Thomas brought in his doctor, Alan Declant, to examine Laura's injuries.

Alan glanced at her before saying, "It's just a light sprain. She'll be fine in a few days."

Thomas felt relieved upon hearing those words. He looked at Laura and said, "Get some rest, Laura. I'll go check on Shannon."

A flicker of resentment crossed Laura's face when she heard that. She had a sprained ankle, yet he was still thinking of Shannon—what was so good about her anyway?

Christopher looked at Thomas and whispered, "Don't you like Aunt Laura, Daddy? I worked so hard to get you this chance to be alone with her, so you should be making the most of it now!"

Thomas was stunned after hearing his words. He found himself reconsidering. After all, he liked Laura. He should be staying by her side when she was at her weakest, so why was he still thinking about Shannon now?

His gaze hardened in determination, and

Thomas' eyes widened in shock upon hearing the news. He yelled, "What did you say? How could that be? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Elijah replied in a trembling voice, "We've double-checked many times, Mr. Ford. You and Ms. Linsel were never legally married."

All the strength drained from Thomas' body as the words sank in. The phone slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor.

His mind went blank.

Shannon had clearly married into the Ford family, so how could they possibly not be legally married?

However, realization hit Thomas like a punch to the gut shortly after. He slammed his fist against the couch in frustration.

Back then, his mind was occupied with the thought of Laura. Shannon had repeatedly reminded him to get their marriage registered, but he brushed her off with the excuse of being busy with work.

Thomas eventually forgot about it altogether.

His eyes shut 

Every guest at the company's annual party tonight was required to bring a dance partner. Laura showed up dressed to the nines, linking arms with Thomas.

Although Shannon did not receive an invitation, she still attended the annual party. She needed to hand over the custody waiver agreement to Grace.

There were only two hours left until her flight, and time was running out.

Shannon scanned the crowd, looking for Grace. 

At that moment, the stage lights came on. Thomas was standing on the stage, preparing to speak. Christopher and Laura were both beside him.

The employees started whispering among themselves. "It seems like the rumors online were true. Mr. Ford is truly a devoted man—every gossip headline has been about the same woman."

"But isn't Mr. Ford already married?"

"That's just some nobody from the sticks—Mr. Ford doesn't care about her. Laura Zimmerman is the one he really loves."

Shannon, however, was too busy to listen to the gossip. She headed straight for the stairwell, looking for Grace. She had no luck after checking the area.

Just as she was about to turn back, a voice sounded from behind her, "Did you even get an invitation? Each guest was only allowed to bring one female companion. Clearly, I'm the one who won."

It was Laura, looking beyond twisted and completely devoid of the usual meek front she put on in front of Thomas. "Did you think Thomas would choose you over me? He'll always choose me no matter what!"

Shannon coldly replied, "I have no time for your little games."

Laura flashed a disdainful smile before forcefully shoving her backward.

Shannon lost her balance and missed her step. She tumbled down several flights of stairs, landing hard on the floor—yet she gripped the contract tightly in her hand.

Immense pain shot through her entire body. Both new and old injuries combined made her take in a sharp breath.

The loud commotion drew the attention of most people at the venue.

Thomas rushed over the moment he saw that it was Shannon. He carefully helped her up and asked anxiously, "How did you end up like this?"

She shot Laura a glare, yet Laura held onto her gaze without flinching. She even started yelling, "My foot hurts, Thomas!"

Christopher cried, "Aunt Laura's foot seems to be hurting badly, Daddy! Come over quickly!"

Thomas hesitated this time, glancing worriedly at Shannon.

However, she gathered her strength and supported herself up. "You don't have to worry about me."

Thomas could only reply anxiously, "I'll go check on her first. I'll come back for you in a bit."

Shannon finally found Grace.

Although Grace was no stranger to grand events, she couldn't help but gasp in shock at the sight before her. "What happened to you? You're a mess! You even have bloodstains on your clothes!"

Shannon insisted she was fine. She then handed the agreement over with trembling fingers. "Here you go."

Grace let out a long sigh after taking one look at it. "Perhaps I shouldn't have signed that agreement with you in the first place. All I did was drag you into this mess, and look at you now.

"The Fords owe everything to you. Just go—you'll have no ties with the Ford family from now on."

Shannon's voice trembled when she said, "Thank you."

…

Shannon boarded the plane. Despite her disheveled appearance, she felt overwhelmed with happiness.

She was free at last, no longer bound by any agreements. For the first time, she truly belonged to herself.

The first ray of sunlight streamed through the plane window as morning broke.

From that moment on, the darkness in Shannon's life would fade away, and nothing but a bright future lay ahead of her.

Thomas brought in his doctor, Alan Declant, to examine Laura's injuries.

Alan glanced at her before saying, "It's just a light sprain. She'll be fine in a few days."

Thomas felt relieved upon hearing those words. He looked at Laura and said, "Get some rest, Laura. I'll go check on Shannon."

A flicker of resentment crossed Laura's face when she heard that. She had a sprained ankle, yet he was still thinking of Shannon—what was so good about her anyway?

Christopher looked at Thomas and whispered, "Don't you like Aunt Laura, Daddy? I worked so hard to get you this chance to be alone with her, so you should be making the most of it now!"

Thomas was stunned after hearing his words. He found himself reconsidering. After all, he liked Laura. He should be staying by her side when she was at her weakest, so why was he still thinking about Shannon now?

His gaze hardened in determination, and he grabbed Laura's hand. "I'll stay right here with you, Laura. I won't go anywhere."

Touched, she

Chapter 9