Celeste Lodge has been married to Terence Ford for three years. He's hated her guts the whole time.

The day Winona Ford returns, he finally can't take it anymore and begins planning to fake his death so he can run away with her.

"I'll fake my death in one month. I'll give up my position as heir to the Ford family and be with Winona forever."

Hearing this from outside the operating room, Celeste Lodge immediately contacts a lawyer to draft divorce papers.

Then, she calls her brother, Hayden Lodge, who lives abroad.

"Hayden, I'm done with Terence. I'm ready to leave and live overseas with you."

Celeste Lodge hurried to the hospital to volunteer for a blood match and donation after learning that Terence Ford fought in 12 consecutive boxing matches, suffering organ damage.

She was taken to a hospital ward after a series of tests, and 1000cc of blood was taken from her.

She felt her consciousness fading as the blood left her body. She didn't know how much time had passed before she vaguely heard familiar voices as her head spun.

"Are you that into Winona Ford, Terence? She's not even related to you! You put your life on the line in those boxing matches to get a necklace that she flippantly said she liked! You fought in 12 consecutive matches—were you actually trying to kill yourself?

"That's not all. You drew 1000cc of blood from Celeste, and you're going to take a huge patch of her skin just because Winona burned her leg in an accident! We've all seen everything Celeste has done for you and your family over the years. Don't you think you're crossing the line with this?"

Celeste's fingers dug into her palms. So, it turned out Terence had fought in 12 consecutive boxing matches to get a necklace that Winona liked. He even lied to her about having organ damage so he could take her blood to save Winona. Last but not least, he had her drugged and strapped to an operating table so he could graft her skin onto Winona's burns.

The room fell silent for a long time.

"Nothing I do can be considered crossing the line when it comes to someone like Celeste," Terence said hoarsely. "She forced me to marry her three years ago, leading to Winona leaving the country. I couldn't find her, no matter where I searched. I've lived like a zombie for the past three years.

"Just yesterday, Winona returned to the country. And today, she got into an accident. Think about how much blood Celeste has on her hands—how am I at fault for taking some of her skin and blood?"

He growled, "She can't complain even if I wanted to take her life, let alone some blood. It's what she deserves for forcing Winona away. She owes me this! Anyway, I'm not interested in her life. I have more important things to do."

Celeste's blood ran cold, and she trembled uncontrollably.

"You're married now. What do you have up your sleeve?" Eugene Kane asked, sounding hesitant and wary.

"I'm going to fake my death in a month," Terence said firmly. "I'll give up being the Ford family's sole heir so that Winona and I can be together forever."

Celeste struggled to keep her eyes open as she turned to look at him. He was covered in wounds, and it was difficult for him to speak. Still, he held on as he wiped the blood from his fingers and clutched a necklace tightly.

His eyes were swollen and bloodshot, but that did nothing to hide the love and stubbornness in his gaze.

It had been three years since she'd seen that gaze. Terence never let his emotions show when he was with her; he only became a different person when dealing with anything related to Winona.

A scalpel sliced into Celeste's skin. The pain almost made her stop breathing, but the agony from her broken heart smothered her more.

Terence had always been one of Jeriton's elite. He was outstanding in every way, and every woman his age liked him.

Celeste was one of them. However, she knew he wasn't interested in her. He only had eyes for Winona, with whom he'd grown up. They shared the same surname but weren't related.

He would run home right after school let out to bring her her favorite ice cream, and he would skip school to stay by her side when she was burning up with a high fever. He'd even fought in boxing matches for years because she'd said that she was attracted to boxers.

Terence had turned everyone down for Winona's sake, so Celeste had never imagined that she would stand a chance with him.

But one day, Terence's grandfather, Francis Ford, discovered his feelings for Winona. He'd sent Winona away and forced Terence to marry Celeste, threatening him with death if he didn't do as told.

After Francis was hospitalized over and over again, Terence finally gave in and stopped resisting. Later, when he heard Francis congratulating Celeste on a dream come true, he became convinced that she'd told Francis about his feelings for Winona out of selfishness, forcing the marriage and driving Winona away.

From then on, Terence had harbored only hatred for Celeste. However, he had no idea Winona herself was the one who'd told Francis about his feelings.

