Jada’s younger sister, Jodie, was raped. The evidence was conclusive, yet the perpetrator walked free.

Private photos from the scene were leaked and circulated online until the entire internet knew her name.

Unable to endure the humiliation, Jodie leapt from a rooftop. Their mother collapsed under the blow and fell into a coma.

Their elder brother, a lawyer, insisted on pressing charges against the rapist, Dapper Weede. Within a single day, he was arrested—but for “defamation.” He was sentenced to three years in prison.

Jada herself was trapped in a storm of public opinion. Every day she was insulted, accused of sleeping her way into a wealthy marriage, and mocked that her sister had tried the same path but failed.

People didn’t call it rape. To them, it was just a price that hadn’t been agreed upon.

The entire internet condemned the McNamees for fabricating evidence to frame Dapper.

But little did everyone know that the one who had truly forged evidence was none other than Jada’s husband of ten years—Kenton Hynes.

Just to protect Dapper—the younger brother of Kenton’s childhood sweetheart—Jada's husband orchestrated everything, driving the McNamees into ruin.

When Jada learned the truth, she had only one thought left: to avenge her sister, and make every single culprit pay!

1

Jada and Kenton had been in love for ten years—the kind of couple everyone in their circle envied.

From school uniforms to wedding attires, from penniless youth to a fortune in the hundreds of millions, they had walked every step hand in hand.

They were supposed to be the perfect pair. Yet now, they stood on opposite sides of a courtroom.

Jada had accused Kenton’s childhood sweetheart’s brother, Dapper, of raping her sister, Jodie.

But Kenton submitted evidence instead: private photos of Jodie, along with a video suggesting she had drugged Dapper.

“No! That’s not true! My sister would never do something like this!”

On the courtroom screen, photo after photo flickered past. Jada felt her blood turn to ice.

She had no idea how Kenton had obtained these images, but she was certain—her quiet and reserved sister could never have done such a thing.

“Jada,” Kenton called in a cold voice. “I know how much you love your sister. But this… this is the truth.”

His eyes were devoid of sympathy.

“I never wanted to say this. But it seems I have no choice.”

He sighed, the sound heavy.

“Your sister once tried the same thing with me. She tried to seduce me. She didn’t succeed, of course. But because she was your sister, I kept it from you. I didn’t want to hurt you, Jada, I—”

“Shut up!” Jada shot to her feet, tears blurring her eyes. Her voice broke into a roar. “Kenton, don’t you dare slander my sister!”

But her protest was drowned in the suffocating silence of evidence—photos, videos, testimony. Her accusation collapsed while the Weedes countersued instead.

When she stepped out of the courthouse, the sky above looked unbearably gray.

“Jada!”

Kenton caught up, reaching for her hand with familiar tenderness.

“Don’t be like this. Daisybelle only has one brother. If Dapper goes to prison, she’ll be devastated.”

His brows drew together, as though he too were in pain.

“So you knew. You knew Jodie didn’t drug Dapper.”

Her tightly pressed lips trembled slightly.

“Those photos—did you have them made? And the story about her trying to seduce you—that was a lie too, wasn’t it? My sister would never—never—do something like that!”

Faced with her relentless questioning, Kenton only pursed his lips in silence.

Seeing him like this, Jada felt a stabbing pain in her chest.

That was her sister he lied about. She was the only family she had in this world.

“Kenton,” she whispered hoarsely, “my sister’s all I have.”

“Jada, you still have me!” he reminded her, stepping forward to pull her into his arms.

But she flinched back, tearing her hand free and retreating from his arms.

Bitterness, disbelief, and grief churned in her eyes as she looked at him.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the shrill ringing of her phone cut through the air.

“Hello? Is this Jada McNamee? Your sister—she’s on the rooftop of The Ledge Tower. Please, come quickly—”

The image of Jodie curled up on the bed, her clothes in disarray, kept flashing before Jada’s eyes, tightening her chest.

Almost as if by instinct, she spun around, ignoring Kenton behind her, and rushed out of the courthouse.

By the time she reached The Ledge Tower, a crowd had already gathered. And there, on the very top, was Jodie—legs dangling over the edge.

Jada forced her way past the crowd and seized the loudspeaker from a police officer. Her voice shook violently as she shouted, “Jodie! Listen to me. Come down, please! Come down to me!”

From above, Jodie’s weak voice drifted down.

“Jada… I didn’t. I didn’t drug him.”

“I know. I believe you. I’ll find the evidence. I promise I will!”

“It’s useless, Jada. It’s useless…”

Jodie rose slowly to her feet. She looked down at her sister, and a fragile smile touched her lips. Then she spread her arms… and stepped forward.

“No—”

Jada’s scream tore the air. She reached out instinctively, as though she could catch her sister as she fell. But Jodie’s body plummeted like a broken butterfly, crumpling upon impact into an unnatural shape.

