Angelina Padgett was standing at the entrance of City Hall, ready to propose to Zayden Darvold for the 99th time.

But Zayden still didn't come. All he said over the phone was, "If we get married now, someone might lose life. Let's just wait a bit longer."

Before Angelina could respond, he hung up.

Her friends next to her were puzzled, still holding their cameras and waiting to capture the moment they got their marriage certificate.

When they saw Angelina's expression, they froze too.

"You and Zayden have been childhood sweethearts for over ten years! Your relationship is great. So why isn't he here today?"

Angelina let out a bitter laugh and didn't say anything.

Once upon a time, Zayden and Angelina had an amazing relationship—some might even say it was pretty close to perfect.

Zayden was basically everywhere in Angelina's life.

Back in kindergarten, a wobbly little Zayden stuffed his candy right into Angelina's hands.

In elementary school, Zayden rode his bike halfway across town just to go to school with Angelina.

When they hit college, Zayden got into a fight for the first time—all because he saw someone confessing their feelings to Angelina.

With blood still dripping from his nose, he awkwardly handed her 1,001 love letters he'd written since childhood. "Just don't say yes to him, okay?"

After they fell in love, everyone started calling them the "inseparable pair."

No matter where they went or what they did, Zayden was always right there with Angelina.

When Zayden found success in his career, he even named his company after her.

Angelina thought she would be living this happy life forever.

But everything changed the day an obsessed fan suddenly appeared in her life.

After staying at home full-time, Angelina started sharing the daily life of her relationship with Zayden online, and she quickly gained a ton of fans.

Charlene Meane was one of them.

She became obsessed with Angelina's comics and even developed a crush on the male lead, Zayden.

Charlene spent quite a bit of money digging up info and eventually tracked down where Angelina lived.

When she finally saw Zayden in person—handsome and sharp-featured—she went all out to win him over.

The first time, she showed up in the neighborhood wearing clothes covered in Zayden's cartoon face and shouted her love for him. Zayden ended up calling property management to get her kicked out.

The second time, she barged into Zayden's office trying to kiss him without warning, but he just tossed her out again.

Then came the third time—when Charlene found out that Angelina was going to an authors' gala. She managed to pry open Zayden's door and snuck into his bed. But all he did was leave coldly and call the cops about the harassment.

Angelina was pretty sure that after more than ten years of love between her and Zayden, he would never fall for someone as shameless as Charlene.

But when she decided to add a little side story to her comic—hinting that she and Zayden were about to get married—Charlene went ahead and posted pictures online of her committing suicide by cutting her wrist.

"Angelina, this is serious. Let's wait for a bit."

It was the first time Zayden had left Angelina behind. He opened the door and rushed out in a hurry.

The second time Angelina brought up marriage, Charlene took sleeping pills.

The third time Angelina mentioned getting married, Charlene caused a scene saying she'd jump off a building.

...

By the 99th time, Charlene didn't do anything at all, but Zayden still turned down Angelina's proposal.

Angelina clutched the ID in her hand and laughed, but soon tears started streaming down her face as she did.

It wasn't about losing a life. It was just that another person had settled into his heart.

Still, Angelina had fallen for that lame excuse time and again.

She wiped away her tears. What was there to fear? She was a Padgett, after all.

If Zayden didn't love her, there were plenty of other guys who would.

Angelina grabbed one of her male friends and rushed into City Hall, slamming her ID down on the counter.

"Get my marriage registration done. I need to get married today!"

Her friend looked shocked and quickly tried to talk some sense into her, "Marriage is a big deal, not something you can joke about! You can't just pick someone random to marry."

Angelina felt her heart race, and she couldn't catch a word anyone was saying.

Here she was, the daughter of the Padgett family, swallowing her pride and asking Zayden to marry her over and over again, but he just kept saying no.

If he didn't want to tie the knot with her, there were plenty of other guys who would.

"I'm sorry. But you're already married. You can't register for another marriage."

The words dropped like a bomb.

Married? How could she not know that?

The staff member went on patiently, "Our records show you were married to Oliver Calbeck about a month ago."

Angelina took a step back, struggling to keep herself upright.

Oliver... wasn't he the servant from Charlene's family?

