Chapter 5

Joanna was placed under house arrest in the villa.

It was the home Theo had prepared for their future together. Everything in it—from the renovations down to the smallest decorations—had been picked out by her.

She once thought this would be her safe place. She never imagined it would turn into a cage.

After returning to the room, she pulled out her phone and started typing a message to her mother, briefly explaining what had happened to her.

At the end, she added, [Please help me fake my death.]

Since she'd mentioned she couldn't talk on the phone, a reply came quickly. [Okay, sweetheart. I'm so sorry you're going through this.

[Give it two weeks, tops. I'll take care of everything and come get you.]

As Joanna read that, her eyes welled up with tears.

In her previous life, when she was locked away in a villa near the monastery, she had tried to reach out to her parents, but Theo had taken her phone away.

This time, she was going to ask for help before he had the chance to react.

She replied with a simple "Okay" before deleting the entire conversation.

Over the next few days, the staff at the villa kept a close eye on her. She wasn't allowed to leave, and her phone had been taken the night of the wedding.

Still, she had faith in her parents. She wasn't worried.

Then one day, she heard yelling downstairs. When she went to look, she saw Sharon had shown up.

Sharon was lounging on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other. When she saw Joanna, she gave a nasty smile and asked, "So, how's life in your pretty little cage, playing the side chick?"

Joanna's face turned cold. "Don't forget—you're the one who broke up someone else's marriage."

Sharon laughed and raised her hand, showing off the huge diamond ring on her finger. "But guess what? I'm officially Mrs. Brook now."

As soon as she said that, she tossed her phone at Joanna.

Joanna picked it up, and the second she looked at the trending news, she froze. In the past few days, the Brooks and Coopers had publicly announced their marriage.

There was even footage of Theo holding Sharon close in front of everyone, smiling and promising to love her for the rest of his life.

Their wedding had been broadcast, and right along with it was footage of Joanna being slapped.

Some so-called "insiders" claimed Joanna was Theo's clingy ex who tried to crash the wedding and got beaten up by the bride.

Others said Joanna had always known she was the third wheel. They said that even though she knew Theo would never marry her, she still shamelessly threw herself at him.

The comment section was filled with insults against Joanna. The words were so disgusting that they made her whole body tremble.

Sharon sat there proudly, watching Joanna's spirit fall apart. Then she added with a smug tone, "You know what? Your classmates actually wanted to speak up for you, since they knew the truth.

"But Theo was worried that if they cleared your name, people might come after me. So he paid everyone off and wiped the internet clean of anything showing the two of you together.

"He said you're just an orphan, so it doesn't matter if people talk trash about you. But I'm different—I'm the Coopers' daughter. My reputation has to stay spotless.

"And most importantly, he didn't want me to be upset. He said when he saw me standing on the rooftop that day, his heart almost stopped.

"He told me he used to be confused about what he really wanted, that he'd chosen the wrong person before, but from now on, he'd love me with everything he's got."

She paused, then looked Joanna up and down like she was inspecting a cheap knockoff.

Crossing her arms, she scoffed. "You've been with him this long. If you behave, he might just keep you in this pretty cage like a pampered pet. And honestly? I bet you'd be fine with that."