“Kiara, the mistress is in your husband’s embrace, and you can still sleep?”

Right after her best friend finished speaking, all the phones at the banquet lit up one after another, and the breaking news was once again about Hugo Craig.

In the image, Hugo walked beside his new lover, Dorothy Hilton, as they moved in and out of the hospital’s pregnancy examination department, his hand settled on her belly.

Several tags hurt Kiara Chavez’s eyes.

[The Craig family welcomes an heir, Kiara is getting kicked out.]

[Mr. Craig’s first love comes back pregnant, and Mrs. Chavez keeps only a useless title.]

However, one month earlier, the man had knelt down before her and vowed, “Kiara, I swear I never cheat again in the future, believe me one more time.”

To show he was sorry, the man had knelt outside the door in the deep snow and had frozen enough to be hospitalized.

His knee bones had almost been ruined and had nearly made him crippled.

Back then, Kiara had trusted him, yet after just one month, he had betrayed her again.

During the banquet, the head editors from many news outlets had come up one after another to mock.

“Mrs. Chavez, this time I give you a discount. Taking down the trending topic costs only 880,000.”

Another person had stepped out and said, “Mrs. Chavez, I cost less than him. Five million, and I cover you for a year.”

The entire hall had broken into laughter.

Everyone had believed Kiara would fix Hugo’s trouble like she always did.

Yet against all expectations, she had replied calmly, “Thank you, but I don’t need that this time. Report whatever you wish. If your information is not enough, I can add more. But follow the market price, 880,000 each time.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the mockery around her had grown louder.

“Mrs. Craig, stop pretending. Everyone in this group knows you love Mr. Craig like your life depends on it. Three months ago, that young model next to Mr. Craig was still dealt with by you yourself.”

“Yes, Mrs. Craig, you are only an orphan. You should be grateful for marrying into the Craig house. Do not put on an act, or later you kneel before Mr. Craig and ask for mercy.”

Everyone thought she would never leave Hugo. During the past six months, he had cheated her again and again, and she had handled the aftermath each time.

The first incident was when Hugo joined a cocktail party. Paparazzi took photos of him holding and kissing a well-known actress on the rooftop of a hotel.

That time, Hugo said he had too much alcohol and was drugged by someone. Kiara trusted him.

The second event happened at an auction, where Hugo spent a large amount of money on a young model.

Later, Kiara slid the divorce agreement across the table to him and wanted to get a divorce.

To prove he felt regret, Hugo had knelt on the snow for an entire day and night, and gotten very sick in the intensive care unit.

Kiara’s heart had grown soft, and she had told herself that this was the final time she would forgive him.

They were childhood sweethearts after all, and had grown together in an orphanage.

Later on, she was adopted by a family. When they had reunited years later, it wasn’t happy.

Back then, Kiara had almost been raped by her adoptive father.

Hugo had protected her and had smashed a wine bottle over the man.

With that, the man needed many stitches, and Hugo served one year in prison.

While going inside, Hugo had reassured her, “Kiara, giving one year for your safety is worth it.”

So afterward, even when Hugo had done wrong things, she had decided to excuse him again and again.

She reminded herself that she would only give Hugo three chances, and this time was the third.

Hugo didn’t know that three months earlier, her biological parents had found her and told her she was the only heir of a mafia family. They had even arranged three future husbands for her.

Back then, for Hugo’s sake, Kiara refused.

But now, she regretted it.

Since Hugo had made another woman pregnant, she should also throw him away.

Kiara pulled out her phone and texted her father, who was abroad.

[Dad, I’ve decided to go back to the family and inherit what is rightfully mine. Once the divorce is finalized, I’ll return.]

As soon as the message went through, her father sent ten million dollars to her bank card.

[Good girl, take this money as your travel fund for coming back. The entire family is waiting for your return.]

Watching the amount her father transferred, Kiara smiled.

She and Hugo had built everything from nothing. Feeling sorry for him, she had never been willing to spend freely.

With so much money, Hugo had never used it on her, yet he spent generously on the women around him without a second thought.

Where affection went, money followed.

When Hugo’s feelings shifted, everything changed hands.

Kiara received the money and contacted a lawyer to draft her divorce documents.

After settling everything, she returned to the banquet and maintained her composure until the end.

Sadly, Hugo did not preserve her self-respect. He showed up before her in a very public way with Dorothy.

