Chapter 1

Outside City Hall, Brendan's sincere, loving face appeared before me.

"Cassie, I know I don't have a house or a car right now, but I swear, if we work hard together, I'll definitely buy you a car and a house! Then your mom won't object to us anymore."

His voice was as gentle as ever, his eyes filled with what looked like deep affection.

My stomach, however, churned violently. I shoved him away and ran to a nearby trash can, retching, wanting to throw up my guts.

In my previous life, Brendan had sweet-talked me into eloping and marrying him. Not long after, I got pregnant.

My health indicators weren't good during pregnancy, and the doctors strongly recommended terminating the pregnancy.

But he, that beast, claimed the baby was our love child, that the hospital was just trying to scam us for money, and prevented me from getting an abortion.

Ultimately, complications from fetal demise caused my IQ to drop to that of a three-year-old.

That's when my nightmare truly began.

On camera, he rode the wave of public sympathy, caring for his "mentally incapacitated wife," appearing in major media outlets and being hailed as the "most devoted husband."

The media praised him, and netizens were moved by his unwavering commitment, showering him with donations.

Off-camera, my meals were stale, my clothes tattered.

He even used to fling open my window in winter, just so I'd get sick and appear more pitiful during his livestreams, making it easier to rake in donations.

I watched him reap fame and fortune, powerless to do anything.

This devil even pushed my mother down the stairs when my parents had exhausted all their savings on my treatment and were forced to beg him to use his donation money for my medical bills. He then threatened my father not to call the police, using me as leverage.

With the mind of a three-year-old, I saw my mother fall down the stairs and tried to follow her. But in the chaos, Brendan, mid-argument with my father, brutally shoved me down the stairs too.

The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes again, and I was back on the very day Brendan and I were supposed to get our marriage license.