"Carrie, let's move up the contract timeline. If you help me complete the last task, I'll have foreign experts arrange Art's surgery and make your wish come true."

Carrie gazed at the elegant woman before her—Jared’s mother and her sponsor.

"You said it. I’ll do it."

"You also know that the woman who abandoned Jared all those years ago is back. I need you to drive her away. Once that's done, I'll arrange for you to go abroad and reunite with your boyfriend."

Carrie knew this wouldn't be easy, but she had no choice. She had to agree and do her best.

Jared had always loved Karin Britton, his first love—someone he could never have. His love for her was so deep that he’d broken ties with his family, sparking a storm that had shaken everything.

Then, Karin disappeared without a word, leaving Jared heartbroken for a long time.

Jared’s mother couldn’t bear to see her son in pain. So, she found Carrie.

Carrie had been with Art for three years. They were on the brink of marriage when he fell from a height while working and ended up in a vegetative state.

Jared’s mother promised Carrie that if she helped Jared recover from his grief, she would arrange for the world's best medical team to treat Art, with an 80% success rate.

So, Carrie signed a two-year contract and entered Jared's life.

Her face, a near replica of Karin’s, became her bargaining chip. She was to be a stand-in.

At first, Jared ignored her, but as she played the role of someone who liked him, they gradually became an enviable couple.

Now, with less than a month left on the contract, Karin was back, and Jared's mother had another task for Carrie—complete it, and she could see Art wake up.

Carrie was thrilled. Soon, she would see Art return from his long slumber.

So, no matter what Jared’s mother asked her to do, she would comply.

At the same time, Jared’s message popped up.

[Buy a bouquet of 999 roses and bring them to my office. Deliver them in half an hour.]

Carrie knew the flowers were for Karin.

Just a week ago, Jared had made Karin his exclusive secretary and spent every day with her.

The company buzzed with gossip, mocking Carrie for hoping to get promoted as a mere substitute—a foolish dream, they said.

But Carrie didn’t care. To her, Jared was just a task.

She arrived at the office empty-handed. Jared looked up, frowning.

"Where are the roses I asked for? What am I supposed to give Karin later?"

At that moment, Karin entered, looking regretful.

"It’s fine, Jared. I’m just a secretary. I can’t accept your flowers. I’m afraid Carrie might be upset and ruin your relationship."

Without saying a word, Carrie poured her coffee onto Karin’s head.

"Karin, I’m Jared’s fiancée to the public now. You’re just his secretary. Leave him alone, or I won’t let you go."

Jared immediately stood up, pulling Karin into his arms as she screamed.

"Did she get burned? Don't worry, I’ll explain everything to you."

He turned to glare at Carrie.

"Carrie, do you think you can bully Karin like this? Apologize to her right now!"

Karin cried, shaking her head.

"Don’t worry, Jared. I shouldn't have stayed by your side. I’ll resign now and never see you again."

Jared, clearly distressed, continued comforting her.

"Carrie, if it weren’t for your face, do you think I’d even care about you?"

Carrie remained calm. "No matter what, she’s the mistress, Jared. We’re about to get engaged—shouldn’t you take responsibility for me?"

Jared let out a cold laugh and smashed the custom-made cup she had spent half a month crafting just to please him. He had once cherished it.

"Engagement? The only person I love is Karin. What kind of engagement could there possibly be?"

"Carrie, since you enjoy throwing coffee on Karin so much, why don’t I let you experience what it feels like?"

His expression darkened, returning to that terrifying, ruthless look he had when she first met him—like he wanted to grind her to dust.

Moments later, a group of bodyguards swarmed in, gripping her hands and feet, rendering her immobile.

Jared’s voice was like a devil’s whisper from hell. "Karin, how should we punish her?"

Carrie struggled, but it was useless.

Karin feigned generosity. "No need, Jared. I’m not that fragile. It’s just a cup of coffee. When I worked odd jobs abroad, I was often beaten and scolded by customers. I’m used to it."

Jared’s face grew even darker.

"It’s not your place, Carrie, to bully someone under my protection."

"Bring me ten cups of boiling coffee."

Carrie’s heart pounded. "Jared, what are you trying to do to me?"

She didn’t want to risk her life—she still wanted to see Art awake and healthy.

Jared’s lips curled into a smile as he held a cup of steaming coffee. "I’ll repay you tenfold for what you did to Karin."

The next second, scorching liquid splashed across her face.

A searing pain shot through her, and she thrashed against the bodyguards’ grip, but she couldn’t break free.

Jared nodded in satisfaction. "Karin, I won’t let anyone hurt you."

Then, more cups followed—burning coffee drenching her hair, her collarbone, her stomach, her thighs…

Agonizing screams filled the office.

Karin clung to Jared’s arm, laughing wildly.

Jared’s voice was sharp. "Carrie, apologize to Karin. Now!"

She spat on the ground. "I’m right. As long as I’m here, she’ll always be the mistress!"

Without a word, Jared struck her across the face.

"You have no shame."

Then, he handed the last cup to Karin. "Finish it."

Karin hesitated. "Jared, I don’t want to treat Carrie like this. She’ll hate me forever."

