The company’s annual gala was a blur of shimmering dresses and forced smiles. Then, Chloe, the new intern, publicly accused me of deliberately tripping her and staining her designer gown. My husband, Liam, didn’t hesitate. He told me to hand over the dress I’d picked out for our anniversary to compensate her. When I refused, she flew into a rage, humiliating me in front of everyone: “You’re nothing but a discarded toy, auctioned off and shamed by your ex-fiancé! How dare you even think of marrying Liam?!” With that, she threw a glass of red wine over my head. “I heard your compromising photos were auctioned off for a dollar! There are so many people here today, why don’t you show off your wet body to everyone?” A collective gasp swept through the room. My heart clenched, and I stared at my husband in shock. My mind raced back. I’d been drugged and tricked into a sham marriage by my ex-fiancé, and my intimate photos were livestreamed for auction. Luckily, my childhood friend, Liam, came to my rescue, buying off all those photos at an astronomical price. But now, I realized the salvation I thought I’d found was just a casual joke to him. If that’s the case, I choose to leave.
I was drenched and stunned by the glass of red wine Chloe threw at me. Before I could even react, her voice lashed out again. “Audrey Smith, you only got your position because of Mr. Scott, didn’t you? Don’t think everyone doesn’t know about your past!” “Remember when your nude photos were auctioned off for a pittance, causing a massive scandal that rocked the entire city? Tsk, tsk, what a show!” Every word she uttered felt like a poisoned needle piercing my wounds. All eyes in the room fixed on me – shocked, disgusted, and gleefully malicious. A chill ran through me, the humiliation from years ago washing over me again. Instinctively, I looked at my husband, Liam Scott. I still remembered how he saved me when I was at my most desperate, buying all my private photos for an astronomical sum. I’d always seen him as my savior. But now, he stood just a few feet away, motionless. He saw my plea for help in my eyes. Yet, he only frowned, his gaze flickering before he looked away. No defense, no explanation, not even a hint of concern. He silently condoned Chloe’s insult and didn’t care about the judgment raining down on me. My breath hitched in my chest. Seeing this, Chloe leaned triumphantly towards Liam. “Mr. Scott, I didn’t mean to. It was Manager Smith who… she pushed me first!” Liam patted her arm reassuringly. “I know.” Then he pointed at me, clearly annoyed. “Audrey, what are you even doing? You’ve been so unreasonable lately.” “You weren’t like this before.” His words stabbed into my heart like a knife. Before? Yes, I was so “reasonable” then. I never questioned him when he didn’t come home at night. I cleared his name when rumors about his affairs spread. But what did my “reasonableness” get me? In my panic, someone tripped me, and I stumbled backward. The wine glass in my hand shattered on the floor. I instinctively put my hand down to brace myself, feeling a sharp sting. Blood stained the polished floor. I looked up, wincing in pain, and met Liam’s gaze. Those eyes, once filled with tenderness, now held only icy disgust. In that moment, I clearly understood: in his eyes, I was perhaps never a cherished lover. I was just a shameful stain in his life, someone to be constantly reminded of, lest I embarrass him. I had always believed those sordid past events were a secret between only him and me. But I never imagined he’d casually tell an outsider like Chloe, giving her ammunition to attack and humiliate me. My heart turned to ice, inch by painful inch. I picked myself up from the floor, blood still flowing from my palm, but I no longer felt the pain. I just wanted to escape this place. I ducked my head, pushing through the crowd, and stumbled out of the ballroom. Liam’s voice pursued me. “Audrey Smith, where are you going? Get back here!” I didn’t look back, quickening my pace. I had just found my car in the parking lot when he appeared, like a ghost, behind me. “Audrey, have you had enough?” He grabbed my arm. I looked at him with vacant eyes. He seemed a little uncomfortable and let go of my arm, but his tone remained firm. “Chloe is young, why are you making such a big deal out of it?” “Where’s that dress in the car? Chloe’s dress is ruined, she can wear it as a backup.” I paused, then remembered the dress I’d specially prepared, sitting on the back seat. I’d intended to wear it for our anniversary. How ridiculous it seemed now. Seeing my inaction, he impatiently opened the car door himself, roughly pulled out the dress box, and without a glance at me, turned and walked away. I deflated, too drained to go after him and question him. Chloe jogged over from a short distance away. Liam handed her the dress box, and she broke into a delighted smile, intimately linking her arm with his. Then, as if to spite me, she pulled the dress out and threw it on the ground, stomping on it several times with a look of vengeful satisfaction. Liam stood by, watching her foolishness with a tolerant smile. I