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.

That evening, Hugo arrived first. When Kiara showed up, she realized Dorothy was there as well.

Hugo held Dorothy’s hand. “Dorothy will be the mother of my child in the future. There will be many events like this going forward, so I brought her to get used to the setting beforehand.”

Kiara no longer paid any attention. Without replying, she walked straight inside.

After sitting down, the first lot presented was a gentleman’s brooch that had once belonged to the British royal family.

Kiara lifted her paddle. “One million.”

A subtle smile appeared on Hugo’s face. He thought Kiara intended to purchase it as a way to reconcile with him.

However, in the next second, Dorothy lifted her paddle as well. “Two million.”

Kiara frowned and bid again. “Three million.”

Dorothy did not have much money and looked at Kiara with a pitiful look. “Sister Kiara, I really like this brooch. Could you let me have it?”

Kiara mocked. “Now you remember to talk about giving way? Where was that attitude when you were taking what belonged to me? If you’re capable, add money and purchase it yourself.”

Dorothy’s eyes immediately turned red with grievance as she glanced toward Hugo.

Hugo’s expression hardened, and he lifted the paddle on Dorothy’s behalf. “Five million.”

Kiara bit down hard. “Eight million.”

“Ten million.”

Ten million for a brooch was indeed overpriced, and that was all the cash she currently had, so Kiara could only stop bidding.

In the end, Hugo won the brooch at ten million.

For every lot afterward, whenever Kiara showed interest, Dorothy would step in and take it.

Hugo thought naming prices was a waste of time. If Dorothy wanted something, he would send up a sky lantern right away.

Until the last item, it was a top-quality herb that could help her father’s heart problem.

Kiara bid again. When she saw Hugo about to send up another sky lantern, she could not stay quiet anymore.

“Hugo, are you going to take everything and leave nothing for anyone else?”

“Remember, that’s our shared marital property you’re using!”

He looked at her coldly. “If you understand that, then don’t compete. That way, I do not need to release another lantern.”

Compete?

Who was truly fighting over the items?

Every time she liked something, Hugo had taken it first. Because of that, she had not won a single thing.

And now he claimed she was the one fighting for it?

Kiara had her own pride. She lifted her chin and said, “This herb belongs to me this time!”

She directly offered ten million; it was every bit of her savings.

Hugo had just planned to continue lighting the sky lantern, but he learned there wasn’t enough money in his auction account.

In the end, the item went to Kiara for ten million.

Dorothy was so angry that her teeth clenched, and she began stirring up trouble from the side.

“Brother Hugo, all the cash in this house is yours. Sister being able to take out that much money is also because you make a lot.”

“So this herb should belong to you as well.”

Kiara had met shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless.

“This cash is entirely mine. It has nothing to do with Hugo, not even a single cent.”

“Hugo, if you are still a man, you should not be eyeing a woman’s money.”

After saying that, Kiara picked up her things and was ready to leave, but Hugo blocked her. “Hand the item to Dorothy. I will buy you something else later.”

Kiara said, “What if I refuse?”

Hugo’s eyebrows drew together. “Kiara, I am not asking you.”

As his voice dropped, Hugo directly told the bodyguards to snatch the item from Kiara’s hands and hand it over to Dorothy.

“Kiara, why can you never learn to behave?”

“Since you are like this, then go back and cool off properly.”

The bodyguards forcefully dragged Kiara back to the house and shut her inside.

Kiara was scared of darkness, so Hugo purposely locked her in the cellar to make her remember the warning.

She shook without control again and again in the dark, but did not plead with Hugo for forgiveness.

Just hold on a little longer. The next day, she would be able to receive the divorce certificate. At that time, she would fully settle every score with Hugo.

But before she could wait for the divorce certificate, she first faced Hugo’s blame.

Early in the morning, Hugo rushed over in anger.

“Kiara, what did you do to that herb last night? Dorothy lost the baby because she touched the herb you purchased!”

“Kiara, you hurt her!”