She is the Fighter

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As the plane cut through the clouds, my fingertips caressed the yellowed visa page in my passporteight long years.

That land, torn apart by war, was finally falling behind me.

Eight years ago, Jim Gabriel held my hand and said, Wendy, help me guard the Gabriel family's assets in Middlefield. Once everything is stable, I'll bring you home.

I believed him, clutching the only pearl necklace my mother left me as I stepped onto a path shrouded in smoke and gunfire.

Countless nights, I hid in the bulletproof office handling orders, listening to gunfire outside, aching for my husband back home and the son I had yet to meet.

When Felix was born, I was negotiating with The Rebels.

In the video, Jim Gabriel held the swaddled infant and promised that when he turned seven, he would bring him to see me.

Now, Felix is seven years old. I have finally come back.

The airport exit was packed, but I immediately saw that familiar figureJim Gabriel, wearing a perfectly tailored suit, looking more mature and yet more distant than eight years ago.

In his arms was a woman dressed in white, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, her smile soft and warm.

And the little boy tugging at his coat had my eyes, faintly mirroring my features; yet he looked up sweetly and called out to that woman, Mom, when are we going home?

My blood froze instantly, the suitcase slipping from my hands with a dull thud.

Jim Gabriel turned toward the sound, and when his eyes met mine, there was no surpriseonly a faint flicker of panic swiftly replaced by cold indifference.

"Wendy Scott." His tone was so flat, it was like greeting a stranger.

I stepped forward quickly, pointing at the woman, my voice trembling: "Jim Gabriel, who is she? Why does Felix call her Mom?"

The woman nestled in Jim Gabriel's arms, looking at me timidly, yet a subtle defiance glimmered in her eyes.

"Why are you shouting?" Jim Gabriel frowned and impatiently pushed me away. "This is a public place, watch your words."

I laughed, tears streaming from my eyes.

"I guarded the family assets for you through bullets and gunfire for eight years, and you bring another woman here, letting our son call her Mom, and now you ask me to watch my words?"

People around us glanced over, and several reporters brandishing cameras pushed forward, microphones thrust toward Jim Gabriel.

"Mr. Gabriel, is this your wife? Rumors say you were married eight years ago. Who is this lady..."

Jim Gabriel's expression flickered briefly before he quickly regained composure. Pulling the woman close to him, he smiled at the camera and said, "This is Sunny Wade, Felix's godmother, who has always helped me take care of our child."

He turned to me, his tone intentionally gentle.

"This is Wendy Scott, my wife. She has been overseas managing the Gabriel family's business for the past eight years."

The reporters burst into a frenzy, snapping photos of me and flooding me with questions about my life abroad.

Behind me, Jim Gabriel murmured in a voice only we could hear, "Don't make a fool of yourself here. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."

A cold shiver ran through me as I stared at his insincere smile, my heart aching as if slashed by a knife.

Once inside the car, an oppressive silence fell over the cabin.

Felix sat nestled in Sunny Wade's arms, watching me with curious eyesbut never once uttered the word "Mom."

"Let's get a divorce." I shattered the silence, my voice so steady it startled even myself.

Jim Gabriel slammed on the brakes and whipped his head around, his eyes blazing: "Wendy Scott, have you lost your mind?"

"No," I held his gaze firmly. "Eight yearsI've had enough."

"I can divorce you," he sneered coldly, his tone dripping with threat, "but don't you dare expect a single cent. You'll walk away empty-handed. Otherwise, I'll make sure you cant survive in this country."

Sunny Wade spoke softly and at the right moment: "Jim, don't say that. Wendy just came back. Maybe she still hasn't adjusted..."

"This is no place for you to speak!" I snapped, cutting her off sharply as eight years of pent-up pain and anger exploded all at once.

Jim Gabriel glared at me fiercely before restarting the car: "You better think carefully. Everything in the Gabriel family is given by me. Leave me, and you are nothing."

I closed my eyes and said nothing.

Given by him?

Those eight years spent struggling amid the flames of war, the strong drinks I swallowed to close deals, the terror when I was kidnapped by The Rebelswas all of that something he gave me?

All I felt was a surge of nausea.

Returning to the Gabriel Family's Old Residence, Jim's mother was already waiting at the door.

She grasped my hand, her eyes glistening with tears: "Wendy, you've finally come home. You must have suffered a lot."

Her warmth slightly eased the tension in my nerves; perhaps someone in this house still remembered my sacrifices.

"Mom, I'm fine." I forced a smile.

"That Sunny WadeI've already driven her away," Jim's mother said in a low voice.

"Jim was blinded by greed. Don't stoop to his level. Felix is still young; he can't be without a mother."

I nodded, but inside I felt little stirring.

What difference does driving her away make? Once the heart has changed, it's the same whether the person is by your side or not.

That evening, Jim's mother held a Welcome Feast for me, inviting relatives from the Gabriel family and some business partners.

At the feast, everyone fussed over me, praising my contributions to the Gabriel family. Jim Gabriel also acted very considerate toward me, as if everything at the airport had been nothing but a mere illusion.

