1 A traffic ticket for my husband arrived in my email. I tapped open the attachment. The photo wasn't of him speeding. It showed my husband, Oliver, and another woman, mouths locked in a passionate kiss, neither of them wearing a seatbelt. My heart felt like it was being torn in two. As tears blurred my vision, a few lines of text scrolled across the screen, like comments from some unseen audience. 【LOL, the ex-wife is so pathetic. They're just a cute couple having a moment, what’s she getting worked up about?】 【She probably doesn't even know. When the male lead said they needed a 'fake' divorce to buy a new property, it was actually so he could marry our sweet Mia.】 My fingers trembled as I dialed the number for the city registrar's office. "Yes, ma'am," the clerk's voice confirmed, detached and professional. "Our system shows that an Oliver Cole finalized a marriage certificate with a Ms. Mia Vance the day after his divorce from you was registered." The phone slipped from my grasp, clattering onto the floor. Mia. Of course. I knew the name. Mia was his first love, the one that got away, the woman who had abandoned him at his lowest point. The comments continued to flood my vision. 【Welcome back, Queen Mia! Welcome back, Queen Mia!】 … Numb and disoriented, I found myself standing outside Oliver's corporate headquarters. I just needed to ask him why. Why the lies? As the elevator ascended towards the top floor, I heard the sounds of a party. The doors were just about to open when a chorus of voices erupted from the executive suite. "To Oliver and Mia! Happy one-month anniversary!" The pop of champagne corks and a burst of applause followed. The elevator doors slid open. I froze, suddenly feeling like an intruder about to shatter their perfect moment. "What about Zoey?" someone asked, cluelessly. Oliver's voice was cold, dismissive. "I gave her enough good years. She got her value out of it. Today is my anniversary with Mia. She deserves to be spoiled for once, don't you think?" The ghostly comments agreed. 【Exactly! Our Mia has suffered so much. She finally gets to be with her true love.】 【Mia and the male lead are a match made in heaven. The ex-wife can go eat dust.】 【Bet the ex-wife doesn't know this, but on their wedding day, the male lead got a call and rushed out of the ceremony? That was Mia. He'd finally found her again. They spent the rest of the day in bed together, screwing their brains out. He was so exhausted he forgot to even call the ex-wife back.】 A chill settled deep in my bones. So that’s why he never picked up. I’d spent that night, my wedding night, a sobbing mess, my makeup ruined, terrified that something terrible had happened to him. I sat by the phone all night. When he finally called the next day, his voice hoarse, I’d cried with relief. "I forgive you, Oliver. I don't care why you left yesterday. As long as you're alive and okay, I forgive you." Now, I heard Mia’s voice, sweet and considerate. "Oliver only married me out of pity. He still has feelings for Zoey. I know he’ll find a way to balance his love for both of us." Someone else chimed in. "What if Zoey finds out? You know how she is. Once she sets her mind on something, you can't change it. She'll never agree to the three of you." A dangerous edge crept into Oliver's voice. "Then she will never find out." That was it. That was the answer that shattered the last piece of my heart. A part of me had wanted to believe the comments were a lie, a cruel trick of my mind. Oliver loved me. He had promised he would only ever marry me. But promises mean nothing when a new love appears. I wiped the tears from my eyes and pressed the elevator’s down button. If that’s how it was going to be, then I would disappear from their lives forever. I filed the paperwork to relinquish my citizenship, erase my identity, and applied for a new passport. I would start over, abroad, as someone else entirely. The documents would take two weeks. Two more weeks, and then a woman named Zoey would cease to exist in Oliver's world. A week passed. Not a single text, not a single call from him. Then, on the seventh day, Oliver finally noticed my absence. He found me, holding a diamond necklace, and dropped to his knees before me. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I've been buried in work. I completely forgot to make time for you." The comments danced above his head. 【A whole week. Mia and the male lead spent an entire week in a seaside villa. That man has some serious stamina.】 【Ugh, why is the ex-wife still here? She's so gross. Totally killing the vibe while I'm trying to watch Mia and the male lead's personal porn show.】 