The commotion drew Roy over, and the first thing Willow did was put away her phone when she saw him.

Oblivious to her subtle gesture, Roy strode over the mess and scooped her up with one arm. He turned on the tap with the other. The scalded skin on the back of her foot went numb for a moment under the cold water, followed by a wave of excruciating pain.

Willow bit her lips, her face discolored.

Roy gripped her ankle with a grimace. “You’re not a child anymore, Willow. How did you manage to tip over a pot of boiling water?”

In a fit of frustration and pain, Willow bit down on Roy’s shoulder. Roy gritted his teeth but held onto her.

“Did you burn yourself, Willow? I hope it isn’t bad.” Sierra emerged at the kitchen door, looking anxious. “I’ll get you something for the burns.”

Roy took a glance at Willow’s foot and carried her out, passing Sierra. “We’re going to the hospital.”

When the car started, Sierra limped after them and insisted on coming along because she was concerned about Willow too.

As Roy sped along the road, Willow’s phone in the bag buzzed. Feeling the vibration through the fabric of her face, Willow could not feel more annoyed.

Neither of them spoke, and silence settled tensely over the car.

Halfway to the destination, Sierra broke into tears in the back seat. “It’s all my fault, Willow. You wouldn’t have gotten burned if I hadn’t asked for short ribs. You remind me of my sister, and I just want to get close to you.”

Roy’s expression darkened at that comment.

While Willow said nothing, Roy, on the other hand, offered Sierra words of comfort.

Sierra kept the tears coming. “I’m sorry, Willow. I didn’t think things through. I should have realized you might not want to cook for someone else, especially since you made that dish specifically for Roy. I sprained my ankle when someone pushed me. It’s not my intention to trouble Roy. I didn’t mean to get injured.”

Struck by a thought, Roy made a face. He slammed the brakes right outside the hospital, and Willow nearly hit her face on the windscreen.

Roy looked at Willow with all the malice in the world.

“Is this a game to you, Willow? It’s just a dish. If you don’t want to make it, fine. Why go to such lengths? When are you going to stop this childish behavior? Get out!”

Willow stood barefooted on the cold cement floor outside the hospital, her feet chilly and throbbing.

As Roy sped away, she was reminded of that night in the storm. At least Roy dropped her off at the hospital today, and she smiled wryly at the thought.

Meanwhile, her phone in the bag buzzed incessantly, but it was a call this time. Willow took a deep breath, her brows furrowing irritably.

A gruff voice of a middle-aged woman boomed. “No money? Who are you trying to fool?

“You probably don’t know this, but Ian goes to school in Hereshire now. He saw you getting into a fancy car today. The car must be worth millions.

“You didn’t tell us that you got a sugar daddy. I’m only asking for a million dollars. He won’t be missing that much money. I got his license plate, so you better wire the money in a week, or I’ll talk to him myself.”

Willow gnashed her teeth and said curtly, “You get your monthly three grand and not a penny more.”

By the end of the call, Willow found herself shaking while clutching the phone. She felt a mix of anger and fear.

Then, the phone blared once more.

Exasperated, Willow sank her back against the wall and answered, “Can’t you just leave me alone? Beat it!”

‘Don’t yell at me, Willow…” Sierra’s timid voice came on the call. “I was just worried about you…”

Willow turned her attention to the screen, which showed Sierra’s number. Judging by Sierra’s docile behavior, Willow was certain that Sierra had put her on loudspeaker for Roy’s ears.

Sure enough, Roy’s icy voice pierced through the call.

“Apologize, Willow!”

Willow drew a deep breath and terminated the call with trembling hands.

Since that day, Roy did not contact Willow again, nor did he go home.

Willow knew that Roy was angry. He was punishing her for her defiance. Usually, she would cave in to him within three days. However, this time, Willow glanced at the calendar and decided to give herself a break.

The weather turned dreary on the last day of October. That evening, Willow got a call from Roy. He gave her an address and told her to dress up.

Though the nature of the event was not spoken of, Willow knew that Roy’s best friend, Adrian Cavill was celebrating his birthday. From the day Willow got together with Roy, she had taken note of all the important dates of his friends.

Willow agreed to go, and none of them brought up the last fight they had. As she had been wearing slip-ons at home to let her foot heal, her foot protested as she wedged it into stilettos to match her evening gown.

At the party, Willow was surprised to see Roy’s mother. The poised woman took Roy’s arm and brushed past Willow, her gaze fixating on Willow’s face for a moment before shifting away.

Roy’s mother said to Adrian with a smile, “You’ve got your gift. I won’t stay and make things awkward for you young people. Have fun.”

Sierra popped out of nowhere once Roy’s mother was gone. It then dawned on Willow the reason why Roy had brought her to the party.

There had been whispers in the community that Willow could stick by Roy’s side for so long largely because his mother had never openly criticized her. Of course, Roy’s mother could not possibly be fond of Willow. Willow was simply invisible to her.

As it turned out, Willow was just a shield for Sierra, taking the brunt of Roy’s mother’s rage if any, and the thought of it made Willow chuckle silently.

After seeing his mother off, Roy returned to the venue and headed straight to Sierra.

Sierra wore a bluish dress, her long black hair cascading down her shoulders. She looked timid, her eyes darting around curiously.

Roy stared at her, his emotions hiding behind his eyes.

Sierra bumped into a passing server with a tray in hand. As the tray tipped over, Roy snatched her waist and pulled her to safety.

The smashed and shattered wine glasses caught everybody’s attention.

