I Live For Myself

Sandra had never imagined that she would be left all alone on her wedding day. Ivy had always threaten to commit suicide due to her depression. As such, everyone would always try to please her. There was no exception even at Sandra's wedding. Sandra had had enough. She would not want to have any connection with her fiancé or her parents anymore. From now on, Sandra would only live her life for herself. Chapter 1 "Mr. White, I've decided to join the research exchange program," Sandra Hudson said as she struggled to remove her hair accessories and earrings. She heard Marcus White sigh with relief on the other end of the call. "Sandra, I'm glad that you've thought it through. Are you really sure about this? After all, we can't return so easily once we leave. Although the opportunity is very rare, you're still a newlywed. Will it be alright for you?" "Thank you for your concern, Mr. White, but I've thought it through. Everything will be fine in two weeks. I'll hand over the necessary tasks on my end and meet you then." After ending the call, Sandra felt a little flustered as she looked at herself in the mirror. At her wedding just a while ago, someone shouted, "Keith, Ivy is about to commit suicide!" Keith Farmer, who was about to put the ring on Sandra's finger, paused. He turned around and strode off the stage. He did not think about his bride, who was still standing at the altar. Instead, he took the phone of his best man, Carl Watson, and scrolled the screen nervously. Sandra's parents stood up at that moment. They anxiously walked over to Keith, checking the phone he was holding. They also wanted to know Ivy Foreman's situation. The melody from the violin and piano paused abruptly as the guests whispered amongst each other. Keith grabbed Carl's arm and anxiously asked, "Where is she?" Carl whispered a response. Keith was about to leave after listening to Carl, but Sandra grabbed him immediately and said, "Keith, this is the eighth time she's attempted suicide this month. It's our wedding today. Are you sure you want to leave?" Keith pushed Sandra's hand away and replied, "I'd still go even if there was a slim chance she went through with it. This is a person's life we're talking about. How could you be so cold-hearted?" Sandra's parents added, "Sandra, the wedding can be held again, but if anything bad happens to Ivy, all of us will regret it." 'The wedding can be held again?' Sandra was about to break down. One should only have one wedding in a lifetime. "Does that mean that each time I get married, I have to cancel it just because Ivy makes a fuss?" With his bloodshot eyes, Keith furiously yelled, "That's enough!" The hope in Sandra's eyes dimmed. "Keith, we're done if you leave today." Keith shook off Sandra's hand. "Why don't you have any empathy? Ivy should be the one standing here marrying me today, do you know that?" 'She should be the one?' Sandra smiled bitterly and retracted her hand. Disappointed, she watched as Keith and her parents left together. Sandra was left alone, drowned by overwhelming laughter as she pulled off her veil slowly. She then took the microphone from the host and announced, "Thank you, everyone, for coming to my wedding despite your busy schedule. As you can see, the wedding has been canceled. All the gifts will be returned. Everyone, please treat this as an ordinary banquet and enjoy yourselves." Although she was left behind, Sandra still acted with dignity, upholding the reputation of the Hudson family. That was supposed to be the greatest day of her life, but her fiance and parents left her alone at the altar in front of all the guests. That was fine. Sandra decided to give everything to Ivy since she wanted it so much. Sandra would not demand anything, so she chose to leave. A year ago, the Hudson family received a call from the police station stating that they had collected the wrong child at the hospital. Their biological daughter was actually Ivy, and Ivy's parents, who raised her, had died in an accident. Sandra became all alone overnight; her beloved mom and dad became her adoptive parents, and her biological parents passed away before she ever got to meet them. Even her fiance, Keith, began to favor Ivy when they were about to get married. Ivy took away everything from her in an instant. The friendship with Keith that she had, growing up as childhood sweethearts, disappeared when her identity was exposed, including the marriage agreement the two families had decided on since they were little. Everything changed because of Ivy. Sandra's phone rang again, and Keith's anxious voice could be heard on the other end of the line. "Come quickly, Sandra. Come to the hot spring villa in North City now. Ivy said that she would only come down if you're here." Sandra paused with her hand still holding onto the phone. 