A month ago, Zayden suggested buying a villa for Angelina.

At that moment, Angelina thought he had finally figured it out, so she happily handed over her ID to him.

Not paying any attention to her friend's puzzled look, Angelina grabbed her ID and headed straight to Zayden's company.

She was determined to get some answers. She needed to figure out what Zayden really meant by all this.

But as soon as she walked into the company, there was nobody around.

Zayden, known for being a total workaholic, wasn't in his office. His assistant told her that the CEO had gone to the hospital.

When Angelina arrived at the hospital, she was stopped right away.

"I'm sorry, but this area is completely booked by Mr. Darvold."

From a distance, she saw Zayden carrying another woman inside. The security guards quickly pushed Angelina aside to let them through.

Charlene leaned softly on Zayden's shoulder, looking a bit pale. "Am I too heavy? Can you put me down, please?"

"You're not heavy at all. I'm just worried that if I hold you too lightly, I might drop you. If I hold you too tightly, it could hurt."

This scene hit Angelina hard. It felt like a giant rock was sitting on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Throughout her whole school life, it was these hands that held hers and never let go.

When she faced harassment while studying abroad, these hands stood in front of her to keep her safe from harm.

During that car accident on their road trip, these same hands pushed her out of the car first. He ignored his own injuries and begged the doctors to save her before him.

But now, these very hands were gently holding another woman.

"Mr. Darvold really spoils his wife. She just sprained her ankle and he booked the whole hospital for her."

"Of course! Everyone knows how lovey-dovey Mr. Darvold and his wife are together. Who wouldn't want a boyfriend like that?"

Angelina was standing in the corner, listening to what they were saying. She tried to smile, but nothing came out.

That so-called good guy had already betrayed her without her even realizing it.

Zayden didn't see Angelina over there in the corner. After he carried Charlene into the room and got her settled, he stepped back outside.

A friend of his gave him a pat on the shoulder and joked, "You don't actually have feelings for Charlene, do you? To keep her happy, you even secretly set up Angelina to marry some servant! You know how temperamental Ms. Padgett can be."

Zayden rubbed his forehead. "If I don't give in to Charlene, she might really die. It's just a little unfair to Angelina, and she won't even know."

"What are you really thinking?"

Zayden glanced back at Charlene in the room and smiled softly.

"I've been with Angelina for more than ten years now. She was my first love and everything else too. Honestly, after all this time, I'm not even sure if what I feel for her is still love.

"I didn't realize until I saw how madly Charlene loved that I could still fall for someone else.

"Once I sort everything out and send Charlene away, I'll get a fake marriage certificate for Angelina. She loves me. She can't live without me."

Angelina stood in the corner, and Zayden's words hit her like a splash of cold water.

More than ten years—over three thousand days and nights.

All wrapped up in a simple, casual line: "After all this time."

She stumbled out of the hospital, tears already streaming down her face.

She thought, "You were wrong, Zayden.

"No one is irreplaceable to someone else.

"And I, Angelina, won't let you treat me this way just because I loved you."

She pulled out her phone and asked her assistant to find the servant's number for her.

The only time she'd heard that name was on Charlene's blog.

Charlene had written about taking in a foolish guy as a servant, with a picture showing the back of a young man.

So what if he was a servant? Whoever she loves will be better for it.

"Hello, this is Angelina. We already have our marriage certificate—do you have time for a wedding?"

On the other end of the line, she could hear airport announcements buzzing in the background.

"Sure. But my hometown is pretty far away and I need to get ready with some engagement gifts first. I'll have to head back home first. Can you wait ten days for me?"

His voice was deep and smooth—not at all like that foolish person Charlene talked about.

"It's a deal then! Come marry me in ten days."

Angelina hung up, glanced back one last time, wiped her tears, and strode out confidently in her heels.

She thought, "Zayden, this time it's me who doesn't want you anymore."

Angelina threw a drinking party at the bar.

Ever since she got together with Zayden, she hadn't really gone out to places like this anymore.

Sitting in the private room, she started to chill out a bit.

That was when it hit her. She had wasted more than ten years of her love on the wrong guy. She held her wine glass quietly and drank alone, trying to drown her sorrows.

