Ellen’s POV

When I was being stalked by a psycho, I called Carter Dillamond twenty times.

He finally picked up on the twenty-first call. I begged him, “Carter, someone’s following me! Come help me, please!”

But he sounded annoyed. “Can you grow up a little? I’m busy. Stop making things up.”

The moment he hung up, the attacker knocked me out, dragged me into an alley, and beat me until I was barely alive.

When I woke up in the hospital, Carter told me the man was mentally ill, that there was no way to hold him responsible, and that we could only settle.

I believed him until I accidentally overheard him speaking with a lawyer in the hallway.

“Settle this as soon as possible. Find someone in a psychiatric hospital to take the fall. We cannot let Ellen find out the stalker was actually Kelley in disguise…”

I froze where I stood, feeling the blood in my veins turn to ice.

I thought of that night—how terrified I’d been, how the nightmares still haunted me.

So it was because Kelley’s design drafts had hit a creative block… She wanted a special kind of “inspiration,” so she orchestrated all of this!

I had been with Carter for five years, but it still couldn’t compare to someone who had only been around for five months.

The man who once claimed to love me to the bone was now letting Kelley do something this cruel to me!

My heart felt as if it had been split open. I stumbled back to my room, broke down, and took a long time to calm myself.

When I finally steadied my breath, I called a lawyer. “Draft a divorce agreement for me.”

“Should we notify Mr. Dillamond?”

“No need. He probably won’t care anyway.”

Just as I said that, Carter walked in. “Who were you talking to?”

I turned off my screen. “A friend.”

He came to my bedside. “Next time, don’t stay out so late. A lot of people are dangerous.”

I stared at him in disbelief. My god, how could someone be this hypocritical?

“Thank God it wasn’t serious,” he added. “Just rest. I’ll get you the best doctors and medication.”

A dull ache spread through my chest. I asked, “So as long as I don’t die, it doesn’t count as serious?”

His eyes darted away before he mumbled, “Stop making trouble. The guy was mentally ill. We can’t hold him accountable.”

Was it that he couldn’t, or that he didn’t want to? He knew the answer.

Just then, his phone rang. He turned away to answer it. “Compensate the secretary’s burn injury at three times the standard rate for workplace accidents. And don’t let her do any heavy tasks…”

He was talking about something from three months ago when Kelley spilled hot coffee and burned her hand.

When he heard she was injured, he gave her three months off.

He even hired five nannies to take care of her. And now, double workplace compensation on top of that!

Ridiculous! A simple burn got her three months of paid rest.

I got my ribs broken, legs swollen, arms too injured to lift, and he brushed it off with “nothing serious.”

When he left the room, he told me, “Work’s hectic lately. I’ll have someone take care of you.”

But over the next few days, all I got were photos and videos from Kelley.

[Sorry, dear. Carter said he wants to reward me for securing that big contract for the company!]

So this “hectic work” he mentioned was him taking Kelley out to have fun. He lied with such ease.

Carter and Kelley had done everything two people could do, except they’d always kept the intimate parts out of my sight.

But now, Kelley was clearly trying to provoke me.

Fine. I’d let her.

I saved every photo and video. They’d be useful later.

On the day I was discharged, Carter showed up, but Kelley was already sitting in the front seat.

“Ellen, I get carsick. Do you mind taking the back seat?” she asked sweetly.

Carter once told me the front passenger seat was only for me. No one else was allowed to sit there.

A previous secretary sat there for one second, and he blacklisted her across the entire industry.

But after Kelley appeared, that seat was no longer special.

I turned without a word, opened the back door, and got in.

A seat that dirty, I didn’t want anymore anyway.

No sooner had I sat down than Kelley began spraying perfume in the car.

I was allergic to that scent. “Please stop. I’m allergic to that perfume.”

She immediately put on a pitiful expression. “But Carter likes it… I just wanted to make him happy.”

He looked at her with such tenderness. “Go ahead. I love that scent in the car.”

So she kept spraying until the perfume filled every corner.

My rhinitis flared up instantly, and I couldn’t stop sneezing.

Then she said with exaggerated guilt, “Maybe I should get out… I don’t want to upset Ellen.”

Carter slammed on the brakes. “Ellen, are you doing this on purpose? If you don’t like the smell, then take a cab home!”

