Chapter 3

As dawn broke, Natalie had spent the entire night in the freezing cold. Yet, she still hadn't seen Olivia leave Adrian's villa.

Her heart finally broke. Feeling defeated, she wrapped her arms around her freezing body and walked away.

She was stubborn by nature, so she hadn't even put on the clothes she had taken off. Instead, she picked up a few discarded clothes from a nearby old clothes box and wore them. Then, she picked a random hotel to stay in.

However, when she tried to swipe her card, the POS machine repeatedly displayed a message saying that the card had been frozen.

And so, Natalie had no choice but to take out a worn-out bank card.

That money was what she and Adrian had saved from working part-time jobs during college. They had agreed to set it aside as their future wedding fund. Unexpectedly, a funeral turned Adrian's life upside down. And that measly ten thousand dollars had become insignificant in his eyes.

Natalie had never touched a single cent on the card. It was the last thing she had left to hold on to. However, she had no choice but to let go of that final illusion.

After paying for the room, she curled up in the shabby little hotel and drifted into a restless sleep.

For several days, Adrian and Natalie gave each other the silent treatment. The former also made no attempt to contact her.

Her social media was filled with photos and videos of Adrian and Olivia's sweet moments together. He would accompany her to the golf course, holding her hand as he taught her how to play.

He would even show up at late-night food stalls just to make her smile. He took her to lavish social gatherings, where they would dance together in a romantic waltz.

Meanwhile, Natalie was just someone who had never existed to them. Her disappearance had finally brought the perfect couple together. Everyone was happy with that.

But when she refreshed the page, Natalie saw some striking headlines.

"Breaking News! The Heir of the Carter Family and the Heiress of the Hart Family Were Spotted Entering and Leaving a Hotel Late at Night, Behaving Intimately. Their Wedding May Be Imminent."

"An Obsessed Woman Publicly Declares Her Love for the Heir of the Carter Family. After Being Rejected, She Goes Mad and Strips to Seduce Him. Her Shameless Behavior Enrages the Heir."

Below the headlines was a photo of Natalie mostly naked. It was both humiliating and degrading.

"Is this woman crazy? Does she have no moral compass? She's shameless!"

"I've seen plenty of people like this. She really thinks everyone from a wealthy family is some spoiled playboy who will lose all sense over a pretty face. She's just trying to latch onto one of them and marry into wealth. But in their eyes, someone like her is too much of a turn-off to even consider!"

"She's got a pretty good body. It explains why she'd stoop to such a shameless tactic. If he doesn't want her, I'll take her. I've got a bit of money myself. Give me her contact information…"

...

Each comment was filled with mockery and vicious insults.

Natalie's knuckles turned white from digging her fingers into her palms. She bit her lip so hard that it drew blood. She could taste the metallic taste of blood and feel her heart bleed. It hurt terribly.

Yet, Adrian was radio silent. He never bothered to explain himself.

She stared at her phone for a very long time, desperately trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. With trembling fingers, she typed a reply.

"You shouldn't comment without knowing the whole story. What if there's some misunderstanding? There are so many ways to seduce him. Why would she resort to this? Perhaps things aren't what they seem!"

She held her breath, having used the last of her strength to defend herself.

But the next second, countless harassing messages flooded into her DMs.

"You sure have a way with words. Seems like you've done this often. How about giving me a taste? Don't worry, I've got money!"

"You're defending such a woman? Don't tell me you're the woman herself. Holy crap! Let me see you, will you?"

"How much for one night? Is 100 dollars enough? How about a thousand? Tell me how much you want!"

As Natalie read through the vile messages, she broke down in tears. Hugging her knees, she felt utterly helpless and hopeless. She was Adrian's rightful wife, yet she was seen as a shameless slut.

After thinking for a long time, she wiped away her tears, stood up, and went straight to the news agency that had published the report.