“Nancy, are you really going to divorce Ryan and go abroad for further studies?” In the quiet living room, Nancy Xu looked at Mrs. Sullivan’s surprised face across from her and nodded. “Yes, Aunt Sullivan. And as you know, I wasn’t the one who was supposed to marry him in the first place. For Ryan, I was just an unexpected stand-in, a substitute when the real bride didn’t show up. Now that she’s back, he’s been very happy lately, so it’s time for me to go.” Outside, fine snow was falling gently, creating a beautiful winter scene. Nancy smiled lightly, “Going abroad to study has always been my dream anyway.” Mrs. Sullivan looked at the young woman before her, remembering three years ago when Fiona Quinn, who was supposed to be the bride, ran away abroad on Ryan’s wedding day. Just as Ryan was standing awkwardly at the altar, red-eyed and not knowing what to do, Nancy put on an ill-fitting wedding dress and slowly walked up to the stage. Full of apology, she picked up the microphone and apologized to all the guests: “I’m so sorry, there was traffic on the way, I’m late.” It was this act that saved Ryan’s face and the Sullivan family’s reputation. Mrs. Sullivan sighed deeply and asked uncertainly, “Will Ryan agree to the divorce?” Nancy shook her head with a smile, “I already have the divorce agreement.” After all, she had sent the divorce papers half a month ago. At that time, Ryan was in such a hurry to finish work and go see Fiona that he signed without even looking, and left. Now, she just had to wait seven more days to get the divorce certificate, and then she would be free. After all, the Sullivan family, for three generations, couldn’t go abroad due to the confidential nature of their work. So once she went abroad, she and Ryan would never have to see each other again. Just as Mrs. Sullivan was about to speak, a magnetic male voice suddenly came from behind the two of them. “Nancy, what are you chatting about with Mom?” Nancy turned around and saw Ryan, whom she hadn’t seen for days, in a black suit walking towards them. “…Ryan.” Seeing her son approach, Mrs. Sullivan was about to step forward to scold him. “Why are you here?” With three parts surprise and seven parts reassurance, Nancy stood up and gave Mrs. Sullivan a pleading look, interrupting her at the right moment. “I missed you, so I came to pick you up on the way.” Ryan’s eyes were a bit guilty. Actually, he had come on purpose after learning of Nancy’s whereabouts. After saying goodbye to the worried Mrs. Sullivan, the two took their bags and left the Sullivan family mansion. On the way back, heavy rain beat against the car windows, but inside it was completely silent. Ryan was silent for a long time before he finally spoke. “Nancy.” “Actually, Fiona and I are over. It’s just that she just came back to the country and had heart surgery a few years ago, so her health isn’t good. As an old… friend, I just went to help her settle in, so I hope you can understand.” Nancy looked out at the rain blurring her view through the window and nodded. If only she hadn’t seen how excited Ryan was when he dropped everything to run and meet Fiona the day she returned. If only she hadn’t seen Ryan sell the watch he had used for years and exchange it for a cheap bracelet Fiona had given him. If only… There were too many “if onlys”. Nancy no longer had any expectations or trust. The car was quiet for a moment before Ryan spoke again: “Nancy, what was that document you had me sign half a month ago?” As soon as he finished speaking, Nancy turned to look at Ryan, her eyes three parts surprised and seven parts bitter smile. He only remembered to ask now? But then again, since Fiona came back, how could he care about anything else? Nancy was about to speak when Ryan’s phone suddenly rang. Seeing the name displayed on the car screen, Ryan’s face suddenly became tense. “It’s okay, answer it. Maybe it’s something important?” Nancy looked out the window, appearing unconcerned, which made Ryan suddenly feel afraid. But in the end he still answered the call, with the car’s speakers automatically on. “Ryan, I miss you so much it hurts. Can we meet?” Hearing the coquettish tone on the other end, Ryan’s slender fingers gripping the steering wheel turned slightly white, and his expression suddenly turned cold. “Fiona, I’m married now. I’ve told you many times, don’t talk to me in that tone!” There was silence on the other end for a moment before Fiona said, “But Ryan, I was supposed to be the bride at that wedding back then.” The car suddenly screeched to a halt in the middle of the road, the tires making a huge sound as they skidded on the ground. In three years of marriage, this was the first time Nancy had seen Ryan lose control. He shouted at the screen: “But you left! You left me all alone!” The phone went silent for a moment. A moment later, the voice on the other end became a bit choked up: “I’m sorry. My health wasn’t good at the time and I didn’t want to worry you. I didn’t know it would have such serious consequences.” “Ah! Ryan! My heart hurts so much. It’s okay, just let me die like this. Then I won’t bother you anymore, and you can live happily with that substitute of