Chapter 5

This is the man I've loved since all these years.

He could leave me feeling sick and suffering on the side of the road just because of one phone call from Lily.

I've always known Liam doesn't love me, but seeing him act this heartless, it still felt as though someone had carved a piece out of my heart.

Compared to the pain in my heart right now, the physical pain didn't matter much anymore.

Before he forced me out the door, I was only wearing a thin nightgown.

Autumn had already set in. The nightgown was fine indoors, but it was cold in the autumn night air.

A cold breeze swept past, and I shivered.

When Liam carried me out earlier, I accidentally dropped my phone on the ground and had no chance to pick it up.

But at least the car hadn't gone far. Walking back would only take about ten minutes.

I forced myself through the pain and walked back. Cold sweat soaked through my back.

I felt like my mind was about to give out.

On the way back, I couldn't help but think about how differently Liam had treated me.

Everything in front of me got blurrier, and my steps became unsteady.

"Sophia!"

Just when I was about to pass out, Evelyn's voice rang out.

In a daze, I saw her running toward me.

I'm saved!

Evelyn held me up with her body and asked with concern.

"What's wrong, Sophia? Is it your stomachache again?"

As she spoke, she helped me into her car.

I nodded, but couldn't make a sound from my throat.

Evelyn rummaged around in the car and handed me a piece of bread.

"Good thing I still have something in the car. Eat this first, I'll take you home."

I stuffed the bread into my mouth, listening to Evelyn complain beside me.

"I knew that jerk Liam was no good. He drags you out like a crazy person, then dumps you on the side of the road. Good thing I followed you out. I won't let him get away with this."

My nose stung, and tears fell from my eyes uncontrollably.

After eating something, the pain eased a bit.

Evelyn helped me retrieve my phone. She not only drove me home but also took thoughtful care of me, making sure I took my medicine.

I lay in bed, watching Evelyn tend to me, deeply moved.

"Evelyn, thank you."

Hearing my voice, Evelyn handed me a bottle of water and comforted me.

"I'm here. Tell me if you feel uncomfortable anywhere. I'll stay with you tonight."

I nodded and drank the water.

"Liam is such a jerk. You're wearing so little, and he just dumps you on the roadside. You need to divorce him soon, or who knows what else this crazy person will do."

Seeing how weak I was, Evelyn grew furious and cursed Liam in every way she could.

I smiled bitterly and shook my head.

"He doesn't love me. He loves Lily. So when he has to choose between us, I'm always the one who gets abandoned."

Whether it was just now or every time before, as long as Lily was one of the options, I would be abandoned and forgotten by him.

"Forget it, Evelyn. I want to rest now. Let's not talk about him anymore."

Seeing I didn't want to talk about it, Evelyn was smart enough not to say more.

"Okay, I'll sleep with you tonight. Get some rest."

In the middle of the night, my phone kept beeping nonstop.

I was woken up by the messages and instinctively reached for my phone on the nightstand.

2 AM.

At this hour, I didn't know who was sending me messages.

I sat up in bed. Beside me, Evelyn's breathing was steady and regular.

I didn't want to wake her, so I turned my phone brightness to the lowest setting.

But after seeing the messages, my fingertips still tightened involuntarily.

On the screen were several photos.

And the man in the photos was my husband.

My eyes slowly dimmed. Even though I already knew Liam had gone to find Lily, seeing these messages still affected my emotions.

In the photos, Liam's clothes were casually thrown aside. He was half-turned with his upper body bare, his toned abs on full display.

And on his collarbone, there was a bite mark, not too deep, not too shallow.

Her hair tumbled over his arm, the strands resting casually against him.

As I looked at these photos, it wasn't hard to guess what had happened between them.

Besides these, there were also several photos of Liam's back in the bathroom.

Looking at these photos, I just felt mocked.

The phone kept beeping.

It was Lily sending provocative messages.

[Sophia, my brother doesn't love you at all. The person he loves is me. You two should divorce as soon as possible.]

[You should know, he's with me right now.]

I stared at the screen and quickly replied.

[You think seducing a married man is something to brag about? Ms. Smith's upbringing really surprises me.]

Seeing my reply, Lily called directly.

Looking at the incoming call, I wanted to decline, but my finger unconsciously pressed accept.

As soon as I answered, Lily's arrogant tone came through.

"Sophia, you think having the title of Mrs. Smith means anything? The unloved one is destined to be out. Weren't you right there just now? One phone call from me and he came to find me."

From the first time I met Lily, I knew she had ulterior motives, but I never thought she would be this bold.

She slept with Liam and still dared to come show off to me.

My tone was calm as I spoke indifferently.

"Whether he loves me or not is none of your business. So what if he loves you? You're the Smith family's adopted daughter. since he's not afraid of gossip, he can try. Do you think he cares?"

My words clearly got to Lily. Her voice became much sharper, but she still wouldn't admit defeat.

"So what? As long as he loves me, none of that matters."

I shook my head, not wanting to argue with her about this.

"Good luck with that."

After saying that, I hung up directly.

Since Lily was so eager to claim her place, I, as the lawful wife, should see that she got a proper title.

Thinking back to the earlier photos, I saved them all and took screenshots of my chat with Lily.

Afterward, I logged into my social media account and posted the chat records and photos.

To help the gossip along, I gave it a title that speaks volumes: #Cheers To My Husband's Side Piece. Hope She Wins.

Although it was early morning, after the photos and records were posted, they still attracted quite a few people online.

Although Liam's full face wasn't shown, people still recognized him from his side profile.

After all, Liam had been on financial news interviews quite often and was a familiar face to the public.

Some people in my comments asked to confirm Liam's identity.

I deliberately didn't reply, but liked their comments.

Thanks to my calculated move, the online crowd had zeroed in on the subject--Liam, the business world's golden boy.

The discussion on the post exploded.

I kept my phone in hand until the post went viral. Satisfied, I finally put it down.