Marriage! A lifetime commitment!

Mia's heart raced. Her plan had worked, but now she had to figure out how to navigate this unexpected turn of events.

The two younger people were still lost deep in their thoughts when the grandpa ushered them into the luxurious car.

Before they knew it, they were already on their way to sign their marriage certificates.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the civil affairs bureau's office. Under grandpa's watchful eye, they went through the necessary procedures, signed the marriage certificates, and had them stamped.

And just like that, the two became a married couple.

When they stepped outside again, the grandpa was beaming with a smile.

"You have made me the happiest person on earth." He patted Shawn on the shoulder before stepping into the limousine.

Shawn watched his grandfather and felt warmth in his heart.

It was true that the old man was indeed very pleased. He hadn't seen his grandfather this happy in a very long time, so he decided to keep quiet.

"Aren't you coming in?" Grandpa beckoned to the young couple, grinning from ear to ear.

"Grandpa, why don't you head home first? As a newly wedded couple, we need to spend some time together." Shawn faked a smile at Mia before turning back to his grandpa. "I've already contacted Lucas, he'll be here soon."

Grandpa Mandez nodded approvingly. "Very good. You two, enjoy yourselves."

He then flashed a smile at Mia and instructed the chauffeur to drive away.

As soon as the limousine disappeared, Shawn turned and gave Mia a cold glare.

Who was she, anyway?

A gold digger. No doubt about it.

The girl had planned everything meticulously in advance, and now that she had gotten what she wanted, she would soon lose it all.

"I'll have my personal assistant send you the divorce papers," the CEO, who was not a man of many words, blurted out calmly.

Right at that moment, a black Maybach pulled up in front of them. A young man stepped out from the passenger's side and held open the backseat door, not after taking a quick glance at Mia.

Without sparing Mia a second glance, the CEO stepped into the luxurious car. A few seconds later, it disappeared from sight.

Mia was left dumbstruck. What just happened? She quickly glanced around, making sure she wasn't hallucinating.

She pinched her cheek hard. Wait, what? It wasn't a hallucination?

‘What kind of man leaves a girl standing alone in the middle of nowhere?’ Mia found herself gaping.

If he couldn't be considerate for any other reason, at least he should be grateful to her for helping him save face in front of his grandfather, right?

Scumbag.

She blinked rapidly in frustration. She was stranded and didn't even have a penny on her. She had no idea how to get back to the hospital, or even where she was at the moment.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Why was she so unlucky? She had just lost her boyfriend, and now she had lost her husband too, all within a few hours.

Although the marriage with that man was a sham, how could he dump her immediately after they signed the marriage certificates?

Why was life so unfair to her? She contemplated ending it all.

After standing helplessly by the roadside for several minutes, wallowing in self-pity and disgust, Mia finally hailed a taxi and gave the driver her parents' home address.

She didn't want to go back to the hospital, and she didn't want to return to the dormitory either. Her father's house was the only place she could hide her face right now.

But they might already be on their way to the hospital—her father and his wife...

Anyway, she would call them from the landline when she arrived home.

With that in mind, Mia hailed a taxi.

Contrary to her expectations, when Mia arrived at her father's mansion, she found her parents at home. They were sitting in the living room, relaxed and engrossed in a comedy show on TV, laughing hysterically.

The two older people didn't notice when Mia walked in, or perhaps they chose to ignore her presence.

She stood there for several seconds, expecting them to acknowledge what had happened to her. Wasn't the school authorities supposed to contact them? She was dumbfounded.

In an attempt to get some answers, Mia spoke up, "Dad, Mum, I'm here."

Several seconds passed with no response. Instead, the couple burst into another round of laughter.

She opened her mouth to speak again, "Dad—" but was interrupted by her father's agitated voice.

"Can't you see we're busy? Are you blind?" Her father growled in annoyance.

"Should we drop everything just because you're back?" He asked irritably. “Should we go pluck fruits from the tree outside?”

The man despised interruptions and disturbances.

Once again, Mia was left dumbstruck, just as she had been, countless times in the past twelve hours.

So he knew she had come in, but he chose to completely ignore her and act as if she were an invisible ghost.

Was this man really her father? Definitely not the one who had raised her.

"Darling, take it easy. Don't be harsh on Mia," Barbara, Mia's stepmother, softly cautioned her husband.

She turned and looked in Mia's direction.

Mia’s stomach churned. That seductive face... The witch had undoubtedly lured her father into her bed with that face. Mia clenched her fists.

"Mia, welcome home," Barbara sweetly smiled at her.

The girl felt like she might spit blood. The damn witch was at it again, pretending to care and show affection for her in front of her father. She had been doing it for years, and she was still doing it. Would she ever stop?

Barbara's expression suddenly changed to one of concern. "Mia, why are you home? Isn't your sister still at school?"

Although her words sounded concerned, Mia knew they held a hidden meaning.

The witch simply meant, 'Why aren't you as serious with your studies as your sister?'