I stared into Oliver’s seemingly sincere eyes, my mind drifting back to when we first met. He was eighteen, a beautiful boy confined to a wheelchair, his long lashes casting dark shadows on his cheeks. I fell for him instantly. I was there for him through every painful step of his rehabilitation, helping him learn to stand, to walk, to run again. The day he was fully healed, he ran across the lawn, grabbed my hands, his eyes shining. "Zoey, I can't live without you. You saved me. Will you stay with me, always?" But people change. My gaze fell on the man kneeling before me now. Before I could respond, Oliver was already fastening the diamond necklace around my neck. "I chartered a yacht for us," he murmured, his warm breath tickling my ear. "There's a captain's dinner tonight. Come with me." At the dinner, Oliver pulled me onto the dance floor. His steps were different, more complex and aggressive than I remembered. I had to concentrate fully just to keep up. Suddenly, his body went rigid. His hand loosened its grip on mine, and I was sent stumbling, flying outwards. I landed hard, scraping my knee raw on the deck. When I looked back, Oliver was staring intently at a figure across the room. It was Mia. She stood there, biting her lip, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. By the time Oliver started after her, she had already turned and fled. "Honey, something's come up. Just stay here for a bit, okay?" His eyes never left Mia's retreating form. He didn't even glance at me, crumpled on the floor. No one offered a hand. I pushed myself up, biting back the pain, and limped towards the restroom to clean my wound. As I approached, I heard noises from inside. Inappropriate noises. Mia's breathy moans. "No, not in here." Oliver's voice was a husky, coaxing tone. "Shh, it's okay. Just once. Just for a minute." There was a rustle of clothing, a blending of breaths, the sound of hungry kisses. Mia’s hands were on his chest in a show of pushing him away, but her eyes were like silk, luring him in. "Zoey is still out there waiting for you." His face was flushed with desire, my existence completely erased from his mind. "Forget her. Right now, all I want is you." "I don't want to cause a fight between you two. You love her, and I love you." Her voice caught in a sob, maybe because he was being too rough in his haste. "I just want you to be happy." At that, his movements seemed to soften. His lips traveled from her neck down to her chest. Mia's body trembled, a soft moan escaping her lips. Oliver chuckled, his voice a low, gentle rumble. "See? You want it too. Just open up a little more for me." To better accommodate him, Mia wrapped her arms around his neck, surrendering completely. I stood frozen, tears streaming down my face, a pain so sharp in my chest I could barely breathe. By the time Oliver returned, the dinner was over. But he had a gift for me. "Sweetheart," he said, wrapping his arms around me. The scent of his soap, the same scent that was all over her, made me want to vomit. "The most expensive jewels for the most beautiful woman." A wave of nausea hit me, and I shoved him away, bile rising in my throat. He wasn't angry. He just gently took a napkin and wiped my mouth. "Not feeling well? We'll go home early. You shouldn't drink so much." I looked up and saw the flash of jealousy in Mia's eyes as she watched us. "Let me help Zoey downstairs to rest," Mia offered, reaching for my arm. I flinched away. But I never could have predicted she would be willing to gamble with her own life. There was a sudden rush of wind beside me. I saw Oliver lunge forward, his hands desperately grabbing for Mia as she tumbled over the railing. Then, the icy shock of seawater closing over my head. "Man overboard!" The shouts from the deck were panicked and distant. The crushing pressure in my lungs was overwhelming. As my consciousness faded, Oliver’s face flashed before my eyes, shattering and reforming into the sounds of him and Mia in the restroom. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed. My body was wrapped in so many bandages I couldn't move anything but my eyes. I must have looked ridiculous. Directly in my line of sight, Mia was sobbing in Oliver's arms. "It's all my fault," she cried. "If I hadn't lost my balance, you would have caught Zoey. It's my fault. Punish me!" Her pathetic, helpless act seemed to ignite something in Oliver. He had no intention of blaming her. "Don't cry," he murmured, kissing the tears from her eyes. "You little troublemaker. I could never hurt you." "Come on, call me 'hubby,' and I'll forgive you." "Hubby," she whispered, giving his chest a playful tap. The sound of rustling fabric followed. The comments reappeared. 【Ooh, are we about to get another show?】 I couldn't take it anymore. I summoned every ounce of strength I had. "Oliver." My voice was a broken rasp, the taste in my mouth bitter. He jumped as if electrocuted, shoving Mia off his lap so hard she tumbled to the floor. "Zoey! Are you okay?" He scrambled to my bedside, his panic genuine, the concern in his voice real. I said nothing, my gaze dropping to Mia on the floor. A few buttons on her blouse were undone, revealing the pale skin beneath. I didn't understand. How could a man who was moments away from taking her right there suddenly rush to my side and perform this act of devoted concern? "What's going to happen to the person who tried to kill me?" I asked, my voice cold, my question a deliberate test. Oliver’s expression changed instantly. He thought I was going after Mia and immediately jumped to her defense. "Mia didn't mean to. She's been hurt, too. Can't you just forgive her?" I wanted to laugh. "She’s hurt? What kind of injury? The kind you get from spreading your legs for too long?" "You know?" I didn't answer, my silence a heavy weight in the room. Seeing my expression, Oliver dropped the pretense. His voice turned accusatory. "You're a woman, too. How can you be so vulgar?" "You need to think about your attitude. When you've calmed down and you're ready to apologize to Mia, I'll come back." He turned, helped Mia up from the floor, and they left. Leaving me, a patient who couldn't even care for herself, alone in the room. I laughed, a broken, hollow sound, as tears streamed from the corners of my eyes. The comments scrolled mercilessly above me. 