All the playful and mocking looks from everyone settled on them; she turned into the joke of the entire venue.

Hugo embraced Dorothy, his large hand placed on her lower belly, as though he feared others would not realize she was pregnant.

He gestured toward Kiara. “Dorothy is pregnant and cannot wear high heels. Go bring her a pair of flats and help her put them on yourself.”

“Dorothy is in poor health. Besides, you enjoy doing servant tasks the most. From now on, you will be responsible for looking after her.”

“Remember to stay careful. If anything happens to Dorothy, I will hold you fully accountable!”

Hugo said this naturally, as if convinced she would accept.

Just as the guests at the banquet were convinced she would once again handle Hugo’s trouble.

Yet this time, Kiara did not spare a look and walked away.

Hugo’s expression hardened, and he lifted his hand, signaling the bodyguards to block her.

The bodyguard said, “Ma’am, without sir’s permission, you are not allowed to leave.”

After Kiara had once been in danger, Hugo assigned bodyguards to follow her whenever she went out.

Those men were meant to protect her, but now they were used against her.

Kiara scoffed and looked at him directly. “Hugo, do not forget the promise you made to me before.”

Last time, Hugo had knelt before her and vowed, “Kiara, in the future, I won’t cheat you again. I love you. Believe me, this final time.”

Those promises before echoed in her ears, yet Hugo now denied them.

“Kiara, don’t cross the line. The times before, I only sweet-talked you so you could get used to it. In our circle, who doesn’t keep one woman at home and another outside? I’ve given you enough face all these years. That should satisfy you.”

“Some things are better left unsaid. An actual divorce, do you dare?”

“I’ve supported you all these years. Other than staying home and waiting on me, what else are you capable of?”

“This is Utah. If I so much as move, the ground trembles. What right do you have to challenge me?”

Each sentence Hugo spoke felt like a small knife stabbing into her chest.

In his eyes, she had long been someone who could not exist without his support.

Because he believed she was an orphan, he hurt her without holding back.

Gwynne Curtis, her closest friend, could not tolerate it and stepped forward to defend Kiara.

“Hugo, how can you be this heartless? When you came out of prison with nothing, Kiara spent all her savings to buy you clothes.”

“You said you wanted to build a business. Kiara drank with clients until her stomach bled just to secure investment for you.”

“When you were burning with fever in the hospital, Kiara even sold her blood to cover your treatment.”

“You asked her to stay behind the scenes, and she even gave up her company shares. She sacrificed everything for you. Have you no conscience?”

The entire place fell silent.

It was her deep love for Hugo that made everyone certain she would never truly leave.

After Gwynne finished speaking, Hugo looked at her coldly and sneered. “Why did I land in prison? Wasn’t it because of her? Everything she did was driven by guilt. I never forced her anyway.”

Kiara’s entire body trembled as she looked at him, stunned, her heart feeling as if it had been carved open.

So the love she cherished was, in his eyes, nothing but guilt.

She held back her tears and laughed softly with sarcasm.

“Rest assured. From now on, I won’t do those things again.”

She was ready to live her own life.

She no longer wished to be involved with these disgusting people or events.

Kiara held her best friend and prepared to leave when his threatening voice sounded once more.

“Kiara, try leaving today, and I’ll make sure Gwynne has no place in Utah.”

Her body shook, and she turned back, staring at him with anger.

“Hugo, you’re bullying people too much!”

Hugo towered over her. “Kiara, you fail to understand the truth. I am your husband. If I feel generous, you may lose your temper. If I’m displeased, you obediently stay in line. When I’m unhappy, no one else will be comfortable.”

At that instant, the man before her felt completely unfamiliar.

Was he truly the man she once loved?

For a woman he had only known for a few months, he could treat her this way.

Kiara’s heart slowly dropped. Her nails pressed into her palm, and her eyes turned red.

“As long as I change her shoes for her, that’s enough?”

Hugo gave a careless nod.

“Okay.”

Seeing Kiara about to lower her head, Gwynne grabbed her in distress. “Kiara, my life doesn’t matter. Don’t lower yourself because of me.”

Kiara smiled and shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’m just helping her switch shoes. It’s not a big deal.”

The bodyguard handed her the flat shoes. She accepted them, knelt down, removed Dorothy’s heels, and put on the flats.

Where no one noticed, tears still rolled down Kiara’s face.

