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."

Mabel smiled faintly and started greeting the guests.

Every time she spoke to someone, Lennon's expression darkened a little more, until it was downright terrifying.

"Ms. Judson, would you like to dance?" A man offered her his hand.

Mabel placed hers in his with a smile.

"Sure," she replied, following him. Before leaving, she flashed Lennon a broad, beaming smile.

"Damn it!" Lennon swore under his breath.

Just as he was about to say something, Jessie linked her hand with his. "Lennon, let's dance too. Mabel seems well-adjusted to these events. She's probably been to gatherings like this before. Looks like we don't need to worry about her."

After saying that, Jessie tugged Lennon toward the dance floor.

But he was distracted the entire time. After the song ended, he let go of her hand. "Jessie, you said she's attended these events before?"

Jessie gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "I just mentioned it casually. She seemed perfectly comfortable dancing with strangers. It looks like she's used to these kinds of gatherings.

"Wait, she can't really be attending these places all the time, right? Lennon, do you want to…"

Jessie looked at him with concern, letting the rest of her sentence trail off.

In their circles, some women would fabricate all kinds of identities just to climb higher.

Lennon's expression darkened further. A few moments later, he strode over to Mabel, who was still dancing. To everyone's shock, he grabbed her and dragged her out.

Once they were gone, Jessie quickly took control of the room, smoothly becoming the center of attention and playing the role of the hostess with ease.

…

Lennon took Mabel to a medical checkup center. She was forced to undergo a full medical examination, especially the gynecological part, in a humiliating position.

When the results came back, Lennon's expression turned grim. "Mabel Judson! You lied to me. You said it was your first time. Then what's with this report?"

The report Lennon tossed over read, "The patient has extensive coital experience."

Mabel had just survived an explosion and a collision, and now with Lennon gripping her neck, her body swayed.

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Lennon, why would you doubt me? Don't you know how much experience I had?"

During the first two years of their marriage, they were intimate almost every day. Lennon's demands were high; he kept her up every night, even making her dress in costumes for roleplay.

Now, that was being turned into a weapon against her.

Lennon said with disdain, "No wonder you wore lingerie whenever I asked. Who knows how many people have seen you in it?"

He released Mabel and tossed her onto the ground as casually as one would throw away trash.

Standing over her like a king, he said, "I'm not divorcing you. I'll give you a grand wedding. But after that, you'll quit your job. From then on, stay home and play the part of Mrs. Shepard. Don't show yourself in public again."

He left without sparing her a glance, as if marrying her was a gift and she had no reason to refuse.

No sooner had he left than two men in black arrived.