Veronica and I were invited onstage as the “Model Researcher Couple.” Everyone praised us as a perfect match made in heaven.
Suddenly, a young woman rushed onto the stage and slapped Veronica across the face.
“Veronica! You two-faced bitch! If you don’t love Yohan, why give her hope?”
All eyes in the room turned toward us.
It seemed the woman was a fanatical admirer of Yohan.
She let out a cold laugh, her eyes brimming with contempt.
“Remember that lab fire? He burned half his leg trying to save you and he still has the scar!”
Yohan rolled up his pant leg, revealing the startling scar.
Veronica, standing beside him, gasped for breath.
“That award-winning project of yours? He kept it from you, working tirelessly for a month before submitting the final version.”
“That so-called academic title? He begged and groveled countless times to secure it for you.”
“Veronica, your achievements today are not due to you and your husband, it’s down to Yohan!”
The room erupted in shock.
I broke the silence, speaking calmly, “But all he did was act on his own delusions. Veronica never asked him to do any of this.”
“If Yohan uses this to blackmail me, he’s destroying our family and trying to become the mistress who takes my place!”
The woman was indignant and about to speak again, but Yohan pulled her back, tears streaming down his face.
“Veronica, please stop! William is right, I shouldn’t harbor immoral fantasies about you!”
“It was all my own choice. I love someone without expecting anything in return.”
The woman was almost crying. “Yohan, you’re too selfless. It’s not worth it for someone like Veronica.”
Only then did Veronica speak slowly, “William is right and he is my only husband. He was in the past, he is now and he will be forever.”
“Please leave. Stop spreading false accusations here.”
Her voice was firm. Yet I could sense her fingertips trembling slightly. She looked at Yohan with a hint of confusion.
My heart felt as if a needle had pricked it. Even though I’d already decided to leave, it still hurt.
Just then, the crystal chandelier overhead suddenly made a strange noise and crashed straight down toward us.
Screams erupted and I instinctively closed my eyes.
Veronica, beside me, used all her strength to shove me in the opposite direction. But she darted forward like an arrow, rushing toward Yohan.
“Bang!”