Discovering where his gaze lingered, Samantha, belatedly realizing, quickly covered her neck with her hand. Her small face turned red, and she shamefully lowered her head. "Justin, I'm sorry..."
The confirmation of her suspicions drained the color from Justin's face. His tall figure swayed for a moment. There was a moment when the sadness in his heart almost turned into tears.
"Is it Ethan?"
The tone was affirmative.
Apart from Ethan, he couldn't think of anyone else.
Samantha didn't want to deceive him and nodded, "Tonight I was set up and drugged. Ethan detoxified me."
Justin asked, "Drugged? By whom?"
Being drugged in the Steele family seemed absurd no matter how one thought about it. However, he trusted Samantha; she wouldn't deceive him.
Samantha revealed her suspicion, "I suspect it was my sister, Suzy. She wanted to frame me, sent someone to attract Albert Davis, and planned to eliminate me. It was Albert Davis who discovered that something was wrong and turned the situation around. Originally, I wanted to take a cold shower, but the drug was too strong, and cold water didn't help, so..."
She hesitated for the rest.
She found it difficult to confess, feeling truly sorry for Justin.
"Suzy..." Justin's fists suddenly clenched, and his back teeth bit down hard, a surge of hatred boiling in his heart.
After a moment of hesitation, Samantha reluctantly spoke, "Justin, let's void our agreement! I... I'm not worthy of you."
An overwhelming fear struck Justin.
He hugged Samantha tightly and urgently said, "I don't blame you. This is Suzy's fault, not yours. I've been waiting for you for a long time, and I won't let go now!"
At this point, he paused and added, "Samantha, let's get married!"
Samantha's mind went blank for a moment.
Justin was afraid she would refuse and hurriedly explained, "Suzy is afraid that you'll take away Ethan, so she's targeting you everywhere. If you marry me, she won't have any threat to you. She'll definitely let you go and won't bother you again."
Get married?
Could she really let go of all grievances and marry Justin?
Hearing that they were going to get married, Charlotte jumped for joy.
"Yay, mommy and godfather are getting married! I have a daddy, I have a daddy..."
Charlotte's words deeply stirred Samantha.
Yes!
Charlotte had always yearned for a complete family and her own father.
If she married Justin, Charlotte would definitely not be gloomy anymore because of the lack of a father.
And she could completely break free from Ethan.
After a brief contemplation, Samantha nodded in agreement, "Okay, let's get married!"
Her answer left Justin stunned, then he was engulfed by boundless joy.
He let go of Samantha, staring at her with disbelief, "Are you really willing to marry me?"
Samantha nodded firmly, "If you don't mind, I'm willing to marry you."
Justin vigorously shook his head, "I don't mind, how could I mind you!?"
After saying that, he hugged Samantha again and solemnly declared, "Rest assured, I will treat you well. We will be happy..."
Samantha wanted to smile but couldn't. She tried hard to show happiness, but she couldn't feel it.
A certain part of her heart seemed empty.
Her eyes felt sore.
She wanted to cry.
She knew it was because she no longer loved Justin.
Now, she loved Ethan.
But for the sake of giving Charlotte a complete family, for the sake of quickly breaking free from Ethan's swamp, she could only grasp Justin as a lifeline.
Justin didn't know what Samantha was thinking. He let go of her, gently saying, "You must be tired. I'll prepare a bath for you. After the bath, rest well. I'll be here to protect you and Charlotte."
A warm feeling filled Samantha's heart as she nodded.
Justin prepared a bath for Samantha. While she bathed, he comforted Charlotte to sleep.
He seemed like an excellent home man, a good husband, and a good father.
...
After the banquet, Suzy returned home in a daze.
At the sight of Sarah, she couldn't help but burst into tears, holding Sarah and crying uncontrollably.
"Mom, Samantha, that wretched woman, she... she actually slept with Ethan... She stole my man...!"
Sarah, in disbelief, asked, "How did this happen? How did they end up sleeping together?"
Suzy's body ached where Ethan had kicked her, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional torment she felt. Slowly, she recounted the events of the night, feeling more and more wronged with each word.