"You haven't been out in ages, and now you're just sitting here drinking alone? Stop thinking about that jerk, focus on the good stuff instead."

A few friends who'd known her since school had seen Angelina and Zayden go through every part of their relationship together.

They all silently agreed not to bring up his name again.

No one knew who chose a love song. As soon as the intro started playing, Angelina's hand froze for a moment.

Zayden once sang to her all night long.

Angelina loved to travel, but back then Zayden was stuck in a meeting and couldn't join her. That same night, an earthquake hit. She got trapped under a big rock, staring at the moonlight feeling hopeless.

Zayden drove 800 kilometers overnight just to be by Angelina's side, then clawed through the rocks with his bare hands.

"Don't fall asleep, Angelina! Stay awake for me. We've got a whole lifetime ahead of us!

"I'll sing for you. You always say my singing is awful, but maybe it'll keep you awake, okay?

"Please don't leave me. I'm begging you."

Hearing Zayden's voice getting choked up made her struggle to open her eyes.

Angelina felt a warm tear drop on her face. It was the first time she had ever seen Zayden cry.

When the song ended, Angelina drained the wine in her glass.

It turned out that love only felt real when it was actually said out loud.

Angelina was a bit tipsy, and one of her friends helped get her home.

As soon as she opened the door, Zayden shot a dark look at the shaky Angelina.

"You ignored my texts all day. Were you out drinking with other men?"

In one quick move, he pulled Angelina into his arms, making it clear to the guy next to her that she was his.

The guy was about to say something else, but Angelina shook her head. "Thanks for your help. You can head back first. I'll talk to him."

Once her friend left, Zayden tightened his grip on Angelina's wrist, his eyes full of gloom.

"You know I hate it when you go out drinking with other guys. Are you trying to make me mad because of what happened this morning?"

Zayden was super possessive.

Even if someone looked at her for too long, he'd get jealous and kiss her just to mark his territory.

But he had clearly fallen for someone else. So why should it matter what she did anymore?

"When you married me off to Charlene's servant and humiliated me. Did you think about whether I like it or not?" Angelina looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes.

A loud crash came from the bedroom, instantly drowning out what she was saying.

Zayden pushed Angelina aside and rushed into the bedroom.

Charlene was sitting there, blood dripping from her fingers.

Angelina's expression turned icy in a heartbeat. "What is she doing here? And why is she in my bed?"

"She sprained her ankle, and her parents are away traveling. I just didn't want anything bad to happen to her."

"Sprained doesn't mean broken," Angelina shot back. Just then, she noticed the ceramic pieces scattered on the floor, and all of her emotions spilled over.

She walked toward Charlene slowly, step by step.

"That jar was made by my grandma and me when she was alive. It's the only one left!"

Charlene flinched at that. "I can't move around easily right now. I accidentally knocked it over. I'm really sorry! How much is it? I'll pay you back, okay?"

Angelina could only scoff. Accidentally knocked over? She had definitely put that jar in the back corner of the cabinet on purpose. Charlene did it on purpose.

Thinking about this made her anger boil over. She raised her hand and slapped Charlene hard across the face.

"How are you going to make up for this? Can you bring my grandma back?"

Zayden yanked Angelina away suddenly. "It's just a lifeless object. How can it be more important than a real person? When did you get so full of yourself?"

Seeing Angelina being helped by another guy earlier felt like a knife twisting in his heart.

Zayden dragged her into the bathroom, grabbed the showerhead, and turned on the cold water, soaking her completely.

"If you're drunk, it's time to wake up and figure out what's okay and what's not."

The cold water hit her, making Angelina step back again and again.

It looked like Zayden was determined not to let her off the hook. He backed her into a corner and cranked up the shower, blasting cold water right at Angelina. He didn't stop until she was completely drenched.

"You really need to tone down that spoiled brat attitude of yours. The Darvold family would never agree to me marrying someone as arrogant and bossy as you."

The loud bang of the door slamming shut crushed whatever hope she had left.

In a daze, she remembered a time when she'd been upset because she couldn't find shoes that matched her outfit.

He had knelt down, letting her step on his expensive trousers while he gently rubbed her feet.

"Everyone says I have a bad temper. Are you going to get tired of me someday?

