Mia spoke calmly. Shannon was stunned. ’Did I just hear things?’

’Mia wants to leave? For real?’

She looked at Mia suspiciously. "Why?"

"I don’t like your brother. We don’t get along, so I want to leave. But your brother won’t let me, and there’s nothing I can do about it."

"What spell have you cast on my brother?!"

Shannon felt incredibly wronged, but there was also a hint of envy.

’It would be so nice if Adrian reserved all his favoritism for her alone.’

She used to think Adrian treated her specially, that she was one-of-a-kind. But now she saw that it paled in comparison. The bit of favoritism Adrian showed her was nothing; his unconditional adoration for Mia was what was truly absolute.

She was consumed by envy, jealousy, and hatred, but there was nothing she could do.

’But unexpectedly, Mia wants to leave?’

’If she leaves, wouldn’t I be rid of my rival?’

"Do you have a way to help me leave?"

Mia truly couldn’t think of anyone else who could help her. Her only hope was Shannon.

’She’s the one who wants me gone the most. She’ll definitely do everything she can.’

"You’re not trying to trick me, are you? Is this some kind of trap you’re setting for me?"

Shannon was still wary.

"This is a one-time offer. If you don’t help me leave, then I’ll start looking for a husband for you. I’ll get your brother to marry you off early, so you’ll stop causing trouble at home."

"My brother would never just marry me off to anyone!"

"Want to test that theory? Should I go whisper some sweet nothings in his ear?"

"You..."

Fear was written all over Shannon’s pale face.

"Fine, I’ll help you. Wait for my word. I need to plan this out."

Mia nodded and turned to leave.

She walked to the door, then stopped and turned back to look at Shannon.

She rubbed her fists together, her knuckles cracking loudly.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Since I’m already here, it would be a shame not to hit you. You’ve framed me multiple times and nearly got me killed. You deserve a beating."

Mia then pinned Shannon to the ground and beat her up again, leaving in high spirits.

Shannon was left with a single thought: no matter what, she had to help Mia escape. She had to get her to leave right away.

’Otherwise, this life would be unbearable!’

News that Mia had gone to cause trouble for Shannon reached Adrian’s ears.

Adrian still didn’t hold Mia accountable. Instead, he gave Shannon the option to transfer to another hospital.

Shannon really wanted to leave, but the thought of leaving this hospital meant it would be harder to plan the escape, so she refused.

"That’s fine too. She knows her limits. She won’t actually beat you to death."

Shannon: "..."

She silently clenched her fists. ’I have to find a way to make Mia leave.’

After that, Mia came over to beat her up a few more times. Because it was never serious, Adrian didn’t intervene.

Shannon finally couldn’t take it anymore. As soon as her feet could touch the ground and she could walk, she decided to be discharged.

There were slap marks on her cheeks, so she quickly found a face mask to wear. Her hair had been cut into a hideous mess by Mia, so she also found a baseball cap to put on.

"It’s all Mia’s fault! She’s bullying me! On what grounds? Before, she picked on me because my leg was injured. Now my leg is fine. Why should I still put up with her?"

Shannon stormed off to find Mia.

"All of you wait out here. Just watch me teach her a lesson!"

The caregivers stood guard at the door, looking at each other.

After Shannon went in, they started to chat.

"Does Miss Shannon still not get it? Even with her leg healed, she’s no match for Mrs. Preston. Mrs. Preston’s moves are fast, precise, and ruthless—it’s obvious she learned directly from Mr. Preston. He used to be a police officer, a professional in combat techniques. How has Miss Shannon not been beaten into submission yet?"

"People like her are just blindly confident, always thinking they can win. She keeps getting beaten, so she’s definitely not resigned to it. Now that her leg is better, of course she’s going to try again."

"Sigh, should we tell Mr. Preston?"

"Mr. Preston said Mrs. Preston knows her limits and won’t be too harsh. Besides, Miss Shannon was the one who started it. She deserves it if she gets hit. Let’s not say anything."

The women whispered among themselves, while the commotion inside was quite loud.

"Mia, my leg is healed! I’m not going easy on you anymore."

"How dare you slap me! I’ll fight you to the death!"

"Stop cutting my hair!"

"Mia, I hate you! I hate you so much! I’m going back home, I’m going to find Mom and Dad! I don’t want to play with you guys anymore. You all bully me, you and my big brother both bully me."

