###Chapter 1

“Zachary, are you certain the suspect’s name is Oliver Garrison?” I froze, asking my subordinate again and again, unable to accept that my very first case after being transferred to the bailiff’s office was my husband abducting a young girl.

Zachary Atkins spread his hands helplessly. “Chief, you’re new here, so maybe you don’t know. The Garrison Group is Newport’s economic pillar. Even if Oliver turned to ashes, we wouldn’t mistake him.”

He lowered his voice, a hint of amusement in his tone. “But really, it was just him coaxing his little girlfriend. She lost her temper because Oliver took work calls while shopping with her. Upset, he carried her into the car and when he couldn’t calm her down, she called the police. It’s not the first time. Everyone in Newport knows Oliver spoils that girl to the bone.”

My vision dimmed and the coffee cup slipped from my grasp, shattering as it hit the floor.

Zachary rushed to gather the shards. “Chief, are you okay? You look so pale.”

I stood frozen, my mind blank.

Ten years of marriage and only now did I realize my husband had belonged to someone else first.

Through the blinds, I saw her lying lazily on the sofa, heels tossed aside, bare toes brushing against his throat as if teasing.

“You made me sign that deed for the bay villa I didn’t even want. And you hurt my foot…”

Oliver was kneeling before her, the same hands that once signed billion-dollar contracts now gently holding her foot, massaging it with care.

He even tore off his tie worth tens of thousands, gently wrapping it around her sole as though she were the most fragile treasure.

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have forced my baby. Punish me by letting me give you another gift, alright? For example… our baby?”

The girl’s playful laughter drifted through the air. The sun burned at thirty degrees, yet I felt as though I had fallen into an ice cellar.

And so, with everything laid bare, I could only prepare the most special, unforgettable gift for my husband on our tenth wedding anniversary.

***

The year we married, Oliver knelt before me and admitted he had oligospermia, that he might never be able to give me children in this lifetime. If I truly wanted one, he promised he would go to the orphanage and adopt the cutest child for me.

How laughable that I had believed him all these years, never once doubting a single word he said.

Even though I longed desperately for a child of my own, I still comforted him, telling him that living childfree wasn’t so bad.

But in the end, Oliver never refused children; he only refused to have them with me.

To him, that must have been the cruelest joke of all.

Through the window, I saw my subordinate lift a notepad, beginning to question the abduction incident.

The girl, Vespera Pittman, suddenly burst into laughter, swaying with mirth. “Can’t you see? This is just me and my boyfriend fooling around.”

She pouted and pointed at Oliver. “It’s all his fault for always ignoring me. He gave me that villa more than half a month ago, yet I haven’t even gone there once and he didn’t even notice!”

“And today I got my period, yet he was still so domineering!”

She lifted her right white leg. “Look, this is proof he hurt me. Fine, he did commit a crime, arrest him then!”

What sounded like an accusation was nothing more than shameless boasting.

My young subordinate’s face flushed red, right up to his ears.

At the same time, my gaze fell on her calves, covered in fresh marks. There was no need to wonder; they had clearly just been together in the car.

My eyes burned as hot tears spilled onto the case file, blurring the three characters of “Oliver.”

“Enough.”

His gaze darkened, jealousy flashing as he stripped off his multimillion-dollar suit jacket and draped it firmly over the part of her legs exposed by her miniskirt.

“This is the police station. If you want to play ‘arrest,’ I’ll play with you as much as you like tonight.”

With that, he scooped Vespera into his arms and slung her over his shoulder, casting a brief glance at my subordinate. “I’ll be taking her away.”

“But…” my subordinate started, trying to stop him, yet lacking the courage.

“I’ll treat your chief to drinks later and explain everything.”

The girl kicked her playful feet as he held her steady. “Oliver, your punishment is to make me brown sugar ginger tea at home.”

“Alright, alright, my princess. Your husband will cook for you right away.”

They disappeared down the corridor, leaving my thoughts in chaos. For the first time, I saw the man who had always been so restrained before me become possessive, alive and domineering with someone else.

For the first time, I realized that the man who never lifted a finger at home would willingly cook a bowl of brown sugar water for the one he loved.

So this was love? Then what had my ten years amounted to?

The Lozano and Garrison families had been bound together for a century and Oliver and I had been betrothed since we were sixteen.

At the beginning, I hadn’t felt much for him.

