Preston’s grip was so tight it made her wrist ache.

She was quickly dragged into the adjacent private room. Giselle’s voice was choked with sobs as she threw herself into Preston’s arms.

"Preston, it’s fine. I was just careless and walked into the wrong room. It’s not Serena’s fault."

Serena was completely bewildered, watching Giselle act innocent in front of Preston again. Yet, Preston bought into it every time.

"Don't be afraid, Giselle. I will get justice for you this time. I want everyone to know that you aren't someone who can be bullied so easily."

Preston looked at Serena with suppressed fury. "Serena, you messaged Giselle, tricking her into coming here just to set this up? Letting these scumbags harass her and force-feeding her alcohol?"

Chapter 5

Serena looked sharply at Giselle, sneered, and turned to leave.

Preston grabbed her arm violently: "Serena, apologize to Giselle!"

A sharp pain shot through her arm. Serena tried to shake him off: "What message? I have no idea what you’re talking about! Why should I apologize for something I didn't do!"

Preston held his phone up in front of her. It was Giselle’s chat interface, clearly showing a message Serena had supposedly sent half an hour ago.

"Come out, let’s talk."

It was accompanied by the address of this place.

"The evidence is solid, and you still dare to deny it? When did you become such a compulsive liar? Giselle came here trying to reconcile with you. Was it necessary to rack your brain to harm her over and over again?"

Serena stared at Preston with red eyes: "Preston, get this straight. If I really wanted to harm her, would I use such a stupid method?"

She felt an nameless rage burning in her chest. The atmosphere in the room was tense.

Giselle rushed forward and suddenly knelt before Serena.

"Serena, please stop arguing with Preston. Don't ruin your marriage because of me. I was wrong. I won't see Preston again. I promise I’ll disappear without a trace..."

The murderous look in Preston’s eyes instantly turned into pity.

He lifted Giselle up and pulled her into his arms: "Giselle, when will you stop caring about others? She is the one who did wrong, not you. And it is someone else who should be the one disappearing."

Preston sighed lightly, and when he turned toward Serena, the fury in his eyes could no longer be contained.

"Serena, I’ll ask you one more time: are you going to apologize?"

"No!"

Preston narrowed his eyes: "Then you will endure the same pain that Giselle suffered."

Before Serena could react, bodyguards stepped forward to pin her shoulders. They gripped her chin, and cold beer was forced into her mouth.

Following that, buckets of ice water mixed with alcohol were poured forcefully onto her injured feet.

"Ah—"

The alcohol stung the open wounds on both her feet, causing her body to tremble in agony.

She looked at Preston in disbelief, but he had eyes only for Giselle, comforting her continuously.

Giselle pleaded for mercy on her behalf repeatedly, but Preston was determined to teach her a lesson: "Giselle, stop pleading. Every word you say to stop me just means she suffers more."

Serena’s vision started to darken. She had never been subjected to such abuse. She had done nothing, yet Preston had convicted her and punished her again and again.

Her mouth was filled with ice-cold beer, choking her.

At her feet, bucket after bucket of ice water was deliberately dumped onto her wounds.

She was drenched, and her blood mixed with beer flowed across the floor.

Her feet felt as if they had been destroyed, numb to all sensation. Serena could no longer hold on and whispered, "I’m sorry..."

The bodyguards instantly released her.

Preston lifted her chin, looking into her bloodshot eyes: "Serena, remember the pain of tonight. Don't make things difficult for Giselle again."

Serena managed a weak smile. Her consciousness gradually faded until she lost track of everything.

She woke up in the hospital, her body burning with fever and her two legs wrapped like mummies, unable to move.

The nurse said her wounds had festered from the alcohol and that if she had been brought in any later, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Serena closed her eyes, haunted by the nightmare of the previous night.

She stayed in the hospital for a week, and Preston never came once.

He ignored her entirely, yet Serena could see on Giselle’s social media that they had gone to an island for a vacation.

Giselle posted a photo of their hands wearing matching rings. There was no caption, but the picture said everything.

Knowing Serena would see it and posting it deliberately—only Preston would be gullible enough to believe in Giselle’s "kindness."

The day Serena was discharged and returned home, Preston and Giselle returned as well.

"Serena, I brought you a gift. See if you like it?" Giselle greeted her enthusiastically.

Looking at the tacky-looking bag in Giselle’s hand, Serena didn't bother to glance at it again.

"You might as well keep it for yourself. Such a tacky color scheme suits you perfectly."

Chapter 6

Serena was just about to head upstairs when Preston grabbed her.

"Giselle went to such lengths to pick out a gift for you, and this is your attitude?"

Serena shook him off; she didn't want to say another word to him.

She returned to the guest bedroom. As she closed the door, she saw Giselle blocking Preston.

"Forget it. She just got discharged from the hospital, so let her rest. Actually, there’s a restaurant I’ve wanted to try for a long time. Could you accompany me, please?"

Soon, it was quiet downstairs.

Serena packed her luggage wearily. Her lawyer had informed her that Giselle had already secretly gotten Preston to sign the divorce agreement, and they were now just waiting for the divorce certificate.

She knew it. Giselle would pretend to be generous and understanding on the surface, refusing to steal her husband, but in reality, all of Giselle’s actions, overt and covert, were exactly what she needed for Serena to get a divorce.

That way, Giselle could officially step up and become Mrs. Preston.

Serena had originally planned to leave at the first light of dawn, but in the early hours of the morning, a commotion broke out downstairs. Serena frowned and went down.

She saw the same men who had been beaten bloody by Preston earlier, trembling as they explained something to him.

When Serena appeared, one of the men suddenly widened his eyes and pointed at her.

"It was her! She bribed me, telling me to use debt collection as an excuse to force Giselle into settling the debt. She told me to take Giselle to a hotel and have my way with her, saying that once that happened, Giselle wouldn't dare run away and would obediently listen to me."

"Mr. Preston, if it weren't for your wife giving me guarantees, I wouldn't have had the guts to touch your person even if I had ten times the courage. She even gave me a sum of money. The transfer record is still there; I’ll show it to you right now."

When Preston saw the transfer information on the man's phone, his face turned violently grim.

"Serena, what else do you have to say?"

Serena was stunned for a moment before she realized she had been framed!

Gritting her teeth in anger, she said, "You're lying! I don't know you at all. Giselle’s mother told me she had been dragged to a hotel, that’s why I rushed over to save her!"

The man said helplessly, "Mrs. Preston, Mr. Preston has already found out. There's no point in arguing anymore. Why don't you just confess?"

Serena looked sharply at Giselle.

Giselle was always playing the weak and helpless victim—it was this act that tricked Preston into favoring her in everything.

Serena said, "It was you again, wasn't it? That night was also a performance you directed, just so I would discover your affair, right?"

Preston finally lost his patience: "Serena, don't you think that’s absurd? How could Giselle deliberately let someone ruin her? You really will say anything to whitewash yourself!"

"Preston! I didn't do it! Don't you dare frame me again!" Serena stepped back, her body trembling with weakness.

"Serena, I used to feel guilty toward you, but I never imagined you were so vicious that you could do something like this!"

Preston never expected that the night Giselle was almost ruined had been arranged by Serena!

If he hadn't arrived a step earlier, Giselle would have been truly destroyed.

"Serena, it seems you still show no signs of self-reflection. Since you dared to do it, you must understand that once things are exposed, you must face the consequences!"

Preston ordered someone to bring in a dog cage. Inside sat a ferocious Tibetan Mastiff.

"Put Serena in. She’s staying in there tonight."

"No—" Serena shrieked in agony, "Preston, how could you do this to me!"