The Cherished Wife

Annie could not believe what she was seeing in the papers Cody had handed her. She was shaking all over. "No, this can't be true. Winter is my best frie..." She could not even finish her sentence when she saw the photo of Winter talking to those men in the background.

Annie looked up. "Brother, where did you get all this? Winter, she..."

Annie and Winter had been best friends for years. Annie always thought she and Winter were on the same team. She did not like how Noelle treated Winter and often played tricks on Noelle behind her back. Annie believed Winter was the type to avoid making a fuss, so she assumed Winter often kept quiet about things.

Annie was quick to act and had always idolized the brave heroes in adventure stories. She saw herself as a champion of justice, so she was totally shocked by what the papers said about Winter.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Cody looked at his sister, feeling really sad. "I thought you were just a bit too quick-tempered because Mom and Dad spoiled you, making you act out sometimes. You're not a bad person, but you've been siding with Winter against Noelle for years. Have you ever stopped to think about what Noelle has actually done to you? Or what you've done to her?"

"I..." Annie was struggling to take it all in. "I..."

"Think hard about it, but let me warn you, stay away from Winter and Suzy from now on. You've seen enough to know what they're really like! And don't mess with Noelle, either. Why do you think Charles is after you? Don't you get it?"

Annie's eyes widened in shock. "You mean Noelle is in cahoots with Charles?"

"Zip it!" Cody shot Annie a fierce

look. "You've always spoken your

mind without thinking, but you'd

better remember this: don't cross

Noelle. She's not as straig as you think. And whatever's on with her and Charles isn't our place to know, unless you want to drag the Adams family down with you!"

After Cody's words, Ryan and their mother, Cindy, fell silent.

The Adams family business had been doing well lately, thanks to Cody's capable hands. It was not as big as some major companies, but it had definitely grown.

However, after this mess, it was like they were back to square one. Getting back on their feet would not be easy.

Ryan knew Annie had really messed

up that time. He told her to stay

ет

home for the next few days. The scars on Annie's body would be her lesson When she was ready to admit to her mistakes, they would send her abroad to fix them.

Annie felt crushed when she realized Winter had been using her all along. She just could not bounce back.

Annie was always full of energy and never thought she had done anything wrong. She had given her all to Winter, and she never imagined Winter would treat her so poorly.

Cody saw how upset Annie was and it broke his heart, but he felt helpless. Ryan, however, thought that might be an opportunity for Annie to make a change.

At night, Noelle was reading in her

room. Since she had been

discharged from the hospital,

Charles insisted she avoid any strenuous chores, including washing dishes. Noelle could not help feeling completely useless.