My mother was extremely sick and in critical condition, so I asked my fiancé to pay the dowry in advance so I could use the money to pay for my mother's surgery. Instead of paying for the dowry, he chose to turn his back on me and get engaged to Taylor Harper.

In the moment of despair, Matt Harris, my childhood friend, knelt on one knee to propose to me in the hospital. He gave me a dowry for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Without hesitation, I agreed with his proposal and immediately arranged for my mother's surgery.

The fact that my mother did not survive the operation made me so overwhelmed by grief that Matt arranged for my mother's funeral in my stead.

As for the wedding, it was still carried out as planned.

However, five years later, I inadvertently overheard a conversation between him and the doctor.

"Matt," said the doctor. "You had hidden the fact from Fiona Kingsley that you used her mother's organ to cure Debbie Marshall, Taylor's aunt. Have you thought about what would happen if she found out? Are you going to risk everything for Taylor?"

“If that’s the case, then so be it. I’d do anything for her; it’s just a life. I’ve already paid Fiona back with my whole life and that should be enough," Matt answered.

Tears rained down my cheek as at this moment, I realized that the marriage I had worked so hard to maintain was nothing but a cruel deception and the only person Matt loved was Taylor.

Knowing this, I decided to step aside and give in.

——

On the other side of the door, in the study room, Matt’s voice echoed with regret and sorrow, "Given that Taylor did not choose me, all I could do for her was to save Debbie so she could have a piece of mind. As for Fiona … I've already dedicated all my life for her, I think it should be enough.”

When, his best friend, Henry Nelson, his friend since childhood, heard what he had just said, he looked hesitated and said, "It's too bad Taylor did not do what you had done for her. We're talking about human life here. If anyone finds out, you could spend the rest of your life in prison for a woman who doesn’t love you. Is it worth it?”

“Let’s not talk about this anymore; it’s all in the past. As long as she’s doing well now, that’s all that matters," Matt refuted.

"Well, what about Fiona then? She seems to really love you. What if one day she finds out you were responsible for her mother’s death?" Henry asked.

There was a moment of silence in the room, then Matt lit a cigarette for himself. Amidst the swirling smoke, he spoke with self-deprecation, "Then I’ll just repay her with my life. The money I’ve earned these years will be enough for her to live on for a lifetime.”

“Sigh... I really don’t understand you. Why bother? Fiona is a good girl, yet you insist on holding on to that .... Never mind, I won’t say more. Just do what you think is best," Henry said.

As footsteps approached, I immediately retreated to my room. In my haste, the hot tea I was holding spilled all over me, yet I felt utterly cold.

It turned out that my mother didn’t die on the operating table as I had believed but she had died because of the conspiracy that Matt had concocted for Taylor.

When I was betrayed and abandoned by Gregg O'Donnell. I became a laughingstock. His proposal wasn’t meant to bring me happiness; it was his last effort to stab at me.

All these years of marriage were merely his way of compensating for his guilt toward me.

Luckily, I still took his pitiful alms and went around flaunting my happiness.

This was so absurd!

The sound of the door shutting echoed as Henry left.

Jiang Mohan stumbled into the room, cradled my face and kissed my forehead gently. His intoxicated eyes were filled with sorrow when he asked, "Why are you standing by the door?"

I answered, "It’s nothing; I accidentally spilled my tea and was just about to clean it up.”

“Let the housekeeper handle that," Matt told me. "You’re not well so just take a rest. If you get tired, I’ll worry for you.”

Then he kissed my lips once again. His touch felt just as tender and affectionate as before.

However, his warmth could no longer reach me. Could someone really go to such lengths for another person?

As I closed my eyes, tears slid down my cheeks.

I helped him to the bed and tucked him in. The alcohol had dulled his senses and he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

When I sat by the bedside, I quietly picked up his phone and entered a password. I only needed one try before I unlocked it. The password was Taylor's birthday.

I began sifting through the contracts he had signed over the years and every single one of them, without any exception, collaborated with the O’Donnell Family.

Though I had never worked in his company, even I could tell that he had sacrificed significant amount profits for Taylor's sake. The company’s spokesperson was her favorite celebrity. The projects were always based in Taylor's favorite location. Even the payment schedules for each deal were tied to dates significant to Taylor, whether it washer birthday, her wedding anniversary, or the day she first met Matt.

With trembling hands, I opened his private photo album. There, in every photo, was Taylor's smiling face. Some photos showed her attending events as Mrs. O'Donnell, while others captured her celebrating successful projects with Gregg.

In every shot that featured Gregg, Matt would crop him out of the photo and only left Taylor's face in it. There were a thousand photos in total. They were the chronicled of the events of the past five years.

Beyond the photos, I also found numerous records of auction purchases. Each one was for a piece of jewelry sent to Taylor under the guise of a corporate gift. He told her that it was a thank-you gift for the partner.

Each detail stabbed at my heart like a needle. I recognized those jewelry brands because I’d seen them before.

Matt told me they were gifts he’d chosen for me, but now I knew they were just promotional giveaways from the auction house.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips as I closed the album. Instead, I booked a plane ticket to leave the country in three days and filed applications to cancel all my legal documents.

Three days were enough to end five years of marriage.

I could not fall asleep at all last night. So when the morning came, I went out to freshen up, only to hear my phone rang.

Matt's confused voice immediately sounded, "Did you cancel some documents, Fiona?"

