Chapter 3

"Crack!"

A sharp slap sent Eva's phone flying from her ear. It crashed to the floor, and the screen was shattered.

The next moment, Jake had Eva pinned against the wall by the throat. "Eva, it's been three years, and you're still so malicious. You still want to destroy Ryann, no matter what you do. She is just a woman."

Eva gasped for air and struggled to speak. "Jake, it's been five years, and you're still so blind... ugh..."

But Jake's grip silenced her.

The rest of his words could not come out of her throat.

Her vision darkened, and she was momentarily in a daze.

Eva recalled the last fight she had with Jake before they got married.

Back then, Jake's parents had thoroughly investigated Ryann after they learned that Jake had a secret relationship with her.

They found out that Ryann was not only deceitful, with secret relationships with other guys, but also frequently used depression as an excuse to bully other girls.

Jake's parents were disgusted by Ryann and firmly opposed to Jake's relationship with her.

However, when Ryann's parents showed him the evidence, he refused to even look at it. Instead, he told them that he already knew the truth that Ryann was the one being bullied.

His parents were so furious that they even had high blood pressure and were left speechless.

In the end, Eva showed Jake a diagnosis from Professor Vernon Ward, the world's most authoritative psychologist, which confirmed that Ryann did have a psychological disorder-not depression, but paranoia with antisocial tendencies.

But he didn't believe it. He just sneered at Eva and said sharply, "So, everything Ryann said was true. Eva, do you love me?"

Eva's mind went blank. She watched Jake's mouth move but heard nothing.

But she clearly saw the mockery, disdain, and disgust in his eyes.

His expression mirrored Ryann's when she told Eva that it was not right and that she was mentally disturbed if she had feelings for her brother.

Suddenly, the grip on her neck eased, and Eva slumped to the floor. She realized her face was wet with tears.

She slowly raised her head and saw the confusion in Jake's eyes. But he became stern when he met her gaze.

"Eva, I'll fulfill your wish and let the entire world know your husband loves another woman. You will spend the rest of your life with the title of Mrs. Stephens." With that, he left.

Eva picked up her phone with trembling hands. It was still connected to the call.

The sound of a soft laugh came from the other end.

She hung up, opened her messages, and searched for a text from Vernon from three years ago. Tears streamed down her face as she felt so lucky.

"Eva, you're still young. I understand you chose to give up your career for love. If you ever want to develop your career, please call me."

Eva dialed Vernon's number. His lively, cheerful voice was heard soon. "Eva, is that you?"

Eva nodded silently. "Yes, Professor. Is it too late for me to go and see you now?"

She couldn't see Vernon's face, but she sensed his silent smile. "I've been waiting for you all along."

After ending the call, Eva remembered what had happened six years ago. Back then, in order to expose Ryann's deception and prevent Jake from being deceived further, she took on a double workload-managing her major while self-studying psychology. So she got to know Vernon.

The professor believed that Eva was talented in psychological research and wanted to take her as his student. But she considered her responsibility in the Stephens family and refused decisively.

Later, when Eva asked Vernon to make an exception and provide a diagnosis for Ryann, he had given her another offer, and she'd accepted it.

In the end, she didn't keep her word for the sake of her farcical marriage.

Eva had thought that she'd never get another chance to pursue her career in psychology, but Vernon had been waiting for her all along.

Eva finally realized that Jake had never loved her, not even a little.

So she decided to leave.