<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">After the check–up, the wound on my forehead had healed, leaving only a faint scar.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">I stared at the reflection of a haggard woman in the mirror. The vibrant, youthful version of myself at 18 had be a distant memory, and I’de to ept who I was now.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">But there was still a deep ache in my chest. Seven years of my youth, and all the love I gave, led me to this miserable end.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">I wiped the fog from the mirror with a harsh stroke and began applying makeup meticulously. No one wouldugh at me. I won’t allow it. No one!</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">So, when I appeared in front of Mr. Webb, I was apletely new person–fresh and radiant. I used my bangs to cover the scar on my forehead, and for the first time in a long while, I felt alive again.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">When Teri saw me, her eyes lit up. “Ari!”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">I gave a bitter smile. “Do I look okay?”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Her eyes sparkled with amazement. “More than okay! Ari, you’re stunning!</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">“I’ve always said that when you dress up, you can wipe the floor with all those fake girls a million times over Jocelyn? Please. She’s not even in the same league as you, in looks or style.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">I squeezed her hand. “I’m fine now, but Elijah isn’t. He doesn’t deserve me–he only deserves someone like Jocelyn.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Teri’s eyes welled up with tears, and she suddenly threw her arms around me, sobbing. “It’s about time! You horrible person! You’ve worried me for seven whole years! You finally realize how amazing you are. Ari, you deserve so much better!”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Her sobbing pulled at my heartstrings. It was only now that I realized how much pain and helplessness my best friend had carried, watching me chase after Elijah all these years</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">My eyes reddened, and I patted her gently. “Don’t cry, Mr. Webb is watching us. Let’s get to work.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Teri hastily wiped her tears and nodded. “Yeah! Let’s get down to business.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">She added onest thing. “Ari, you’ve got this.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">I smiled at her before turning to sit across from Mr. Webb and his team..</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Mr. Webb adjusted his sses and smiled faintly. “Alright. Let’s begin.” He leaned forward slightly. “But first, onest question for Ms. Ariana”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">“Go ahead,” I said.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Mr. Webb’s expression turned serious. “Ms. Ariana, are you truly determined to go through with this divorce?”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">I nodded. “Yes.” After my response, I couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Webb, why do you keep asking me this?”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Mr. Webb’s face became even more solemn. “Because as we’ve reviewed your case, we’ve found that this divorce will be extremely challenging. And there’s substantial evidence that might hinder your ability to recover marital assets.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">His tone was grave. “Ms. Ariana, you need to be prepared for a long and difficult legal battle.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">I nodded again. “I’m ready.”</font></font>Content ? N?velDrama.Org.
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Mr. Webb shook his head. “No. I don’t think you understand. This case will be harder than you can</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">imagine. Your reputation will take a hit–you’ll face nder, insults, and challenges you can’t yet foresee.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">I</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">I fell silent. Mr. Webb waited patiently for my answer.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">After a full minute, I looked up, my gaze steady. “Yes, I’m ready. I’ll face it all.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The conversation and evidence gathering with Mr. Webb’s team was a hundred times harder than ! expected.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Because of my memory loss, I couldn’t recall any of the agreements Elijah and I had made, either before or after the marriage. I didn’t even understand how I’d been persuaded to transfer 50 million dors to his</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">пате.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The evidence collection was proving to be a nightmare, but luckily, Mr. Webb’s team was incredibly experienced.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">They traced every possible lead, piecing together clues about the situation back then. They even obtained financial records from Elijah’spany during that period.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">After several rounds of questioning that afternoon, my head felt like it was spinning out of control. The constant effort to recall left me dizzy and disoriented.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Teri noticed how pale I looked and pulled me aside to rest multiple times. However, I shook my head but pushed through four straight hours of interrogation from thewyers</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">By the time Mr. Webb and his team left, I was utterly drained, slumping back into my chair. My mind was. in a haze like it had been scrambled beyond recognition</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The vertigo from my concussion red up again, and I dry–heaved a few times but couldn’t bring anything up.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Teri’s voice was full of concern. “Ari, take a break. I’ll get you some water.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">She left the room to fetch it, and I leaned back in the chair, angrily knocking my head with my fist. Exhausted, I buried my face in my hands</font></font>