James admired my father, which was why he went to great lengths to find me and offered me a position at his company.

His company was based in Zenova State.

At the time, I was deeply in love with David and couldn’t bear to leave him.

Besides, I didn’t want to follow in my father’s footsteps, so I gave up the opportunity.

Right now, everything I once cherished regarded me as worthless. I had nothing left to hold me back.

With my ruined reputation, finding work in the entertainment industry, let alone any job in the country, would be nearly impossible.

Thinking about this made me uneasy. My heart pounded as I anxiously dialed the number.

When the call connected, I carefully asked, “Hello, is this Mr. James?”

There was a brief hesitation on the other end before a soft “Mm” came through, followed by silence.

His quietness made my palms sweat with nerves.

“I’m Lucas Carter’s daughter, Saveline Carter. Does your company still need a gemstone appraiser?”

I felt completely uncertain. I was terrified that if I only introduced myself as Saveline, he wouldn’t remember me and would just hang up. So, I had no choice but to bring up my father.

My body trembled with nervousness and my voice involuntarily choked up.

“It's okay, don’t cry.”

Unexpectedly, the voice on the other end was that of a gentle young man.

It sounded somewhat familiar, but it was definitely not the voice of the person who had given me the number that day.

“You… You’re not Mr. James? I’m sorry, I must have dialed the wrong number.”

My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, plummeted once again into the depths.

The person on the other end didn’t answer my question but instead said gently, “I’ll come pick you up.”

I was utterly confused. If he wasn’t James, why would he come to pick me up?

Sensing my silence, he added, “I’ve heard about what happened to you. I have a flight tonight. Let’s talk in person.”

With that, he hung up.

I was completely bewildered, knowing nothing about the identity of this person.

The only thing I was sure of was that he knew me. Maybe it was because of my father that he was willing to help me.

How ridiculous. Just to leave David, I had started to look forward to the arrival of a stranger I had never met.

The love I once depended on had now become the very thing I was desperate to escape from.

Two people who had once loved each other so deeply had now reached the point of mutual resentment. It was quite a pity.

Even though that person was only willing to help me out of respect for my father, at least I had a place to go.

For a brief moment, the heavy weight in my heart was lifted.

Now, all I had to do was wait for him to arrive and help me process my work visa.

While waiting for the visa, I could finalize my divorce.

With that plan in mind, I started packing my belongings.

Looking at the single suitcase before me, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

After ten years of marriage, everything I owned in this home could fit into just one suitcase.

I had made up my mind. I didn't want anything. As long as David agreed to sign the divorce papers without trouble, I was willing to leave with nothing. Even the house and car that he transferred to my name, I would give them up as well.

It wasn’t that I saw money as worthless or thought of myself as noble. It was just that David had once been the one who pulled me out of the abyss. He simply didn’t love me anymore; it wasn’t as if he had committed some unforgivable crime.

I still remembered that year, right after my parents' suicide. The widows of the miners who had died in the collapse gathered at my doorstep, holding banners and demanding that I die with them, saying that the Carter Family deserved to be wiped out.

It was David who hid me in the basement. Despite being so young, he stood tall like a man, looking at me with unwavering determination and saying, "Saveline, wait here. I'll take care of it and once it's done, I'll take you away."

I didn’t know how that young boy handled the situation, but when I saw him again, his body was covered in welts from a belt.

I cried as I asked him if it hurt.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth. "Saveline, the old man has cut ties with me. From now on, I’m sticking with you!"

It was only later that I found out. He had stolen antique calligraphy and paintings from his father and sold them at a low price.

He took me away from that city where everyone wanted me dead.

He gave me, an orphan with nowhere to go, a home.

Love was supposed to conquer all hardships. In the early days of building our careers, we faced countless struggles together.

But in the end, he rose from being a little boy to a president.

Yet time didn’t just change our circumstances. It changed our love as well.

I didn’t want to take advantage of him and I was willing to give my blessing to his love with Lucia.

If I was destined never to have happiness, then at least the person I once cared about can be happy in my place. That’s enough.

All I asked for now was a peaceful, amicable separation.

After mailing my passport to the address James provided, I stayed home, waiting for his update.

But before any news about my visa arrived, David came first.

"You should get ready. You're coming with me to a banquet tonight."

I was stunned. For years, David and I had even taken separate elevators downstairs, never once sharing a meal in public. What was wrong with him this time?

Seeing that I didn’t move, he spoke arrogantly, "What, are you too excited to react? Look at you, acting like you've never seen the world before."

"I'm not feeling well. I don't want to go. If you need a date, you can take Lucia. Aren’t you two trending as a couple right now?"

I was leaving anyway. I had no intention of getting dragged into their mess.

"Saveline, do you really think you're that important?" David scoffed. "Of course, I will date Lucia. The reason I'm taking you is so your rustic demeanor can make her look even more elegant and pure."

