Chapter 1 From Love to Hatred
"Patrick, you're being so rough! Ah! No, not in this position..." Scarlett Wilson walked to the slightly open room door at Hourglass Haven Hotel, following the address her friend had given her.
She pushed the door open, her stunningly beautiful face frozen in disbelief. Her husband, Patrick Hastings, and his lover, Brenda Nelson, were making love without any clothes on...
Her nails dug into her palms, but the pain was nothing compared to the agony in her heart.
Three years ago, on the night of their wedding, Patrick had been set up by his arch-enemy, resulting in a car accident that left him becoming a vegetable.
Every day, Scarlett had used machines to stimulate his brain, but because of severe nerve damage, although Patrick woke up again, he had lost his memory.
She had thought recovery was just a matter of time, but soon after, he began spending time with Brenda, who was already married, and now, she was witnessing them in bed together.
Brenda clung tightly to Patrick's bare back. "Patrick, I'll apologize to Scarlett. She'll forgive us!"
'Whether Scarlett forgave me or not didn't matter. What matters is that Scarlett will pay for ruining my reputation.'
The marriage that Scarlett had cherished so carefully was met with Patrick's heartless betrayal, and she rushed towards them as they were engaged in passionate s*x.
More than the pain, Scarlett felt a bone-deep despair for the man she loved.
With a swift motion, she slapped Patrick across the face.
Before Patrick could react, she turned and slapped Brenda as well.
Still on the bed, Patrick didn't even bother to dress, his eyes filled with rage.
He walked over to her and raised his hand to strike her.
But Scarlett reacted quickly, grabbing his arm.
"You want to hit me because I found out about your affair?"
"Patrick, we did the wrong thing. I won't blame her for hitting me!"
Brenda quickly put on her clothes, putting on an innocent face.
Then, with a thud, she dropped to her knees in front of Scarlett.
"Scarlett, I've divorced for Patrick. Please, let us be together!"
Tears streamed down Scarlett's cheeks as she looked at the man who had betrayed their love and now wanted to hit her out of anger. She was devastated.
She grabbed a nearby suit jacket and tossed it at Patrick, who only cared about Brenda.
"You disgust me!"
Patrick quickly put it on and walked up to Scarlett, suddenly grabbing her by her neck.
"Apologize to Brenda!"
Scarlett took a deep breath, her right hand tightening around Patrick's wrist.
If she had been heartbroken just now, now she was shaking with rage.
Had it not been for her commitment to taking care of Patrick all these years, she would never have stayed at this hospital as just an ordinary doctor.
"Before you lost your memory, everyone around you knew I was the one you loved most, and I believed that too! So, even when you woke up after the accident with no memory, I still held hope. When I saw the texts between you and Brenda, I even tried to convince myself that once you regained your memory, you'd love me like before. But I never thought you'd try to hit me for a married woman!"
She pulled out the divorce papers from her bag and signed her name without a moment's hesitation.
A day ago, Patrick had someone deliver the divorce papers because of Brenda. Scarlett had thought she could still save the marriage.
But now...
Scarlett threw the signed divorce papers at Patrick's face. "I'll let you have her!"
She turned to leave but had only taken two steps before Patrick yanked her back by her long hair.
Scarlett's voice was a mix of despair and fury due to the pain. "Patrick, what the hell do you want?"
Instead of letting go, Patrick tightened his grip.
'No one could stop me today. I am going to make Scarlett apologize to Brenda.'
After finding out that Scarlett would come to the hotel, Wesley Kingsley had been waiting in the adjacent room.
He quickly rushed to her side at the sound of her anguished cries. When he noticed the extreme pain in her eyes, his fingers clenched with an audible c***k. "Let her go!"
Wesley had already investigated Scarlett and Patrick's situation in secret. Now, appearing as Patrick's company's biggest rival, he had an easier way to approach her.
Patrick spoke provocatively, "Scarlett, when did you start seeing him..."
Before he could finish, Patrick felt a cold wind and was thrown against the wall two yards away.
With a heavy thud, he crashed to the floor.
Scarlett couldn't be bothered by Brenda's exaggerated screams. She turned to face Wesley, who stood before her, a man as perfect as the sun god Apollo.
He gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Wesley stared back at her, his gaze deep and intense.
"Thank you."
Scarlett brushed her hair back and, after thanking him, walked around Wesley to leave.
Wesley shot a cold glance at Patrick and Brenda before going after Scarlett.
*****
Scarlett packed her things and left Patrick's villa. As she looked up, she saw Patrick gently helping Brenda out of a car.
She instantly told Wesley, who had given her a ride, to leave.
Patrick was already walking over with Brenda, a mocking look on his face. "So, you rushed to divorce me because Wesley, my rival, can satisfy you! It seems you couldn't bear the loneliness since I never touched you!"
Scarlett hated being insulted, even if it was by the man she once loved.
She walked up to him and slapped him across the face.
"Not everyone is as shameless as you, Patrick! Only you would think Brenda, with her fake sweet act, is something special."
Brenda's eyes filled with tears, and she bit her lip. "Scarlett, I know you hate me for taking Patrick! But I always told him to be nicer to you."
When Patrick noticed the grievance in Brenda's eyes, his face flashed with anger.
'While I was bedridden, it was Brenda who had stayed by my side. Scarlett, though my primary doctor, was always nowhere to be found, and even when we were together before, she was...'
Suddenly, Patrick reached out to grab Scarlett by the throat.
Scarlett hurried to dodge, catching sight of Wesley moving quickly, grabbing Patrick by the neck instead.
"Apologize to her!"
Scarlett couldn't understand why Patrick's biggest rival was helping her when she was about to divorce him.
At that moment, Patrick couldn't fight back under Wesley's attack.
He could only give in to Scarlett.
"I'm sorry!"
Scarlett's tone was colder than ever. "No need! You owe me far more than that."
She stepped past Patrick, stopping in front of Wesley.
"Let's go. He's not worth our time."
After walking a short distance, Scarlett couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer.
"Why are you helping me?"
Wesley turned his head, his mesmerizing eyes focused only on Scarlett.
"I want Patrick's company."
Scarlett remained silent for a moment, her tone indifferent. "You're making a mistake. We're about to get divorced."
As the wind lifted Scarlett's hair, Wesley gently plucked a leaf from her hair.
"Divorcing him will leave him with nothing at most; but if you work with me, I can ruin him completely."
Scarlett was about to speak when Wesley pressed his finger to her lips.
"I can speed up his downfall. Don't reject me just yet. Think about it carefully!"