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“Do you still have the nerve to attend my son's wedding? I thought you were in a mental hospital after your divorce from my son,” the woman suddenly blurted out, causing the owner to turn around.

“I accepted my ex-husband's invitation. Is that wrong?” she asked.

The old woman laughed softly with a mocking tone, “Of course it's good, seeing my son finally find a woman who is better than you, Avery.” 

“Look how well they match in their expensive clothes that were specially designed for my beloved daughter-in-law, Olivia,” she said, looking proudly at the bride and groom.

Avery remained silent, not responding to her former mother-in-law's words.

“What's with that face? Are you jealous of what Olivia gets?,” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

She stepped closer with a haughty gaze. “You should care more about this family and give my son a child instead of focusing on your education and your sick brother.

If you had given the Elder family a son first, you wouldn’t have been replaced by someone else,” she pointed sharply at Avery.

“Besides, I'm grateful that my son is free from a lowly woman who can't give my son a child,” the woman continued.

Avery stared at her former mother-in-law with eyes still brimming with tears, “Why would I be jealous of a woman who stole someone else's husband and got pregnant out of wedlock with someone else's husband?”

The woman suddenly splashed the drink in her hand at Avery, soaking the girl's face and the top of her clothes. “Watch your mouth, you barren woman!” she snapped.

All the guests looked at the commotion caused by the two women, including the bride and groom who were now walking towards them. “What's wrong, mother?” asked a man in a white tuxedo, matching the woman beside him whom he embraced affectionately.

The old woman, still looking angry, turned her head. “Look who made me angry, Maxim.” 

Maxim, the man, looked at Avery with surprise at her presence. He didn't think he had sent an invitation to her. “Avery.”

Avery looked alternately at Maxim and the bride, who had been silent all this time. “Congratulations. Congratulations on your marriage and your wife's two-month pregnancy. It seems you prefer women who are easy to get pregnant without the bonds of marriage,” she said, shocking the guests.

No one knew about the pregnancy of the young Mrs. Elder, who was so cherished by the Elder family. Whispers began to circulate among the guests, though softly.

“What? Is that true?”

“I thought Olivia Swan was a respectable woman.”

Olivia, who heard it faintly, felt afraid and grabbed Maxim's hand to hide behind him, a look of fear on her face. Maxim stepped closer to Avery with a fierce gaze. “Shut your mouth, Avery. Don't embarrass someone on their wedding day,” he pleaded. “Tell everyone that it was just a joke, your slander against Olivia,” he retorted.

Avery shook her head, “Why should I cover up a lie?”

Maxim's mother approached and pulled Avery's hair forcefully, "You damn bitch! How dare you ruin my son's sacred wedding moment!“ she yelled, pulling Avery's hair so hard that the girl screamed in pain, trying to free her hair from her former mother-in-law's grip. ”Olivia is a good woman, don't accuse her of being bad, she's not as bad as you. You bitch who betrayed my son with another man and made him infertile!" she retorted.

Avery didn't stay silent. She pulled her former mother-in-law's hair back, “You planned everything, didn't you?!” Avery asked in a loud voice, “You intended to get rid of me with everything that happened to me! I know you did it!” she snapped, pulling her former mother-in-law's hair even harder.

Maxim's mother screamed, “Maxim! Don't just stand there! Help your mother!”

Maxim separated Avery and his mother, making them stop pulling each other's hair. “Enough!” Maxim snapped, his right hand flying to the side of Avery's face, making her turn her head to the side with the sound of a distinctive slap.

A numb and stinging pain took over the reddened side of Avery's face. She held her cheek and stared sharply at Maxim with eyes filled with tears that she could no longer hold back. “Is slapping me your new habit now?” she said softly.

Maxim stared at those tear-filled eyes in shock. “I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you.”

“Why are you apologizing? Your wife is right there. Don't you care about her feelings? Besides, she hurt my mother,” Maxim's mother blurted out.

Avery looked at her former mother-in-law in disbelief. “You started it!” she snapped.

“I came here peacefully today, but you provoked me and spilled your drink on me. You also pulled my hair first,” she said quickly and loudly.

Maxim remained silent in the confusing situation, his feelings for Avery still there. How could he forget the woman he had loved for more than seven years since they fell in love in high school, when she was the woman who had betrayed him with another man and had hurt his mother all this time?

Maxim's mother held her head, “My head hurts, she pulled my hair so hard. Get her out of here now, Maxim,” she began to stagger.  

“Mother,” he held his mother's body to prevent her from falling to the floor.  

“No, I'll leave here myself, but let me tell you the truth, Maxim,” Avery pleaded.

Maxim was so worried about his mother's condition that he ordered his servants to drag Avery away from there, “Get her out of here!”

Several large men appeared and began to drag Avery's thin body out of the place even though Avery continued to resist, “Let me go!” she screamed, “Maxim! Listen to me! You have to listen to me, it was all your mother's fault, not mine!” 

Avery continued to struggle against Maxim's large men, “Maxim! Tell them to let me go! I'll leave on my own, I promise!” she shouted desperately.

“Shut up, woman,” snapped one of the large men.

“Let me go!”

The large man signaled to his friend, and they pushed Avery into a closed black van, leaving Avery confused. “What are you doing?” Avery asked, starting to panic as the car began to move with two people flanking her on either side of her body.

The one driving the car spoke to the one sitting next to him, “The big boss said not to let her return to him and her family again. What should we do with her?” he asked, his eyes focused on the road.

His friend beside him glanced at Avery's reflection in the glass and smiled crookedly, “Just get rid of her or we can use her together. It would be such a waste not to take advantage of her pretty face.”

“You're right,” replied one of the men. 

Hearing this, Avery struggled in the back seat. “Shut up!” snapped the man beside her, landing a hard blow to Avery's head, leaving the girl too weak to resist.

Avery sat still with a resigned look in her eyes. “I hope God will be on my side this time,” she said to herself.

Someone sitting next to the driver noticed something in the rearview mirror. “Hey, do you think those cars have been following us?”

The person next to Avery looked back and saw three black cars following them. “You're right. Speed up.”

The driver stepped on the gas, making the car go faster. “Damn it, what do those people have to do with us?”

A car sped up beside them, causing the driver to lose focus and accelerate even more without noticing a red light intersection they were approaching. “WATCH OUT!” one of the men shouted.

“AGHHH!”

“Akhh!”

The car hit the side of their car, causing it to roll over with severe damage. Avery could still open her heavy eyes and look at the men in the car, who were weak, some even unconscious. The car door was forced open from the outside, and Avery’s body was pulled out by someone. She couldn’t see who it was or even recognize them because her vision was too blurry.

“Still alive?”  

“Yes, sir.”  

“Take care of her.”  

Only the conversation between the two men could Avery hear before she closed her eyes completely. “Who are they?”