Hearing that, Yvonne's smile faded, replaced by a look of grievance.

Jasper glanced at me. Seeing no reaction from my end, he picked up a crayfish for me, then another for Yvonne.

"Hazel, you've always loved crayfish. I even learned to make it just for you."

My table was covered in bright red, explosively spicy dishes. Hearing his words, it felt incredibly laughable. It was Yvonne Lake who loved crayfish and it was she who loved spicy food.

Because of him, I suffered a stomach injury years ago, leaving it very sensitive. I've disliked spicy food and been unable to eat it ever since a fact he's completely forgotten.

Jasper put dish after dish onto my plate, urging, "Hazel, eat up! Don't you love spicy food the most?"

I was never the one who loved spicy food. I wanted to tell him, but in the end, I endured the discomfort in my stomach and ate all the dishes.

Soon after eating, I ran to the bathroom and threw up violently. Later that night, my stomach was cramping with sharp pains and I was covered in cold sweat.

Jasper wasn't in bed. I forced myself through the discomfort to the living room to look for medicine.

Before I even reached it, I saw the living room lights on and heard a man's gasps and a woman's seductive moans.

My body stiffened. I walked closer and saw Jasper holding Yvonne in his arms.

Yvonne was naked, not wearing a stitch, leaning intimately against Jasper.

Even though I already knew about their relationship, I never expected them to do such things at home. My vision blurred and I nearly collapsed.

I finally stood up. My stomach was aching and I could only lean against the wall to barely support my body.

Just as I started calming down and trying to leave, I heard Yvonne panting as she confronted Jasper.

"Jasper, who do you truly love in your heart? Hazel or me?"

I paused. Then came his answer without the slightest hesitation. "You, of course."

His words were firm and decisive, piercing my already numb heart.

My hand trembled as I clutched my chest, only to realize that even numbness could still feel pain.

"But everyone says Hazel is your capable assistant and that you owe your success to her. You've had decades of history together. I can't compare to Hazel."

Her voice held a hint of grievance. Jasper lowered his head and kissed her deeply, a shadow crossing his eyes when he heard the first few sentences.

He scoffed, "Sage Enterprise has been built entirely by my own hands these past years. Everyone knows she helped me, but without me, there would be no Sage Enterprise at all."

"Besides, as a man, why would I need her protection? She only did that to make outsiders humiliate me."

"Now her ambition is growing. She's not like you, obedient and sensible. Evie, you're so much better than Hazel, that tomboy."

"Evie, are you still questioning my love for you? If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have made it so Hazel can never get pregnant again."

The intimate sounds in the living room continued. I leaned against the wall, head tilted back, trying to keep the tears from falling, but I couldn't stop them.

I never imagined he thought of me this way. Decades of knowing each other, yet it couldn't stand up to human nature.

I met Jasper when we were kids. Because my parents worried about my safety, they enrolled me in judo and boxing lessons from a young age.

As a result, I often ended up protecting kids my age and that's how I met Jasper.

He was bullied a lot because he was frail and malnourished. One day, I passed by and chased the bullies away.

Jasper didn't have a mother, so I brought him home with me. My parents treated him like their own son.

When others mocked him, I'd step forward and scold those who insulted him.

This protection lasted over twenty years. Even now, when he's in danger, I instinctively shield him.

But I didn't expect that my protection at the cost of my life would be a humiliation in his eyes.

Did being protected by a woman make him feel ashamed?

Jasper said with disdain, "She still wants me to marry her. She's a tomboy. She has no femininity at all, but she wants to marry me every day."

"How could I marry such a tomboy who no one wants? Every time I see her body, I feel sick to my stomach, yet I still have to sleep with her."

My face went pale. I couldn't hold it in anymore and ran to the bathroom, throwing up violently. It took a lot to recover and I felt like I'd lost half my life.

I lifted my clothes and looked at the body covered with scars in the mirror; the muzzle next to the heart, the burns on the neck and the wounds of all sizes on the body.

There were also centipede-like wounds on the abdomen, which were left by being stabbed more than a dozen times not long ago and all this was to protect him.

