Chapter 4

Ethan's face went completely pale. He hadn't realized there were cameras here.

Arena Two was a VIP zone. He assumed there were no cameras to protect privacy.

But he didn't know that to protect these multi-million-dollar horses, every inch of the club was under 360-degree surveillance.

The massive screen in the courtyard lit up.

On the screen, five minutes before mounting, Clara could be seen sneaking over to the lounge bulletin board while Ethan was on the phone. She stole several pushpins.

Then she walked over to Zephyr, knelt, and jammed them into his hoof.

The footage was crystal clear.

The watching students gasped, immediately taking several steps away from Clara.

Clara's face lost all color.

"I... I just wanted to see how the horse would react. I didn't mean to..."

"You didn't mean to?"

I held up the plastic bag. "You drove three one-inch pins into his foot, and you say you didn't mean to?"

"How about I drive three nails into your shoes and say I didn't mean to? Would you believe me?"

Clara stumbled backward in terror, her heel catching as she fell awkwardly onto the dirt.

She looked up at Ethan, begging for help.

But Ethan avoided her gaze.

He stood frozen, staring at the screen, his face dark as thunder.

"Ethan," Clara whimpered, tugging at his pants. "Help me. You said your family owned this place! You said everyone here had to listen to you!"

Ethan clenched his fists and looked up.

His eyes were filled with pure hatred and humiliation.

"Vivian, what do you want?"

His voice was hoarse. "You want me to beg? You want to humiliate me, is that it?"

"Fine. You win."

He stiffly bowed his head.

"I'm sorry. Satisfied?"

Looking at his resentful face, I felt incredibly exhausted.

"Ethan, do you think I care about a fake apology?"

"I wanted you to learn what accountability means."

"When you were bullied as a kid, I taught you how to stand tall. But look at you now. You've become the bully."

"To please a girl, you ignored her cruelty, covered for her, and defended her."

"I am so disappointed in you."

Ethan stiffened.

He stood up straight, his eyes bloodshot, his lips trembling. Finally, he spat out:

"Disappointed? What right do you have to be disappointed in me?"

"You're just a woman my dad married!"

"Don't think I don't know. If your family wasn't rich, and if you hadn't begged to marry into our family..."

He paused, searching for the most venomous words he could find.

"A woman like you wouldn't even be fit to be a maid in the Vance house!"

The arena fell dead silent.

Even Clara stopped crying, staring at Ethan in shock at how vicious his words were.

I stood there, looking at the face of the boy I raised, feeling my heart shatter.

It hurt.

It hurt more than waking up on the operating table years ago, hearing the doctor say it would be hard for me to ever conceive.

Because I finally realized that to Ethan, I was never family.

I was just an outsider who "begged to marry in."

No matter how much I gave, no matter how much I loved him, in his eyes, I was always beneath them.

Because I wasn't his biological mother.

"Fine," I said, my voice dead calm. "Since that's how you feel, I will no longer be a part of your family."

"We'll handle this by the book."

I turned away from him, addressing the security chief who had just arrived. "When the police get here, hand over Zephyr's medical report and the surveillance footage."

"Also, notify our legal department. Prepare to file lawsuits."

"We are pressing charges for animal cruelty and grand property damage."

Clara broke down, sobbing hysterically.

But Ethan kept his stubborn posture, glaring at my back. "Vivian, you'll regret this."

"My dad won't let you get away with this."

Without turning back, I gently stroked Zephyr's mane and whispered,

"I've been regretting marrying into your family since the day I did it eight years ago."

Ethan swayed, but he didn't say another word.

I didn't care what he was thinking.

But the betrayal wasn't over yet.