After Kevin carried me to a safe spot, he tried to rush back in to salvage those memories, only to have the flames sear his hand. He stumbled back out, no longer daring to go in.

After the firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire, Kevin carefully helped Cora into the bedroom and did not look at me again.

“Pack up your things and move out," he ordered. "Cora will be staying in the master bedroom.”

“Oh, and Cora just had a miscarriage. She needs someone to look after her. That someone will be you," he added.

I was in disbelief. "Me? Serve her?"

Kevin's eyes turned icy when he said, "What? Don’t forget, you still need my help. Think about the Johnson Family, your father and your daughter. Kelly, think it through!”

So, I stood outside the master bedroom, clutching a thin quilt, listening to Cora’s exaggerated giggles and Kevin’s gentle murmurs of comfort from inside.

Silently, I turned away and walked down the hall to a small, dark room that hadn’t seen sunlight in years. When I opened the door, a wave of moldy air hit me. This place used to be a storage room, but now it has become my “new home.”

In the middle of the night, Cora sent me several photos of her and Kevin in intimate poses, including a video. In it, Kevin was moving on top of her, his low moans ripping through my eardrums.

I casually tossed the phone aside, intending to continue sleeping, but then another message from Cora popped up.

[Kevin and I love each other so much, yet you still cling on like a leech? Don’t forget! It’s Kevin who paid all of your father's and daughters' medical bills! You'd better listen to me, or with just one word from me, I can send them all to hell!”

The next morning, I was jolted awake by harsh banging on the door.

“Madam, Miss Welder wants you to come serve her.”

Lucy’s voice came through the door, tinged with reluctance.

Remembering Cora’s threat from the night before, I dragged my aching body to the master bedroom.

Cora was applying makeup in front of the mirror. When she caught sight of me in the mirror, her red lips curled into a cold smile.

“You’re here? Go prepare the bathwater for me," she ordered. “It must be exactly sixty degrees Celsius, not a single degree more or less.”

I silently entered the bathroom.

By the time the water temperature was adjusted, Cora had already undressed and was standing behind me. She deliberately displayed her smooth, firm skin and the cesarean scar on her abdomen in front of me.

“This is from when I gave birth to Nate,” she said, touching the scar. “Kevin was heartbroken and said he never wanted me to suffer again.”

She leaned close to my ear, whispering, “What a pity … your uterus is gone and you’ll never give him a child now.”

I bit down hard on my lip until the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

Cora stepped into the bathtub and suddenly screamed, jumping out. “Do you want to scald me to death?”

She slapped me across the face, making me stumble and slam into the sink.

Hearing the sound, Kevin rushed in and Cora instantly dove into his arms, sobbing. "Kelly blames me for taking away her uterus and deliberately scalded me with hot water …”

I looked up to defend myself, only to meet Kevin’s frigid gaze. Right at that moment, I understood that he would never believe me again.

“Kneel and apologize to Cora,” he ordered.

I stood motionless. He grabbed my hair and forced me to kneel on the slippery tiles. The pain from my knees hitting the ground made my vision go black.

“I’m sorry.”

The words spilled from my lips mechanically as my mind silently counted how many times Kevin had hurt me for Cora's sake.

After Kevin left, Nate came to find me and asked, "Auntie, can you help me wash my hair?”

I eyed him warily, but his innocent expression was that of a pure child.

Maybe I was just overthinking it? With a sigh, I knelt to wash his hair.

Just as the foam began to lather, he suddenly grabbed my wrist and pushed it into the water.

“Go to hell! Mom said that if you die, she can marry Dad legitimately!”

I struggled, caught off guard as he shoved me face-first into the tub. With a strength no child his age should’ve had, he slammed my head under the water.

I could no longer struggle and the next moment, the back of my head collided with the ceramic and everything went black.

“Help!”

I flailed around and saw Nate standing by the bathtub, staring at me with icy detachment.

I had just climbed out of the bathtub when Nate jumped into it himself.

“Daddy! Help me!” He screamed, “Auntie’s trying to drown me!”

When Kevin burst in, he saw nothing but his son thrashing in the water in a “terrified" state.

Cora cried and hugged Nate. "Kevin, how could Kelly hurt our child like this?"

Kevin was in rage. Without distinguishing right from wrong, he forced my head back into the water.

“How dare you lay a hand on my son?” His voice sounded distant, like it came from far away. “Let me show you how that feels!”

Then he barked, “Lucy, call my assistant. Tell him to cut off all payments for Kelly’s father and daughter’s medical bills at the hospital. This is her punishment.”

Water flooded into my lungs and my vision grew blurry.

Am I… really going to die like this?

