Annie wrapped her arms around Ryan's neck and smiled sweetly. "Mr. Fulmer, since we're meeting the parents tonight, let's not pursue this matter further. I believe I'll be cleared of all suspicion in the end."

"You're still so kind-hearted." Ryan smiled as he carried her in bridal way and went upstairs.

Before leaving, he shot me a look. "Clean things up properly. Don't let my father notice anything."

I was left alone downstairs. Struggling to get up, I realized my heart didn't ache as much as I had imagined. It seemed that Ryan was fading from my memory.

Soon, after leaving this place, I could start a new life.

Arriving at the primary residence, Elliot Fulmer's voice was filled with anger upon seeing Annie. "How dare you! This is a family dinner. What is the meaning of bringing an outsider here?"

"Annie is pregnant, so she's hardly an outsider anymore," Ryan stated.

Seeing his father stunned into silence, he scoffed lightly. "If it weren't for Annie, I would never have had the desire to have children. You should thank her."

"You!" Elliot was so angry that he clutched his chest and stomped his feet. "What a disgrace!"

Not wanting to deal with the toxic atmosphere, I excused myself to take a walk and ended up by the swimming pool. I turned on my phone and found a video from an unknown contact.

The screen showed a black-and-white photo of my father strapped to a dog's head, the excited animal thrashing wildly before the camera. Not long after, Annie's smug voice came through.

"He dedicated his life to the country while alive and even after his death, he's still arranging his daughter's marriage. What a loyal dog!"

Her words grew more frenzied as she repeatedly slapped my father's face, laughing smugly with each strike. "If you were watching from heaven, why didn't you stand up for your daughter when she was being bullied to death? What a useless piece of trash you are!"

I gripped my phone tightly, my knuckles turning white.

My father's contribution to the country was not something Annie was allowed to insult! Furthermore, I have felt guilty for a lifetime because of what he did for me just before he died.

Was this the resilient little innocent in Ryan's eyes? I wonder what he would think if he knew he had fallen for such a monstrous woman.

"How about it? Do you like the gift I sent you?" Seeing my eyes turn crimson, Annie couldn't help but feel extremely pleased.

"You probably still don't know this, but the only time you were touched, it actually wasn't done by Ryan. It was simply because his brother wanted to taste what a virgin was like, so Ryan handed you over to him."

She ridiculed, "Otherwise, do you think he would care to touch you?"

Hearing this, I stumbled back two steps in disbelief, my body swaying unsteadily. My heart felt like it had been ripped open, the pain spreading through my entire body.

After that incident, I became pregnant and eagerly awaited my child's arrival. But I lost the baby because I shielded Ryan from a rival's knife.

No wonder when I cried my heart out at that time, that man didn't even frown. It turned out that the child was never his in the first place.

Seeing my pale face, Annie crossed her arms and threatened, "If you know what's good for you, get out of the Fulmers residence right now. Don't dirty my eyes. I am the only one who can be Mrs. Fulmer."

Even though I was leaving in three days, I had no intention of telling him. Instead, I stared intently into her eyes. "As long as I'm here, I will always be Mrs. Fulmer and you … you will only ever be trampled under my feet."

"Charlotte Shelton!" Annie shrieked.

She grabbed my hair and shoved my head into the pool, her face twisted with rage. "I've been lying low by Ryan's side for so long, just to become Mrs. Fulmer. What right do you, bitch, have to stop me?"

I choked on several mouthfuls of water, my nose and throat stinging painfully.

"You're asking for death!" she yelled.

Snapping back to my senses, my gaze turned fierce. I grabbed Annie's hair and yanked her into the pool.

"Ouch!"

Both of us fell into the water together.

"Annie!" shouted Ryan, rushing over in a panic.

Without the slightest hesitation, he jumped in to save her.

After pulling Annie out of the water, Ryan anxiously checked her body. Once he confirmed she was safe, he held her in his arms and comforted her for a while.

"Charlotte! Quick, save Charlotte!" Elliot pounded his cane in agitation, but Ryan ignored him while meticulously feeding Annie a cup of ginger tea.

Only after I was pulled out and coughed up several mouthfuls of water did he snort coldly. "It's all a trick, Dad. Don't be fooled."

Elliot was so angry he didn't know what to say and quickly arranged for someone to take me to the hospital. "If you hate Charlotte so much, why did you marry her in the first place!"

Unexpectedly, Ryan raised his head. His voice suddenly became sharp. "Aren't you the one who knows best what happened back then? Why question me now?"

With that said, he picked up Annie and left without looking back. "It's a dark and windy night. Please take care of your health, Dad. I'm taking Annie back first."

Elliot stared at his son's retreating figure. In the end, he could only let out a heavy sigh. "So be it, it's all karma."

When I woke up again, I was already in the hospital.

Seeing Ryan standing by the bed, my lips trembled. I was just about to say something, but Ryan's words cut me off. "You designed this entire scene just to get me to stay with you, Charlotte. You truly have surprised me."

I had choked on a lot of water yesterday and my consciousness was hazy, but I still remembered everything that happened.

Nevertheless, I couldn't be bothered to explain and simply stared coldly out the window. "Think whatever you want. There's no need for you to stay here now."

He had expected me to argue that Annie pushed me into the water and had even prepared sarcastic remarks in advance. But seeing me like this, an unusual feeling stirred inside him.