Before I could explain, he threw me out on the side of the road and drove off with her.

Rain began to pour. I stood there soaked, my wounds reopening, pain shooting through my body.

The cold rain extinguished the last bit of hope in my heart.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. “You once said you wanted to marry me. Does that still count?”

Scott Knapp answered instantly. “Of course, it counts. Always.”

“Good. Then start preparing. I’ll go straight to our wedding next month.”

Ellen’s POV

Scott sounded a little doubtful. “Really?”

“I swear. If you don’t believe me then…”

He cut me off right away. “I believe you. I believe you! I’ll wait for you!”

After I hung up, I grabbed a cab home. The moment I opened the door, I saw Carter feeding chicken soup to Kelley.

He was holding a steaming bowl, blowing on it gently. “It’s still a little hot. Let me cool it down for you before you drink.”

The scene hit me like a punch. My eyes stung, and something sharp twisted in my chest.

He once told me he’d only ever make chicken soup for me, that he’d never make it for anyone else.

Funny how “special treatment” can be broken over and over again.

Seeing me show up dripping wet, Carter frowned. “Ellen, why do you have to copy everything Kelley does?”

“So what, I left you on the road for a moment and now you purposely walk home in the rain? Trying to make me feel guilty?” he added.

The people who covered for Kelley when she hurt me never felt guilty at all. Why would a little cold bother them?

I clenched my palms. “If you really felt guilty, you wouldn’t have left me on the road in the rain.”

Carter fell silent—because he knew he had.

Kelley stood up right away. “I’m sorry, Ellen. This all happened because of me. You got caught in the rain because of me… I should go.”

She grabbed her things and tried to leave, swaying like a breeze could knock her over.

Seeing that, Carter snapped at me. “Jeez, Ellen, how can you be so heartless? It’s pouring outside, and you still want Kelley to go out?”

“I just told you earlier to get a cab yourself,” he continued. “How was I supposed to know it would rain?”

Kelley pretended to defend me. “It’s my fault. She got soaked because of me.”

Carter held her back. “You were already not feeling well after the cold wind earlier. Just rest here. Treat this place like your own home.”

“If I say you’re staying, you’re staying,” he insisted. “She won’t mind.”

When you’re past anger, all that’s left is laughter, so I smiled. “Yeah, I don’t mind. Do whatever you want.”

After all, in a month, this will be their home anyway.

With my “permission,” Carter went back to feeding Kelley the chicken soup.

He blew on every spoonful before holding it to her lips, then—out of courtesy, maybe—added, “There are some more chicken in the kitchen. Make some soup for yourself. Kelley’s weak, so I’ll take care of her first.”

A breeze came through, and I shivered. My heart felt colder than my body.

“No need. Enjoy your soup.” I turned to head upstairs.

But Carter stopped me. “You’re sleeping in the guest room tonight. Kelley’s a light sleeper. She can’t sleep on a hard mattress.”

That was our master bedroom, and he wanted to give it to her.

“But I just got discharged today. My neck is still injured—”

He interrupted impatiently. “You look fine to me. Kelley’s coughing, can’t you see?”

“And she already tested the bed earlier. She said it’s really comfortable. So that’s settled,” he said.

So she had already tried the bed. They weren’t “discussing” anything with me; they were informing me.

A single cough made her more delicate than someone who just left the hospital.

I swallowed my anger and went to the guest room.

Whatever. A bed that’s already dirty—I’d rather not sleep on it anyway.

I showered and had just put ointment on my neck when the doorbell rang.

Kelley stood at the door with the half-finished chicken soup. “Ellen, I didn’t finish it. You should drink some, too.”

“If you catch a cold later,” she added, “Carter and I will both worry about you.”

I looked at the bowl she had already drunk from and turned her down immediately. “I already took my meds. I’m good.”

She didn’t leave. Instead, she suddenly smiled. “Hey, your bed is so soft! Especially when Carter was holding me while we lay on it. It felt so good I didn’t want to get up. What should I do?”

She flashed a triumphant smile. I finally saw her true face.

But whether it’s the bed or Carter… I don’t care anymore.

“If you love using things other people already used, then take them. It’s all dirty anyway,” I retorted.

I continued, “Oh, and since you like collecting trash so much, you can take out the trash tomorrow, too.”

Her face turned pale and red all at once in rage.