'How dare they ask me to save Ivy again? If she really wanted to die, she would've been reincarnated several times,' she thought. They were the only ones who would believe Ivy repeatedly. "I won't go. She doesn't have the guts to commit suicide," Sandra responded. Keith shouted, "Ivy wouldn't be like this if you hadn't taken over her identity for over twenty years! You owe her this. Come here quickly." Sandra felt her tears well up as she sighed. Just because they thought Sandra had taken advantage of being switched at birth, they felt she owed everything to Ivy. That would be the last time Sandra would do anything for them. She did not want to have any connection with them in the future. After changing into her own clothes, Sandra drove to the hot spring villa. Her phone did not stop ringing along the way. They were calls from either Keith or her parents urging her to drive as quickly as possible. Sandra sneered on the inside. After such a long time, Ivy would have already died if she really wanted to commit suicide. Everything was just a show. However, Sandra wanted to see what Ivy was up to. Keith did not stop calling during her entire journey there. Sandra picked up his call, and he immediately exclaimed, "Where the hell are you?" Before Sandra could answer, the blazing honk of a large truck screamed into her ears, and a huge black shadow instantly covered her car. The impact of the violent collision caused Sandra to panic as her car flipped several times on the road. Glass and debris scattered all over the road, while all the airbags were deployed. Sandra's face was covered with blood as she lay unconscious on the steering wheel. Chapter 2 When Sandra opened her eyes again, she found that her neck was in a neck brace, and she could not move at all. The intense pain on her face made her more alert. She felt sore all over, as if all the bones in her body had broken. Keith stood by Sandra's bed. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sandra open her eyes. "Well, you're still alive, so go and apologize to Ivy. We had difficulty persuading her to come down from the roof since you didn't come that day." Sandra never liked to cry, but she still felt better. When she opened her eyes, she was still a little delighted to see him. However, not only did he not ask if she was fine, he also asked her to apologize to Ivy. Sandra did not understand what she did wrong. Did he do all of that just because Ivy claimed that she had depression? Did everyone have to pander to Ivy just because there was a risk of her committing suicide? Sandra opened her mouth, but she could not make a sound. "Forget it. Look for me when you have thought it through. It's time for Ivy's medication, so I have to leave now." Sandra hated that she could not stand up and hit Keith. Tears slid down her cheeks as she felt her heart shatter. The nurses next door whispered amongst each other. "Mr. Farmer blocked the entire first floor for Ms. Foreman. He even requested the chief nurse to be there, claiming that Ms. Foreman would cry when she's given an injection." "Love is in the air." "I hope that there's a domineering man who would treat me so well too." "I heard that Mr. Farmer is always by Ms. Foreman's side. He's afraid that something will happen to her. I checked on her earlier, and her wound has completely healed by now." Sandra looked out of the window. The sunlight shone on her, so she could not open her eyes. She did not feel like talking. Sandra's parents, Mike and Irene Hudson, entered the ward just when she shut her eyes and was about to rest for a while. "Sandra, you're seriously injured." Sandra thought that her parents still cared about her. Irene held Sandra's hand and said, "My good girl, I know you are a strong person. You've never made us worry about you since you were a child. You'll definitely get through this." Irene's smile suddenly turned cold. "Ivy just wants you to apologize. After all, she had nothing all these years while you lived a good life with your father and me for so many years." Sandra pulled her hand back coldly as she turned her head to the side. She did not want to look at them. Mike lost control, pointing at Sandra as he shouted, "Ivy wouldn't have been agitated if you didn't insist on marrying Keith! Why is it so hard for you to just apologize? You'd rather be in a car accident than apologize. How could there be such a heartless daughter like you in our family?" Sandra looked out the window motionlessly, ignoring their words. Her parents who loved her dearly had completely changed. They became so cruel just because she was not their biological daughter. Keith rushed into the ward at that moment and exclaimed, "Mike, Irene, come see Ivy quickly!" The three of them rushed out of the room without even looking at Sandra. For a moment, Sandra wondered if she had taken everything that should have belonged to Ivy or if Ivy had taken everything from her. A message popped up on Sandra's cell phone. It was sent by the agency that Sandra previously went to for a paternity test. Sandra doubted the test results that Ivy showed them, so she secretly took her parents' hair for testing. The report stated that the probability that Sandra Foreman and Mike Foreman were biological father and daughter was 99.99%. Tears slid down Sandra's face. It turned out that Ivy had deceived everyone. Chapter 3 The doctor discharged Sandra three days later. After limping home, Sandra found the four of them in the dining hall, singing the Happy Birthday