Chapter 3

I stared at the line of words, feeling my pupils contract slightly in my eyes.

Future Solomon continued texting. "Solomon will host a banquet for her in a few days. He'll say it's ostensibly to celebrate a successful business collaboration, but it's really to formally introduce Melanie to everyone and give her a title."

The texts then slowed down, as if it were getting difficult for him to go on.

"When you found out about it, you dragged your seriously ill body there and kicked up a huge fuss. And not long after the banquet, you…"

He didn't continue the sentence after that, but I knew what he was trying to say.

I closed my eyes, almost able to see Melanie embracing Solomon as she announced the news to everyone present, while I threw a massive tantrum, made a fool of myself, and ultimately succumbed to the abyss.

…

Subtle glances came from all directions when I appeared in the banquet hall days later.

"Why is she here?"

"She's so shameless. Doesn't she know that Mr. Geyser clearly doesn't want to see her?"

"She looks so old and haggard. It's no wonder she wasn't able to stop her man from seeing other women."

The gossip around me pierced my ears like needles.

In the post, I would have been worried sick that words like these would embarrass Solomon. But now, they didn't even manage to stir up my emotions one bit.

Solomon frowned as soon as he saw me. He marched up to me and yanked me into a secluded corner. His voice was frustrated as he demanded, "What are you doing here?"

I met his impatient gaze and smiled slightly. "I'm here to congratulate you, of course. This is such a huge celebration, after all. How could I possibly be absent, as your wife?"

His gaze was filled with scrutiny as he glared at me.

"Congratulate me?" he echoed, frowning. "I'm warning you, you'd better not cause any trouble tonight. Behave yourself and go home after a while. Don't go embarrassing yourself anymore."

Melanie sauntered over to us and wrapped her hands around Solomon's arm intimately.

"Don't be angry, Sol. Ivana's presence here only showed how gracious she was and that she had genuinely come to congratulate us. Isn't that so?"

While speaking, she grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter.

"Since you're already here, you must drink a toast to us. That'll prove that you're truly here to congratulate Sol and me."

I stared at the liquid in the glass and felt my stomach churn on instinct. I avoided the glass and looked at Solomon, my voice dry as I said, "I can't take alcohol because of my stomach ulcers. You know that."

Doctors had strictly warned me never to touch another drop of alcohol again because of my horrible stomach ulcers. The ulcers developed after I was forced to attend drinking parties and networking events during the early days when Solomon first started his company.

When he learned about it a few years ago, he'd also strictly forbidden me from touching alcohol again.

I watched his eyes flicker now, looking as though he was uncertain about it. Melanie then tightened her hand around his arm and said in a coquettish voice, "It's just champagne. The alcohol content is very low.

"Surely you're not going to leave us hanging just like this, Ivana? Is it because you hate me?"

She then turned to Solomon and said in an innocently aggrieved voice, "All I wanted was Ivana's sincere blessings and congratulations, Sol. Is it really that much to ask for?"

His hesitation disappeared as soon as Melanie used her tactics on him. His eyes turned cold and hard as they turned to me. "If Melanie told you to drink, then you will drink every single drop of it.

"It's just one glass. What's it going to do, kill you?"

I dug my fingernails deep into my palms, but I couldn't even feel the pain anymore.

The last of my hopes vanished into thin air. With that, I turned to leave.

"Stop her!" Solomon gave out his orders at once.

Two waiters came up to me and stopped me.

Solomon then took the champagne glass from Melanie and pressed its rim to my lips. He spoke in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Drink it, or I will make someone force it down your throat."

I kept my lips tightly sealed and looked away.

"Force it down her throat!"

Solomon lost his patience and handed the glass to a waiter instead, barking out his order at him. The alcohol was forced down my throat, and I choked on the burning liquid, doubling over in a thoroughly disheveled state.

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my stomach at once, and my vision blurred. I knelt on the carpet, my face smeared with champagne and tears.

Solomon looked down condescendingly at me, a deep frown etched on his face.

"It's just a glass of champagne. Why must you make it seem like you're dying from just that?"

Melanie crouched over with a napkin in her hand and said, "Oh, your dress is wet. Let me help you dry it."

Before the words were even out of her mouth, there was a loud tearing sound as she ripped away the thin fabric covering my chest.

My bare chest was exposed to the public.

I screamed and hurriedly covered my chest with my arms.

Solomon frowned and yanked Melanie up from the ground.

"You've gone overboard."

Melanie's eyes went red. She explained in an aggrieved tone, "I was just trying to help Ivana dry her dress. I didn't think that the dress would be so poorly made."

He looked at me, disheveled and curled up in shame, then at Melanie, looking pitifully at him. A flicker of complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

He took off his suit jacket and casually tossed it over my body.

"Alright, just put this on and get the driver to send you back. Stop embarrassing yourself here."

I kept my head lowered, the jacket still heavy with Solomon's warmth and Melanie's perfume against my skin.

It felt colder than being completely naked in public.