mine.” Soon, there was no more sound from the other end of the phone. Ryan immediately panicked and looked at Nancy. Nancy spoke first: “It’s fine, I’ll take a taxi back. You go see her, don’t let anything really happen to her.” Ryan still felt somewhat guilty and said softly, “I’m not going to see her, I just remembered there’s an urgent matter at the company, so I’m going there for a bit.” “I’ll come back to be with you after I’m done.” Nancy nodded and opened the car door to get out. Watching his car speed away, Nancy stood in the rain holding an umbrella, her eyes dimming slightly. A moment later, she gave a bitter smile and started walking towards home, over ten miles away. Three years. It was time to end it. Three years ago, she had put on that ill-fitting wedding dress and married a man who couldn’t even remember her name. Relatives and friends privately said Nancy was pitiful, saying she was just a substitute for her husband’s true love. But in the three years since, the two of them had spent time together under the moonlight and stars, dreaming of the future. Nancy thought she was loved. But now, Nancy clearly knew she was wrong. Since that was the case, she chose to let Ryan go. It was also liberating herself. Thunder split the night sky, followed immediately by a downpour that swept over like a tidal wave, Also sweeping away Nancy’s last bit of affection for Ryan.
Nancy slept alone all night, and Ryan still hadn’t returned by noon the next day. When she woke up, it was still raining outside. Nancy stayed at home all day, calmly deleting all the posts about her married life on social media platforms. Just as she finished cleaning up, she saw Fiona, who had threatened to die yesterday, suddenly post on social media: “What’s it like to be pampered by your ex-boyfriend?” She included a grid of nine photos. In the first, the usually cold and indifferent Ryan was feeding her porridge. In the second, the normally aloof Ryan was sitting by her bedside, holding her hand tightly. In the third, the usually arrogant Ryan was kneeling before her, helping her take medicine with eyes full of distress. The fourth was a photo of a pile of luxury goods, each worth at least tens of millions. Fiona had written on it, “Thanks to Ryan’s connections, I’m not angry or upset anymore.” The beautiful woman in the photos smiled sweetly, looking like the happiest princess on a phone call. Many people in the comments section were extremely envious and posted sour remarks. “Left and experienced hardships, returned and still true love. Fiona, did you save the galaxy in your past life?” “Nonsense! This must be at least ten galaxies. Fiona, how did you do it? How can you make your ex still so devoted?” Besides the envy, there were naturally those who wanted to mock Nancy. Nancy just glanced over casually, and a few people’s comments caught her eye. “I wonder what Miss Xu would think if she saw this?” “What could a substitute think? Did she really think that by going up to save face and be the bride, she could truly win the heart of the great Mr. Sullivan? She’s probably dying of jealousy seeing this. How long do you bet before this lapdog shows up?” “I bet 10 minutes!” “I bet 5 minutes!” “I bet 1 minute! She’s probably already downstairs. I’ll bet my new Lamborghini!” Many people followed along excitedly, with the stakes getting higher and higher. But Nancy just smiled resignedly and quickly typed out a few words on her phone: “I bet she’ll never show up in her lifetime.” Her words stirred up a storm, with many people immediately messaging to ask if she was joking. Nancy simply turned off her phone and stopped looking at any messages. Instead, she turned to make herself a bowl of noodles. At that moment, her phone suddenly rang. Nancy didn’t answer, but the phone kept ringing incessantly for five or six minutes before finally stopping. But soon after, the housekeeper Mrs. Zhang came in looking troubled, holding her own phone. “Ma’am, the master wants you to answer the phone.” Only then did Nancy pick up the phone and answer. “Nancy, it’s all a misunderstanding. I’ve already had Fiona delete the post. Don’t overthink it. She wasn’t feeling well yesterday, that’s why I didn’t come back. Nothing happened between us.” Ryan’s anxious voice came through the phone. The moment he saw Nancy’s comment, he had panicked. Nancy looked at the noodles she had made and calmly said, “I made noodles. Are you coming back to eat?” Ryan was stunned on the other end before replying, “I’m glad you’re not angry. You can eat the noodles yourself. Fiona’s heart is hurting again, so I’m taking her to the hospital. Don’t worry, we’re really just frie-” Before he could finish, Fiona’s anxious voice came through from the other end. “Ryan, where are you? I can’t see you. Did I lose you again? My heart feels so uneasy.” The call was hurriedly hung up, leaving only Ryan’s very anxious voice to the other person. “Fiona, I’m here. You didn’t lose me.” Looking at the disconnected call, Nancy sent Ryan a message: “That document you asked about yesterday is in the glove compartment of your passenger seat.” “You can open it and see what it is.” It wasn’t until two hours later