A moment of silence followed. Griffin looked at me quietly, his face expressionless. I knew what he was waiting for. He was waiting for me to bow my head, waiting for me to admit defeat, waiting for me to personally shatter the last vestiges of my dignity.

"Griffin," I heard my own voice, terribly dry, "is it... that if I apologize, you promise you won't pursue Spencer anymore?"

Griffin nodded. Spencer was about to rush forward when Griffin's men grabbed him, their eyes bloodshot as they shook their heads at me.

I released my grip, my knees buckled and I slammed heavily to the ground. A moment of silence followed, then a murmur of discussion erupted.

"My god, Mrs. Beckham really knelt before that woman?"

"Huh? I heard Mr. Beckham has always had his first love in his heart, looks like it's true..."

"No wonder, the main character kneeling before the mistress."

Quincy seemed uneasy amidst the murmurs; she gently tugged at Griffin's sleeve.

"Griffin, it's alright, everyone's watching, I... I forgive them, please let her get up."

Griffin's expression softened slightly, his gaze returning to me, but still carrying a lingering coldness.

"Quincy is soft-hearted, let's just let this go, but don't let it happen again and don't have any more inappropriate thoughts." His words were pointed, a clear warning.

I didn't answer, but simply stood up, my legs numb. Spencer immediately helped me up, his hands trembling slightly as he gripped me. We didn't look at the two people again and walked out of the bar amidst a chorus of pity and mockery.

On the way, Spencer's eyes were red, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "Suzy, why did you..."

"Mom's in the hospital having surgery," I interrupted him. "Just a few more days and this will never happen again."

He froze, looking at my face, swallowing the rest of his words and wiped his eyes heavily.

When we arrived at the hospital, my mother was just being wheeled out of the operating room. The doctor said it went smoothly and she just needed to be observed. I had just breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall to catch my breath, when I heard a familiar voice from the other end of the corridor.

Griffin and Quincy had also come to the hospital. Griffin saw me first, his brows immediately furrowing and he walked over in a few steps.

"The surgery?" he asked.

"I paid for it."

"Where did the money come from?" he pressed, his tone dripping with undisguised suspicion and disdain. "Eight hundred thousand, who gave it to you?"

"It's none of your business."

"None of my business?" Griffin took a step forward. "Suzy, I don't care how you got the money, but if I find out you've had any improper thoughts or damaged the Beckham Family's reputation, I won't let you off the hook."

I looked up at him, suddenly feeling utterly hopeless, "Griffin, do you think that without you I should die, or that I should steal and rob?"

He frowned.

"The money is clean; I borrowed it. As for who I borrowed it from, you don't deserve to know. Also, I don't want to wear the title of Mrs. Beckham for another day. I'll give you the divorce papers as soon as possible."

"You want a divorce?" Griffin's voice suddenly rose, drawing the attention of a nurse nearby.

He lowered his voice, but his words were sharp and menacing. "Suzy, do you think divorce is something you can just decide to do? I don't agree. You'll never be able to shake off the title of Mrs. Beckham for the rest of your life."

"I've said it many times, Quincy and I are just friends. If you keep causing trouble, don't blame me for being impolite."

Quincy then approached, speaking softly, "Griffin, don't be like this… Suzy is probably just too sad."

She turned to me and smiled. "By the way, Suzy, tomorrow is my birthday. I'm having a small party in Landing Hotel. Tomorrow is also your and Griffin's wedding anniversary. Come along, just to give me face."

Looking at her innocent face, my stomach churned. "I'm busy."

"You must come," Griffin commanded coldly, brooking no refusal. "With things going on like this tonight, people are bound to have second thoughts about Quincy. If anyone asks tomorrow, you can clear things up for her."

I looked at him and to ensure a smooth departure, I finally suppressed all my emotions and forced out a single word, "Okay."

At seven o'clock that evening, I appeared precisely on time in the banquet hall on the top floor of the Landing Hotel.

Quincy was surrounded by a crowd in the center of the hall, her pink dress making her look stunning. Griffin stood beside her, speaking to her with a gentle expression I had never seen before.

My appearance caused the laughter and chatter at the door to pause for a moment. Whispering gossip, like mosquitoes, began to swarm around me.

"She actually came..."

"I wouldn't have the face to come. My husband is throwing a birthday party for his mistress and today happens to be my wedding anniversary..."

Griffin saw me, his smile faded slightly, his brows furrowed a little and he led Quincy towards me. “Now that you’re here, behave yourself.” His voice carried an unquestionable command.

“If anyone asks about last night’s bar incident, you know what to say.”

I remained silent, my gaze fixed on the spot where he held Quincy’s wrist. His knuckles were distinct; he had once held my hand like that. Quincy leaned against him obediently, her eyes crinkling as she looked at me, her voice soft and tender.

“Suzy, it’s so good you came. Come play some games with us, everyone’s waiting.”

Empty bottles and cards sat on the table. Everyone around me stared, their eyes filled with the excitement of watching a spectacle.

“Yes, Mrs. Beckham, let’s play together,” a short-haired woman said with a smile. “Quincy lost earlier and when asked about her first kiss, she readily admitted it was with Mr. Beckham.”

