Using Me as a Substitute? Did You Know Your Best Friend Calls Me Wife?

"Her demeanor, her presence... it was all the same. I don’t think I was mistaken."

"What do you mean, ’you don’t think’!?" Chase Lockwood roared, slamming his hand on the table. The little thug’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor in fear.

"Maybe... maybe it wasn’t her..." The little thug was already babbling incoherently.

Vivian Lynch clutched her chest, a look of utter devastation on her face. "Miss Kane, are you suggesting I deliberately framed you? What would I possibly gain from that? Have you seen my wound? If Chase had arrived just a few minutes later, I could have bled to death.

"Miss Kane, I’m with Chase now. Why would I have any reason to risk my life just to frame you?"

"How should I know..."

Mia Kane was about to say more, but Chase Lockwood cut her off, his face ashen with fury. He looked up at Mia Kane, his gaze hostile. "How much did you pay him to put on this act with you?"

Mia Kane finally understood. Even with ironclad proof, Chase Lockwood would never believe her. His favoritism toward Vivian Lynch was just that blatant.

"Chase, make her leave. I don’t want to see her. I won’t pursue this matter anymore. Whoever hurt me knows exactly what they did. Chase, make her go, quickly, make her go..."

Vivian Lynch became so agitated that she struggled until her stitches tore open. Fresh blood seeped out, staining the gauze red.

"Didn’t you hear her? Get the hell out! And don’t you ever show your face in front of Vivian again."

Mia Kane was thrown out.

The little thug followed her out. "I... I didn’t actually see the person’s face, but I remember her scent, her build, her presence... I’m eighty percent sure it was her..."

"Just go. I want to be alone."

Dejected, Mia Kane went downstairs, unsure of where to go or what to do next. She followed the crowd across the street like a zombie.

Not far away, a car was tailing her.

"Adrian, she looks terrible and really down. Shouldn’t you go and comfort her?"

Adrian Preston pinched the bridge of his nose. "She brought this on herself. Trying to find fairness from someone so biased... It’s laughable."

...

Mia Kane got on the subway and wandered aimlessly, eventually stopping at the entrance to an amusement park. Whenever she was unhappy, her parents used to bring her to the amusement park.

But three years ago, after the incident with her family, her parents lost their spirit. Their focus was no longer on her.

Back then, she had thought that with Chase Lockwood by her side, she would never be unhappy again, and she would never have to come back to a place like this.

But now... she wished she could live here.

Mia Kane found a place to sit. Nearby, a little boy was roughhousing when he stumbled and fell right at her feet. His ice cream splattered all over the ground, he scraped his palm, and a red bump immediately formed on his forehead.

"I told you to be careful! Look, the ice cream I just bought is gone! I’m going to spank you!"

The boy sobbed, "Mom, it wasn’t me! It was her! She stuck her foot out and tripped me on purpose."

Mia Kane was still in a daze, stunned to suddenly be called out.

The mother heard this and flew into a rage. "What is wrong with you? Bullying a little kid? Do you have any decency at all?"

"I didn’t trip him. He fell on his own and got my clothes dirty. I wasn’t even going to say anything, and now you’re turning around and blaming me?"

"I know my son better than anyone. He doesn’t lie."

The boy started crying even louder. "Mom, it was her! She’s a bad lady! She tripped me on purpose! WAAAH..."

The people around them couldn’t help but stop and watch. They started pointing fingers at Mia Kane.

Mia Kane’s face turned pale.

"Look at the bump on my son’s head! I’m taking him to the hospital for a CT scan. If there’s anything wrong, you’ll be responsible!"

"I already told you, I didn’t..."

Before Mia Kane could finish, someone appeared in front of them.

"Hey, kid. Want some ice cream?"

The boy nodded vigorously.

Adrian Preston pushed an entire ice cream cart over, and the boy’s eyes lit up.

"How about one of every flavor?"

"Thank you, mister!"

"Then tell me the truth. What really happened just now?"

At this, the boy glanced nervously at his mother, then stared at the ice cream, swallowing hard. Finally, he said, "It had nothing to do with this lady. I fell on my own. I was afraid my mom would hit me and not buy me more ice cream, so... so I lied."

As soon as he said it, everyone started pointing fingers at the mother.

The mother, feeling embarrassed, yanked her son behind her. "Who do you think you are? What right do you have to lecture my child?"

"You’re angry that I’m lecturing your child? Then what gives you the right to falsely accuse my wife out of nowhere? Apologize to her."

"She’s arguing with a little kid..."

"I said, you will apologize."

"You... you’re a grown man, bullying a woman like me..."

"When you do something wrong, you apologize. Apologize!"

Adrian Preston’s aura was intimidating. That, combined with the rest of the crowd jeering for her to apologize, made the mother reluctantly mutter an apology before quickly dragging her son away.

"I haven’t had my ice cream yet! My ice cream!"

"Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you know! You embarrassed me! I’m gonna kill you, I’ll kill you..."

Even from a distance, they could hear the child’s cries.

Mia Kane still hadn’t snapped out of it, staring blankly at Adrian Preston.

What is he doing here? She couldn’t imagine Adrian Preston having the leisure time to ride roller coasters. The only possibility was...

"You’ve been following me?"

"Yeah," Adrian Preston replied nonchalantly, then handed her a strawberry ice cream. "Eat something sweet. It’ll make you feel better."

"You guessed everything?"

"Mia Kane, you need to understand something. Explanations only work if the other person trusts you. For someone who doesn’t trust you at all, it’s useless even if you find ten thousand pieces of evidence to prove your innocence. They’ll just see you as a pathetic clown. Understand?"

The words were harsh, but they were true. He was right about everything. She shouldn’t have let it get to her in the first place.

She took a bite of the ice cream. It was sweet and tart, melting in her mouth. She quickly came to terms with it. It wasn’t worth being sad over people like that.

"Let’s go home." Adrian Preston stood up.

"We’re already here. Let’s have some fun before we go."

"This is all stuff for kids..."

"Come on, have some fun with me! I want to ride the drop tower."

Mia Kane quickly finished her ice cream and dragged Adrian Preston onto the rides. He wasn’t scared at all, remaining perfectly calm the entire time. Meanwhile, she, the one who had insisted on riding, started vomiting nonstop the moment she got off.

Adrian Preston leaned against a utility pole, arms crossed, watching her with a helpless expression. She loves to play but just can’t handle it. Seeing how miserable she was, he finally relented and went over to pat her on the back. "No more rides."

"I... I want to ride the pirate ship..."

Mia Kane went on every single thrill ride, vomiting until there was nothing left but bitter bile. She finally made it to the evening fireworks show.

Magnificent, dazzling fireworks blossomed across the sky, a brilliant and splendid sight.

"So beautiful..." Mia Kane couldn’t help but sigh in awe.

She suddenly felt an intense gaze on her. She instinctively turned her head, but Adrian Preston was also looking up at the fireworks. No one was looking at her.

Was it just her imagination?