Some people were annoyed by my defiance and advised Anton. "If you ask me, you're way too soft on your staff. Who gave a secretary the nerve to cause trouble at your wedding?

"If I were you, I'd fire her on the spot and teach her a lesson about her place."

The dinner hall buzzed in agreement.

Anton turned to look at me as if he were genuinely reprimanding an employee. "I can't possibly keep you as my secretary now that you've caused such a scene.

"But considering your years of service for the company and the fact that you've put in the time, even if you've achieved nothing, I'll transfer you to a branch office. I won't actually cut off your livelihood and starve you.

"If you keep pushing your luck, I won't hesitate to fire you."

His approach earned him a round of applause.

"Anton surely is a generous, big-hearted boss. He's even willing to give a woman like her a chance."

Instead of appreciating his so-called magnanimous act, I let out a cold laugh. "Fire me? Well, go ahead. I'd like to see you try."

Someone immediately threw sarcastic jabs at me. "Of course, she's not afraid of getting fired. After all, even if she does get fired, she can always sell her body, right? A secretary doesn't earn much anyway."

As soon as the words were out, every face wore the same knowing, meaningful look.

A shirtless greaseball leered at me and was practically drooling. "How much do you charge, sweetheart? I can't compete with those rich guys, but at least give me a discount since I'm from Mr. Solomon's family. Won't you do that for me?"

My expression was terrifyingly dark as I glared at Anton. "Anton, are you sure you want to keep hiding our relationship and just keep watching them humiliate me?"

He paused, then turned his head away. "Callie is my wife, so I have a clear conscience toward her.

"We can still end this peacefully if you leave now."

Callie wore the smug look of a petty winner as she chimed in, "Myrtle, I know you caused all this trouble because you're bitter. And now, you've ruined your reputation and gained nothing.

"Usually, a generous man like Anton wouldn't mind you extorting some money from him, but you shouldn't have caused trouble on our wedding day.

"Even after all your slander, he's merciful enough to let you keep your job. Isn't that right? Doesn't your conscience hurt at all?"

As she spoke, she shed tears of heartache for Anton, who immediately grabbed a tissue and wiped them away.

Watching their performance made my blood boil, so I raised my foot and kicked her squarely in the lower back.

With a yelp, she fell straight into Anton's arms.

"Myrtle, have you lost your mind?"

Seeing that she was hurt, Anton snapped. His eyes blazed with fury as he marched forward and slapped me hard across the face.

When I crashed into the dining table, my clothes were instantly soaked in greasy broth and food stains. The worst part was the searing heat. The scalding liquid left large, blistering burns across my skin since I was wearing thin summer clothes.

Anton didn't bother to spare my injuries a single glance. Instead, he shielded Callie in his arms and barked at me, "Apologize to Callie, or I won't let you off!"

Triumph flashed in Callie's eyes.

Gritting my teeth to fight against the searing pain, I forced myself up on trembling arms. The raw, angry burns on my exposed skin gaped like open wounds. It almost felt like they were mocking the so-called love I had invested in all these years.

As the burning sensation in my wounds intensified, my eyes grew colder. "Anton, you hid your relationship with Calle and dated me for three years.

"On the very day of our destination wedding, you married her in the hotel I gave you. And now, are you demanding that I apologize to her?

"Is it because I gave you everything you asked for all these years that you started thinking you could climb over me, step on my head, and do whatever you want? Believe it or not, but I can make you lose everything right now."

For a moment, Anton was stunned by my words.

Whispers ripped through the hall.

"Did she just say that she dated Anton for three years, that today was supposed to be their wedding, and that she gave him this hotel? Is that true?"

"It's obviously fake! Anyone can run their mouth," someone said with a scoff. "We've watched Anton grow up, so we know for sure what type of man he is."

"Since she claims the hotel's hers, why not claim his entire company too while she's at it?"

A timid female voice piped up. "But I've seen the brand of her clothes online. It's an insanely expensive luxury label, and even Callie has never worn anything like that…"

Callie immediately shot the woman a furious glare. "This is your first time coming to the city, so what do you even know about branded labels?

"We're from the same village. Now, you're taking a stranger's side?"

The woman shrank back and was too terrified to speak another word.

Satisfied, Anton withdrew his gaze and grabbed Callie's hand. Then, he raised it high to display the dazzling matching rings on their ring fingers to the entire hall.

Looking down at me as if I were a complete loser, he asked, "Myrtle, you claim that today was supposed to be our wedding day, but where's your proof?

"Not a single one of my relatives has ever met you. If it were true that I was going to marry you, wouldn't I have introduced you to my family?

"Besides, have we ever registered for a marriage certificate or taken wedding photos? Have I ever bought you wedding gifts?

"You need evidence before you make claims, Myrtle. And I've provided every single item I've listed for Callie."

Callie leaned against his shoulder and grinned triumphantly. "That's right, Myrtle. You can't just say whatever you want."

Anton's accusations held up, and I couldn't refute them.

He was right. When I agreed to marry him, I had foolishly asked for nothing since I had been head over heels for him and happened to lack nothing.

I never imagined that love would one day turn into a blade of betrayal driven straight into my chest.

Guests in the hall pointed at me and started whispering.

"What excuse does this shameless homewrecker have now?"

"We can't just let her walk away. She needs to be taught a lesson."

Someone grabbed my hair and dragged me hard to the floor. Peter shot a look at the greaseball, who immediately understood.

Bending over with a lewd grin, he started grabbing my chest. "Being a mistress isn't the thing to do, sweetheart. Let me teach you some proper manners."

I screamed and desperately thrashed to avoid his grip, but my limbs were firmly pinned down.

Terror gripped me. I cried out Anton's name, praying for a shred of his conscience and begging him to call them off.

His eyes widened as he stepped forward to intervene, but Callie pulled him back. "I'm upset that she ruined our wedding, Anton, so I want to teach her a small lesson."

He hesitated. "But—"

"It's just a little lesson; you know our people won't go too far. Plus, we're standing right here, so what could possibly happen?"

Anton fell silent.

When Callie wrapped her arms around him, he absentmindedly stroked her back as more men began roaming their hands over my body.

"Let me go! This is rape! You'll go to prison for this!"

In the next second, a slap sent my vision spinning.

"Flithy homewrecker! As a slut everyone's slept with, what makes you think you can lecture us? This isn't rape; this is justice!"

Countless filthy words drowned me.

Just as despair swallowed me whole, a voice rang out from the entrance. "My apologies, everyone. I was delayed because—"

After the newcomer saw my face, his voice turned sharp with terror. "Stop! What the hell are you doing?"