"Other people can't handle it, but I can. That way, you'll stick with me for life."

That image of Zayden saying those words was still fresh in her mind.

Water dripped from Angelina's hair, and all she felt like doing was laughing.

"Zayden, so your lifetime is this short."

Angelina dried off and headed straight to the guest room.

As she walked by the master bedroom, she caught a glimpse of Zayden gently wrapping bandages around Charlene's fingers.

Normally his features were sharp and serious, but at that moment his gaze softened like water. Angelina recognized that look all too well.

It was just like how he used to look at her.

That night, Angelina had a dream. She dreamed about when they were getting ready for their wedding.

In the dream, she was happily picking out a wedding dress while Zayden felt bad for Charlene, who was stuck in the rain downstairs.

She prepared a whole spread for him, but Zayden was too busy texting tender messages to Charlene on his phone instead.

When she woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night and asked if he could come back, Zayden just held Charlene close and replied with a text saying he was busy.

When Angelina finally opened her eyes, she still felt a bit out of it.

The hangover was making her thirsty. As soon as she stepped out of the room, she spotted Charlene sitting at the dining table, looking at her with that mocking look on her face.

"Sure, the Meane family isn't as famous as the Padgett or Darvold families, but we're definitely not just any ordinary family. Did you really lower yourself to being a home-wrecker for him?"

Angelina leaned against the counter and took a sip of warm water.

"The first time I read your comic 'First Love', I totally got drawn to him. Your spoiled little rich girl attitude is all wrong for him. I'm the one who can save him."

Listening to Charlene's ridiculous comments, Angelina couldn't help but find it laughable.

"You fell in love with a character I made up, and yet you talk about saving him? Don't you think that's kind of ironic?"

Charlene tightened her grip on the fork in her hand.

"But I fell for Zayden the moment I saw him. He's even more handsome than in the comics.

"To keep me from leaving him, he even agreed when I told him to marry you off to that silly servant of my family.

"Do you know what that says about him?"

Angelina glanced at the worked-up Charlene and scoffed. "It means he's not a good guy either."

"Want to know how he really sees you? Should I help you find out?"

Charlene grabbed a glass of boiling water and splashed it right at Angelina.

Caught off guard, Angelina managed one step back, but the boiling water still splashed her leg.

The searing pain hit her hard, making it almost impossible for her to stand, and blisters as big as fingernails popped up instantly on her skin.

As soon as Zayden walked in, he noticed Angelina was hurt.

"Angelina!"

"I have no idea what happened either. She spilled hot water on herself," Charlene said, her eyes filling with tears and her whole body shaking.

The pain was so intense she couldn't speak, but she saw the worry in Zayden's eyes harden into coldness.

"You always play the victim, don't you? Want to say Charlene splashed you too?"

"If you don't believe me... just check the surveillance footage," Angelina finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.

Zayden glared at Angelina and scoffed, "But I'm not your dad, and I'm not that dumb!"

Angelina's eyes went wide in shock. For a moment, the ache in her chest hurt worse than the burn in her leg.

Her dad was a playboy who had tons of mistresses on the side and even drove her mom to death.

To grab hold of the Padgett family's assets, Angelina went through a lot. She faced humiliation and all sorts of grievances. She did everything her stepmother asked and pretended to be obedient, stubbornly hanging in there until her dad got really sick. Then she teamed up with her mom's old assistant to take back control of the Padgett family.

Zayden knew exactly how to hit her where it hurt, yet he still used that against her.

After being in love for so long, both sides know just where to poke to make it sting the most.

Dragging her injured leg, Angelina mustered all her strength and slapped Zayden. "You really let me down."

Zayden took the slap without even blinking.

"Feeling better now? If not, you can hit my other cheek too.

"But, Charlene is your biggest fan after all. If something happens to her, it's not gonna look good for you either. I'm just looking out for you."

Suddenly, Charlene screamed. "I got hot water on my finger too. It's bleeding again."

Hearing Charlene cry out in pain made Zayden scooped her up into his arms.

"Next time, don't drag innocent people into this mess. I'm just cleaning things up for you. I'll get Mandy over later to put some medicine on that."

Angelina sat on the floor in a daze as she watched Zayden's back and tried to force a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

She thought, "Is this really for me? Or is it because you've fallen for her?"