Once, Hugo felt sorry to see her rushing around in high heels for business deals. Each time she left, he would bring flats for her.

In the end, he would personally help her remove the high heels.

After just three years, his heart still softened the same way, just no longer for her.

Just a little longer. Once the divorce was settled, everything between her and Hugo would truly end. Then she would leave this place forever.

Once Kiara switched Dorothy’s shoes, the woman hid in his embrace again and said, “Brother Hugo, my feet feel slightly cold. The doctor said I must keep myself warm during pregnancy. I would like to soak my feet. Do you think that’s okay?”

Hugo loved her very much. “Sure. You are the most precious person in my life right now. You can do anything you like.”

“Kiara, Dorothy wants to soak her feet. Bring her a bowl of warm water.”

Even those around them could not accept the way Hugo acted.

“President Craig is truly heartless. Asking the lawful wife to change the mistress’s shoes is one thing, but now he even told her to wash her feet. How is this different from publicly humiliating her?”

“This Kiara is pitiful. I heard she is an orphan, without power or influence. Even if she is mistreated, no one will stand up for her.”

Everyone assumed Kiara would decline, yet to their surprise, she agreed.

Kiara carried a bowl of hot water and crouched down.

Without warning, she suddenly seized Dorothy and forced her feet into the burning water.

Her gaze was cold. “Don’t you enjoy soaking your feet? Then soak as much as you want this time!”

Dorothy cried out from the burn.

Kiara rose, seized her collar with one hand, and struck her hard with the other.

“This one is for your fake act.”

A second slap came immediately. “This slap is for willingly becoming a mistress and breaking up another family!”

She lifted her hand again, but before the slap landed, Hugo swung his arm and knocked her to the floor.

The man’s brow held a hard, cold light. “That hit is for you failing to understand your place.”

“Kiara, I told you Dorothy is pregnant. Laying a hand on her means challenging me.”

Kiara was struck down onto the ground. The crowd nearby kept their distance, treating her like bad luck, afraid of being involved.

Supporting herself with both hands, she rose slowly, refusing to lower her head.

“The slap has already happened. What else do you plan to do?”

Neither side showed any sign of giving in.

Her best friend, Gwynne, already anxious, stepped forward to calm her.

“Kiara, forget about this. Let’s just go.”

Dorothy’s feet were red from the burn. How could she let it pass? Grabbing Hugo’s collar, she wept, “Brother Hugo, it hurts so badly. If I’m injured like this, will the baby be at risk of miscarriage?”

“Brother Hugo, I’m frightened. I’m worried your wife will hurt my child. Even with you here, she treats me like this. If you weren’t, she surely wouldn’t let me off.”

Hugo’s expression darkened instantly. He gestured for the bodyguards to grab Kiara and mocked her.

“Leave? Who gave you permission?”

“If you make a mistake, you face the consequences.”

“She enjoys pouring hot water on others? Let her feel it herself.”

Before Kiara could move, someone had already carried over a large bowl of boiling water.

The bodyguards pressed Kiara onto her knees, while Gwynne was also held down.

Hugo brought Dorothy closer and held her hand. “No matter how she bullied you earlier, bully her the same way.”

Both of them stood frozen at the same time.

Kiara never thought Hugo would go this far for her.

Although it was midsummer, a coldness spread through her entire body.

Dorothy was secretly happy, yet she appeared timid and weak.

“Brother Hugo, let’s drop it. I think my sister acted without intention. Even if you stand up for me today, when you’re not here, she won’t treat me kindly.”

Dorothy looked weak on the outside, yet it only made the situation worse.

Hugo said, “Don’t be scared. With me here, who would dare lay a hand on you? This is what she deserves.”

Once he finished speaking, he led Dorothy’s hand and tipped the basin, letting the boiling water spill over Kiara’s head.

The boiling water instantly damaged her skin. She fell to the ground, her body shaking uncontrollably.

Hugo’s figure slowly faded from her sight as he left with Dorothy.

In the end, love depended on a person’s conscience.

And Hugo had no conscience at all.

When Kiara regained consciousness, it was already the following afternoon.

She had been taken to the hospital. The doctor told her she had third-degree burns and would need a skin transplant.

The most serious injury was on Kiara’s back, leaving her no choice but to lie face down on the bed.

Hugo came before she could decide anything.

The wound was exposed, and he noticed it immediately upon entering, his expression darkening.