Later, during a school field trip, we strayed into a bear’s territory. That day, Oliver shielded me with his back from a fatal strike, collapsing in a pool of blood.

Before he was lifted onto the stretcher, his bloodied hand clutched my wrist. “Leah, I’ll protect you for life and never let you be hurt.”

In that moment, I fell for the boy who had staked his life to protect me. At twenty, we walked into marriage.

But work kept us apart, time and again. Guilt weighed on me and this month I finally gave up my prestigious post in the Bureau of Justice, transferring from the capital to Newport, just to be with Oliver.

I had meant it as a surprise for our tenth wedding anniversary. Yet before I could give mine, he delivered the cruelest surprise first.

Back at my office, I sat dazed, unaware of how much time had passed, until my phone buzzed with breaking news.

[Garrison Heir spends tens of millions on a foreign princess’s emerald diamond jewelry, sweetly proposing to his girlfriend at the Rose Hotel?!]

###Chapter 2

I rushed to the top floor of the hotel, into the high-end club. Through the crack in the door, I saw Oliver and his group of friends laughing and chatting.

One of them whistled. “Damn, going this far? But with that lady from the capital still around, even if Vespera gives birth, the child won’t have any status.”

The man in the middle held the girl on his lap, letting out a laugh full of control.

“When Vespera gives birth, I’ll hand the baby over to Leah to raise. Then I’ll just say it was adopted from the orphanage. Anyway, she likes children; she’ll definitely treat Vespera’s baby as her own.”

One of his friends chucked and added, “That’s why you’re the smartest. Turning an illegitimate child into the legal heir, why didn’t I think of that?”

Oliver sneered. “I told her I had oligospermia, but in truth, I’ve been slipping contraceptives into her milk every day. She even dragged me to infertility clinics. This woman is so stupid, I almost find her cute.”

The room erupted in laughter so loud it nearly lifted the roof, leaving my body trembling uncontrollably.

They went on, “Back then, the way you used that black bear to pull off a bitter trick just to marry Leah, I still admire it to this day. Lucky for you, the gamble paid off. From that moment, Leah fell head over heels. As for those so-called four young ladies of the capital, didn’t they all fall under your spell after just a few sweet words?”

My head went blank with a deafening boom. The blood-stained vow of that sixteen-year-old boy still echoed in my ears, yet now it only made my hair stand on end.

Leaning against the wall was the only way I could keep my trembling body upright.

The man swirled his wine glass, a cold laugh spilling as he unraveled the truth.

Another asked, “I heard the Lozano Family hasn’t been doing well these past two years. Since you like Vespera so much, Oliver, why not just cast that woman aside?”

Oliver snorted. “Do you want my dad to beat me to death? That old thing would never allow me to divorce Leah.”

So all his so-called kindness toward me had been nothing but a lie.

To him, my ten years had been nothing more than a game of lies and cruel amusement.

I clutched my chest, pain stabbing as though pierced by a thousand arrows, my heart bleeding dry. Just as I turned to leave, my father’s call came through.

“Leah, how’s the new job? Life at the grassroots level is hard. Your mother and I hate to see you suffer. But being reunited with Oliver is also a blessing. You two should think about having a child…”

At his gentle words, my tears finally broke loose, spilling in jagged sobs I could no longer hold back.

“Dad, Oliver and I will never have anything. He’s been lying to me from the very start.”

A heavy crash echoed from the other end of the line.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stand up for you! This marriage must end!”

I nodded through tears. “I want to send him to prison, too.”

Without hesitation, I dialed Zachary. “Help me investigate Oliver over these past few years…”

Just as I finished giving instructions, a cold voice suddenly rose behind me. “Leah, what are you doing here?”

Oliver’s eyes widened in shock before his brows quickly drew together, Vespera hidden behind him.

I fixed my gaze on him. “Oliver, have you… never cared for me from the very beginning?”

The despair in my eyes made him falter, but only for a moment. Soon after, he sneered.

“Since you’ve heard everything, there’s no point pretending anymore. Yes, I never loved you.”

My voice cracked with fury. “If you never loved me, then why lie to me? Why marry me at all?!”

“Because the company was in crisis and needed an alliance with the Lozano Family.” His tone turned cold as ice. “Leah, do you still imagine yourself the untouchable heiress of the capital? Not divorcing you is already the greatest dignity I could grant you. People ought to know when to be content.”

His voice was cold. “The day after tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. Show up obediently at the banquet.”