"Let's break up, Zayden," Angelina said quietly.

Zayden had only taken a couple of steps when he turned around to look at Angelina, who was curled up on the floor.

"What did you just say?"

Her voice was too soft, and Zayden didn't catch it clearly.

Before Angelina could speak, Charlene started crying again.

Zayden paused for a second but then walked out the door anyway. "We'll talk about whatever it is when I get back."

The pain in her leg made it tough to get up, but she went to the hospital by herself to get her wound taken care of.

She thought, "I can handle going to the hospital on my own.

"I can live a good life without anyone else.

"I'm not waiting for you anymore."

Angelina came down with a high fever—thanks to yesterday's cold soaking and the burn on her leg. She spent an entire day in bed, drenched in sweat under the sheets.

In a daze, she felt someone pressing a cold towel to her forehead and giving her some water.

Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Zayden let out an obvious sigh of relief.

"Can't you just stop being so stubborn? Sometimes, drop that 'young lady' attitude. Can't you show me a little weakness? What if you'd really hurt yourself if I hadn't come back?"

Angelina struggled to sit up and tossed the towel aside.

She looked at Zayden with a smile. "Two fools make the perfect match, right?"

Panic flickered in Zayden's heart as he thought, "Did she find out? No way—that couldn't be true. He hadn't actually gone to get the marriage certificate with Charlene—there was no way Angelina could know about it."

He shook off his thoughts, brushing off her words as just angry comments.

"Charlene has serious anemia. If she bleeds, it could be life-threatening. We've been together for over ten years, living under the same roof. Do we really need that piece of paper to prove anything?

"When she finally lets go, I'll make it up to you with a grand wedding."

Angelina didn't voice the question lingering in her mind. "When she lets go or when you're done with her?"

She felt no hesitation about leaving the guy in front of her anymore.

Zayden's phone buzzed, and Charlene's sweet, clingy voice came through. "Zayden, I had a nightmare. Can you come stay with me?"

He quickly turned down the volume and nervously said it was just a work meeting from the company.

Angelina just nodded, calm and unreadable.

Zayden glanced at her pale face. He lowered his eyes, feeling a strange flutter in his chest.

Angelina had always been fiery and sharp, seeing her so vulnerable made Zayden feel something new he hadn't felt before.

He swallowed hard, and on impulse, he blurted out, "If you want me to stay, I'll stick around."

"No need," she replied curtly, pulling the quilt over herself and turned away.

Zayden pushed down that weird ache in his heart. She was still the same Angelina—always so proud. Without thinking twice, he walked out.

Angelina curled up under the quilt with her eyes red and puffy, her body slightly trembling.

She bit her finger hard to keep the sobs from breaking out. It wasn't until she felt blood trickling from her finger that she finally crawled out from under the quilt.

She couldn't wait any longer as she dialed Oliver's number right away.

"Sorry, the number you've called is unavailable."

She thought, "So you're lying to me too?

"Everyone's just lying to me.

"Fine then, I'll give up on everything."

Angelina glared at the big wedding photo hanging in the living room. She grabbed a bottle of Lafite and smashed it against the photo. It hit with such force that the frame crashed to the floor with a loud bang.

Barefoot on the broken glass, she took some scissors and kept cutting out her part of the picture over and over again.

Still not satisfied, Angelina turned around and destroyed all the group photos and souvenirs in sight.

After wrapping everything up, she looked at the messy room, and her anger finally started to fade a bit.

"Mandy, can you clean this place up? And take these bags and jewelry—they're all yours now."

"Ms. Padgett, what are you talking about?" Mandy waved her hands in panic.

Angelina stepped outside, hopped into her car without saying a word. She floored the gas pedal, and the car shot forward.

She didn't need anyone to come rescue her anymore.

She wanted to fly solo.

She turned around and walked into an outdoor gear store. Every time the shopkeeper showed her something cool, Angelina just swiped her card without hesitation.

When she was younger, those pictures of snow-capped mountains had already planted a dream in her heart.

She'd brought up going on trips together so many times, but Zayden always told her to wait a little longer.

But not anymore—she wasn't waiting any longer.

This time she would go by herself.