“Sir! Mr. Jameson is here. He said it’s urgent!”

The butler's knock on the door saved me.

Kevin let go of my head and I collapsed in the bathtub, coughing violently. Water mixed with blood trickled out of my mouth and nose.

He shook his hand in disgust and said, “Clean yourself up. You'll accompany me to the banquet in half an hour.”

Dripping wet, I stood before the wardrobe and with my trembling fingers, I tried to pick out a dress.

Kevin impatiently knocked on the door as he urged me, "Hurry up! The banquet starts at seven o'clock. Don't embarrass me.”

In the end, I chose an old dress from three years ago. It was a gift from Kevin on our fifth wedding anniversary. I hadn't bought new clothes in years.

"Are you going to wear that?" Kevin furrowed his brows as he eyed me up and down. “Never mind, just go like that.”

In the car, I curled up in the corner, my wet hair sticking to my cheeks.

Meanwhile, Kevin was staring at his phone the entire time and his lips curving into a gentle smile from time to time. Without looking, I knew that he was chatting with Cora.

***

The Imperial Hotel was brightly lit. Just as I was about to link my arm through Kevin’s, he quickened his pace and walked toward a group of women adorned with jewels at the entrance.

Cora was wearing a custom-made gown from the latest collection, looking like the hostess surrounded by admirers.

“Mrs. Dawson, you look absolutely stunning tonight!” a wealthy matron gushed.

I froze in place.

Kevin naturally wrapped his arm around Cora's waist and said, “I'm sorry, everyone, my wife is feeling unwell and arrived late.”

“Who is this?” someone asked, pointing at me.

Cora covered her lips and laughed. “Oh, she’s not important.”

I stood there like a complete fool in the middle of the red carpet, while water still dripping from my skirt, leaving water stains across the expensive rug.

Kevin shot me a sharp warning look, signaling me to keep my mouth shut.

I had just picked up a glass of water when someone suddenly bumped into me. The icy water splashed onto my chest, instantly making the fabric transparent.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry,” the woman who bumped me said with a smile that held zero apology. “Who did I think it was? Turns out it’s just that hen from the Dawson Family who had her uterus cut out and can’t lay eggs.”

A burst of laughter erupted around us.

Cora’s group of close friends gathered around and each mocked me.

“I heard when her daughter was hacked nearly to death, Mr. Dawson was off taking Cora for a prenatal checkup!”

“The Johnson Family went bankrupt and President Johnson is seriously ill. I think she also harmed her daughter. How dare such a bringer of misfortune show her face in public?”

I clenched my fists so tight that my nails dug into my palms. When I looked up, Kevin was across the room. He was laughing and chatting with top business executives while completely ignoring my humiliation.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. A photo popped up. It was from Cora. My father and daughter were lying outside the hospital in their thin clothes after being kicked out of it.

[Why aren’t you picking them up? Their bills aren’t being paid anymore. Did they think they could keep staying there for free? If you wait any longer, they’ll be dead!]

It was the dead of winter. Left like that, my dad and daughter really would freeze to death.

Overcome with anger, I fainted in the banquet hall.

When I woke up, I was at home and the thought of my father and daughter still stranded made me scramble for my phone, wanting to make calls to borrow money for their hospital bills.

However, I saw that at one o'clock in the morning, Cora sent me another message. It was a photo of my daughter's frozen body.

[Oops! Your daughter’s dead now!]

My heart clenched and I breathed heavily, teetering on the edge of collapsing.

Just then, Kevin pushed open the door. Seeing my state, he rushed over and patted my back as he asked anxiously, "What’s wrong? Kelly, don’t scare me!"

When I didn’t respond, he went on talking, “I want to discuss something with you. Cora is already well-known to everyone and everyone thinks she is my wife. Plus, she’s seen by the public every year. I can’t let her bear the criticism. So I’ll need you to step aside for now and let Cora take your place as Mrs. Dawson in public. Alright?”

My ears were ringing and all I could see was my daughter’s tiny body, covered in bruises.

Kevin's mind was only filled with Cora and her son, so he never cared about me and my child.

“Since you’re not saying anything, I’ll take that as your consent.” Kevin stood up and continued, “There’s a cocktail party tonight. I’ll have Cora accompany me. You should rest well.”

The moment he walked out, my face went cold and empty. I climbed out of bed and dressed. I pulled out the divorce agreement Kevin had signed, clutched it tightly in my hand and drove to the airport.

Before boarding the plane, I sent a message to that person, arranging to meet him at Manchester City Hall.

My relationship with Kevin had completely ended. Farewell, the next time we met, it will be a fight to the death!