The appearance of the diamond ring felt like a death sentence, sealing my fate.
The banquet hall erupted in chaos, like boiling oil splashed by a drop of water. Guests rushed toward me, hurling wine and food in my direction.
“She’s a thief!”
“Don’t let her escape!”
“I knew she came with bad intentions; how dare she steal the diamond ring!”
Security guards swarmed and pinned me to the ground. My face was pressed harshly against the floor, like a fish caught on a chopping board, helpless and at their mercy.
Somehow, Arabelle’s engagement ring ended up in my bag. I looked up and caught sight of a waiter quickly slipping away. It dawned on me that he had bumped into my bag earlier. That must have been when the ring was planted.
Through the noise and confusion, Jaxon pushed through the crowd, snatched the ring from the floor, and looked at me with cold disdain.
“I thought you had truly repented. Turns out I was wrong to go soft on you.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but the words stuck in my throat. With the evidence so clear, any explanation would be pointless.
Jaxon grabbed my hand so tightly that red marks quickly bloomed across my skin.
"Looks like you won’t learn your lesson unless you’re taught one."
Arabelle clung to Jaxon’s arm, her voice dripping with feigned kindness as she pleaded, "Let it go, Jaxon. Maybe Liora was just jealous of me. It's fine, I don’t mind..."
"Arabelle, you’re too kind. People like her don’t deserve sympathy."
With a snap of his fingers, an assistant quickly handed over a dagger.
"You’ve always wanted to take what belongs to Arabelle, right? Without these hands, how will you take anything?"
The words echoed in my ears, but strangely, fear didn’t grip me as expected. My only thought was, how could I still marry into the Montgomery family if I lost my hands?
A bodyguard held my hands down as Jaxon slowly approached, the knife glinting ominously. Cold sweat poured down my face. I knelt, my voice trembling as I begged, "Please, don’t do this to me. Even if I haven’t done anything good, I’ve suffered enough for you. Have you forgotten what happened at the forest lodge?"
Jaxon paused, his expression faltering. In that storm at the forest lodge, I took care of his injuries for three months.
Back then, the Aldridge family was embroiled in a fierce battle for the heir position. As the youngest son, Jaxon had far less power and fewer shares than his older brother, who had already secured the Vice President role. In a carefully planned car crash, Jaxon was trapped inside the vehicle. I risked everything to pull him out. The explosion sent us flying, throwing us dozens of meters away. Jaxon hit a rock, and all feeling in his legs was lost.
To keep the incident under wraps, I carried him through the snow-laden night to a secluded villa in the forest. The roads were blocked, and there was no chance of reaching a hospital. Jaxon held his numb legs with a look of despair. In my past life, I had been a herbalist, so I decided to treat his legs myself. At dawn, I climbed the mountains to gather fresh herbs, boiled medicine through the night, and performed massages three times a day. After three months, his legs finally began to heal.
When he could walk again, Jaxon’s face lit up with hope. He promised me that once he secured his position, he would never let me down.
But instead of gratitude, I received three years in prison.
I later discovered that Arabelle had sent him a pack of medicine at that time. She, too, was involved in the medical field, and Jaxon always believed it was her medicine that had healed his legs. But I had seen that medicine was nothing more than a basic treatment for superficial wounds.
I never explained. I saved him out of pure instinct as a doctor and out of love for my fiancé. Holding onto the hope that I’d one day see Callum again, I endured each lonely night.
Jaxon clearly remembered. His hand, still gripping the knife, slowly dropped. After a long silence, he spoke, "Forget it. It's a happy day. We shouldn't shed blood."
Arabelle’s face tightened slightly, and she let out a sob. Hearing this, Jaxon added, "But for Arabelle’s sake, I can’t let you go so easily either."
"Since you tried to come between us, why don’t you kneel right here and let Arabelle and me walk over you into our happiness?"
Tears silently traced down my cheeks. Just hold on a little longer. As long as I can see Callum, I can bear any humiliation.
I nodded and whispered, "Okay."
As long as I could still marry into the Montgomery family, I would endure anything.
I knelt before Jaxon and Arabelle, bowing so low that my posture resembled that of a dog. The sight of me, humiliated beyond measure, caused the guests to burst into laughter. The shame was so overwhelming that even though my arms remained unbroken, the crowd no longer cared.
Flashes from cameras flickered relentlessly, each one capturing my degradation.
"Look at her, she’s just like a dog."
Jaxon took Arabelle’s hand, raised his foot, and stepped over me.
"From now on, don’t show your face in front of me again. Get lost."
I quietly dusted off my knees and walked out, my head heavy with humiliation.
The next day, the front page of every newspaper displayed a photo of me kneeling at the engagement banquet, with the headline:
"Aldridge Family Criminal Kneels Like a Dog at Engagement Banquet; Why?"
As I glanced at the newspaper, I was already on my way to the Montgomery estate.
Only four days remained. In those four days, I had to awaken the man in the coma and marry him.
The Montgomery family was an old, prestigious lineage.
Once one of the top families in Greenville, their power had faded when their only son became paralyzed ten years ago. Yet, their legacy and influence still lingered.
Their business still thrived, and even Jaxon seemed to flinch at the mention of the Montgomery name.
In the misty rain of Roseville, I pried open the heavy iron gate of the Montgomery Residence. The door swung open, and I smiled, hoping for a warm reception. But the moment the butler saw me, he slammed it shut.
"Disgusting. Where did this dog come from?"
Through the crack, I caught sight of the newspaper tucked under his arm. I quickly pounded on the door.
"I’m here to save your young master!"
The door creaked open again. The butler eyed me skeptically.
"You?"
Before I could answer, a familiar voice called out from inside.
"Butler Dayne, who is it?"