As she tossed a bunch of stuff into the trunk of her car, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly.

"Did you hide Charlene somewhere?"

Zayden's voice was shaking. Angelina hardly ever saw him this worked up, his eyes were even a bit red.

Noticing that Angelina wasn't saying anything, he gripped her wrist tighter. "As long as you say you didn't do it, I'll take your word for it."

Looking at her wrist, which was hurting from his hold, Angelina yanked it away forcefully.

"I haven't seen her."

Just as Zayden was about to turn and keep searching, something in his peripheral vision caught his eye—an axe, some rope, and tape in Angelina's trunk.

He couldn't hold back anymore. He grabbed her chin firmly.

"I'm giving you one last chance.

"Do you even understand how much she means to me?

"Just give her back!"

Angelina never thought Zayden would actually hurt her because of Charlene.

This was the same Zayden who had cried when she scraped her finger.

The Zayden who carried her on his back for three kilometers when she twisted her ankle while running.

The Zayden who donated so much blood to help her after the earthquake that he could barely stand up.

All those memories started to blend together with the man in front of her now, gripping her chin tighter and tighter.

A tear rolled down Angelina's cheek.

When Zayden met her defiant gaze, it was like he snapped out of a trance and let go of her.

Seeing the clear marks on Angelina's face made him feel a pang of guilt in his chest.

Just then, his phone rang.

"Hello? You found her? I'll be right there."

Zayden turned around, got into the car, and sped off without looking back even once.

Angelina touched her cheek, which felt a bit numb, and thought the whole thing was just ridiculous.

She thought, "It didn't matter anymore. You two can just be happy together.

"I don't want this guy anymore."

Angelina fixed her hair and drove straight to the airport.

On the Golden Gate Bridge, three cars suddenly began tailing her.

The last one, a Porsche, sped up, cut in front of her, and forced her to stop.

Angelina got out of the car, but before she could say anything, Zayden jumped out of the Porsche with an angry look on his face.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Zayden looked even more furious, his voice cutting cold and sharp.

"Do you really care where I'm headed?"

Not wanting to deal with him any longer, Angelina reached for her car door. But Zayden grabbed her and shoved her into his Porsche.

"What is wrong with you? Let me out!"

Zayden ignored Angelina's questions, slammed the gas pedal to the floor, and sped straight to the hospital.

"You come from a rich family, but Charlene is also a human being.

"How could you stoop so low as to ruin a girl's innocence?

"If I hadn't gotten here in time, Charlene's life would've been ruined forever!"

Zayden pulled Angelina into the room.

Charlene looked pale on the hospital bed.

As soon as she saw Angelina, she jumped off the bed, knelt down in front of her, and started bowing repeatedly.

"It's my fault, Ms. Padgett. It really is all my fault.

"Please don't send anyone to harass me anymore. I can't face anyone anymore.

"Please just let me go."

Listening to Charlene's words, Angelina felt her fingertips go a bit cold.

"I didn't do this..."

Zayden seemed to have expected her to say that. "The kidnappers already admitted you told them what to do. What else can you say?"

He helped Charlene up from the ground and gently wiped away her tears.

"Don't worry. I'm here, and I'll make sure you get justice."

Angelina watched Charlene lean into Zayden's arms and throw her a smug look.

Charlene had even set this whole thing up just for Zayden.

She grabbed Charlene's hand tightly.

"If you were really kidnapped, then let's go to the police station together.

"I want to see who has the guts to frame me with these lies."

Charlene looked shocked and quickly pulled back.

Zayden impatiently swatted Angelina's hand away.

"Charlene isn't like you. She doesn't have that kind of courage, and she still has her dignity.

"Do you even realize how damaging this is for a girl?

"I just need you to apologize to her and promise you'll never mess with her again."

Angelina froze for a second.

That was when it hit her what Zayden was talking about. The time she ran into a creep on the subway back in school. Instead of just putting up with it, she had kept filming the old guy with her phone.

She was just standing up for herself.

Charlene might have dignity, but now he was painting Angelina as if she didn't have any at all.

"If she's not going, it's because she's feeling guilty! What's that got to do with me? You want me to apologize? Do you really think she's worth it?"

Zayden slapped Angelina hard across the face.