Arrogance was written all over his face.

"Saveline, let's be real here. Just do as I say and I promise I'll never abandon you. This time, your job at the banquet is to act meek and heartbroken. Leave the rest of the negative publicity to the media. Once Diana makes money, I'll reward you with a trip to the Maldiva."

I listened to him quietly, then handed him the divorce papers I had prepared in advance. “David, let’s get a divorce.”

“Saveline, are you getting too full of yourself?” David’s brows knitted tightly together, his arrogance replaced by a sinister glare.

“What’s all this fuss about? So what if I have another woman? Which man doesn’t fool around? As a wife, ask yourself honestly. If you had done your part well, would I have gone looking elsewhere?"

I was so enraged that I laughed. He made cheating sound so justified.

Back in middle school, he and I were strolling through the park when we happened to witness a wife catching her cheating husband with his mistress. The wife’s family had shown up in full force and the hot-blooded teenage David took advantage of the chaos to kick the scumbag a few times along with them.

Even afterward, he was still fuming. "Men who cheat should be physically castrated! They’re the worst kind of trash. Tell me, why isn’t infidelity a criminal offense?"

Now, he had transformed from that young man who despised infidelity into the very thing he once loathed. Not only was he unaware of it, but he also had the audacity to manipulate me, his lawful wife.

It must have been my fault. I must not have been good enough, otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone looking for another woman.

I let out a cold chuckle, which only made him even more furious.

"Saveline, who do you think you are?" David gritted his teeth, his voice dripping with contempt. "Do you really think anyone else in this world would want you? Given your current situation, the moment you step out of my house, you’ll have no choice but to starve!"

"You don’t need to worry about that," I replied indifferently. "Look over the agreement. If there are no issues, sign it. We’ll go to the civil affairs bureau in a month to finalize the divorce."

Compared to David's rage, I remained remarkably calm.

"Saveline, you wouldn’t have secretly latched onto another man, would you? Otherwise, how could you possibly be willing to give up on me, your financial backer..."

"You are indeed a financial backer," I chuckled, "But you're not my financial backer, you’re Lucia’s. All these years, the money I’ve spent came from the roles I worked hard to get. I don’t have the habit of relying on a sponsor."

"You’re still so stubborn," David sneered, his eyes flashing with malice. "Without me, do you really think you'll even get the chance to be an extra?"

"Even if I have to pick up trash, I will never accept your charity," I calmly said.

My unwavering stance made David so furious that his expression twisted in anger. "I’d love to see whether your stubbornness lasts or if my methods will break you first. Let’s see if you can still act this tough when the time comes!"

"Just sign it!" I even uncapped the pen and handed it to him.

David wavered for a moment as he held the divorce agreement, seemingly deep in thought. Then, shaking the document in his hand, he said, "If you want me to sign, fine. But you have to attend the gala with me tonight. Once it’s over, I’ll sign."

After speaking, he pulled an invitation card from the pocket of his suit, my name clearly written on it.

"Alright."

As long as he agreed to the divorce, I was willing to go through fire and water. Let alone attend a mere gala.

"I’ll give you a heads-up. With your current status and reputation, you normally wouldn’t qualify to attend a gala of this level. If the organizers invited you just to boost Lucia’s presence, you might find yourself in an awkward situation. If you apologize to me now, I might reluctantly help you back out of it."

There was a subtle hesitation in his expression, a trace of reluctance that contradicted the arrogance he had when he first walked through the door.

"As long as you sign, I’m definitely going."

"You really don’t know what’s good for you! Don’t expect me to save you when things go south!"

We were locked in a stalemate. After throwing out that harsh remark, he tossed a paper bag at me.

"This is your dress for tonight. No ironing. Just wear it."

I pulled it out and took a look. It was an outdated design from 2015.

It was originally pure white, but now it had turned yellowish. On top of that, it had been carelessly crumpled into a ball, leaving the entire dress wrinkled beyond repair.

It was obvious. David was determined to make Lucia shine like a graceful white swan while using me as the perfect contrast.

Fine. I’d play the clown one last time. If that was the price to leave him, so be it.

It wasn’t until I arrived at the venue that I finally understood. Lucia’s scheme was far more than just making me a laughingstock.

I had underestimated the depth of David’s disdain for me. He was truly willing to go to any lengths for his beloved.

All I had done was call out Lucia for being a mistress, yet to soothe her wounded pride, he had gone as far as inviting major media outlets from abroad to capture my humiliation.

Looking at my wrinkled, yellowed gown, my overly dramatic hairstyle, the dreadful Barbie-pink lipstick and my peeling high heels, I felt the bitterness in my heart.

On both sides of the red carpet, there were not only journalists with their cameras but also a crowd of fans.

The moment they saw me in this ridiculous state, there was a brief moment of stunned silence, followed by a wave of murmurs and exclamations.