At 2 a.m., Joy was jolted awake by a knock at her door.

"Who could be knocking at this hour?" she wondered, grabbing her trusty baseball bat as she tiptoed to the door, peering through the peephole.- Her heart skipped a beat.

In a flash, she swung the door open, revealing Selena's disheveled figure. Joy's eyes widened in shock. "Did you get mugged? Or am I dreaming?"

Selena looked like a mess, her hair wild, her clothes disheveled, and the hem of her pants hinting at dried blood. She looked like a ghost, ready to haunt the night.

With a carefree toss of her hair and a cheeky grin that revealed dimples, Selena said, "Hey, I need a place to crash!"

Half an hour later, Selena emerged from the bathroom. Joy handed her a glass of hot chocolate as she herself took a sip of red wine. She glanced at Selena's puffy eyes. "Had another fight with Everett?"

Selena clutched the hot chocolate, but a chill ran down her spine.

As Selena recounted the night's drama with an air of indifference, Joy's temper flared. "What? Everett did something that awful? How could he pull a stunt like that on his wife?"

Selena forced a smile, leaving her answer unsaid.

Joy studied Selena again, understanding why she looked so worn out. Ever since marrying into the Bennett family, Selena had bent over backward to please them and uphold Everett's reputation, always appearing as the graceful Mrs. Bennett. She never let anyone see her fall apart.

"Damn jerk," Joy fumed. "If you hadn't saved him back then, he'd be six feet under by now. And now he only cares about his side piece?"

"As for Margot, she's even worse. She knows full well he's married, yet clings to him like a leech. I've never seen such audacity!"

Selena's mind drifted back to her first encounter with Everett. Everyone thought they met after their engagement, but it was actually much earlier. After losing her parents, she spent time at her grandma's in the countryside, feeling down. Everett was there, too, recovering from heart issues. By chance, she saved his life. He promised to never forget her.

So when Josh proposed the marriage, she thought... it was Everett's wish too.

had

present, Joy's fiery rant made her

were tight-knit. Joy's mother Ann was Josh's goddaughter, making Joy

had vented to Joy about Everett and Margot

lost your mind because

a pause, she sighed, "I'm not

steps, the cold night wind whipping around her face, her infatuation drifted

wine, licked her lips, then asked, "So... you're really going to

just going to let that shameless woman Margot win?

murmuring, "To everyone else, I'm probably the

shrugged, "I've been the fool for three years. Everyone's waiting to see me get booted. Might as

she can have them. There are

...

morning, Everett entered, bringing a chill

take his coat and asked, "Sir, what should I prepare for

a week away and a ten-hour flight, Everett had a

shoes, glanced at the empty dining room, and asked, "Where's Selena? Still

looked uneasy. "She's not

briefly, then smoothed out. "She left

She hasn't been

spread across Everett's

the

backward to fit Everett's mold. To match his schedule, she forced

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