Karina rushed after him, still not ready to let it go.


    "Your first love is back in the country, and suddenly you''re getting ideas, is that it? Let me remind you, Noah, you''re a married man with a child! If you dare to cheat on me, I won''t let either of you get away with it."


    Faced with Karina''s outburst, Noah felt that even an exnation would be a waste of breath.


    A car pulled up, and he yanked the door open and got inside.


    The car sped away, leaving Karina standing there alone.


    As he watched Karina''s figure shrink in the rearview mirror, Noah felt an unexpected sense of relief.


    He raised a hand and massaged his throbbing temples.


    For the first time, Noah truly regretted his impulsive decision to marry Karina.


    A marriage of convenience rarely ends well.


    At the time, his family had been pressuring him to get married, and he was disheartened to learn that Cynthia had gotten engaged overseas.


    Karina, meanwhile, came from a family that prized sons over daughters, and her parents were trying to force her to marry a man nearly her father''s age.


    Noah had felt a pang of sympathy. If he couldn''t marry the woman he loved, then it didn''t matter who he married. At least he could save a poor soul and pull her out of a miserable situation.


    Noah thought he could give Karina a hand and lift her out of the toxic environment of her family.


    But after they married, Karina never drew a line with her family. Instead, she constantly used the Thompson family''s resources to support them, letting them leech off of her.


    Noah could never understand her thinking or her actions. Perhaps it was true that pitiable people often had their own serious ws.


    Although Bet Thompson''s sudden appearance at Eden Monroe and Ynda Walker''s wedding had dropped a bomb on the whole affair and stunned everyone, the ceremony itself had ultimately concluded without a hitch.


    After the wedding, Ynda went directly back to the new house with Eden.


    Though her health indicators were all stable, she had been through major surgery and was still weaker than an average person. The day-long wedding festivities had exhausted her, and she needed to rest.


    Vincent and Mrs. Walker also went straight back to the Walker residence.


    However, just as they walked in the door, Vincent''s phone rang.


    After taking the call, his expression darkened. Without a word to Mrs. Walker, he rushed out of the house.


    Vincent took a car straight to the hospital where April Martinez was staying.


    April had been on bed rest at the hospital to protect her pregnancy. She was in a VIP suite and was usually left undisturbed.


    When Vincent arrived, he could hear arguing from inside the room before he even reached the door.


    April''s cousin, the military captain who had shot Bet, was quickly apprehended after the incident and had been handed over to a military tribunal.


    Although a verdict hadn''t been reached, the crime was severe and the circumstances egregious. Even if he avoided a life sentence he was unlikely to ever see the outside of a prison again.


    April''s cousin''s wife had brought their child to the hospital to confront April.


    "April, you bitch! What did we ever do to you that you had to ruin our lives like this? Now my husband has been arrested, I''ve lost my job, and my child is being pointed at and whispered about. You''ve destroyed our family. Let me tell you, if we


    can''t live, you''re not going to have good life either!"


    "Please, calm down. I never thought things would turn out this way," April said,


    protectively cradling her belly with a look of unease.


    It wasn''t until Vincent pushed the door open and walked in that April seemed to find


    her anchor. She threw herself into his arms.


    "Vincent," she sobbed.


    "I''m here. It''s okay, don''t be afraid," Vincent said, holding herfortingly.