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.

Ellen’s POV

I normally never ask Carter for anything, so he looked a little surprised.

I clenched my palms. “I want to buy a house.”

“Alright. Whatever else you want later, I’ll buy it, too. I’ll get going now.”

He turned around and shut the door without a trace of hesitation.

He said he was worried he’d disturb me if he stayed home, so he’d live outside for a while and let me focus on my drafts.

But starting the very next day, Kelley would send me their schedule—every place they went—just to show off.

So while I stayed home drawing design drafts for her, he was out there charting maps with her.

I just kept gathering proof, sending everything to Scott, and organizing it into a video for exposing them.

The day I finished the design drafts, I went straight to the company.

Carter came over to get them. “Where is it? Hurry up and give it to me.”

I pulled out a document. “Sign this first. It’s for the house I’m buying in the countryside.”

He signed impatiently. “It’s just a house. You could’ve just put your own name.”

“That won’t work. This document needs both signatures.”

I thought the hint was obvious enough that he’d at least glance at it, but he didn’t even look. He just signed.

Then he tossed the papers back at me. “Done. Now, hand over the drafts.”

He only wanted to take the designs to Kelley. He didn’t even realize what he’d just signed.

I tucked away the divorce papers and handed him the drafts. “This is the last time.”

He froze for a second but still took them and left.

Watching his back as he walked away, I felt like I could finally breathe.

Kelley had used plenty of my designs, but she never noticed I’d left a unique marker on each one.

This batch was no exception. Once everything gets exposed, I’d love to see how she explains herself.

I sat at my computer and typed up my resignation letter, then handed it to the manager.

He looked shocked. “Why are you leaving?”

I smiled. “I want a break. Could you announce it at the end of the month?”

“You’re hiding it from Mr. Dillamond too?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I want it to be a surprise.”

After leaving the company, I went home and packed.

Everything Carter had bought me—I didn’t even want to touch it. I only took what I actually wanted.

Then I called Scott. “I’m all done on my end. Push forward on yours.”

He sounded thrilled. “Absolutely. I’ll wait for you!”

That night Carter came home drunk. The living room was empty; no one was waiting for him.

He stumbled to my room. “Ellen, make me some hangover soup.”

I locked the door and pretended to be asleep, no matter how many times he called me.

He eventually had to make it himself and even burned his hand.

He quietly applied ointment in the living room before finally going back to the master bedroom.

The next morning, with dark circles under his eyes, he asked, “Did you do that on purpose yesterday?”

I acted clueless. “What are you talking about?”

He retold the whole thing.

I said, “I haven’t been sleeping well, so I wore earplugs. I didn’t hear anything.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes. “Why didn’t you sleep in the master bedroom?”

Because it’s disgusting there.

“I suddenly don’t like that mattress anymore. It feels dirty.”

He’d custom-made that mattress for me and put a lot of thought into it.

But to me now, it was nothing but a dirty object.

He went silent, then muttered, “Then next time I’ll get you another one.”

He handed me a necklace. “This is the newest design. I thought you’d like it.”

I took it and casually set it aside. “Thanks.”

He froze, not getting the reaction he’d imagined—no excitement, no surprise.

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at it and said, “There's dinner tonight. I won’t be home. Don’t wait for me.”

I smiled. “What a coincidence. I have plans, too. I won’t be waiting.”

I grabbed my bag and walked out, leaving him standing there stunned for a long moment.

My girlfriends had invited me out. I told them about the divorce.

They shrieked, “We need to celebrate you finally leaving that loser! I’m booking male models! Let’s have fun.”

But soon after, Kelley appeared. “Ellen? I didn’t expect to see you here.”

That’s when I realized—the “dinner” Carter mentioned was actually her birthday celebration in the room next door.

“Hey, can you come celebrate with me?”

I was about to refuse when Carter appeared at the door. Seeing a room full of men, his face instantly darkened.

“Ellen, you’re a married woman. Have some boundaries!”

My friend shot back immediately, “We’re just having drinks! It’s not like we’re the ones being shady with someone else.”

Everyone knew exactly who she meant; their eyes all drifted to Kelley.

Her eyes reddened and she ran off.

Carter then glared at me. “You owe me an explanation.”

Ellen’s POV

My best friend cursed under her breath. “Explain what? Did he ever explain anything to you? Forget him. Let’s keep going.”

Not long after, Carter texted me.

