That day, I ate a cake and accidentally swallowed the diamond that my husband, Andrew Jones was about to give to his first love. In his fury, he sent me to the hospital, directly to the operation table to get it out of my body.

Some thief had stolen the diamond from his first love, Olivia, when she was abroad. So, they had been looking for it all over the place. When there was news that it emerged in an auction, Andrew flew personally to retrieve it back. After all, it was the token of their love; Andrew’s gift for her seventeenth birthday.

He knew that Olivia treasured it greatly and she was quite depressed when it was stolen some months back. He was planning to give her a surprise, but I accidentally swallowed it instead.

“You shouldn’t take what is not yours, Lily.”

Those were his last words before he dragged me to the hospital and sent me to the operation room, making sure that I wouldn’t escape.

He didn’t even let me explain what had happened. However, it then dawned on me that even if I explained, he wouldn’t believe me.

Andrew would believe his first love over me. He only married me because my soft and soothing voice reminded him of her, wasn’t it?

He had never loved me. I would never forget that cold gaze which hid silent anger as his sharp eyes looked at me.

I realized that I had nearly forgotten my place. I was only a substitute for him, someone whose voice was similar to his beloved woman. His affections were false and he must have been imagining me as Olivia, but I still couldn’t help my own feelings.

“Have you taken it out?” He didn’t even spare a glance at me as he entered the operating room.

The doctor handed him something that he had carefully taken from my body, with such a cautious attitude as if afraid it would break.

Andrew took the diamond from the doctor and then walked out of the door. What happened today has refreshed my new understanding of him.

I nearly passed out from the pain.

“Do you want to drink something, Ma’am?” The doctor asked, his face painted with a look of guilt.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Before I could respond to his question, darkness swallowed my vision. As my consciousness was fading away, I could still hear the faint voice of the doctor that kept on apologizing.

“I am sorry, Ma’am. I am really sorry…”

I could understand where he was coming from, but I still hated him a bit. I hated that he had taken part in bringing me so much pain.

In order to teach me a lesson, Andrew ordered the doctors who performed my operation not to give me anesthetic. The entire time during that operation, I was conscious. The pain felt like my soul was being forcefully pulled out of my body.

Of course, Andrew would get away by doing something like that. The hospital was owned privately by the Jones family, and they would surely cover up what had transpired here.

When I woke up again, none was by my side.

However, after Olivia’s return, I knew that the fake love show had ended. The affections Andrew previously had given to me were now only directed to Olivia. Even the side of him I hadn’t known before.

He had always been a mature person, but I found out that as long as Olivia was there, he could also turn into a childish man.

Just as I was lost in my thoughts, the door abruptly opened. Kevin Jonas, Andrew’s younger brother, walked in with an arrogant expression.

“Your phone.” He threw the phone to me and I slightly panicked.

I tried to catch it, and the pain from a sudden movement nearly made me pass out again. In the end, luckily I could catch the phone.

Kevin raised his eyebrows. “As expected from someone who comes from a lowly background. She even treasures a cheap phone so much.”

I ignored his words and clasped the phone to my chest, trying to calm my beating heart.

“Am I very kind? I know that you will be very bored to stay alone in this hospital.” He tilted his head with a mocking smile. “While my brother will be enjoying spending his time with Olivia.”

I still didn’t react to his words, not willing to give him the satisfaction of any response he could get from me.

Kevin was channeling his frustration through his attempt to rile me up.

Ever since I got married to Andrew, he has always been taunting me, disdaining my poor background in secret. Outwardly, he would try to flatter me.

He was also the one who had helped Olivia to scheme against me. Kevin was one reason I had suffered so much pain, just for a very ridiculous reason, like a small diamond.

“Even if you glare at me, it won’t change your fate.” He sneered and then chuckled at me.

They had put the diamond in the wrong cake. The chef at home was also in cahoots with them. Olivia already knew that Andrew was about to give a diamond to her and Kevin was the one told to handle the matter.

The diamond should have been put in a box, but they directly put it in the cake that was meant for me. It was hard to notice such a small object when it was already mixed inside the ingredients. As such, I accidentally swallowed it.

