When I saw Willow, I felt a glimmer of hope.

I said urgently, “There’s someone inside the factory! You have to stop filming right now and save them!”

Maximus tugged Willow’s hand pitifully and complained, “Honey, this guy is trying to sabotage the shoot and hold my career back!”

Willow affectionately touched his face as she said softly, “You’re a big star now. Just remember not to be so reckless next time. It could hurt your future.”

She then turned to me with a cold glare.

“I personally set up all the safety protocols for this show. Stop trying to stir up trouble without reason.”

Maximus and Willow’s hands were interlocked. I hated it.

I said mockingly, “The person trapped inside that factory is your mom.

“Willow, are you really going to ignore your mom’s life for this guy?

“You’re a firefighter! You know how critical the optimal rescue window is.

“If you keep stalling, you’ll be the one who kills your mom!”

Willow slapped me hard and looked at me in mockery.

“You would curse my mother just to frame Maximus and ruin his future? What kind of heartless monster are you?

“I inspected that factory myself! Wouldn’t I know if someone was inside?”

I looked her in the eye and said anxiously, “I got a call for help. If you don’t believe me, just look at my phone.”

Just as I tried to show Willow the evidence, I realized my phone had been smashed to pieces moments before by Maximus. It could not turn on.

Maximus then spoke pitifully at the perfect moment.

“Honey, see? I told you he was just looking for trouble.”

Willow’s gentle expressions turned even colder as she looked at me furiously.

“George Miller, now you’ve even learned to lie?! Listen, I’m in charge today, and you’ll not ruin Max’s filming!

“Even if someone’s in that factory, they snuck in after I checked it. If they burn to death, they had it coming.

“Max and I don’t have to take any responsibility for it.”

She looked at Maximus with a gentle gaze and kissed his cheek.

“This show means everything to your career. I’m not letting anyone ruin it.”

Maximus noticed how angry I looked. He pretended to be generous and said, “Maybe we should stop filming after all. A life matters more than anything. If something really goes wrong, it wouldn’t look good for your future either, honey.

“As for the one-million-dollar penalty, I’ll just borrow it from loan sharks and pay it back. A few more months of hard work, and I’ll earn it back!”

Willow’s heart ached when she heard his pitiful words. She turned to me with a glare.

“George, you’ll apologize to every single crew member right now! And you’ll cover all the losses from your little tantrum. If you do that, I might cut you some slack.

“Otherwise, believe me, I’ll put you in prison for three years, minimum!”

Maximus’ fans threw water bottles at me angrily.

“He was probably sent by some rival who’s jealous of how well Max’s doing, right?”

“How trashy can you get? That’s such a disgusting thing to pull off. No one ever taught you how to act right? Were you raised in a barn?”

The fans grew more agitated. Some even rushed over to punch and kick me.

Only when I was covered in bruises did Willow disperse the fans. She gently touched my face and spoke the coldest words in the gentlest voice.

“You’ve caused Max so much trouble. So, for this whole month, you’ll stay by Max’s side and fetch him drinks to make up for it.

“This punishment is already pretty light, George. Don’t reject the offer, and stop making a scene!”

Seeing that condescending look in her eyes left a bitter taste in my mouth.

In the past, Willow and I both landed stable government jobs after passing the interviews. We were both swamped with work. Every day when we came home, the house felt cold and empty.

She complained to me that we were just roommates at that point, not husband and wife. She said it was not a home anymore.

To give her a sense of home that she wanted, I quit my job and became a stay-at-home husband. I became her strongest supporter.

Before I quit, I accomplished a major achievement. My bosses figured that, since Willow was my wife, they would give her credit as a stepping stone toward her promotion. That was how she became the youngest fire chief on the force.

I used to think she truly loved being a firefighter. I thought saving people and helping the community meant everything to her.

But I never expected her to change so much. She had become the kind of person I hated the most. I hated those corrupted by power.

Willow became impatient when she saw me standing in a daze. She humiliatingly patted my face.

“What’re you just standing there for? Can’t you see Max’s shoe fell off? Now, put it back on him.”

Seeing her deliberate cruelty, my feelings for her completely faded. I took a deep breath and said seriously, “Willow, I want a divorce.”

Willow froze for a moment. A strange emotion flashed in her eyes.

“Divorce? Have you really thought this through? I’m not forcing you. This is all you.”

I heard the excitement in her voice. I realized she had wanted to divorce me for a long time. She just wanted me to be the one to suggest it first and take the blame.

It was no wonder she had been so cold toward me these past few months. In bed, she would not let me touch her at all.

I looked at her and said sarcastically, “The guy you’re cheating with calls you his wife. You really expect me not to take the hint?

“Don’t throw around false accusations like that! Calling someone ‘wife’ is just an intimate nickname in our circle. My fans all call me ‘husband’ too.”

In front of the fans, Maximus quickly tried to distance himself from the situation.

Willow shot me a glare. She then pulled out a divorce agreement from her bag.

“Watch your mouth!”

Seeing that she had the divorce agreement ready, I let out a bitter laugh. She had clearly prepared it a while ago.

I flipped through the divorce agreement and frowned. She wanted me to leave the marriage with nothing.

