Chapter 5

The next day, Melanie went to the embassy to apply for a visa.

At 7:00 pm, she arrived at Johnson Manor right on time. It was a grand birthday celebration, attended by all the renowned families in their social circle.

The Strickland family used to be one of them.

Back then, Laura had often said, "Out of all the ladies in Bell City, only Melanie is worthy of our Raymond. When she marries into our family, I'll treat her like my own daughter."

But when the Strickland family went bankrupt, it was also Laura who, at Morris' funeral, flung a check for 100 thousand dollars at Melanie's face and told her to leave Raymond, warning her not to ruin his bright future.

Collecting her emotions, Melanie entered Johnson Manor.

As soon as she stepped inside, she felt mocking, disdainful, and amused gazes on her.

At the center of the crowd, Laura was chatting warmly with the guests while holding Tracy's hand. "That's right. This is Raymond's beloved Tracy Lambert. She's three months along."

A guest intentionally tried to cause tension, asking, "Isn't your daughter-in-law from the Strickland family? Aren't you afraid she'll flip out when she sees you acting so brazenly with Tracy?"

Laura rolled her eyes, her disdain obvious as she replied, "What's there to be afraid of? She's nothing but a nobody who's now living off my son. If it weren't for him, she'd probably be dead somewhere on the street.

"Besides, she can't even have kids. If she's so capable, she can try having children then."

Melanie had been pregnant before. It was three years ago.

Raymond was driving her to the beach when the brakes failed, causing a massive pileup.

At the critical moment, Melanie instinctively shielded Raymond.

As glass from the windows pierced Melanie's skin, she blacked out on the spot. By the time she woke up, she was in the hospital.

The doctor told her she'd been pregnant, the child was lost, and she might never be able to have children again.

Hearing this, Melanie cried all night.

Then the butler told her that Raymond had been saved by a woman and planned to bring her into the company as his assistant, as a gesture of gratitude.

That woman was Tracy.

A mocking glint flashed in Melanie's eyes as she withdrew from the crowd, heading to the back garden to clear her head.

Alas, Tracy wasn't about to leave her alone. She quietly made her way to Melanie's side. "Melanie, why aren't you heading in? Afraid you'll cry when you see how nice Mrs. Johnson is being to me?"

She blinked, not even trying to mask her provocation. "See this? Mrs. Johnson just gave this to me. She said it's something every lady of the Johnson family has. It's pretty, right?"

Tracy flaunted the emerald bracelet on her wrist.

Melanie had long stopped caring about such things. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying Raymond doesn't like you anymore, and Mrs. Johnson doesn't care for you either, so why are you still shamelessly clinging to the title of Raymond's wife?

"You should have some sense and let me have it already. Just last night, Raymond promised I could be by his side openly and that neither the baby nor I would have to face mistreatment."

In the face of Tracy's aggression, Melanie simply smiled. "Well then, congratulations."

Whether it was the Johnson family or Raymond, Melanie no longer wanted anything to do with them. She then turned to leave after speaking.

Tracy, struck by an idea, suddenly yelped and collapsed to the ground.

"Help! Someone help me! My stomach hurts so much!"

Raymond came running and saw Tracy clutching her stomach, crying out in pain. Almost instinctively, he slapped Melanie hard across the face. "How can you be this vicious? You'd even hurt a pregnant woman?"

Melanie covered her face, disappointment evident in her eyes. "I didn't."

"I literally saw you!"

Raymond grabbed her wrist, squeezing so hard that it felt like her bones would shatter.

"Did you forget your last lesson already? If anything happens to Trace, I swear I'll reduce your mother to ashes!"

"You don't need to wait. You can do it right now."

Laura stormed over with bodyguards, ordering them to hold Melanie down.

Sobbing, Tracy shook her head. "Mrs. Johnson, Raymond, it's fine. Melanie didn't do it on purpose. She's just jealous because I'm pregnant with Raymond's child. I understand."

She turned around and dropped to her knees in front of Melanie with a dull thud. "Melanie, you should just hit me two more times. I'll do anything to appease your anger. Just… don't hurt my baby."

Melanie almost laughed from sheer rage. "I already said I didn't touch her. If you don't believe me, you can check the surveillance footage. There are cameras here."

Tracy abruptly went pale. Gritting her teeth, she collapsed.

Raymond completely lost it, dragging Melanie to the pool and forcing her head under the water by yanking her hair.

As Melanie's head was shoved into the water the second time, pool water rushed into her mouth and nose, flooding her lungs.

Pain blurred her vision. Her throat burned, and her ears buzzed.

By the pool, Tracy had woken up at some point and was nestling in Laura's arms pitifully.

The guests whispered among themselves. "Isn't Mr. Johnson going too far? He's going to kill her at this rate."

"She deserves it for hurting others…"

Half an hour later, Raymond finally let go of Melanie.

He approached Tracy, his voice gentle as he said, "Don't be afraid. I've already avenged you. Does your stomach still hurt? I'll take you to the hospital."

He then carried Tracy in his arms and left without looking back. Laura kicked Melanie contemptuously before storming off.

Soon, everyone left, leaving Melanie lying on the floor, limp and motionless.

When her tears finally ran dry, she looked at the wedding ring on her finger. A mirthless laugh escaped her lips.

Pulling out her phone, she dialed a number she'd never called before. "You said before you'd pay 300 million dollars for evidence of the Johnson family's tax evasion. Does that offer still stand?"