Chapter 2

Carlson looked at me closely. “You’ve changed a lot over the years.

“You couldn’t even lift any heavy stuff back then, but you can carry half a pig now!”

Everyone laughed.

I felt nothing when I heard his bitter words.

Ever since Poppy had died, all I felt was numb.

“Where’s the back kitchen?” I asked in a hoarse voice.

Carlson pointed in a direction.

I was about to walk over when I bumped into Bella.

“Pete, why are you here?”

Carlson wrapped his arm around Bella possessively. “Bella, have you forgotten that today is our wedding anniversary?

“I called a butcher to bring us some ingredients. I didn’t expect the butcher to be Professor Taylor! What a coincidence!”

I lowered my head slightly. My fingernails, which were covered in bits of minced meat and fats, dug into my palm.

Back then, after I left jail, I still focused on my research on cancer medicine. After all, it was something that could save millions of lives.

However, the clinical trials ran into problems. The patients’ conditions worsened after the medicine.

I was overwhelmed by the whispers and accusations around me. People called me a monster and wanted me to pay with my life.

My family was affected. Under pressure, Bella chose to end her life by ingesting sleeping pills.

I suffered from losing my wife while I searched for evidence to prove my innocence.

However, someone had deliberately deleted all my data.

A week later, Carlson received an award after stealing my life’s work.

Now that I saw Carlson and Bella hugging each other, I understood everything.

Not only did Bella fool around with her assistant, but she had also stolen my data.

I suffered immense guilt for a long time.

I thought I had hurt her. In the end, it seemed they had been toying with me.

I was enraged.

I could not help but ask, “Why did you betray me?”

Twenty years ago, when my mother was flipping through the list of students needing a sponsor, I saw Bella’s profile.

She was extremely skinny, but her eyes were bright.

I begged my mother for days before she agreed to sponsor Bella.

Bella worked really hard to prove herself. She spent ten years studying hard to get into a university in my city.

On the first day of university, my mother brought her home with her. She was in an ill-fitting male shirt.

She hung her head timidly and bowed to us.

“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, for your sponsorship. I’ll definitely study hard to repay you.”

Her voice was soft but determined.

We got into the same university.

Bella grew even more beautiful.

Under the blossom tree, she smiled at me in her white dress and said, “Pete, I like you.”

I stood dumbfoundedly as my heart raced.

That day, we became a couple.

After we graduated from university, she applied for an internship at my father’s company, and I focused on my cancer research.

She told me to focus on my work. She said she would work to earn funds for my research.

Within a year, she had doubled the company’s revenue.

On the day we got married, she passed my parents a prenup.

“Mr. Taylor, thank you for your sponsorship and mentorship.

“Pete and I truly love each other. I’m willing to work for the Taylor family forever without taking a single cent.”

She had declared that with such conviction that it moved my parents.

My parents helped her set up a new company and even funded it for a while.

On the day her company got listed, Bella rented out the highest floor of the tallest building in the city. We held a grand wedding that was widely reported in the news.

“I finally managed to catch up to you.”

We kissed on the tallest building and welcomed our new married life.

After that, I spent most of my time on my research.

After my research passed the first round of clinical trials, I was stoked to share the good news with her.

But then, I saw her sleeping with her assistant.