The bruises on Alice's face looked more obvious at closer look. Thompson was a little concerned about
her. If she did not take a firm stand, she would definitely expose him sooner or later.
After all, she knew too much about his plan and what he had done before. Now, Thompson regretted
being so careless to trust a woman he had just known a few months ago.
"I've never once thought of divorcing Jonathan. I knew from the start that once I chose this path, there
was no turning back. Funny thing is, I didn't even flinch when this happened to me." Alice looked
surprisingly calm. Even though her face was bruised and wounded, she neither said nor did anything
that Jonathan would disapprove.
"Well..." Thompson was hesitant to say something at first. 'Is Alice really this stubborn?'
"What if Jonathan hit you again?" he asked with concern. He was sincerely worried about her. Even
though he and Alice were only taking advantage of each other, they still had feelings after getting along
for a long time.
Besides, any man would definitely feel sorry for a woman if she showed up lonely and bruised.
"I don't know. But, if he dares to do this to me again, I won't spare him."
Alice spoke in a timid manner. Thompson shuddered as he heard her response.
A beast, when cornered, will do something unimaginable out of desperation. For a long time, Alice
loathed Jacob because she could not forgive him for breaking up with her. She even wanted to kill him
back then.
If Jonathan pushed Alice to her brink, she would most probably do something outrageous. At the
thought of it, Thompson cautiously reached out for his glass.
"Let's go." Alice could not wait to get out of this place. She could not let Jacob see her so pathetic and
helpless.
Even if Jacob was indeed concerned about her, she still did not want him to look at her with pity.
Besides, she still had dignity, no matter how much she had loved him. At that moment, she realized
that sometimes, she would be willing to do anything in the name of love.
All Alice wanted right now was to calm her own heart. Because she wanted to win back Jacob's love
before, she used to be impetuous and stubborn. She believed that nobody would hurt her as long as
she seemed strong and fearless.
It was not until now that she realized that that belief only caused more harm. That was because people
thought that a fierce woman like her could put up with everything thrown at her.
As a result, some people took her for granted. In the taxi, Alice sat numbly.
Today had been a different day. She had always believed that her and Jacob's breakup was solely
Jacob's fault. It was only today that she realized the truth.
Nobody really wronged her. Even if they did, her mistakes would have made up for it. It was just that
she was too stubborn to let go.
Alice did not want to go home. If she did, she would only see Jonathan. Who knew what else he would
do to her? It was enough that she had to see things she did not want to see, accept things she did not
want to accept, and face things she did not want to face.
Sadly, for Alice, she had no other option. This was the repercussion of her decision. Nobody forced her
into this. She ended up like this because she insisted.
She could not help but touch her forehead in exasperation.
"Where do want to go, Miss? You haven't told me your destination yet," the driver asked while looking
at her through the rearview mirror.
Alice did not reply. She just kept her head down and did not even open her mouth to speak. It was
unusual for her to be like this, so oblivious and quiet.
Outside, the crowd was bustling, and the noise of the heavy traffic came to her ears through the car
window. The central area, where the car passed by, still looked grand as it was in the past. But for
some reason, Alice felt that something had changed. 'What could it be?' she wondered.
Every single day, good and bad things happened in the city. The dust danced in the air as it did all the
time. People came and went in the city nonstop, like ants in an ant trail.
Alice realized how small and insignificant she really was. She had no idea what was bothering her. But
for some reason, she had always felt trapped, as though she were in a maze, unable to get out.
She kept head down and did not answer the driver for a while. Puzzled, the driver glanced at her again
in the rearview mirror.
"What's wrong, Miss? Are you in a bad mood?" he probed with a frown. His job required him to face all
kinds of people every day, so he was used to experiencing this.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see Alice's state at a glance.
"Let's go anywhere you want," Alice replied, her head still down as though she was struggling.
She would rather go anywhere than go "home". Where was her home anyway? Since she married
Jonathan, she had none.
Wherever Jonathan went, it felt like a cage, a cage that would lock her inside forever. Alice could not
help but rest her head on her hand. Meanwhile, the driver did not object to her response. He started the
engine right away and sped away.
Alice was so preoccupied that she did not notice how long it had passed. All of a sudden, her phone
rang. It must be Jonathan. She did not want to answer her phone. But, at the thought of what had
happened last night, she answered the call.
As the vulnerable, there was no other way to protect herself except by compromising.
"Where are you?!" Jonathan asked without beating around the bush.
Since Alice and Jonathan were married, she was now Mrs. Alice of the Shi Group. She was not allowed
to show up in public without Jonathan's permission. Not only that, but she also had to report everything
to him.
"I'm outside. I'll come back soon," she answered with trembling voice.
Alice had never demeaned herself to anyone before. Sadly, she had no choice but to do so now.
"You have half an hour. If you're still not here by then, don't even bother to come back."
As soon as Jonathan finished speaking, he hung up the phone immediately.
On the other end of the line, Alice was stunned. Unable to do anything, she told the driver the address
with a somber look on her face. Fortunately, the driver did not ask her anything and just obliged.
After all, regardless of how curious the driver was, he must not intervene with other people's lives.
Every family has its own problems. Unfortunately, nobody else can save you from your own problem. In
the car, Alice was desperately thinking of how she would explain to Jonathan where she had gone, but
to no avail. Her mind went blank, and she could not think of an excuse to save herself from his fury.
Meanwhile, when Jacob returned home, he was wondering how to tell Sara about what had happened
today.
As he sat on the sofa, he informed her about Shawn's invitation. Then, he told her the process of their
cooperation afterwards. When he reached the part about the dinner, he opened his mouth to say
something but stopped on second thought. Needless to say, he seemed hesitant to say something.
"What's wrong? Is there anything you can't tell me?" Sara asked with a frown. She knew at a glance
that he was struggling with something.
Jacob could not help but sigh. "When I had dinner with Mr. Shawn today, I saw someone. No, two
people, to be exact."
Sara had intuition on who those people might be.
"Were they Alice and Jonathan?" she asked with her head cocked to one side. One of her hands was
on Jacob's waist for support.
"No. Well, you're half right," he answered while staring at the ceiling. He wondered if Thompson was
another scar in Sara's heart.
As a matter of fact, Alice was like Thompson in every means. They would do everything to succeed
and reach their goals.
"What? Who did I guess wrong?" Sara asked while looking at Jacob in confusion.
"I unexpectedly saw Alice and Thompson having dinner together. That isn't the strangest part, though.
Alice's face was covered with bruises. For sure, Jonathan was the one who did it to her."
Speaking of this, Jacob sighed again.
There are all kinds of people in the world. What kind of people you meet depends on how lucky you
are.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda