Nina had always been a brilliant student, which led her to receive schrships and attend the same prestigious school as Nora. However, her good days at school did notst long.


    Nina’s mother Kristen was a sex addict. As a promiscuous woman, she couldn’t control her lust and involved herself with multiple sugar daddies.


    Shockingly, one of them turned out to be their school’s principal.


    When the principal’s wife discovered their affair, she was furious and wanted to settle scores. Unable to locate Kristen, she decided tosh out at Nina instead.


    Nora vividly remembered that day and the chaos that ensued.


    In the middle of sses, the principal’s wife barged into the ssroom, dragged Nina to the school field, and beat her violently. The shocking scene gathered a crowd, and the entire school witnessed themotion.


    If not for Nora alerting the authorities, Nina would never have been able to leave in a single piece.


    As a result, the authorities sent the principal’s wife to the police station and fired the principal from his position.


    After that, Nora never saw Nina again.


    Spections about Nina’s whereabouts circted among the schoolmunity. Some believed she was too ashamed to face the aftermath of the incident and chose to hide away. While others wondered if she had taken a simr path as her mother.


    After investigations, Nora found out that Nina had run away from her home, possibly seeking an escape from her mother.


    The exact reason remained unknown; however, she was d that Nina decided to escape.


    As memories of her painful and abusive past resurfaced, a wave of sorrow engulfed Nina. The weight of her past burdens pressed heavily on her heart, causing her chest to tighten with pain.


    Despite the passage of time, the wounds still felt raw and painful, reminding her of the hardships she had endured.


    Nora noticed the sudden shift in Nina and realized that she had inadvertently touched upon her sore spot.


    “I’m sorry if I made you ufortable,” Nora quickly apologized. She cursed inwardly and regretted running her mouth off. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted to know how you’ve been doing all these years.”


    Drawing a deep breath, Nina forced a smile. “You don’t have to apologize,” she assured Nora. “It’s just that… no one has ever asked me about how I’ve been all these years. It caught me off guard.”


    As her words settled, a hint of mncholy filled in the air. The light in Nina’s amber eyes was now reced with sorrow and destion.


    Nora averted her gaze, unable to look at Nina as she felt a stifling feeling in her chest.


    “I’m living well,” Ninaforted with a soft smile, her eyes carrying the resilience of someone who had weathered storms.


    It wasn’t easy for her to reach where she was today.


    She had fought hard to ovee the shadows of the past, striving for a future that was free from the clutches of pain and despair.


    Yet, asionally, the scars would reopen, reminding her of the darkness she had once been into.


    Nora’s tense shoulders visibly rxed. A relieved sigh escaped her lips, mingling with a soft nod. “d to hear that,”


    Curiosity sparked in her eyes as she probed further, delicately treading into her personal territory. “You and Jayden…?”


    “It’s just as you see. We’re married.”


    “Does he treat you well?”


    Nora had heard from Liam about their rtionship in bits and pieces. However, she wanted to learn the truth from Nina herself.


    With a slight pause, a smile apanied her nod as Nina affirmed. “Very well.”


    Although they were in a contract marriage, Jayden has always treated her exceptionally well.


    Engaging in the intimacy of the moment, the two women continued their conversation.


    “I believe it’s time for us to head back,” Nora suggested, a light smile ying on her lips. “It seems we’ve been away for quite a while. My boys are probably wondering where I’ve disappeared to.” She chuckled thinking about how Liam and Stephan had bombarded her with messages.


    Nina agreed. “We’ll have plenty more opportunities to catch up now that you’re in Spring City.”


    “Umm…”


    Just as Nora was about to reach for the doorknob, Nina’s voice gently halted her in her tracks. Puzzled, Nora turned around.


    “Nora,” she called out hesitantly, “I know this might seem abrupt, but… could you not mention my past to Jayden?”


    Nora’s brows furrowed slightly, discerning the gravity of Nina’s request.


    She understood the implications, theyers of pain and protection that veiled Nina’s words. With a reassuring smile, she nodded, her gaze unwavering. “Don’t worry. Your past is yours to share; when and if you choose. I’ll respect your wishes.”


    Nina’s face softened, and her eyes showed a sense of gratitude. “Thank you,” she whispered sincerely.


    “Look,” Nora began, her voice a gentle guide. “Since you’ve already walked forward in your life, leaving everything behind… don’t ever look back.”


    With those words of encouragement, Nora opened the door, allowing the noisy atmosphere of the banquet to seep into their private conversation.


    —


    “Excuse me, Jayden. Can I speak with you for a moment?” Madison’s voice interrupted Jayden’s conversation with another entrepreneur. Nodding, Jayden excused himself and apanied Madison to the balcony.