The next second, the bowl slipped from her hands.

Just like that, Carter rushed over at the sound. “What happened?”

Ellen’s POV

Kelley’s eyes were red. “I just wanted to bring the chicken soup to Ellen. I was worried she’d catch a cold.”

“But she said she didn’t want it… that I was disgusting. I was just trying to be nice…” she lied.

Carter’s expression darkened instantly. “Ellen, you’ve gone too far! Kelley brought you chicken soup out of kindness and you smashed it!”

“It’s just letting her take your bed for a bit. Why are you so petty?” he snapped.

In the past, I honestly couldn’t be bothered to explain.

But now? I refuse to keep giving in.

“If you’d check the house cameras, you’d know exactly who threw the bowl. And—”

Before I could finish, Kelley quickly crouched down. “I’m sorry! It’s all my fault! I’ll clean it up…”

She bent down to pick up the pieces, and the moment she touched them, her finger was cut. Blood instantly started dripping down.

Carter panicked and knelt beside her. “Stop picking it up. Let the housekeeper do it. I’ll take you to get bandaged.”

He wrapped her finger with a towel, completely distressed, then scooped her up in his arms.

Before leaving, he threw a heavy warning at me.

“You’d better pray Kelley’s okay, or you’ll regret it.”

He rushed out with her in his arms.

The last look he gave me was pure hostility—cold, sharp, like a blade trying to pin me in place.

Soon after, the family doctor came downstairs and told me Kelley had issues with clotting and needed a blood transfusion. Mine was the only type that matched.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry. It’s raining heavily, and we can’t get supplies delivered. We can only draw your blood.”

“But I just got discharged. I’m still recovering. I don’t believe an ambulance can’t—”

Before I could finish, they pinned me down.

“Sorry, Ma’am. This is also Sir Carter’s order.”

So this was Carter’s idea.

For Kelley, he didn’t care about anything, even my life.

They held me down and forcibly drew two full bags of blood.

By the end, I completely blacked out.

When I finally woke up in the middle of the night, I was freezing.

I realized they had dumped me back in my room after draining my blood and left me unattended.

Dragging my weak body out of bed, I heard sounds of pleasure coming from the second floor.

“Carter, you drew so much of Ellen’s blood. Won’t she get mad? What a waste.”

Carter’s cold voice followed.

“She didn’t appreciate your kindness and even let you cut yourself. She deserved a lesson.”

“Giving her a lesson will really make her behave? You’re so good at handling her.”

He let out a proud laugh.

“Last time she argued with me, I left her on the mountain. When she came back, she was much more obedient.”

That time, we disagreed about something, and I contradicted him in public.

He left me alone on a mountain and drove away.

Later, he claimed he thought I didn’t get in the car because I was making a fuss.

I never imagined that was one of his “lessons.”

My heart tightened painfully.

What hurt even more was that he was doing it again, this time partnering with Kelley to hurt me, indulging her every move.

“If I upset you one day, will you punish me like that, too?”

Carter chuckled softly, almost doting.

“I’d only punish myself. Why would I ever make you unhappy?”

Stumbling toward the kitchen, I froze when I saw it—two full bags of my blood tossed in the trash!

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest. I forced myself back to my room.

I pulled out my phone and called Scott.

To my surprise, he picked up instantly, even though it was four in the morning.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

I swallowed the pain in my throat. “How are the wedding preparations going?”

“Everything’s arranged exactly how you wanted it. We’re just waiting for you.”

“Good. I need you to handle something else for me.”

I sent him the files I’d collected.

“These are the surveillance clips from the day I had my accident. I want you to expose everything. Make them pay. Make them crash and burn.”

“No problem. If it’s for you, I’ll get it done.”

The next day, Carter came to check on me.

“If you’re not feeling well, don’t go to work. Just rest at home.”

For a second, I thought maybe—just maybe—he felt guilty.

But then he tossed a design draft onto the bed.

“Kelley hasn’t finished this yet. Help her complete it. The deadline’s coming.

“When you finish it, I’ll take you out to relax. Make it up to you.”

He’d said that countless times.

Yet every time, he “got busy,” and ended up going out to play with Kelley instead.

I took the design draft.

“No need to compensate me. Just agree to one request when the time comes.”

“What request?”

Carter looked genuinely surprised.