Chapter 2

His words were cold and dangerous.

“You deliberately provoked me, got yourself hurt, and conveniently got rid of the child. You wanted me to feel guilty so you could divorce me.”

“You wanted everyone to think I rose by relying on the Sterling family, then abandoned you, so they’d condemn me.”

“It’s all carefully planned.”

I suddenly understood why my father had so vehemently opposed my marriage to him back then.

He was clearly the butcher, yet he was packaging himself as the victim.

“You really should learn from Bianca’s gentleness. She doesn’t have your malicious thoughts; she only tries every way possible to please me.”

“Out of consideration for our marriage, I won’t pursue this. But if there’s a next time, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

I gently shook my head and slowly spoke.

“Julian Hayes, I will never learn the shamelessness of a mistress, nor the lack of shame of someone who cheats.”

“Either we get a divorce by agreement, or I’ll sue you for it.”

Julian was completely enraged. He pointed at me and roared in public.

“Don’t use divorce to threaten me! Bianca is a thousand times better than you. I would never leave her, so you might as well give up!”

“For a man of my status and position, having three or five mistresses is perfectly normal. I’ve already been very discreet. You’re just too ungrateful.”

I wanted to laugh. How blind must I have been to fall for him?

He would never realize that I couldn’t tolerate him, not just Bianca.

With that, he walked away without a backward glance.

I felt no reluctance; instead, the air seemed to clear.

Yet, there was still an empty ache in my heart, as if a piece was missing.

For the next half-month, he never appeared before me again.

He and Bianca were kissing under the Northern Lights, exploring rainforests, vacationing on islands, and splurging on jewelry at auctions.

I didn’t want to pay attention to them, but their exploits frequently topped the news trends, making it impossible to ignore.

I looked down at the wedding ring on my hand. It was bought three years into our marriage.

On our wedding day, I wore a rented dress and cheap, online-bought jewelry, willingly marrying him.

He’d wept and promised that once he was rich, he’d make it up to me with a grand,世纪婚礼 (century wedding - a grand, once-in-a-lifetime wedding).

Later, when he had money, he said jewelry was expensive and useless, so why waste money?

I nagged him for a long time before he finally bought this less-than-one-carat diamond ring.

He never wore his own.

Whether to get back at me or to make Bianca happy, I don’t know.

He really did prepare a lavish, grand wedding.

Sadly, I wasn't the bride.

He hired a professional photography team to document every step: choosing wedding rings, trying on wedding dresses, and so on.

Their wedding ring was made from a pigeon-egg-sized diamond auctioned off in a Southern country, the diamond alone worth $300 million.

Bianca’s wedding dress was encrusted with tiny diamonds, shimmering under the lights like a fairy descending from the Milky Way.

It sparkled even more brilliantly in the sunlight.

Chloe, my sister, threw an invitation in front of me, angrily demanding,

“Is this the man you were so determined to marry? You’re truly an embarrassment to the Sterling family.”

My stepmother, Eleanor, nearly fainted from anger.

I begged them to attend the wedding.

If the Sterlings didn't go, those high-society families definitely wouldn't.

The day before the wedding, Julian was unusually pleasant to me.

“Bianca wants a wedding of her own. Don’t cause any trouble.”

I nodded.

On the wedding day, I announced my divorce in front of all the guests.

“My husband, Mr. Julian Hayes, is holding a grand wedding with his mistress today. I choose to grant them their wish.”

“We’re getting a divorce.”

He quietly warned me, but I wasn't fazed.

“Either we divorce, or I’ll sue you for bigamy.”

His face flushed from green to red. He had no choice but to sign the divorce agreement in front of everyone.

That day, Julian Hayes dominated the trending topics.

【Hayes Group CEO Holds Century Wedding for Mistress!】

【At the Wedding, the Original Wife Announces Divorce!】

【Relied on Wife for Wealth, Now Flaunts Affair with Mistress!】

His high-profile photos and videos with Bianca, showing off their affection, became the damning evidence that nailed him to the pillar of shame.

I went home to get my luggage, but I heard Bianca’s heart-wrenching screams. Rushing in, I saw her being assaulted by two men, blood flowing freely from beneath her.

I was frozen in shock, standing there, unsure what to do.

Julian rushed in, frantic. The two men, startled, quickly scaled the wall and fled.

Bianca lay in a pool of blood, sobbing almost to the point of collapse.

“Our baby… it’s gone…”

“Ms. Sterling, you can hate me, hit me, curse me, even kill me if you want.”

“But why would you hurt my baby? If you’d just said the word, I would’ve taken the baby and left the country, never to return.”

“Why…”

Julian held Bianca, crying like a fountain. When my baby was gone, he hadn’t shed a single tear.

He stayed by her side in the hospital, sleepless for three days and three nights. Every day, while she slept, he’d personally go home and cook soup for her.

Seven years of marriage, and I never knew he could cook.

On the fourth day, Bianca’s emotions finally stabilized.

He ordered his bodyguards to tie me up and take me to an abandoned factory on the outskirts, where they threw me onto the ground like trash.

The rough gravel dug into my body, hurting everywhere. I stared at him, incredulous.

“Julian Hayes, how could you do this to me?”

He raised his foot and cruelly stomped on my lips until they were a bloody mess.

“It’s all because I was too soft on you, which emboldened you to harm my child.”

I shook my head frantically, the back of my head bleeding from being scraped by the gravel.

“I didn’t! It wasn’t me!”

“Still trying to deny it?!”

He gathered all his strength and delivered a savage kick to my lower abdomen. My face turned pale from the pain, and sweat poured down me.

But he felt it wasn’t nearly enough.

Punches, kicks, and sticks rained down on my abdomen. Soon, it was a bloody, mangled mess, and the blood beneath me stained the ground.

Gradually, I stopped feeling the pain. All I felt was cold.

My consciousness faded, and the footsteps seemed to grow distant.

They didn’t take me with them.

I was going to die.

When I woke up again, everything was white.

Perhaps this was heaven.

Liam Anderson, my childhood friend, was watching over me, his eyes red. Seeing me awake, he couldn’t help but cry again.

“Scarlett, you’re finally awake! You scared me to death!”

I didn’t speak, tears streaming down my face and soaking the pillow.

He carefully held me, and a wave of warmth passed through my hospital gown.

“I’m sorry, I came too late.”

After he heard about my divorce, he caught the next flight home, only to learn I’d gone missing.

The Sterling family and the Anderson family had moved mountains to find me, barely rescuing me when I was on the brink.

After my surgery, Chloe and Eleanor arranged for two nurses to care for me, and they made time to visit me every day.

Liam stayed by my bedside, refusing to leave for anything.