Chapter 1
Lying in the hospital bed,I watched the three of them walking out of the hospital hand in hand.I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
Even when I was just a few steps away,neither my husband nor my son bothered to come inside to see me.
Then,a swarm of reporters appeared out of nowhere.“Mr.Gardner,we heard your wife was in a serious car accident.Is that true?”
“Your wife barely survived,yet here you are laughing with another woman.Are you planning on ending your marriage?”
Microphones were nearly shoved into Jason’s face.His expression was filled with irritation,as though he wanted to smash a camera into their faces.
He said nothing.Instead,Yuna slipped her arm around his and said sweetly,“My sister-in-law only has a few scrapes.It’s really nothing serious.Please don’t worry.”
My son nodded along and added eagerly,“Mommy is just being dramatic again.”
After saying that,Yuna glanced deliberately toward my ward.
The reporters rushed in at once,their eyes sharp with suspicion.“Mrs.Gardner,your family says your injuries aren’t that serious.”
“Are you exaggerating the accident to get your husband’s attention and keep your position in the Gardner Family?”
The room filled with their polished questions and camera flashes grew so bright I could barely keep my eyes open.
From a distance,Yuna smirked at me in triumph.Jason and my son walked away hand in hand with her,not even glancing back.
I pushed away the microphones crowding around me and simply rolled up the sleeve of my hospital gown.
“Is this real enough for you?”I asked coldly.
The ward fell silent.Only the faint sound of camera shutters clicking remained.
Reporters kept showing up every few days,so I quietly signed the discharge papers and went home.
As I prepared to take my medication,my son ran over with a cup of water,smiling sweetly.“Mommy,here’s your medicine.”
A small warmth bloomed in my chest as I took the cup.After all,he was still my son.Maybe he truly did care.
I poured the pills into my mouth without looking,but pain shot through my teeth with a sharp crack.Blood filled my mouth.
Panicked,I spat the pills out.To my horror,they weren’t pills at all,just small stones.The real medicine lay crushed into powder in the trash bin.
Seeing my reaction,my son pointed at me and burst into laughter,rolling on the floor.
Exhaustion and anger surged inside me.I grabbed him and gave him a light smack.“How could you do that?Those were my medicine!”
He started crying at once,shouting through his tears,“So what?You’re always pretending anyway!”
Then he bit my hand hard.I raised my hand to discipline him properly this time,but before I could,Yuna rushed in and pulled him away.
“He’s just being playful!How could you hit him like that?”she cried,holding my son tightly as tears streamed down her face.She screamed for Jason,who quickly ran in.
“Jason,look!Your wife is hurting your child!Timmy is her own son and she still has the heart to abuse him!”
I had only given him one light smack.How did that turn into child abuse?
Unfortunately,Jason didn’t even care.He struck me across the face.Twice.
Holding those cold little stones in my hand,I looked at my son’s tear-streaked face.The pain from my wounds was nothing compared to the cold spreading through my heart.
I said nothing.I simply turned away,went back to my room,opened the drawer and took out the divorce papers.
Chapter 2
On our wedding night,Jason came home drunk.
The moment he stepped through the door,he threw a signed divorce agreement at me and said coldly,“I can never love you.When you finally want to leave,just sign it and get out.”
I had kept that divorce agreement all these years.Now,it finally had a purpose.
With steady hands,I signed my name at the bottom.Once the paperwork was complete,I would leave immediately and never look back.
Just as I put the pen down,Jason walked into the room.I quickly hid the agreement.
He didn’t seem to notice.Without saying a word,he walked to the bed,picked up his pajamas and a pillow.
“Tonight I’m sleeping with Timmy.You should take a good look at yourself.”
I only nodded in silence.
As he turned to leave,his gaze landed on my shoulder,catching sight of the seven stitches there.For the first time,he realized the car accident I had mentioned was real.
For a brief second,a flicker of guilt crossed his face.He reached out and brushed his fingers over the blood-stained bandage on my shoulder.
I slapped his hand away.“Don’t touch me.Your hands are dirty.”
His face instantly darkened with anger.“Scarlet Blaine,don’t push your luck!”
I just ignored him and lay down on the bed.Jason stormed out,slamming the door behind him.Days of exhaustion had worn me down and that night,I slept deeper than I had in a long time.