song. Even Sandra herself had forgotten that it was her birthday. Irene and Mike were busy serving food for Ivy, who was laughing happily. Their eyes were filled with love. Ivy looked at Keith affectionately as she carefully wiped the cream off from the corners of his mouth. The Hudson family housekeeper, Janet Hudley, took Sandra's bag and saw that the gauze on her forehead had not been completely removed. "Ms. Hudson, are you alright?" Janet asked. Those words broke the peace around them. Everyone looked over. Ivy stood up and walked quickly to Sandra. Suddenly, she kneeled down and said, "Sandra, it's my fault. I ruined your wedding, so you can hit me if you want." All three of them ran over quickly to help Ivy stand up when they saw that she kneeled down. Sandra stood and watched the drama. She did not even wish to show them the paternity test results. She would rather be an orphan than have a family like them. "Ivy, you don't have to kneel down to apologize to her. It's obvious that she robbed you of the life you deserved," said Keith, who wanted to help Ivy up, but she refused. Sandra calmly watched everything taking place in front of her. "You've already got what you want. Why are you still putting up an act here? Sandra thought, 'Didn't you want to jump off the building? Why are you standing here now? Go ahead and jump. Although our villa isn't a tall building, you'd still be disabled if you didn't die from the jump…' Slap! Mike slapped Sandra hard, and she fell onto the sofa. That was the first time that Sandra was slapped by her father since she was born. However, Mike did not feel any regret or heartache at all. "How could I have raised such an ungrateful person like you? Is this what you've been taught? "We've been extremely generous by letting you continue to stay in the Hudson family and allowing you to marry Keith. Don't be ungrateful!" Sandra smiled. It seemed like they expected her to thank the family for the harm they had brought to her. Ivy smirked slyly as if she was showing off her victory. Ivy pulled Sandra and said, "Sandra, my parents and Keith are celebrating my birthday. We're having my favorite strawberry cake. You should join us." Sandra pushed her away and snapped, "I don't want to interrupt your family of four from celebrating." Sandra did not push Ivy strongly, but Ivy took the opportunity to slam herself against the coffee table next to her. Tears fell down instantly. She cried like it was the end of the world, which made the three of them feel pity for her. "Sandra, that's too much!" Sandra had a headache. She could not stand the happy appearance of the family of four, so she turned around and headed upstairs, leaving a few words. "I'm allergic to strawberries." When Sandra entered her room, she found that the room was filled with Ivy's belongings. Irene entered and held Sandra's hand. "Sandra, don't be angry at your father. Ivy said that she liked your room and that the sunshine was good here. We were afraid of irritating her, so we followed her wishes. Your things have been moved to the first floor. Please bear with her." A good cop and a bad cop. Her parents worked really well together. Sandra ran to the first floor in a hurry. Her things filled up the tiny storage room. Among the messy pile of things, Sandra looked for her research reports. Those were the reports from her hard work in the laboratory over the past six months. They were also her first copyright project. Sandra walked to the living hall. She knew that the only person who took her report would be Ivy. "Ivy, did you take my reports?" Mike spoke before Ivy replied, "We decided to give the reports to Ivy. She needs them to graduate. Since you're so capable, you can just come up with another one." Sandra clenched her fists and yelled, "So, you all know about it? Do you know what you're doing? This is called stealing, plagiarism!" Mike did not even look up at Sandra. "Everything you have belongs to Ivy. It's just a research report, so we took it." Sandra trembled angrily and exclaimed, "That's the result of the team's effort. It doesn't just belong to me. Ivy, give the report back to me!" Ivy acted pitifully and hid in Irene's embrace. She even pretended to retreat. "Sandra, we've done our best to raise you for the past twenty years. Do you want to compete with Ivy now?" Sandra realized that she would never be able to win the argument, so she had to give in. "Since you want to compensate her, I can give her all the assets and belongings under my name. I just want my research report back." Mike continued to defend Ivy. "All the assets belong to Ivy in the first place. They're not yours to return." Sandra felt completely disappointed as her heart sank, seeing the way her father reacted in front of her. A father that she had for the past twenty years, a father that put her on the pedestal. There was no reason for her to stay. "Fine. I'll leave since there's no place for me in this family, but don't ever think of using my research reports." Sandra felt angry yet somewhat amused. She wondered what would happen if her parents were to find out that their biological daughter was not Ivy. Chapter 4 Sandra left