Chapter 2

Ralph hugged Rosalie with a face full of smug satisfaction. This elicited another round of sighs from her friends nearby.

Rosalie suddenly said with earnest seriousness, "The person I've always loved is Ralph. If it weren't for the overwhelming public pressure back then when Vernon nearly died saving me, I would never have denigrated myself by being with him for so many years."

I walked out of the hospital in a daze and was suddenly stopped by a familiar voice.

"Vernon, is that you?"

It was one of Rosalie's friends, Harriet Kramer. A flash of astonishment crossed her face as she looked at me.

"When did you get out of prison? What are you doing here at the hospital?"

Though her voice was very soft, it still drew disdainful looks from passersby. However, at this moment, I couldn't care less about any of that.

Just then, my phone rang. Rosalie was calling.

"Vernon, are you out of prison?" she asked in a calm voice.

"Yeah, I'm out," I replied quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me in advance so I could come pick you up? Harriet just said she ran into you at the hospital entrance. What are you doing at the hospital?"

A hint of panic crept into her tone on the other end of the line.

I couldn't help but sneer inwardly. However, instead of exposing her, I simply replied flatly, "I wasn't feeling well."

Even through the phone, I could sense her relief on the other end.

"Then, go home and wait for me first. I'll come back once I'm done."

I felt as if I'd been plunged into an icy abyss.

Once, she would've been beside herself with worry even if I just coughed. Now, she didn't care at all.

I stood at the entrance of the villa. The housekeeper, Gretchen Fuller, was about to shoo me away. She only stopped when she recognized who I was.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Trevino, I didn't recognize you just now. I thought you were a beggar coming to ask for food."

I shook my head bitterly. My appearance had indeed changed a lot over the past three years.

However, just as I was about to enter, Gretchen blocked my way.

"I need to make a call to Mrs. Trevino."

I was baffled. Since when did I need someone else's permission to enter a house I paid for myself?

I ignored her and walked straight in.

She suddenly raised her voice and loudly rebuked me, "I'm just doing my job! Can you please show some respect for my profession?"

I was the one who'd hired Gretchen back then. She found herself unemployed when she became middle-aged, so she was deeply grateful to me.

However, now, like Rosalie, she had a change of heart too.

I swallowed the lump of bitterness in my throat and came to a halt.

It was then that Rosalie and Ralph returned together. Ralph's eyes gleamed with provocation the instant he laid eyes on me.

"You shouldn't blame Gretchen. After all, you just got out of prison."

The fury I'd been holding back erupted all at once. I grabbed him by the collar and roared, "If you hadn't been chasing thrills back then and insisted she bid past her limit at the auction, would she ever have resorted to embezzling company funds?

"And now you've stolen her from me too. What gives you the right?"

Seeing this, Rosalie slapped me hard across the face.

"Vernon, what madness is this? Back then, I was the one who insisted on bidding past my limit for Ralph. It had nothing to do with him!"

A searing pain spread across my face as I stood there, stunned.

Back then, she'd cried pitifully before me, saying she didn't want to go to prison. She also promised that she would cut off all contact with Ralph from then on.

I couldn't bear to see her go to prison, so I took all the blame for her. After throwing away three years of my prime, this was all I got in return.