"Useless!" Ethan kicked the wrecked car in a fit of rage.

The surveillance was destroyed and no one could be found at the hospitals—it was clear someone was intentionally preventing him from finding Clara. This feeling of losing control drove him near madness. He got into his car, slammed the accelerator to the floor, and the vehicle shot out like an arrow. He didn't believe a living person could simply vanish into thin air!

For an entire night, Ethan went to every hospital and didn't even skip the small clinics on the street corners. But Clara’s trail was nowhere to be found. Remorse flooded over him like a tide. He parked the car by the river and punched his own head several times.

If he hadn't been entangled with Scarlett at the time, if he had picked up the phone earlier, would Clara not have disappeared?

Clara’s life and death were unknown. It was only at this moment that he truly understood how important this woman was in his heart. Without her, he had even lost the motivation to live. If he could do it all over again, he would never ignore or hurt her for anyone or anything else ever again.

Chapter 11

Ethan leaned against the steering wheel and closed his weary eyes. After an unknown amount of time, his phone suddenly rang. Seeing "Assistant Zhang" on the screen made him snap awake instantly.

"Has she been found?"

Assistant Zhang’s voice held a hint of excitement. "Mr. Miller, following your orders, I investigated the people Scarlett and the foster mother have been in contact with lately. I’ve made a major discovery!"

Assistant Zhang had retrieved surveillance from the nursing home and discovered that it was Scarlett who had personally pushed Grandmother down the stairs. Furthermore, after the first fall, she had carried Grandmother back upstairs and pushed her a second time, only stopping when a caregiver heard the commotion and rushed over.

The foster mother didn't go to the cattle farm every day out of concern for her daughter, but rather to bribe the manager to make life even harder for Clara. He had also visited the old neighbors of the Barker family and, after providing some incentives, heard an entirely different story from before.

Clara had suffered immensely during her twenty years with the Barkers. Her foster father had even bragged that once she grew up, he would be the first to "get a taste."

At this, Ethan’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. Scarlett had actually kept so much from him!

Assistant Zhang paused. "Mr. Miller, Miss Scarlett doesn't have bipolar disorder at all. Even that kidnapping... was a fake."

"I found one of the thugs from the kidnapping back then. Under pressure, he confessed everything. Miss Scarlett promised them three million to fake a kidnapping and assault, but from beginning to end, they never laid a finger on her."

Assistant Zhang continued speaking, but every word was like a heavy hammer smashing against Ethan’s heart. He felt the world spin. He had actually been deceived like a fool by this woman for so long.

Anger and remorse intertwined. He slammed his fist into the steering wheel, and the piercing blast of the horn startled the waterfowl by the shore.

After hanging up, Ethan sped toward the villa. Just as he pushed open the front doors, the sound of an argument drifted from the room.

Scarlett’s voice was filled with resentment: "If it weren't for your rotten idea, how could I have been discarded by Ethan!"

The foster mother hurried forward to appease her: "Daughter, you can't put all the blame on me!"

"We agreed back then that as long as you could get into Ethan’s bed, he’d have no way to deny you. Even if it failed, he would treat you better out of guilt and would never chase you away. Who knew your father would be so reckless? For your happiness, he actually did that to that little wretch..."

"What did you do to Clara?!"

Ethan burst in, grabbing the foster mother’s collar, his eyes bloodshot. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, nearly leaping out. He didn't dare imagine what would happen if Clara truly fell into that animal's hands...

The foster mother’s legs turned to jelly at his terrifying appearance. "We don't know where she is either. My husband said he saw a man carry her away. He didn't dare chase them, so he hid. We can't contact him now either."

Ethan shoved the foster mother aside and turned to choke Scarlett. "Are you going to talk?"

"If you don't talk, I’ll strangle her right now!"

Seeing Scarlett struggling, the foster mother broke into a panicked sob. "Don't kill my daughter! I’ve told you everything I know. We don't recognize the man who took Clara either. Please, let Scarlett go."

Looking at the foster mother’s desperate pleading, Ethan felt no emotion. But he knew Scarlett was still useful, so he slowly released his grip. The foster mother immediately went to check on Scarlett, who slumped on the floor, clutching her neck and coughing violently.

Once she caught her breath, she suddenly looked up. "Ethan, I have bipolar disorder. You can't treat me like this!"

Before the "kidnapping" back then, she had intentionally made many distress calls to Ethan, all of which were hung up. That was why he felt so guilty upon seeing her tragic state. Over the years, she had relied on that guilt to stay by his side. She was certain that this time, Ethan wouldn't be able to refuse her either.

But this time, her plan failed. Ethan looked at her and sneered:

"Stop acting, Scarlett. I know everything."

"The kidnapping, the assault, the bipolar disorder, the 'accidental' push of Grandmother... it’s all fake. You aren't sick at all!"

He approached her step by step, the ruthlessness in his eyes making Scarlett’s body tense. "If I could, I’d love to strangle you right now to settle the score for Clara."

Scarlett was completely stunned. She had never seen an Ethan so vicious; her feigned composure crumbled instantly. As the man turned to leave, she called out through her tears:

"Ethan, I’ve sacrificed so much for you! Why won't you turn around and look at me?"

Ethan stopped in his tracks.

Chapter 12

Ever since they were young, Scarlett had been like his little shadow; no matter what he did, she followed behind him. He clearly remembered in high school when he secretly skipped class to go to an internet cafe. When the teacher found out, Scarlett was the one who jumped off the wall to draw the teacher's attention; he wasn't caught, but she broke her leg.

When he was caught cheating by a proctor, Scarlett stepped forward to take the blame again. She was locked in a sweltering attic by her parents for an entire night; when she came out the next day, her eyes were red and swollen, yet she was still comforting him. Even when he later had a girlfriend, Scarlett only said with teary eyes:

"It’s okay. I’ll wait for you to break up."

...

Scarlett had a good family background and was beautiful; she never lacked suitors, but her eyes only ever held him. Back then, he simply found it annoying and could never bring himself to be interested in the advances of this "younger sister."

It wasn't until later, when Scarlett’s identity as a fake heiress was exposed. Everyone thought she would scream and fight for the family inheritance, but she exceptionally calmly gave up all inheritance rights and told him with red eyes:

"I just want justice."

That level of composure and courage made him see her in a new light for the first time, and it also birthed a sense of guilt. He felt he had been too cold to her in the past, and now that she had fallen on hard times, he should take better care of her.

But guilt eventually has an end. Moreover, what Scarlett was doing now had touched his bottom line. Ethan turned back, his tone icy:

"It is impossible for me to ever fall in love with a vicious woman like you."

Hearing these words, Scarlett seemed to lose all her strength. She slumped on the floor, and her laughter turned into flowing tears.

"I’m vicious? Ethan, if it weren't for you, I—the great eldest miss of the family—could have had anything I wanted. How could I have turned into this?"

Ethan couldn't be bothered to entangle with her any further. Right now, his mind was filled with finding the mysterious man who took Clara. But just as he took a step, Scarlett lunged forward, death-gripping his leg:

"You aren't allowed to leave! Tell me clearly, how am I any worse than that little wretch Clara? Why are your eyes only on her?"

For so many years, being with Ethan had long since become Scarlett’s obsession. She would always remember her first year of kindergarten; because she was cute, she was surrounded by the boys in class who pinched her face. She wailed in pain. It was Ethan who stood in front of her and pushed everyone away.