The next morning, Andrew was rudely awakened by a call from Elise's mother.

Sliding his arm out from under Kimberly’s sleeping form, he tiptoed to the living room and answered with a tone full of irritation, “Mrs. Watson, what instructions do you have for me this time?”

“Has Elise come running back to you with complaints again, asking you to pressure me?”

“This is between her and me. I’d advise you not to interfere too much.”

Elise’s tears flowed uncontrollably, her heart torn apart by a torrent of pain and regret. She had never known how rude and domineering Andrew was toward her family in private. He didn’t even bother addressing her mother as “Mom.”

Back when the Williams family faced bankruptcy, Andrew had hit roadblocks everywhere while seeking help.

Unable to bear seeing someone so proud fall into the mud, Elise had sold off the antique jewelry her grandmother left her to provide him with startup funds. She even begged her father to support Andrew in the business world.

It was only with her family’s help that the VeroVance Enterprises was saved from the brink of collapse.

After the company recovered, Andrew confessed his love to her.

Elise would never forget that day—it was the happiest day of her relationship with him.

One surprise after another unfolded on the lavender field stretching to the horizon in romantic Provence. The air was filled with pink, dreamy sweetness.

Andrew knelt on one knee, presenting the most expensive ring he could afford, and confessed his feelings.

Under the azure sky, his gaze was sincere and passionate, his vows heartfelt and full of emotion.

It was the most earnest and well-planned gesture Andrew had ever made. He had spent a long time preparing for this confession.

However, when Elise returned home, her mother poured cold water over her joy.

Her mother warned her that Andrew’s eyes harbored calculation more than love. But Elise, completely infatuated, had already lost her sense of reason. She believed she could make Andrew truly fall in love with her over time.

Yet, as Andrew overcame the toughest years and his company grew larger, the hidden cracks in their relationship began to surface.

Andrew moved the company’s headquarters from Chicago to Los Angeles and threatened to divorce her if she didn’t come with him.

Her parents were livid, accusing Andrew of ingratitude, but Elise, blinded by years of his occasional tenderness, stubbornly followed him.

As Andrew gained more power, he became intolerant of any mention of how her father had once supported him. After arriving in Los Angeles, he even forbade her from bringing up her father in front of others.

Elise consoled herself, believing this was just Andrew’s way of proving his capabilities, dismissing any advice from others.

She was convinced that Andrew would eventually come to love her.

But she clearly failed. Before she could even file for divorce, her parents were forced to bury their daughter.

Elise wept with heart-wrenching anguish, repeatedly lamenting her regret. But her mother could no longer hear her.

Her mother, already full of pent-up grievances, cried out in fury, “Andrew, do you even have a heart? Elise is dead! Where were you, her husband, when it happened?”

“The police said the last call she made was to you. Why didn’t you come to see her one last time?!”

“She loved you so much, and this is how you repay her?!”

Andrew froze, his frown deepening. His voice, still tinged with morning gruffness, grew icy enough to chill to the bone.

“Mrs. Watson, Elise’s tantrums are one thing, but are you, at your age, also going to stoop to lying and stirring up trouble?”

“Your Watson family really is rotten to the core, top to bottom.”

“Out of respect for your age, I won’t argue with you. But please relay this message to Elise. if she wants to make a scene, I, Andrew Williams, am more than happy to play along!”

“She better not come crawling back to beg for reconciliation!” Andre roared at the screen.

Elise trembled with fury, unable to imagine how devastated and enraged her mother must be hearing such callous words after just losing her only daughter.

Overwhelmed by anger, she stepped forward and tried to slap Andrew, but her hand passed straight through his body.

Hatred surged within Elise—for her indecisiveness in life and her helplessness in death.

The other end of the call remained silent, but Andrew didn’t hang up.

“Drew, who’s on the phone?” Kimberly’s coquettish voice drifted from the bedroom.

Elise’s mother, trembling with rage, shouted into the phone, “Andrew, my daughter’s body isn’t even cold yet, and you… you’re already fooling around with your mistress?!”

Her accusation ignited Andrew’s fury. “Mrs. Watson, who are you calling a mistress?!”

“If it weren’t for your daughter’s scheming, Kim and I would have been the rightful pair! Your daughter is the one who used dirty tricks to force away the true partner, shamelessly climbing her way to the top as the real mistress!”

With that, Andrew hung up, wrapping his arms around Kimberly and returning to bed.

Elise stood frozen, her feet feeling like they were weighed down with lead.

So, in Andrew’s eyes, she was the mistress all along.

She let out a bitter laugh. How patient he must have been, enduring all these years for the sake of his company.

When Andrew returned to the bedroom, Kimberly’s expression shifted from joy to hesitation, then to deep regret. Her eyes filled with tears as she murmured, “Drew, about last night…”

She lowered her gaze, her demeanor full of guilt as if she had committed an unforgivable sin. “What we did was wrong. Elise is your wife. I can’t be the one to ruin your marriage.”