the Hudson family villa in a daze. Thunder and lightning roared in the sky, and heavy rain poured down on her. It was as if God was adding to her misery. A black sports car stopped beside her as rainwater splashed all over her. The car window rolled down, revealing none other than Keith. "Sandra, why do you want to go against your parents' wishes? As long as you're willing to accept Ivy, you're still the daughter of the Hudson family. Our engagement is still in force." Sandra ignored him and continued to walk forward. Keith got down with an umbrella and caught up with her. He pulled her arm so that she would look at him. "Are you still angry about what happened at the wedding? That's a human life. I can't just sit back and do nothing." He pulled her arm further, trying to show weakness to persuade her. "Don't be angry. I'll compensate you with a wedding even more grand than the last one. Although Ivy is the daughter of the Hudson family, my wife will only be you." Sandra stopped and looked back at Keith. "From the day Ivy returned to the Hudson family, all of you have leaned towards her. It was as if everything I did was owed to her. It wasn't me who switched the two babies, so why do all of you put the blame on me? If you want Ivy—" "No, my engagement is with you. As for the rest, just bear with her." Sandra would rather give up everything than be pitied. "If that is the case, I'd rather cancel the engagement." Keith had never thought that Sandra would cancel their engagement. He was a little angry at her, but he could not bother to explain further. He turned around and got in the car and drove away. Sandra had nowhere to go. She walked to the university to see if she could find the backup of the research reports in the laboratory, but she was surrounded as soon as she arrived. Henry Walker, one of the seniors who had worked with her, grabbed her at her collar and lifted her up. Everyone looked at her with a strange look. Sandra did not know what had happened. She grabbed Henry's hand and said, "What's wrong? Why are you so angry?" A classmate pulled Henry away. Henry pointed at Sandra and scolded, "You published our research data! How dare you ask me what's wrong?" Sandra shook her head, not knowing what to say. Cecilia Johnson, another senior in Sandra's team, took out her cell phone and showed Sandra the article and research data. Those were the reports from their sleepless nights of effort from the past six months. The article was published under Ivy Foreman. "Henry, I'm sorry. This is indeed my mistake. I'll give everyone a satisfactory explanation." Everyone went into a discussion. Some came forward to comfort Henry. "I believe in Sandra's character. She didn't do this." Sandra suddenly remembered that there was only one person who knew the password for her computer, it was Keith. When Sandra arrived at the Farmer residence, it was dark and the rain had yet to stop. She rushed into Keith's room looking like a mess. He had just come out of the shower and sneered when he saw Sandra. "I was wondering how long you could stand on your own. You still come to me after all." Sandra calmed down, trying to breathe steadily. "Did you tell Ivy my computer password? Did you know that she published my research report?" Keith wiped his wet hair with a look of disdain. "Isn't it just some research data? You've done so many experiments. Ivy needs this experiment to graduate, so just give it to her." Sandra furiously pulled Keith's arm and exclaimed, "What do you mean by just giving it to her? That research report doesn't just belong to could. It's the hard work of everyone in the laboratory. How can you just give it to her? Who can she blame for failing her exams for so many years? Why should I pay for her mistakes?" Keith shook Sandra off and sat on the sofa. "I'm your husband. How can I not have the right to deal with things like this?" Sandra scoffed, "Have you forgotten that you left me at the wedding to find another woman? We haven't even completed the wedding ceremony. How dare you utter such shameless words?" Keith hung the towel around his neck and took Sandra in his arms. "I know you're still jealous. Enough. It's not worth it to be upset over such a small matter. I promise you that I'll give you a wedding even bigger than the last time." 'Small matter?' Sandra yelled, "No, no!" Sandra turned around and left immediately . The way Keith behaved at that moment made her sick. Keith stopped her. "Don't you dare to even think of exposing Ivy. You know how powerful the Farmer family is. There's no way you can go against us." Sandra and Keith grew up together, and their engagement was decided on by their parents before they were born. Keith had always protected Sandra in school since they were little. He would always tell everyone that Sandra was his when they were only in kindergarten. Sandra had always felt that she would be Keith's wife. She had never imagined that she would experience the darkest moment of her life that day. Keith paused when he saw Ivy the moment she returned to the Hudson family. Ivy's pitiful and weak appearance was something that he had never seen on Sandra. Sandra had always been a top student since she was a child, so she was never in second place when it came to her studies. The hearts of humans could change, and the grass was always greener on the other side. When Sandra was constantly compared to Ivy, Sandra's parents and Keith gradually favored Ivy. After leaving the Farmer residence, Sandra wandered aimlessly on the streets. Just when she was in deep thought, a black sports car drove by and splashed water all over her. 