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.

hen, people started shouting insults at the top of their lungs.

“Oh wow, isn’t this the woman who dreams of being with David? She really will do anything to get his attention.”

“Exactly! First, she’s trying to act ugly to attract his notice, then she’ll clean up her image. What a scheming woman!”

“What’s the point of cleaning up? She’s not even worthy of touching Lucia’s heels. David isn’t blind. Only an idiot would be interested in an ugly woman like her.”

"Saveline, you’re so shameless! You bully our dear Lucia just because she’s kind. You deserve the worst!"

As they shouted, someone threw a bottle of mineral water straight at me.

I was so shocked that I didn’t even think to dodge.

The half-full bottle hit me square on the forehead.

A burning pain spread across my skin and tears welled up in my eyes, streaming down my face in grievance.

“Ugly woman, get off the red carpet! Look at yourself, do you really think you belong here, among all this glamour?”

“Get lost, clown!”

In front of the crowd, under the glare of hundreds of cameras, I felt utterly helpless. My legs went weak, refusing to move.

Just then, a bodyguard rushed toward me, supporting me as I struggled to take even a single step.

I looked at him gratefully.

"Miss Carter, hurry inside. Mr. Lincoln is waiting for you."

"Hey! Security guy, be careful! This woman is desperate for attention. If you touch her, she might latch onto you! Hahaha!"

Amidst the chaotic insults, the bodyguard pushed me into the venue.

David stared at my disheveled appearance with a cold expression. "What happened to your head?"

"As you can see, I was hit. David, are you satisfied now?" I glared at him angrily.

"Oh no! Saveline, I'm so sorry! I just heard from my assistant about what happened outside. Fans' actions are the idol's responsibility, so I apologize on their behalf!"

If it weren’t for the obvious amusement in her eyes, I might have actually believed her nonsense.

Just like last time, Lucia clung to David's arm like a human accessory, practically pressing herself against him.

In the past, David always prided himself on being an “affair detector”.

But now, it was as if he had gone blind, seeing Lucia as gentle and kind.

I ignored Lucia’s fake sweet words and looked straight at David. “I’ve done what I promised. Can you sign now?”

“Oh! Isn’t this Miss Saveline? I’ve heard so much about you!”

A man holding a wine glass walked over with a smirk.

“I heard that, just like Lucia, you were also a candidate for the lead role in The Legend of Diana. Since that’s the case, why don’t you perform a scene of Diana seducing King Zion? There are plenty of directors at this banquet. Who knows, you might get an opportunity in the future!”

I didn’t even know this man. David had already made it clear, my presence at this banquet was merely to highlight how elegant and pure Lucia was.

This man in front of me was most likely another pawn David had arranged to humiliate me.

“No need. I’m leaving the entertainment industry.” I glanced at him and coldly refused.

“Oh? A little firecracker, huh?” He chuckled mockingly before tilting his chin toward the crowd. “But tell me, can you still keep that fire burning over there?”

I followed the direction of his pointing finger and saw a woman with disheveled hair, dressed in a janitor’s uniform, limping as she wiped the staircase railing on the second floor.

At that moment, I felt like I had completely broken down.

My eyes turned bloodshot as I glared at David and questioned him, “Why did you drag my mother into this?”

“Wow, David, is Saveline always like this? She’s so fierce,” Lucia cooed, clinging to his arm like a spoiled child.