Inside the women's prison.Claire Wynne slowly reached the door with a big belly.She had been locked up for two days and had eaten nothing because of that man.A piece of bread was kicked near the door and she reached out her red hands to pick up the hard, dirty bread and ate it bit by bit.Suddenly the door opened. "Claire Wynne, you have a visitor," a prison guard said.Without time to think, Claire was roughly dragged and pushed into the visiting room.Behind the door, she finally saw the man she had loved for ten years."How is your mother?" She asked sadly."How dare you ask that!" Jason Bradford suddenly grabbed her by the neck and looked extremely cruel, as if he wanted to kill her. "Because of you, my mother will never wake up again. It's okay that you tricked me into sleeping with you and kidnapped Alice. I can let all that go. But how dare you hurt my mother when she loves you so much!"Claire could only shake her head. She had loved him since they were in college, but she
"Ah!" Claire woke up from her nightmare.She immediately touched her stomach, but her flat stomach made her sad.There was nothing there because her child had died in the fire.It had been five years since that day, but she repeated the same dream every night. The nightmare where the flames almost took her life.Thick smoke surrounded her and consumed her, her baby was pale and not breathing, and Jason's cold and cruel appearance also appeared.Whatever was in that nightmare had killed her. Although five years had passed, when she thought about it, she could still feel the pain.Suddenly, the phone rang and it was a call from Laura."Damn, the opening ceremony is about to start, why haven't you come yet?" Laura grumbled as soon as Claire answered the phone.She was Laura's personal assistant. Laura had some activities today and Claire had to be at the hotel before the promised time.Claire hurried off and a few minutes later the taxi pulled up right in front of the hotel. Claire got o
In a room where cleaning supplies like brooms and others were kept, Claire cowered in the corner and hid, shaking. "I really want to kill you." "It's better that you die here." "I told you not to get pregnant! This child doesn't deserve to be born." The truly painful and cruel words spoken by Jason came back to her mind and made Claire cry with a broken heart as she lowered her face to her knees. From the beginning of their marriage, she did everything to please Jason because she loved him, but all she got from Jason was humiliation, coldness, and disgust. Even after they were married, Chloe, Jason's ex-girlfriend, continued to lie and provoke him, and Jason still chose to believe Chloe. He never believed Claire. It hurts, but Claire holds on, hoping that one day Jason will love her. In recent years, after surviving death in a prison fire, Claire believes that Laura was still unpopular and attracted little media attention. So it was impossible for her to meet Jason i
"Who are you?" Claire took a step back and looked at the man blocking her with annoyance. "Miss. Chloe, Mr. Bradford would like to see you, please come with me." He was Jason's man. "Mr. Bradford? The owner of DA Group? But I'm in a hurry, he doesn't know me anyway." Claire pretended not to recognize him and turned to leave, but several men in black suits immediately surrounded her. Claire suddenly turned pale. "What do you want?" She snapped. "Mr. Bradford wants to see you, don't be afraid." "But what for? I don't know him." Claire began to shake, "Step aside, I have to go." "Come with us to meet him and we'll see if you know him or not." Paul came and motioned for the guards to take her. Claire immediately panicked, "Let me go, why are you being so pushy? I don't want to see him, I don't want to. Let me go... Help, help..." She didn't want to look at Jason because she hated him so much. * * * At the Bradford house. Just as Jason arrived home, the butler ent
"Are you disappointed that I'm still alive, Jason?" Claire raised her chin in a challenging manner to Jason.Jason didn't react immediately, then he shouted angrily, "Of course, everyone thought you were dead, even me..." He paused for a moment, not continuing, then said, "But you lived happier than anyone in the last few years?"Claire felt a sense of irony, her broken body wouldn't be able to work one day, but Jason thought she was living a good life?It was only natural that a person who was blind 5 years ago was still blind until now."Claire!" The man was angry and resentful, exploding at the thought of his last five years. The fact that she was still alive upset him greatly. "Tell me honestly, what happened during the fire five years ago? And Alice, where did you hide her?"All he cared about was Alice, right?Claire looked at him stubbornly, "Her disappearance has nothing to do with me.""Impossible!"Hearing that, Claire gave him a cynical smile instead. Of course he didn't be
"Kill me if you dare!" Claire was still screaming. She hated the feeling of being locked up like in prison, it only made her feel suffocated and hopeless. Jason returned, opened the door and looked at her coldly, then suddenly stood up and looked at her injured ankle while taking out a box of medicine. Realizing what he was about to do, Claire forced herself to taunt him, "Stop being a hypocrite." "Claire Bradford!" Jason said her full name through clenched teeth. The veins in his forehead turned blue. Claire looked at him ironically, "Wynne!" She corrected. "I'm not going to use your name as my last name because you're not my husband anymore," she said. "Why are you doing this? Are you afraid I'll die of pain and you won't get a chance to hurt me, right?" "OK! All right!" Jason nodded as he laughed at her and threw the box at her, "You want to die, right? Then die!" The door closed again and Claire looked at the mess on the floor, then she felt the irony and anger again. I