I played along with him, wearing a stiff smile, but inside my heart was already a wasteland.

Until Sunny Wade appeared.

She wore a red evening gown, her arm linked with Jim Gabriel's, smiling radiantly as she stepped in, as if she were the lady of the house.

Jim's mother's face darkened in an instant; she tried to step forward to stop her, but Jim Gabriel silenced her with a look.

"Wendy, Sunny Wade..." Jim Gabriel tried to explain.

I didn't hear what he said, my gaze fixed intently on Sunny Wade's neck.

She wore a pearl necklacean old-fashioned style, yet the pearls still warm and lustrous.

That is my mother's heirloom!

Before I left, I carefully entrusted it to Jim Gabriel for safekeeping. He promised to treasure it and return it to me with his own hands when I came back.

But now, it's worn around another woman's neck.

"Miss Wade Wade," I stepped closer to her, my voice icy, "where did the necklace around your neck come from?"

Sunny instinctively covered the necklace, her eyes flickering. "This is... a gift from Jim."

"Did Jim give this to you?" I turned to Jim Gabriel, my voice trembling, "Jim Gabriel, tell her, whose necklace is this?"

Jim Gabriel looked uncomfortable. "Wendy, it's just a necklace. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

"A big deal?" I laughed, but tears poured out uncontrollably.

"This is the only keepsake my mother left me! I asked you to keep it safe! And this is how you keep it? By giving it to your lover?"

The guests around whispered, their eyes full of mixed feelings.

Sunny Wade's face flushed bright red as she looked at Jim with a hurt expression: "Jim, I didn't know this was Wendy's mother's keepsake. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have accepted it."

"Enough!" Jim roared, turning to me. "Wendy, have you made enough of a scene? Today is your Welcome Feastdon't disgrace yourself here!"

"Disgrace myself?" I stared at him in disbelief.

"Jim Gabriel, you're the one who betrayed our marriage, the one who gave my mother's keepsake to another woman, and now you say I'm the one bringing shame?"

"I'll make her return the necklace to you," Jim Gabriel's tone softened slightly but still bore a command, "But you have to apologize to Sunny."

"Apologize?" I felt as if I'd just heard the world's biggest joke. "Why should I apologize? The ones who should apologize are you!"

"Wendy Scott!" Jim Gabriel's patience snapped. He stormed forward, yanked the necklace from Sunny's neck, and threw it harshly to the floor.

The pearl necklace struck the hard floor; several pearls broke free and rolled into a corner, just like my shattered heart.

"Since you care so much, I'll destroy it!" Jim's eyes were ice-cold and sharp. "Now, either apologize or get out of the Gabriel family!"

I stared at the shattered necklace on the floor, at Jim's merciless face, at Sunny Wade's triumphant smile, and felt a crushing wave of despair.

Eight years of sacrifice, and this is all that it has brought me.

I said nothing more, turned away, and left the Banquet Hall, returning to my room.

The moment I closed the door, I pulled out my phone and sent a message to an unfamiliar number: "Plan accelerated."

A prompt appeared confirming the message was sent successfully. I gazed out into the pitch-black night sky, a cold smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

Jim Gabriel, Sunny Wade, what you owe meI will take it back, piece by piece, every last bit.

After the Welcome Feast ended on a bitter note, I moved into an apartment downtownone I purchased with my own savings eight years ago, entirely separate from the Gabriel family.

Early the next morning, I opened my phone to find the trending searches almost entirely dominated by Jim Gabriel and Sunny Wade.

When I clicked on the trending list, it was filled with photos of Jim Gabriel and Sunny Wade from last night's Welcome Feast.

In the photo, Jim had his arm around Sunny Wade's waist, his eyes gentle, while Sunny nestled against him, her smile radiant.

The caption was unbearable, claiming Sunny was Jim's true love, and that I was merely a distant, emotionless figure who had been away for years.

I turned off my phone, feeling no angeronly an icy, numbing calm.

These fake displays of affection would soon vanish into thin air.

At noon, a video arrived from an unknown number.

I hesitated for a moment, yet still tapped to watch it.

The video showed a high-end restaurant; Jim knelt on one knee, holding a diamond ring, while Sunny's eyes brimmed with tears across from him.

"Sunny," Jim Gabriel's voice was so tender it seemed to drip with warmth, "Meeting you has been the greatest fortune of my life."

"Eight years ago, for the sake of the Gabriel family's business, I was forced to marry Wendy Scott. I never had a single feeling for her."

"All these years, you've been the one by my side, caring for me and Felix. You are the one I want to spend my life with."

"Will you marry me?" He lifted the diamond ring. "I will give you a grand wedding and make you the happiest woman."

Sunny Wade, choked with emotion, nodded, took the diamond ring, and fell into Jim Gabriel's embrace.

Jim held her tightly, whispering in her ear, "Once I divorce Wendy Scott, I'll give you custody of Felix, so he can be our son."

The video ends here.

I stared at the phone screen, my fingers turning pale from gripping it so tightly.

No feelings at all?

That day, eight years ago in the church, when he held my hand and said, "I do," was the tenderness in his eyes a lie?