that Ryan finally replied with one sentence. “No need. Whatever you had me sign, I’m sure it’s not to harm me.” This meant he wouldn’t look at it. Yes, right now he just wanted to be by Fiona’s side. Why would he look at anything unrelated to Fiona? Even if that divorce agreement was right at his fingertips. In the afternoon, Nancy drove with a truck delivering supplies to the orphanage where she grew up. Nancy had been an orphan since childhood and grew up here. The children were very happy to see Nancy come, and all ran up to cling to her and share their experiences. After spending time with the children, she went to the director’s office to say goodbye. “Mom, I’m going abroad for further studies.” The director was very happy. Nancy had been a top student in physics at Tsinghua University, but had suddenly given up going abroad to get married. The director had regretted it for a long time. “Nancy, that’s wonderful.” The director held Nancy’s hand, smiling with satisfaction. But then she thought of something and looked worried, “But… you going abroad for further studies, doesn’t that mean you and Ryan will be in a long-distance relationship? Long-distance relationships are very difficult.” Nancy looked out the window at a few children playing and running, shaking her head with a light smile. “It’s not a long-distance relationship. I divorced him.” “Because… Fiona came back.” The director was stunned for a moment, then let out a long sigh, feeling both regretful and relieved. “Sure enough, I wasn’t wrong in my initial assessment. Your marriage couldn’t last long. You know, once a person still has someone else in their heart, no matter how loving they seem on the surface, it’s all fake. As soon as that person comes back, the marriage is over! So it’s good that you divorced.” She held Nancy’s hand gently, comforting her softly. Nancy smiled back and hugged the director. Yes, it was good that they divorced.
After returning from the orphanage, Nancy went to a church before going home to pack her luggage. It was then that she realized her clothes filled several closets. Inside were also various expensive bags, sports car keys and other priceless gifts from Ryan. In fact, during their three years of marriage, Ryan had always been good to her, constantly giving her black cards, houses, cars and other gifts. But Nancy had never touched any of them. Because every time Ryan gave her gifts, Nancy could see the shadow of another person in his reddened eyes. To be precise, Ryan’s kindness to her was all stolen from Fiona, who had temporarily left the scene. She used to think that with time, Ryan would be able to see her true heart, but reality proved that what didn’t belong to her would eventually have to be returned. Nancy sorted out some things that belonged to her, and then took all the gifts she had given Ryan over the years to sell as junk. Over the years, in order to make him like her, she had carefully prepared many gifts for him, but he had never even glanced at them. Only that one watch he wore, which had also been replaced by the cheap bracelet Fiona gave him after she returned. Seeing all these gifts thrown aside with a thick layer of dust on them, Nancy smiled bitterly again. If Ryan truly loved her, where did all this dust come from? Watching the junk truck drive away, she was about to return to the villa when a horn sounded behind her. Nancy turned around to see a flashy Ferrari stop in front of her. A girl in a red dress got out of the car – it was Ryan’s sister, Sophie. Sophie frowned at the departing junk truck, then coldly snorted in disdain. “Sure enough, an orphan with no parents, even cardboard boxes have to be sold for money. Making it seem like our Sullivan family is about to go bankrupt.” Nancy didn’t even look at her and turned to leave. Sophie’s mocking smile turned to anger, and she rushed forward to grab Nancy. “Nancy Xu!” Ever since Nancy entered their Sullivan family, she had always been very humble in her attitude, trying to please everyone. She had never given Sophie the cold shoulder like this before. Today she actually dared to turn her back on her, and anger immediately rushed to Sophie’s head. “Xu! Are you deaf? I’m talking to you and you dare to just walk away.” Nancy turned around and pulled Sophie’s hand off her, her eyes flashing with annoyance. Sophie had always disliked her, thinking she came from a poor background. So for three years after the wedding, she had been constantly targeting Nancy, either saying the breakfast she made wasn’t cooked properly, or dirtying the clothes she had washed. But now that she was leaving, she didn’t want to accommodate Sophie anymore. Sophie was about to continue taking advantage of the situation to lash out, but seemed to think of something and the corners of her mouth curled up into a sneer. “People like you should sell more junk. After all, my brother’s true love, Sister Fiona, is back. You, the so-called substitute, can get lost now.” As soon as she finished speaking, another woman in a white dress, looking quite exquisite, stepped out from behind her. This was the first time Nancy had seen Fiona in person. A pair of almond eyes brimming with