When I woke up,something sharp scraped across my cheek—a piece of paper.I winced at the sting.
“Jason,what the hell are you doing?”I snapped.
He stood before me,his face twisted in fury.“Look at what you’ve done!”
“Because of that slap,our son is now depressed.This is the doctor’s report!”
I bent down and picked it up.The words“mild depression”hit me like a punch to the chest.How could this be?Had I really scared Timothy that badly last night?That couldn’t be true.
Yuna stood behind Jason,holding my son in her arms.He buried his face into her shoulder,refusing to even glance my way.
Her shoulders trembled as she sobbed.“It’s all my fault…If only I’d come out earlier to protect Timmy,none of this would have happened…”
Jason immediately pulled both of them into his arms,comforting them.“Don’t blame yourself.You’ve done more than enough.”
“The one who should apologize is the person who caused all this.”
Then his eyes turned cold as he looked at me,saying,“From today on,you’re not allowed to go near our son.”
“The doctor said he needs a calm and loving environment.”
“You’ll also give up the master bedroom.Starting tonight,Yuna and I will stay there with Timmy.It'll be easier to care for him that way and it'll help him feel safe.”
At his words,a faint,almost invisible smile tugged at Yuna’s lips.I understood immediately.This was all her doing,from beginning to end.
“You really went to great lengths to stage this performance,”I sneered.“Don’t bother kicking me out.I’ll leave myself.”
Without another word,I packed my things and walked out of the house.The moment I stepped outside,I sent a message to my commander,requesting to return to active duty.
I had been an elite international operative since I was eighteen.Every mission I took ended in success.My comrades used to joke and call me“the Queen of Death.”
If it weren’t for the Gardner Family’s financial support and my promise to repay them by marrying Jason Gardner,I would’ve been leading my own unit by now.
But my debt to the Gardner Family was finally repaid.All I wanted now was to take back my life,the one that truly belonged to me.
The moment I hit submit,my application was instantly approved.
A message appeared on the screen:[Welcome back,Crimson Hawk.]
Chapter 3
Not long after,my squad’s private communicator buzzed and a familiar voice came through.“Crimson Hawk,are you really coming back?”
It was Silver Wolf,one of my old comrades.
“You were always the most talented among us.Quitting back then just to get married was such a waste.When the commander saw your return request,he actually jumped out of his chair.Everyone’s thrilled you’re coming back.”
Hearing that,a faint warmth stirred inside me.“Yes,but when you come pick me up in a few days,I’ll need a small favor.”
Silver Wolf sounded confused but agreed right away.“What about your husband and kid?”
I smiled slightly as I answered,“I’m leaving them,of course.”
Right at that moment,my husband and son had just walked to the doorway and heard every word.
My son hesitated,asking,“Daddy...will Mommy really leave us?”
Jason sneered.“She’s just bluffing.She wouldn’t have the heart.”
Realizing them standing behind me,I quickly hung up the phone.
“Scarlet Blaine,if you kneel and beg for forgiveness now,I might be generous enough to let you stay in the storage room.”
I didn’t even look at him.I just grabbed my suitcase and walked out and the front door slammed shut behind me with a sharp clang.
No sooner had I stepped outside than a black Rolls-Royce pulled up quietly beside me.The window rolled down,revealing Gideon’s worried face.
“Scarlet,dear,get in.I’ll drive you home.”
I shook my head politely.“I’ll be leaving soon anyway,Father.I don’t want to trouble you.”
He hurried out of the car and blocked my path,his tone soft and pleading.“For the sake of this old man’s face…can you give my son one more chance?”
I looked past him.Seven years of disappointment had already drained everything from my heart.When I didn’t answer,tears filled his eyes.
“My seventieth birthday is in three days.Please,stay and celebrate with me one last time.”
He had always treated me like his own daughter and stood up for me many times.Thinking of this,my resolve gradually faltered.In the end,I quietly nodded.
The night of the banquet,the hotel ballroom sparkled with lights and high society faces.Jason Gardner stood among the guests,Yuna by his side,their arms linked,with Timothy holding her hand.
“Oh,Mr.Gardner.Mrs.Gardner looks stunning tonight.And your son—he’s such a bright boy.What a perfect family.”
