Chapter 3

I packed my things to go home when a coworker texted me.

[Anna, why are there bad reviews about you all over the Uber platform?]

[The company fired you and locked your car.]

I felt nothing inside.

I didn't need to guess—this was Ethan's doing.

He wanted to use this to force me to apologize, to force me to endure it.

But that was fine. I was going to quit anyway. This saved me the trouble.

But the next message truly made me freeze.

[Oh right, Professor Morrison is actually our boss's son!]

Ethan was the son of Richard Morrison, owner of Morrison Group?

My heart sank.

No wonder my supervisor always deliberately made things difficult for me, gave me so few assignments.

No wonder he could get his father to sabotage me.

But from our wedding until now, he'd lied to me, saying his parents lived in a remote countryside and couldn't come to the city.

I'd never met his parents. They didn't even attend our wedding.

I didn't care about his rich family background, but I couldn't tolerate being deceived for seven years.

From the very beginning, he never intended to accept me, and after all these years, still didn't.

Just as I was about to block all of Ethan's contacts, an unfamiliar number called.

"Is this Anna? I'm Ethan's father. Do you have time to come to the house for dinner?"

After thinking it over, I agreed.

These seven years of feelings deserved some closure.

When I arrived at the Morrison villa, it was opulent inside, with many of their relatives present.

After dinner, out of politeness, I helped clear the table.

That's when I heard people talking about me.

"Is this the person Ethan has never brought home? She's pretty enough, but why does she look so shabby?"

"Oh, she's just an Uber driver who saved him once. How could she compare to Nina?"

"Exactly. Nina may not work, but she comes from an excellent family background."

My expression didn't change, but my heart ached again.

Back then, for Ethan's sake, I refused the family's arranged marriage, fought terribly with my mom, and was kicked out of the house.

I worked hard to give Ethan the best life I could.

He despised me for being incompetent, but the woman he loved devotedly was just a trophy who did nothing.

Love and lack of love—it really was obvious.

Mr. Morrison scoffed: "What wife? The marriage certificate is fake."

"My son said she's just a housekeeper he hired."

All the blood in my body seemed to freeze. I stood there rigidly.

The marriage certificate was fake?

I thought about the marriage certificate I'd prepared yesterday to file for divorce—so light, with so much of the color faded.

I'd thought it was just old, but it turned out to be a fake document.

The year we got married, Ethan and I walked out of the marriage registration office together.

He held the marriage certificate and smiled at me for the first time.

"Anna, I'll treat you well."

I was so excited I couldn't sleep all night.

How moved I was then—that's how ironic it is now.

Mr. Morrison even pulled out photos of their family of three to show everyone.

"This is my son's real wife. The child looks just like his father, doesn't he?"

Just then, a news segment played on the TV.

"The Morrison family heir has officially announced his longtime girlfriend, Miss Nina."

"According to the couple, they will hold the wedding of the century at the end of this month."

Watching the two of them on the TV screen, smiling and leaning sweetly against each other.

I finally understood Mr. Morrison's intentions.

He called me here just to make me leave on my own, to establish in front of everyone.

That I was the homewrecker who destroyed their family.

After composing myself, I pushed open the door to leave, only to run straight into Ethan, who'd just returned.

Behind him stood the child and Nina.

Seeing me, Ethan's expression turned icy.

"Anna, you dare make a scene at my house?"

"In front of all these people, what are you trying to pull?"

After all these years, he still jumped to conclusions without asking, never caring about my feelings.

I steadied my breathing. Perfect timing to make everything clear in front of everyone.

"Ethan, I came to tell you that not everyone is like your kept mistress."

"I, Anna Hart, haven't used a penny of your money or asked you for a single favor."

"From now on, you have nothing to do with me. Understand?"