The punishment from the club owner followed—a heavy wooden rod striking her back again and again.

She could no longer fight. She could only grit her teeth and swallow the blood in her mouth.

As the date arranged by Julian’s mother drew closer, Lydia decided to take a desperate gamble. She threw herself into a wine bottle being hurled by a guest.

Blood gushed from her head instantly, and she was rushed to the hospital.

But she never expected that the first person she’d see upon waking would be Sienna.

And even more eye-catching than the woman was the jade necklace around her neck.

Lydia’s pupils contracted. That was her mother’s last memento!

Chapter 8

“Who gave you permission to touch my things!”

Lydia’s eyes were bloodshot as she lunged for the necklace, but Sienna nimbly dodged her.

“You mean this necklace? I thought it was beautiful the moment I saw it. Julian said since I liked it, he’d give it to me as compensation.”

“Impossible!” Lydia retorted without a second thought.

Julian knew how much she treasured her parents' belongings. No matter how much he wanted to punish her for Sienna’s sake, he wouldn't joke about this.

Sienna was delighted by her reaction and laughed mockingly.

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask Julian yourself. Lydia, you can't beat me. I suggest you leave on your own, otherwise I can't guarantee what I’ll do next.”

The door was pushed open.

Upon seeing Sienna, a flash of panic crossed Julian’s eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. “Get out,” he said deeply.

Sienna didn't hesitate. She gave Lydia a provocative look and turned to leave.

Lydia didn't have the energy to care about her; she only had eyes for Julian as she questioned him, her voice dry and raspy.

“Julian, why did you give her my necklace? You know that’s my mother’s!”

The surge of emotion made her entire body ache—so much so that she couldn't even stay seated.

But Julian only gave a nonchalant smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You refused to apologize, so I had to compensate her on your behalf. You’ve suffered quite a bit these past few days, so let’s consider the matter settled. It’s just a necklace. I’ll buy you as many as you want later, okay?”

His tone was gentle, framed as if he were entirely looking out for her.

But Lydia only felt a wave of nausea. It felt as if a giant hole had been punched through her heart. So, he really had given it away voluntarily.

At this moment, she understood with profound clarity that the Julian of the past was never coming back.

She jerked her head away from his touch and spoke through gritted teeth. “No. That belongs to me. You have no right to give my things to anyone else.”

Julian’s expression shifted. He stared at her for a long time before letting out a short laugh.

“Are you angry? Didn't I say I’d buy you more? I’m sure your mother would also...”

Before he could finish, the door was burst open, and Julian’s assistant rushed in, sounding frantic.

“Mr. Julian, something’s wrong! Ms. Sienna is going to jump!”

Julian stopped mid-sentence. He was about to rush out when the assistant added weakly, “Ms. Sienna says... the wife forced her into it...”

Julian’s footsteps faltered. He whipped around to glare at Lydia, a complete 180 from his gentle demeanor of a moment ago.

“What did you just say to her?”

Julian’s eyes were dark with menace, but he was too frantic to wait for her answer.

Leaving behind a sharp “Bring her,” he sprinted toward the hospital rooftop at top speed.

By the time Lydia was brought up, the area both above and below was already swarming with people.

Taking in the scene, Lydia finally understood Sienna’s words. So this was her plan.

On the edge of the roof, Sienna clutched the necklace, her voice thick with tears.

“Julian, Lydia said if I didn’t give the necklace back to her, she’d make sure I died in Mr. Reynolds' bed. But this is the necklace you gave me, I don't want to...”

Julian hurried to console her. “She wouldn't dare! As long as I’m here, I will protect you forever. Come down, please? Don’t scare me.”

Lydia watched the scene with a sense of dread—not for Sienna, but for the necklace dangling over the edge.

She quickened her pace, rushing forward to stare fixedly at Sienna.

“If you want to die, go ahead. But give me back my necklace first!”

But as the words left her mouth, Sienna appeared to be startled. She stumbled back a few steps, and the necklace slipped from her hand, falling straight down the side of the building.

The sound of it shattering far below echoed in Lydia’s ears, and her world seemed to explode.

Without hesitation, she turned to run downstairs to find the pieces, but Julian caught her in a death grip.

Chapter 9

"Lydia! Sienna was literally about to jump, and you still said those things to provoke her! Do you have any regard for a human life at all?"

Lydia whipped around to glare at Julian, hatred churning in the depths of her eyes.

"Let go of me!"

Julian was stunned by that look; his heart skipped a beat.

But he was quickly pulled back to reality by Sienna’s sobbing.

"Julian, you told me not to provoke Lydia, and I didn't. But why does she still do this to me? I just want to live my life; I just want an apology. Just because I don't come from a wealthy family, do I deserve to be..."

Sienna’s voice choked up, her shame seemingly preventing her from continuing, and she shuffled her feet a few inches closer to the ledge.

Julian recalled the previous incident, and his heart, which had momentarily softened, hardened once more.

Looking at Sienna’s precarious figure, his eyes turned red with panic.

"Don't move! I’ll make her apologize to you. Kneeling, kowtowing—anything! Just don't do anything reckless, I beg you."

Sienna finally stopped, her voice fractured. "Really?"

"Really!" Julian replied instantly, terrified that any delay would send her over the edge.

He moved just as fast, delivering a sharp kick to the back of Lydia’s knees.

"Ssh!" Her knees, which had never fully healed, suffered another heavy impact against the concrete. Lydia was in too much pain to even speak.

As she tried to stand, Julian pinned her down ruthlessly. "Lydia, apologize."

Lydia’s heart shuddered at his words. The disdainful eyes of the surrounding crowd pierced her like arrows.

Immense humiliation flooded her heart. She looked at Julian with a gaze full of ferocity.

"Julian, I never said those things, and I never did those things. How many times do I have to tell you? Have you already forgotten that I am your wife!"

In ten years of love, she had never lost control like this.

Julian was momentarily dazed, his grip loosening slightly.

But in the next second, the crowd screamed. Sienna had stepped one foot out into the air.

Julian snapped back. "Lydia, this is a human life! Are you really going to be this stubborn at a time like this?"

His eyes were cold and hard, his words dripping with blame.

He then heartlessly ordered his assistant to hold her down and force her to kowtow in apology.

Lydia, covered in unhealed wounds, didn't even have the strength to resist.

She could only cry out piercingly, over and over, "Julian, you can't treat me like this..."

But Julian didn't even look at her; he was entirely focused on coaxing Sienna down with heartache.

By the time Sienna finally agreed to come down, a veil of red had blurred Lydia’s vision.

The assistant tossed her aside like a piece of rag, and the crowd avoided her as if she were a ghost.

And her husband, holding someone else in his arms, brushed past her.

At this moment, Lydia hated Julian to her core.

"Julian... I will never forgive you in this life."

Julian stopped because of her words. Something flashed through his heart, but it vanished before he could grasp it.

He didn't care. He simply ordered his assistant to take her back to the ward and left without looking back.

The assistant started to help her up, but she waved him away. "You go on. I want to be alone for a while."

After some hesitation, the assistant finally complied.

Lydia lay on the ground for a long time before she walked toward the edge of the rooftop.

Looking down at the shattered necklace below, her heart felt as though it had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

Without hesitation, she dialed Julian’s mother.

"Mrs. Jiang, can the plan be moved up?"

There was an impatient "tsk" on the other end, but no refusal.

Ten minutes later, a car stopped at the hospital entrance.

Twenty minutes later, an explosion echoed on a deserted road.