It was that line again. A deep sense of exhaustion washed over Mabel. "Lennon, let's break up. Then you can make her your wife."

Lennon froze at her words. Then he let out a mocking laugh. "Break up? We're married. Mabel, you know someone with my status can't get divorced. And besides…"

He tightened his grip around her neck and pulled her closer, forcing her to look up at him. A faint smile spread across his lips. "Mabel, could you really leave me? You're the one who gave up your chance to study abroad for me. You said it yourself that becoming my wife was an honor."

The day they registered their marriage, Mabel thought she was the happiest woman alive. Now she realized she had simply been the most foolish.

She didn't say a word. In a great mood, Lennon hummed to himself as he dragged her to Jessie's office.

The Sterling family was in the medical equipment business. After graduation, Jessie had gone overseas to get a medical license, then was placed directly at a top hospital as chief physician.

Mabel, on the other hand, had climbed her way up step by step.

"Mabel, I'm really sorry about this. But Lennon said what's yours is mine now, so I shouldn't feel bad about it."

Standing in front of the desk, Jessie waved at Mabel. "Come on, upload your paper to the computer. There's also a case that needs to be handled."

Lennon sat there with his legs crossed and his arms resting on his knees, watching her like a superior.

Meanwhile, Jessie stood beside him, leaning slightly against him as she whispered from time to time.

Mabel sat in Jessie's chair. On the computer screen was a photo of Jessie and Lennon kissing. The date showed it had been taken a year ago.

"Ugh!" A wave of disgust rose in her chest. Her hand tightened around the mouse.

"Ah!" Jessie exclaimed, rushing over when she saw what Mabel had done. "Mabel, you deleted the files on my desktop!"

Her expression fell as she turned toward Lennon pitifully. "Lennon, what do I do? The data for the hospital is gone. Am I going to get punished?"

"Mabel, I know you're jealous, but you shouldn't mess with data." Jessie sniffed, framing Mabel with every word.

Mabel almost laughed. "Ms. Sterling, have you ever even stepped inside a lab? Do you really have any data?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Lennon's hand struck her. He glared at her, his voice as cold as ice. "Mabel Judson! Apologize."

Mabel stared back stubbornly. "Lennon, are you dumb? If I deleted the files, you could just restore them from the recycle bin. You didn't even check before slapping me. You're just that protective of her."

Before Lennon could respond, Jessie spoke first. "The recycle bin can be emptied too. Mabel, I know you're jealous. Don't worry. I'll keep my distance from Lennon in the future."

"No need," Lennon said, pressing a hand on Jessie's shoulder.

His sharp eyes locked onto Mabel as he parted his lips. "She needs to learn her lesson."

After saying that, he patted Jessie's shoulder, then strode over to Mabel. He grabbed her wrist roughly and dragged her toward the door.

Mabel was locked in a lab.

Lennon said that since she had deleted Jessie's data, she'd better recreate it there.

"Recreate it before 8:00 pm tomorrow. Don't disappoint me, Mabel."

With that, he closed the lab door and strode out with Jessie.

Mabel spent the whole day in the lab. The equipment was familiar, but she had no idea which experiment Jessie meant or what data was needed. This was clearly just an excuse to make her suffer.

And of course, Lennon trusted Jessie.

Mabel let out a bitter laugh. What a failure she was.

With only a few days left before her escape, she couldn't afford more trouble. She pushed down her nausea and prepared to put together a makeshift experiment just to satisfy them.

Her hand hovered over a test tube when something at the bottom caught her eye. Her pupils dilated. She tried to pull back, but it was too late.

Her scream and an explosion rang out at the same time. The lab door blew open. Mabel managed to dodge, but shards of glass tore across her face, arms, and thighs.

She fell into a gap between cabinets. Smoke spread rapidly around her.

Mabel couldn't stop coughing. Her leg had been hit, and it hurt badly, so she had to use both her hands and feet to crawl out while coughing.

Every few steps drained all her strength. By the time she reached the door, she couldn't go any further. Desperately, she reached out her hand for help.

"Help… me…"

She raised her head weakly and saw Lennon's cold expression.

He held Jessie gently in his arms. When he felt a tug at his pant leg, he cast an indifferent glance at Mabel, who lay bleeding on the floor.

