Chapter 2

Ms. Davies glanced at me, her voice laced with helplessness.

“Mr. Kincaid, you already had someone hit Mrs. Monroe. The impact was enough to cripple her legs. Why did you then instruct the driver to repeatedly run over her? Now, her legs are just a mangled mess, requiring immediate amputation.”

Liam Kincaid’s eyes were glacial, his tone chillingly indifferent.

“I did it to ensure there were no loose ends. What if those guys hadn’t crippled her enough? Skylar Monroe has always been exceptionally capable; it’s not impossible for her to find top doctors across the country to fix those legs.”

“If her legs are amputated, she’ll be a cripple forever. She’s headstrong and fiercely proud. Living a lifetime in the agony of her severed legs, she won’t even think about competing with Blair for the inheritance.”

Ms. Davies's pupils constricted, her gaze falling on my bandaged, amputated legs.

“But what if Mrs. Monroe finds out? You were at the accident scene yourself. Who knows if she saw you. Even the ambulance was called by a bystander. What if she finds out and blames you for the rest of her life?”

Liam took a step closer to me, his slender, well-defined fingers gently caressing the wound on my forehead.

“Then we simply won’t let her remember what happened that night. Don’t some shady clinics have nerve inhibitors that can mess with a person’s memory?”

“Use it on her. If she forgets, all the better. If not, increase the dosage. It would be best if she can’t even remember who she is.”

Ms. Davies clearly felt a pang of conscience, her voice trembling.

“Those drugs do exist, but this specific one hasn't passed clinical trials. It could lead to permanent cognitive impairment, and in severe cases, even incontinence, rendering her completely helpless…”

Liam’s impatience was palpable as he listened to his assistant. His eyes suddenly turned bloodshot.

“So what? Sacrificing her means securing Blair’s future. It’s all worth it.”

“From the moment Blair saved me from the fire five years ago, I haven’t been able to love anyone else. If it weren’t for an arranged marriage for our families’ benefit, why would I have married Skylar Monroe?”

“If Blair hadn’t risked her life to save me back then, I might have died in that fire. Now, finally, I have the chance to repay her.”

I clenched my wrists so tightly that my palms bled, yet I felt no pain. The man who had been my husband for five years felt like a complete stranger.

Five years ago, I risked my life to save Liam Kincaid. The burn scar beneath my collarbone was still there.

In five years of marriage, I had never once brought it up. I thought he knew I was the one who saved him. After all, when our families arranged the marriage, he agreed without a second thought. I never explicitly mentioned it, fearing I might trigger painful memories for him.

I never imagined that, from start to finish, he had always believed Blair Sutton was his savior.

Ms. Davies handed Liam a watch, her fingers trembling.

“Mrs. Monroe was clutching this tightly during the accident. Her secretary said it was supposed to be your birthday gift.”

Liam stared at the blood-stained watch, gazing blankly for a few seconds.

I had specifically spent a fortune at an auction in Italy to buy it. Just because he’d mentioned he liked it, I spared no expense to get it for her, all to make him happy.

In the instant of the accident, my mind was consumed only by him.

He stroked the chain around his neck with one finger, while his other hand caressed my face.

“As long as she’s obedient, not competing or fighting, I can spend my whole life with her. She’ll still be my Mrs. Kincaid, and I’ll still be her Mr. Kincaid.”

“Oh, and Blair just took over as heir. We need to celebrate properly. Help me send her that family heirloom jade bracelet.”

Ms. Davies’s eyes widened, her voice rising in intensity.

“But that’s a Kincaid family heirloom! It should, by rights, go to your wife. After all, she’s your wife, how can you give it to…”

Liam immediately cut her off.

“Stop with the nonsense. Just go! Blair deserves something this exquisite.”

His words sliced me to the bone. Five years, Liam Kincaid, did you have no love for me at all?