Chapter 1

　　For three years of marriage to Julian, he never once touched me.

　　Until I accidentally knocked Celeste’s sacred rosary off her wrist. In a furious rage, he stripped me naked and shoved me into the biting snow.

　　I sobbed, begging him to stop.

　　“I truly know I was wrong. It’s so cold, I’ll freeze to death.”

　　But Julian ignored my pleas.

　　“Stop pretending. Since you dared to touch Celeste’s things, you need a good lesson.”

　　I lay in the snow all night, my hands and feet completely numb.

　　Later, I personally took gifts to apologize to Celeste, only to accidentally catch her and Julian entangled together.

　　Turns out, Julian had already accepted my mother-in-law’s proposal for him to essentially extend his responsibilities to both our families.

　　In utter despair, I finally dialed Leo’s number.

　　“I’ve thought about it. I agree to your proposal for me to join your side of the family.”

　　Leo’s voice on the other end of the line was incredibly excited.

　　“Are you really sure?”

　　I nodded, despair weighing me down.

　　“Yes.”

　　I heard rustling sounds from his end.

　　“Wait for me here. I’m coming back for you.”

　　After hanging up with Leo, tears streamed down my face, unbidden.

　　Julian had never touched me in our three years of marriage.

　　I always thought he was just naturally cold, until yesterday, when I stumbled upon him and Celeste together in her private sanctuary.

　　The unbearable sounds lasted all night.

　　I suddenly remembered years ago, when Julian had thrown me out just because I wore a slightly low-cut shirt into the sanctuary.

　　“This is a sacred space. How dare you desecrate it?”

　　Back then, I was utterly humiliated, thinking it was all my fault. Now, I see Julian’s heart was twisted from the very beginning. Catching a glimpse of Julian entering the bedroom, I quickly wiped away my tears.

　　“Anya, get up! Celeste isn’t feeling well. Go make her something to eat.”

　　Celeste leaned against Julian, delicate as a willow branch.

　　“Oh, dear sister-in-law, I’m not feeling well today, so sorry to trouble you. My stomach is a bit sensitive, I need some chicken soup, made from a free-range hen from the countryside.”

　　“It’ll be a bother, but could you go fetch one yourself?”

　　I looked at them, stunned.

　　“My hands and feet are still numb from being frozen last night. How can I go to the countryside to catch a chicken now?”

　　Julian, hearing my words, looked incredibly annoyed. He reached out and dragged me from the covers onto the floor.

　　“Anya, stop pretending! Catching a chicken isn’t going to kill you!”

　　I was violently thrown to the ground, momentarily dazed. That’s when Celeste spoke up.

　　“Dear sister-in-law, the car’s broken. You’ll have to walk.”

I secretly clenched my fists. To avoid conflict, I struggled to my feet. As I passed Celeste, she casually exposed the red marks on her collarbone, leaning close to my ear to whisper, “Julian was rough last night, left marks all over me.”

She then gave me a provocative smirk. The old me would have burst into tears and confronted them.

But now, my heart had long gone numb, unable to stir even a flicker of emotion. I walked past them expressionlessly, because all I wanted was to leave.