'Again?' That was the second time that day. All the events that happened in the past two days made her feel suffocated. She finally lost control of her emotions. Sandra sat on the ground, broke down, and cried hysterically. A man got out of the car. He was flustered and apologized immediately. Sandra cried endlessly, and passersby on the sidewalk cast strange looks at them. The man did not know what to do, so he squatted down to comfort her. "I didn't see you. I'm so sorry for splashing water on you. I'll compensate you in any way you want, just please stop crying." Sandra looked up and asked, "Do you have a spare room in your home?" Chapter 5 The man brought Sandra to a hotel. Sandra followed behind him, but when they reached the front desk, she realized that something was not right. Did he think she was a slut or something? Sandra pulled his sleeve and explained immediately, "I didn't mean that." The man smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I didn't mean that either." After arranging for a room at the front desk, he handed the room access card to Sandra. "Go ahead, clean up yourself and get changed." Sandra got a good look at the man. His handsome face and positive outlook gave her a completely different feeling from Keith. "Thank you." The man turned around as he waved and left. Sandra washed herself from head to toe in the room. She cleaned her clothes and laid on the bed, but she could not fall asleep. She figured she would go back to the university the next day to see if there was still a chance to make things right. When Sandra came to the university the next day, she was shunned by everyone. Her professor, Marcus Fowler, walked over to her and patted her shoulder. The moment she saw Marcus, Sandra's tears welled up in her eyes and she almost cried out loud. "It's alright, Sandra. I understand your situation. Let's try to restore the samples we made previously." Next, Marcus gathered everyone together and started looking for a remedy to the situation. Under Marcus' instruction, the students began to put things into action. One of Sandra's seniors came to comfort her. "We'll definitely solve this problem. Don't worry, Sandra. This issue won't delay our research and experiment exchange program." Sandra began to tear up, and she could no longer control herself. Tears started to fall and dripped on the marble floor. After two days of hard work, just when everyone was finally about to produce the experiment results, a teammate shouted while holding onto a phone, "Mr. White, Ivy published our data and has now been awarded the copyright." Everyone swarmed over, voices of discussion disappeared instantly. Everyone stared at the live interview on the cell phone. Someone asked in the interview, "This project was previously proposed in the laboratory of one of the major universities. How did you manage to publish it so quickly?" Ivy did not panic at all. Instead, she chuckled and said, "I don't know about their research. Perhaps when we were doing the experiment, my sister, Sandra, saw our information…" The reporter was surprised, "Are you saying that your sister copied your experimental data?" "You may not believe me if I were to say Sandra plagiarized my work, but she did enter my room and read my experimental data. " Ivy's eyes turned red as she said pitifully, "Sandra repeatedly ordered me not to achieve better results than her. She threatened to take action against me if I got a better place than her. "She even claimed that due to her boyfriend being the son of the Farmer family, the consequences would be terrible." Keith appeared at the live broadcast at that moment. "I can vouch that everything that Ivy said is true. My Farmer family invested in this research team and the laboratory. I saw Ivy working really hard till late at night." The situation turned chaotic, everyone in the comments of the live interview broke into discussions. [So, Sandra's the one who plagiarized.] [I didn't expect such a smart girl like her to do such a thing.] [Do you think she's actually smart? She merely has the Farmer family as her support.] Hate comments filled up the screen of the cell phone. Sandra was accused of plagiarism. The teammate turned off the live broadcast and clenched his hands tightly. Everyone looked at Sandra with hatred. Not only Sandra, anyone who stood up earlier claiming that she did the experiment would be punished for plagiarism. Everyone was dejected. One of the seniors was so agitated that he smashed the test tube in his hand. "I've already said earlier that we can't trust Sandra! Well, now everyone's efforts in the past six months have been in vain!" Sandra froze, not knowing how to explain herself. She apologized to everyone. "I'm