She thought he might show some regret, but once again she was mistaken.

He said with disgust, “Kiara, your wound looks disgusting.”

The wound was infected, layered over old scars; of course, it looked disgusting.

Yet Hugo seemed to have forgotten.

When they were young, a big fire struck the orphanage. Everyone ran out, except Hugo.

It was Kiara who had risked everything to save him. The injury across her back had come from saving him.

They had no money then to treat it properly, so hidden damage remained. Now it had worsened again.

She once saw those scars as proof of love, but to him, it was nothing more than the word “disgusting.”

At nearly the same time, she vomited.

Yes, disgusting. The false concern on Hugo’s face now was unbearable to look at.

Watching her throw up, Hugo stepped forward with a bin and tried to support her, yet found his hand hovering awkwardly.

When she steadied herself, his sigh fell from above. “Kiara, I hope this incident can give you a lesson.”

“If you hadn’t been so stubborn in the beginning and embarrassed me outside, I wouldn’t have treated you that way.”

“Kiara, you need to understand one thing. I’m your husband. In this world, I’m the only one you can depend on.”

Kiara was disgusted, leaving her speechless.

Sure that she could not live without him, he betrayed her without pause.

Sure that she stood alone, he crushed her again and again.

Disgusting, truly unbearably disgusting.

Yet Hugo continued speaking, “I came to inform you of something. From now on, just act properly as Mrs. Craig. Dorothy will remain by my side, but she won’t take your position as Mrs. Craig.”

“Kiara, don’t give me that look. I only did what others would do.”

Kiara laughed bitterly.

But at that time, he had once more fallen into the world of name and money.

Sure enough, love was what broke first when tested.

But Hugo, this round, you were no longer part of it.

At first, Hugo believed Kiara would be upset and would refuse. He had even prepared another explanation.

But to his surprise, Kiara did not argue at all. She only asked for one condition.

“What you said, I accept. But you must sign an agreement.”

Hugo said, “You want money, don’t you? In fact, everything I have is also yours. There is no need to separate it so clearly. If signing makes you feel at ease, I will sign.”

Kiara pulled out the divorce contract the attorney had sent from under the pillow.

She turned straight to the final page and gave it to him. “Sign it.”

He did not hesitate and signed his name immediately.

Maybe in his eyes, she had always been like a small flower depending on him to live. He never thought she would truly leave him someday.

Once he signed the contract, it was given back to Kiara. His signature looked smooth and proper.

Kiara closed it and smiled faintly. “Great. Now we truly owe nothing to each other.”

When Hugo heard that, he frowned a little and said, “Kiara, I don’t like that sentence. Don’t say it again in the future.”

“We once promised to stay together for life. We still need to grow old together.”

Kiara gave him no answer to those words.

Anyway, she had already taken what belonged to her. There was no bond left between them.

After Hugo walked away, Kiara called the attorney to collect the divorce agreement.

The lawyer said the steps were already underway and had requested a faster process for her. It would finish in fifteen days.

Fifteen days. After another fifteen days, she could go.

Those wronged days. She did not want to bear even a single day more!

Kiara spent that week recovering from surgery in the hospital, and Hugo never once showed up.

Gwynne informed her that Dorothy said Utah’s air was unhealthy for the child, so Hugo took her to Vermont to play for a week.

Hearing that, Kiara could not tell whether to laugh or cry.

She had once been pregnant, too, but to secure a contract for Hugo, she drank over a dozen cases of alcohol in one night, which led to a ruptured intestine and a miscarriage.

Hugo always claimed she was unable to have children, which was why he chose Dorothy.

But he forgot that her infertility was caused by him.

Indeed, conscience survived only when there was love.

On the day she was discharged, Gwynne called her, crying, “Kiara, Hugo promoted Dorothy straight into the company as a director to please her. The moment she arrived, she dismissed me.”

“Besides that, I saw Hugo sign over the first house you shared with her, and transfer all the vehicles and shares listed under your name.”

“Kiara, he has emptied everything that belonged to you.”

A cold sensation rose through Kiara’s feet and her whole body.

Once she ended the call, she grabbed a taxi and headed straight to the former home.

The memorial tablet she had placed for the child had been smashed to the ground, and the small garments she offered were torn apart.

She could endure anything else, but the child was her final boundary.

After learning Hugo’s whereabouts, she went straight to the company in anger.