"Then take a good look at yourself. Lock her in the mortuary."

Angelina was roughly shoved into the dim mortuary by the bodyguards. In the distance, she could even see a few bodies waiting to be cremated.

The cold, heavy air of the room hit her right in the face.

Angelina pounded on the door over and over. "Zayden!"

"I'll only let you out when you've thought things through and decided if you're going to admit your mistake."

All she could do was curl up in a corner, hugging herself tightly.

This scene brought back memories of her childhood for Angelina.

Her mom had been seriously ill and kept calling for her dad. The lustful sounds coming from his end of the phone made her mom cough up blood.

Her mom held little five-year-old Angelina's hand tightly.

"Always love yourself first, Lina. Don't rely on a man."

At that young age, Angelina didn't really get what her mom meant.

All she knew was that her mother's hug felt colder and colder. No matter how hard she tried to reach out to her mom, there was no response at all.

Angelina stayed by her mother's side the whole day and night.

That look in her mother's eyes right before she passed away kept coming back to her.

She was shaking all over and could barely make her way to the door.

"Open the door!

"Please, someone open it!

"Help me."

She thought, "Help my mom."

She felt like she'd turned into that little five-year-old version of herself again—crying and screaming without end.

Angelina stayed locked in her room the entire night until Zayden finally opened the door. When Zayden saw her messy hair and lifeless eyes, he actually felt a bit sorry for her.

But then he remembered how Angelina tried to destroy Charlene out of jealousy, and he shut off his feelings again.

"Do you realize what you did was wrong?"

Angelina slowly lifted her gaze, she had already cried every tear the night before.

"I was wrong."

She was wrong to treat love like it was the only thing that mattered.

She was wrong to keep hoping for him, over and over again.

She was just... really wrong.

She looked at Zayden—the man she'd loved for so many years.

"Zayden, are you happy now?"

When Angelina said that, Zayden felt a tightness in his chest and pulled her into his arms.

"I know you're just jealous. You care about me so much that you did this. If you just apologize to her sincerely, we can put this behind us.

"Angelina, I'm doing all of this for your sake. Everything I do is for us."

Angelina stared blankly out the window, her nails torn from pounding on the door all night.

How embarrassing.

"I don't love you anymore, Zayden," she said softly.

Zayden took her words as anger and held her even tighter. "We've been together for over ten years! Our lives are totally intertwined. We can't just split up like that. Don't say things like that again."

"Mr. Darvold, it's an emergency! Ms. Meane has tried to kill herself!"

A doctor rushed in from outside looking panicked. Without thinking twice, Zayden grabbed Angelina's hand and hurried to the ward.

Charlene's wrist was just bandaged, and blood was still oozing through the gauze.

"I know I'm insignificant, and she's a fancy young lady, but I have my pride too. The only way I can prove I'm innocent is by dying!"

After saying this, she tried to climb toward the window again, but Zayden quickly pulled her into a tight hug.

"Angelina already realizes she was wrong, she's here to apologize."

Angelina watched as Zayden anxiously signaled to her with his eyes. She replied calmly, "I'm sorry. Can I go now?"

"Her face looks so cold and scary. She must still be plotting revenge against me," Charlene sobbed again.

Zayden gently comforted her, "What do you want her apology to look like?"

"At the very least, she should kneel and bow. After all, she wanted to ruin my reputation and even kill me."

"Zayden, how could I ever have liked someone like you?" Before Angelina could finish her sentence, she was pushed down to the ground.

Upon hearing her words, Zayden felt a bit hesitant, but Charlene was still shaking in his arms.

"If you do something wrong, you've got to own it. Help her."

The bodyguard grabbed Angelina's head and made her bang it against the floor over and over again.

The constant hits left her feeling dazed.

Years ago, in front of her mom's grave, she had done something similar. Back then, Zayden had knelt beside her too.

"Angelina, let's bow here in front of your mom's tomb as a promise for our marriage. She'd definitely be happy for us."

No one knew how many times her head hit the ground—only when her forehead split and blood stained the floor did they finally let her go.

She fell to the ground, and just before passing out, she saw Zayden rushing over anxiously to catch her in his arms.

When Angelina opened her eyes again, she found herself in a hospital bed.