sorry, everyone. I'll definitely give you an explanation for this." Sandra rushed out of the laboratory and took a taxi to the Farmer's residence. She pushed Keith's room door and saw him working on his desk. Keith chuckled when he saw Sandra. "You still can't help yourself from coming back to be with me? I'll ignore the fact that you canceled our engagement. The wedding is scheduled for next month, and the venue will be twice the size of the last one." Sandra walked to Keith. She raised her hand and slapped him. The crisp sound of slapping echoed throughout the room, and Keith was stunned by the slap. "Sandra, what are you doing?" "You know clearly how important the experiment data are to me. Why are you helping Ivy?" Keith grabbed her arm and replied, "Ivy is depressed. What will you do if she hurts herself?" "Does that mean that I have to be responsible for her for the rest of her life?" "You already have everything that should belong to her. She just wants a little bit of your experiment data. What's wrong with that?" Sandra felt that she could no longer communicate with Keith. She turned around to leave, but Keith hugged her tightly from behind. "Sandra, stop causing trouble. You have your parents and I, but Ivy is an orphan. Once you marry into the Farmer family, you don't need all all this research and honors at all." Sandra struggled to break free and turned around. She looked at Keith firmly. "Listen carefully, Keith. When I broke off our engagement earlier, it wasn't out of anger. I was dead serious. Let's just end it here." Keith's eyes turned red. He had never seen Sandra look so fierce before. He knew Sandra was serious. Keith picked up Sandra and carried her on his shoulders. He carried her to the wine cellar in the basement, and locked her inside. He would not open the door no matter how Sandra banged on the door. "Sandra, you said you'd stay with me forever. I'll let you out once you figure it out." Sandra beat the door of the wine cellar fiercely, but there was no response. It was the first time she saw Keith look so scary. She paced up and down, holding her cell phone and searching all corners of the wine cellar. She thought of all the ways to escape, but it was useless. No one would come to her rescue. Sandra finally gave up. She felt dizzy from the continuous rain in the past few days, coupled with the huge emotional fluctuations. She was dazed for a moment. Everything would be fine had Ivy never appeared. How great would it be if Keith was who he was before. However, there was no turning back. Chapter 6 The temperature in the wine cellar was only about ten degrees Celsius. There were no windows, so it was hard to tell whether it was day or night. Sandra's phone was about to run out of battery. The date displayed on the screen showed that there were only three days left before the departure date for the research and experiment exchange program. Sandra knew she was falling sick. She felt her body burning hot for a moment, but she would be shivering the next second. Her teeth were chattering, but her breath was burning hot. She felt really drowsy as she curled up in a corner. The ticking sound from the air conditioner in the wine cellar sounded like a thunderstorm in her heart. It gradually drowned her and took away any warmth and hope from her, leaving her in a miserable state. Sandra's willpower kept her alive. She knew she could not be trapped anymore. She had to go out of there. Outside the wine cellar, Keith saw how determined Sandra was. He was afraid that he would really lose Sandra. He started to make wedding arrangements, wanting the wedding to be held as soon as possible. Keith arranged the wedding to be held at the biggest hall at the top floor of a five-star rated hotel. The scale of the wedding was even bigger than the last time. After making all the necessary arrangements, Keith went to the Hudson family with betrothal gifts and the ancestral jade bracelet. Ivy was hugging Irene, sitting on the sofa. They seemed to have forgotten that there was another daughter in the family. "Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, I'm here for a marriage proposal and to discuss wedding details with you." Ivy's face blushed instantly. Keith, the man that she liked, had finally come to propose. "I think this matter shouldn't be delayed any longer. It won't be good for anyone if it's delayed for too long. It'll only jeopardize the relationship between the two families." Mike smiled. "Keith, we have long regarded you as a member of our family. You'd be our son-in-law sooner or later." "The wedding is scheduled in three days. I changed the venue to the newly built five-star hotel owned by my family. These are the betrothal gifts from my family. There's thirty million dollars in this bank card, and this is the emerald jade bracelet passed down by my grandmother." Ivy stared at the bracelet and could not look away. She looked at Irene and reached out to take it to put it on herself. However, Keith took it away. "This is for Sandra. It's not appropriate for Ivy to wear it." Ivy's face turned pale. Mike stood up and questioned, "You still want to marry Sandra?" Keith