Seeing the anger in Kiara’s eyes, Hugo’s secretary moved to stop her.

“Ma’am, let me inform President Craig first. If he agrees to meet you, I’ll escort you inside.”

Kiara shot them a cold look. “Move. This company was built by Hugo and me together. Half of what stands here carries the Chavez name. Who do you think you are to block me?”

She walked straight inside. Just as she reached the door, a man’s heavy breathing came from within.

Though Dorothy could not fully serve him, she was kneeling, pleasing him in her own way.

The secretary behind advised, “Ma’am, you can see President Craig is not available to see you now. Why don’t you step aside with me….”

Before the assistant could finish speaking, Kiara pushed the door open and entered. She stood across from them, staring coldly.

She was not the one who betrayed the marriage, nor the one who should feel embarrassed.

Hugo, however, showed no embarrassment seeing Kiara enter. Instead, he angrily scolded, “Who told you to come in? Leave!”

However, Kiara did not leave. Instead, she stepped forward and placed the photos from the old house before him.

“Give me an explanation.”

Hugo’s expression darkened. He hesitated, helped Dorothy to her feet, then rose and straightened his pants.

He cast a brief glance at the images on the phone. “Just because of this, you forgot your dignity and barged in?”

Seeing the man’s cold attitude, Kiara grew angry again.

“Hugo, the child remembered in that house was yours, too!”

For Dorothy’s sake, have you forgotten you’re human?!”

Hugo’s expression instantly hardened.

He had originally refrained from arguing since she had just been discharged after a week in the hospital, but her words were becoming harder to tolerate.

Hugo stared at her like she was insane.

“Kiara, that child has been gone for years. I’ve endured your act long enough. Now that I finally have another child, what’s wrong with buying a house for my future baby?”

“Kiara, I didn’t plan to tell you before because I knew you would hold on to it. Since you’ve found out, stay quiet and accept it. Causing trouble in front of me will only make me dislike you more and change nothing.”

His cold expression made Kiara feel as if he were a stranger.

Hugo had become someone she no longer knew and hated.

The child they once awaited with hope was now mentioned so casually.

Her tears streamed down, not for him, but for that dead child.

“Hugo, you are truly disgusting.”

“How did I once go blind and love you?”

His pride was wounded, and his expression darkened instantly. Raising his hand, picked up the ashtray beside him and threw it at her.

Kiara’s forehead split open, and the ashtray broke into fragments on the ground.

That ashtray had once been her gift to him. For years, he treated it like something precious.

When a cleaner once damaged a corner, he felt heartache for a long while.

Yet now, he destroyed it.

Hugo’s eyes were dark. “Kiara, know your identity. If I hadn’t pulled you out back then, would you still be alive?”

“I went to prison for you for a year. Now I just want to give my child something good. Why are you causing trouble here?”

“I don’t want to see you. Go home and think about yourself.”

His assistant entered and asked Kiara to leave.

She looked at him for a long moment and smiled coldly.

She was forced out of the company. Downstairs, the assistant even warned the front desk that she must not return upstairs without Hugo’s consent.

Hearing that, Kiara laughed with deeper sarcasm and called her father from the mafia family overseas.

“Dad, the money I asked you to put into Craig Group three months ago, withdraw it.”

Her father responded cheerfully, “Alright, I’ll handle it at once. I’ve told you before, Hugo’s skills are ordinary. After all these years, the company has barely grown. The young men I’ve chosen for you are top talents from every field, far better than him.”

Kiara said, “Okay, thank you, Dad.”

After ending the call, Kiara glanced back at the president’s office upstairs.

“Hugo, since you care for Dorothy that much, then you two can go live hard days together.”

Since Kiara had caused a disturbance at the company, Hugo deliberately stayed away for several days as punishment.

He assumed she would contact him constantly, just as she used to.

However, for three days in a row, Kiara stayed quietly at home, showing no interest in anything related to him.

Eventually, Hugo decided to return on his own.

As soon as he returned, he seized the business newspaper from her grip.

“Kiara, stop acting. I’ve been gone for days, you must have missed me, yet you still pretend not to care.”

“I won’t bring up what happened at the company. There’s an auction tonight. You’re coming with me.”

She initially intended to refuse, but since she hadn’t met her parents yet, she thought she could buy them something there.

Seeing her agree, Hugo snorted quietly. He knew she was only pretending not to care.