“Drew, from now on… let’s not see each other again.”

Her last words seemed to sap all her strength. She avoided Andrew’s gaze, tears streaming down her face as she turned to run.

Andrew caught her around the waist, holding her tightly. “Kim, don’t go!”

“You know you’re the one I consider my wife. Elise? She’s nothing compared to you—not even a single strand of your hair.”

Kimberly stayed in his embrace, her back turned to him, and softly chided, “Don’t talk about Elise like that! No matter what, she’s still our benefactor…”

The word “benefactor” slipped from her lips reluctantly, each syllable laden with humiliation and helplessness, as if she had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Andrew’s expression darkened instantly, his tone icy and cutting, “So what if she has money? In front of me, Elise is nothing but a dog, wagging her tail at my feet for a single smile.”

“This time, she’s caused such a scene—I can’t wait to see how she’ll clean up the mess! Mrs. Watson must be senile to go along with such blatant lies. Does she not fear her words might come true, that her daughter might really die?”

“If Elise doesn’t kneel and apologize to me this time, I’ll divorce that insufferable woman.”

Every word from Andrew’s mouth was a blade slicing through Elise’s heart, leaving her gasping for air, hunched over in pain.

Eight years of marriage—five years of tenderness followed by three years of distrust and contempt. No matter how Andrew treated her, Elise had never wavered.

She had poured everything she had into loving him.

But in the end, all she got in return was his relentless insults and degradation, as though he couldn’t wait to grind her into the dirt.

Biting her trembling lower lip, Elise stared at the man she had loved for most of her life.

Elise had long lost the courage to continue, leaving only endless regret.

Andrew seemed to relish in belittling Elise as a way to win Kimberly’s favor. Sure enough, upon hearing his scornful words, Kimberly immediately stopped sobbing. She turned around, buried her head in Andrew’s neck, and spoke with feigned grievance, “Drew, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me, Elise wouldn’t have told such lies to trick you into coming back. But this time, Elise has truly gone too far. How could she joke about her own life like this? And Mrs. Watson actually joined her in this farce, deceiving you together.”

“Drew, they clearly don’t take you seriously at all!”

Hidden from Andrew’s view, Kimberly’s eyes gleamed with malice, her face twisted by jealousy.

Even though she knew they couldn’t see her, Elise’s heart skipped a beat when she caught Kimberly’s hate-filled gaze.

A wild thought sprang to her mind—could the car accident that killed her have been orchestrated by Kimberly?

The idea was so shocking that her knees gave way, and she fell heavily to the ground.

“Kim, no one understands me like you do,” Andrew said, holding Kimberly tightly. His voice was filled with venom as he added, “You're different from that two-faced slut Elise, who pretended to love me deeply but mocked me behind my back.

“She always carried herself with that condescending attitude, as if she was doing charity work, looking at me with pity like I was some beggar."

“Who wants her damn pity?” he seethed.

Kimberly gently touched Andrew’s cheek with her delicate hand, her eyes brimming with feigned tenderness.

As their intimacy escalated, Elise clenched her teeth in fury. Yet, she had no place to hide and could only squat in the corner, staring blankly.

Her heart seemed like a barren wasteland. She had spent eight years with Andrew—helping him build his career, traveling with him from city to city, enduring hardships together. In their poorest days, they couldn’t even afford a decent meal and survived on water and plain steamed buns.

Back then, they were comrades-in-arms, trusting and relying on each other. During those days, Andrew often apologized to her, saying, “Elise, you wouldn’t have had to suffer so much if it weren’t for me. You wouldn’t have endured so many sneers and insults.”

The concern and guilt in his eyes were real. At the time, Elise would always smile and comfort him, feigning toughness. “As long as I can help you, it’s all worth it.

“So, knowing how hard this is for me, you must love me even more in the future. Got it?” she teased.

Andrew would nod firmly without hesitation, tears brimming in his eyes. “Elise, I swear, I, Andrew Williams, will never let you down for the rest of my life. If I break this promise, may I meet a horrible end.”

Elise had hastily covered his mouth, playfully scolding him for making such a vicious oath, fearing it might come true.

But now, squatting on the floor with her hands over her ears, she wished every word of that oath would be fulfilled.

Andrew and Kimberly spent an entire day in their sordid affair.

A full day and night had passed without any news from Elise. This unusual silence momentarily broke through Andrew’s lust-clouded mind.

He grew restless, distracted even while speaking with Kimberly.

However, Kimberly was busy preparing for her upcoming art exhibition—a reward from Andrew for her devotion—and didn’t notice his unease.

Watching him hesitate, Elise saw Andrew finally open her contact number on his phone. For once, he actively called her.

The other end of the line greeted him with the same piercing busy tone.