Chapter 23



“I swear I didn’t lie…” The man pinned to the floor wailed as Jake’s investigator hovered nearby. Jake watched, his expression unreadable.

Steven couldn’t stand it any longer. He strode over and delivered a precise kick to a sensitive spot on the man’s leg. The man jerked from the pain, his voice cut off by the sudden shock.

“Make another sound, and I’ll cripple you,” Steven warned, his tone cold and threatening, reminiscent of a ruthless mob boss.

Silence fell. The man clamped his mouth shut, fear evident in his eyes.

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Shortly after, updates arrived from both the bank and the telecom company. The bank verified the man’s claims. He had indeed initiated a transfer to Kallie as the receipt indicated. Yet, it was a scheduled transaction, and the funds had only reached Kallie’s account about thirty minutes ago, explaining why Kallie hadn’t noticed them yet.

From the telecom company came Kallie’s communication logs for the last month. Unable to make calls, her record showed no outgoing calls, only missed ones from delivery services, which she replied to with texts. Occasionally, there were messages to the housekeeper and Linsey, but none to or from the man.

Technicians soon unearthed the truth. The messages allegedly from Kallie on the man’s phone were fabricated through a counterfeit base station. It was a clear setup against Kallie.

With her name proven innocent, Kallie lifted her gaze to meet Jake’s, her eyes brimming with a silent sorrow, dimmed by the ordeal.

Jake’s brow furrowed, a tightness in his throat preventing him from speaking.

Kallie picked up her phone, opting not to use the text-to-speech function this time. Instead, she typed out her message and turned the screen toward Jake. “I would never betray you, no matter the offer. I’d never sell your files.”

The words “sell your files” held Jake’s gaze for a moment longer before he reached out, his fingers lightly brushing Kallie’s hair. “I know,” he whispered, his voice tinged with warmth. “Is there anything you need? Let me make it up to you.”

Kallie was taken aback. She eyed Jake warily before typing once more.

Jake waited with patience, but upon reading her next message, his expression chilled to a stark frost. “Can we divorce now? I can write you an IOU for the twenty million. I promise to repay it.”

“Why? Is that what you really want?” Jake’s voice was low, his teeth clenched to steer clear of the word “divorce” in front of others.

Kallie recoiled slightly but continued typing, her head bowed. “I know you don’t care for me, yet I remain your wife. If you can’t even trust me, what’s left for us in this marriage?”

After reading the message, Jake was overcome with silence. The corridor became eerily still. He lingered in front of Kallie, then, without a word, abruptly turned and walked away.

“Looks like it’s up to me to manage things now,” Steven declared, his voice heavy with irony. He proceeded to instruct the nurses to transport Kallie back to her room.

The authorities detained the man, yet the dilemma of handling Sarah remained unresolved.

“Moments earlier, you were so certain Kallie was at fault. Maybe you were part of the plot to frame her as well. Are you planning to explain yourself to the police or to Mr. Reeves?” Steven challenged Sarah sharply.

Sarah, left alone as Jake exited, involuntarily stepped back, stammering, “I… I had no idea. I truly believed that evidence was unmistakable!”

From the floor, the man, strained by a kick from Steven, weakly chimed in, “It was me… I deceived Sarah… I just aimed to swindle her out of money, so I fed her these lies. She was oblivious to the truth.”

“Is that so?” Steven asked, skeptically tilting his head toward the man. “You’re quite loyal, protecting your employer. But you might want to polish your narrative. It’s riddled with inconsistencies right now!”

Soon, only Kallie and Linsey remained in the room.

Linsey, still visibly shaken, grabbed the snack bag she had bought earlier and sat down beside Kallie. “I’m staying right here with you, I’m not going anywhere,” she declared.

Kallie offered a reassuring smile and gently urged Linsey to lie down and try to get some sleep.

“But what did you tell Jake earlier? I thought you guys were smoothing things over. Then suddenly, he shows up and has the cops haul you off without even letting you explain?” Linsey’s confusion was evident in her tone.

Kallie remained silent, absorbing Linsey’s words.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay,” Linsey continued, softening her voice. “Let’s try to get some rest, sweetie. Right now, your priority is to recover. Make sure you eat well and build back your strength!”

Thanks to the exceptional care from Steven, Kallie’s splint was removed on the second day of her stay in the hospital. By the fourth day, she was nearly back to her old self, though she still sported a few lingering bruises.

“Honey, I’m taking you to the hot springs!” Linsey announced with excitement as she picked Kallie up from the hospital. “A few spa treatments should help boost your circulation and speed up your recovery.”

They headed to a newly opened hot spring resort. However, the moment they stepped into the lobby, they bumped into familiar faces, Sarah and her friend, linked arm in arm.

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