watery charm, long black hair flowing down, porcelain white skin – just standing there exuded an air of nobility. No wonder Ryan had been unable to forget her for so many years. But this dress, the accessories on it – Nancy found it somewhat familiar. Wasn’t this style of outfit exactly the same as the ones in her own closet? At this moment, Nancy finally understood that she really was just a substitute. Fiona looked Nancy up and down, as if seeing a cheap version of herself, full of disdain and mockery. However, this expression was quickly hidden away when Ryan’s car drove in behind them. She immediately put on a pitiful face and said, “Sophie, don’t talk about Miss Xu like that. She’s your sister-in-law now. What if she gets angry and kicks me out?” As soon as she finished speaking, Ryan’s panicked voice came from behind. “What’s going on? Who’s kicking who out?!”
Ryan hurried over. His gaze fell on Fiona, who was standing there fine, and he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before turning to speak to Nancy on the other side. “Nancy, Fiona’s house hasn’t been lived in for many years and needs to be renovated, so can she stay with us for a few days during this time?” Nancy looked at Ryan without speaking. In the silence, Fiona’s expression became full of unease and a bit of grievance. “Ryan, maybe I should just leave. After all, it’s my fault for not showing up at the wedding. Now you have a new wife, and it seems Miss Xu doesn’t welcome me.” Ryan looked at Nancy, his face hesitating for a moment. Fiona let out a long sigh, her expression dejected as she turned to leave. Sophie immediately reached out to stop her. “Sister Fiona! Why are you leaving?! If anyone should leave, it’s her. The real mistress of this villa should be…” “Shut up! Sophie!” Ryan glared at her angrily and shouted, “Who told you to talk to Nancy like that? She’s my wife, your sister-in-law. Apologize to her right now, or get out!” Sophie’s eyes immediately turned red. Seeing this scene, Nancy finally spoke up, the corners of her mouth curling into a smile. “It’s fine, you don’t need to scold Sophie. I didn’t say I wouldn’t agree. Miss Quinn, please stay here.” With that, Nancy turned and walked into the villa. This was the eighth year she had loved Ryan. She still remembered the first time she saw him on the basketball court and fell in love at first sight. Ryan didn’t know. Until later, when Nancy, as an orphan, saw Ryan red-eyed and at a loss standing at the altar during the wedding, she instinctively went up. That heart had nothing to do with status or interests. She just didn’t want to see the person she liked cry. Seemingly afraid Fiona would still leave, Ryan immediately instructed the servants to move her luggage into the largest guest room. Sophie immediately walked smugly in front of Nancy, her nose in the air: “What are you standing here for? Go make dinner. Oh, and Sister Fiona can’t eat spicy food, so make it bland.” Hearing this, Fiona’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she looked Nancy up and down again. “I’ve always heard that Miss Xu’s cooking skills are quite good. So today…” Before she could finish, Ryan came down from the guest room upstairs: “Sophie, that’s enough! How many times have I told you, we have servants in the house. Why do you always make Nancy cook for you?” Fiona’s face fell, and the glance she cast at Nancy was full of jealousy and hatred. But when Ryan walked over, Fiona immediately changed her expression and smiled. “I’ll cook today. I’ve learned a lot of skills abroad these past few years and have always wanted to make something for you all to try.” As she said this, Fiona was looking at Ryan. Ryan’s eyes suddenly had a moment of daze, but when he saw Nancy standing quietly to the side, he still shook his head and said, “No need, your health isn’t good either. Just let the serv-” Sophie clung to him, grabbing Ryan’s hand and saying, “Brother, just let Sister Fiona cook. She worked so hard to learn.” Ryan seemed to think of something and finally nodded. “Alright, but don’t tire yourself out.” Nancy watched all of this without saying a word, just standing by the floor-to-ceiling window looking out at the garden. Ryan looked at Nancy standing so quietly and suddenly felt more and more uneasy. After a long silence, he walked to Nancy’s side, his red lips moving slightly. “Nancy, if you don’t like Fiona staying here, I’ll send her back after we finish this meal.” “No need. Let her stay if she wants.” Nancy turned to look at Ryan: “That document, have you looked at it?” Mentioning the document again, Ryan frowned slightly: “I haven’t looked yet. Didn’t I say I trust you? Do I really need to look at it?” Does he need to or not? Nancy didn’t know. The signature was already there anyway, but thinking of their three years living together day and night. Nancy was about to speak when Fiona suddenly brought over a pot of hot soup. She glanced at Nancy standing beside Ryan like a stranger, her eyes flashing with intense jealousy. Then, she pretended to lose her grip and not hold the pot steady, rushing forward towards Nancy in a panic, spilling the entire pot of hot soup. “Watch out!”