Jason stiffened.That was the seventy-eighth person to mistake their relationship today.When he glanced toward me,sitting alone in the corner,a rare flicker of guilt crossed his face.
He quickly corrected them.“Yuna is just my…sister.My wife is over there.”
The guest was immediately flustered and he hurried to apologize to me.I waved it off casually,as if it didn’t matter.
They weren’t really wrong anyway.Soon enough,Yuna would be the wife of Jason Gardner.
Soon after the guests drifted away,Jason walked over to me.“I’ve already shown you enough respect tonight.I won’t mention what happened before,so don’t embarrass yourself.Get off that high horse.”
His tone dripped with arrogance,as if I should be grateful for his so-called generosity.
As soon as he finished speaking,the birthday gifts began to be presented.
Ignoring him,I stepped toward the center of the ballroom,keeping a deliberate distance between us.Jason’s face darkened for a second,but he quickly covered it.
When it was Yuna’s turn,she offered an elegant sandalwood bracelet that must have cost a fortune.Gideon simply gave her a faint nod,nothing like the warm reaction she had clearly hoped for.Her smile faltered and she stomped away in frustration.
Then,every gaze in the room shifted toward me.I picked up a simple bowl of clear broth with plain noodles and carried it to the head table.
“Father,I made this myself.May it bring you warmth and long life.”
The bowl looked humble,with only one poached egg floating on top.
Yuna let out a mocking laugh.“Scarlet,my dear sister-in-law,what a cheap gift.”
Jason’s expression instantly soured,his voice turning sharp.“Take that away.You’re embarrassing the entire Gardner Family.”
A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd,low and mocking.
Chapter 4
Gideon ignored the whispers around him.He just quietly picked up the bowl and began to eat.“This is wonderful.Scarlet truly knows me best.She remembers this is my favorite.”
“For all these years,she’s been the one organizing my birthday banquets,managing everything inside and out with such care.”
“Having her as my daughter-in-law is the greatest gift I could ask for.”
At his words,the guests quickly changed their tune.One after another,they praised me,saying I was not only beautiful but also graceful,capable and the perfect daughter-in-law of the Gardner Family.
Yuna’s face twisted with jealousy.Her nails dug so deep into her palm that her skin nearly broke.
Then,out of nowhere,the giant screen on the main stage flickered.A series of indecent photos suddenly filled the screen.
In them,Yuna was completely naked,posing in all kinds of shameful positions.The men’s faces were blurred,but hers was shown clearly for everyone to see.
“Didn’t expect this from the Gardner Family’s adopted daughter.It turns out she’s got quite a wild side.”
“Look at that skin,so fair…think she’d let me have a taste too?”
“I thought the Gardner Family had such strict morals.Guess that was just for show.”
The hall burst into vulgar laughter.Jason and Yuna’s faces went completely white.
Yuna let out a sharp scream,her voice trembling with panic.“Turn it off!Shut it down right now!”
“This isn’t me!Someone’s framing me!”
Unfortunately,no matter how hard they tried,the screen wouldn’t respond.The photos kept looping again and again,filling the room with humiliation.
Jason’s face turned so dark it was almost frightening.Finally,unable to take it any longer,he smashed the power source himself.
Yuna burst into tears,her whole body shaking as she pointed at me with a trembling hand.
“I know you hate me.You’ve always hated me because Jason loves me,because Timmy likes me more.But you can’t ruin me like this,not on Father’s seventieth birthday!”
“This day means everything to him.Do you have no shame at all?Don’t you care about the Gardner Family’s reputation?”
I met her glare calmly,my voice steady.“It wasn’t me.”
Yes,I hated Yuna,but out of respect for Gideon,I would never do something so vile,something that would humiliate the entire family.
Then,suddenly,Timothy ran forward,tears streaking down his small face.“I saw it!Mommy gave the hotel man a USB drive!”
The room fell silent for a beat,then every pair of eyes turned on me,sharp and full of accusation.
Jason’s face twisted with fury.He grabbed my collar and roared,“You witch!What else do you have to say?Even your own son exposed you!”
A hollow pain spread through my chest.I never imagined the deepest cut would come from my own child.
Still,I repeated quietly,“I said,I didn’t do it.”
However,no one believed me.Even Gideon’s expression wavered,his eyes full of sorrow and doubt,but he said nothing.
