Chapter 2

"Mr. Zane, please repeat yourself. Where were you when the accident happened?"

I sat in the interrogation room, my hands cuffed together. I rubbed my temples hard when I heard that.

"I already told you! I was in the basement of my villa watching a movie! I never drove that car!

"But there's no surveillance camera in the basement. Who can prove you weren't driving it?"

Sitting through the police questioning, I let out a deep sigh, overwhelmed with regret. If I had known this would happen, I never would have let Vanessa bring that so-called godbrother into our lives.

Vanessa and I met in college. Back then, she was a naive girl from the mountains who could not even afford her tuition. I could not bear to see her struggling, so I helped her. That was when everything began. She was the one who pursued me first.

At first, my parents did not approve of us being together, let alone getting married. They thought our social statuses were too different and our family backgrounds were too unequal. They even suspected Vanessa might have some ulterior motive for getting close to me.

I overcame every obstacle, and in the end, we made it work.

My parents finally had no choice but to let me be.

After seven years of dating and five years of marriage, I thought our life was perfect, but everything shifted the day Vanessa brought Ryan into our lives as her godbrother two years ago.

That day, she told me there were still many students who could not afford college. She wanted to sponsor one.

I thought she simply wanted to pass on the kindness I had once shown her. Therefore, I agreed.

I should have realized something was wrong the moment Ryan first came to our house. He was handsome, sharp-featured, and confident.

I trusted Vanessa too much.

Ryan used his identity as a poor student to worm his way into our lives. By the time I realized something was off, it was already too late.

However, Vanessa had always been careful. I had my suspicions, but there was never any concrete evidence of an affair. I loved her so deeply that I could not bring myself to act on my suspicions each time.

Deep down, I still believed she would not betray me.

However, love could change in the blink of an eye.

I never expected Vanessa to ask me to take the fall for Ryan, so openly favoring and protecting him. I let out a long, bitter sigh at the thought of this.

"Mr. Zane? Please describe the incident again."

I came back to my senses and told the story once more.

I had already repeated it countless times. The police kept rearranging the order of events, asking again and again. It was their way of doing things. Even though I was exhausted and humiliated, I cooperated.

However, the truth meant nothing without evidence. Left with no choice, I called my father.

I had not called him in years since moving out after my marriage. He clearly already knew what happened. The moment he answered, he started yelling at me.

"Oh, now you remember you have a father?! Where was that brain of yours before?! Didn't I tell you Vanessa wasn't right for you?! You should've married someone from a family like ours! Look at yourself now! I have to clean up your mess!"

"Yes, you're right, Dad. I was wrong."

I kept apologizing quietly. After venting his anger, my dad took a deep breath and spoke plainly and directly regarding my current situation at the police station.

"The lawyer I hired is on the way."

Not long after I hung up, I was released.

"Mr. Zane, you may go home for now. But do not leave the city."

The officer who escorted me out was wearing a look of contempt and helplessness, clearly displeased at dealing with a spoiled rich kid like me. It was not just the lawyer. My father must have pulled some strings, or I would have been stuck at the station for the next few days.

He was harsh, but he would never abandon me.

Under the officers' watchful eyes, I gathered my belongings and walked out of the station.

The moment I stepped outside, a rotten egg slammed into my face. The stench hit me instantly, accompanied by a string of angry shouts.

"You dare to show your face out here?! Have you no shame?! Do you think being rich makes you untouchable?!"