"Ethan actually hit me for her, and it happened in front of everyone. How can I face people in the future? I don't want to live anymore..."
Her words conveyed a deep sense of despair and helplessness. The humiliation and pain she endured were not just physical; they cut into the very core of her being.
As Sarah recalled Ethan's protection of Samantha, she was surrounded by an overwhelming sense of hatred.
Why did Samantha manage to captivate Ethan like that? What did she have that Suzy lacked?
Sarah immediately checked Suzy's condition. As suspected, there was a large area of bruising and swelling under her dress.
It appeared to be a fracture.
"No, Suzy, I need to take you to the hospital. The swelling here is severe..."
She could hardly believe how her daughter had returned home.
Didn't it hurt? If it were her, she probably wouldn't dare to move at all.
Suzy, with a tear-stained face, said sadly, "Let it swell! Compared to the pain in my heart, this physical pain is nothing..."
Sarah held her hand tightly, consoling her, "Suzy, Mom knows you're feeling uneasy. Although you suffered last night, it wasn't in vain! The head of the Steele family personally gave the order, and the Emperor Group has lifted the restrictions on Miller's Group. They also provided us with funds to tide over the difficulties. As long as you are the biological mother of those two little bastards, the Steele family won't let us be neglected."
This news was the only thing to be happy about that night.
However, Suzy couldn't feel joy.
Yes, she initially approached Ethan with malicious intentions, merely wanting to become the first lady of the capital.
However, as time passed, she was gradually attracted to that outstanding man.
She loved him.
She couldn't live without him.
Sarah led Suzy upstairs, gave her a simple wash, changed her into a clean and loose casual outfit, and took her to the hospital.
The examination confirmed a fracture.
One hundred days of recuperation.
During these one hundred days, Suzy could only lie in bed, avoiding strenuous activities.
Suzy locked herself in her room, determined to slowly overcome the pain brought by Ethan.
...
The next morning.
Yurika returned.
Her eyes were surrounded by dark circles, and her body seemed to have been drained of strength, limp and powerless.
Samantha was alarmed by her appearance and couldn't help but ask, "Yurika, what happened to you? What did you do last night to end up like this?"
Yurika collapsed onto the sofa, holding a pillow in her arms, yawning lazily. "Last night, I had a fierce battle with that scumbag. It exhausted me. I'm telling you, how can his stamina be so good? I felt like escaping after a whole night."
Her words left Samantha thunderstruck, nearly dropping her jaw.
"You, you and Nick last night?"
Yurika didn't bother to hide it, nodding, "Yeah! We slept together last night!"
Samantha was shocked and sat down on the sofa, checking Yurika's forehead temperature with her hand. "Are you okay? Didn't I tell you not to provoke him?!"
She was experiencing it firsthand now!
Yurika nonchalantly said, "I saw him sitting alone, drinking and feeling down last night. I went over and had a couple of drinks with him. I didn't expect to accidentally drink too much!"
In fact, only Nick was drunk at the time.
She was sober.
Perhaps it was because she had been too suppressed recently. Or maybe it was using Nick as a substitute for Justin.
She had loved Justin for more than ten years. Since she couldn't have him, finding a substitute who looked so much like him wasn't a bad idea.
It could compensate for the regrets in her heart.
After all, there was no need to invest emotions.
Samantha, realizing the situation, didn't know what to say. She gently touched Yurika's cheek, earnestly saying, "I hope you two don't have any interactions in the future. I don't want you to get hurt."
Yurika, with closed eyes, appeared to be resting, but in reality, she didn't dare to look at Samantha.
Because she and Nick had become lovers.
Just sleep, without emotional involvement.
Their goals were clear, meeting each other's needs, healing each other's emotional wounds.
She was afraid that if Samantha found out, she would worry, so she decided to keep it a secret for now.
Moreover, she wasn't sure how long this relationship would last.
Maybe a week, maybe a month, certainly not for long.
So, instead of letting Samantha worry, it was better not to say anything.
Samantha patted her cheek, gently saying, "Alright, don't lie here. Go in and take a hot bath, then get a good night's sleep."
Yurika nodded with an air of exhaustion, stumbling towards the bathroom.
***
***