Chapter 6

After a long time, Braeden finally finished having sex with Carol upstairs and joined Anna.

He looked in high spirits, with his complexion glowing with health.

Meanwhile, Carol had put her mask back on.

They seemed oblivious to Anna's unusual reaction. They served Anna dishes while exchanging flirtatious glances.

The two coordinated with seamless precision, carrying on as if nothing had happened.

Yet, Anna had no appetite at all.

She looked down, only to see Carol boldly brushing her leg against Braeden's.

A wave of nausea surged through Anna, and she put down her knife and fork.

Although the earlier thrill had restored her speech, her full recovery was still a long way off.

Moreover, Anna had no intention of letting Braeden know about her recovery, so she frowned and gestured. "I don't want to eat anymore."

As they were leaving, Carol said to Anna, "I heard it is your fifth anniversary today. Our restaurant has a gift for you."

With that, she took Anna's arm and led her to the front desk.

Braeden furrowed his eyebrows and seemingly wanted to stop them. But he managed to restrain himself.

Anna glanced back at Braeden and suddenly felt an emptiness inside herself. She couldn't be bothered to care about anything at that moment.

"Miss Briggs, here's a celebrating card we've prepared especially for you. Please take it."

Through the mask, Anna saw the provocative gleam in Carol's eyes.

Anna opened the card to find a wedding invitation inside.

"You are really something, acting like nothing has happened even though you know the truth." Carol's voice was low but smug as she leaned in and whispered in Anna's ear. "It seems that the incident really shook you. How can you compete with me for Braeden? You are such a loser."

Anna looked up and met Carol's gaze.

But the former was calm and said nothing.

They walked out of the restaurant. Braeden looked at Anna with some guilt for a long moment and then said, "Honey, I just got a message from the company. I have an urgent business trip tomorrow. Take care of yourself while I'm away, and don't wander around before I get back."

Anna replied in sign language, "I see."

She no longer cared how long he intended to keep her in the dark.

She would continue the game a little longer with him.

Anyway, she was about to disappear from his world completely.

One day before the wedding, Anna received a text message. "Ms. Briggs, all your identification information has been canceled. Please schedule an appointment to obtain new identification as soon as possible."

Anna looked out of the window and smiled with relief.

Then she received a message from Collin as expected. "Anna, I've got all the dirt on Braeden. I won't let him get away with this. I will depart at dawn and bring you home tomorrow."

As she read Collin's message full of concern, Anna's eyes welled with tears.

She wanted to call Collin to hear his voice so much, but her speech was still limited by her condition.

She didn't want him to worry, so she simply replied briefly with the message. "Okay."

After that, she removed her SIM card and flushed it down the drain.

Since she had decided to disappear from Braeden's world, she'd better do it thoroughly.

She deleted all the unnecessary content on her phone and left only the most "precious" images.

On Braeden's wedding day, Anna took out everything from the small storeroom that held memories of her and Braeden, including photo albums, diaries, and portraits.

She lit a small flame and threw in the title to the new house Braeden had given her.

The flames leaped high.

Anna opened the gas valve and quickly fled the "cage" that had trapped her for two years.

The sun shone brightly overhead.

"Anna, you are free," she whispered to herself.

The sounds from Braeden and Carol's wedding came through the receiver on her bracelet.

Anna heard the applause and blessings from the guests.

Braeden serenaded Carol with a song of love.

The host's exuberant voice was heard

as well as their vows with determination.

Anna seemed to have witnessed their wedding, their love, and how miserable and absurd Anna was.

But nothing mattered now.

Anna took off the bracelet and tossed it into the flowerbed.

Meanwhile, Braeden was toasting to the guests, with Carol happily clinging to him.

His face was slightly flushed from the alcohol, while Carol looked blissfully content as she leaned against him.

Just then, Braeden's assistant, Richard Norris, came over. "Braeden, the estate is on fire."

Braeden squinted and said impatiently, "Since it's on fire, put it out. I'm at my wedding now. Don't disturb me!"

With that, he was about to turn away when he suddenly sobered up. He grabbed Richard and asked, "What did you say? Which estate? Is Anna safe?"

Richard hesitated before finally saying, "No, she's not."

Braeden couldn't breathe.

The wine glass slipped from his hand suddenly and shattered on the floor.