Back when Terence was abducted by an enemy, leaving his life hanging in the balance, Winona had immediately gone to Francis to strike a deal with him. She'd demanded a hundred million dollars in exchange for her leaving the country and Terence forever.

Ford Group's stock price had plummeted after news of Terence's abduction had gotten out. Celeste was the one who'd stepped up to act as guarantor without a care for the consequences, keeping Ford Group afloat and later getting Terence back.

To calm the media storm, the Ford and Lodge families had agreed to a three-year marriage alliance.

Celeste had tried explaining things to Terence, but he'd treated her like his nemesis throughout their three years together. Being under the same roof at the same time was hard enough—getting him to listen to her explanation was out of the question. She'd laid out all the evidence before him, but he hadn't even spared it a glance.

And now, he was sure that she'd gotten someone to go after Winona, getting her into an accident when she'd only been back for a few days.

Tears flowed down Celeste's face, and she felt like she had something lodged in her throat. She could barely breathe.

…

Celeste was wheeled to a hospital ward after Terence left with a nurse. Once the effects of the anesthesia wore off, she called her brother, Hayden Lodge.

"Hayden, I'm giving up on Terence. I'll move abroad to live with you."

Hayden had been nursing a drink at a bar to rid himself of his frustration when he received Celeste's call. He immediately straightened up in delight at her words.

He exclaimed, "Really? Have you finally seen sense, Celeste? I told you Terence Ford was no good! His fists are hard, but his heart is harder! You were bound to suffer by his side! Thankfully, you've come to your senses now. Have you packed your things yet? I'll head back to pick you up now!"

Celeste's heart twisted painfully when she heard the tremor in his voice because of how agitated he was. She endured her discomfort as she said, "You need to get the immigration papers started first, Hayden. I'll head over in a month after wrapping up everything here. I'm not coming back anymore."

Only then did Hayden remember that certain procedures needed to be completed before one could immigrate. He hastily agreed and hung up to get started on them.

Celeste's gaze darkened after ending the call. She had a month to sever the ties between Ford Group and Lodge Group—she would do it before Terence faked his death. She would rid herself of him and the Ford family before he could do it to her.

She didn't owe him anything after everything she'd done for him in the past three years. And she definitely wasn't going to stay there and deal with the mess that was bound to arise after he faked his death.

…

Celeste spent the next five days alone at the hospital. Terence never once showed up during that period. He'd abandoned her there after taking her blood and skin, not even bothering to give her a superficial explanation. He didn't care how she would react after regaining consciousness.

She curled her lip mockingly and wiped the tears that had eked out on their own. Then, she contacted someone to prepare divorce papers for her.

On the day she was discharged, she brought the divorce agreement back to the Ford residence with her. As she approached the door, she heard voices drift out.

"Terence, you left Celeste at the hospital for the past week to be with me. She won't get mad and refuse to come home, will she? Stop lining up to get food for me, and go be with her instead of hanging around by my bedside…" Winona said.

Terence gently massaged her ankle, looking at her affectionately. A hint of impatience flashed in his eyes at the mention of Celeste. "I don't need to do that—she can't bear to leave me. Even if she did, she'd come crawling back in three days."

Celeste stiffened as anguish flashed in her eyes. So, he was so sure that she loved him too deeply to leave him. That was why he did whatever he wanted without a care for how she would feel.

She laughed bitterly before pushing the door open. Silence descended upon the room.

The affection in Terence's eyes disappeared. He patted Winona comfortingly before turning to look at Celeste warily. He thought she would kick up a fuss and cause a scene, but she merely held out an agreement, looking calm. "Sign this."

He was taken aback for a second when the outburst he expected didn't come. Still, he didn't think anything was amiss because she'd given him work-related agreements like this in the past. He took it and signed it with a frown.

He wanted to say something, but his phone buzzed. It was about work, so he gave Winona a heads-up before heading to the study.

Celeste turned to head to her room after getting Terence to sign the divorce agreement, but Winona stopped her. "You must be Celeste Lodge, right? I heard about you from Terence—you're a fangirl who pulled all sorts of tricks to marry him."

She snorted. "He also said you're really good at serving others. How about you make me a cup of hot coffee?"

