Samuel's expression was stormy when he hung up.

Julie closed her eyes tiredly and said, "You shouldn't answer my calls without my consent."

Realizing that Julie was awake, Samuel rushed over to her bedside and sat down. He grabbed her hand, panic etched in every line of his face.

"Julie, you're awake! Thank God! Do you have any idea how much blood you lost? I thought I was going to go crazy from how worried I was."

Julie stared at Samuel icily and didn't say a word.

Taking in her reaction, Samuel asked guiltily, "Julie, are you angry at me? Don't be angry. It's not as if I didn't want to save you. I just couldn't see you at all from where I was.

"I only realized you were there after I saved Cindy. I swear my heart was breaking at the time. If I had known you were there, I would have saved you first!"

Julie suddenly realized that she could no longer tell if Samuel was telling her the truth or lying to her. It was such a terrible realization. They had shared a bed for five years. Samuel was supposed to be the person closest to her, the person she could trust the most.

However, when she looked at him now, all she saw was a stranger. She had loved Samuel deeply once, but her image of him had been ruined and could no longer be restored to what it once was.

"I'm tired," Julie muttered.

She closed her eyes again. She wasn't bothered enough to spare Samuel another glance.

It was obvious that Samuel had more to say, but after seeing Julie close her eyes, he could only sigh lightly. "Rest up. I need to go back to the company to handle some business. I'll come back to your side soon."

Soon after Samuel left, Julie received yet another video from Cynthia that was clearly meant to provoke her.

In the video, Cynthia was clinging to Samuel's arm. Her face was glowing with joy as she asked, "Sam, are you really going to leave all of the Lloyd family's assets to Luke and Anna?"

"That's right," Samuel answered in a low voice. "I've already told my lawyer to prepare the documents. I'll sign the papers in front of all the guests and media during the banquet. I'll also publicly announce that Luke and Anna are the sole heirs of my assets.

"Luke will inherit Lloyd Corporation, while Anna will inherit more than half of my properties. She'll also inherit all the precious jewelry that belongs to my mother and Julie currently."

Each piece of jewelry was worth tens of millions of dollars. If one were to calculate their total worth, they would be worth a fortune.

Cynthia couldn't suppress the gleeful expression that bloomed on her face. She quickly schooled her features before asking, "Will Julie agree to that? Luke and Anna aren't her biological children, after all. What if she gets pregnant and has a child in the future?"

"Julie will never have a child," Samuel declared, his tone firm. "Luke and Anna will be her only children. She has no other option. I won't allow her to give birth to any other children. She will have to raise Luke and Anna as if they're her own flesh and blood.

"Cindy, I can't marry you, and I can't give you my entire heart. But I can promise you that all of my wealth will belong to our children."

Samuel grabbed Cynthia's hand as he made his promise. "Julie has my heart, but you and our children will have all of my assets."

The video ended there. Julie gripped her phone tightly. She was exerting so much force that her knuckles had turned white. Not only did Samuel remove her uterus, but he was also planning to force her to raise his bastard children with another woman.

So, this was Samuel's so-called "love" for her.

Julie breathed in deeply before calling her divorce lawyer. "Have you prepared the divorce agreement? I want you to send it to Samuel now. He's hosting a banquet, and he's planning to announce to everyone that the Lloyd family's assets will be inherited by that pair of illegitimate children.

"It should be simple enough for you to find out where the banquet is being hosted. I want you to rush over there now. You have to ensure that he signs the divorce agreement before he makes his announcement.

"He can give his half of the assets to whoever he wants. As for my half of the assets, I'd rather dump them into the ocean than let those two children have them!"

After Julie disconnected the call, she received a message from the professional disappearing-service group. "Ms. Stamford, all the preparations have been completed. You can leave any time you want."

A smile stretched across Julie's tired face. She sent the group her location. It didn't even take 30 minutes for the group to send a few people to pick her up.

With the disappearing-service group accompanying her, Julie boarded the plane that would fly her out of the country. Before the plane took off, she sent Samuel all the videos that Cynthia had sent to her.

Her final message to him read, "No need to apologize. I won't forgive you."

She tossed her phone into the trash after sending the message. She then resolutely boarded the plane.

…

Meanwhile, the Lloyd family's banquet was officially underway.

It was an extravagant and luxurious affair. Nearly everyone in the upper-class society was in attendance. A large number of reporters had also shown up, equipped with recording cameras. They were waiting for Samuel to make his big announcement.

"I'd like to thank everyone here for making time to attend Lloyd Corporation's banquet," Samuel said in a low voice. "I invited everyone here because I have an important announcement to make.

