Zackary's arm and leaned her head on his shoulder.

They looked like a close couple.

"There's no need to explain," I said. "Zackary and I have already broken up. From now on, even if you two are together 24/7, it has nothing to do with me."

Zackary's face darkened instantly. "Norma, can't you speak nicely? Why are you being so sarcastic? You weren't like this before."

I looked him straight in the eye and said, "I wasn't like this before because I was stupid and blind."

This was the first time I had ever snapped at him.

Zackary was taken aback and finally realized something was off with my mood.

He gently brushed off Carrie's hand and tried to hug me, but I dodged him.

He said, "Can't you stop making a scene? Did your parents get upset and yell at you?"

He softened his tone to coax me.

But it was too late. I didn't care anymore.

Before I could say anything, Carrie snorted, "They should be grateful instead of upset. Their family has been poor for generations, and their daughter marrying into the Santana family should be a dream come true. A golden catch like Zackary isn't something just anyone can snag."

Her words were full of sarcasm, but Zackary didn't seem to mind.

"I'll go explain to your parents," he said. "They're usually easy to talk to."

I instantly broke down, my voice trembling. "Just because they're easy to talk to, you think you can hurt them again and again? You promised to visit them, but you always broke your promises. Seeing that they didn't blame you, you thought you could even cancel the wedding halfway?"

"I'll go apologize to them right now," he said. "I promise to arrange a grand wedding soon. That should be enough, right?"

He thought he was giving me an easy way out, and I should just accept it.

He was wrong.

Dead wrong.

I scoffed, "No need."

Every word from him made me sick.

Seeing him blocking the elevator, I turned and headed for the stairwell.

Behind me, Carrie called out, "Norma, stop right there. If you're really running away from home, I'll admire your guts. But you must leave Zackary's things behind. You've been eating his food, drinking his drinks, and using his things for years. If you have the guts, don't take anything and earn your own way."

She clung to Zackary's arm again, acting like the hostess of the house.

I shot back, "These are all my things. Not a single one belongs to Zackary."

"I don't believe you," Carrie sneered.

She turned to look at Zackary.

Zackary stared at me with a poker face.

At that moment, my heart felt like it was being stabbed.

"Zackary, you don't believe me either, do you?" I asked.

He didn't say a word.

His silence was like a slow torture, cutting through my heart. My world turned gray.

Carrie had insulted my parents, and he said nothing. Now she was accusing me of stealing his things, and he still said nothing.

It turned out that in his eyes, my family and I were so worthless.

I loved Zackary for ten years. They said time would tell everything, I thought he knew me well enough to know I wouldn't take his things.

My once-firm belief crumbled in an instant.

The whole world turned gray.

Seeing my pale face, Carrie thought she had hit the mark and gloated, "If you haven't taken Zackary's things, open your backpack and suitcase and show us. If you don't dare, it means you're guilty."

"Why should I?" I shot back.

I had lost my loved ones, and I was heartbroken. Why should I continue to let them bully me?

Carrie turned to Zackary and said, "See, she's guilty. Go inside and check if the bank card and valuable items are still there. If they're not, it must be Norma who took them."

Zackary gave me a look, signaling me to do as Carrie said.

It was ridiculous how a man could spoil a woman so shamelessly, without any sense of right or wrong.

I had been too compliant in the past, making Zackary think I was a pushover.

For Carrie's happiness, he disregarded my dignity.

Ten years of my youth were wasted.

I turned to leave, but suddenly, Carrie rushed over and grabbed my backpack.

The strong force made me stumble and fall to the ground.

She said, "Still trying to run? Zackary is too nice, but I won't let you off. Zackary supports your whole family, and you still have the nerve to steal his things. Hand them over!"

Carrie was convinced that my backpack contained something suspicious and unzipped it.

I desperately tried to pry her hand away, not wanting her to disturb my family's peace.

She wrestled with me, cursing, "What's this bulging thing inside? Did you steal a lot of jewelry from Zackary? Are you planning to squander it with your parents? Zackary's money isn't easy to come by. You and your family are leeches."

I slapped her across the face.

The force was so strong that half of her face visibly twisted, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

She froze for a moment, then burst into tears.

She said, "Zackary, did you see that? This bitch, hit me. She must have been caught red-handed, and she's so angry."

Carrie cried harder and harder, then started gasping for breath.

"Medicine... quick..." she mumbled incoherently.

Zackary quickly pulled out an asthma inhaler from his pocket and handed it to her.

Seeing how worried he was, I couldn't help but smile bitterly.

I had loved him for so many years, but even when I was very sick, I never saw him this worried.

The details revealed his true feelings.

"Norma, you're the first person to ever hit me. You hit me, and I'll make you pay," Carrie shouted.

She broke free from Zackary's embrace and rushed towards me like a madwoman.

I thought Zackary would stop her, but instead, he held me back.

He said, "Carrie is sick, don't provoke her."

I retorted, "So, you're saying I should let her hit me back?"

Zackary fell silent again.

His silence was deafening.

I thought I would be upset, but at that moment, I felt nothing.

Carrie kept hitting me.

I endured the stinging pain on my cheeks, staring blankly at the beautiful but twisted face in front of me. I remembered the moments I had spent with Zackary over the past ten years.

He said he loved me. He said he would marry me and would make me the happiest woman in the world.

But now, he was holding me down, letting another woman slap me.

My life had become a complete joke.

In the blink of an eye, my face swelled up, and blood trickled from the corners of my mouth.

"Norma, you shouldn't have provoked Carrie. She's a patient," Zackary said.

It took me a moment to realize that it was his voice.

I was the one who got beaten so badly, yet he was still blaming me.

This was the man I had foolishly devoted ten years of my life to.

I thought Carrie would let me go after hitting me, but she wasn't done. She stared at my backpack, insisting on checking if there was anything of Zackary's inside.

With a cold sneer, she clapped her hands twice, and two bodyguards emerged from the stairwell.

They pinned me down, pressing my swollen face hard against the floor.

Carrie opened my backpack, and three urns tumbled out, bouncing on the ground. The ashes scattered everywhere.

I screamed and struggled with all my might.

The two bodyguards couldn't hold me back.

I knelt in front of the ashes, wailing uncontrollably and scooping the ashes back into the urns with my hands.

Carrie said, "What's wrong with you? It's just a bunch of ashes. Why are you crying like a lunatic?"

Carrie was disappointed that she hadn't found anything valuable.

I suddenly stood up, grabbed Carrie by the collar, and shoved her against the wall, gritting my teeth. "Who gave you the right to touch them?"

"Let Carrie go, you crazy woman," Zackary shouted.

Blinded by overwhelming hatred, I found strength I never knew I had. I gripped her neck, nearly lifting her off the ground.

Zackary panicked. "Norma, you're crazy!"

He ordered the bodyguards to pull me away while making a call.

He ordered, "Chas, cancel the expert team for Norma's parents right away. And tell HR to fire her brother."

The assistant replied, "Mr. Santana, Norma's parents passed away on the day of the wedding. And her brother died in a car accident trying to get you back to continue the wedding. He died on the spot."