No Winter Ever Hurts Like the One I Spent With You

Both of us fell into the water together.

"Annie!" shouted Ryan, rushing over in a panic.

Without the slightest hesitation, he jumped in to save her.

After pulling Annie out of the water, Ryan anxiously checked her body. Once he confirmed she was safe, he held her in his arms and comforted her for a while.

"Charlotte! Quick, save Charlotte!" Elliot pounded his cane in agitation, but Ryan ignored him while meticulously feeding Annie a cup of ginger tea.

Only after I was pulled out and coughed up several mouthfuls of water did he snort coldly. "It's all a trick, Dad. Don't be fooled."

Elliot was so angry he didn't know what to say and quickly arranged for someone to take me to the hospital. "If you hate Charlotte so much, why did you marry her in the first place!"

Unexpectedly, Ryan raised his head. His voice suddenly became sharp. "Aren't you the one who knows best what happened back then? Why question me now?"

With that said, he picked up Annie and left without looking back. "It's a dark and windy night. Please take care of your health, Dad. I'm taking Annie back first."

Elliot stared at his son's retreating figure. In the end, he could only let out a heavy sigh. "So be it, it's all karma."

When I woke up again, I was already in the hospital.

Seeing Ryan standing by the bed, my lips trembled. I was just about to say something, but Ryan's words cut me off. "You designed this entire scene just to get me to stay with you, Charlotte. You truly have surprised me."

I had choked on a lot of water yesterday and my consciousness was hazy, but I still remembered everything that happened.

Nevertheless, I couldn't be bothered to explain and simply stared coldly out the window. "Think whatever you want. There's no need for you to stay here now."

He had expected me to argue that Annie pushed me into the water and had even prepared sarcastic remarks in advance. But seeing me like this, an unusual feeling stirred inside him.

"Aren't you leaving?" I smirked mockingly, "Don't make your little innocent darling wait too long at home. She might start crying."

On the other side, Ryan remained silent for a long time. When I finally turned my head, he was already gone.

I took out my phone and saw a message from my mom. [Sweetheart, we can leave for Milan in three days. I've already bought the tickets for us, just the two of us.]

My eyes welled up. Finally, I could leave this place.

At that moment, a news report caught my attention.

"Recently, the plagiarism controversy surrounding Annie Whitmore has been cleared. It was her assistant who maliciously leaked her inspiration, leading Annie to create plagiarized paintings."

In the video, Annie cried pitifully, bowing to the camera in apology. "I'm so sorry, everyone. I've caused you all worry. It was my fault for not being careful enough in choosing my assistant, which allowed someone with ulterior motives to take advantage of me. The assistant has been dismissed. I will hold myself to higher standards from now on. Please keep an eye on me!"

I felt sick to my stomach when I witnessed her hypocritical behavior.

She was the one who had plagiarized my mentor's artwork, so what right did she have to play the victim and shift the blame onto me?

Looking at the news, which included my photo, I realized netizens had already dug up my old school pictures. Countless rumors and attacks came flooding in.

[How malicious, to actually use her mentor's work to frame Annie! Just looking at her face, she's clearly not a good person!]

[Maybe she's in cahoots with her mentor, or maybe Annie is just too kind. If this gets serious, they'll all be in deep trouble!]

I felt all the blood rush to my head. Without thinking, I rushed out of the hospital and headed straight to the Fulmer Corporation building. Today, I was going to demand an explanation!