He then drew Vespera into his arms and left.

I stood there, staring at his back. For ten years, that was the sight he gave me most often, a fading figure walking away. Once, I never thought of it as wrong. I even felt guilty toward him. But now, remembering it, it all seemed laughable.

From his shoulder, Vespera glanced back at me, her lips lifting in a proud, mocking smile.

###Chapter 3

I didn’t know when I returned to the villa, but as the evening glow lingered, I found myself walking into the pink muhly grass garden.

Only in this sea of soft pink could my wounded heart find a moment of peace.

Then faint rustling came from deep within. I followed the sound and, in the next instant, stumbled upon a scene I could hardly bear.

“Oliver, be gentle… didn’t we just… in the daytime…”

The flower field was trampled. His movements were rough, yet his voice was tender. “It’s only because I love you too much, baby. How could I possibly hold back?”

I hid behind a tree, barely able to stay upright.

“You and her, did you also…”

“Silly girl, of course I’m only like this with you!”

It felt as though countless arrows pierced my chest. Covering my mouth, I fled the garden as if escaping for my life.

When I rushed back to the bedroom, the wedding photo on the wall caught my eye at once.

In the photo, the twenty-year-old girl leaned against the handsome man, her smile bright and radiant.

She once thought a smile would keep her happy for life, but now it only showed the pain of a failed marriage.

I began packing my things. This house had never held much that truly belonged to me.

In the wardrobe hung an unfinished white shirt. Oliver liked handmade shirts, so I had taught myself to use the sewing machine.

In the drawer was a notebook filled with his favorite dishes. I had once planned to cook them for him, one by one, but that day would never come.

In the corner stood the half-finished painting we once worked on together. He had said he wanted it completed before our tenth anniversary as a gift to me. Now, it was left under a layer of dust.

“Seeing me and Oliver making love in your garden, you must feel awful, right? But who told him he likes to play such thrilling games with me?”

I hadn’t even noticed when Vespera appeared behind me.

She curved her lips into a seemingly gentle smile. “He always says you’re nothing but a block of wood, unworthy to carry the Garrison Family’s seed. Only I am fit to bear his bloodline.”

I turned back coldly. How could such a delicate face hide such shamelessness? “Then congratulations, you got what you wanted.”

Just as I moved to drive her out, heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway.

Vespera’s eyes flickered. In an instant, she grabbed my hand and slapped herself hard across the face. “Ah!”

Clutching her reddened cheek, she collapsed to the floor. By the time Oliver entered, all he saw was her kneeling before me, crying.

“Leah, I already apologized, didn’t I? Is it such a crime that I love Oliver? Do I deserve to die for it? Then hit me again if you must, I won’t resist. Even if you beat me to death, I’ll still love him. I’ll love him forever.”

My eyes widened in shock, but before I could respond, a sharp sting exploded across my face.

Oliver’s strike was so heavy I staggered back, my head slamming against the corner of the cabinet.

A sharp pain tore through me as I collapsed, my uniform quickly soaking in blood.

“Leah, are you out of your mind?! If you’re angry, take it out on me. Vespera is just a fragile girl; how could she endure your cruelty?”

Lying on the cold floor, misery pressed down on me as a stabbing pain spread through my lower abdomen.

Through tears, I looked up at him. “Oliver, if I say I did nothing, would you believe me?”

I thought I could take one gamble, that ten years of devotion might earn a shred of trust. But I had been hopelessly naïve.

“I saw you hit Vespera with my own eyes and you still dare to deny it! Leah, I’ve indulged you too much.”

With gentle hands, he lifted Vespera and brushed away her tears. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll call a doctor right away.”

Vespera buried herself in his shoulder, sobbing as though she had suffered the greatest grievance in the world.

“Forget it, don’t blame Leah. I shouldn’t have fallen in love with you. I should just leave. Oliver, I’m not worthy of you….”

Oliver’s eyes lingered on her swollen cheek, fury blazing to its peak.

“She’s the one who’s unworthy! Leah, if you dare bully Vespera again, tomorrow I’ll make your family bankrupt!”

How absurd, how pitiful, how laughable. He actually believed the rumors of my family’s decline and for Vespera’s sake, he was willing to destroy everything I had.

Oliver strode off with Vespera in his arms. If he had turned back even once, he would have seen me collapse onto the marble floor, bleeding and unconscious.