On my wedding night, I suffered a heart attack. My body convulsed, leaving me unable to consummate the marriage. Andrew Smith, disgusted that I had ruined the mood, threw me into the living room.

Then he called in his female assistant, and the two of them spent the entire night under the covers, their voices echoing till dawn.

It wasn’t until I dragged myself, half-dead, to the basement, knocking on the door for help and attracting the dog’s attention, that I was rushed to the hospital just in time.

The next day, when I returned home, Andrew confronted me with fury:

“Did you steal Chloe’s necklace? It was here this morning, and now it’s gone. If you dare to bully her again, I’ll divorce you!”

I sneered. “She’s nothing. Why would I stoop to stealing from her?”

“Divorce it is! Marrying you is worse than raising a dog!”

What he didn’t know was—we couldn’t divorce, because we were never legally married in the first place.

When I stepped back into the house from the hospital, shredded clothes were scattered everywhere, proof of the chaos from the night before.

Covered in scratch marks, Andrew barked at me:

“You’re not dead? Then clean this mess up. Keep it quiet. Chloe was exhausted last night and is still sleeping!”

Andrew was always rigid, even keeping a household schedule. In the past, if I woke up just one minute late due to illness, he would mock and humiliate me.

But Chloe was different. For her, he bent every rule.

The scent of hawthorn blossoms in the air made me nauseous. I swept up the torn clothes and threw them away.

Seeing that I didn’t cry or fight back, but obediently cleaned instead, Andrew looked surprised. After all, I used to cause a scene whenever I was treated this way.

But now, I no longer cared.

The living room was a mess—clothes mixed with dog fur and blood.

Thinking of last night made my heart ache.

Just because Chloe was allergic to dog fur, Andrew had locked away the dog I had raised since childhood in the basement.

In order to save me, little Buddy broke free from his chains, smashed through the glass at the door with his head, and dragged me to the roadside.

I was saved, but Buddy was gravely injured and was now fighting for his life at the veterinary clinic.

As I carefully picked up the blood-stained fur, shards of glass cut my hands until they bled.

Andrew roared at me:

“You vile woman! Chloe is allergic to dog hair, and you’re collecting it to hurt her again?”

Again? How laughable. The supposedly rational Andrew lost all reason once Chloe was involved.

Whatever she said, he believed.

When Chloe woke up, she whined for Andrew to help her get dressed. His tender, child-coaxing tone was something I had never once heard directed at me.

Andrew ordered me:

“Chloe’s clothes are all torn. Go fetch the custom dresses that arrived a few days ago.”

I whispered in protest, “Those are mine. They won’t fit her.”

“I had them altered to her size already.” Andrew’s eyes shone with pride, as if waiting to see me crumble.

Chloe, dressed like a colorful butterfly, now had a wardrobe full of luxury couture, each piece both costly and perfectly fitted.

Andrew, who never posted photos on social media, now took shot after shot of Chloe.

His caption: The true lover isn’t beside you but forever in your heart.

After tidying up Buddy’s belongings, I hurried to the clinic.

But before I could leave, Chloe suddenly gasped:

“My necklace! It was right here yesterday!”

“I left it here, how could it just vanish?”

Her words were laced with accusation, all but pointing the finger at me.

Andrew didn’t even think twice before glaring coldly:

“Did you steal Chloe’s necklace? It was here this morning, and now it’s gone. If you dare bully her again, we’ll divorce!”

I laughed bitterly. “She’s not worth my effort.”

“You still deny it? If you don’t apologize, then it’s divorce!”

“Fine! Divorce it is. Marrying you is worse than raising a dog!”

I stormed out, but Andrew’s men blocked my way.

“You packed everything. Now the necklace is missing and you want to run? No way!”

He dragged over several garbage bins and shoved my head inside, warning I couldn’t leave until I found it.

For Buddy’s sake, I searched, retching from the stench, my hands cut open by shards of glass until the blood ran down my arms. Finally, Andrew called it off.

Chloe pinched her nose disdainfully. “Andrew, it’s not here. Maybe she’s hiding it on her.”

Andrew didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Hand it over.”

I forced myself upright, my eyes burning with defiance. “I told you, I didn’t take it.”

“Is that so? Then let’s search.”

At his signal, two burly bodyguards lunged at me.

My blouse was torn, my pants ripped open, my shoes gone save for one.

I struggled desperately, only to be slapped twice so hard that my head spun, the taste of blood filling my throat.

By the time they stopped, I was stripped down to just two undergarments, clutching my exposed body, sobbing uncontrollably.

Only then did Chloe stroll out leisurely. “Andrew, I just found it under the pillow. Oops, I must’ve blamed my sister by mistake.”

Her tone was light, her eyes gleaming with glee, not a hint of guilt.

