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

Mia Kane was brought to the interrogation room again.

"Do you remember a man named Wade Chaucer?"

The policewoman produced a photograph. Of course Mia remembered him. The man had nearly assaulted her.

"I do."

"Can you tell me what happened that night?"

Mia Kane recounted the events exactly as they had happened.

The policewoman nodded. "It seems what Rosalyn Shield said was true. Did you know that Rosalyn and Vivian Lynch had dealings with each other?"

"I didn’t before, but I can guess now."

"So you were completely unaware?"

"Yes."

The policewoman nodded, seeming to understand the whole picture.

Now, only one final witness was left: Vivian Lynch.

They had summoned Vivian Lynch.

"Mrs. Lockwood, do you still maintain that Miss Kane pushed you?"

"Yes, she’s the one who pushed me!"

Vivian Lynch insisted, gritting her teeth.

"Mrs. Lockwood, slander and false accusation are crimes. You will be held responsible for every word you say."

The policewoman stared at her grimly. Vivian Lynch’s heart skipped a beat, her mind racing. ’Could something have gone wrong?’

This was a psychological game. She thought she had handled it well, but she didn’t dare underestimate Adrian Preston. After all, he was even more capable than Chase Lockwood.

’Did he find something? Does he have hard evidence?’

After a long hesitation, Vivian Lynch spoke again. "Things were chaotic. Miss Kane and I had a conflict. I wanted to take her to dinner, but she stubbornly refused, so I tried to pull her along. In the midst of all the pushing and shoving, I can’t be sure if she pushed me or if I just lost my grip."

After she finished, a heavy silence filled the interrogation room.

The policewoman looked down at the documents in her hand. Vivian Lynch had no idea what was written on them.

She flipped through the pages quickly. The small space, the dim lighting—it was all suffocating.

The rustling sound of the paper only made her more anxious.

A sharp pain twisted in her abdomen. It seemed her wound had reopened.

Her face turned pale, and she clutched her stomach, groaning.

It wasn’t until Vivian Lynch was sent back to the hospital that she learned Rosalyn Shield had taken all the blame.

"Vivian, tell me, what really happened?"

Chase Lockwood’s gaze burned into her.

Vivian Lynch opened her mouth, but the words seemed to get stuck.

Tears quickly fell as she clutched her head in anguish. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"I don’t know, I really don’t know. It was so chaotic. I was pulling her, she was pushing me. I don’t know how, but I fell. At that moment, I was in so much pain, all I cared about was the baby. I thought she pushed me. Later... Rosalyn Shield also sided with me, which made me even more suspicious."

"Chase... I really don’t know... It was too confusing, and she hates me so much..."

"Chase, do you suspect me too? What good would killing this child do me? I could have had a much better life with him—he was your firstborn son!"

Vivian Lynch’s tears streamed down her face.

Chase Lockwood gradually calmed down.

’That’s right, what good would it do Vivian?’

Not only did she lose the child, but she can also never have children again.

’Maybe it was just an accident, having nothing to do with Vivian or Mia Kane.’

He pulled Vivian Lynch into his arms, comforting her repeatedly.

"I shouldn’t have questioned you. It’s my fault. You haven’t recovered yet. You can’t get too emotional or cry. I’m here for you."

"Anyone else can doubt me, but not you, Chase. I love you so much! How could you... suspect me?"

"I don’t suspect you! Vivian, I’ll always be on your side."

Chase Lockwood soothed Vivian Lynch until she grew tired and fell asleep. Only then did he leave.

The moment he was gone, she opened her eyes and began to ponder the whole situation.

’Rosalyn Shield is so unreliable. I could have used this to completely pin it on Mia Kane, but I never expected her to turn on me.’

’I should have known. If I could buy her with money, so could someone else. I bet Adrian Preston offered her more.’

’Fortunately, all my dealings with Rosalyn were above board. They won’t be able to find any clues.’

’As for the company that paid compensation to Rosalyn’s father, I only promised them benefits within a year. There’s no visible connection between me and that company right now.’

When she had poached everyone from Mia’s Studio, Rosalyn Shield had been the top priority.

Rosalyn was immediately lured by the high salary, but she wasn’t asked to come work for Vivian. Instead, she was told to stay by Mia Kane’s side and keep an eye on her.

Rosalyn was smart. She could make things happen without direct orders, creating trouble for Mia and nearly causing her to be assaulted again.

Rosalyn’s biggest failure was not knowing that Mia Kane was the international designer Nona, which led to her own public humiliation.

After that, Vivian had never contacted Rosalyn again, deeming her a useless pawn.

Rosalyn had grown anxious, constantly trying to find ways to prove her loyalty.

She had strongly urged Mia to go abroad so she wouldn’t be able to compete with Vivian for her man.

It wasn’t until the night before the incident that Vivian explicitly told Rosalyn she was going to find Mia.

Rosalyn was a smart woman; she knew what to do.

And as it turned out, Rosalyn’s turning on Mia had dealt her a fatal blow.

But she never expected things to take another turn, leaving her in an impossible situation.

But she couldn’t let it show, or it would prove she really did have an improper relationship with Rosalyn.

She gritted her teeth in frustration. ’Is this baby really not going to be of any use?’

’I can’t take down Mia Kane now. All I have left is Chase Lockwood’s pity.’

Because Rosalyn Shield had repeatedly insisted on taking all the blame, her motive to harm was clear.

Vivian Lynch had no choice but to change her story, claiming she had been too flustered that day to know if she was pushed.

Her ambiguous answer made it impossible to convict Mia Kane.

Mia Kane could only be released without charges.

She had been detained for several days. Although the people inside had taken good care of her, she was still desperate to leave that place.

But she wanted to see Rosalyn Shield.

She thought that after surviving Chase Lockwood’s betrayal, she had become strong enough. But she never expected that the moment she learned of Rosalyn’s betrayal, she would find it hard to breathe, her heart twisting as if cut by a knife.

Rosalyn Shield looked haggard. Her hair was dry and sallow, and her figure was gaunt.

Her sentence was set.

Perjury, a serious offense, sentenced to three years in prison.

Mia Kane could have also sued her for emotional distress and damage to her reputation, but she didn’t.

When Mia Kane saw her, she wanted to open her mouth and ask why, but the words wouldn’t come.

’What’s the point of asking?’

’Maybe it was for money, or maybe for her career.’

She had a thousand questions she wanted to ask: when had she started colluding with Vivian Lynch, what had Vivian offered her, and why had she changed her testimony again, leading to her own imprisonment?

But now, there was only silence.

She gave Rosalyn Shield one last deep look and turned to leave, but unexpectedly, Rosalyn slowly dropped to her knees and kowtowed to her.

When she looked up again, Rosalyn’s eyes were bloodshot and filled with hot tears that rolled down in large drops.

Finally, she was led away.

The moment Mia Kane stepped out of the police station, the sun was shining brightly overhead.

She found the sunlight so dazzling she could hardly open her eyes.

Just then, a shadow fell over her.

Adrian Preston was standing beside her, holding an umbrella.

This umbrella didn’t just block the bright sun or the wind and rain—it shielded her from open attacks and hidden arrows.