"You haven't eaten right these past few days. You ended up with hypoglycemia. You really scared me," Zayden said as he tried to help Angelina sit up, but she pushed him away.

Seeing her cold expression, Zayden reached out to touch her face. "I know I've been neglecting you lately. How about we go for a walk? It'll make up for it."

Angelina turned her head to dodge his hand.

"Just go hang out with Charlene. Aren't you supposed to be her savior? If she doesn't see you right now, she might try to kill herself again."

Zayden acted like he didn't catch the sarcasm in Angelina's words and held onto her hand tighter.

"There are already people online saying you don't care about your fans and that you're still planning on getting married. I'm really just looking out for you.

"I've even set up a trip to a nice spot. We'll take some nice photos of you two to calm everyone down."

Angelina let out a scoff. They had known each other for way too long.

Zayden's eyes always darted around a bit when he was lying.

"You're not doing this for me."

Zayden tightened his grip on Angelina's hand. Realizing he'd been caught in the lie, he decided to come clean.

"Some people are saying Charlene is trying to come between us on purpose. I thought these photos would clear things up."

Angelina looked at Zayden and then glanced at the bodyguards standing outside the door.

It was obvious he had made up his mind to make her go along with it and there wasn't any room for negotiation.

Early the next morning, Zayden took Angelina and Charlene to Grand Teton. He had people snapping pictures of them all along the way.

Charlene smiled widely as she grabbed hold of Angelina's hand.

Whenever Angelina hesitated, the guards stepped in, holding her still and forcing her to pose.

They had been snapping photos the whole way up, and before they knew it, they'd made it to the church at the top of the mountain.

Angelina remembered that she and Zayden had come here before—they'd bought a pair of love locks and hung them on this very tree.

"We'll be together forever.

"This tree has stood for a century. It'll witness ours too."

As she watched Zayden and Charlene behind her, checking out the pictures on their camera, she turned and headed toward the old tree at the back of the church.

Angelina looked around until she finally spotted that love locks.

Just as she pulled it down, someone suddenly pressed a knife against her waist from behind.

"Angelina, long time no see."

She recognized that voice right away.

It was Adam Padgett, her father's eldest illegitimate son. He was the same guy who failed to grab hold of the Padgett family's assets from her and ended up in prison instead.

How did he find her here?

"Angelina, you are so lucky. I'm not alone in wanting you dead. Ms. Meane promised me that if you die, I'll get 800 thousand dollars."

Angelina turned around, looked at Adam, and said nervously, "I've got over 800 thousand dollars. I can give you..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Adam covered her mouth and stabbed a knife into her stomach.

"I know what you're capable of. Instead of trying to make a deal with a wolf, it's better to just end this now."

Angelina's eyes went wide in shock. A sharp pain shot through her belly, but she couldn't make a sound.

She desperately reached out toward Zayden, only to see him standing in the shadows, kissing Charlene.

"You can't beat me," Adam said before giving her a shove—sending Angelina over the railing.

The valley behind Grand Teton was very deep. She tumbled down several times, crashing into trees before finally coming to a stop.

Her calf bone was snapped, piercing through the skin. She couldn't move at all.

Blood was pouring out from her abdomen. As it got darker, the wild animals in this valley would soon smell the blood.

She tried to pull out her phone, but there wasn't any signal.

Losing so much blood made Angelina start to hallucinate. She managed to lift her head and look over at the church.

It felt like she could see her younger self kneeling in front of that church, wishing to be with Zayden forever.

The sky had gone completely dark now.

Angelina accepted what was happening and closed her eyes.

The sound of a helicopter was getting closer, and the wind from its blades woke Angelina up.

A guy jumped out of the helicopter in a hurry and scooped Angelina up into his arms.

"What happened to you? I brought gifts to propose."

Hearing the man's voice, Angelina finally recognized it was Oliver.

"Aren't you that young heir from New York?"

He laughed a little. "You recognized me. But first, let's get you out of here."

She watched the last light fade from the church on the mountain and forced a faint smile.

"Can you do me a favor? Just let Angelina die here and give me a new identity."

Sitting in the helicopter, Angelina wiped away her tears as she thought, "Zayden, this is far from over."