Caleb had spent the entire morning hauling waste. By the time he returned, his legs were shaking so violently he could barely stand. He collapsed into a chair and began shoveling corn porridge into his mouth, the liquid disappearing with a series of wet, desperate slurps. After finishing, he wiped his mouth with a grime-streaked sleeve.

"I’m not changing," he grunted. "If I put on clean clothes, I’ll just have to wash these ones. And that means scrubbing the smell of the pits out by hand."

Seraphina’s expression flickered with a flash of pure horror. Was this what her life had become? Would she be expected to scrub the stench of excrement from their clothes every day?

At that moment, the desire to flee surged within her like a physical force. Her leave of absence was nearly up, and every day in this valley felt like she was being pickled in a brine of rot. She was convinced the smell had seeped into her very pores.

She needed to return to the city. Even if Julian and Evelyn reconciled in her absence, she was confident she could win him back once they were all home. She had stolen him once; she could do it again.

But the wheels of fate were turning far less smoothly than she imagined.

Qingfeng Town

Adrian held the telephone receiver to his ear, his voice low and steady. "I appreciate the information."

"Don't mention it," the voice on the other end replied. "But be careful. Someone on the Committee for Public Oversight is protecting her. Her reputation will take a hit, but that’s likely as far as it goes."

Adrian’s eyes narrowed. "Who is protecting her?"

"Sloan. He’s not a man you want to cross unnecessarily."

Adrian leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting toward the window where the pale sunlight hit the frost. Sloan. The Deputy Director of the Committee. Evelyn’s own uncle.

It was a bitter irony. Evelyn’s family seemed to share the same skewed moral compass as the Wards—protecting the woman who had sabotaged their own flesh and blood's engagement.

"I see," Adrian said, and hung up the phone.

The Ward Residence, Jiang City

Arthur Ward was pacing his study, a mixture of relief and fury radiating from him. Some unknown enemy had leaked the details of Julian and Seraphina’s affair. If Julian hadn't already been sent to the countryside, he would likely be facing an interrogation by the Committee right now.

His wife, Eleanor, was trembling with indignation. "The talk on the streets is vile, Arthur! They’re saying Julian has no moral character—that he was 'eating from his bowl while eyeing the pot.'"

Arthur’s face was grim. "Can you blame them? He brought this on himself."

Julian was their only son, their golden child. They had paid Evelyn five thousand dollars specifically to bury this scandal and save his reputation. Arthur had successfully pressured the Ward family into silence, believing the storm had passed—only for someone to dig it all back up and hurl it into the public eye.

"Adrian was right to send him away," Arthur muttered, finding a strange comfort in his nephew's foresight. "I thought he was being spiteful, but he saw this coming."

Eleanor flushed crimson. Years ago, her mistakes had nearly cost Adrian his life at the hands of kidnappers, creating a rift between him and the family that never truly healed. Because of her guilt, she struggled to see anything Adrian did as a kindness. "How was I to know some bastard was waiting in the tall grass to ruin us?" she snapped.

Arthur didn't answer. He needed to find out exactly who had leaked the story.

Red Wolf Valley

Julian picked up the phone at the village office, expecting his father to offer a lifeline. Instead, he was met with a verbal lashing that left his ears ringing.

"Seraphina’s leave of absence from the factory... you’re the one who pulled strings to get it approved, aren't you? Is she with you right now?" Arthur demanded.

Julian stammered, his heart racing. "She... she was already here when I arrived. She didn't come for me; she came to see Evelyn."

"I don't care who she came to see!" Arthur roared. "Your ‘friendship’ has reached the Committee. She cannot come back to the city yet. I’ve spoken with her mother. We’ll hold her job for her, but for now, she’s to be officially reassigned to rural labor. She stays in the countryside until the heat dies down."

Julian felt the world tilt. "Dad! What are you talking about?"

Arthur let out a cold, sharp laugh. "What am I talking about? I’m talking about the consequences of your own stupidity!"

"But we’re innocent!" Julian cried. "There’s nothing between us! If they investigate—"

Arthur cut him off. "You and that girl have been seen together more often than you were ever seen with your fiancée. Do you think people are blind? You’ve spent more time at the cinema with Seraphina than you ever did with Evelyn. Did you expect everyone to just play along with the charade?"

Julian’s face went white, then a burning red. He opened his mouth to explain that Evelyn was always working late, that he was just—he was just—

"Stop talking," Arthur snapped. "Stay in the countryside. Keep your head down for a year or two. Don't cause another ounce of trouble."

The line went dead. Julian walked back to the quarters, the weight of the news pressing down on him like lead.

When he arrived, Dominic was in a rare good mood. He had borrowed money to buy half a pound of pork to give Seraphina a proper send-off; she was supposed to head back to the city the next morning. Caleb watched the meat sizzle with naked envy, wishing he could board the bus with her.

"Julian! What did your father say? Did he send the money?" Caleb asked eagerly.

Julian shook his head. With Adrian looming over the family, his father wouldn't dare send a dime. Caleb slumped in disappointment. Without subsidies, their lives were effectively over.

Seraphina noticed the haunted look in Julian’s eyes. She stepped closer, her voice a soft, concerned purr. "Julian, what happened?"

Julian looked at her, his expression unreadable. "The news of our... the news of the engagement is out in Jiang City. It’s a scandal."

Seraphina turned ashen, her hand flying to her throat. "How? Julian, we haven't done anything wrong! We’ve behaved with perfect propriety!"

Caleb, emboldened by the fact that his uncle sat on the Committee, scoffed. "The Committee needs evidence. They can’t just act on rumors."

Dominic nodded. "With our uncle there, Seraphina, you have nothing to fear."

Julian looked at them both, his voice sounding hollow. "My father says you can't come home, Seraphina. He and your mother have agreed to assign you to rural labor here. You’re staying until the scandal blows over."

The silence that followed was absolute. Seraphina’s mind reeled. Stay? Here? In the dirt?

"No," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "That’s impossible. I’m an only child! I have a heart condition! I can't be assigned to manual labor!"

Julian’s voice was strained. "Someone tracked our records. They know we went to the movies together more than I ever went with Evelyn. They know about the gifts I gave you..."

Seraphina’s face flushed a deep, guilty red. "It’s Evelyn! It has to be! She’s doing this because she hates us!"

Julian looked defeated. "Evelyn doesn't have the power to move the Committee like this. It’s likely my father’s political rivals."

Seraphina bit her lip, her eyes flashing with a desperate, trapped light. "If it wasn't for Evelyn, how would anyone even know about the gifts?"

Dominic, who had been listening quietly, suddenly looked up at Julian. His voice was quiet, but it carried a new, sharp edge of suspicion.

"Julian... why did you take Seraphina to the movies more often than your own fiancée?"