She lifted her hair casually as she spoke, revealing the diamond necklace around her neck. It was the one Terence had won after fighting in 12 consecutive boxing matches. It symbolized eternal and passionate love.

Celeste knew Winona was showing off and reminding her of her place. She frowned, not wanting to waste time arguing with her at a time like this. She wanted to reject Winona.

However, the latter expected this and said flippantly, "I'll tell Terence that you bullied me if you refuse to do it. I think he'll probably be mad, which means things won't end well for you."

Celeste balled her hands into fists, her gaze turning dark. Winona was right—she only had to say the word to make Terence believe her without a shadow of a doubt.

Celeste had to hang around for a while longer before she could leave. It would be better for her to steer clear of trouble as much as possible so she could ensure she left safely. She said, "Fine. I'll do it."

Ten minutes later, she returned with a cup of coffee.

Winona cocked an eyebrow and took a sip. Then, her expression darkened, and she splashed the rest of the coffee in Celeste's face. "What on earth is this? It tastes disgusting!"

She didn't stop there. She threw the cup at Celeste's head. It fell to the floor and shattered into pieces, leaving Celeste's forehead with a bloody wound. The droplets of blood trickled down, staining the floor a glaring, vivid red.

Pain was all Celeste felt. But before she could react, Winona noticed something out of the corner of her eye and grabbed a glass of cold water from the table, pouring it over herself. Then, she cried out in pain and fell to the floor, completing a performance all on her own.

That was when Terence returned. He ran over the moment he heard the ruckus. His blood boiled when he saw Winona clutching her head and screaming in pain. He shoved Celeste away and gathered Winona into his arms.

He didn't hold back, so Celeste lost her balance and fell to the floor, her hands instinctively pressing on the glass shards as she caught herself. They cut into her palms, making her blood flow.

"Winona, are you hurt? Did you twist your ankle? Were you scalded?" Terence asked urgently.

Winona leaned into his arms pitifully and shrank back fearfully. "I'm fine, Terence. I think she's mad because you've been spending all your time with me. She poured hot water on me and even pushed me because I accidentally spilled coffee on her. But it's okay—it's only right for her to be mad. I don't blame her."

Terence glared at Celeste, the hatred and disgust in his gaze on full display. "You'll never change, Celeste. Your tricks will always be this dirty, and so will your heart."

His gaze darkened, and he held Winona tightly as he grabbed the remaining glass of hot water from the coffee table. He snarled, "I told you not to touch my precious Winona! I'll give you a taste of what you put her through!"

Celeste didn't even have time to explain. He splashed the hot water on her as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

She instinctively raised her hands to block it, and the water scalded her. The burning sensation made her cry out in agony, and beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead.

She trembled from the pain, but Terence didn't want to let her off the hook just yet. As he stalked closer, she tried to force an explanation through the pain. "I didn't touch her, Terence!"

She asked the butler, Mike Smith, to get the surveillance footage. "See for yourself—Winona framed me!"

Mike brought a laptop to Terence.

Celeste had already come up with a plan to counter Winona's false accusations the moment she did it, but…

Terence's expression shifted as he watched the surveillance footage. However, all Winona needed to do was sob in his arms. He immediately suppressed the odd emotions that welled up within him.

He stroked her hair and said comfortingly, "Don't be scared. I know you didn't mean to do it."

He only looked up at Celeste when Winona stopped weeping. Then, sounding like he was pardoning Celeste of some crime, he said, "This matter ends here. Pack your things and move out of the master bedroom. You're taking the guest room."

He looked icily at her wounds before heading to his room with Winona.

Celeste hadn't expected this. She'd laid out the evidence before him, yet he could still side with Winona without even batting an eye.

She lifted her bloody hands with difficulty, her eyes filled with mockery and despair. Then, she said to the empty room, "Fine. I'll move."

Celeste moved out of the master bedroom that very night. She took nothing but her identification and essential documents, leaving even her clothes behind. She told the housekeeper to throw out all of her belongings to make way for Winona.

She felt more exhausted than ever when she settled down in the guest room. She didn't even have the strength to go to the hospital. All she did was collapse on the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

However, she woke up in the middle of the night with a heavy head. She felt like she was burning all over, almost like she was being roasted over a fire. This evidently wasn't the right way to feel when fall had already arrived.

