Opening her eyes, Susan felt a pair of rough hands groping her. Someone covered her mouth and a sharp slap across her face made her ears ring. "This woman is really something. If she hadn’t been drugged, how would we have gotten our turn?"
Susan then realized the primal desire surging within her body. She couldn’t help but curl up. Her eyes bloodshot, she bit down hard on the man’s hand. With a loud crack, he slapped her again.
"Easy! Mr. Parkston told us to play around, not kill her!"
Hearing that, a chill ran down Susan’s spine. It was him. It was actually him... Susan couldn’t help but laugh softly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
As the sickening stench hit her face, Susan steeled herself and rammed her head into him. She somehow found the strength to tear off the rag covering her eyes, grabbed a nearby vase and smashed it over the man's head with all her might.
Before bolting from the room, Susan caught a glimpse of a familiar face. She remembered that man. He was Ashley’s cousin.
Stumbling home in a disheveled mess, Susan couldn’t wait to tell Juan the truth. But as she approached, the frantic sounds of breathing and moaning sent her spiraling into a whirlwind of despair.
"No, no more..." Juan’s voice was hoarse, frantic and lost in confusion. "No more? Didn’t you ask me to help you with the antidote?"
Susan stood frozen, stunned, feeling like the whole situation was beyond absurd. Her husband was administering the antidote to another woman, while she had just barely escaped a horrifying assault.
She no longer expected Juan to help her uncover the truth. For the next ten days, she reviewed surveillance footage, called the police and received treatment for her injuries at the hospital. She handled everything on her own.
One by one, she tore off the calendar pages. The date of her divorce approached closer and closer.
Finally, with only seven days left before her departure, Susan gathered all the evidence. She was determined to clear her name before she walked away for good.
She returned to the villa and laid everything out in front of Juan, "Juan, it wasn’t me who drugged her that night. It was Ashley’s cousin."
Unexpectedly, she was met with suffocating silence.
Ashley’s body went limp, her expression shifting through confusion and disbelief. "How is that possible?"
Susan pointed at her face, her voice trembling with fury. "Ashley, don’t pretend. You conspired with your cousin and let him do this to me..."
Before she could finish, Juan cut her off impatiently, "So what?"
Those two simple words, cold and dismissive, struck Susan like a blow to the chest. Her eyes widened in disbelief before tears spilled over.
"I’m going to call the police. She framed me. Slandered me. I can’t let this go."
Ashley began to sob, her voice trembling. "Susan, you misunderstood. I really don’t know anything! My cousin—he just wanted to help me. He acted on his own... Juan, he did this for my sake. Please, don’t hurt him, okay?"
"I only have this one brother. If anything happens to him, I won’t want to live anymore!" Ashley said, ready to slam her head against the wall.
Juan pulled her into his arms. His expression darkened and he nearly roared, "Enough! Don’t you just want to divorce me? Why are you making up so many excuses to mess with me?"
Juan closed his eyes and let out a sharp breath, "Fine, I promise. As long as you stop stirring things up, I’ll go with you to cancel the divorce registration in a few days. Is that okay?"
He looked as if he was conceding everything.
But Susan only sneered, "What if I insist on suing?"
A flash of disgust crossed Juan’s eyes, "Then I’ll send Ashley’s cousin abroad before you do."
He turned to Ashley with unwavering tenderness, "Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to your cousin."
"Take her. Lock the lady in the basement first. No one is to let her out without my permission!"
Susan stumbled as the bodyguard dragged her away, slamming her against the wall. She let out a burst of hollow laughter, tears slipping freely down her face.
Before being shoved into the basement, Juan caught sight of her devastated expression—and a sharp pang pierced his heart. He opened his mouth, as if to say something more.
But Ashley had already taken his hand. "Juan, let’s take my cousin to the airport now, okay?"
Juan looked away, unable to dwell on the strange heaviness rising inside him because of Susan.
She loved him so deeply. She had always forgiven him. Just like how she had forgiven his 99 betrayals.