He gently ruffled her hair. "You’re too kind, which is why people take advantage of you. With me here, she won’t dare hate you."

With that, Jared guided Karin’s hand, and together, they poured the remaining coffee over Carrie, who was already soaked through.

Her exposed skin turned red and swollen, angry blisters forming before their eyes. The sight was horrifying.

One could only imagine the pain.

No matter how furious Jared had been with her in the past, he had never gone this far.

He had always been gentle to her—once, when she cut her finger on a sharp page, he rushed her to the hospital, refusing to let her touch water until it healed.

Now, to protect Karin, he acted as if he wanted to rip her apart, tendon by tendon, bone by bone.

With one final push, he sent her crashing to the ground.

"Don’t do it again," he warned coldly. "Today was just a small lesson."

After being mercilessly thrown out of the office, Carrie returned home.

She wasn’t sure how much longer she could endure this before she collapsed completely. If things continued like this, would she even live to see Art wake up?

But she had no choice—she had to do what Jared’s mother wanted.

She found the burn ointment and applied it to her skin, the searing pain spreading through her body like wildfire.

Ever since Karin came back, she had seen a side of Jared she had never fully known—cold, distant, and ruthless.

She had once gone to great, foolish lengths to make him acknowledge her, to make him look at her in the eye.

She had saved his life when he was drunk and nearly hit by an out-of-control vehicle. She had thrown herself forward, pushing him out of harm’s way, only to have her own calf dislocated in the process. She had spent a month in the hospital recovering.

When Jared once mentioned wanting to see the sunrise at Golden Mountain, she had climbed a snow-covered peak with a high fever just to capture the perfect, breathtaking footage for him. He had scolded her for an hour afterward.

But after that, he had started treating her better. He had even stopped calling her Karin so frequently.

For a moment, she had believed that even if he didn’t love her, at the very least, he saw her as a person.

Now she knew better.

To Jared, the world was divided into two categories—Karin, and everyone else.

Fortunately, she didn’t love him. It had all been an act.

She skillfully logged into the account with the ID "Wait for him to wake up" and habitually posted some complaints. This account used to record her love with Art, but later it became a place to scold Jared.

Her only dream was to marry Art and live a peaceful, happy life.

Thinking of him, she took out her recorder and started speaking to Art.

This was a habit of hers—whenever Jared wronged her, she recorded her thoughts, as if confiding in Art.

A deep male voice suddenly interrupted her. "Leaving? Reunion? What are you talking about?"

Carrie quickly turned off the recorder and looked at Jared. "Nothing. Just watching a video."

Her face was still covered in ointment, and the sight startled him for a moment.

But then, as if remembering why she was in this state, his expression hardened.

"This is what happens when you hurt Karin—it’s your own fault."

His voice was sharp. "Do you finally understand your mistake? Can’t you tolerate Karin?"

"I let you stay, so you should be grateful. A stand-in should know her place. Do you understand?"

Carrie let out a cold laugh. "I don’t understand. All I know is that you’re still my fiancé, and we’re about to get engaged. Yet here you are, fooling around with your secretary."

Whatever flicker of hesitation had been in Jared’s eyes vanished instantly.

"You?" he scoffed. "You’re not even worthy of carrying Karin’s shoes."

He turned sharply, knocking into a vase on the table. It wobbled, then toppled over.

Carrie instinctively stepped back, but before it could hit the ground, Jared reached out and caught it.

The vase shattered against the corner of the table, and shards of glass sliced through her calf.

But Jared’s hand was injured even more severely.

Without thinking, he blurted out, "Are you okay? I’ll take you to the hospital and get it bandaged."

Carrie was about to tell him she was fine when Karin’s voice rang out from his phone.

"Jared, there’s a power outage in my building. Someone’s been knocking on my door, and I’m scared. Can you come over?"

Jared glanced at Carrie for only a second before answering.

"Don’t be afraid, Karin. I’m coming right now. Just wait for me."

He barely spared Carrie another glance before saying perfunctorily, "Go get it treated yourself. I don’t have time for you."

Carrie wasn’t surprised.

She made her way to a roadside clinic and got the wound bandaged.

While waiting, she absentmindedly scrolled through social media and saw Karin’s latest post.

Jared—who had an obsessive dislike for anything unclean—had actually changed a lightbulb in her apartment.

The caption read: "After all these years, you’re still the only one who truly cares about my safety."

A second later, Jared’s comment appeared below it.

"As long as it’s you, I’d walk through fire and cross mountains of swords."

They were truly in love.

Then, her phone rang. It was Jared’s mother.

"Carrie, Jared says he’s going to marry Karin. This time, he insists on marrying her no matter what. I won’t rely on you anymore."

Her voice turned cold.

"Since you failed to drive her away, just wait for the contract to expire and leave quietly. I’ll keep my promise and arrange the surgery for Art—but as for the follow-up expenses, you’ll have to figure that out yourself."

The call ended.

For a long moment, Carrie just stood there, letting the words settle.

She only had to endure it until the contract expired, and she would be free.

After everything she had suffered, that day had finally come.