"Aren't you leaving?" I smirked mockingly, "Don't make your little innocent darling wait too long at home. She might start crying."

On the other side, Ryan remained silent for a long time. When I finally turned my head, he was already gone.

I took out my phone and saw a message from my mom. [Sweetheart, we can leave for Milan in three days. I've already bought the tickets for us, just the two of us.]

My eyes welled up. Finally, I could leave this place.

At that moment, a news report caught my attention.

"Recently, the plagiarism controversy surrounding Annie Whitmore has been cleared. It was her assistant who maliciously leaked her inspiration, leading Annie to create plagiarized paintings."

In the video, Annie cried pitifully, bowing to the camera in apology. "I'm so sorry, everyone. I've caused you all worry. It was my fault for not being careful enough in choosing my assistant, which allowed someone with ulterior motives to take advantage of me. The assistant has been dismissed. I will hold myself to higher standards from now on. Please keep an eye on me!"

I felt sick to my stomach when I witnessed her hypocritical behavior.

She was the one who had plagiarized my mentor's artwork, so what right did she have to play the victim and shift the blame onto me?

Looking at the news, which included my photo, I realized netizens had already dug up my old school pictures. Countless rumors and attacks came flooding in.

[How malicious, to actually use her mentor's work to frame Annie! Just looking at her face, she's clearly not a good person!]

[Maybe she's in cahoots with her mentor, or maybe Annie is just too kind. If this gets serious, they'll all be in deep trouble!]

I felt all the blood rush to my head. Without thinking, I rushed out of the hospital and headed straight to the Fulmer Corporation building. Today, I was going to demand an explanation!

When I reached the office entrance, I was stopped by the receptionist.

The woman in a suit asked me cautiously, "Miss, may I ask who you are?"

"I'm here to see Ryan Fulmer," I replied coldly. I didn't want to waste time arguing with her, so I moved as if I was about to walk in.

"Do you have an appointment? If you don't, we can't let you go in," she added.

"I don't have an appointment, but if you ask one of his bodyguards to pass along a message, he'll let me in." I clenched my fingers tightly, doing my best to steady my emotions.

But when the bodyguard came out, he just shook his head at the person at the front desk.

The receptionist covered her mouth and laughed. "Wow, anyone and everyone really thinks they can meet Mr. Fulmer. Don't you ever take a look at yourself? Are you trying to climb the social ladder and become a socialite? Please give it up. The perfect match for Mr. Fulmer is Miss Whitmore, the genius painter. You should really see what you're worth."

I laughed. I'd forgotten that no one knew we were married.

Well then, I wasn't going to hide it either. I directly tossed out the divorce papers and shouted toward the office door, "Ryan Fulmer, I came today to divorce you! If you're any kind of man, sign it quickly. Don't hide in there like a coward!"

As soon as those words fell, I was finally allowed into the office.

I snorted as I handed over the divorce papers, while glancing around at everything, which felt completely unfamiliar. This was the first time I'd been to Ryan's office since we got married and it was to talk about divorce.

Meanwhile, Annie could come and go freely by his side. How ironic.

"You knew I was being framed, don't you?" I questioned.

Ryan didn't look up at me. Instead, he signed the divorce papers without hesitation and threw a black card at me. "This time, I'm the one who's wronged you. So, I'll let you do whatever you want this time, but only this once."

I chuckled. It turned out that this man knew everything. Yet, he still selflessly protected his innocent darling's reputation, even at the cost of my life.

Oh, God! What had I been hoping for all this time? The Ryan standing before me was no longer the man I remembered.

On the other side, Annie could hardly keep the delight off her face. Still, she pretended to be understanding and said, "Miss Shelton, don't worry, I've already pleaded for you. From now on, you can sleep in the same bed with Mr. Fulmer, just like me. It's just ... "

She pretended to hesitate, "It's just that Mr. Fulmer still won't touch you."

I laughed in anger and threw the black card back in Annie's face. "Well, thank you so much."

"Charlotte, stop making a scene!" Ryan scolded me with a grim expression, but I ignored him while spreading my arms to brace myself on the table.

I gritted my teeth. "Not everyone wants a husband who's like shit wrapped in chocolate. If you like him, I'll give him to you. But remember, he is just the trash I don't want anymore."

After saying my piece, I didn't care about their reactions and went home to pack my belongings. Only then did I realize how pitifully little I owned. When I put them in the suitcase, they formed only a thin layer.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips, but this was fine. I didn't want to owe Ryan anything anyway.

A few minutes later, I took out my phone and called some friends to arrange a dinner party.

When everyone was present, I barely touched the food and poured myself a drink. Before long, my face was flushed.

Over the course of our marriage, I had avoided alcohol entirely, simply because Ryan disliked its smell.

Therefore, my behavior at the moment was quite unusual.

Finally, a friend couldn't help it and grabbed my wrist. "Charlotte, tell me the truth, what exactly are you planning to do?"

My cheeks were rosy from the drinking and a smile hung on my face. "I'm not doing anything. I'm just leaving and I'm a little sad to leave you all."

"Leaving?" my friends spoke in unison, exchanging glances.

Some of them whispered, "Didn't she treat Ryan as her life's creed? She was willing to give up her future for him, so why was she choosing to leave now?"

"Are you and your husband immigrating?" one of them asked.

I shook my head, pulling a divorce agreement from my bag with a cheerful smile. "I am a free woman now. I'm going to study abroad."