was a little surprised. "Of course. Who else will I marry if not Sandra?" Mike and Irene looked at each other. They both thought that Keith would marry their biological daughter, Ivy. After all, given the status of the Farmer family, it would be better for his biological daughter to marry into the Farmer family. Ivy covered her face. She then held the fruit knife on the table against her left wrist. "Keith, do you really want to see me die in front of you?" Mike and Irene accused, "Keith, can't you see how sincere Ivy's feelings are for you? She's still sick, so please don't provoke her." Keith stood up and looked at Ivy. "I have tried my best to accommodate Ivy to please you, but I've realized that there's no way for me to satisfy her desires. I won't marry her. Ivy always threatens to commit suicide. We can't just keep accommodating her each time she cries wolf. "Furthermore, this is a newly customized wedding dress for Sandra. I don't want her to remember any of the unpleasant things that happened the last time." Keith put the wedding invitation card on the table. "If you're still willing to admit that Sandra is your daughter, you're welcome to attend our wedding." What Keith really meant was if Mike and Irene still wanted to have a relationship with the Farmer family, they had to acknowledge Sandra as their daughter. The sound of Ivy smashing things was heard behind him as he walked out, accompanied by her crying and shouting. Keith left without looking back. He was completely determined and knew what he wanted. He imagined how Sandra would look like in the wedding dress. He would never allow any more accidents to happen. He would not allow Sandra to be wronged even if Ivy were to make a fuss. Keith was a little delighted. He had figured out how to coax Sandra. He did not know that he had no chance anymore. Sandra was locked in the wine cellar for two days. Keith asked the housekeeper about Sandra. The housekeeper replied respectfully, "Every day, someone goes to deliver food to Ms. Hudson, but the food is taken out the same way it was delivered. She still hasn't figured things out." "It doesn't matter. We'll just send her to the wedding venue on the day itself." Keith needed to manage Sandra's temper. How would she be able to manage such a big family after marrying into the Farmer family? The housekeeper looked worried. "The temperature of the wine cellar is very cold. Ms. Hudson's body may not be able to bear it." "Adjust the temperature back to normal room temperature then." "What about the wine in the wine cellar..." "Just do it. It's just some wine. They're nothing compared to Sandra." A helper ran over at that moment. "Mr. Farmer, it's bad. Ms. Hudson has fainted." Chapter 7 When Sandra woke up, she was already in a luxurious ward of the hospital. Keith was standing by the window. When he heard that Sandra woke up, he hurried to her side, held her hand and put it on his face. "Sandra, you finally woke up." Sandra looked at the man in front of her and felt very strange. He was not like the Keith she knew before, but he was also not the Keith who favored Ivy either. "I'm sorry, Sandra. I'm too afraid of losing you. Our wedding is scheduled in three days. Are you willing to forgive me?" Sandra's eyes flickered as she nodded in agreement. There were three days left before she needed to leave for the program. How would she be able to escape if she did not agree to his proposal? Keith hugged her tightly in his arms. He hugged her so tightly as if he wanted to crush her. Perhaps he only realized what he wanted when he was about to lose it. Keith could not feel the emotions in Sandra's eyes, so he panicked and wanted to keep her by his side. Sandra carefully broke free from his arms and said, "Since I'm getting married, I have to make a trip back home." Keith was afraid that Sandra would run into Ivy again. After all, Ivy had just attempted suicide. "Are you sure?" Sandra nodded firmly in response. The wedding was a day away when Keith drove Sandra back to the Hudson family. When the three of them saw Sandra, they were not in a good mood. Janet once again approached Sandra and took her bag. "Ms. Hudson, you look terrible." Sandra smiled and told Janet she was fine. Mike was the first to speak. "Don't think that you'll be all high and mighty after marrying into the Farmer family. You're not qualified to marry into the Farmer family if you aren't the daughter of the Hudson family." Ivy hid in Irene's arms and cried. No matter how hard she tried, she ended up watching Sandra marrying the man she loved most. How could she let that happen? As Sandra cleaned her room, she threw away all the photos of Keith and her into the trash can. Ivy walked into the room and wailed, "Why do you have to take away everything I have? You've had the love of your parents for more than twenty years, isn't that enough? Why can't you just give Keith to me?" Sandra stood up and looked at Ivy. "Well, my good sister, perhaps I can fulfill your wish." The wedding day was also the day where Sandra would leave for the research and experiment exchange program. Keith stood in the center of the stage, waiting for his bride. The door