Andrew frowned, looking annoyed, then shrugged off his jacket and draped it over me.

“Sorry. The little one doesn’t know any better.”

At the veterinary clinic, Buddy was hooked up to an IV. His most serious injury was a shard of glass lodged in his skull.

Separated by the sterile glass, we gazed at each other, both our eyes brimming with tears.

Buddy had to remain hospitalized, so I went out to buy food and supplies.

On my way back, I passed a flower shop and saw Chloe squatting beside a huge bouquet of roses, posing for photos while Andrew watched her with adoration.

When he noticed me, Andrew said awkwardly, “There’s one for you too. I’ll have it sent to your office later.”

Then he took Chloe by the arm and led her into a limited-edition sports car, seating her in the co-pilot’s seat no one else was allowed to touch.

After making sure everything for Buddy was arranged, I returned to work.

Ever since my father passed, I had become the sole heir. To secure my position, I agreed to a business marriage with Andrew, arranged by Mr. Smith.

Of course, part of it was my own desire too.

Years ago, when Andrew was a rebellious teen skipping class, he stumbled across me being bullied. He beat them off arrogantly, declaring:

“She’s under my protection. Touch her if you dare.”

To him, it was nothing.

To me, it was everything.

He didn’t even know my name back then.

Naturally, he never realized that from that moment, I had loved him—silently chasing after him for ten long years.

When I reached the office building, the entrance was overflowing with flowers. Only then did I realize—it was Valentine’s Day.

I held back a trace of hope as I looked for Andrew’s bouquet to me.

It was a small, withered bunch, squeezed and dehydrated, looking like the discarded scraps from Chloe’s arrangement.

Just like our relationship—what I received was only what Chloe didn’t want.

When I unlocked my phone, a message popped up from Chloe:

The unloved one is always the third wheel.

A moment later, my phone rang. It was Andrew:

“Rachel Moore, Dad wants us to go back to the Family Estate. Get ready, I’ll pick you up later.”

“Alright.”

I ordered all the imported health supplements I had bought abroad to be delivered, waiting for Andrew to arrive.

But instead, Chloe sat smugly in the passenger seat, looking frail as she told me, “Sister, I get carsick. Could you sit in the back?”

I didn’t reply, only looked at Andrew. He avoided my eyes, cleared his throat, and said,

“Something came up with work, so I brought Chloe along.”

“Besides, Chloe isn’t an outsider.”

Indeed, Chloe was never treated as an outsider.

Even before our marriage, she often accompanied Andrew to public events. People mistook her for his fiancée, and he never once corrected them.

Over time, everyone believed Chloe was his bride-to-be.

And Andrew let them.

Even after our wedding, pressured by Mr. Smith, Andrew only posted online:

“Not a lover, but closer than one.”

Fearing our marriage might be cold, Mr. Smith often summoned us back to the Family Estate to stay a few days.

But he didn’t know—we had never shared the same bed.

One call from Chloe, and Andrew would climb walls and break his leg just to get to her.

Meanwhile, one night I burned with fever until dawn before a servant discovered me.

At the estate, Chloe eagerly presented the supplements I had bought to Mr. Smith, smiling brightly:

“Mr. Smith, these are for you. Please take them, they’ll be good for your health.”

Mr. Smith only nodded.

Chloe’s smile faltered. She knew Mr. Smith was generous; whenever Andrew and I visited, he always received lavish gifts.

But this time, he barely acknowledged her.

Her eyes welled with tears as she looked at Andrew.

Andrew spoke up for her:

“Dad, Chloe went out of her way to buy these for you. Couldn’t you at least smile?”

Mr. Smith snorted.

“I may be old, but I’m not senile. These supplements are rarities even European nobles can’t get. Other than Rachel, who else could have obtained them?”

“Such fine things—who else but Rachel would rush to give them to me first?”

My nose stung. At least someone recognized my efforts.

Chloe burst into tears and stormed off, but Andrew hesitated only briefly before staying behind.

That night, he suddenly embraced me, whispering into my ear:

“Rachel, could you give Chloe the development rights for that land in New York?”

The tenderness I’d felt moments earlier froze instantly.

I stared at him, my eyes filled with emotions he couldn’t read. After a long pause, I said,

“Andrew, do you even realize how cruel you are?”

His expression darkened.

“Cruel? No, Rachel—you’re the cruel one. Don’t think I don’t know this is all your doing with Dad.”

“If you don’t agree, then Buddy won’t live.”

In his hand was a photo of Buddy hooked up to IVs at the clinic.

My voice trembled. After a long silence, I finally whispered, “Fine.”

You can’t force love. I finally understood.

Soon after, Andrew took Chloe on a “business trip” to New York, though their social media was flooded with photos that looked more like a honeymoon.