“Watch out!” Seeing the hot soup splashing towards her! Nancy instinctively shielded Ryan in her arms. Then she watched helplessly as a large pot of scalding chicken soup poured all over her. “Ah!” In an instant, Nancy’s body was covered in chicken soup, her skin immediately turning bright red from the scalding. The searing pain almost made her faint. “Nancy!” Ryan pushed Nancy away, his eyes full of panic. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll take you to the hospital right away!” She looked up at him, the pain spreading throughout her body, using all her strength but unable to say a word. Then she looked at Fiona. “I’m so sorry, Miss Xu. Are you alright? Ryan, thank goodness Miss Xu protected you.” Seeing her pretend to be flustered, but unable to hide the satisfaction in her eyes, Nancy immediately realized and said in a trembling voice: “You did this on purpose?” Hearing this, Fiona was stunned for a moment, then tears started falling immediately. “Miss Xu, what are you saying? How could I do this on purpose? I know you feel insecure and have prejudices against me, and it’s my fault for not believing you’d get scalded! But you can’t slander me like this.” Seeing Fiona cry, Sophie resolutely stood in front of her and angrily said: “Nancy Xu! That’s enough! So what if you got scalded a little? Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Sister Fiona worked hard to cook for us, she’s already very tired! Besides…” Sophie looked at Ryan, whose eyes were already filled with doubt and anger, and lifted her chin to continue, “Besides, my brother was right there. Even if Sister Fiona wanted to hurt someone, she wouldn’t hurt my brother, right?” As soon as she finished speaking, the doubt in Ryan’s eyes immediately disappeared. He looked at Nancy with furrowed brows and said disappointedly, “That’s right. Nancy, Fiona wouldn’t hurt anyone, least of all me. Please don’t overthink it, okay?” Hearing these words, Nancy felt countless emotions gather at the top of her head, tears immediately welling up in her eyes. Ryan sighed, his voice becoming calm: “Nancy, let’s go to the hospital first, alright?” Nancy knew that no matter what else she said, Ryan wouldn’t believe her now. Just as she was about to nod. “Oh no, Sister Fiona, you’re hurt so badly!” Ryan heard this and immediately rushed to Fiona’s side in a panic. He saw that her snow-white arm had some small blisters, which did indeed look quite “serious”. Fiona put her hand behind her back, her eyes rimmed with tears as she shook her head. “I’m fine. Miss Xu looks much worse. You should take her to the hospital first.” As soon as she finished speaking, just as Ryan was about to look at Nancy again, Fiona immediately put on a pained expression. She clutched her chest and said, “Ah! Ryan! My heart hurts so much. It’s okay, just let me die like this. Then I won’t bother you anymore, and you can live happily with that substitute of yours.” Fiona collapsed, grabbing Ryan’s hand as he tried to support her. She said weakly, “Ryan, am I going to die? Will I never see you again?” Sophie stomped her foot anxiously: “Brother! Sister Fiona’s heart isn’t good. Let’s hurry and take her to the hospital!” “I, I’m fine…” Fiona looked pitiful and delicate. But this appearance undoubtedly made Ryan’s heart ache. He could no longer care about the disheveled Nancy. He helped Fiona up and headed out. Before leaving, he seemed to remember something and looked at Nancy with guilt. “Fiona’s heart isn’t good. I’m afraid something will happen to her. The hospital isn’t far from here.” “…Nancy, you can take a taxi to the hospital yourself.”
