I went abroad for three years to build a lab and save my husband's company from collapse.

After endless struggles, I finally cracked the technical problems and developed the core technology.

When I returned home with that breakthrough, I saw the airport video board plastered with the same impossible headline—my husband was getting married.

I felt a hot, furious ache and took a taxi straight to the venue.

…

A woman who had cared for our household for years blocked me at the gate and sneered. "Who do you think you are, showing up at the Stone family's wedding? Get out of here, or I'll get security to throw you out."

For a moment, I stood rooted, but then the bride appeared, walking out of the villa in a wedding gown.

It was the woman Adrian Stone had once told me was dead—his first love, Evelyn Sutton.

She wore my wedding ring on her finger and looked at me with pure contempt. "You want to make a scene at my wedding?" she said. "If you do, you're really asking for trouble. My husband, Adrian, won't hesitate to take care of you."

I folded my arms and let out a cold laugh. "Adrian's getting married? Funny, I don't recall getting an invitation."

The Wife Who Returned

The moment I finished speaking, the bridesmaid across from me burst into mocking laughter.

"Where did this lunatic come from? Has security fallen asleep? Who do you think you are, shouting Mr. Stone's name like that? Do you even know who you're talking to? This is Mrs. Stone!"

Evelyn crossed her arms and glanced at the employee badge in my hand. "Just a low-level staffer. Tell HR to fire her."

Fire me? She had no idea that Stone Group existed because of my investment.

Back then, the company's technology couldn't sustain production, and Adrian was losing sleep night after night, weighed down by failure. I couldn't stand to see him like that, so I led a team overseas for research and development. Three long years of relentless work and sacrifice later, I finally brought the core technology home.

I had planned to surprise him, but it turned out that he had a far greater surprise waiting for me.

While I was buried in radiation-filled labs, coughing up blood in hospital beds, he was busy rekindling his old flame.

My gaze swept over the crowd, icy and sharp, until it landed squarely on Evelyn. "I suggest you tell Adrian to get out here right now. If he doesn't, he'll regret it for the rest of his life."

I expected her to at least take me seriously, to sense the fury behind my calm tone. Instead, she sneered. Before I could finish speaking, someone grabbed my shoulders, forced me to my knees, and slapped me hard across the face.

"You have some nerve, causing a scene at the Stone family's doorstep. If I don't put you in your place, people might think we're easy to push around. Just look at you, a mere employee daring to act high and mighty."

A mere employee? Half of Stone Group belonged to me. The entire board was filled with people I promoted.

I never wanted to work at his company in the first place. It was Adrian who begged me for three months, saying he couldn't breathe if he didn't see me every day.

I gave in foolishly.

And now? His mistress stood before me, flaunting her victory like she owned the world.

Before I could get up, a few of Evelyn's bridesmaids rolled up their sleeves and rushed forward.

One of them kicked me hard in the stomach. Pain shot through my body, sweat breaking out across my forehead.

In all my life, I had never experienced anything like this.

My parents' businesses were overseas, but their connections here were still strong. That was how Adrian had risen from a nobody into one of Ardenton's rising elites.

I had barely set foot back in the country, and this was the welcome I got. Even someone as mild as me couldn't hold back the fire burning inside.

I shook off the hands gripping my shoulders and hissed, "Evelyn, I'm warning you, I'm Adrian's wife. Everything you're wearing and every jewel on your neck is our marital property. If you let me go now, we can pretend this never happened. Otherwise—"

Before I could finish, Evelyn threw her head back and laughed again, the sound dripping with venom.

"So, that's why you're acting all high and mighty. You're trying to steal my husband! You disgusting tramp. If I don't deal with you now, more homewrecking wench like you will start lining up!"

She pressed down hard with her heel, grinding it into my palm until blood burst through the skin. The pain was so sharp it sent sweat streaming down my face.

Still not satisfied, Evelyn snatched the security guard's baton and swung it down at my head with all her strength.

Blood gushed down my face, blurring my vision and soaking my collar.

And then, her phone rang. The ringtone sliced through the chaos, followed by a low, refined male voice on the other end of the line.

The Woman He Forgot

Adrian said calmly, "Honey, why aren't you back yet? Mom's waiting to chat with you."

That soft tone froze me in place.

Evelyn waved her phone at me, eyes bright with triumph, and cooed, "Babe, tell Mom to wait a minute. I'll be right back."

Mom? Could it be that my mother-in-law, the one who'd always looked down on me, tossing out snide remarks and veiled insults whenever she spoke, knew about this too?

Hearing the indulgent warmth in Adrian's voice twisted something inside me. I snatched the phone away and barked, "Adrian, get out here right now!"

He frowned. "Who's there?"

Evelyn glared at me through gritted teeth. "A beggar. I was about to shoo her away."

Adrian's voice turned sharp. "Everyone at tonight's banquet is important. Don't let a piece of trash spoil the occasion."

Back then, before I boarded the plane, he'd clung to me with red-rimmed eyes, saying he'd miss me. And now, over the phone, he couldn't even recognize my voice. "Adrian, listen to me! Don't you want the core technology anymore?"

Before I finished, one of Evelyn's bridesmaids grabbed my hair and yanked me aside.

Evelyn slapped me so hard that her wedding ring cut my forehead. Blood poured down my face.