Calvin looked at Claire, stunned. This woman looked like the woman in the photo Jason had put in his diary, and Calvin had seen that photo.'Could she be my mother?' Calvin thought. He was excited by the thought and immediately ran towards Claire.Claire looked at him in surprise and she unconsciously stepped back. She refused to be approached. "Who are you? Why are you here?" She had no idea where this little boy came from or how they ended up in Jason's house."Madam, do you know my mother? Where is she?" Calvin asked eagerly.Claire was silent for a moment, not understanding his question. "I don't know your mother or father. But why are you here? Who brought you here?" Calvin was a bit disappointed.Kimberly replied, "This is our home," she said, "and... why did my father imprison you here?"Claire was too surprised to hear her answer.Father? Their father was Jason? Jason had kids that age? Even two?She held back her shock and asked in a trembling voice just to be sure: "Your fa
"Jason, calm down, Claire won't hurt Calvin and he won't be able to escape. Trust me," Mandy said, trying to calm her cousin. Jason frowned at her, "What do you mean?" Mandy replied, "Laura told me she has a special contract with Claire." "Special contract?" "Yes, she is her assistant." Jason already knew that, but now he looked at her and waited for her to continue. "If Laura fires her first, she will have to pay a large fine, and if Claire resigns, she will have to pay Laura a large sum as well. Because of this contract, Claire will eventually return to Laura to continue her work as her assistant, and you can easily find her." "Who could make such a strange contract, are these two people related?" As an actress, it was a bit strange that Luara would ask a lawyer to draw up such a contract. Mandy shook her head, "I don't know who did it, I asked Laura once, but she couldn't explain it. She just said that her boss asked her to sign it." "Her boss?" Jason muttered
“Mandy was curious about the wound on your head, so I told her about it,” Claire said. Seeing Jason’s slightly pained expression, she gave him a bright smile. “So? Should I explain it in more detail?”Jason’s voice turned hoarse. “You know… if you say something, you better be ready to take responsibility.”Claire looked into his eyes, a bit panicked, but she just turned her face away without saying anything.They left after that. Jason sat in the front seat next to Paul, who was driving, while Claire and Mandy sat in the back.The villa where Grandma lived was surrounded by mountains and a river. When they arrived, Claire breathed in the fresh mountain air.She thought it would be nice to stay here for the rest of her life. But was that even possible? And more importantly, would she have enough time to prove her innocence?While Claire was cooking in the kitchen, she also made herself some tea and felt at peace. That is, until she heard footsteps behind her.It was Mandy. She walked i
That afternoon, Theo came by again and handed Claire two boxes of medicine.After taking the meds, Claire walked out to the backyard and ran into Jason. She didn’t even look at him, as if he wasn’t there. But Jason grabbed her wrist and looked at Theo."What did you give her?"Before Theo could answer, Claire said coldly, "Just some vitamins." Then she pulled her hand away and walked off without looking back."You came all the way here just to give her vitamins?" Jason asked Theo again.Theo chuckled. "Not really. She said she wasn’t feeling well and asked me to bring some. But I also came to report on Grandma’s health," he lied.---Back in her room, Claire looked at the medicine and found a note: (You need to take both types of medicine together. Only once a day, or skip it if you’re not feeling any symptoms.)Seeing the note, Claire smiled. Theo really was a good guy.The medicine worked. Her pain eased within an hour. Since Jason had left with Theo, she reached out to Paul.When P
Jason pulled Claire into his office. He grabbed her collar and cornered her.“What did Gabriel give you? Or is he just that good in bed that you're this loyal to him and willing to admit to everything just to protect him? Tell me!”Claire let out a mocking laugh.“I already told you he’s not the one who did it. Why are you so set on ruining someone who’s done absolutely nothing to you?”“Then why are you protecting him like this, without caring about your reputation, my reputation, or even DA Group?” Jason gritted his teeth like she had betrayed him.Seeing how furious he was, Claire just laughed harder, even to the point of tears.“Why would this ruin your reputation? I admitted he’s just Chloe’s assistant and servant. Chloe’s not your wife. This shouldn't affect your image at all,” she said. “But fine, no matter what I do, I’m always wrong in your eyes. If I admit it, I’m wrong. If I don’t, I’m still wrong. You’re right, I’m still cruel. I’m sorry—will that be enough?”“Claire!” Jas