“Jodie… Jodie…”

Jada stumbled forward, collapsing to her knees as she gathered her bloodied sister into her arms. She tried to hold her together, tried to save her, but there was nothing left to save.

The world around her was chaos, voices, footsteps, sirens—but inside her, there was only silence.

She gazed at the still form of her sister in her arms and reached out to straighten her disheveled hair. But in the next moment, everything went black before Jada’s eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. Staring at a blank and white ceiling, she could no longer shed any tears.

Soon, she handled her sister’s funeral arrangements all by herself. Alone, she carried her sister’s ashes. Alone, she made the call overseas.

“If I agree to join the company now… is there still a chance?”

“Of course. Our company welcomes talent like yours anytime.”

“But I have conditions.”

“What conditions?”

“I want every piece of evidence from my sister’s case.” She paused, her grip tightening on the urn in her arms. “And I want Kenton’s company destroyed.”

There was a pause on the other end. Then a calm reply came.

“Very well. Give me four days. I’ll get you what you want. As for the bankruptcy… that will depend on what you can give me in return.”

“Fine. I won’t let you down.”

After hanging up the phone, she stared out at the torrential rain, feeling the love she had once held for Kenton washed away along with it.

What had happened to her sister—Jada would never let it go.

As for Kenton, she no longer wanted anything to do with him.

From now on, she would live only as Jada McNamee.

2

By the time Jada returned from the funeral home to the villa, it was already late at night.

The moment she stepped inside, she saw Daisybelle sitting comfortably on the couch while Kenton half-knelt on the floor, gently massaging her foot.

When he noticed her, he lifted his gaze, sweeping her with a cold look. His voice was equally frigid.

“Where have you been? Why are you only coming back now?”

As he spoke, he carefully finished wrapping Daisybelle’s ankle, then rose to his feet and walked over to Jada.

“You didn’t say a word before you left. You me worry about you all this time. You never used to be like this, Jada.”

He frowned slightly as he said it.

His words dragged Jada’s thoughts back to the past—the days when the two of them shared everything… when nothing was kept from each other.

But ever since Daisybelle came into the picture, Kenton never told her where he was going anymore.

And now… he dared to scold her for disappearing without a word?

When Jada stayed silent, Kenton reached out and tucked her rain-damp hair behind her ear, his tone laced with reproach.

“It’s pouring outside. Why didn’t you bring an umbrella? If you catch a cold, it’ll hurt me to see you suffer.”

His voice was soft, even tender. But it no longer stirred a single ripple in her heart.

She lifted her eyes to him, instinctively taking a step back.

“I forgot to bring one.”

With that, she turned to go upstairs, but Kenton grabbed her wrist from behind.

“Where are you going now?”

He frowned, and before she could answer, he dragged her firmly over to the dining table and pressed her into a chair.

“Jada, about Jodie’s matter, Dapper already knows he was wrong. I punished him already, so don’t stay mad.”

At that moment, Daisybelle rose from the couch, limping slightly as she walked over.

“Punished?” The sight of Daisybelle’s faintly flushed cheeks made Jada’s chest tighten with suffocating rage. She asked, “How exactly was he punished?”

Caught off guard by the question, Daisybelle froze, clearly not expecting her to press further.

Jada then turned to Kenton, enunciating each word. “How was he punished?”

“I… I grounded him. He’s not allowed to leave the house for three days.”

“That’s all?”

Jada’s eyes locked onto the two of them with an icy glare.

Her sister was dead. And the murderer’s punishment… was merely three days of not being allowed to go out?

“Jada, maybe you don’t understand Dapper.”

Daisybelle stepped closer, pouring Jada a glass of liquor.

“He’s the lively sort who loves crowds. Forcing him to stay home for three days is as good as killing him. It’s already a very harsh punishment.”

She looked around the room, then asked lightly, “By the way, where’s Jodie? Since Dapper was punished, as his sister, I should apologize to her personally on his behalf.”

At the mention of Jodie, Jada’s heart clenched painfully.

Her sister… would never come back.

“She’s not coming back,” Jada replied, her fists clenching so tightly at her side that her nails dug deep into her palm.

“Is that so…”

Daisybelle lowered her head, feigning sadness. And then, she quickly lifted her gaze with a smile, raising the brimming glass toward Jada.

“Since Jodie won’t come, then Jada, I’ll have to trouble you to drink on her behalf.”

She placed the poured liquor before her and continued softly,

“This time, Dapper really went too far. I’ve already scolded him harshly. On his behalf, I’m apologizing to you—and to Jodie.”

She was about to drink when Kenton stopped her in time.

“Your foot is still injured. You can’t drink.”

He snatched the glass from her hand and drained it himself.

