My body trembled violently, a breath stuck in my throat as I stared at Elliott without blinking.

“Elliott, do you actually believe what you are saying?”

For the sake of protecting his lover, this man was truly a master of acting.

I had long known that Nicole was not dead, and I also knew they had been scheming behind my back.

“I heard A Ting was swept onto a beach and was luckily rescued by fishermen.”

“Do not overthink it, Brenda. He has already died once in a sense. Let the past be buried. I will protect you from now on.”

Protect me?

If I had not overheard his conversation with the lawyer, I might truly have believed him.

Elliott choked slightly, then continued, “I know this is hard for you to accept. Grandpa pitied Nicole for being an orphan. He even entrusted me to take good care of you. From now on, I will make sure you lack nothing in life.”

I could not listen any longer. I pushed past him and ran to the morgue, collapsing over my grandfather’s body and sobbing uncontrollably.

I had treated Elliott well throughout our marriage. Why did he have to treat me like this?

Elliott’s mother had died early, and his father never knew how to care for others, so he grew up being rough and boyish.

Back in high school, Nicole mocked his short hair for being unfashionable and even led others in bullying him.

It was I who kept comforting him, telling him that girls with short hair were beautiful, often bringing him home with me, helping him regain his confidence.

Because of me, Grandpa had always been kind to Elliott as well, giving him lucky money every year.

Only later did I learn that he had always been deeply in love with Nicole, to the point of colluding with him to alter Grandpa’s will.

Grandpa had never even known Nicole. All he knew was that Nicole was the man who had once betrayed me and ruined my marriage. How could he possibly leave his inheritance to him?

Legally, such a forged will would never be recognized. What they did was a crime.

I held Grandpa’s funeral without informing Elliott.

Yet he came uninvited, bringing Nicole with him.

I blocked their way. “What are you doing here?”

Nicole put on a wronged expression. “Brenda, Grandpa left his inheritance to me. I should at least come and fulfill my filial duty.”

The relatives who had come to pay their respects immediately began to question the situation.

“What is going on? Shouldn’t the old man’s inheritance go to his own grandson?”

I let out a cold laugh and looked straight into Elliott’s eyes.

“Do not believe him. Grandpa said clearly while he was alive that the will would only be left to me.”

“Elliott, Grandpa once showed you great kindness. Do you dare swear in front of his portrait that you never altered his will?”

Elliott’s expression shifted slightly, yet his voice rang loud and firm.

“Brenda, I am your wife and a soldier. How can you doubt me like this?”

“And if we are talking about favors, have I not shown you kindness as well? Do not forget who saved you from that island back then.”

I clenched my fists tightly and shot back,

“Then who was it that caused me to be stranded on that island in the first place?”

He knew full well that I had nearly been murdered, yet now he stood on the side of the killer against me.

Elliott fell silent, and the surrounding relatives began to criticize him one after another.

Just then, Nicole suddenly burst into tears.

“I know Brenda hates me, but I was forced into all of this. Now that Grandpa is gone, maybe I should just follow him into death.”

She lunged toward the nearby pillar, yet before she even touched it, she collapsed to the ground.

“Nicole!”

Elliott rushed forward and gathered her into his arms, his face drained of all color. I had never seen such panic on his face before.

“Brenda, are you out of your mind?” he roared. “If Grandpa’s spirit can see you hurting people like this, he will never forgive you!”

“The inheritance will always belong to Nicole. I was going to give you a small share out of pity, but now you will not get a single cent!”

After hurling a few more curses at me, he supported Nicole and left.

Grandpa’s funeral turned into a farce whispered about by others, and the relatives soon dispersed. All I felt was guilt toward Grandpa as I carried his ashes home.

I contacted a well known lawyer to prepare a lawsuit and drafted a divorce agreement.

As I sorted through Grandpa’s belongings, my heart grew heavier with each item.

“Brenda, who gave you permission to enter my house?”

Nicole suddenly walked in and kicked over the box on the floor.

I grabbed him by the collar. “Get out. This is my grandfather’s home.”

Nicole sneered and easily pried my hand away.

“Oh? Grandpa clearly stated in the will that all his property belongs to me, including this house. The one who should get lost is you.”

Cold sweat broke out all over my body, and I barely had any strength left.

The stab wounds from three years ago had left lasting damage. I was no match for him physically.

Seeing my sorry state, Nicole looked at me with open contempt.

“Back then I stabbed you in the kidney. Now you are basically useless. Brenda, no wonder you could not satisfy Elliott in bed. He screamed happily under me.”

“Oh right, do you know how your grandfather died?”

“That night, after the old man fell asleep, Elliott could not hold back and insisted on dragging me onto the bed next to him. The old fool overheard us and got so angry that his heart gave out on the spot. Hahaha.”

I completely lost control and clamped my hands around Nicole’s neck.

Nicole did not resist at all, until a furious shout exploded from the doorway.