The door opened, and Shannon ran out, crying and clutching her cheeks.

Mia’s caregiver glanced inside. Mia was lying on the bed, clearly the victor.

"Miss Kane, are you going to rest? It’s almost time for lunch. Why not eat before you sleep?"

"Tired. Sleeping now."

Mia pulled the covers straight over her head. Her muffled voice was indistinct.

The caregiver didn’t dare to disturb her and quickly closed the door, afraid of interrupting Mia’s sleep.

Meanwhile, "Shannon" quickened her pace and hurried out of the hospital.

She had already been discharged, so the caregivers had no reason to follow her.

Adrian had sent people to pick her up, but she had deliberately left early, so none of Adrian’s men were at the entrance.

She quickly got into a taxi.

"Where to?"

"The airport, thank you," Mia said quickly.

Shannon had brought her ID, passport, and other documents. She had even exchanged some US Dollars for her to make her life abroad easier.

Her repeated beatings of Shannon had all been for the sole purpose of making the people monitoring them let down their guard.

Shannon had deliberately used her healed leg as an excuse to come and provoke her. Then, the two of them quickly swapped clothes. She put on Shannon’s outfit, covered her face, and ran out crying. The guards were used to this routine and wouldn’t think anything was wrong. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

She had to be quick to take advantage of the time gap.

’In this country, Adrian’s power is absolute, but that can’t be true abroad, right?’

Mia planned to go abroad and hide for a while. As long as they were legally separated for long enough, the divorce would be granted automatically.

Adrian was the one who had deceived her into this marriage. It had nothing to do with her.

She had never wronged Adrian. Her conscience was clear.

It was Adrian... who had wronged her.

Mia had always been one to love and hate fiercely. If someone wasn’t worth it, she wouldn’t waste another ounce of emotion on them.

She knew you couldn’t just turn off feelings like a faucet, but she was fiercely proud. She never accepted things half-done, and she couldn’t tolerate even a speck of dishonesty.

Even if she liked someone a lot, she would gradually restrain herself and rein in her emotions.

’Eventually, love will turn to indifference, and indifference will fade into nothing.’

’Wasn’t that how it had been with Chase Lockwood?’

Mia made it to the airport without any close calls. She had already checked in and was waiting to board.

Just then, her phone rang. It was Adrian.

She stared at the caller ID, her heart racing and her nerves stretched taut. She didn’t dare to answer.

She just prayed for time to pass faster. The plane was due to take off in half an hour.

She had bought the ticket at the last minute; it was the only flight available at this time.

Adrian was sitting in his car, having just arrived at the hospital. He assumed Mia was throwing a tantrum and didn’t want to answer, so he didn’t think much of it.

He had been in a meeting, but for some reason, he had felt on edge. A sense of unease gnawed at him, and he felt a sudden urge to see Mia, just to put his heart at ease.

He arrived at the door to her room, where the caregiver was standing outside.

"Why aren’t you inside taking care of her?"

"Mrs. Preston is asleep. I didn’t dare go in and disturb her."

"It’s lunchtime. She’s asleep?"

"Yes."

"Is she not feeling well?"

"I don’t think so. This morning, Miss Shannon insisted on coming over to provoke Mrs. Preston before she was discharged, and then she left crying. After that, Mrs. Preston said she was tired and went to bed."

"Alright, I understand."

Adrian pushed the door open and went inside. His phone buzzed with a message from Theo Thorne.

"The driver sent to pick up Miss Shannon didn’t get her. She must have left the hospital early, but she hasn’t returned to her residence either."

Adrian looked at his phone and said with a sigh, "Shannon’s throwing another tantrum. Mia, can’t you just indulge her a little?"

"Mia" had her back to him, her shoulders trembling slightly. She was clearly awake; she couldn’t fool Adrian.

"Mia, she’s my only sister. I treasure her like the apple of my eye. If anyone else bullied her like this, they’d be done for. I’ll have her stay away from you from now on. Don’t take her so seriously. She... means something different to me. If you really can’t stand her, I’ll send her abroad to my parents, alright?"

"Mia, are you still not speaking to me? Since you’re awake, let’s eat. Your stomach will hurt if you go hungry for too long."

Adrian said a lot more, but "Mia" remained motionless.

"Mia?"

Adrian vaguely sensed something was wrong and ripped the covers off—