Chapter 7
When Mara dragged her battered body home, she heard Elena’s sweet voice drifting down from upstairs.
“Knox, it’s thundering tonight… could you stay and help me fall asleep?”
She gripped the banister, breaking into a cold sweat with every step.
Knox was about to refuse when he caught sight of Mara at the bottom of the stairs and suddenly changed his mind: “Sure.”
He wrapped his arm around Elena’s waist and headed into the master bedroom, not sparing Mara a single glance.
Mara forced a bitter smile and dragged her exhausted body back to the guest room.
Over the next few days, she focused on preparing her submission for the Red Dot Design Award. This was the career she planned to rebuild after the divorce.
She used to be the most talented student in the design department. Her professor said she’d definitely become a leader in the design world someday. Until that day when Knox caught a male colleague giving her a ride home.
“Quit your job, or we’re getting divorced.” He coldly threw out that ultimatum.
Mara didn’t hesitate to choose quitting. And now, she could finally pick up her drawing pen again.
Just as she was completely absorbed in perfecting her design, the door suddenly burst open.
Knox walked in with Elena, his gaze landing on her design drafts, his face instantly darkening.
“I told you I don’t like you doing this stuff.” He snatched away her pen. “If you still want me to agree to withdraw the divorce papers, stay away from all this.”
Mara looked up at him and suddenly found it ridiculous. Did he think he could still threaten her now?
But she said nothing, just quietly put away her design drafts.
Knox thought she’d given in and left satisfied with Elena. Before leaving, Elena’s gaze lingered on the design drafts for a few seconds, a flash of amazement in her eyes.
Three days after submitting her design, Mara got a call from the organizers.
“Miss Mara, your work is suspected of plagiarism. If you can’t prove otherwise, we’ll have to disqualify you.”
“What?” Mara couldn’t believe it. “Who did I supposedly copy?”
“It’s identical to a piece submitted by rising designer Elena. She’s a popular designer now, so she couldn’t have
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Chapter 7
copied you. We can only deal with your case.”
Mara immediately remembered the look in Elena’s eyes that day. She said urgently: “I have the original drafts to prove it!”
After hanging up, she searched the entire room but couldn’t find her original drafts anywhere.
“Looking for this?”
Elena’s voice came from behind her. Mara spun around to see Elena holding her original design drafts.
“How did you get those?”
“Because I said I liked them that day,” Elena smugly waved the papers. “Knox gave them to me without hesitation.”
She leaned close to Mara’s ear and whispered, “See? Knox likes me. Just accept it and stop trying to get back together. It’d be better for everyone if you just left.”
Mara’s mind went blank. She rushed to confront Knox but only got a cold response: “I told you I don’t like you messing with this stuff. If you’d listened and given up, none of this would’ve happened.”
She looked at this man she’d loved for seven years, her heart feeling like it was being torn apart.
Why was he always like this? Never caring about her interests, never considering her feelings.
If it weren’t for those love letters, she really wouldn’t dare believe this man had ever loved her.
Mara returned to her room in a daze, shutting herself in the darkness.
Until a phone ring pulled her back to reality.
“Mara, are you making a comeback?” Her professor’s excited voice came through. “I saw your work in the competition!”
Mara choked up: “Professor, I didn’t plagiarize…”
“Of course I know that!” Her professor said firmly. “Your talent is beyond anyone’s reach–how could you plagiarize?”
She sighed, “It’s just a shame that back then you gave it all up for Knox…”
“I was stupid before,” Mara wiped away her tears. “I’m already filing for divorce and planning to start over.”
“That’s wonderful!” Her professor said excitedly. “Want to come to my studio in Paris? All your fellow students are there, and the studio’s doing pretty well now. If you join us, we’ll definitely make you the brightest star in the design
world!”
“Can I… really do it?”
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Chapter 7
“Why not!” Her professor pretended to be angry. “I know your abilities better than anyone. If you hadn’t suddenly given up back then…”
Mara took a deep breath: “Okay, I’ll go. I’ll leave as soon as the divorce is final.”
The moment she finished speaking, Knox pushed through the door, his eyes dark as he stared at Mara.
“Where are you planning to go?”
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