Celeste realized something was wrong and cracked her eyes open with difficulty. To her surprise, she saw Terence sitting by her bed and carefully tending to the burns on her arms.

He glanced at her when he noticed she was awake. Then, he picked up a pill from the bedside table and held it to her lips, making her take it with water. "Your wounds are inflamed, and you're burning up. Take something for the fever before going back to sleep."

There was the slightest hint of worry in his low voice. After she swallowed the pill, he added, "Winona got you the medication, so stop picking on her from now on. Take it and get some rest."

This was the first time since they'd married that Terence had cared for Celeste when she'd fallen sick, but it was just to tell her not to go against Winona.

Celeste hadn't even done anything wrong. But so what? Winona was all he cared about.

Celeste felt a deep sense of bitterness surge in her. Her consciousness slowly blurred, and she wanted to go back to sleep, hoping the dizziness would soon pass. However, her body was still burning, and it was getting worse with every passing second. Her eyelids were heavy; she couldn't even open them.

She lay there, fighting with herself for a long time before finally managing to crack her eyes open again. She mustered all her strength to prop herself up in bed. She felt her neck to find that it was blazing hot. She dragged herself to the mirror to see that her eyes were bloodshot from the fever.

Not only had her fever not broken, but it had gotten worse. She knew she couldn't drag this out any longer, so she stumbled toward the door.

Something occurred to her when she got there, so she turned back to grab the bottle of fever medicine on her bedside table.

By the time Celeste got to the hospital, her fever had already spiked to 104 Fahrenheit. She could barely breathe; the medical personnel immediately wheeled her into the ER.

A doctor arranged for her to be hospitalized. Her blood was drawn for further tests, and the burns on her arms were tended to. Her fever finally broke and subsided after being put on IV drips throughout the night.

The doctor asked sternly, "What were you thinking? How could you not have put anything on your burns when they were so badly inflamed? And how could you take just about anything for your fever? Do you have a death wish?"

Celeste frowned, and her heart sank. "Wait, you said I didn't do anything to my burns? But they were tended to. And the medication I took was given to me by my family. How did I end up like this?"

As she asked that, a guess formed in her mind. Her gaze darkened, and she pursed her lips as she retrieved the bottle of fever medicine she'd brought from home. She handed it to the doctor and said, "This is what was given to me. Isn't it supposed to help with the fever?"

He took it and checked the label seriously. Then, his expression turned grim. "This is ridiculous! This is a government-restricted drug! Not only will it not help bring your fever down, but it can even poison your kidneys and cause internal bleeding! Whoever gave you this was trying to kill you!"

Celeste stared at the prescription bottle, feeling like her fever was making a comeback after having just subsided. The heat made her fingers go numb.

Soon, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Terence, but when she opened it, she found a video from Winona instead. In it, Winona grinned and asked, "Are you having a nice stay in the hospital after taking what I gave you, Celeste? I bought it just for you, you know. I guarantee your heart will feel like it's on a roller-coaster ride after you take it!

"Oh, and I also gave you the wrong thing for your burns. Instead of burn ointment, a moisturizer was applied to them. You'd better treat them soon, or you'll be left with scars!"

Celeste wanted to save the video as evidence, but it was deleted before she could. She knew Terence had done it—he was afraid she would go after Winona and force her to take responsibility.

She curled her lip mockingly and lowered her gaze while taking a deep breath. Then, she called the police. "Hi, I'd like to report someone for attempted murder."

She drifted off to sleep again after calling the police. When she next woke up, it was due to the incessant ringing of her phone. Terence was the one calling.

She knew what he wanted, but she didn't have the strength to argue with him. She was about to block his number when her phone rang again. This time, the call was from Hayden. She answered it.

"Celeste, the immigration papers are already being processed. It'll take about half a month. I've already bought my flight ticket back so I can pick you up. Are you ready to go?"

A slightly nervous tone replaced his usual relaxed drawl. Perhaps he was afraid she would change her mind.

She smiled faintly when she sensed his caution and said, "Yeah, I am. Don't worry, Hayden. I won't change my mind. I'm definitely leaving after I deal with things here."

The ward door swung open as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Terence stood there, his expression stormy. "You're leaving? Where do you think you're going? I won't let you go anywhere before this matter with Winona is resolved!"