Daisybelle’s eyes lit with a smile as she watched him drink for her, then she turned to Jada. But seeing no response, her eyes welled up instantly.

“Jada… you still can’t forgive us?”

Her voice was choked with tears, pitiful as she looked up at Kenton.

Kenton frowned at the sight of her tears, then picked up another glass from the table and held it out to Jada.

“Jada, Daisybelle has already apologized. Don’t go too far.”

His voice was cold, threaded with suppressed anger.

Staring at the liquor trembling slightly in his hand, Jada felt her chest constrict.

Had he already forgotten?

Once, for the sake of securing him an important contract, she drank herself into stomach bleeding, nearly losing her life. That night, he had held her hand, eyes red, swearing she was never to touch alcohol again in this lifetime.

And yet now… for Daisybelle’s sake, he was the one forcing a glass into Jada’s hands.

“I won’t drink it.”

Jada brushed away his hand and rose to leave.

But in the very next moment, Kenton yanked her back into the chair, pinched her cheeks tight, and before she could react… he forced the entire glass of white liquor down her throat.

3

The spiciness burned her throat, forcing Jada to grab at her neck as she coughed violently.

Her body shook with each fit, and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes from the sudden, uncontrollable irritation.

“You drove me to this, Jada.”

Kenton released her, his brows drawing together as he watched her doubled over, coughing without pause.

He almost stepped forward to help ease her breathing when, from the side, Daisybelle suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.

“What’s wrong?”

Hearing her, Kenton rushed over, quickly steadying her by the arm.

“My foot… I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been standing too long, but all of a sudden, it hurts so badly.”

As she spoke, Daisybelle leaned into him, her strength giving way until she nearly collapsed against his chest.

“Then sit down at once. I’ll rub it for you.”

He guided her into a chair and knelt down in front of her, completely forgetting Jada, who was still trying to recover from being forced to drink.

Watching him crouch and carefully lift Daisybelle’s foot onto his knee, Jada felt a dull and stabbing ache in her chest.

Her mind drifted back to a summer long ago—back when Kenton was not yet the rising star of the business world.

To make ends meet, she had worn a heavy mascot costume on the street, handing out flyers in the sweltering heat.

Perhaps because the costume was too big, perhaps because it was too hot, she had tripped over the hem and fallen, twisting her ankle badly.

Back then, Kenton had crouched in exactly this way. He gently rested her injured foot on his knee, his hands carefully massaging the swelling with a tenderness that made his eyes turn red.

“Jada… I’ll never let you get hurt again next time.”

That had been his promise to her.

But who could have thought that, in the end, the one to wound her deepest would be Kenton himself?

Unable to bear the intimacy before her eyes, Jada pressed a hand to her still-burning stomach and turned away, heading upstairs.

She changed out of her rain-soaked clothes and took a long, thorough shower.

When she stepped out, every ounce of strength seemed drained from her body. She collapsed onto the bed, and before she knew it, sleep claimed her.

She didn’t know how long she had slept before the sound of the bedroom door creaking open startled her awake.

In the dark, Kenton groped his way to the bed and slipped beneath the covers. He pulled her into his arms from behind. When she didn’t move, he let out a long sigh.

“Jada, I know you’re not asleep.”

He paused, then continued softly, “Daisybelle came sincerely today to apologize, but Jodie didn’t show up at all. That’s just too much.”

He sighed again. “Lately, you’ve spoiled Jodie so much she’s growing more and more unruly. After this, you really need to have a serious talk with her.”

Jada’s hands curled into tight fists.

‘Kenton! What right do you have to criticize my sister?!’

Before she could think further, thunder cracked outside, drowning out his voice. In his arms, Jada flinched violently.

She had always been afraid of thunderstorms. After all, it was on such a stormy night that her parents had left her forever.

Feeling her fear, Kenton opened his mouth as if to comfort her. But just then, his phone rang.

He answered, and Daisybelle’s choked and trembling voice drifted from the other end.

“Kenton… it’s thundering. I’m scared…”

“It’s alright, don’t be afraid. I’ll come right away.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he sprang out of bed, threw on a coat, and rushed out, not sparing a glance for Jada who was still shivering beneath the blankets.

The heavy slam of the bedroom door echoed like a weight in her chest, sinking her heart into a frozen abyss.

Apparently, that was it. In his heart, between her and Daisybelle, he had already made his choice.

The thunder rumbled on outside as Jada curled into herself, clutching at her chest.

She had thought she could no longer feel pain. But how could someone who had once loved so deeply not hurt?

At last, the tears she had held back spilled over, breaking free in an unstoppable flood.

She didn’t know how much time passed. When the storm outside finally quieted, and the thunder and lightning began to fade, the bedroom door opened once more.

But to her surprise, it was not Kenton who entered.

It was Dapper—Daisybelle’s younger brother!