When I woke up, it was already noon. The housekeeper had called me several times with no response.
I opened my phone to find a flood of messages and missed calls.
Especially from Vanessa, saying:
“Answer the phone quickly!”
“Your ex–husband was caught by your young boyfriend and beaten black and blue. Aren’t you going to do something?”
I frowned and called Ethan.
“What have you done?”
His tone was normal on the other end:
“Big sis, I found evidence about my mother’s death. I confronted Jack Sullivan, but he spoke rudely and insulted you. I couldn’t control my fists
and ended up beating him.”
“We’re at the police station now.”
I felt helpless. I got up, packed some things, and rushed to the police station.
As soon as I entered, I saw Jack Sullivan with his head wrapped in gauze, his eyes surrounded by bruises, swollen like a panda.
Turning to look at Ethan, he grinned at me smugly.
“You little rascal, you’ve really done it this time.”
Realizing I had said the wrong thing, I quickly covered my mouth.
Jack Sullivan looked utterly dejected, hanging his head and deliberately avoiding my gaze.
After signing some papers, I prepared to leave with Ethan.
“Mia Coleman, come out for a moment. I have something to say to you.”
Jack Sullivan pulled me outside.
His eyes were gloomy, having lost his former patience:
“Are you trying to push me to the brink?”
D
8:31 AM M
<
“Cutting off my funds, blacklisting me in the industry, ruining Sophia – it was all you, wasn’t it?”
I laughed coldly: “Well, you’re not dead yet, are you?”
“Mia Coleman, why are you doing this after all our years together?”
“I thought you were the kind of woman who could let go, but who knew you’d be so vindictive, working against me behind my back and even having Ethan investigate me privately.”
I went up and slapped him, making him stagger.
He held his face, wincing in pain.
“Mia Coleman, you actually hit me!”
“You’re nothing but a stray dog I picked up back then. Why shouldn’t I hit you?”
“Let me tell you, your current situation is entirely of your own making.”
With that, I left with Ethan in tow.
24
The next day, Sophia Williams couldn’t sit still anymore.
She intercepted me at my front door, her belly swollen with pregnancy.
I looked her up and down. She was covered in luxury brands, with a necklace worth tens of thousands around her neck.
I had no desire to trouble a pregnant woman, but she blocked my way.
“Miss Coleman, if you can’t keep Jack, please don’t appear in front of him again.”
I feigned composure and nodded in agreement:
“Alright.”
In my mind, I was thinking about Ethan saying he wanted to take me to a mysterious place today.
I placated her, not wanting to engage in too much conversation. If she pretended to fall and accused me, it would be troublesome.
But Sophia Williams became more and more animated as she spoke.
“All I had to do was crook my finger, and Jack came back to me. What about you? You were by his side for five years and couldn’t win his heart. What good are you?”
“Mia Coleman, I’m so much better than you. What use is your money if you can’t keep a man’s heart? You’re useless.”
“I lied to Jack, saying the child was his, and he was so happy he couldn’t sleep all night. He cried until his eyes were swollen, holding the prenatal check–up report.”
“Let me tell you the truth. That love letter you wrote to Jack years ago? I put my name on it. He was moved to tears.”
“If he had known it was from you, he probably would have thrown it away immediately!”
I held my bag, casually looking at the egrets on the lake across the way.
“Why don’t we sit in the cafe across the street to talk? I don’t want people to say I’m mistreating a pregnant woman.”
We sat down in the lakeside cafe, one after the other.
Out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly noticed a figure in the corner, and I couldn’t help but smile slightly.
<
“Go on, say everything you want to say.”
“Well, let me tell you then. When Jack and I broke up our secret relationship back then, it was because I said I wanted to study abroad. He transferred all the money he had to me, saying he wanted to support my dream. But then I heard rumors that his family was on the verge of bankruptcy. Yet after all these years, he doesn’t seem to mind that I left without a word back then.”
“But I should thank you for facilitating our reunion. If you hadn’t let him go, we wouldn’t be together again. He’s given me a comfortable life…”
I smiled, looking at her thoughtfully.
25
“Cherish your current life. Before long, all those fancy things you’re wearing might change hands.”
She should thank me indeed. Jack Sullivan was using my money to provide her with a luxurious lifestyle.
How ridiculous. As a businesswoman, how could I let myself be taken advantage of?
Not long after, news came that Jack Sullivan was burdened with tens of millions in debt.