Jessie whimpered, and Lennon quickly patted her back.

"It's okay," he said softly, then kicked Mabel away with brutal force.

His eyes burned with anger. "Look at what you've done! Mabel, I'm beyond disappointed in you."

With that, he carried Jessie away, striding toward the emergency room.

Mabel already didn't have any strength left. The kick knocked her unconscious. Through a blur, she watched Lennon's figure vanish.

When she woke, she was in a ward with bandages on her face.

Lennon sat across the room with his arms crossed. As she stirred, he glanced up lazily. "You're awake? Come on. Time to apologize."

A string of question marks flashed through Mabel's mind.

But Lennon had no intention of explaining. He yanked the IV from her hand and, ignoring the bleeding puncture, roughly pulled her off the bed.

"Ah!" Mabel cried out. "Lennon, what are you doing? I'm a patient!"

He dragged her out of the ward without even letting her put on her shoes. "A patient? Mabel, you intentionally caused that accident just to hurt Jessie. Any injuries you have now, you brought them on yourself."

Mabel stumbled along behind him. Her bare feet ached against the floor, but nothing hurt as much as what Lennon had done to her.

He actually believed she had set off an explosion just because she was jealous.

Mabel couldn't stop laughing. In the end, she looked at Lennon with an unfamiliar gaze and said, "Lennon, I feel sorry for ever having loved you. You really are a piece of trash."

Maybe her mixture of laughter and tears unsettled him. When they reached the elevator, Lennon finally let go.

Mabel stumbled against the wall, her back slamming into it painfully. She gasped in pain.

Lennon didn't seem to notice. He said coldly, "Mabel, I know you're just jealous. I'll let this one slide. Now, just wait for the wedding."

With that, he strode away, never mentioning the apology again.

…

With the wedding only three days away, Mabel was dragged to a Shepard family banquet.

Before entering the hall, she saw the supposedly "injured" Jessie.

Jessie wore a mermaid dress like hers, but Jessie's was clearly high-quality, while Mabel's looked like a cheap knockoff bought online.

A small Band-Aid sat on Jessie's forehead. She gave Mabel a bashful smile. "Mabel, did Lennon yell at you? He really overreacted. I already said I'm fine and told him not to go after you, but he insisted it was your fault I got hurt."

Jessie took Mabel's hand with a faint smile. "Mabel, you're so forgiving. I'm sure you're not angry with me, right?"

Mabel didn't miss the challenge in Jessie's eyes. She shook her head and replied, "No."

Jessie's smile deepened. "That's good to hear."

With that, she linked arms with Lennon and walked ahead into the hall, while Mabel followed behind like a tagalong.

It was almost laughable. Mabel had known Lennon for so long and had never attended a single one of his social gatherings. One reason was her busy schedule; the other was that Lennon said it wasn't convenient.

Around him were the wealthiest, most influential people, while she was just an ordinary person.

Before, Mabel had thought not having her attend was his way of protecting her from discomfort. Now, she realized it was probably because he thought she was embarrassing.

She listened as Jessie introduced people to her incessantly.

Lennon and Jessie looked like a perfect couple, drifting through the elite crowd with radiant smiles, while Mabel was met with looks of utter disdain wherever she turned.

Mabel had worked hard to become an excellent surgeon. She had always believed that life didn't need to revolve around wealth. She was content as long as she could be with the one she loved most.

But now, feeling those eyes on her, she fully realized the gap between herself and these so-called rich people. Their gazes were harsh, as if they were looking at a plaything.

And Lennon did nothing. He let them inspect her as if she were merchandise.

"Mr. Shepard, is this your secretary? She's quite pretty."

"Mr. Shepard, you already have a lovely lady with you. Why not introduce this one to us?"

Several men circled around, joking with Lennon.

Mabel fixed her gaze on him, but his expression was as dark as ink. He said nothing, only warning her with his eyes.

She didn't speak, acting perfectly obedient, like she'd follow Lennon's every word.

"Oh, come on, don't joke around. Ms. Judson isn't Lennon's secretary. She's my friend." Jessie stepped in and pulled Mabel closer. "Mabel, these are our friends. It's good to know them."