Andrius froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard by my words, then frowned slightly, his gaze sinking into mine.

He studied me, a trace of probing in his eyes. “You never used to ask for these things on your own.”

“People change,” I said flatly, then urged him, “Sign it.”

Andrius looked at me for a long, heavy moment, then finally nodded. Casually, he asked, “Which house did you choose? I remember you liked the development by Eastwood Lake… should we buy one there….”

He abruptly stopped, the pen hovering midair. From my angle, I saw Trisha’s fingers brushing across his back, one leg pressed tightly against him beneath the desk.

Andrius paused for two seconds, his gaze darkening. Then he picked up the pen, signed the papers, and handed them back to me.

“If there’s nothing else, go rest early.”

Though his tone was composed, the suppressed desire in his voice betrayed him.

I took the papers, my gaze sweeping once between him and Trisha, the corner of my lips lifting in a faint, mocking smile.

When I closed the door, the sound of rustling clothes drifted out again. My chest tingled, but the pain was gone.

The next morning, I brought the signed agreement to the City Hall, only to halt when a familiar figure appeared before me.

“Titus Morgan?” My eyes widened. “Why are you here?”

He was the man who had once kidnapped me, Andrius’s half-brother, the illegitimate son of the Velasquez family who could never show his face.

Leaning against the car, he smoked lazily, the curling smoke blurring his features, though his gaze made my breath catch.

“Don’t be nervous.” He stubbed out the cigarette and walked toward me. “You betrayed me before. How could I not keep an eye on you?”

His words tightened my chest, a bitter pang twisting deep inside. Five years with him, only to end up choosing his brother, his enemy, in the end. No wonder he was here, watching me stumble and humiliate myself.

Stopping before me, Titus chuckled, a low, knowing sound. “Here to finalize the divorce, huh? Andrius didn’t even bother showing up?”

I lowered my eyes. “He doesn’t need to.”

Titus only smirked, neither agreeing nor denying. “Then go on.”

Fear pricked my spine, wary of his intentions, so I hurried into City Hall.

The process was startlingly fast. When the seal pressed down, memories of the day Andrius and I had received our marriage certificate flashed before me.

“Maxine, I’ll repay you and protect you for a lifetime,” his voice echoed in my mind.

Seven years of marriage, five spent in a coma. His so-called lifetime had lasted only two years.

Now the marriage certificate had turned into divorce agreement, and the whole process had taken less than ten minutes.

When I stepped outside, Titus was still there, leaning casually against the car. I approached him and pulled another document from my bag, the one I had signed yesterday.

“This is ten percent of Velasquez Corporation’s shares. Take it as a token of my sincerity.”

Titus’s gaze lingered on the paper for a long moment, then lifted to meet mine.

“Trying to prove your loyalty?” His laugh was sudden and dangerous. He reached out, gripping my wrist. “I have a better way.”

Before I could react, he dragged me back into City Hall.

In my hands, a new marriage certificate appeared. I opened it, and in the photo, Titus wore a half-smile while I stared blankly, emotionless. No matter how you looked at it, we didn’t look like a loving couple at all.

Titus suddenly pinched my chin, his gaze boring into mine. “Maxine, this time, I won’t give you another chance to betray me.”

After leaving City Hall, Titus drove me back to the home I had once shared with Andrius.

As I stepped out of the car, he leaned over to unfasten my seatbelt. I froze, my pulse spiking with fear.

A soft laugh escaped him, his warm breath brushing against my ear. “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.”

I nodded frantically, my legs trembling, almost ready to flee.

Holding Andrius's divorce certificate in my hand, I had expected relief or at least lingering heartbreak. But this unexpected marriage certificate had scattered all that, leaving me with a strange, unsettled feeling.

I stood at the doorway, taking a deep breath, calming myself.

The door swung open. The servant looked at me awkwardly. “Miss, you’re finally back. Sir wants to see you.”

I stepped inside and saw Andrius on the sofa, his expression cold and unpleasant. Beside him was the suitcase I had packed the night before. On the coffee table lay several of the memories I had discarded, strewn before him like a silent accusation.

Andrius raised his chin slightly, frowning as his gaze pinned me. “Explain this. What does it mean?”

“While packing yesterday, I cleared out the things I didn’t want. Didn’t I ask the servant to throw them away?”

His expression sank, and he repeated my words in disbelief. “Didn’t want? Throw away?”

I nodded. “The cups hadn’t been used in years; they were already worn. I had no intention of keeping them. And the grape fragrance… It’s over five years old and has long expired. There was no reason to keep it.”

Andrius’s throat tightened, and he stepped forward, gripping my shoulders. “It’s my fault. I had planned to use the cups with you after you woke… and the grape fragrance… I could make another, just with you.”