closed my eyes, feeling the last bit of strength drain from my body. They walked away together, leaving me in the parking lot with the soiled dress on the ground. As I was about to get into my car, several dark figures suddenly surrounded me. Leading them was my ex-fiancé, Derek Stone. He smiled maliciously, closing in on me. “Long time no see, Audrey Smith.” “What, you’re Mrs. Scott now? I hear Liam can’t satisfy you, so you remembered me?” The men behind him chuckled obscenely. A warning bell rang in my head, but I forced myself to stay calm. “Derek, what do you want?” “What do I want?” He sneered. “Chloe’s under my protection. You’d better not get in her way, or else…” He reached out for my face. I recoiled in terror, screaming, “Don’t come any closer!” But they pressed in, cornering me against my car door. My vision blurred, and I completely lost consciousness. When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed. The nurse said a passerby had found me and brought me in. She also told me I was about six weeks pregnant. My mind exploded with a *boom*. I was pregnant? This was Liam’s and my child… My emotions were a complicated mess. The nurse gave me instructions for early pregnancy care, then left the room. I lay on the bed, staring blankly, my hand unconsciously stroking my lower abdomen. Here, a tiny life was forming. Liam and I had always wanted a child. But for various reasons, we’d put it off. Now I had his child, but our relationship was no longer intimate. In the evening, I completed the discharge procedures. My body was still weak, but a certain thought in my mind grew clearer and clearer. I returned home. The living room was dark; he hadn’t come back tonight. I wearily walked towards the bedroom on the second floor. As I reached the staircase, I heard gasping sounds coming from under the bedroom door. The sounds were all too familiar: Liam and Chloe. I was rooted to the spot, unable to move. My fingers dug into my palms, but I felt no pain. I turned and walked back down the stairs. No tears, no hysterics, not even a flicker of emotion. There is no greater sorrow than a heart that has died. I left the house and wandered the streets. The night wind blew cold on my face, but it was nothing compared to the chill in my heart. As dawn approached, I made a decision. I booked an abortion for early the next morning and a flight to another country for three days later. Finally, I contacted an agency specializing in faked deaths, paid a large sum, and asked them to stage an accidental death for me. Three days from now, there would be no more Audrey Smith in this world.
The next morning, I woke up in a hotel. My phone’s notification sound was buzzing frantically. I looked, and my work WhatsApp group was blowing up. Someone had forwarded a video—the humiliating footage from three years ago that Derek had coerced me into filming. Although key parts were pixelated, anyone could tell the person in the video was me. Under the video were various vile comments. My phone also showed dozens of missed calls, all from Liam. I sneered, turning off my phone directly. The next second, the hotel room door suddenly burst open! Liam stormed in, his face contorted with rage, and slammed a photo down in front of me. “Audrey Smith, explain yourself! What is this?!” he roared. It was a photo of Derek and me in the parking lot last night. The angle was tricky, making it look intimate and ambiguous, like we were kissing. “That’s not…” I started to explain. “Not what? Not you throwing yourself at him?” Liam cut me off, his voice filled with disgust, not waiting for my explanation at all. “Audrey Smith, I never thought you’d be so depraved! Being my wife on one hand, and still hooking up with your ex-fiancé on the other!” “I didn’t! This is clearly staged!” I couldn’t help but retort. But Chloe peered out from behind him, chiming in, “Mr. Scott, please don’t be angry. Manager Smith probably didn’t intentionally meet someone in the middle of the night. Maybe she had a reason.” “What reason could she have?” Liam snorted. “I think she’s shameless and promiscuous!” “She did something disgraceful herself, and she still has the nerve to be jealous of you, deliberately making things difficult for you at the party!” “Audrey Smith, you will kneel and apologize to Chloe right now!” I stared at him in disbelief. Was he crazy? He wanted me to kneel and apologize to Chloe? “Liam Scott, how dare you order me around?!” I trembled with anger. “Because I’m your husband! Because you did something to betray me!” His tone was absolute. “I didn’t!” I stubbornly met his gaze. “Still haven’t learned your lesson yet? Have you forgotten how your compromising photos were auctioned off back then?” He grabbed me and threw me to the ground. I hit the floor unexpectedly, my knees throbbing with pain. But it was nothing compared to the despair in my heart. I looked at the man I had loved for so many years and felt, for the first time, how utterly foreign he seemed. I humiliated myself by kneeling. “Chloe, she knows she was wrong.” He wrapped his arm around Chloe and walked away haughtily. Not long after, I saw the entertainment trending topic – #ScottGroupCEOPubliclyDisplaysAffectionWithNewLover# The accompanying picture showed the doting and indulgent look he gave her. My heart felt nothing. I wrote a divorce agreement and sent it to Liam via express delivery. After all this, I lay on the hospital operating table. As the cold instruments took away the little life inside me, I didn’t shed a single tear. I just felt incredibly cold. After the surgery, I returned home. Opening the door, I saw a bracelet shattered into several pieces on the coffee table. This was our promise bracelet, Liam’s and mine. Sunlight streamed through, and I stared at the fragments. Perhaps, from the moment he allowed Chloe to humiliate me, this bracelet, along with our feelings, had already shattered. