Brad was taken aback.

Over the years, he had seen me being innocent and obedient. He had also seen me crying hysterically as I harassed him.

I had been naive. I had been seductive. I had cried, smiled, and thrown tantrums in front of him.

However, I had never been as calm and cold as I was then.

He pushed Zoe aside, and he walked up to me indifferently. "Leah, I'm giving you one last chance. Apologize to Zoe."

I looked right at him, and I suddenly laughed.

My laughter was resolute. It was like I was risking everything. "Brad, I told you. I won't apologize. Over my dead body—"

The sound of a crisp slap echoed through the empty hallway.

Brad seemed to be stunned as well after the slap.

Zoe's hand was on her face, and her eyes were widened. She was in a slight disbelief as well.

Everyone but me was taken aback. I raised my hand slowly and cupped half of my face that was hurting. Tears started welling in my eyes.

"Leah—" Brad subconsciously took a step forward, but I immediately stepped back.

He was going to reach out, but he put his hand down again. His expression turned cold again as he said, "Leah, you brought this onto yourself. I wouldn't have raised my hand to you if you apologized just now."

Brad's voice was deep and a little husky. "You know it—I don't hit women. We've been together for years, and I've never laid a finger on you. You shouldn't have slapped Zoe today. I like her. It's not her fault. Leah, just stop. Have some self-respect."

He had always been a man of few words. He had never said that much before.

However, I heard none of it, not a single word.

Tears welled in my eyes. I did my best to hold them back, but I failed.

At last, tears started streaming down my cheeks like they would never stop.

Brad's hands were clenched into fists. His eyebrows were furrowed tightly as well.

Zoe walked up to him and said, "Forget it, Brad. Let's go."

Brad held her hand, but his eyes were still on me.

"Leah, stop trying to give Zoe a hard time. Don't appear before Zoe and I again, either. This is my final warning to you."

He did not take Zoe away after he said that. He just stared at me as if he was waiting for my answer.

However, I said nothing. I just lowered my head a little. It was as if I was trying to shed my lifetime of tears in one go.

After half a minute, Brad left with Zoe.

Right as he turned around, I said softly, "Alright. I'll never appear before you and Zoe again for the rest of my life."

Brad stopped in his tracks for a moment, but it did not take long for him to walk forward with Zoe again. He did not look back, not even once.

Zoe, however, turned around and glanced at me. There were tears in her eyes, but she also had a smug smile.

I put my hand down slowly.

'This is great,' I thought.

I had been entangled with Brad for five years. The love and hate I had for Brad that were almost etched in my bones had finally been eliminated once and for all.

I could leave for good without any distractions and anything to hold onto.

I received many texts and calls after I went home that day.

Most of it was a screenshot of Zoe's social media post.

The most eye-catching thing in her post was the engagement ring she was flaunting.

I closed the message app and did not reply to any of the texts. I did not answer any of the calls either.

My face was still a little swollen, so I put an ice pack on it.

When I returned, I saw a text from the bank that I had received a transaction.

I was confused. Then, I was stunned when I saw the series of zeros after I opened the message.

Before I had the chance to count them, my phone rang.

The contact on the screen was a name I had saved—Mr. Blackwell.

It was the first time James had called me after our engagement was confirmed.

I felt my heart pounding. I took a few deep breaths before I answered the call.

"Have you received the money, Ms. Young?"

"I've received it, but Mr. Blackwell, you've already given us a wedding gift," I reminded him softly, wondering if his subordinate had made a mistake.

"The wedding gift was for the Young family. This money is meant for you," he replied.

I held my phone in a daze before softly saying, "Mr. Blackwell, you don't have to do this. I was once engaged to someone else. My reputation is not a good one."

"It's fine." James' voice was extraordinarily deep and pleasant to the ears. It also had the power to comfort others.

I thought about the rumors about him. He was supposed to be cruel, ruthless, temperamental, and violent.

However, his voice did not sound like it at all.

"You said it yourself. That's before, so it's all in the past now. Just forget about them, Ms. Young. You'll soon come to a faraway city to get married. If there's anything you like, just buy and bring them to Clason City," he said.

Tears started welling in my eyes, but I smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Blackwell."

Nobody had heard a peep about me getting married into the Blackwell family.

That was what James wanted.

The people that the Blackwell family sent to escort me had long arrived in the capital. With them around, the Young family became incredibly well-behaved.

Because of that, no soul in the capital city knew I would get married in a faraway place.

Three days before I left, I had all my luggage packed up.

I looked at the exquisite treasure box on my vanity. There was a coupon that had turned yellow on the vanity as well.

Brad had given me the treasure box when he pursued me back then. There were nine layers, and each of them was packed with all kinds of jewelry.

The coupon to trade for a wish was a thank-you gift he had given me when he was 12.

Of course, he had long forgotten about it.

I once thought of using the coupon to get him to marry me.

However, in the end, I was unwilling to waste my life on a man like him.

The jewelry was too precious. Of course, I had to return them.

The coupon had his signature, so I could not let it fall into someone else's hands.

I packed up the things carefully and called Brad's personal assistant.

"These things are very valuable. You must hand them to him yourself," I said to Brad's assistant.

He was polite, but he was clearly annoyed.

"A bit of advice to you, Ms. Young, stop wasting your time. Mr. Coleman is getting engaged soon. It's better for both of you to go your separate ways."

He thought I wanted to pull some tricks and beg Brad to take me back.

I wanted to explain, but he clearly could not even be bothered to brush me off. He threw the box in the trunk and drove off.

I quietly left the capital city with the people the Blackwell family sent to escort me.

Two days later, I met my future husband for the first time.

He was James, the heir of the Blackwell family.

He wore a sharp black suit and looked elegant and handsome.

He was in a wheelchair and had a thin blanket covering his knees. However, his back was straight, and his shoulders were broad and powerful. So, because of that, people would completely forget about his disability.

"Leah," he called my name in a deep voice.

I took a deep breath and quickly walked up to him. Then, I crouched down and met his eye level.

I must have been incredibly nervous and timid. That was because I saw a tiny version of myself in his deep-set eyes, and even my lashes seemed to be fluttering.

I secretly took a deep breath, plucking up my courage to raise my hand. Then, I held his hands, which were placed on the blanket.

"Hello, Mr. Blackwell. I'm Leah Young," I said.

I heard the people around me gasping when I held his hands. However, I was so nervous that I could not care about all that. I subconsciously held his hands tighter instead.

James did not push me away.

His hands were big, and his fingers were long. I could not even hold them in my hands.

Right as I was about to suffocate because of my nerves, James held my icy hands. He wrapped my freezing hands in his palms and held them tightly.

"Leah, push me to my room," he said.

I quickly got up, but I staggered and almost fell.

James reached out and grabbed my waist. "Be careful," he said.

He let go very quickly, but my cheeks were a little flushed.

I hummed softly in acknowledgment and took over his wheelchair from the household staff. Then, I pushed him to his room.

Once the door was shut, the warm lights turned on.

James glanced at me and pointed at his legs. There was a faint grin on his face, but it also seemed like it was just my illusion.

"My legs don't work, Leah. I'll have to rely on you tonight."

I lowered my head, not daring to look at him. I nodded a little and pinched my earlobe awkwardly just to find that it was burning…