Juan’s brow furrowed, but before he could press further, the door suddenly burst open.
Ashley appeared—her hair disheveled, her slip dress torn, revealing a glimpse of her body. Her eyes were red and filled with tears, making her look pitiful.
“Juan, save me!” she screamed. “Someone’s trying to rape me!”
She collapsed into Juan’s arms, trembling and feverish.
“My water was drugged. If I hadn’t stabbed myself, I wouldn’t have been able to face you again!”
Juan then noticed the shallow cut on Ashley’s palm. Blood flowed and his expression darkened with rage.
“What are you all standing there for? Go catch them!”
Juan immediately tore off his shirt, cut pieces of white cloth with scissors and wrapped them around Ashley’s wound.
Susan still remembered that shirt. It was the one Juan had worn at their wedding—a limited edition, high-end model she had purchased after traveling through countless countries. He’d said he would cherish it. Now, he had destroyed it with his own hands.
Susan lowered her eyes, hiding the glint of mockery within them. The alleged culprit was dragged in by the bodyguards and thrown at Ashley’s feet.
Ashley screamed in fear. “It’s him! It’s him! He almost ruined my innocence!”
The man was doused with a bucket of ice water, snapping him out of his drunken state. After realizing what had happened, he collapsed, pale and horrified.
“I—I’m innocent, Mr. Parkston! I was drugged and I lost control of myself. It was this bottle of liquor. After I drank it…”
Suddenly, he straightened up and pointed at Susan, “It was her! It was this woman who drugged Miss Tisdale and me—and had someone lock us in the same room. She did all this on purpose!”
At that moment, Juan trembled, his hawk-like gaze narrowing on Susan. Her stomach churned and she remained slumped on the floor, stunned.
Looking up, she met Ashley’s half-smile—sinister and cold—and instantly understood everything.
This was another trap.
In fact, there were many details that pointed to Susan’s innocence. But Juan didn’t believe her.
So, no matter what she said, it was a capital crime.
“Don’t you have anything to say?” Juan looked down at her, his voice laced with disappointment. “Susan, you’re a stranger to me right now.”
“To avoid divorcing me, you’ve resorted to such disgusting tactics. Have you ever considered how Ashley will cope after you’ve ruined her innocence?”
Susan was drenched in cold sweat from the pain. She had no strength to argue. She closed her eyes, exhausted.
“Whatever you think,” she said in a low voice.
Juan flung everything off the table with a deafening crash. His eyes blazed with terrifying rage.
“Well, even after all this, you still don’t repent. In that case, let’s give her a taste of her own medicine! Come on—pour all this liquor into her stomach!”
Susan froze, staring at Juan in disbelief, almost questioning her own sanity. She had already bled from her stomach. To vent his anger over Ashley, he actually tried to force more laced liquor into her body?
“No,” Susan rasped, shaking her head. “Juan, I’ll die…”
Susan’s mouth was pried open. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t stop the burning liquor from flooding into her stomach. She spat blood against the wall before collapsing into unconsciousness. Her last sight was Juan’s retreating back, walking away without the slightest hesitation.
Susan couldn’t help but smile in despair and wondered in silence, Juan, do you really love me? If you do, would you truly be willing to treat me like this?
