Chapter 1

After I got pregnant, my husband asked me to donate a kidney to his lover.

But his lover’s real goal was to make me lose my baby.

When I demanded an explanation, he only said coldly,

“Then let it die. It’s just some bastard.”

After hearing that, I signed the divorce papers without hesitation.

Not long afterward, he fell to his knees in front of me, his eyes red as he begged for my forgiveness.

“Avery, you’re the one I love. Can we get remarried?”

My hand froze just before I opened the door. From inside, I heard a woman whine sweetly,

“Ethan, you’re incredible! I love it!”

Her voice was sickeningly sweet, like honey dripping from a jar.

From the sounds coming through the door, it was obvious things inside were intense.

“Compared to Avery, who do you like more?”

My body moved closer on its own. My fingers slowly clenched around the hem of my dress.

I held my breath, desperately waiting for his answer.

What I heard instead was Ethan’s emotionless voice, filled with disgust.

“Her? She’s nothing but a filthy, shameless woman. She doesn’t deserve to be compared to you.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it struck me like a curse.

The moment he finished speaking, the woman burst into laughter. A moment later, her cries began again.

Each one louder than the last.

They pierced the softest part of my heart like knives.

I covered my mouth tightly, afraid I would make a sound. Tears poured down my face, and no matter how hard I clenched my teeth, I couldn’t swallow the pain lodged in my throat.

I was his wife.

I loved him so deeply, yet he couldn’t even spare me a glance.

It felt as if vines had grown around my heart. Every breath pulled them tighter, sending another sharp stab through my chest.

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to rush inside and tear them apart. But I remained frozen where I stood, unable to even lift my legs.

I knew Tessa had done this on purpose.

But I also knew Ethan had allowed it.

She was the one who had sent me the address so I could witness Ethan enjoying himself with her.

She knew I would come.

Everyone around Ethan knew he had a wife who worshiped the ground he walked on.

If he told me to go east, I would never dare go west.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth in a bitter smile.

I knew exactly what he was like.

Yet I still held on to a tiny shred of hope that there was at least a little corner of his heart reserved for me.

But there wasn’t.

Pain spread through every inch of my body, and I collapsed onto the floor. I didn’t even have the strength to stand.

Over and over, I saw the memory of being fifteen years old, when Ethan had nearly been beaten to death by a group of thugs while protecting me.

From that moment on, he had taken root in my heart.

I don’t know how long I sat there before Ethan came out and saw me on the floor, my face covered in tears and my eyes swollen and red.

His expression stiffened. His lips moved, but he said nothing.

He simply wrapped an arm around Tessa, who had followed him out, and stared at me without emotion.

Tessa leaned against him like a delicate little bird. She raised her eyebrows at me in provocation, as if saying that she knew I didn’t belong beside him, yet I still insisted on throwing myself at him.

She was right.

I had brought this on myself. I was the one who refused to wake up from the dream.

I braced myself against the wall and tried to stand.

Ethan immediately moved Tessa behind him to shield her.

My body froze halfway up. In an instant, it felt as if a thousand pounds had been dropped onto my shoulders.

Did he love her that much?

Did he really trust me that little?

Tessa took advantage of the moment and spoke in a weak, frightened voice.

“Ethan, I’m scared.”

The moment I looked over, he acted as if nothing had happened. He smoothed Tessa’s disheveled hair and kissed the corner of her eye.

Then he straightened her collar, covering the red marks on her neck, and told her not to be afraid.

They were the perfect couple.

I was the shameless other woman who had come between them.

I wanted so badly to pretend I was fine, smile, and greet him as if none of this mattered.

But my body betrayed me.