Chapter 6

After enduring the slaps, Sylvia fell unconscious for three entire days.

Three days later, she was woken up by the shrill blaring of a horn.

Still groggy, she struggled upright and discovered that she had been tied up and stuffed into the back seat of a car.

Up front, the driver was driving through traffic at 120 miles per hour. Jason rode in the front‑passenger seat. The veins on his hands bulged.

"Where are you taking me?" Sylvia's voice was so broken it barely sounded like her own.

Jason didn't even glance at her. His voice was as cold as ever. "Naomi was kidnapped by her husband.

"He said I stole his wife, so he'd only release her if I gave him mine."

Sylvia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Come again?"

Jason pursed his lips and answered Sylvia with silence.

A buzzing filled Sylvia's ears. She stared at Jason's chiseled jawline. Various emotions began to well inside her.

She felt the humiliation and rage of being slapped, the absurdity of being treated like an object to be exchanged, and the unbearable grief of being looked down upon by Jason.

All the tears she had held back for so long finally burst free. Her mouth tasted heavily of blood, yet she laughed. She laughed so hard that her slender shoulders trembled.

"Wife? Jason, have you ever really treated me as your wife?

"Or am I only qualified to be your wife when you need something from me?"

The despair in her voice was overwhelming. Jason's breathing grew heavier, and for a brief moment, he felt as if he couldn't breathe.

However, Naomi's figure appeared in his mind, and he quickly regained his composure. "Stop overthinking.

"I've already arranged for people to be there. You just need to hold on for a while. You won't be in danger."

The car fell silent for a moment.

Just when Jason thought Sylvia had calmed down, he heard her murmur softly, "Jason, wouldn't it have been better if we had never met?"

That way, she wouldn't have ended up covered in wounds like this. She could still be reckless, carefree, and do whatever she wanted.

She merely let out a soft sigh, but for some reason, Jason's anger flared.

He told the driver to press harder on the accelerator. The coldness in his expression was unbearable.

"Sylvia, I told you, you'll be fine. I'll compensate you too.

"You're Mrs. Porter. You'll have a lifetime of wealth and luxury. Once our child is born, I'll give him the very best of everything.

"Stop saying things like that out of anger." Jason's voice was cold. "I know you love me very much. You even said that meeting me was the best thing that ever happened to you."

Sylvia blinked in a daze.

It turned out Jason knew she loved him.

Of course he did.

She had never hidden her affection for him. She had always loved him openly and honestly. That was precisely why he had been able to exploit it without restraint.

What Jason didn't know was that their child had died because of him. Her love for him was also slowly vanishing, little by little, from her wounded heart.

-

Their destination was a remote wilderness.

Once again, Jason leaned close to Sylvia's ear and whispered, "Wait for me. I'll be back soon."

He then had his man shove her away and pulled the sobbing Naomi tightly into his arms.

Sylvia was suspended in midair as sharp blades slashed across her body again and again, forcing a muffled groan from her lips.

Jason merely paused. He gently kissed Naomi on the forehead before turning around and wheeling away.

One hour passed. Sylvia's body was covered in wounds, and blood stained her from head to toe.

Two hours passed. A bucket of highly concentrated salt solution was splashed over her body, and she cried out in agony.

Three hours passed. Four hours passed. It wasn't until dawn that her tormentor finally grew tired.

Sylvia was casually tossed onto the ground.

When the bodyguards finally found her, she was barely breathing. They quickly carried her into the car and rushed her to the hospital.

One of them sighed. "She really suffered for nothing. Our men had already assembled last night. Why did we wait until today to make a move?"

The head of the bodyguards shook his head. "Ms. Luther was frightened last night, and Mr. Porter paid full attention to her.

"I was going to report to him that we were ready to make a move, but he yelled at me. He said nothing was more important than Ms. Luther and told me not to disturb him."

The bodyguard happened to glance at the rearview mirror and suddenly fell silent.

Sylvia, who should have been unconscious, was silently crying. Her tears streamed down her face before disappearing into her tangled black hair.

"Ms. Carter." Unable to bear it, he said, "Don't worry. Mr. Porter hasn't forgotten about you.

"He'll come to the hospital to see you soon."

However, even after Sylvia was discharged from the hospital, Jason never appeared.

He was too busy bringing Naomi out to relax.

He was too busy going to auctions and spending a fortune on diamond-studded necklaces to present them to Naomi on the spot.

He was too busy going to the beach and setting off fireworks all night.

The fireworks even formed a sentence.

[Naomi, stay happy.]

He was also too busy going to flower fields while walking hand in hand with Naomi. Every gesture he made was filled with tenderness.

"Ms. Carter, the paperwork has been completed, and your divorce certificate has been issued."

Sylvia took one copy of the divorce certificate and left the Porter family's address as well as Jason's contact information. "Jason's copy can be mailed to this address."

"Oh, right." Sylvia placed the miscarriage report inside as well. "Please mail this to him too."

Liam hesitated before speaking. "Ms. Carter, what about you?"

Sylvia raised the plane ticket in her hand. It was for a flight leaving that very day.

"Me?" She smiled. A trace of the bright, flamboyant spirit she once possessed had returned to her eyes. "I'm going to start living my own life."

She didn't want Jason anymore.

As for Naomi, she wouldn't let her off the hook either.