Yancy Shaw gazed at her, eyes deep and intent. "Then I'll go make dinner."

He stood, ready to head for the kitchen, when Lauren Shaw grabbed his hand.

"Dr. Shen, has anyone ever told you that you're very good-looking?" Lauren Shaw looked up at him, her eyes bright.

She tugged him down to sit beside her, leaning even closer.

Yancy Shaw gently ruffled her hair. "Do you think I look good?"

Lauren Shaw nodded quickly, like a pecking chick.

Yancy Shaw grew more interested. "Then do you like me?"

"I do." More than just 'like'—she was starting to realize she couldn't live without him.

Yancy Shaw dipped down and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Really?" he asked again, his tone teasing.

Lauren Shaw nodded firmly. "Really."

Before she knew it, her heart was already overflowing with him.

Yancy Shaw’s mood was visibly lifted. "Shengsheng, say it more often. I like hearing it."

She had just opened her mouth to speak when her phone rang, a call from an unfamiliar number.

She rarely received calls, and this number didn't ring any bells. Thinking it was just a telemarketer, she hung up without a second thought.

But the call came again almost immediately.

"Pick up. It might be someone you know," Yancy Shaw suggested, connecting the call for her.

"Lauren Shaw, why did you leave me?"

Hearing the voice, Lauren Shaw froze.

Yvonne Sung’s words were slurred with drunkenness—or perhaps, just saturated with grievance.

"Why don't you want me anymore? You liked me so much—how could you let go that easily?"

Disgust welled up inside her at the sound of Yvonne Sung’s voice. When she heard what he had to say, it felt like she had swallowed a fly.

She was about to hang up, but Yancy Shaw took the phone from her.

"Lauren Shaw is my wife now, Mr. Su. Please show some respect."

Yvonne Sung was struck silent by Yancy Shaw’s words. The alcohol-induced haze suddenly cleared from his mind.

"Who the hell are you? Put Lauren Shaw on the phone!" His tone was aggressive.

Yancy Shaw let out a cold laugh. "I'm Lauren Shaw's lawful husband. It's late at night and you're harassing my wife. So who exactly do you think you are?"

Yancy Shaw's words enraged Yvonne Sung, who sneered at himself. "Do you really think that just because Lauren Shaw is with you, she belongs to you? She's liked me for so long—there's no way she's forgotten me. I’ll always have a place in her heart, and you’ll never be able to replace me."

With the phone on speaker, Yvonne Sung’s voice echoed in Lauren Shaw’s ears. She couldn't help but snap back, "Yvonne Sung, what's wrong with you? Are you insane?"

Hearing Lauren Shaw's voice, Yvonne Sung seemed to relax, his tone softening.

"Lauren Shaw, you finally answered my call."

He’d been drinking heavily tonight. Staring at that familiar number, he couldn't resist dialing, but all he ever got was an automated message: "The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

He remembered how, in the past, whenever he drank too much, he only had to send her a text and she'd come running—no questions asked. Back then, he never valued her care, brushing her off and speaking to her harshly.

He thought he could always get away with it, never knowing how to cherish her. Now, after losing her, the regret ate him alive.

Why does it take losing something to finally realize what it meant to you?

For one brief moment, hearing her voice, hope flickered in his chest.

He even wished she’d come to him like before, so he could finally tell her what these past days had been like for him.

But Lauren Shaw’s icy voice cut through all his delusions, sharp as a blade. "If you want to play crazy, go somewhere else. Don’t come looking for me—it’s disgusting."

She didn’t give him a chance to reply and hung up.

Immediately after, she blocked the number. Then, turning to Yancy Shaw, she said, "He's just a lunatic. Don’t take anything he says seriously."

When people break up, they usually stay out of each other’s lives, but Yvonne Sung just kept showing up every few days to remind her he still existed. It was exhausting.

Before Yancy Shaw could reply, another unknown number called.

She didn’t even need to guess who it was.

Lauren Shaw hung up immediately and was about to block the number when Yancy Shaw gently caught her hand.

"Don’t let people like that get to you. The angrier you get, the more satisfied he feels—because that’s exactly what he wants."

Taking a deep breath, Lauren Shaw gave it some thought and realized he was right. Yvonne Sung was acting like an overgrown child, clinging to her the more upset she got.

Clearly, the last time Yancy Shaw had 'taught him a lesson' had been far too gentle.

Yancy Shaw took the phone, answering the call in an unruffled tone.

Yvonne Sung’s drunken voice came through again. "Lauren Shaw, will you hear me out? I really miss you..."

"Is Mr. Su feeling nostalgic for the past?"

The sound of Yancy Shaw’s voice sobered Yvonne Sung up a bit.

"You again? What, do you want to hear about Lauren Shaw’s and my history?"

Lauren Shaw was itching to curse him out, but Yancy Shaw squeezed her hand, signaling her to stay calm and leave things to him.

His composure made Yvonne Sung think his words had finally gotten under Yancy Shaw’s skin.

He laughed. "You’d be better off knowing your place and letting Lauren Shaw go. It’s for both your good—and hers."

"For both our good? Where does your confidence come from, Mr. Su? You certainly have a high opinion of yourself." Yancy Shaw’s sarcasm was like punching cotton—leaving Yvonne Sung frustrated and powerless.

Seething at Yancy Shaw's tone, Yvonne Sung nearly lost control.

"At least Lauren Shaw and I have a past. What about you? What do you have with her?"

"She and I are official. Her name is on my household registration. You want to know what we have? We have a future—a whole lifetime, children, everything."

Yancy Shaw sounded almost smug, utterly unconcerned with how the man on the other end might feel.

"You hurt Lauren Shaw once. You don’t deserve her. She should live her own life. If you have any sense of decency, stop bothering her."

It was as much a warning to Yvonne Sung as it was a promise to Lauren Shaw.

Lauren Shaw is my wife. I’m not some magnanimous man, and I can’t pretend to be. But it’s not her fault if old troubles keep resurfacing—she just had the bad luck to meet the wrong people.

Everyone meets a jerk or two in life. But it doesn’t matter. She has me now, and I’ll protect her.

"Yancy Shaw, who do you think you are to lecture me? My relationship with Lauren Shaw isn't your business. Keep running your mouth and I’ll destroy you, you hear me?"

To Yvonne Sung, Yancy Shaw was just a doctor, lacking any influence or backing. If he wanted to ruin him, it would be nothing.

Yancy Shaw let out a derisive laugh. He didn’t respond, simply laughed coldly and hung up.

To Yvonne Sung, that laugh was the purest mockery.

Furious, Yvonne Sung gripped his phone until rage overtook him. "Screw this!"

Then he hurled the phone to the ground, shattering it into pieces.