"I'm sure that some of the media have already caught wind of what I'm about to say. Some time ago, my wife, Julie, and I adopted a pair of fraternal twins. I've always believed that adopted children are no different from my own flesh and blood.

"I'm here today to announce to the media and the whole world that all of the assets that belong to Lloyd Corporation will be transferred to—"

Before Samuel could finish his sentence, Julie's lawyer darted forward and yelled, "Mr. Lloyd! I am Ms. Julie Stamford's divorce lawyer. Your wife has asked me to inform you that she is divorcing you. This is the divorce agreement. Please sign it!"

"Ms. Brightshield, these are the details of the death-faking service you requested. Your time of death will be three days after your baby's one-month birthday celebration. The cause of death will be drowning in the river. The fake deaths will be for you and your baby. Please confirm these details," the man said.

Candace patted her baby, Jamie Hamilton's back as he slept in her arms. She penned her signature on the document. She had finally decided to let go of the relationship that had failed to bear any fruit despite the years of blood, sweat, and tears she had sacrificed.

Everyone in Bloomingville knew that Candace was Shawn's most ardent admirer. She had been infatuated with him for eight years and had stuck to him like a leech until she became "Mrs. Hamilton".

What the public didn't know was that Shawn had given Candace his mother's diamond ring when he was five years old, promising to marry her when they were older.

When he was 15, he had tattooed their initials on his chest, right above his heart. He had been wholly serious when he declared, "Candy, I want our love to last forever. I never want to be apart from you."

When he was 18, he had risked his life and rushed into a pillar of blazing flames to save her. A beam had fallen on him, smashing the back of his head. He needed emergency surgery, and the doctor had warned them that there was a chance he might lose his memories after the procedure.

Before the surgery, Shawn had removed the silver necklace he had worn since he was a child and looped it around Candace's neck. "Even death can't separate us, Candy, what more a little bout of amnesia? Wait for me. I'll definitely remember you. Don't take off this necklace. It'll be the key to our reunion!"

When Shawn woke up, he had forgotten all of his memories before he turned 16. Worst of all, he had mistaken Yelena Chapman, who harbored one-sided feelings for him, for his girlfriend.

For the past eight years, Candace had done everything she could to jog Shawn's memory, but her efforts had all been in vain. Shawn ended up despising her even more because Lucia Lopez, his mother, had insisted that he marry Candace.

When she had been on the brink of death after suffering through a difficult labor, all Shawn had to say was, "Inform me when Candace is dead. She can vacate the title of 'Mrs. Hamilton' for Yelena."

Those words extinguished the last embers of love Candace had for Shawn. Thus, she took Jamie with her to a death-faking service provider with the intention to disappear from his world. She never wanted to see him ever again.

When Candace left the office, the big screen above a nearby shopping mall was broadcasting an interview that featured Shawn.

His hand was interlocked with Yelena's, and his eyes were warm when he said, "Yelena's son, Nathan, is only three years old. He's at an age where he needs a father's love. That's why we don't have any plans to have a child for the time being. We don't want to hurt his feelings."

Shawn's answers elicited shrill screams from the passersby who had also stopped to watch the broadcast.

"The icy president of a company is ignoring his own flesh and blood to treasure the child of his divorced first love. You can tell how devoted he is to Yelena. I'm so envious!"

"Mr. Hamilton has been in love with her since he was 16! Even though Yelena abandoned him when he lost his vision, he never gave up on his feelings for her. It took three years for his efforts to bear fruit. Such an affectionate and devoted man is a rarity in the world!"

"Did that lovestruck fool, Candace, really think that she could win Mr. Hamilton's heart just because she took care of him for three years while he was blind? Shawn and Yelena's love is the real deal!"

"Who knows how Candace schemed her way into becoming 'Mrs. Hamilton'. She thought that she could win back Mr. Hamilton's heart by risking her life and giving birth to his son, but he's never properly looked at her even once! She's just stuck in her own deluded daydreams!"

"I've never seen such a shameless woman in my life. Shawn and Yelena are a match made in Heaven. Candace knew that Mr. Hamilton only had Yelena in his heart, but she refused to relinquish the position of his wife. Her head must be filled with nothing but despicable thoughts!"

Candace felt as if her heart was being pierced over and over again by the crowd's ruthless criticisms. She was in so much pain that she could barely breathe.

Jamie's crying snapped her out of her thoughts. She ignored what the crowd had to say and hurried into the shopping mall, searching for a nursing room where she could feed Jamie.

Unfortunately, she ran into Shawn and Yelena at the toy store on the first floor. It looked like they were buying a toy for Nathan Havok, Yelena's son.

