Chapter 4

I showered and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

How did I end up in the Sterling family?

After I was kicked out of my home and expelled from school, with no diploma, the only job I could find was working as a dishwasher at a diner.

Being an Omega, and having a delicate appearance, I was constantly harassed.

The head chef was a sleazy Alpha who always tried to grope me when no one was around.

I chose to endure it, swallowing all my grievances, because I needed money, I needed to survive, and I needed to keep my newly opened jewelry design studio afloat.

But one day, the chef got drunk and cornered me in the kitchen. He reached out and tore at my clothes.

I fought back with all my might but was brutally slapped. My ears rang.

The next day, the owner heard about my fight with the chef. He sided with the chef, gave me a month's pay, and fired me.

I used the money to see a doctor about my ear. The doctor told me my left ear was completely deaf.

I didn’t care. As long as the other ear could hear, it was fine.

The doctor also told me I had early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

“It's quite rare for someone your age, but with consistent treatment, we might be able to slow its progression.”

“Long-term psychological stress... can damage the hippocampus... increasing the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s...”

The doctor’s words echoed in my mind.

I looked at the treatment sheet with words like "cognitive impairment" and "memory loss," then tore the paper to shreds and threw it in the trash.

Maybe forgetting everyone would be a blessing. Maybe then it wouldn’t hurt so much.

When I left the hospital, I ran into Caleb Sterling.

Julian Blackwood had smoothly secured the inheritance after graduation, broke up with Caleb, and moved abroad.

Julian wanted to get rid of Caleb but didn't want to offend the Sterling family.

So he used me as an excuse, making himself look completely innocent.

He even told Caleb that I had always been in love with him.

“You said you loved me, didn’t you?” He grabbed my chin, his fingers digging in. “Then I’ll grant your wish.”

I was forcibly married into the Sterling family.

Every night, he would degrade me, over and over again.

I don’t know how I endured those nights.

I struggled, I tried to escape, but all it ever earned me was even harsher torment.

To make things easier on myself, I had to obey him.

I shifted my gaze from the ceiling, turned off the bedside lamp, and lay on my side, forcing myself to stop thinking about it all...

In our two years of marriage, Caleb Sterling never knew my left ear was deaf, and I never intended to tell him.

Telling him would probably just lead to another round of mockery...