Chapter 3

By the time Karina woke up again, it was already the next day. She slowly opened her eyes, the sharp scent of disinfectant filling her nose.

"Ms. Karina, you're finally awake!" Molly, her eyes swollen and red, rushed to the bedside. Her rough hands grasped Karina's cold fingers. "You scared me half to death!"

"H-How did I survive?" Karina asked hoarsely.

Fresh tears welled up in Molly's eyes. "A kind-hearted doctor couldn't bear to see you suffer anymore, so he secretly gave you the antidote. He said if he had been just ten minutes later, you wouldn't have made it."

Her voice grew more choked with emotion as she continued, "I went to beg Mr. Clarence to save you. I told him you really were bitten by a venomous snake, but he insisted you were faking it. Mr. Irving refused to even see me, while Mr. Luther said you brought it on yourself."

Molly wiped away her tears, her voice growing increasingly shaky. "Mr. Shaffer was the worst of all! I knelt and begged him to come see you, but he said you were becoming more and more unreasonable. He even accused me of helping you lie."

She tightened her grasp on Karina's hand, her rough palm emanating waves of warmth. "Ms. Karina, you've been so good to them all.

"Last winter, when Mr. Clarence was entertaining clients until 3:00 am, you stood in the kitchen in just a thin layer of clothes brewing a hangover remedy for him. And you ended up catching a cold because of it.

"When Mr. Irving's company faced a cash flow crisis, you quietly sold the emerald bracket your grandmother left you. And when Mr. Luther was burning with a high fever, you stayed awake for three days without sleep, until you collapsed from exhaustion yourself."

Molly grew more impassioned as she spoke. "And Mr. Shaffer! Even his own mother couldn't remember the brand of ties he liked or the type of coffee he preferred, but you kept every detail in mind.

"Yet now, they're all hovering around Ms. Rowena—the same woman who once left Mr. Shaffer on the altar and bullied you all your life. How is it that she gets all their love now? Why is the world so unfair?"

Karina listened quietly, feeling as though an invisible hand were squeezing her heart. Tears silently slid from the corner of her eyes, dampening the snow-white pillow.

That pain was ten thousand times more excruciating than the venomous snakebite.

But it didn't matter. Soon, all of this would be over.

She would leave for the uninhabited island. There would be no false affection, no games of substitution, and no one to hurt her anymore.

After two days of recuperation in the hospital, Karina returned home. The moment she opened the door, she was greeted with a rush of cheerful birthday songs and laughter.

The living room was filled with elegantly dressed guests. Glasses clinked as people mingled.

Under the crystal chandelier, countless members of high society raised their glasses in celebration.

Nicholas and her three brothers were gathered around Rowena, celebrating her birthday. Dressed in an exquisite gown, Rowena smiled sweetly, showing no trace of someone who was ill.

When the four men saw Karina return, the smiles on their faces instantly vanished.

"Aren't you supposed to be dying?" Clarence eyed her coldly, his gaze behind the gold-rimmed glasses sharp as a blade. "Well, you look perfectly fine to me."

Irving frowned, the wine glass in his hand reflecting a cold light. "Rowena doesn't have much time left, so can't you be more considerate?"

"Can't you stop lying so much from now on?" Luther asked impatiently, fiddling with his wristwatch.

Nicholas walked over, his voice gentle yet firm. "Rowena's days are numbered, so you'd better not pick fights with her anymore."

He paused before adding, "I know you're bothered by my past with Rowena, but you're my wife now."

Karina felt a sharp twist of pain in her chest.

Wife? All these years, she was the one who had stayed by his side and helped him through his lowest moments. She had allowed him to demand everything from her and had given herself to him without reservation.

Yet, the moment Rowena returned, it was she who ended up marrying him!

Nicholas actually had the nerve to deceive Karina so brazenly and to say with a straight face that she was his wife.

Her eyes gradually reddened, yet the corners of her mouth lifted into a smile, one that ached deep in her heart.

It was the first time Nicholas had seen her like this. A sudden, inexplicable unease tightened in his chest. He was about to speak when Rowena's voice floated from behind him.

"Nicholas, Clarence, Irving, Luther," she said sweetly. "Let's cut the cake together!"

The large screen in the living room lit up and began playing a birthday tribute video.

At first, it showed warm, touching messages from the guests. Then, the images suddenly switched to explicit, intimate photos of Rowena and Dwayne.

The video froze on a final line, written in glaring, blood-red letters.

"This birthday gift was prepared specially for you. I hope you like it, Rowena."

The entire villa erupted into chaos in an instant.

"Turn it off! Turn it off now!" Clarence roared in rage, his voice shaking the crystal chandelier.

Irving yanked out the power cord, while Luther rushed over to the guests, warning them, "Everyone, hand over your phones for inspection. Anyone who dares to spread this will face the consequences."

Rowena trembled violently, her carefully styled hair coming undone. Her face was deathly pale, tears falling in large drops.

"Karina, you've already taken Nicholas from me and stolen the love of our brothers. Now that I'm dying, must you treat me like this?"

She staggered back two steps, then suddenly her eyes rolled back and she fell straight to the floor.

"Rowena!" Nicholas rushed forward in a single stride, scooping her up into his arms.

For the first time, his usually cool and composed face showed genuine panic. "Call a doctor now!"

Before leaving, he turned and gave Karina an icy glare that sent a sharp pain through her entire body.

Her three brothers instantly closed in around her.

"Karina!" Clarence grabbed her wrist, his grip so tight it felt like he might crush her bones. "Look at what you've done to Rowena! We told you she doesn't have much time left, so why do you keep targeting her?"

"It wasn't me!" Karina exclaimed in a trembling voice, shaking her head desperately. "I didn't release those photos."

"The proof is right in front of us, yet you still dare to deny it?" Irving sneered coldly. "In this family, when you make a mistake, you pay for it."

She'd be punished for doing something wrong?

The words struck her with a deep, wrenching pain.

Karina remembered how at 12 years old, Rowena had pushed her down the stairs, and her three older brothers had only said, "Rowena didn't mean to do that."

She remembered how on her 18th birthday, Rowena had thrown her cake into the trash, and they'd said, "She's just playing around."

She remembered that winter when Rowena had locked her out on the balcony all night, and their excuse was, "Rowena hasn't been in a good mood lately."

Yet now, they wanted to punish her?