All those countless nights when he called me, saying he missed mewas the longing in his voice fake?

So when you told me to hold on through the flames of war, promising you'd make it up to me when I returned, was that a lie?

So it turns out, from the very beginning, I was nothing but a joke.

A jokeone who guarded the family business for him, raised their son for him, only to be discarded like worn-out rags.

I slowly closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, all that remained was a cold, resolute finality.

Jim Gabriel, Sunny Wade, you want happiness?

Then I will destroy your happiness with my own hands.

The seed of vengeance took root and blossomed completely in that moment.

I dialed the unfamiliar number: "I want all the dirt on Gabriel Group, and every detail on Sunny Wadethe more detailed, the better."

A deep voice came through the phone: "Miss Scott, rest assured, within three days, I will give you everything you want."

After hanging up, I walked over to the window and gazed down at the bustling street, alive with the endless flow of cars.

The Gabriel Group was Jim Gabriel's pridehis most treasured asset.

Sunny Wade was the true love he held dear, like a precious gem.

Then I would shatter his pride first, and unveil the true face of his so-called true love.

I would leave him with nothing and make him pay a devastating price for his betrayal.

Three days later, Jim Gabriel sent me a message, saying he would host a grand welcome party for me, inviting business magnates and media reportersa formal reception in my honor.

I know this isn't a welcome banquetit's a trap.

He intends to use this welcome party to force me to concede in front of everyone, even to apologize, making me the laughingstock of all.

I sneered coldly and replied, "Fine."

The welcome party was set in a five-star hotel owned by the Gabriel Group, grand in scale and brilliantly lit.

Dressed in a black evening gown with delicate makeup, I entered the Banquet Hall with composed grace.

All eyes fixed on mesome curious, some sympathetic, others mocking.

Jim Gabriel wore a sharp black suit and stood in the center of the Banquet Hall. When he saw me, his eyes reflected a tangled web of emotions.

Sunny Wade stood beside him, dressed in a pink gown, a diamond necklace now resting at her throat. Her gaze toward me was charged with provocation.

Jim's mother approached, took my hand, and hesitated as if she wanted to speak but held back.

I gently patted the back of her hand, signaling there was no need to worry.

"Wendy Scott, I'm glad you came." Jim Gabriel stepped forward, his voice tinged with a feigned warmth.

"Since you have kindly invited me, of course, I should come." I smiled faintly, my tone distant.

Once the welcome ceremony began, Jim Gabriel took the stage to speak.

He first thanked all the guests, then shifted gears, recounting my 'struggles' abroad. Between his words, he hinted that my years away had caused me to neglect the family, driving a wedge between us.

At last, he turned to me, his voice tinged with a note of hope: "Wendy, these past years, you've endured hardships abroad. I know you carry resentment, but Sunny is innocent. I hope you can set aside your grudges and get along with us."

All eyes were on me, waiting for my response.

Sunny Wade stepped onto the stage just in time, holding a tablet, and said plaintively, "Wendy, I know you're hurt," her voice trembling with tears as her fingers swiped the tablet, "But you can't ruin Jim's reputation over a misunderstanding. These are..."

Before she could finish, the large screen at the front of the Banquet Hall suddenly lit up, replacing the original backdrop.

All eyes were drawn to the screen, myself included.

Instead of the so-called 'humiliating photos' Sunny had prepared, the screen showed one intimate photo after another of Jim Gabriel with her.

In the photos, they kissed on the beach, embraced in the hotel room, and behaved intimately in the Gabriel Group CEO's officeeach one painfully sharp and vivid.

Then, a photo of a red Marriage Certificate appeared on the screen, boldly showing the names Jim Gabriel and Sunny Wade, with the registration date three years agoback when I was still negotiating with militants in Middlefield.

"Ah!" Sunny Wade screamed, panicking as she tried to turn off the screen, only to be caught by Jim Gabriel's firm grasp.

His face went as pale as paper, his eyes filled with shock and panic, his lips trembling, yet he couldn't say a single word.

The Banquet Hall burst into whispers; guests murmured among themselves as camera shutters clicked nonstop.

"What's going on? Mr. Gabriel and Miss Wade are already married?"

"Then what about Miss Wendy Scott?"

"No wonder Miss Wendy Scott is furiousthis is way too much!"

The reporters, like sharks sensing blood, immediately swarmed around, thrusting microphones repeatedly in front of Jim Gabriel.

"Mr. Gabriel, may I ask what your relationship is with Miss Wade Wade? Is this Marriage Certificate real?"

"You registered your marriage with Miss Wade while already having a wife. Could this be considered bigamy?"

"You previously claimed Miss Wade was Felix's godmother, but that now appears to be a lie. Why did you deceive us?"

Jim Gabriel was left speechless by the questions, his face flickering between pale and flushed, his hands clenched tightly into fists, knuckles white.

Sunny Wade hid behind him, crying with tear-streaked cheeksyet no one offered her sympathy anymore.

I slowly stepped onto the stage, took up the microphone, my voice calm yet piercing, carrying across the entire banquet hall.