“The grape trellis is gone. What could we even use to make it?”

His expression darkened instantly, and there was a flicker of madness in his eyes. “So… you want to leave me?”

I met his gaze briefly, then looked at the suitcase, my tone soft but final. “I was planning to leave.”

His grip on my shoulders tightened, sending a sharp ache through me.

I was forced to calm down. “You want me to take care of Trisha… I can’t. That’s why I planned to leave for a while, to clear my head.”

Slowly, the pressure eased. His hands slid down to my wrists, his thumb brushing the vein there with a gentleness that only deepened the ache in my chest. “You just woke up. How could I let you go alone? I know you’re upset, so tonight I prepared a banquet to celebrate your discharge.”

“As for the trip, wait for me a month, no, just a week. Once I finish company matters, I’ll go with you.”

I shook my head. “No need. Forget the banquet, forget the trip… You don’t need to come. Trisha can’t be without you now, right?”

His face darkened with worry. “I can find the best team to care for her. Maxine, you are the most important person to me.”

His words made my heart jolt, but before I could respond, Trisha’s sudden scream rang out from upstairs.

Andrius’s face darkened at once. Without hesitation, he rushed up, leaving the air heavy with tension.

I let out a bitter laugh and turned to leave, but the butler stepped in my way.

“It’s time to change for the banquet.”

“I won’t go.”

The butler’s tone stayed respectful, yet carried quiet insistence. “Sir prepared this especially for you. Please be sure to attend.”

I didn’t want to stir up more trouble, so I reluctantly went to change.

While I was getting ready, the butler placed a jewelry box in front of me. Inside was a set of pink diamonds, glittering under the light.

I shook my head. “Don’t I already have a set of pink diamonds? Bring me that one instead.”

The butler’s voice stayed calm. “This set was prepared especially for tonight’s banquet. Please cooperate.”

I shot him a sharp look, but he kept his eyes lowered, outwardly respectful yet firm in his stance.

A cold laugh slipped from my lips. “Fine, have it your way.”

When the car stopped at the hotel, I stepped out, and immediately, people surrounded me with greetings and smiles.

“Mrs. Velasquez, long time no see! I heard you just got out of the hospital. How is your recovery?”

“Oh, listen to you, Mrs. Velasquez looks radiant tonight. Clearly, you’ve fully recovered!”

“Mrs. Velasquez, President Velasquez has been so devoted. Five years in a coma, and he stayed by your side the entire time. That’s the kind of devotion people envy!”

I kept a polite smile on my face, but inside, waves of bitterness rolled like a storm.

Just as I was about to usher them inside, a car pulled up behind me.

The door opened, and Trisha stepped out gracefully, her arm linked with Andrius.

The crowd fell silent instantly, their eyes riveted.

Then, whispers rose like a tide, swirling through the gathering.

“What’s happening? Why is President Velasquez arriving with Mrs. Velasquez’s sister and holding her hand?”

“Isn’t this a slap in the face? Weren’t they just praising his devotion? This is humiliating…”

“Exactly! Tonight’s banquet was supposed to celebrate Mrs. Velasquez, yet the mistress just waltzes in!”

I stood frozen, nails digging into my palms as my face turned cold.

Trisha, unaware of my mood, came over with a bright smile. “Sister, why didn’t you wait for us?”

Andrius, clearly uneasy, pulled his arm from hers. “Maxine, Trisha wasn’t feeling well before we left, so I….”

“This?” I cut him off, my voice sharp as ice. “This is the banquet you prepared for me? Some kind of special show?”

The crowd’s expressions shifted like ripples, some pitying, some mocking, others eager for the drama.

Andrius’s brows furrowed, his lips twitching as if to speak, but in the end, he only muttered, “Let’s go in first,” and strode ahead.

Trisha pouted. “Andrius, slow down!”

He actually stopped, waited for her to catch up, then wrapped an arm around her waist and walked her into the banquet hall.

A lady leaned close to me and whispered, “Mrs. Velasquez, you don’t look well. Would you like to rest in my car for a while?”

The gazes around me felt like thorns, piercing my back with every step. If I faltered now, I would become a laughingstock.

“Thank you, no need,” I said, forcing my shoulders back as I walked into the banquet hall.

“Five years in a coma, only to wake and have her husband stolen by her own sister, how pitiful.”

“I heard Mrs. Velasquez was just a scholarship student the family helped. She never fit in. People called it a prince-and-Cinderella story.”

“And didn’t she lose a child? Who knows if she can even have another? No wonder Andrius chose someone else.”

“She really can’t have more children?”

Every whisper cut into my chest like a knife, yet I had no words to defend myself.