Chapter 6

I couldn't sleep that night because of the excruciating pain, coughing up blood periodically.

The penthouse was terrifyingly quiet. The next morning, the sun was bright, and I wanted to go out for a walk.

But as soon as I stepped outside, I noticed people staring at their phones, whispering.

Curious, I opened my phone and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

It turned out my dear husband had gotten into a massive street fight last night to protect Chloe. As the son of New York's biggest jewelry tycoon, his reputation was massive.

Within hours, it had become the biggest entertainment scandal in the city.

The moment I reached the gates of our gated community, a swarm of paparazzi and live-streamers rushed at me.

"Mrs. Vance, have you seen the news? Did you know your husband is cheating on you?"

"Mrs. Vance, are you going to divorce him?"

"Mrs. Vance, the intern is younger and prettier than you. Are you jealous?"

Every question felt like a poisoned needle piercing my skin.

Still, I forced a tight smile and stopped walking.

"You should be interviewing the man who cheated, and the woman who chose to be a homewrecker. Not me."

A female reporter who looked about Chloe's age refused to let me go.

"Is that so? I heard that years ago, when Ethan got into that horrible car accident, you abandoned him for money. You only crawled back crying for a second chance after you saw he recovered perfectly. What kind of dirty tricks did you use to get him back?"

"Honestly, Ethan and Chloe look like a perfect match. Are you refusing to divorce him just because you couldn't agree on the alimony? You call her a homewrecker, but everyone knows that in a relationship, the one who isn't loved is the real intruder."

"Don't you think they're true love, and you're the actual homewrecker here?"

She spoke with perfect articulation. She was clearly sent by someone.

I stared at her, noticing the custom college tote bag on her shoulder.

"You're defending Chloe so passionately. Are you classmates? You look like an intern reporter, but your professional skills are honestly embarrassing. Making up stories without doing proper research... aren't you worried about losing your job?"

"Ethan went through hell and back just to marry me. I guess you've never been loved like that, which is why you're projecting your jealousy onto me. Or did Chloe send you here today specifically to disgust me?"

Her eyes flickered with panic. She subconsciously tried to hide her bag, but she kept arguing.

"So what if I know Chloe? I'm just stating facts! You claim Ethan forced you to marry him, so if you hate it so much, why don't you divorce him and let them be together? Or are you just holding out for a massive payout? Since we're all here, if you're too embarrassed to say the number, we can pass the message to him for you!"

She smiled triumphantly, and the other reporters chimed in.

The retort died in my throat, replaced by a sudden surge of warm, metallic fluid.

I tried to cover my mouth, but there was too much of it. The white snow on the pavement was instantly stained a violent red.

The reporters gasped in shock. One of them quickly recovered and sneered:

"Wow, that fake blood looks incredibly realistic. Where'd you buy it? My friend works in movie props, I should ask for the brand."

"Just a second ago she was acting like she was forced to marry him, and now she's coughing up fake blood. Pathetic actress."

I let out a weak, bitter laugh.

"I wish this blood were fake, too. Sorry to disappoint you all... but I'm actually dying."

Their expressions froze. They looked at each other in silence, the mock smiles instantly vanishing from their faces.

Until the intern reporter spoke up again:

"Stop acting so fake! You can't win the argument so you're playing the cancer card? How shameless!"

"No wonder we can't beat you older women. Your manipulation tactics are truly on another level!"

Her behavior perfectly proved the saying: birds of a feather flock together.

The truly shameless ones were them—highly educated but completely devoid of basic humanity.