At the hospital, the doctor used cotton swabs to flatten the blistered areas while asking Nancy with concern why she was so badly scalded and had no family accompanying her. Nancy inhaled sharply from the pain. Two doctors passed by the doorway. “Mr. Sullivan really cares for his wife. Just a few small blisters and he booked the entire floor, having all the dermatology experts come for a consultation.” “I know, right? These few blisters would have almost healed if she came a bit later. If only I could have such a caring man who loves me.” “Haha, dream on. Men like that are one in a million.” One in a million? Nancy smiled wryly. Abandoning his seriously injured wife to go take care of someone with minor injuries – he truly was a one-in-a-million good man. Nancy’s injuries were too severe and she needed to stay in the hospital for a few days. It wasn’t until three days later that Nancy, wrapped in bandages, was finally discharged. As soon as she turned on her phone, countless missed calls and messages popped up, filling the screen. They were all from Ryan. This had never happened since Fiona returned. Just as she was in a daze, Sophie’s call came through. As soon as Nancy answered, a harsh voice came from the other end. “Nancy Xu, you’ve got some nerve! Where have you been for three days? This is deliberate, isn’t it?! Can’t compete with Sister Fiona so you’re playing these tricks? Do you know how crazy my brother’s been looking for you?! Don’t think this will get my brother’s attention. Dream on. The position of the Sullivan family’s daughter-in-law will always belong to Sister Fiona!” After finishing her rant, Sophie hung up the phone. Nancy frowned slightly. Ryan had been frantically searching for her? How was that possible? Wasn’t he busy taking care of Fiona? Why would he look for her? But when Nancy looked at the 999 missed calls on her phone, it did indeed show Ryan’s urgency in finding her. With this confusion, Nancy returned home. As soon as she entered the gate, the servants, their faces full of relief after a near-disaster, came to greet her. Several of them were almost crying as they spoke. “Ma’am, you’re finally back. The master has been going crazy looking for you…” As soon as they finished speaking, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. “Nancy!” Ryan anxiously jogged over. After not seeing each other for three days, the usually dapper man looked quite haggard, especially the dark circles under his eyes which were particularly obvious. “I went to the hospital. The same one where you were taking care of Fiona.” Hearing this, Ryan sighed, “About last time, I didn’t mean to abandon you. It’s just that after Fiona’s surgery, the doctor said she needed to stay calm and not get excited, or something could happen. I grew up with her since we were kids, so I’m used to taking care of her. That’s why I took her to the hospital first.” “And you didn’t object at the time either. Since you were at the hospital, why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you answer my calls? You’re my wife, don’t you know I’d be worried? Can you not do this again next time?” By the end, there was a hint of reproach in his tone. But Nancy still looked at him calmly, without answering. Because in two more days, she would be leaving. So there wouldn’t be a next time. For some reason, seeing Nancy’s calmness, Ryan suddenly thought of how Nancy had been these past few days and felt a bit panicked. He stepped forward and took Nancy’s hand, sighing, “Actually, Fiona really didn’t mean to do it last time. Since you don’t want her staying here, I’ve already had her move out. Don’t be upset over this little thing anymore in the future.” After finishing, Ryan looked straight at Nancy, wanting to see a hint of being moved in her eyes. But Nancy had no reaction at all. She removed Ryan’s hand and turned to go upstairs. But as soon as she entered the room, she saw a set of expensive bags placed on the bed. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Ryan questioningly as he followed behind her. Ryan sighed, “Nancy, this is my apology to you. You won’t be angry anymore with these, right?” Nancy looked at the bags in the box, each worth tens of millions, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. Three years. A full three years. They had shared a bed, had happy times together. In his eyes, was she really the kind of person who would pretend to be angry and upset just to get compensation? Suddenly, she thought of the gifts Ryan had carefully prepared for Fiona in his social media posts, and a wave of mockery welled up, but she quickly suppressed it. Forget it. Since he didn’t understand, there was no need to explain anymore. Seeing that Nancy’s face still showed no smile, Ryan didn’t think much of it, just assuming she didn’t like them. “Nancy, if you don’t like these, after I’m done with Fiona’s matters, I’ll take you to an auction