Shawn was patiently picking out a suitable toy for Nathan. His usually icy expression had been replaced by amusement. But when he spotted Candace, the smile on his face melted away in an instant.

"Don't you have anything better to do than look into my whereabouts and tearfully beg me to return home?" he hissed coldly.

"That's enough, Shawn," said Yelena. "Candace is still going through her postpartum recovery. Her body is very weak, and she needs someone to care for her. If she doesn't rest well during this recovery period, her body will be more predisposed to sickness."

Yelena rested a hand on Shawn's arm as if staking her claim on him. Her smile was warm when she said, "Since Candace came looking for you, you should be good and follow her home today. Your baby is going to celebrate his one-month birthday soon. As his father, it's not right that you haven't held him even once."

Shawn scoffed. "I only had a baby with Candace to please the elders. The baby doesn't deserve to be held by me."

He pinched Yelena's cheek fondly and continued, "Although Nathan isn't related to me, my heart feels much more at ease when I hold him."

Their conflict had attracted a crowd of onlookers by now. They formed a circle and whispered among themselves.

"Oh my God! Isn't that Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton? Candace risked her life bringing their baby into this world. How could Mr. Hamilton be so cruel to say such a thing?"

"Candace was also the one who stayed by Mr. Hamilton's side and took care of him during those three years he was blind. Why does it sound like he wants her dead?"

"You're right. Mr. Hamilton is such a bastard. A woman's body is extremely weak right after giving birth, yet Candace's husband isn't showing her even a sliver of care. She's quite pitiful."

Public opinion tended to shift with the wind. In this sort of situation, there were those who insulted Candace, and there were those who thought she was being mistreated. She had gotten used to it.

Candace felt a stinging sensation at the back of her eyes as she gazed at Shawn's disdainful expression. He had long forgotten that he had once risked his life and rushed into a raging fire to save her.

He had forgotten how he had ignored everybody else's objections and donated his bone marrow to her when she was diagnosed with leukemia.

He had forgotten that he had once promised to love her forever, that they would never be apart.

The only person who was a prisoner to those sweet memories was Candace, not Shawn.

Fortunately, in three days' time, Candace would completely disappear from his world. They would never see each other again.

Jamie's cries grew louder, causing Candace's anxiety to spike. She shoved Yelena, who was blocking her path, and made a beeline for the nursing room that was at the end of the hallway. She could hear the sounds of a woman falling to the floor and a man's surprised shout from beyond the door.

Candace focused all her attention on nursing Jamie. Her phone kept ringing. When she saw that it was Shawn calling her, she decisively switched off the device.

After calming Jamie down, she exited the nursing room and saw Shawn cradling Yelena as they rested on the bench. There was a band-aid on Yelena's forehead, and her tears were rolling endlessly down her cheeks.

"Please don't blame Candace, Shawn. She accidentally pushed me because she was worried about her child. I'm sure she had no intentions to ruin my appearance."

Shawn scoffed. "She knows that your face is your most important asset when it comes to your work, but she still pushed you on purpose! Her heart is filled with nothing but malice!"

A layer of ice had frosted over Shawn's face when he yelled, "Candace Brightshield, get over here and apologize to Yelena now!"

"There's no need for that."

Although Yelena insisted that she didn't need an apology, her eyes were overflowing with glee.

Candace's face was impassive as she watched Yelena. She took off the silver necklace that she never went anywhere without and handed it to Yelena. "I was the one who bumped into you today, so I'll give you this to make it up to you."

Confusion flickered in Shawn's eyes upon hearing Candace's words. Yelena was also visibly surprised and pretended to reject Candace's offer. "I can't take that, Candace. That's your beloved necklace! Keep it safe. My face is fine, so you don't have to worry."

"Candace, what are you scheming now?"

Shawn suppressed the discomfort in his heart as his eyebrows knitted together in displeasure. "When I told you to give the necklace to Yelena in the past, you threw a tantrum and refused to hand it over. Why are you willingly parting with it today?"

"I'm not scheming anything. I just don't want it anymore."

Candace's face was a mask of indifference as she carried Jamie in her arms and left. However, she was stopped in her tracks by Shawn.

"Don't think I'll agree to go back home with you just because you're doing this push and pull with me. You must have gone crazy from craving a man's company. You're being delusional!"

Candace pressed the silver necklace into Shawn's hand. She didn't spare him another glance before she took her leave.

Three days later, she would disappear from his world. Why would she be reluctant to part with the silver necklace he once gave to her? Why would she care whether he wanted to return home or not?