"Guess what I'm gonna do at the press conference?" Jason said, a sly edge to his voice.Claire turned to him, brows furrowed. "What?"Jason pressed his lips together, then said each word slow and cold, "Gabriel’s taking the fall for this. No matter what."Claire stiffened. "What are you talking about?""He's the reason this mess started," Jason snapped. "He used my wife's name to stir things up. You think I'm just gonna let that slide?""It’s not clear yet who's really behind it," Claire argued, her voice sharp. "You can’t just accuse people without proof."Jason’s hands curled into fists. "I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, he’s guilty.""Jason ...""Get out."Claire glared at him, hurt flashing in her eyes, but she spun around and walked out without another word.Behind her, glass shattered against the wall. She paused for half a second, heart racing... but didn’t look back.Jason had lost it. Completely. No matter how much she did for him, it was never enough.What else did he
"What’s your plan for the press conference later, sir?" Paul asked.Jason frowned and stayed quiet for a moment. "I’m going to tell everyone that Chloe is my wife. Claire has been using Chloe’s name.""You can’t do that," Mandy cut in. "Your rivals have been waiting for a chance to drag your name — and the company — through the mud. If you admit she’s your wife, they’ll jump at the chance to call her a cheater with Gabriel."Paul didn’t agree either, but he stayed silent.Jason let out a low grunt. "I want to make Claire’s identity clear so nobody dares to spread baseless rumors anymore.""Even if the press holds back, people will still gossip," Mandy said sharply. "You should say that Chloe did this for Gabriel, that she was just lying — pretending to be Claire because they look alike. Besides, you already told everyone she was just a maid. If you suddenly claim she’s your wife, it’ll sound like you’re contradicting yourself. The media will tear you — and DA Group — apart.""Stay out
Jason immediately signaled his servant not to make a sound, but Claire woke up anyway. She sat up half-conscious and didn't notice that Jason was holding her hand. She asked Jason curiously, "What's wrong?" Jason pulled his hand away from Claire and looked away, "Nothing." Claire looked at her own hand, then at Jason's cold expression, then stood up, "Hey, listen, it's not me holding your hand, it's you. You think of me as Alice again." Jason was not satisfied with her explanation. He snorted, but didn't speak, and Claire didn't want to explain any more. Looking toward the door, Claire noticed that the waiter had just put breakfast on the coffee table, and she suddenly felt very hungry and wanted breakfast. "I'll change the bandage after breakfast," she said, then took Jason's breakfast and put it on the nightstand while she ate it on the coffee table. Jason looked at the breakfast, which was the same every day, and thought about the pasta Claire had made for Theo yesterda
"Where are the maids at home? Why did you make the noodles?"Claire scoffed. "I didn't bother calling the maid, it was easy anyway."Jason narrowed his eyes. "You can't seduce Theo, he already has a girlfriend and he won't love you."Claire laughed affectionately, and her hands gripped the newspaper as tightly as if she were squeezing the neck of the man in front of her.Why did he think she was seducing Theo? It was just a plate of pasta.Thinking that her priority now was to treat her wound, Claire didn't want to engage him, but to Jason, her silence seemed like consent.Jason's tone became worse, "You should listen to my advice, he loves someone and he would do anything for this woman, then you won't be able to get close to him. So you better give up."Claire was silent, holding back her anger, but all she could do was roll her eyes uncontrollably while maintaining her silence.Sometimes this man's imagination really was as big as the universe.Claire threw down the newspaper and w
Jason unconsciously raised his hand to touch Claire's head, but he suddenly realized that Theo was standing at the door, and the man was so startled that he reflexively pushed Claire's head away from him.Claire, who had been concentrating on applying the medicine, fell to the bed in a daze. "What the hell?" she asked irritably, holding her head as she tried to get up."Looks like I came at a bad time." Theo, who was standing in the doorway, saw the incident and couldn't help but laugh."At least close the door!" Jason said to Claire. He really didn't notice that the door to his room was not closed. "And you, couldn't you have knocked before coming in?" he said to Theo.Theo came in with medical equipment: "The door was open, so I didn't have to knock."Jason looked at him angrily. "Who told you to come? I didn't call you today.""She told me to come." Theo pointed at Claire. "She called me last night and said you had a high fever. But I couldn't come last night, so I came today."Cla
Calvin came out of his room, probably because he heard Claire's scream, while the others knew they could not interfere."Dad?" Calvin greeted his father. "What happened? Why is Aunt Claire screaming?""I had a quarrel with her," Jason answered honestly. "You don't want her to leave, do you? So don't try to help her out of the room this time!"Calvin hesitated for a moment before nodding."Good. Go back to your room," his father ordered, and Calvin went back to his room without saying anything more.Claire's screams could no longer be heard as she collapsed exhausted on the floor next to the bed. She hugged herself as she shivered and cried. She looked around. What if there was another fire? What if she couldn't get out of here while the fire consumed the entire building?Just then, someone opened the door and walked in. It was Jason.Claire ran to him immediately. "Jason, please... don't lock me in. Don't keep the door locked. I promise... I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhe