Chapter 2

"Anya, please, let me go. Stop tormenting me like this. Seraphina and I are just good friends. She's the only family I have left. Just promise you won't lay hands on me again, and you won't stop me from seeing Seraphina, and I'll drop the lawsuit. I don't want you to be punished."

Blake's voice yanked me back from the painful memories of my death in the past life. My back was drenched in cold sweat.

As soon as Blake saw me, he reacted incredibly fast. Before anyone else could even process it, he dropped to his knees, playing the part of a long-suffering husband, constantly abused by me, yet still deeply in love.

In this world, the tribunal is the highest form of justice, and practically no one dares to appear. In outsiders' eyes, if Blake was truly suffering, he'd never come here.

My case was the first of its kind in fifty years, naturally causing quite a stir globally. Some media outlets, desperate for an exclusive, had set up cameras at the tribunal entrance hours ago. The moment Blake knelt, they scrambled to turn on their cameras and rushed forward.

"Anya, even though I love you, forcing me to separate from my best friend is worse than death. Please, stop this madness. Let's just go home. Just promise me, and we can go back to living a good life."

Blake, seeing that the fire wasn't burning hot enough, continued.

What a declaration of love. In my past life, if I'd seen Blake crying so hard he'd lost all composure, I would have softened. But I had crawled out of hell, and I wouldn't fall for it again.

I just stared at Blake coldly, enunciating each word.

"If that's the case, then just go die!"

The crowd wasn't just media; there were also many who had participated in the online bullying against me. They all started pointing and whispering.

"Oh my god, is there really a woman like this in the world? Does a married man not deserve his own social circle?"

"I heard Blake and his female friend have known each other since they were little. If there was really something between them, what would Anya have to do with it? I bet she's just jealous that Seraphina is pretty."

"Who even marries such a selfish woman? She's actually telling her Blake to go die. Blake must have been blind. Looks like you really need to keep your eyes open when you get married."

All sorts of vile curses echoed in my ears, but I didn't flinch. I walked straight into the tribunal.

I sat in the defendant's chair, Blake in the plaintiff's. His eyes were red, and when people offered comfort, he spoke with feigned anguish.

"It's not entirely Anya's fault. Maybe she just can't understand friendship between men and women."

"While her actions were wrong, that's just her temper. She can't control her emotions, and I feel really bad for her."

I almost laughed hearing those words. On the surface, Blake was defending me, but he had already cemented my guilt.

The unwitting audience immediately pointed at me and cursed.

"Anya, are you even human? Blake has always been so good to you, how could you lay a hand on him?"

"Could it be that Anya has someone else on the side? Is that why she's trying every trick to force Blake away?"

As soon as that speculation came out, everyone present, plus the audience watching the live stream, erupted. Cheating was no small matter.

Blake's lips curled into a barely perceptible smirk, yet he still feigned pity, trying to clear my name.

"How could that be? Anya isn't that kind of person. Don't talk nonsense. She still loves me. There's even a tie she bought for me in the car, though it's been used. She probably just got scammed by the store clerk."

With that bombshell, the assumption that I was cheating was immediately taken seriously by many.

The comments flooded the screen.

【Poor guy, you're the one being scammed!】

【Such a good Blake! Even now he's defending that vicious woman. Anya, just die!】

Watching the endless stream of messages, I scoffed, but I didn't bother to respond.

"Presiding Officer, we can begin."

I looked at the stern Presiding Officer.

Someone mocked me.

"She's so impatient herself! These days, whoever's aggressive gets to speak."

The Presiding Officer banged his gavel for silence, and the proceedings began.

"The plaintiff must submit evidence to prove the defendant's guilt. No one may withdraw during the proceedings, and those who withdraw will be severely punished immediately."

I saw a flicker of panic on Blake's face, but he still stood to present his evidence.

The first segment was to accuse me of domestic violence.

The big screen lit up. I glanced at the viewership—it had already reached eighty million people.