A murmur of knowing laughter rippled through the crowd. Griffin didn’t deny it, simply taking a sip of his drink.

Quincy blushed slightly and said coquettishly, "Stop fooling around, whose turn is it?"

The bottle spun on the table, finally landing squarely on me.

"Wow, Mrs. Beckham!" The short-haired woman excitedly pulled out a card. "Let me see, please choose Truth or Dare?"

Everyone looked at me.

I looked at the card, then at Quincy's expectant eyes and said calmly, "Truth."

The short-haired woman immediately cleared her throat, her voice rising, "I heard Mrs. Beckham has a seriously ill mother in bed and a younger brother who almost got arrested for harassing women. And you yourself seem to have trouble keeping your husband's heart. In comparison, Quincy is young, beautiful, successful and perfectly matched with Mr. Beckham."

She leaned forward, asking each word clearly, "Faced with this situation, doesn't Mrs. Beckham feel like a pathetic woman desperately holding onto your position?”

The words fell silent; even the background music seemed to stop. Everyone held their breath, looking at me, then furtively at Griffin and Quincy.

Quincy covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide, looking both shocked and... "Hey, how could you ask such a question? That's too much..." she said innocently.

"It's just a game," the short-haired woman chuckled. "Besides, everyone's actually quite curious..."

"Curious about what?" I interrupted her, my voice surprisingly calm. "Curious about why I haven't left yet, is that it?"

Griffin frowned. "Suzy, stop it."

I ignored him, stood up and looked coldly at Quincy. "You think so too, don't you?"

Quincy's expression changed slightly. She opened her mouth, seemingly trying to put on her usual innocent act. But I didn't give her a chance to speak.

"So last night you deliberately dragged my brother into the private room, accidentally spilled wine on yourself and then framed him for harassment? While my mother was undergoing surgery, you deliberately left, worsening her condition? Knowing that my mother urgently needed money for surgery, you still insisted that Griffin use it to buy you a birthday present?"

The words fell silent and all eyes turned to Quincy.

Quincy's face turned pale visibly and she instinctively gripped Griffin's arm tightly. She said, "Suzy, how could you say that to me? I know you hate me, but you can't frame such a vicious lie..."

I sneered, "Whether I'm wrong or not, you yourself..."

Before I could finish, Griffin raised his head and slapped me hard across the face. The crisp sound of the slap was particularly jarring in the quiet hall and I was jolted to the side. My cheek went numb instantly, followed by a burning pain.

"Suzy, have you gone mad?" Griffin's eyes were frighteningly cold, his voice filled with overwhelming rage.

"Look at yourself now. You're nothing but an unreasonable shrew!" He took a step forward, his tall figure looming over me, exuding a strong sense of oppression.

"Quincy is the expert I hired, she's done her best, yet you repay kindness with enmity, repeatedly making false accusations. It seems I've been too lenient with you." He gave me a disgusted look, then turned to the bodyguard at the door and snapped, "Take her out of here, don't embarrass me again..."

Before he could finish the word, several gasps of surprise came from the distance.

"Is that chandelier swaying?"

I instinctively looked up. Right above us, the enormous crystal chandelier was swaying violently.

"Watch out!"

Griffin's expression changed drastically. He whirled around, grabbing the trembling Quincy beside him and pulling her into his arms, shielding her with his back. But in that instant of turning and pulling, his arm slammed into my shoulder.

Already staggered from the slap, I was caught completely off guard and fell backward. Almost simultaneously, with a deafening crash, the heavy chandelier crashed down. I fell heavily to the ground, the back of my head hitting the floor and my vision went black.

The next second, the chandelier came crashing down on me. A shard of glass grazed my forehead and blood immediately gushed out, blurring my vision. But an even sharper pain came from my lower abdomen.

In the instant I fell, my lower abdomen slammed hard against the corner of the table beside me. An indescribable, excruciating pain surged through me; I could even clearly feel a warm, uncontrollable flow gushing from between my legs.

Many people who witnessed this gasped in shock. However, despite the commotion, Griffin didn't even turn to look at me.

He gripped Quincy's shoulders tightly, his voice stern as he berated her, "Are you stupid? The lamp was about to fall and you didn't even try to dodge?" "

As he spoke, he anxiously checked her for injuries, his face showing a panic and heartache I hadn't seen in a long time. Quincy nestled in his arms, sobbing softly, unharmed.

"Griffin..." I called out to him in a hoarse voice, "Take me to the hospital... my stomach... it hurts so much..."

Griffin turned around at the sound of my voice and saw my face covered in blood and my body a mess. A look of panic flashed across his face immediately and he instinctively walked towards me.

"Griffin," Quincy in his arms let out a weak groan, "my chest feels so tight, I can't breathe..."

Griffin's body tensed instantly and he immediately stopped, holding Quincy even tighter.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here, we'll go to the hospital right away."

He didn't look at me again, scooped Quincy up in his arms and turned to run quickly out of the banquet hall.

"Griffin...save me..." My pleas faded after he turned away and my vision began to blur.

The others around me watched silently as I lay in a pool of blood, pleading. No one dared to approach. Before my last breath of consciousness faded, I saw countless mocking and sarcastic glances and Griffin's increasingly blurry figure carrying Quincy.