Jason’s eyes were bloodshot when he raised his hand.“Vicious woman!”
I moved aside and my hand struck his face before he could touch me.“Did you really think I’d just stand there and let you hit me again?Keep dreaming.”
Taking out my phone,I called the emergency number.“Since we both insist we’re right,let the police find out the truth.”
At the word police,Yuna’s face went pale.She quickly grabbed Jason’s sleeve,tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Jason,if this becomes public,how can I ever face anyone again?”
Jason gently patted her hand,comforting her.“Nothing to be afraid of.Once the police investigate,the truth will clear your name.No one will dare speak against you then.”
Yuna lowered her head obediently,but sweat glistened on her palms.
When the officers arrived and saw her,their faces instantly darkened in annoyance.“God!You again?”
“Last time we caught you at that nightclub,hiring male escorts for an orgy.You’d barely been released and your record is still fresh,but now this?”
“So,what is it this time?”
Chapter 5
Yuna’s face turned deathly pale,her whole body shaking,yet she still forced an awkward smile.“Officers…you must have mistaken me for someone else,right?”
The policemen chuckled at her words.“In all our years on the job,this is the wildest thing we’ve ever seen.Hard to forget,even if we wanted to.”
I couldn’t hide the flicker of surprise in my eyes.She had always claimed to love Jason,yet here she was,cheating on him behind his back.
She threw herself into Jason’s arms,eyes shimmering with tears.“Jason,they’re lying.I didn’t do any of this.Someone must be trying to frame me.”
Jason tightened his arm around her shoulders,his expression soft and steady.“Yuna,you don’t need to explain.I’ve always believed you.There’s no girl in this world kinder and purer than you.I know you’d never do something like this.”
At his words,the officers and I looked at him like he was a man determined to be fooled.Well,if Jason himself wanted to play the willing victim,who was I to stop him?
I turned to the officers instead,urging them to investigate how the photos had been uploaded.
Their report came back quickly.The hotel’s surveillance footage had been deliberately wiped and the data couldn’t be recovered.In short,the uploader remained untraceable.
The moment the words left the officer’s mouth,Jason’s eyes snapped to mine,blazing with anger.“It was you,wasn’t it?”
“You set this up,bribed the police and dragged them into ruining Yuna’s name!”
Seeing his blind trust,Yuna’s shoulders relaxed.She pressed a trembling hand to her chest,sobbing harder.In one swift motion,she snatched a fruit knife from the table and pressed it to her throat.
“My reputation is completely ruined now.How can I ever face anyone again?”
“Better to die than live in humiliation.Jason,please just let me die.”
She made to slash her neck.Jason lunged forward,tearing the knife from her hand and gathering her into his arms,his voice thick with pity.“Yuna,what are you doing?Don’t be foolish.”
“None of that matters.The only thing that matters is that you’re here with me.Did you hear me?”
At that moment,Gideon slammed his cane to the floor with a thunderous crack.His voice cut through the chaos.“Enough.All of you,stop this nonsense!Has the Gardner Family not lost enough face tonight?”
At once,the hall fell silent.Not a single guest dared to move an inch.
His gaze swept the room,cold and commanding,as he spoke,“Tonight ends here.Whoever spreads another word will be an enemy of the entire Gardner Group!”
And just like that,under the old man’s iron will,the spectacle collapsed into uneasy silence.
By the time the banquet broke up,the night felt heavy and still.No one dared stir up more trouble.I followed Gideon back to the old house to rest.
Before I went to bed,my phone lit up.It was a message from Yuna.[Recognize who this is?]
Attached to it was a photo of me in bed,AI-generated,face-swapped.
My face perfectly pasted onto Yuna’s naked body.The image was vulgar.Her text dripped with cruel delight and I could almost see her twisted smile behind the screen.
[When these photos hit the internet,do you think my brother will believe you the way he believes me?]
I gave a soft laugh and typed three short words:[Go ahead.Try.]
A moment later,Yuna spread the photos across the major social sites.
[My dear sister-in-law,prepare to lose everything.]
But the instant her upload went live,my countermeasure program triggered.Pixel by pixel,the image began to reconstruct itself.
An AI deep-reversion algorithm deployed,stripping my face from her body and restoring the original pictures.Within seconds,the real images of Yuna Gardner flooded the internet.
