Chapter 2

When Antonia stepped out of the law firm, a fierce wind was raging outside.

Heavy raindrops came pelting down. Standing by the curb, Antonia could not help shivering.

Ian called. His taunting voice was full of cruel amusement. “Enjoying helping yourself to my family’s fortune?”

Antonia was silent for several seconds before asking hoarsely, “What do you want?”

“What do I want?” Ian scoffed. “Antonia, you really never change. Since you’ve taken my money, get home and clear your things out of the master bedroom. Nicole is staying with me tonight.”

Even though Antonia had decided to divorce him, her heart still clenched painfully. Tears stung her eyes.

It took her a moment to suppress the bitterness before she answered quietly, “All right.”

Yet her compliance did not satisfy Ian. Instead, it only fueled his anger.

His voice turned cold and vicious. “Fine. Very well, Antonia. I suppose money really can buy anything, even what little dignity you have left!”

With that, he hung up.

Rain poured down in sheets.

Antonia stood numbly in the rain, unable to collect herself.

That was until a concerned passerby touched her arm and asked, “Miss, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Only then did she emerge from her daze.

A sharp pain shot through her palm.

She had been gripping her phone so tightly that its metal edge had broken the skin, leaving her palm bruised and bloody.

It turned out her heart was not as numb as she had thought.

By the time Antonia arrived home, she was soaked to the skin. She wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower before clearing her things out of the master bedroom.

When she placed her finger on the smart lock, a warning flashed across the screen.

[ACCESS DENIED]

Antonia froze.

It took her a long moment to realize that her access had been revoked.

She lowered her eyes with a bitter smile, then rang the doorbell. No one answered.

She rang the doorbell more than a dozen times, but there was still no response.

Just like that, wearing nothing but a short-sleeved T-shirt, Antonia spent two full hours huddled beside the door as the storm raged around her.

She was shivering uncontrollably, yet her fever continued to climb, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

Finally, the front door swung open from the inside.

The butler stepped out. His expression was cold and entirely unsympathetic as he looked at her.

“Mrs. Hoffman, you may come in now. Mr. Hoffman said that since you’ve taken the Hoffman family’s money, you’re expected to follow its rules.

“These two hours were merely a warning. He hopes you will know your place from now on.”

Antonia’s face was deathly pale.

Her mind was too foggy to think clearly.

She finally understood one thing. Ian had deliberately left her outside to freeze.

A bleak, bitter smile crossed her face. She struggled to her feet and stumbled silently inside.

She showered and changed, barely aware of what she was doing.

Then, running on sheer willpower, she finished clearing her belongings out of the master bedroom.

She walked toward the guest bedroom, but she did not make it very far before collapsing onto the floor and losing consciousness.

Lost in a haze, Antonia felt as though she were burning alive one moment and being plunged into the icy depths of a frozen ocean the next.

She felt as though she were suffocating, but no matter how desperately she tried, she could not wake up.

Then, a powerful hand seized her by the hair, hauled her off the floor, and slapped her twice.

Nicole’s scream echoed through the house. Half-dressed, she clutched her clothes over her chest. Behind her, discarded clothing lay strewn from the hallway all the way into the bedroom.

Ian was livid. “Why are you lying on the floor of the master bedroom? Did you do this on purpose to humiliate Nicole?”

Antonia was finally fully awake. At last, she realized what had happened.

She must have passed out before making it back to the guest room.

Meanwhile, Ian and Nicole had been so impatient that they had started tearing each other’s clothes off in the hallway and continued all the way into the bedroom.

Nicole’s face flushed crimson. Tears welled in her eyes. “Ian, she did this on purpose! If anyone finds out about this, how am I ever supposed to show my face again?”

With that, she burst into tears and turned to run out, only to stumble and nearly fall.

Ian’s expression darkened. He immediately stepped forward and caught her securely in his arms, then turned and roared at Antonia, “Get out!”

Nicole fought desperately, screaming and thrashing.

She grabbed whatever she could reach and hurled it wildly. A crystal vase struck Antonia squarely in the forehead.

The vase shattered against her head with a crash. Warm blood streamed down her cheek.

Already dizzy and disoriented, Antonia nearly collapsed from the blinding pain.

She raised her hand in a daze to the wound on her forehead. Her skin was burning.

She finally realized she was having a fever.

Antonia remembered how Ian used to worry whenever she ran a high fever. Desperate to cool her down, he had once stood inside a walk-in freezer until his body was chilled, then returned and held her tightly in his arms.

“Antonia, seeing you sick hurts more than anything. If I could, I would take all your suffering from you.”

However, those tender moments had long since faded away.

All that remained was the pain they inflicted on each other, growing worse by the day with no end in sight.

Ian’s expression stiffened when he saw how weak she looked.

His hands clenched involuntarily.

He was about to go to her when Nicole said tearfully, “Ian, just let me go! Even when you made her stay and watch before, she at least kept her head down.

“Now she’s staring right at me just to humiliate me, to remind me that this is her bedroom and I don’t belong here!”

Ian swept Nicole into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t be mad. I’ll make her pay for this. Come on, sit down on the bed and leave the rest to me.”

With that, he shoved Antonia aside and carried Nicole toward the bed.

Antonia stumbled back. Her lower back slammed against the corner of a cabinet. Pain tore through her body as she crumpled to the floor.

She looked so miserable that it was as if she were the shameless mistress who had intruded on someone else’s marriage.

She gave a bitter, self-mocking smile. She fought through the pain and struggled to her feet.

In a calm voice, she said, “I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m just not feeling well.”

“Not feeling well?” Ian cut her off. His face was dark with fury. “Is that really the best excuse you could come up with?

“Now that you’ve gotten your money, you can’t even be bothered to put on a convincing act, can you? You’re as disgusting as ever.”

Antonia stood frozen.

There was no way to explain herself.

Her silence only made Ian angrier. “Nothing to say? Fine. If you won’t pay for what you’ve done, your father will. Somebody! Call the care facility and tell them to give dear Mr. Wood some special attention.”