When the incident reached Andrew’s ears, it had provoked him into so much rage. Kevin had twisted the story. The narrative accused me of being jealous that Olivia was going to receive such an expensive diamond, and I was trying to sabotage it.

None of the Jones family took care of me while I was in the hospital. Some nurses took pity on me and helped me to clean myself. I also didn’t expect that some of my acquaintances who were caretakers in this hospital would lend me a hand as well.

There was no visit other than Kevin, who had come to give my phone. Of course, he didn’t come with a good intention. He made sure that I would watch every photo he sent; Andrew was being very affectionate towards Olivia.

He had returned from my room with a fuming expression because I hadn’t reacted to any of his taunting. He regarded that as boring, so as revenge, he sent tons of pictures of Andrew and Olivia.

I knew that I would feel hurt to see those photos, but I still couldn’t help myself. What kind of genuine expression Andrew would make when he was with someone he truly loved?

It took almost a week before I was allowed to be discharged from the hospital.

I didn’t expect that I would receive a wonderful welcome as soon as I dragged myself to the Jonas family’s mansion.

All my things were thrown outside.

It was as if they had planned it ahead of time and set it to the time of my return.

My clothes, books, and other belongings were scattered at the gate to the mansion.

The servants were busy bringing all my things out. Slowly, still with a weak body, I approached them.

“What are you doing?” I asked, not showing any emotion.

As soon as I finished uttering those words, they stopped. A look of horror crossed their faces, and some even looked nervous.

However, the look only lasted for a few seconds. They adjusted their emotions relatively quickly, and one servant spoke. “We are helping to move your things, Madam…”

The servant stopped as if she had just said something wrong. This time, she looked incredibly nervous as she glanced at the door repeatedly.

“What do you mean?” I shifted their attention back to me.

Before they could respond, a familiar woman walked out of the door and gave me a condescending smile. “The main mansion no longer suits you, Lily Clarke.”

It was Olivia.

I should have expected that she must have a hand in this.

“Does Andrew know about this?” My eyes flashed with contemplation.

“Is that important whether he knows or not? Andrew always gives me what I want.” Olivia raised her chin arrogantly.

I stared at her for a few seconds and then shook my head. That calm and composed reaction triggered her anger.

“Are you still trying to delude yourself that you have a place in Andrew’s life?” Sarcasm dripped from her words.

Before this, I had a hope that after the time we spent together, Andrew might hold some affection for me. The way he treated me made me realize that I was living in my delusion.

I shook my head. “You should learn to be a proper wife then. Throwing my things out with so many people witnessing it, since when a mere mistress can be so lawless?”

Olivia obviously didn’t like the word mistress. She was a mistress while I was still the legal wife. Her chest visibly heaved up and down, and she took large strides toward me. Her hand raised high, and just as it was about to land, a voice interrupted her.

“Is everything settled?”

Olivia retracted her hand back, and I watched as her expression changed like a chameleon. She was back to the soft and graceful lady as she faced Andrew.

She didn’t forget to glance at me, as if showing off that her words were true.

“What’s the meaning of this, Andrew?” My voice shook slightly.

“We are getting divorced, Lily.” He said slowly as Olivia bounced over excitedly to him, wrapping her arms around his.

I already expected this to happen, but listening to him saying this in front of so many people still brought shame to my heart.

If any passerby were to witness the present scene, they would think that I was the mistress, and he was defending Olivia, the legal wife.

“It will be improper for us to live together. So, I am giving you a villa.” Andrew spoke as though I was a poor woman in need of his charity. “You won’t be empty-handed even after I divorce you. I will give you some compensation.”

Just as simple as that, I was forced to move into one of the Jones family villas that he had given me as the divorce compensation.

That afternoon, even my life still wasn’t peaceful. What compensation villa? People from the Jones family could still access this place.

Kevin sauntered into the kitchen after he yelled my name. I was a bit surprised at seeing him, but then I should have known that it shouldn’t be a surprise.

I had a faint inkling about what Andrew had planned for me, and obviously I didn’t like it.

“Don’t you dare tattle on Grandma about this.” Kevin took an apple from the counter and munched on it.

I looked up at him, and pity flashed across my eyes.

“What?” He snarled at me, not liking my current expression.

