On the day Lillian was discharged from the hospital, Julio specially reserved a high-end hotel and treated all the medical staff to afternoon tea there, thanking them for their care of her.

"Julio is a man who never forgets those who were kind to people he loves. I just had a trivial ailment, yet he went to all this expense," she said, looping her arm through Julio's with a charming smile.

Julio affectionately pulled his hand free only to wrap his arm around her waist, making everyone cheer for them.

Someone remarked, "Ms. Singh, that's not right. Mr. Roberts may not forget those who were kind to people he loves, but he is selective. He does not spend money on just anyone."

Another chimed in, "Exactly. It seems Ms. Singh holds a higher place in Mr. Roberts's heart than even his own wife."

I had just finished a meeting and happened to spot them from a distance. I intended to slip past quietly.

But Lillian had sharp eyes. She called out to me immediately and dragged me right into the middle of the group.

"Please, stop teasing me," she said. "How could I ever compare to Dr. Anderson? She is Julio's wife. He must often treat you all to thank you for taking care of her, right?"

In an instant, the previously warm atmosphere turned awkward and tense. Everyone's gaze shifted to me, odd and with complicated emotions, and loaded with unspoken judgment.

I froze in place, feeling as exposed and humiliated as if I had been stripped naked.

Only then did Lillian say with feigned surprise, acting as if she had just realized what she had done, "Oh. You did not know Dr. Anderson is Mr. Roberts's wife?"

She gave Julio a light tap on the chest and scolded him playfully, "Julio, this is not right. You have been married this long and still have not told anyone that Dr. Anderson's your wife? Could it be because you promised me back then that you would not publicly announce your marriage if I could not become your wife? If so, then it really is my fault..."

She sounded self-reproachful when she said so, but subtly showing off the relationship between her and Julio with every word she had said.

"It is not your fault, Lillian," Julio cut in at once, stopping her before she could go further. "Sharon simply dislikes being in the spotlight. It has nothing to do with you."

I felt suffocated at their words.

He had always been the one most reluctant to acknowledge me as his wife.

Once, when I brought him lunch out of concern for him as he had stomach issues, he told his secretary I was just his servant.

Watching the two of them now, who were looking at each other with tender affection in their eyes, I felt for the first time how utterly hypocritical and disgusting they were.

After Julio comforted her, Lillian finally relaxed into a relieved smile.

She glanced around at the medical staff there, then her eyes lit up mischievously, and she turned to me. "By the way, Dr. Anderson, you will be inviting your colleagues to tomorrow's banquet at Roberts Estate for your wedding anniversary, won't you? It will be nice to have everyone join in the celebration."

I instinctively wanted to refuse, but Julio interrupted before I could speak. "Do not worry about her. She never liked those kinds of events anyway. Whether there are many guests or few does not matter to her."

He looked at Lillian as he spoke. "But you, if you want them there, just invite them all."

I forced a bitter smile. The truth was, I actually loved lively banquets.

But Julio always felt I wasn't refined enough for such events, worried I would do something wrong to embarrass him. So he never took me to any banquet.

Over time, I stopped wanting to go to any events with him.

Not wishing to argue with them, I turned and walked away.

After all, I had never been the one in the spotlight at Julio's banquets, so it didn't matter who had been invited.

When I got home, the servants had already started decorating. Workers were arranging the flowers he had ordered into the words, "Welcome home, Lillian!"

So even the wedding anniversary banquet had been a lie to placate me. The real purpose was to welcome Lillian back.

But none of it mattered anymore. The divorce application was already nearing completion, and soon I would be leaving him for good.

On the night of the banquet, Lillian naturally became the center of attention.

Julio personally introduced her to renowned physicians from every circle, and she earned widespread praise and effortlessly secured herself a position as a senior physician.

Even Julio's father put on an approving smile.

One guest at the party remarked, "If only Julio had married Lillian back then. She indeed ran away from the wedding, but it was for the sake of her medical career. Now she has made quite a name for herself in the field."

Another replied, "Indeed. Lillian is professionally accomplished. And she even organized this banquet so impeccably. Only someone like her deserves to be the daughter-in-law of the Roberts family."

I pressed my lips tightly together, struggling to restrain my emotions, and stepped into the hall alone.

But after only a few steps, the slender heel of my shoe snapped. I stumbled and fell heavily to the floor.

My fall even tripped a passing waiter, sending his tray crashing down and shattering wine glasses everywhere.

Lillian let out an exaggerated gasp. "Oh dear, Sharon. You've got to be more careful! After all these years, I never imagined you still had not gotten used to events like this. Had I known, I would have walked you in myself."

With that single sentence, everyone instantly shot a disdainful glance at me.

Among high society, reputations were everything, and my fall had just confirmed the rumors that Julio's wife, I, was not refined and good enough for the elite circles.

I tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot through my ankle.

Julio took two steps forward—not to help me up, but to take Lillian's hand. He cast me a cold glance. "Hurry up and get up. Are you trying to embarrass us even more?"

The pain in my ankle was nothing compared to the ache in my heart. My nose stung, and I fought hard to hold back tears.

Just as I braced myself to stand enduring the pain, my body suddenly lifted into the air. I had been scooped up in someone's arms!

I looked up sharply and met a pair of dark, intense eyes.

Those familiar eyes sent my heart racing. It was Danny Ferguson, a man from the underworld.

Memories from that chaotic, tense operating room flooded back. In there, he had coerced me into performing emergency surgery on his gunshot wound.

He said, "Mr. Roberts, you have always had sharp eyes. So how is it that you failed to notice your own wife was injured and could not get up on her own?"