[If I remember right, your best friend’s family is desperately looking for investors right now, isn’t that so?]

My heart tightened. He was planning to use my best friend to threaten me.

“I’ll be right back. You guys continue.”

I walked to Kelley’s private room. Carter handed me a glass of alcohol.

“Drink it. Consider it an apology to Kelley.”

Kelley quickly tried smoothing things over. “It’s all my fault, I—”

But Carter glared at me. “I don’t want to repeat myself. You know what to do.”

I reached for the glass, but Kelley suddenly suggested, “If Ellen has to drink, maybe she should have mango juice instead.”

Carter immediately swapped the alcohol for mango juice.

“Kelley’s so kind. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t bother giving you face.”

I didn’t take it. “I’m allergic to mango juice.”

Kelley’s expression shifted instantly. “I didn’t mean it… I didn’t know you were allergic.”

“To show you I’m really sorry,” she added, “I’ll drink it instead.”

But Carter snatched the glass out of her hand.

“Kelley is the one allergic to mango juice. Why are you lying?”

“If you don’t drink it,” he warned, “your friend who ran her mouth tonight… I’ll make sure she pays for it.”

Five years together, and he forgot I’m allergic to mango, too.

Looking at him now, all I felt was unfamiliarity.

Did he really forget, or was he helping Kelley mess with me?

No idea. And honestly, I didn’t care anymore. I’d be gone tomorrow anyway.

But before leaving, I couldn’t drag my best friend into this.

So I took the mango juice.

I drank it, and not long after, red rashes started spreading across my skin.

“You guys enjoy. I’m not feeling well, so I’m heading out first.”

But Kelley grabbed me. “Ellen, we haven’t had cake yet. Don’t you want to stay for my birthday?”

Carter’s cold gaze locked on me.

“Don’t ruin the mood. Eat, then leave.”

“I’m not feeling well. Can’t you see my neck is already itching?”

He yanked my hand hard. “Stop throwing a fit. Think about your best friend.”

In his eyes, only Kelley existed.

I felt more like an enemy than a wife.

I could only dig my nails into my palm and sit back down.

My whole body itched, and I couldn’t even focus on their interactions.

I just kept drinking water to ease the discomfort.

Right then, Scott sent over several wedding dress photos for me to choose from.

I replied: [The second set is fine. You choose the rest.]

He sent back an excited emoji.

[Can’t wait to see my wife soon. I’m so happy.]

Seeing me staring at my screen, Carter came over.

“Who are you chatting with that makes you so happy?”

It was surprising he even noticed.

I turned off my screen. “My sister’s kid. She’s cute.”

“Yeah? Let me see.”

He reached for my phone, but he didn’t know the password.

“What’s the password?”

“It’s my birthday.”

His hand froze.

Right—he didn’t remember my birthday.

In the end, he shoved the phone back into my hand.

“Forget it. I’ve seen her before anyway.”

Five years together, and he didn’t even remember my birthday.

Oddly, I didn’t feel hurt. I actually felt… calm.

Tomorrow, I’d finally be done with this.

Suddenly someone exclaimed, “Isn’t that the newest necklace? The collector’s edition!”

Kelley held up a necklace Carter gave her. It really was the latest release, and it looked painfully familiar.

Buying the collector’s edition came with a limited-edition bonus.

So the one he gave me was just the freebie, huh?

Kelley stepped right in front of me. “Ellen, isn’t it pretty?”

I looked at Carter.

“It is. Truly one of a kind.”

He stood up calmly and walked away, avoiding the question entirely.

Even caught red-handed, he didn’t bother trying to explain.

The party was wrapping up when chaos suddenly erupted outside.

Thick smoke poured in, and people started running.

Someone shouted, “Run! There’s a fire! Looks like an electrical short!”

The entire room panicked and bolted for the exit.

I stood up but someone shoved me. I fell, glass slicing my leg.

Blood immediately started flowing.

I looked up, trying to call out to Carter.

But I saw him carrying Kelley in his arms, rushing straight out.

“Don’t be scared, Kelley. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

He didn’t even glance my way.

I shouted after him, “Carter! Don’t leave me behind! I’m hurt!”

But he didn’t even turn around.

He just snapped impatiently, “Even a murderer couldn’t kill you. You’ll make it out of a fire.”

“Kelley is fragile,” he reasoned. “She needs me. Figure it out yourself.”