【The ex-wife got what she deserved. Who does she think she is, blaming our sweet Mia?】 【Just die already, ex-wife. You're just an eyesore for Mia and the male lead.】 【Hope the male lead floors it on the way home. They need to finish what they started in the hospital.】 In that moment, I felt the blood in my veins turn to ice. When I was well enough, Oliver came to pick me up from the hospital. He’d brought his entire office staff with him, all holding bouquets. "Mrs. Cole, you're so lucky to have a wonderful husband like Mr. Cole," one of them gushed. The comments sneered. 【Flowers? Big deal. Our Mia has a new house. A love nest from the male lead.】 In front of everyone, I pushed Oliver away. He panicked, grabbing my arm. "Are you still angry? I've already forgiven you, what more do you want?" I ignored his question, my eyes scanning the crowd. "Where's Mia?" The comments preened. 【Our Mia was up very late last night. Of course she wouldn't come to see you.】 Oliver’s face hardened, all traces of tenderness gone. "Why are you always so obsessed with Mia? Is it really that hard for you to be a little more generous?" His grip on my wrist tightened, so hard I thought the bones would snap. The fragile pieces of my heart, which had just started to mend, shattered all over again. His phone rang. He let go of me to answer it. It was Mia, her sobs frantic and convincing. "Oliver… help me… I've been kidnapped… by men Zoey sent… They said they won't let me leave here alive." "They're going to… they're going to sell me to the rings… as a prostitute. Please, you have to save me, I'm so scared… sob." Oliver's face contorted with rage. He dropped the phone and his hands shot out, closing around my neck. "Tell me," he snarled, his face demonic, "where did you take her?" It took all my strength to knock his hands away. Gasping for air, I choked out my defense. "It wasn't me. I didn't do it." "We've been married for three years. Don't you have any trust in me at all?" He regained a sliver of composure. "I know you wouldn't. But Mia has been taken. How can you stand there and let someone die because of you?" See? He still didn't believe me. Even knowing I'd been bedridden in a hospital for a month, unable to orchestrate anything. His voice dropped to a threat. "Zoey, if anything happens to Mia, I will make you pay." I met his dark, furious gaze. "I don't know," I repeated. "I really don't know. I didn't send anyone to kidnap Mia. I can say it a hundred times and the answer will be the same." A chilling coldness radiated from him. "I'll trust you this one time," he said, his words like shards of ice. "But you better pray that when I find out the truth, your name isn't attached to it." He left. The crowd of people who had arrived with him vanished just as quickly. As he walked away, I saw him pull out his phone, his voice sharp and commanding. "Get every man we have on this. I want to know Mia's last known location, now." His car sped off, leaving me choking on a cloud of exhaust fumes. I stumbled to my feet, my wrist screaming in pain, probably dislocated. My head throbbed from his shouting. I couldn't go anywhere. I turned back towards the hospital to find a doctor. As I walked down the hall, nurses and patients pointed and whispered. "That's her. The one whose husband cheated, so she had the mistress kidnapped and sold." "So vindictive. No wonder he cheated on her. I wouldn't be able to stand her either." Rage, shame, and heartbreak warred inside me. Where was the doctor? I needed a doctor. My vision blurred, my steps faltered. The world went black, and I collapsed. I woke up to water being splashed on my face. My arms were bound tightly, my mouth sealed with duct tape. My wrist was on fire; not only had it not been treated, but the injury was now far worse. 【Awesome! The ex-wife got kidnapped too. Let's see who comes to save her now.】 【Hehe, they should sell her off quick. Sell her somewhere far, far away. That'll teach her to compete for our male lead.】 【Looks like the male lead is here! Our Mia is just over there. Go save her, hero!】 Through the comments, I pieced together my situation. Through the thin black fabric of a blindfold, I could see Oliver holding Mia, who was crying dramatically in his arms. "Oh, Oliver, I knew you'd come for me!" He let her cling to him, stroking her back soothingly. I stared at her face. Her makeup was perfect. Her hands and feet were unbound. Not a single hair was out of place. This wasn't a kidnapping. It was a performance. I understood instantly and began to struggle, making muffled noises to get Oliver's attention. But then Mia spoke, and my struggles ceased.
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