Chapter 1
“You shameless woman.”
“Finally found you.”
Claire Lane had just walked out of the operating room when a brutal force shoved her against the wall.
A young woman, gorgeous and haughty, stood in front of her, her eyes blazing with hostility. Her voice was like a poisoned knife.
Two bodyguards stood behind her, along with a group of tall women.
Claire’s back hit the wall hard, causing a sharp pain.
Before she could react—
Smack!
A heavy slap struck her face.
The fiery pain immediately exploded.
Half of Claire’s face went numb, and her ear was buzzing.
Before she could come to her senses, her long hair was violently grabbed.
“You shameless bitch! I’ll kill you today!”
The young woman yanked her head toward the wall.
“You act so pure in the hospital but secretly seduce other women’s husbands! Have you no shame?!”
“I didn’t—” Claire’s words were interrupted when the young woman winked at one of the bodyguards.
The bodyguard lifted his foot and kicked Claire’s knee.
Claire fell forward, her knee hitting the cold tiles.
The pain made her gasp.
She struggled to stand, but another bodyguard kicked her in the back, sending her crashing to the ground.
The young woman’s high heel stepped onto Claire’s hand.
Claire screamed, and tears immediately welled up.
“Who told you to seduce my husband? Today, I’ll let you taste what it feels like to be beaten as a mistress.”
“Tape her mouth shut.”
Someone brought out tape and sealed Claire’s mouth.
She could only make muffled sounds.
A bulky woman beside the young woman shouted loudly.
“Come here, everyone! This woman is a mistress and she’s getting what she deserves.”
“Look at her! She seduced our married CEO and destroyed his marriage!”
Immediately, a crowd gathered, eager to watch.
“That’s Dr. Claire, isn’t it? She doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”
“You never know someone’s heart by her face—who knows! Maybe she’s after money.”
“Ah, if she really is a mistress, then she deserves the beating.”
The gossip wrapped around Claire like venomous snakes.
She tried to speak but could only make muffled sounds.
She didn’t even know this woman.
She didn’t know the “husband” the young woman kept shouting about.
The woman stepped onto Claire’s hand harder, looking down at her with disdain.
“Ah—!”
The pain shot through Claire’s fingers, and her whole body shook.
Tears flooded her eyes.
She struggled to pull her hand back, but the heel pressed down harder.
“Now you feel the pain?” The young woman sneered. “When you were seducing someone’s husband, did you think of the consequences?”
Laughter echoed around her. Phones were lifted to record.
Claire curled up, trying to protect her head.
Kicks and punches rained down from every direction.
Her ribs were kicked, and she could almost hear the sound of her bones breaking.
Her breath frozen, and the taste of blood filled her mouth.
The intense pain spread through her body like venom.
“Good! Teach her a lesson!”
“Make her remember it!”
In the chaos, someone grasped her collar, and with a violent pull, the buttons popped off, and her shirt was torn open, exposing her fair skin.
Claire hurriedly tried to cover herself, but only to be met with mocking laughter.
“What are you pretending for? Aren’t you good at seducing men?”
The young woman, Lana Reed, grabbed Claire’s hair and forced her to look up.
Claire’s forehead was cut, and blood ran into her eyes, turning her vision red.
“Remember this: If you ever get close to him again, you die.”
Lana released her, and Claire fell heavily to the floor.
It wasn’t until the hospital director arrived with security guards that the scene was brought under control.
In Claire’s office, the blood on her forehead had dried into a dark crust.
Pop!
A booklet was slammed onto the desk.
It was a marriage certificate.
The photo inside was presented before Claire.
Her heart felt like it had been bitten by a venomous snake.
For a moment, everything went numb, and then the pain hit her in waves.
The groom’s name was—Ethan Vance.
An unfamiliar name, but the face was the one she knew too well.
The brow bone, nose, mouth...
Every inch of him looked exactly like Zane Lane.
“See it clearly?” Lana sneered. “This is my husband, Ethan Vance.”