“Willow, you’re the one who cheated. Yet you want me to walk away with nothing?” I said in disbelief.

“So?” Willow made it seem like this was all very casual.

“Back when we got married, you made a vow. You said that no matter what happened between us, you’d leave with nothing. You said all the assets would go to me so that I could live a proper life even without you.”

I signed the divorce agreement without hesitation. Seeing her delighted expression, I scoffed.

She seemed to have forgotten that my assets were pre-marital property. Even if I signed the agreement, the law would not recognize it unless I provided proof of my own contribution.

What was more, the commendations that our bosses had given her would be ruthlessly revoked once they found out she had divorced me. None of that could be decided by a simple contract.

After I signed it, I watched her lean intimately against Maximus’ chest. Watching her sweet smile made my heart ache.

We had vowed at our wedding to be each other’s forever. In the end, we did not even make it to the seven-year of our marriage before that vow was broken.

Feelings really were the most fickle thing of all.

After signing the document, I threw the divorce agreement back at her. My face turned grim as I looked toward the factory where the fire was growing larger.

The optimal rescue window was almost gone. I had to save Susan immediately.

Willow saw how clean and decisive my actions were. She felt uneasy. I had loved her deeply. How could I act so ruthlessly?

She called out to me coldly, “Hold it right there! You haven’t even apologized to Max yet. You haven’t worked as his assistant yet. Where do you think you’re going?”

I shook off her hand. My eyes were red with rage as I glared at her.

“I’m going to save your mom! Maybe you can stand by coldly and watch your mom burn to death, but I can’t!”

Willow saw my resolve. She started to have doubts.

Could it be that her mom really was trapped inside the factory?

Maximus, however, held up his phone and said innocently, “But Susan sent me a video half an hour ago. She said she was out of town on vacation. She told me to take good care of you.”

Willow’s hesitation dissipated. She pointed at me and said, “You got caught lying red-handed, George! Aren’t you embarrassed?

“What kind of grudge do you have against Max that you have to destroy his career?”

I got even more anxious. I yelled, “Why would I lie to you?! Willow, if you don’t put out that fire and save whoever’s in there, you’re going to regret this!”

Willow was provoked by my words. She kicked me in the back of my leg and said coldly, “Regret? The only regret I have is marrying you!

“Apologize to Max right now! Otherwise, don’t whine at me for throwing away all the years we’ve had together.”

My leg hurt terribly. I looked at her and pleaded, “There really is someone in there! Even if it’s not Susan, you’ll still get fired if there happens to be someone in there!”

Willow said confidently, “It’s just one life. I have done a lot of good things. Even if someone dies, I can get away.”

Maximus approached me. He looked like a smug and petty villain.

“Just apologize! That’s a lot easier than paying a fine. Don’t tell me you don’t know how to apologize, George!”

He leaned down and looked at me viciously. He then whispered to me, “Susan really is in there! I tricked her into going inside.

“That old hag was so loyal to you! She just had to keep getting in the way of Lolo and me being together.

“Once she’s dead, no one will ever be able to stop Lolo and me from living happily ever after.”

I shuddered with rage when I heard his cruel words. I swung my fist at him and yelled, “I’ll kill you, you monster!”

I was overwhelmed with guilt. Susan had been dragged into this because of me.

Maximus covered his cheek and said pitifully, “Honey, I was just trying to be nice and telling George to move on. He started hitting me for nothing!

“I’m not going to make a big deal out of this. All he has to do is get on his knees and apologize to me. Then, I might consider not pressing assault charges.

“My face is insured, you know! It’s worth twenty-eight million dollars.”

Willow looked at me coldly.

“Max is being gracious by not holding this against you. Go on, apologize to him now!”

Everyone looked at me like they were ringside at a spectacle.

I bit my tongue from anger. My mouth filled with the taste of blood. I looked at her and said deliberately, “Fine, I’ll apologize. But none of you are allowed to stop me from going into that fire after that.”

Willow frowned.

“If you want to walk into that fire and get yourself killed, go ahead.”

Once she agreed to it, I knelt and mumbled apologies to Maximus.

Maximus picked his ear and said innocently, “Huh? That’s too soft. I didn’t hear a thing.

“Show him how it’s done.”

Two tall bodyguards walked over. They brutally forced my head down and smashed it against the ground.

A large gash opened on my forehead. Blood streamed down my face.

After that, I felt dizzy and lightheaded. My face was completely covered in blood.

I used all my willpower to get up. Then, I sprinted toward the fire.

Soon after I reached inside, a team of police officers walked over sternly.

“We received a report. Someone here deliberately set a fire and burned a civilian.”

Willow stepped forward and said without hesitation, “Someone’s trying to sabotage our shoot by filing a fake police report. You can arrest him when he shows up.”

As soon as she said that, I came rushing out with Susan in my arms. Both of us were completely blackened from the smoke and fire.

My eyes lit up when I saw the police. I said urgently, “Officer, I’m the one who reported Maximus for deliberately setting the fire and for attempted murder. He tried to burn my mother-in-law to death inside that factory.

“I want to report Willow, too. She’s the fire chief, but she abused her power and broke the law to cover for Maximus. My recording pen has all the evidence.”