opened slowly. Mike led the bride walking in slowly, under grace of the flower petals and elegant piano music. After missing out on the wedding earlier, Keith could finally marry Sandra. The wedding march was heard. When the two walked into the hall slowly, Keith could see who was approaching. The person under the veil was not Sandra, but Ivy. Ignoring the murmurs of the guests, Keith pulled off her veil with all his strength and roared, "Where's Sandra? Why are you here?" Ivy's hair had pulled down along the veil. She pulled on Keith's sleeve pitifully and whined, "It's always been me who should be marrying you. Sandra's just a fake!" Keith searched for Sandra among the guests. The housekeeper beside him stepped forward and whispered, "Mr. Farmer, the board of directors were rather upset with you when the wedding was cancelled the last time. If you mess up another wedding now, I'm afraid the consequences will be..." Keith dismissed the butler. He could not listen to anything. He thought he was finally going to marry his bride. "I only want Sandra!" Chapter 8 At that moment, a surge of data and information flooded the big screen at the wedding hall. Henry then grabbed the microphone to attract everyone's attention. "Hello, everyone. As the senior of the bride, I've been entrusted by Sandra to share an interesting video with you. This is the results from the research and experiment of our laboratory that we worked for the past six months. A week ago, this woman stole it and published it as hers!" All the reporters swarmed around and handed their microphones to Henry. "Are you saying that the research project that won the award actually belongs to your laboratory?" Henry touched his glasses slightly and replied, "Yes. Ivy plagiarized the results of our hard work and claimed it as hers shamelessly. Here's all the data and case analysis. It can prove that she's the real plagiarist. "The research data is the result of our laboratory's effort. The copyright should belong to Sandra!" Ivy trembled nervously. She held her heavy wedding dress, wanting to go up to stop Henry from continuing speaking. She pulled Keith's hand and exclaimed, "Stop them quickly! They're lying!" Keith grabbed Ivy's arm instead and questioned, "Where is Sandra?" Ivy broke down and shouted, as she pointed at Henry on the stage, "How would I know? Are you going to let him continue slandering me?" All the reporters gathered around Ivy. "Ms. Foreman, what's your response to the accusations of Sandra and her team?" "Why would you resort to something like plagiarism?" "Ms. Foreman, Ms. Foreman…" Ivy could not stand it anymore. She turned around and ran out of the banquet hall. Mike and Irene followed behind her, but Keith did not move. The housekeeper soon announced the news. "Ms. Foreman is going to jump off the building from the top floor of the hotel!" Keith felt helpless, but he had to rush to the top floor. Mike and Irene kept persuading Ivy, but she did not hear a word. She only cared about Keith. "Ivy, can you stop causing trouble?" Ivy sat on the edge of the rooftop with her wedding dress. Reporters and firefighters gathered at the bottom of the building. Mike and Irene felt helpless too. After multiple similar suicide attempts, Ivy's threat no longer work for them. "Get down now. It's embarrassing when others know about this." Mike frowned, growing extremely annoyed with Ivy's desperate attitude. "Dad, Mom, are you going to let them insult me?" Irene was fed up with Ivy's desperate attitude as well. "You don't love yourself. You keep threatening us with your life. We have had enough." They knew that blindly indulging her would only boost her arrogance. She would only get more and more arrogant. Ivy looked at Mike and Irene, as well as Keith who looked disgusted. She had made her decision. She looked down at the air mattress that was already properly set up by the firefighters. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "If I can't marry you, what's the point of me living?" She then dropped backward. The huge wedding dress disappeared from the rooftop. When MIke, Irene and Keith rushed to the edge of the rooftop, Ivy had already fallen and landed. The three of them rushed downstairs immediately. At the corner of the street, Sandra, who witnessed everything, got in the taxi that she arranged much earlier. "Miss, where would you like to go?" "The airport, please. Thank you." Sandra was very satisfied with the outcome as she looked out the window. From then on, she had nothing to do with those people. There would be no disappointment as there would be no expectation. There would be no sadness as there would be no disappointment. Sandra met Marcus at the airport, and he gave her a comforting hug. "Sandra! I watched the live broadcast earlier. It's great that you could clear your name. I knew my choice was right." Marcus could not help but feel his heart ache for Sandra. Such a weak girl had to ensure so much grievances. Sandra saw a familiar figure among the team not far away, but he disappeared in a flash. When she regathered her thoughts, Sandra smiled and boarded the plane with her teammates without looking back at all.