to pick out the most expensive one to give you…” Ryan hadn’t finished speaking when Sophie and Fiona’s voices came in from outside the door. “Sister Fiona, I told you, my brother likes you so much, he couldn’t possibly really make you move out. It’s all that Nancy Xu’s fault. I’ll scold her for you in a bit. Why don’t you come back and stay, okay?” As they spoke, the two walked right into Nancy and Ryan’s bedroom. Then upon seeing the set of bags on the bed, Sophie exclaimed excitedly: “Oh my god, brother! Sister Fiona just mentioned to me that she really liked these few bags. I can’t believe you actually bought them!” After saying this, she looked at Fiona beside her, her eyes full of envy. Hearing this, Fiona’s face immediately turned red, then she looked at Nancy smugly. Seeing that Ryan didn’t immediately refute it, but instead showed hesitation in his eyes, Nancy didn’t even think before directly picking up the box and handing it to Fiona. “Since it’s a gift for you, please take it.” With one sentence, she made the choice for Ryan, resolving his dilemma. At this moment, Ryan looked at Nancy in shock. Seeing how generous she was, the discomfort in Ryan’s heart grew stronger and stronger. He wanted to object, but seeing how happy Fiona looked, he still closed his mouth. He was thinking, it’s okay, next week is our wedding anniversary. He could make it up to Nancy then. He must be overthinking things. She was just jealous and throwing a tantrum. Nancy loved Ryan so much. How could she possibly leave?
Another day passed. There was one day left before the divorce cooling-off period ended, and Nancy would receive the divorce certificate. Thinking that she could finally leave, she began mailing her luggage abroad. Halfway through packing, Ryan called from the company, asking her to attend a banquet at the Sullivan family mansion. Nancy wanted to refuse, because in one more day, their legal marriage would be dissolved. But thinking of how Mrs. Sullivan had taken care of her all these years, Plus, it was the last day after all. Nancy wanted to find an opportunity to be alone with Ryan and explain things clearly. Although it was a hasty marriage, Nancy wanted to end it with clarity. In the bustling Sullivan family estate, lights were shining brightly everywhere, with socialites gathered, clinking glasses. But as soon as she went in, Nancy didn’t see Ryan. After asking around, she learned from an old Sullivan family servant that Ryan was in a house on the north side. Nancy immediately walked in that direction. The door of the house was slightly ajar, with some suggestive sounds coming from inside. Nancy suddenly felt a wave of unease. Her body trembling, she slowly peeked through the door crack. Immediately, a shocking scene entered her eyes. On the sofa, Ryan was roughly and urgently undressing Fiona’s evening gown while pinning her tightly to the couch. His large hands gripped Fiona’s waist as he trailed kisses from her collarbone downwards. Fiona arched her head to meet Ryan, saying passionately, “Ryan! Promise me you won’t leave me.” Fiona whispered. Ryan suddenly pushed her away forcefully. “Fiona! Are you crazy?! I’m married! Why have you come back now? What exactly do you take me for? Something you can throw away and pick up again as you please? Do you know how afraid I am of being alone again?!” Ryan was very angry, but Fiona wouldn’t listen. She stubbornly moved forward to hug his waist again, their bodies pressed together. “Ryan! I was wrong!” “Fiona! Get out!” Again and again, endlessly. Finally, Ryan gave in and surrendered. This time he didn’t let Fiona come hug him. He forcefully pulled Fiona close and bit down hard on her lips, then their mouths entangled, inseparable. Several moments later, the two finally moments later, the two finally parted. Fiona wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and smiled smugly, then hooked Ryan’s chin. “So, do you still love me?” Nancy watched from outside, feeling as if countless knives were stabbing her heart over and over. Ryan stood frozen in place. After a moment, he looked up at her with eyes full of restrained love, his tone one of surrender. The next moment, his red lips moved: “I do!” At this, Fiona’s eyes were full of triumph. She kissed him again, then asked, “So, are you willing to divorce that Nancy Xu and marry me?” Ryan’s whole body suddenly stiffened. Abruptly, he remembered that wedding from years ago that he couldn’t bear to recall, remembered the figure who resolutely stood up and walked firmly to his side amidst a crowd of strange looks. “…I.” Ryan turned his head, about to answer. But at that instant, he saw a pair of eyes full of sorrow watching him through the slowly opening door. All of a sudden, darkness appeared in Ryan’s mind. Nancy stood outside, calmly looking at him, tears streaming down her face. “—Nancy!”
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