“Is this how you are trying to stay in the Jones family? By bootlicking on your brother’s woman?”

Kevin was only adopted by the Jones family, and his situation definitely wasn’t that good there. When Andrew first married me, he also treated me very well and always defended me. Now Olivia received that treatment from him.

I suddenly remembered my life before I met Andrew.

My family wasn’t as rich and influential as the Jones family, but it still had a small influence in the business world.

Until one day, my father fell into a trap set by one of his competitors and our family went bankrupt. My father fell into depression and started abusing me and my mother.

The peak was when my father decided he couldn’t take it anymore. Before I knew it, he was gone from this world, leaving me and my mother with tons of debts we needed to pay off.

Not long after, my mother fell ill. I had to work a lot of jobs to pay for the hospital bills and the debts.

I knew that my mother seemed like she had given up on life. However, she was the only relative that I have left in this world, so I didn’t give up on her.

A heart disease is harder to cure compared to physical disease. The mental illness that my mother has also caused her body to begin suffering. She started to have a lot of complications and that led to chronic illness.

I had taken a job in the hospital then so that I could take care of her more closely. I couldn’t just leave her alone with none to watch over her.

The first time I met Andrew, it was when I was assigned to take care of his grandma.

“Stay here for a bit.” She often said, and that was when Andrew arrived that I was allowed to leave.

Grandma knew about my condition, and she often paid me for working overtime to accompany her. I genuinely liked her and wanted to refuse, but because I also needed it, I could only convince myself and take the money.

From then on, I also began to have more contact with Andrew and we also exchanged each other’s number to keep track of his schedule. When he couldn’t be there, I would watch over Grandma.

“You have a beautiful and soothing voice.” He often praised me.

My face was obviously very different from Olivia, but he was attracted to me because of my voice. When Olivia put effort into it, indeed, she did have a beautiful voice.

Later, through Grandma, Andrew found out about my condition; like how I was supposed to take care of the medical bills and pay the family’s debts bit by bit.

He used this chance to propose a marriage contract with me. Seeing that Grandma also approved of me, he might as well take the chance so that she would stop pestering him to get married.

I didn’t have much choice back then. Some debts were nearing their due date, and I still needed to pay for the hospital bills. Andrew promised to help pay for all those, so I agreed.

Seeing me struggling too much, my mother truly gave up, and she passed away not long after.

Andrew helped me to cope with the reality that I had lost her.

Those reminiscences almost made me get drowned in them.

The reality was indeed more painful. Shortly after my mother died, it was also not long before I found out that Andrew had been treating me as a substitute for someone else all along.

I wanted to break our marriage, but I still needed to go through it so I could pay all the debts. It was unknown what those loan sharks would do to me if I could not pay them.

So, I could only grit my teeth and follow through.

Olivia appeared in our fifth year of marriage. She crushed all the delusions I had, and she also made sure that Andrew would hate me.

She was very good at framing people and even managed to draw Kevin, who had convinced me previously that Andrew loved me, to her side. They were trying their best to torture and get rid of me.

Originally, Andrew still gave me excellent treatment even after Olivia appeared. However, after various successful attempts at making me look like a jealous, greedy, and villainous woman, they succeeded. Andrew became colder and colder with me.

“Watch your mouth, wench!”

I felt a stinging pain on my forehead as I snapped back to reality. Kevin was fuming angrily as he threw the bitten apple to me.

“Is what I am saying not true?” I raised my eyebrow at him. He was so easily provoked. No wonder that he made troubles everywhere outside, gradually smearing the family’s name. Olivia would be his backing if he wanted to stay in the Jones family.

He threw me a glare. “Just wait, my brother will divorce you soon and he will marry Olivia.”

“After that, you should cooperate a bit with us.” He paused and smirked mockingly at me. “You need to disappear from our lives.”

“Is this how you are going to explain to Grandma?” I asked him.

I was sure that it was Olivia who had hatched this plan. She wanted me as far away as possible.

“You don’t need to care about our Jones family business anymore. It’s not your place.” Kevin sneered and then he threw me a document on his way out.

I looked at the paper and fell into a slight daze. Andrew was quick in preparing and sending me the divorce paper.