Chapter 3
One week later, the Smith family’s monthly banquet arrived right on schedule. William was absent, so Selena had to attend alone.
The moment Mrs. Smith saw her, her face darkened.
“Where’s William?”
Selena lowered her gaze. “He’s tied up with something and won’t be back for now.”
Mrs. Smith gave a cold, disdainful laugh, about to speak when the butler hurried over, handing her a tabloid newspaper.
Splashed across the front page was a photo of William and Alice locked in an embrace on a yacht.
Smack! Mrs. Smith slammed her chopsticks down on the table, her voice trembling with fury.
“Anna! Come with me to the study!”
Once inside, she barked, “Kneel!”
Selena silently sank to her knees.
“Useless! You can’t even keep your own husband!” Mrs. Smith was shaking with rage. “You have two choices—call him right now and make him come home, or… face the family discipline.”
Selena’s lashes trembled.
She knew even if she called, William would not return.
And she couldn’t disturb him while he was with the woman he loved. If he became angry, the cooperation between their families could be jeopardized.
“I choose the family discipline,” she said softly.
Mrs. Smith’s eyes widened. “Say that again?”
“I choose the family discipline.” Selena lifted her head, her gaze calm. “Do it.”
Mrs. Smith’s face turned ashen. She snatched the whip from the wall and brought it down across Selena’s back.
“Will you call him?!”
Crack!
“Will you call him?!”
Crack!
Selena bit down hard on her lip, the pain searing through her back like fire, yet she kept shaking her head.
Eventually, her vision went black from the agony, and she collapsed.
When she woke, she was lying face down on a hospital bed, her back swathed in bandages.
William sat beside her, his brow furrowed.
“When my mother gave you a hard time, why didn’t you call me?” His voice was cold.
Selena gave a faint, fragile smile. “I didn’t want to interrupt your date with Miss White.”
William froze.
He stared at her pale face, recalling what the nurse had said:
Because she loves William so much, she’s even willing to care for the woman he loves…
She loved him that much? Loved him enough to endure punishment rather than disturb him?
That strange, unsettling feeling in his chest grew stronger.
For the next few days, he stayed in the hospital to look after her—something he had never done before.
Selena told him it wasn’t necessary, but he didn’t leave.
On the day she was discharged, William received an urgent call from the company.
“There’s a meeting. You’ll have to go home on your own.” He tossed out the words and walked away.
Selena nodded and slowly made her way out of the hospital.
As she stepped down the stairs, she accidentally bumped into someone.
“Are you blind?!” the person shouted. “Do you have any idea how expensive this outfit is? Dressed so shabby—could you even afford to pay for it?!”
Selena was about to apologize when a sharp, cold voice came from behind.
“Get lost.”
William had somehow gotten out of his car, throwing a wad of cash into the person’s face. “Is that enough?”
The man looked ready to argue, but one glance at William’s tailored suit and imposing presence sent him scurrying away.
William’s eyes swept over Selena with cutting disdain.
“Anna, did the Melford Family or the Smith Family not give you money? Why are you dressed like this?”
Selena stayed silent.
The Melfords had never given her a cent, and though the Smiths had provided a black card, she wasn’t truly Selena—and she had never touched it.
Her silence ignited something in William, a sudden flare of inexplicable anger. He grabbed her and pulled her toward the car.
“We’re buying clothes.”
At the mall, William picked out several haute couture outfits, each worth a small fortune.
Selena cooperated quietly, moving like a puppet without strings of her own.
But just as they stepped out of the store—
“William?”
The trembling voice made Selena look up. Alice stood not far away, wearing a server’s uniform from her part-time job.
Her eyes were red, disbelief etched across her face.
“You told me you were in a company meeting.”
“Alice…” William’s expression shifted.
“You don’t have to love me…” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “But how could you lie? I shouldn’t have come back. I’m the one disturbing you two…”
She turned and ran.
“Alice!” William immediately went after her.
Selena remained where she was, watching his retreating back, her heart utterly still.
And then—
Boom!
A deafening crash.
Do you want me to continue this scene and translate what happens after the crash? That moment feels like a turning point in their relationship. The glass panel high above the mall shattered without warning, crashing straight down onto Alice’s head.
She didn’t even have time to cry out before collapsing into a pool of blood.