Chapter 3 My Wife Will Not Admit to Fictitious Charges

Arabella was interviewing for a position at a pharmaceutical company under a multinational corporation.

She had originally aimed for the Sales Manager position, but HR, noting that she was 30, unmarried, childless, and had been out of the workforce for two years, only offered her the Sales Assistant role.

The base salary was $2,500 plus commission, and she would be fired if she failed to make any sales within three months.

Arabella thought back to two years ago, when she resigned—she had been a key player in her company. Her manager had repeatedly warned her not to focus too much on romance, yet she had thrown herself into marriage, dreaming of a peaceful life.

Instead, reality had handed her a harsh lesson.

Now, as she tried to return to the workforce, reality was giving her a harsh lesson.

This was the cost of chasing love.

Arabella smiled bitterly as she signed the employment papers. She believed in herself—this was only the beginning.

Her first day of work wasn't until tomorrow. After finishing the paperwork, Arabella left the company.

She went to the address Alexander had given her and knocked at the door.

It opened quickly, and Alexander stood there, expressionless. "You're back."

Arabella smiled politely. "Yes, I brought some food. If you haven't eaten, would you like to join me?"

Alexander paused slightly. Arabella thought he might refuse, but he surprised her by agreeing. "Sure, I'll grab some bowls."

He also picked up a bottle of fruit wine.

At the dinner table, Arabella raised her glass to him. "Thanks for helping me out at the courthouse today."

Alexander smiled faintly and said calmly, "Consider it a good deed. After all, we are partners."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Arabella said, "I'll pay you market rent for the room. I'll owe you for the first two months and will pay it back when I get my paycheck."

Alexander nodded.

After dinner, Alexander asked, "It's still early. Want to go shopping? We need to get some things for the house."

He added, "We can split the costs."

Arabella stood up. "Sure."

Neither of them had a car, so they walked—fortunately, the mall was only about ten minutes away.

They pushed a shopping cart inside and headed to the home goods section. Suddenly, Alexander stopped.

Arabella followed his gaze and froze.

What a coincidence.

Only a few steps away, Cassidy held tightly to Anthony’s arm, resting her head lovingly against his shoulder.

Standing beside them was Anthony's sister, Rachel Watson.

Cassidy glanced at her in surprise. "Arabella! What a coincidence. Are you here to shop for your new place too?"

Anthony's expression darkened immediately as Rachel crossed her arms and sneered. "Arabella, how shameless are you? You just got divorced and already moved on. You've tarnished the Watson family's reputation!"

People around them started to look at Arabella.

This girl is so pretty… but quite the player?

Arabella instinctively clutched the bedding tighter in her hands.

She had never gotten along with Rachel. During her two years married into the Watson family, Rachel had constantly bullied her—once even pouring scalding apple cider on her in public.

She had endured all of it for Anthony.

But her patience hadn't led to a happy ending.

Her chest felt tight. She looked at Rachel and said softly, "I moved on right after the divorce, but didn't your brother do the same? I was legally married to my husband, yet your brother and Cassidy aren't even married. Who's more respectable?"

Anthony's face darkened further, though he tried to suppress his anger. "Arabella, what's your problem? Cassie and I are truly in love. It's none of your business! Know your place!"

Rachel sneered. "Exactly—know your place! Who do you think you are? You and Cassidy aren't even comparable! You're just a shameless flirt!"

The words hit her like a punch to the chest, and Arabella felt her heart ache.

Know your place? When Anthony and Cassidy got together, she was the legally wedded wife—the rightful daughter-in-law of the Watson family!

She had let go and stepped aside, yet she was the one being insulted.

She looked at Anthony, her eyes dimming as she said softly, "Rest assured, I want nothing more than to part ways with you."

As she spoke, her expression grew desolate, like a flower wilting in frost.

Anthony felt a strange pang in his heart as he recalled their wedding day two years ago, when she had smiled brightly and said, "I look forward to spending my life with you."

Cassidy gently squeezed his hand and whispered, "Anthony, let's just drop it. Arabella probably didn't mean any harm…"

Anthony snapped back to reality. Marrying Arabella had been a matter of convenience—he loved Cassidy.

He looked at Arabella impatiently and said, "You'd better be!"

He turned and walked away with Cassidy. Rachel, feeling resentful, suddenly charged at Arabella.

Arabella was caught off guard. Just as she thought she would fall, a hand reached out to grab her waist and pull her aside.

Having used all her strength, Rachel couldn’t stop herself and crashed into a shelf.

Items fell everywhere.

A crowd quickly gathered around them.

Humiliated, Rachel shouted, "Arabella, you did that on purpose!"

A staff member rushed over, shocked at the mess. "What happened?"

Rachel pointed at Arabella, and snapped, "It's her fault! She did this!"

The staff member hesitated before looking at Arabella. "Ma'am, you'll have to pay for the damages…"

Everyone was staring at her, but no one spoke up—not even Anthony or Cassidy, who had seen Rachel attack her.

A deep sense of loneliness and helplessness washed over Arabella.

She tried to explain, "It wasn't me…"

Alone, her explanation sounded weak and unconvincing.

A hand gently wrapped around her waist, and a tall figure stood firmly beside her, giving her strength.

"I can testify that my wife didn't touch those shelves. Ms. Watson crashed into them herself."

Rachel glared. "You're lying! You're all in this together, trying to frame me!"

Alexander's face remained calm as he looked at the staff. "You can check the security footage. If there's any dispute, we can call the police. My wife will not admit to something she didn’t do."

His steady voice soothed Arabella’s racing heart.