“Let go of him!”

A dark figure rushed at me, and my body was sent flying.

In a daze, I saw Elliott holding Nicole tightly, his voice trembling like a bowstring pulled to its limit.

“Nicole, what happened? Please do not scare me…”

Nicole coughed softly. “I am fine. Do not be angry, Xiao Min. I do not blame Brenda for taking it out on me.”

Elliott turned toward me, his eyes blazing with fury.

“Have you lost your mind? Why would you hurt Nicole?”

He knew exactly how to make me suffer. The kick landed right on the spot where I had been injured three years ago.

I forced myself up through the pain and slapped him hard across the face.

“Because he deliberately caused my grandfather’s death. Is that reason enough?”

But the next second, something dark filled my vision.

I widened my eyes and saw that Elliott had somehow raised a gun and aimed it at me.

He stared at me coldly, his finger resting on the trigger.

“Try touching him again and see what happens.”

The heart that had nearly gone numb suddenly ached so badly it felt as if it were being torn apart.

Elliott’s gun had followed him for many years, aimed at countless enemies and criminals.

And now, it was pointed at me.

A memory surfaced in my mind, the face of a young girl still innocent, her fingers raised in the shape of a gun.

“They all say I am a tomboy. Then I will become a female soldier when I grow up. If Nicole bullies you again, I will come back and protect you.”

Perhaps that memory hurt too much. A sharp ringing filled my ears, and I bent over, retching violently.

Elliott froze for a moment, then hurried over to support me.

“Brenda, what is wrong with you?”

I looked up at him blankly.

“Elliott, tell me. Am I a criminal, or am I your enemy?”

He was stunned for several seconds before replying stiffly, “I was just acting on impulse earlier. Enough. I cannot watch you hurt Nicole again. The incident three years ago was all instigated by Tao Qianqian. Nicole never owed you anything.”

“As for Grandpa’s inheritance, we will come for it later. You should prepare yourself.”

He dragged Nicole away, sparing me the sight of his smug triumph.

I locked Grandpa’s old residence inside and out before finally returning home, only then feeling slightly at ease.

They did not know that Grandpa had left behind a hidden will.

The real assets were stored in a high security safe overseas, accessible only through my iris scan.

The domestic inheritance was merely a drop in the ocean and entirely under the control of the overseas assets.

In the end, I alone was the rightful and sole heir.

The divorce agreement was already drafted. I sent Elliott a message.

“Elliott, we should di…”

Before I could finish typing, an urgent call came through.

“This is bad, President Shen. Your spouse has brought a strange man and is claiming the company belongs to him!”

What?

I was struck dumb and rushed straight to the company.

In the conference room, both Elliott and Nicole were present.

Attorney Fang, once employed by my family, was reading Grandpa’s will aloud.

He claimed that all of Grandpa’s company shares belonged to Nicole and even presented a video supposedly recorded by Grandpa himself.

I knew at a glance that the video was forged.

The shareholders sat in silence, all eyes fixed on me.

Before I could speak, Elliott stepped forward to vouch for it.

“I am a police officer. I personally witnessed Chairman Shen recording this will. Anyone who doubts it may come with me to the police station to verify the video.”

I let out a cold laugh. “Then let us go to the police station.”

Elliott grabbed my wrist and pulled me aside, lowering his voice.

“I know Grandpa left you more than this, so I will not allow you to leave the country. And Grandpa’s ashes have already been switched. If you refuse to sign the inheritance transfer agreement, I will scatter them.”

All the blood in my body froze. I could not even react for a long while.

Using Grandpa’s ashes to threaten me. Was he even human?

Elliott’s expression was complicated, but his tone brooked no refusal.

“You know I have connections at the police station. No matter how this ends, it will never be the result you want.”

“So be good, Brenda. With me, you have everything. I will guarantee you a happy life from now on.”

Something warm touched my face. It was not tears, but Elliott’s hand.

I no longer knew whether I should cry or laugh.

“Give it to me. I will sign.”

Nicole’s eyes lit up instantly as he produced the inheritance transfer agreement.

I signed swiftly. He clutched it to his chest like a treasure and hugged Elliott tightly, completely unrestrained.

“This is wonderful, Elliott. I finally have something to rely on!”

Elliott visibly relaxed, his eyes filled with joyful tears as he looked at Nicole.

I cut them off coldly. “Give me Grandpa’s ashes.”

Elliott hesitated, then awkwardly handed me a key.

I took it, hurried home, retrieved Grandpa’s ashes, and laid him to rest once more.

By the time I headed straight for the airport, it was nearly midnight. Elliott sent me a video message.

“Nicole was in a good mood today and asked me to stay for a few drinks. You should go to sleep first.”

“Thank you for understanding me. Once everything settles, let us have a child.”

I did not reply. I blocked his number and boarded the plane bound for Country A.

Elliott, from this moment on, we will never see each other again.