Adrian's voice was cold. "Take care of it. The company is in transition. I don't want people like her affecting things."

Then, he hung up. Hearing the hollow echo after the call ended, I felt my heart sink into despair.

Back when Adrian was pursuing me, he poured all his heart into loving and protecting me.

Once, during dinner, I casually mentioned I liked a restaurant. The next day, he bought the place and had the chef come to our house to cook just for me.

When other women tried to become his mistress, he crushed their hopes without mercy.

All of Ardenton knew that Adrian adored his wife. He treated me like something precious, never letting me out of his sight.

But who could have imagined that I had only been three years abroad, but he'd proudly bring his mistress home and let her humiliate me like this?

I couldn't hold back the grief and rage. I screamed, "I'm the Shea heiress. If any of you will help me, the Shea family will hand over our domestic assets!"

Before the words finished, a bridesmaid pummeled my abdomen with a few hard fists. Pain shot through me, and I collapsed to the floor.

Evelyn looked down at me with contempt. "The Shea heiress? Everyone knows the Shea family is abroad. Strip her."

I struggled, and the flash drive holding our core technology slipped from my pocket. I reached for it, but Evelyn grabbed it first.

Seeing how much I was bleeding, a bridesmaid tried to intervene. "Don't make this into a murder."

Evelyn shoved her away. "Murder? The Stone Group is rich. They can buy several lives like hers."

She grabbed my chin, her nails digging into my skin until sweat broke across my face. "Even his wife couldn't beat me. And you still dream of getting into his bed?"

I froze. "You know his wife?"

Evelyn's face lit with smug satisfaction. "She's a useless, plain housewife. She ran off abroad in shame."

So, Adrian never told her I'd gone overseas to develop new technology.

Before I could say a word, Evelyn folded her arms and said coldly, "Whoever beats her to my satisfaction gets ten million."

That was the cue. The onlookers surged forward, spitting insults.

"We hate gold-diggers like you. Don't you know Mr. Stone and Ms. Sutton are getting married?"

"If you don't beg for Ms. Sutton's forgiveness, you're not leaving!"

Public Shame

They had my shoulder underfoot, driving me down so my forehead hit the floor again and again.

Someone twisted my arm and snapped my fingers one by one.

I bit down on my teeth and warned, cold and loud, "Evelyn, the files on that USB are the core technology Adrian needs. Let me go. If you don't, he won't let you get away with this."

Evelyn toyed with the thing in her hand, then sneered. "Core technology?" She paused like she couldn't be bothered. "One minute you're pretending to be his wife, the next you're acting like an employee. Do you believe your own act?"

With that, she put her foot down and crushed the USB. "I want to see how Adrian will not let me get away with it."

At her words, the secretary raised her hand and slapped me dozens of times.

Blood and a metallic tang flooded my throat. My face swelled into something that barely looked human.

Evelyn let a victorious smile spread across her lips. She turned to the crowd and shouted, "This is what happens to women who fake it and try to climb into Mr. Stone's bed. If I catch anyone else trying to seduce Mr. Stone, they'll end up in a worse situation than she's in right now!"

Then, she waved her hand and pointed toward the busy street. "You like men so much? Fine, let every man in the city see your disgrace. Strip her."

I screamed and fought with everything I had. "I'm from the Shea family! The Shea heiress! Who here dares touch me?"

No one listened.

They grabbed my arms and hauled me to the curb.

My back had already been rubbed raw by grit and gravel from the road. A blinding, burning pain washed over me, and I nearly passed out. I fought harder as their hands began to pull at my clothes.

Just then, a familiar voice cut through the chaos from the entrance. "Stop! What's going on here?"

I turned and saw two police units spilling out of their cars, moving fast.

Evelyn didn't flinch. She watched me with the unhurried air of someone who had already won.

"What can a couple of cops do?" she said, contempt plain as day. "Whoever shows up, I wouldn't be scared. Even if I beat you to death right in front of them, they wouldn't dare touch me. Everyone in Ardenton knows how powerful the Stones are."

When she looked at me, her eyes glittered with triumph and menace.

I lifted an eyebrow and felt cold settle into my gaze. If Adrian had the nerve to allow this, I wouldn't hesitate to shame him publicly.

I recognized the lead officer. My uncle had promoted him. I struggled to my feet and said, "Evelyn assaulted me. I don't want money. Lock her up—"

Before I finished, the officer walked right past me and stopped in front of Evelyn. "Mrs. Stone, are you all right?"

For a second, I felt stunned. Before I left the country, I'd even shared meals with them. How could they turn on me and pretend they didn't know me today?

Evelyn's smile widened like she'd tasted victory. "I'm fine. Just a crazy woman causing trouble."

The officer came toward me with a grim face.

I stared at him without expression. "Have you forgotten who my uncle is?"

For a heartbeat, the officer's eyes flickered with unease, but he kept his voice steady. "Disturbing the peace in a public place. We'll take her in and see how stubborn she really is."

It hit me then. While I was abroad developing the technology, the whole social circle in Ardenton had accepted Evelyn as Mrs. Stone.

I let a thin, knowing smile cross my face. "Fine. Then, you'd better be ready to strip off that uniform."

The officer swallowed hard. Panic showed on his face.

The secretary spat at me with venom. "Crazy witch, how dare you threaten the police? Take her away. Mr. Stone ordered it."