    “What’s up?” Jayden asked casually, extracting a cigarette from his pocket and igniting it with a lighter.


    He gazed out into the night sky ahead, while Madison positioned herself beside him to face him directly.


    As the cigarette’s ember glowed and wisps of smoke spiraled into the air, Madison’s gaze was fixated on his profile.


    She felt entranced, wishing that this moment could be frozen in time.


    The man in front of her was so sexy yet unattainable, intensifying her yearning to an almost unbearable level. There was no way she would ever give up on him!N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    “I need to discuss something with you,” Madison began, her voice tinged with urgency. “It’s about Nina.”


    Jayden’s forehead creased in a frown, “If you’re here to talk nonsense about our rtionship, spare me,” he retorted, leaving no room for further discussion.


    “It’s not about it,” Madison hurriedly rified. “A few days ago, I ran into Nina at the college. We had a little argument, and during that exchange, I learned something quite surprising.”


    “Get to the point,” Jayden responded, with a hint of irritation in his words. It was obvious that his patience was thin.


    Clearing her throat, Madison hastened to borate, her words purposeful. “LJ, I don’t deny that I’m not fond of her, but as someone close to you, I thought it was my responsibility to share this information with you.”


    “Nina confessed that she does not have any feelings for you. She finds this marriage tiresome and is merely biding her time to initiate a divorce and receive the alimony.”


    Jayden nced at her, waiting for her to continue.


    “If you don’t believe me, you can listen to our conversation.” Madison tapped on her cell phone and yed a voice conversation between her and Nina the other day.


    “Tell this to Jayden.” the voice said, and Jayden’s heart skipped a beat as he recognized Nina’s voice. “If you can persuade him to leave me, I’d be grateful to you.”


    The recording struck him like a blow, and he clenched his jaw hard, as Nina’s voice repeated in his head.


    However, Madison wasn’t done yet.


    “There’s one more thing.” Madison continued; her tone careful. “I’m not entirely sure about it yet, so I’m cautious in bringing it up. I’ve noticed that she’s very close to a male ssmate. Whenever I’m at the school, I’ve noticed them spending time together frequently be it in the cafeteria, library, or outdoors.” She paused before delivering the final blow. “Perhaps this is the reason she wants to get a divorce from you.”


    Although she did not say anything explicitly, it was obvious that she was hinting that Nina was cheating on him.


    A storm brewed within the depths of Jayden’s dark eyes, about to explode any moment. The bustling atmosphere of the banquet seemed to fade in the background, and all he could hear was that woman’s damning words.


    He could almost imagine her unperturbed and nonchnt expression as she casually uttered those words. The mental image only fueled the intensity of his rage.


    Clenching his fists at his sides, he squeezed his eyes shut. His chest expanded as he inhaled a deep breath to prevent his anger from overflowing.


    A sinister satisfaction curled the corner of Madison’s lips and she was pleased observing Jayden’s reaction.


    With her calcted words and the partial recording, she was confident about sessfully sowing the seeds of doubt and discord between the couple.


    After all, no man could take it lying down when he learned about his wife’s affairs.


    Jayden was someone who had been through various turbulent trials in his life. It was only a matter of seconds before he reverted to his usual apathetic self.


    Shifting his attention towards Madison, he patted her shoulder lightly. “Thank you for telling me about this,” he began.


    “Rest assured, I won’t allow her to seed in her schemes.” His intense gaze locked onto Madison’s, harboring a ruthlessness that sent shivers down her spine.


    “She wants to divorce me to elope with this man, right?” he inquired, his voice retaining a chilling calmness that belied the storm brewing within him.


    Madison nodded in affirmation.


    A dark glint swept past his eyes, his next words dripping with venomous intent. “I’ll never allow her the luxury to escape. If she dares to leave me, I’ll break her legs and lock her up forever. Let’s see what she can do about it then.” His words held a merciless edge, cutting through the air like shards of ice.


    The smile on Madison’s lips froze upon hearing his words.


    What the fuck???


    This wasn’t the oue she had expected. She wanted to drive a wedge between the couple, not bind them together.


    Madison’s mind churned in bewilderment.


    Shouldn’t he be storming off to confront Nina, demanding exnations and fueling the fire of doubt between them?


    Why was he acting so differently than she had anticipated?


    Her carefully constructed n was unraveling before her eyes, and she clenched her teeth, grappling with the unexpected turn of events.


    “You…” Madison began; but was interrupted abruptly.


    Jayden saw something from the corner of his eyes and with a subtle gesture, he asked her to stop.


    With an air of urgency, he made his way through the crowd and strode toward the restroom.