Startled, Sierra clenched to Roy’s collar and recoiled in his arms. “Oh, no, Roy. Did I cause a scene? It’s embarrassing.”

Roy stroked her back to offer solace. “No one will say that you’re embarrassing.”

“I-I’ll clean up the mess right away.” Sierra got down to clear the glass shard, only to withdraw her arm with a shriek.

Roy nervously examined her hands.

On his knees, the terrified server apologized profusely while picking up the broken glass.

“Ha…”

A sneer came from behind Willow.

“This one is worse than the last.” The comment was made right in Willow’s face.

The insult was directed at Sierra and Willow.

In fact, Roy’s friends had never accepted Willow. They looked down on commoners like her. They could be all friendly in front of Roy, but the taunts and disdain would go on behind his back. Besides, no one was worried that Willow would complain, given her history of clinging to Roy and submitting to his wishes.

Willow went outside for a breather since it was freezing for anyone to hang around the pool. However, the warmth from staying indoors was fleeting, and soon, she was shivering.

She eventually regained some temperature from taking two drinks when Sierra showed up. Sierra’s cheeks were flushed as she wobbled her way over, a glass of wine in hand.

“I need a word with you, Willow.”

Willow backed away, keeping a distance between them.

“Don’t try me,” she warned.

Nevertheless, Sierra stuck close to Willow and murmured in her ear, “If we both were to fall into the pool, who do you think Roy would save?”

With a splash, Sierra pulled Willow into the water.

Ice-cold water filled Willow’s lungs as the weight of her soaked gown pulled her down in the water. She thrashed hard against the water, but her tight dress restricted her movements. She felt trapped, unable to surface out of the water or reach the bottom.

As her heart pounded out of her chest, Willow felt the burn in her lungs. She tried to rip open the dress binding her feet desperately. Amid her struggle, her toes touched the bottom of the pool. With all her might, she pushed off the bottom and surfaced.

People gathered around the pool, their voices a blur.

While Willow gasped for air, Roy pushed through the crowd and leaped into the water without taking off his shoes. He swam toward Sierra. The water splashed on Willow’s face, blurring her vision.

Roy quickly carried Sierra to safety, both looking pale with dread. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Sierra. He held her tight as if he had almost lost her.

Sierra opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face. “I was terrified, Roy…”

Wiping the water off her face, Willow hovered toward the edge of the pool with the help of a float. Then, she reached for the ladder and pulled herself up.

Looking up, Willow was greeted by Roy’s menacing face.

“Apologize.” He towered over her.

Willow met his gaze. “I didn’t do it.”

“Don’t tell me she did this to herself. She’s terrified of water. She can’t swim at all!”

Sierra sobbed softly while the crowd looked over, whispering among themselves.

A blinding spotlight shone down on Willow, making her feel like a criminal on trial.

“Willow, apologize!” Roy was on the verge of blowing up.

“Uh, what is going on?” Adrian, the birthday boy, rushed over to pull Roy away. “Willow has no reason to put herself in danger. I mean, just look at the state she’s in.”

Adrian was one of the few good ones among Roy’s friends who did not speak ill of Willow.

Roy sneered, his piercing gaze cutting through Willow. “Oh, she’s an expert at making herself out to be the victim.”

Before Adrian could intervene again, Willow broke into a smile.

“I’ll apologize. I’m sorry, Sierra.” Willow beamed as she apologized.

Roy was taken aback. Even Adrian did not see it coming. After all, no one in their right mind would smile in such a situation.

Willow tugged lightly on Roy’s pants and mumbled, “Don’t be mad, okay?”

That was the Willow they knew. She would do anything to please Roy. An apology was no big deal. It did not matter who was at fault.

Relieved, Adrian had Willow pulled out of the pool.

Roy made a face, his anger peaking at Willow’s light chuckles, yet his fury melted away when she apologized softly. Still, unrest stirred within him like something was slipping out of his control.

When Willow picked up her dress and walked past him, Roy grabbed her wrist.

“My belly hurts, Roy…” Sierra’s timid voice came through as she clutched her stomach in distress.

After a brief pause, Roy released his grip on Willow and rushed to Sierra’s side. “Come on. I’m taking you to the hospital to run all the tests.”

Willow was left there in a crumpled gown, facing the scrutiny all on her own. The looks she received were judgmental, taunting, and thrilled.

“I bet Mr. Chester will dump Willow this time. He just walked away with his new girlfriend. If I were her, I wouldn’t show my face ever again.”

“That’s you. We’re talking about Willow here. She has a big heart. She’ll be begging for his attention by tomorrow.”

Adrian embarrassedly handed Willow a towel. “Let’s get you to a dressing room.”

“Thank you.” Willow clad her thinly veiled dress with the towel and trailed behind a server.

The burn on her foot had scraped against the pool’s tile during the struggle, leaving a bloody gash. However, she paid no heed to her injury and sauntered along with composure.

It was around eleven at night by the time she got back to the villa. She headed upstairs, changed out of her dress, and took a suitcase she had packed earlier from the closet.

As Willow made her way to the living room, the housekeeper emerged and asked with concern, “It’s late, Ms. Croyton. Where are you going?”

Willow grinned. “Thank you for everything for the past three years, Hailey. Goodbye.”

The clock on the wall let out a hum when it struck twelve. It was over; everything was over.

Willow dragged her suitcase out the door as relief washed over her. At that moment, her phone rang. Roy’s name lit up on her mobile screen.