Yet, in his eyes, it had become a humiliation. Looking at my scar-ridden self in the mirror, I suddenly felt incredibly ridiculous.

In Jasper's darkest times, I promised I would always love him. But now, I realize I couldn't do it anymore.

Jasper, I loved you for over twenty years, but now I've completely given up!

The next day, I woke up early. My suitcase was packed with my belongings. Jasper looked startled when he saw it. "What are you doing, packing your bags?"

His tone was a little anxious, but there were no more ripples in my heart. I said calmly, "I want to go home and stay for a few days."

Hearing this, Jasper seemed relieved. "I'll take you there tomorrow."

"No need! Yvonne is injured, you need to take care of her!" Jasper wanted to say it was nothing, but the next second, there was a scream from Yvonne's room.

Moments later, Jasper came downstairs. "Hazel, Evie isn't feeling well. She's shy, so could you go help her down?"

I only had one more day before I could leave and I didn't want to cause any trouble, so I walked upstairs.

In the room, Yvonne's naked body was covered in hickeys. When she saw me looking at her, she raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly. "Hazel, did you enjoy the show last night?"

I looked at her deeply. "You know, Yvonne, I saved you. Why are you doing this to me?"

Yvonne's expression turned icy as she demanded, "Then tell me. Why is it that I'm younger and prettier, yet I'm struggling, while you get to live in comfort, with Jasper by your side?"

"Hazel, I'm not willing to accept that. Or do you still think he has feelings for you?"

I looked at her, perhaps because the disappointment had piled up so high that even the last trace of disgust I felt for her had faded. Someone like her wasn't even worth the energy it took to despise her.

Yet, she suddenly stood at the top of the stairs, smiling as she asked, "Who do you think is more important in Jasper's heart, you or me?"

Before I could react, Yvonne screamed and fell down the stairs, only to be caught immediately in Jasper's arms.

She looked at me with fear on her face. "Please, don't push me, Hazel. If you don't like me at home, I will leave. Don't hit me, I'm scared."

That girl curled up in his arms like a frightened little animal.

I turned to Jasper. "I didn't touch her. She saw you coming and threw herself down on purpose."

However, Jasper didn't believe me. He looked at me with disappointment. "Hazel, do you think she'd risk her life just to fake something like this?"

"Acting pitiful is your game, not hers. She's not as manipulative as you."

It took me a moment to understand what he meant by "acting pitiful." I tried to stay calm, but my whole body shook angrily.

"I wasn't acting! Every scar on my body was from protecting you. How can you accuse me of faking it?"

Jasper's face stayed cold. "You have two choices: jump off the stairs yourself, or apologize to Evie."

I clenched my jaw and stared at him. "I choose neither. I will not apologize to Yvonne."

I turned to leave, but Jasper stuck out his foot just then. I didn't see it in time and tumbled down the stairs.

I screamed in pain, my bones screaming with a dislocating agony. Jasper held Yvonne in his arms and looked down at me, but his voice was strangely gentle.

"See? If you don't choose, then I'll have to choose for you. This is what you owe Evie."

I bit my lips until they bled and my teeth chattered from the pain, but Jasper walked over coldly.

Everything went black and I couldn't fight the dizziness anymore. When I finally came to, the hospital informed me that I had broken bones in my foot.

My phone vibrated. It was a call from Jasper. "Hazel, I'm taking Evie to recover from her injuries. Wait for me at the hospital."

But then, Yvonne posted a set of photos on her social media, pictures from a trip she took with Jasper.

In one photo, he was on one knee, putting a ring on her finger.

My heart clenched. I closed my eyes and dialed my parents. "Mom, Dad, I miss you. Can you come take me home?"

As soon as they heard the news, my parents were furious. "Hazel, aren't you pregnant? Is Jasper treating you badly?"

The next day, they rushed back from abroad and Jasper never came to the hospital to see me.

When I saw my parents, I couldn't control myself anymore and cried in their arms.

After explaining everything clearly, they wanted to settle accounts with Jasper, but I stopped them.

I sat in a wheelchair and went to the Sage residence one last time to take my suitcase.

Jasper, we are strangers from now on, as if dead to each other!