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Liam. I hesitated but answered. “Audrey, where are you?” His voice sounded a little tired, but still impatient. “Do you need something?” My tone was flat. “That bracelet… Chloe accidentally broke it. She didn’t mean to.” He explained, his voice a bit stiff. “I understand.” “Don’t overthink it. I’ll buy you a better one later. Tomorrow is our third wedding anniversary, by the way, I’ve prepared a surprise for you.” Third wedding anniversary? He still remembered. But to me, it no longer mattered. “No need,” I refused coolly. “I have to make an impromptu trip to a neighboring country tomorrow. I’ll be catching an early flight and will be back in the evening.” There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. “So sudden?” He seemed a little surprised. “Then I’ll drive you to the airport tomorrow.” “Okay.” I replied faintly, then hung up. That night, Liam didn’t come home. Alone in the house, I personally burned all the memories of him and me. Photos I once cherished, gifts he had given me, and things we had used together. The firelight reflected on my calm face. Everything should end now. The next day, when I was about to leave, Liam called. “Audrey, I’m sorry, I can’t take you to the airport today,” his voice carried a hint of apology. “Chloe’s puppy suddenly got very sick and is making a big fuss. I have to go with her to the vet.” “You go to the airport alone, be careful on your way.” Chloe’s crying could be heard from the other end of the line, and Liam was gently comforting her. I chuckled mockingly. See? I was not even as important as Chloe’s dog. “Okay,” I replied emotionlessly. After hanging up, I unhesitatingly blocked his number and tossed my phone SIM card into the trash. Then I pulled my suitcase and walked towards the airport without looking back. Boarding, takeoff.
That evening, at the city’s most exclusive revolving restaurant, Liam had meticulously set up a romantic scene. Red roses adorned the table, along with a velvet jewelry box containing a diamond necklace he had specially chosen. He held a bouquet of flowers in his arms, glancing at his watch repeatedly. Why wasn’t Audrey here yet? Liam called her, but the ring tone indicated her phone was off. He tried again from a different number, still off. He felt an inexplicable irritation and unease. Chloe’s call came in just then, crying that her dog’s condition had worsened and urging him to come quickly. Liam felt annoyed and quickly brushed her off. His heart grew increasingly unsettled. He suddenly remembered Audrey’s unusual coldness and calmness during their phone call yesterday, and his heart tightened. She seemed… different. He instructed his assistant, “If my wife arrives, tell her to wait for me for a while. I’ll be back soon.” Then he left the restaurant in a hurry. At the vet, though he was with Chloe, his mind was completely elsewhere. He kept checking his phone; there was still no news from his assistant, and Audrey hadn’t shown up. He felt a sense of panic he’d never experienced before. He couldn’t sit still any longer and decided to go look for Audrey himself. He planned to say goodbye to Chloe, but as he reached the door of the examination room, he heard Chloe’s deliberately lowered voice inside. “Derek, don’t worry, Liam is completely wrapped around my finger now.” “As for that bitch Audrey, she’s utterly disgraced now. I doubt she can cause any trouble.” “Once I climb into the upper class, we can team up, find more wealthy housewives like Audrey, take their private photos, and then we won’t have to worry about money, right? Hahaha…” Liam’s eyes instantly turned bloodshot. So, this was all a setup! Chloe and Derek had conspired to frame Audrey! And he, like a fool, had been played by Chloe, personally pushing his own wife into the abyss! Regret and fury instantly consumed his heart. Liam was about to burst into the room when his assistant called. “Mr. Scott, it’s bad! I just received a delivery—a divorce agreement from your wife!” A divorce agreement? Liam felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. She wanted to divorce him? No, impossible! She loved him so much; how could she bear to divorce him?! He refused to believe it, couldn’t accept it. He frantically called Audrey, but the line was still busy.
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