Chapter 3

Instantly, my hair stood on end, shock coursing through me.

The recording date was the same day my mother got into an accident.

Sydney was the culprit, and my husband was her accomplice.

I turned around unsteadily and found Cody standing right behind me.

"Are you investigating me?" His brows were deeply furrowed, his expression complex but devoid of guilt.

"So it's true?"

How I wished he would tell me that the audio was fake!

Cody avoided my eyes and remained silent.

The last bit of hope in my heart shattered.

As I was about to lose control, he suddenly hugged me, his soft voice uttering the cruelest words,

"Jenny, let bygones be bygones. Your mother is still alive. Sydney has a bright future ahead of her."

I stared at him in shock, feeling like a fish bone was stuck in my throat.

On that stormy night, I rushed to the scene of the accident and tried to charge past the barricades barefoot, but Cody restrained me in his arms.

He soothed me in a trembling voice, "Jenny, I'm here. It's okay. I'll catch the hit-and-run driver, I won't let him get away."

At the time, I was still holding a broken wine bottle. I swung it around in a frenzy, but all blows landed on him.

The rain washed away the blood, and he kept saying, "It's okay, it's okay…"

I naively thought Cody had brought the murderer to justice.

But his way of handling it was to buy Sydney a ticket abroad to hide and wait for the incident to cool off.

My blood ran cold, and I couldn't find my voice.

Just then, Sydney burst in, teary-eyed.

"Jenny, please stop using that audio clip to threaten me. I'm really scared of losing my job…"

As she spoke, she conspicuously showed her arms, eliciting gasps from onlookers.

Her arms were bruised and marked with knife wounds.

Cody's gaze betrayed his heartache, and when he looked at me, his eyes were filled with disappointment.

"Jenny, is this how you abuse Sydney behind my back? How could you?"

Those clumsy scars were nothing compared to my mother's life. They were nothing compared to three years of betrayal.

I laughed maniacally, not even bothering to explain.

"You're upset? Then let's divorce."

I handed him the divorce papers my senior sent me.

A hush fell over the crowd when they saw the words on the papers.

Cody glared at me, his eyes red with anger.

"Fine! If you want a divorce, I'll grant you your wish! I'll give you three days to regret it!"

He signed the papers with a flourish, shooting me an angry glare before walking away with Sydney in his arms.

Whispers of mockery came from behind me.

They were betting on when I would crawl back to Cody.

That night, Cody didn't return home. He went to various banquets with Sydney, helping her network with people in the industry.

He did the exact same thing when he made me famous years ago.

Cody had already booked the June Bacon-Bercey Award for Sydney, a newcomer who had only done one trial broadcast.

By doing so, he effortlessly embarrassed me.

He wanted me to know that without his backing, I was nothing.

While the TV was broadcasting Sydney's segment, I calmly packed my bags.

The next morning, a sudden call from the hospital jolted me awake:

"Is this Ms. Jenny Harper? Your mother… has gone missing."