Chapter 3Silent Snow in the Seventh Year

When Eric returned home, he found me with swollen, tear-stained eyes. He pulled me into a tight embrace, his gaze filled with sorrow. “Elara, I’m so sorry.”

“My father passed away unexpectedly, and I had no choice but to return to Seaview City to inherit the family business. Your background… it’s too humble. My family elders would never allow me to marry you.”

I couldn’t bear to hear another word. I sobbed, pushing him away. “So you married someone else? Eric, what was seven years of long-distance for?”

Eric stood above me, his eyes regaining their cold composure. “Elara Ewing, I’m the head of the Hillman family. I have responsibilities. Clara and I are from similar backgrounds; our marriage is a beneficial alliance for both families.”

“Clara said, as long as you’re discreet, she’s willing to look the other way, to let you stay with me.”

I looked up at him, tears streaming down my face. Eric leaned down, gently wiping away the tears. “Elara, you’ve been with me all these years. I won’t mistreat you. If you want to stay in Seaview City, I’ll arrange for you to work at the company as my assistant.”

But instead, I slapped him. His eyes widened in shock as I grabbed my suitcase and rushed out the villa door.

As I sped away in a taxi, Eric sent a voice message. “Elara Ewing, don’t be foolish. Hillman Corp isn’t a place just anyone can walk into. I’m giving you three days to think this over.”

Then, he transferred ten thousand dollars to my account. Before, to maintain his carefully constructed image, he’d never sent more than a hundred. Now, ten thousand. I didn't reply, sending the money back.

After finding a temporary place and settling in, I reopened my phone. The internet was on fire. Someone had posted a video of me at the company entrance. My frantic, cornered expression in the video was brutally humiliating. The trending topic declared Eric was cheating, and his mistress had brazenly shown up. I, his legitimate girlfriend, was now being reviled as a homewrecker.

In a fit of desperate defiance, I uploaded our entire relationship history, including screenshots of our messages. The timeline clearly showed that Eric and I had been together long before his marriage to Clara. The tide of public opinion immediately turned, and the entire internet condemned him as a scumbag.

Eric called several times, but I ignored them all. A few minutes later, Clara posted a photo of her marriage certificate on social media, claiming her and Eric’s marriage was harmonious, and accusing me of faking everything for clout. Hillman Corp’s PR team swiftly intervened, declaring my chat logs were “fabricated” and threatening me with a defamation lawsuit. Influencers and gossip sites went wild, spreading rumors, branding me as a mistress who’d provoked the wife.

The comments section of my post was completely overwhelmed.

“Mistress’s attack failed, even got a legal warning, hilarious!”

“The real wife wins, of course. A few words and this arrogant mistress is crushed!”

“Being a mistress, destroying someone else’s family, and trying to get clout? Disgusting!”

My DMs were flooded with insults, some even wishing me dead. Half an hour later, my posts vanished, and my account was banned. It was then I understood for the first time how utterly powerless I was in the face of absolute wealth and influence.

My phone rang again and again. I wouldn’t answer, but they wouldn't stop calling. Finally, reluctantly, I picked up. It wasn’t Eric. It was Clara.

“Miss Ewing.” Her laugh was laced with disdain. “Let’s talk.”