I quickly grabbed my phone and calmly explained, “It’s nothing. My ID card expired, so I scheduled a time to renew it.”

“Aren’t you supposed to have a meeting today?" I asked. "Go on, don’t keep them waiting.”

He didn’t press any further. He simply pulled me into a tender embrace and whispered in my ear, “Thank you, my wife. Marrying someone as kind and virtuous as you is the greatest blessing of my life.”

I smiled faintly but said nothing.

“As a reward, how about a big surprise from your husband today?” he teased.

“Sure. I’ll be waiting at home," I calmly said.

The moment Matt left, his assistant arrived with a beautifully prepared breakfast. He knew I liked this particular hotel’s cuisine and had made it a daily ritual to have it delivered for the past five years.

In the past, I thought this was a sign that he loved me. However, now, it seemed it was just an afterthought.

If he truly loved me, how could he not have learned to make even one dish I liked after five years? He had gone to such lengths to ensure I wouldn’t disturb Taylor.

I dumped the breakfast into the trash and walked out the door. This five-year-long charade needed to end.

At the registration office, there weren’t many people. After filling out my application, I headed straight to a law firm. The lawyer had a template for a divorce agreement that included forfeiting all property claims. It didn’t take long before he handed me two copies. With the agreements in hand, I went to Matt's company.

As soon as I walked in, I heard the staff whispering, "Is that Mrs. Harris? She had an excellent personality. No wonder Mr. Harris treats her like a treasure and keeps her out of the public eye.”

"It must be," the other replied. "I was the one who delivered that necklace she was wearing just last week. I heard it cost even hundred and fifty thousand dollars at auction! I could work my whole life and still never afford it. I'm so jealous!”

"I heard they grew up together and Mrs. Harris is Mr. Harris's first love. Could you imagine? You built a successful business and stayed loyal to just one woman. It’s like a real-life romance drama!”

As I reached the top-floor office, I stood at the door, overhearing familiar voices inside.

"Is he nice to you?" Matt asked.

“Mm, he’s great. Just the other day, he bought me a private island. He said he wanted to make up for our missed honeymoon. Honestly, it’s been five years and he still acts like a kid.…”

Matt's voice, filled with suppressed heartache, was low and heavy, "That's good. Knowing that makes me feel at ease.”

Then Taylor said, "How about you? Why are you giving me such expensive gifts? If Fiona knows about this, she'll be upset."

Taylor had always acted like this. She would grasp any chance to get an advantage for herself while making a point to mock me.

Years ago, when Gregg broke off our engagement, she was the one who rushed to the hospital to deliver the news at my mother’s bedside.

Her cruel actions caused my mother to faint on the spot and undergo emergency surgery that very night.

I had confronted her endlessly, but when Gregg and Matt arrived, they both took her side and accused me of being unreasonable. That was the day I severed all the ties with Gregg and Taylor while Matt became my only salvation.

However, now he was the one who pushed me into the abyss.

The secretary, who was rushing to deliver a contract, opened the door and he nearly collided with me.

A flicker of surprised flashed in Matt's eyes and he exclaimed, "Fiona? What are you doing here? Don’t misunderstand. Taylor just dropped by for a chat and to discuss the project. She’s the person in charge of O'Donnell Group’s project…”

"Fiona, long time no see," Taylor greeted me as she stood up. She was wearing the latest custom-designed outfit.

In comparison, I looked like a country bumpkin.

I smiled and nodded, swallowing my resentment as I replied, “It’s fine. I was just shopping and thought I’d drop by to see you. Since you’re busy, I’ll head back.”

Matt assumed I was upset, so he hurriedly ran after me and offered explanations for several minutes.

As I watched the panic on his face trying to appease me made me wanted to laugh. He had willingly sacrificed profits to secure O'Donnell Group’s project, all to get close to Taylor. Now, Taylor came to him every time she liked, whom was he trying to fool?

“Don’t worry. I’m not the kind of person to make a fuss," I said calmly. "Just focus on your work, meanwhile I’ll be a good wife and wait for you at home.”

The relief on his face was so obvious to everyone. He even had his secretary personally escort me downstairs.

However, as soon as I stepped out of the elevator, the employees’ mocking gazes followed me. They did not even bother lowering their voices, pointing at me and whispering insults I could clearly hear. I ignored them all and left the company.

After we married, he told me he didn’t want me to work. He said he wanted me to live a carefree life. I believed him and so I became a housewife and stayed at home.

Meanwhile, Taylor, who was in the same graduating class as me, rose to become the project manager for O'Donnell Group.

Now, we were worlds apart, whether in experience, in abilities, in everything. I was no longer her rival.

Matt, this must be the outcome you wanted, right? Your beloved Taylor has nothing to fear from me anymore.

Back at home, I packed up everything he had given me over the past five years and carried the boxes downstairs. Then I lit the fire and burned them all into ashes.

As the flames roared to life, Taylor suddenly appeared in front of me. She kicked over the box. The kick sent embers and photos flying all over the place. Some even landed on her but she just smiled.

"Fiona, after all these years, you're still just as useless as before. You couldn’t even protect your own mother back then and now you can’t protect yourself either. You’re a joke!”

Apparently, she knew what had happened back then, huh?

Rage flared in my chest and I couldn’t hold back any longer. I slapped her across the face. Though the slap I gave her was not too hard, she fell straight into the fire.