Chapter 1

Everyone knew that Julian Blackwood, the most prominent man in the city, had married a mute woman.

For ten years of marriage, Julian never once acknowledged me as his wife.

They all said:

“Mr. Blackwood married you; you should be grateful.”

I swallowed every mocking word, every scornful glance, simply because I loved him.

But the day I found out I was pregnant, I saw him in bed with my half-sister.

They pushed me to the brink, cornered me until I had nowhere left to go. I jumped from the high-rise—

Yet, Julian's eyes burned red.

He bowed his proud head, begging me, desperate for me to return to him.

Pushing open the bedroom door—

The overwhelming smell of alcohol and clothes strewn everywhere screamed at me, reminding me just how intense things had been in here.

My legs buckled uncontrollably, and tears streamed down my face.

Tiffany Miller chuckled as she looked at me.

Calmly, she put on her clothes, then sashayed towards me.

“Aurora, clean this mess up. Don’t let Julian find out. If you dare utter a single word about what happened today…”

Tiffany paused, touching the necklace around her neck, her eyes turning vicious.

“I can’t guarantee your mother won’t ‘have an accident.’”

I frantically grabbed Tiffany’s arm, my eyes pleading, signaling that I would obey her.

Tiffany smirked, glaring at me.

“Right. You’re mute. It’s not like you can say anything anyway.”

Tiffany left, triumphant.

I leaned against the door, sliding down to the floor, powerless.

My hands fell limp, and the doctor’s report slipped from my grasp.

“Congratulations, your baby is two weeks old.”

The doctor had said, flipping through the report.

I touched my belly, incredulous. A wave of immense joy washed over me.

I’d always had trouble conceiving. I never thought I’d have a baby of my own.

On the way home, my heart pounded with anxiety.

I wondered if Julian would dislike this child because it was mine, if he would despise it as much as he despised me.

But I never imagined I’d come home to find my half-sister and my husband sleeping together.

I knew Julian didn’t love me.

But he didn’t have to humiliate me like this.

My heart felt like it was clutched by an invisible hand, squeezing the breath from me, threatening to suffocate me.

Slowly, I cleaned the room, tears dripping onto the floor as I numbly wiped them away.

I tore the pregnancy test report into tiny pieces and flushed them down the toilet.

I walked to the bed. Julian lay there, eyes closed, brows furrowed.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, still hazy with drunkenness.

Julian reached out, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me beneath him.

He nuzzled his nose against my face, then whispered in my ear.

No matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t push him away. My eyes stung, and I bit my lip hard, refusing to let the tears fall.

Then Julian called out, “Tiffany.” The name plunged me into an icy abyss.

My blood froze, and my heart felt pierced by countless shards of glass.

Raw and bleeding, tears traced paths down my cheeks, then disappeared into my hair.

“Aurora.”

Julian’s voice in the morning pulled me back from sleep to reality.

He gripped my wrist tightly. Just waking up, he looked annoyed.

His eyes were deep, his aura heavy.

“Didn’t I tell you not to climb into my bed again?” Julian’s voice was arctic.

I shook my head frantically, signing to him.

“No, you pulled me in yesterday.”

Julian’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

“Aurora, I’m not *that* desperate.”

I froze for a moment, then lowered my head.

Seeing me like that, Julian impatiently brushed a strand of hair from his forehead.

He turned, pulled out a checkbook from a drawer, signed a check, tore it off, and flung it at my face.

The paper was light, but it struck my heart with brutal force.

Julian glanced at me.

“Aurora, don’t let this happen again.”

My eyes were numb, and I forced out a bitter smile, tears welling up.

The scars on my heart felt like they were being ripped open again.

Just when they’d started to heal, they were raw and bleeding once more.

“Julian Blackwood, I’m not doing this for money.”

Tears streamed down my face as I signed.