I was,after all,an elite field agent.I knew as much about hacking as I did about fieldwork.By contrast,Yuna was clueless,yet still dreaming of my ruin.
Chapter 6
The morning I planned to leave,I went alone to Gideon’s study to thank him for his care all these years and to bid him farewell.
But the moment I pushed open the door,Gideon lay on the floor in a pool of blood,a knife driven deep into his chest.
Trained as a special operative,I dropped to my knees and checked his pulse with steady hands.
The blade had missed his heart by only two centimeters.He needed immediate help to stop the bleeding,or he might not make it to the hospital.
Without thinking,I pulled the knife free,ripped open my shirt and pressed down hard on the wound.My hands moved quickly and carefully,every motion practiced and exact.
At that moment,the door crashed open and Jason stormed in,fury written all over his face.
He had come to confront me about the incident in the banquet,but he didn't expect to see his father lying in the study,bleeding on the floor.
"Father!"
His eyes blazed as he saw me clutching the knife with blood in my hand.
Yuna immediately shrieked,screaming accusations.“Jason,she must have done this.She’s afraid Father will punish her for leaking fake photos online,so she tried to silence him.”
I let out a cold,sharp laugh.“Yuna,you are quick to cry‘thief’before you think.”
“I have proof of who sent those photos.I just don’t think you have the guts to let your dear brother see it.”
“As for Father’s injury,the truth will come out when he wakes up.”
Guilt flickered across her face and she shrank behind Jason like a frightened mouse.But Jason’s anger only grew when he saw me stand my ground.
“Scarlet Blaine!”he roared.“Do you know how your actions ruined Yuna’s name and put our family in crisis?”
“And now you dare harm Father to avoid blame?You deserve a lesson!”
He shoved me aside,lifted the unconscious old man into a car and ordered his bodyguards to take me to the basement and lock me up.
“Wait here!I'll take Father to the hospital first and then I'll deal with you when I get back!”
I could have fought back,but no word had come yet from Silver Wolf about finishing the arrangements.Until then,it was safer to wait and buy time.So,I simply let the guards to drag me down to the basement.
Yuna gave me a taunting gaze,the look of someone sure she had truly won.The look that said,“See?You could never beat me.”
At three in the afternoon,my communicator finally buzzed.An encrypted message from Silver Wolf blinked on the screen.[Divorce finalized.Helicopter arriving at the Gardner Family estate.]
After receiving the message,I slid a thin metal hairpin from my bun and,in one smooth move,turned the lock’s core.
At that exact moment,Silver Wolf and an elite strike team smashed through the windows.With our practiced team fight,we managed to take down the dozen bodyguards outside just in less than thirty seconds.
“Long time no see,Crimson Hawk.We’re here to pick you up.”Silver Wolf greeted and behind him,my old comrades pulled off their masks one by one.
I looked around,seeing familiar faces that filled my sight.My eyes suddenly welled up and for a second,I almost cried.
They were all here.
I bumped fists with each of them,then pulled them into tight hugs,one after another.
When I reached the last man—Sean Alcott,the one who was always quiet and distant—he surprised me.He wrapped me briefly in his arms and said softly,“Come on.Let’s go home.”
I grabbed the rope ladder dangling from the helicopter and climbed up into the roaring wind,swinging myself into the cabin.
Before we left,I told the pilot to circle once over the Gardner Family villa—the place where I had spent seven long years of my life.
Below,Jason had just returned with Yuna and Timothy.Perhaps,Gideon’s condition had gotten better.
I took out the freshly stamped divorce papers and let them fall.The document fluttered through the air and slapped Jason right across his stunned face.
“Jason.Timothy.You wanted to be with Yuna?Fine.I’ll give you your perfect little family.”
“Oh,and here’s a farewell gift.Enjoy.”
As soon as I finished speaking,I pressed the detonator.Explosions echoed throughout the villa,painting the sky bright red.
Jason,Yuna and Timothy were blasted to dust and fled to the door in a panic.
No one was hurt,but the home immediately burned to ashes.
The helicopter turned toward the horizon and I didn't once look back,leaving the past completely behind.
“Goodbye,Jason Gardner.”
“Goodbye,Timmy.”
“Farewell,the home I once had.”
