All she got was a cold laugh.

"Done throwing your tantrum? What, upset you didn't get your money? Now you're resorting to threats?"

"Doris, you can't even figure out how to be a proper dog. I told you—I like obedient dogs!"

"Your mother's medical bills, her nursing care—who do you think paid for all of that? If you want her to keep breathing, you'll shut up and deal with it!"

Through the receiver came a woman's breathy moans.

Julian's breathing grew noticeably heavier.

The line went dead.

I hadn't even had the chance to tell him my mother was already gone.

The pain in my chest was unbearable.

Five years as Mrs. Gilbert, and every moment had been humiliating.

Even delivering divorce papers required me to wait in line.

Seeing the icy contempt in the assistant's eyes, the last of my composure shattered.

I grabbed a box cutter from the desk and pressed it against my throat.

Tears poured down my face as I screamed, "Get out of my way! I said I want to see Julian—now!"

The assistant didn't dare stop me. He could only watch as I stumbled past him into the office.

The moment I pushed open the door, I couldn't breathe.

What I saw destroyed whatever dignity I had left.

Eve sat naked on Julian's lap. The floor was littered with used condoms.

When she saw me, she shrieked.

Julian's face twisted with rage. He pulled her protectively against his chest and grabbed a decorative piece from his desk, hurling it at me.

"Get the hell out! Who let you in here?"

It struck my temple. Blood mixed with tears and ran down my face.

It hurt. But not even a fraction as much as what I felt inside.

I looked up at the two of them, tangled together, skin against skin. A bloody smile crept across my lips.

"I won't take much of your time."

"These are divorce papers. I'd appreciate it if Mr. Gilbert could take a look and sign them as soon as possible."

Julian snatched the papers. He didn't even glance at them before tearing them apart and throwing the pieces in my face.

"Doris, I already told you—I don't like these games."

Eve draped herself across his chest and laughed mockingly.

"The old hag will try anything for a little cash, won't she?"

She bit Julian's ear right in front of me, her voice dripping with disdain.

"Julian, just give her some money. Think of it as tipping a beggar."

"A couple thousand at most—you spend more than that on tips anyway."

Julian's lips curled. His eyes were ice as he looked at me.

He pulled a stack of bills from the drawer and threw them at my face.

"You just want money, don't you? Drop the act."

"Take it and get lost. I don't want to see your disgusting face for the next few days."

Bills scattered across the floor. I didn't bend down to pick them up.

"Mr. Gilbert, I told you—I don't want money. I want a divorce."

The mockery in Julian's eyes deepened.

"Divorce? You're just a dog I bought. What makes you think you have the right to ask me for a divorce?"

He grabbed my collar and dragged me to the desk.

Ignoring my struggles, he forced me down onto its surface.

"You don't want money? Then you must want me instead, is that it?"

"Fine. I'll give you what you want."

He tore my clothes apart and bent down, his lips finding my neck.

Humiliation crashed over me like a wave. I screamed with everything I had.

"Stop—get off me! Don't touch me!"

Julian's eyes were bloodshot.

"You're just a gold digger. Don't pretend you're above this."

"Make me happy, and I'll give you whatever you want."

In a panic, I bit down hard on his shoulder.

Julian shuddered from the pain and shoved me to the ground.

Blood dripped down his shoulder.

For a moment, I saw him as he'd been at eighteen.

The boy who'd rush in when I was being bullied, fighting until he was covered in blood.

Back then, Julian would have given his life for me.

How did we end up like this?

It didn't matter anymore. Misunderstandings, revenge—none of it.

Mom was gone. It was time to let go of the past.

All I wanted now was to escape this cage.

Before I could gather my thoughts, a hand clamped around my throat and yanked me up.

Julian's eyes were cold with rage.

"I give you an inch and you take a mile. Since you don't know what's good for you, get out!"

My clothes were torn to shreds. He shoved me out the door with nothing to cover myself.

I pounded on the door, my voice raw, begging him—but all I got was an icy snarl.

"I said get out. Stop bothering me!"

People filled the hallway.

Under their mocking stares, I clenched my jaw and walked away.

I wandered the streets in a daze, enduring every leering glance.

The early autumn air was cold, but not as cold as my heart.

I didn't snap back to reality until a group of thugs surrounded me.

No matter how desperately I tried to cover myself, there was no hiding my exposed body.

Their eyes crawled over me, naked with want.

I stumbled backward, but they grabbed my hair and dragged me back.

Hands groped every inch of me. One of them pulled me close and sank his teeth into my flesh.

He bit through skin. Blood ran down my body.

Struggling was useless. My screams only excited them more.

In that hopeless moment, I thought of when I first met Julian.

At eighteen, I was working three jobs to pay for my mother's medical bills.

One night, walking home late from a shift, a group of drunk men cornered me.

I was frozen with fear—until Julian charged in and fought them off.

They beat him bloody, but he still smiled at me.

The day I said yes to him, he knelt before me with such sincerity, swearing he'd never let anyone hurt me again.

Now, every wound I carried came from him.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips. I closed my eyes and stopped fighting.

Then—tires screeched behind me.

Julian and his bodyguards rushed over. He kicked the man on top of me so hard the thug went flying.

"Get lost! Who gave you the guts to touch her!"

He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around me, his hands trembling.

I must have been hallucinating—I could have sworn I saw a flicker of pain in his eyes.

It vanished in an instant, replaced by his usual contempt.

"Doris, I really didn't misjudge you. You're exactly as cheap as I thought!"

"Seducing street trash just to get sympathy? Have you no shame?"

He let go. I crumpled to the ground.

A sneer curled his lips.

"Then again, someone who'd throw away years of love for five hundred thousand dollars—what shame could she possibly have?"

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. I didn't say a word in my defense.

Back when we were together, Aileen had come to me many times.

Pressuring me to leave him, raising her offer each time.

Every single time, I refused without hesitation. I told her, word for word: I don't want your money. I only want Julian.

It wasn't until I got the call from the hospital that everything changed.

My mother's kidneys were failing. She needed surgery immediately.

Five hundred thousand dollars. It might as well have been five million.

Julian was overseas on business. His phone went straight to voicemail, again and again. I couldn't reach him, and my mother couldn't wait.

So I went to Aileen.

She didn't say a word. Just smiled that cold smile of hers and threw a document at my face, along with a check. A breakup agreement.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking as I signed my name. I grabbed the money and rushed to the hospital.

That's when the doctor told me it had been a misdiagnosis. My mother's kidneys were fine. She'd never needed a transplant at all.

I stood there, frozen, unable to process what I was hearing.

The doctor leaned in before I could leave. "Miss Harding, Mrs. Gilbert asked me to pass along a message. What happened today stays buried. Otherwise..." He paused. "No one can guarantee your mother will survive her next medical emergency."

A threat. Naked and ugly. And I didn't have the strength left to fight it.

I clutched that check and sobbed until I couldn't breathe, but there was nothing I could do. So I gritted my teeth and told Julian it was over.

When he jumped off that building right in front of me, I truly believed he understood my pain.

I didn't learn the truth until our wedding day. His so-called devotion had been revenge, planned from the start.

Five years. That's how long it took him to break me. To strip away my pride piece by piece and grind my dignity into dust. Using my mother's life as his leverage.

I wanted to die, but I could only clench my jaw and endure.

At least now, finally, I was free.

I couldn't bear his hatred anymore. I refused to carry accusations I didn't deserve.

I forced myself upright, calmly removed my coat, and set it in front of him.

I turned to leave—and strong arms yanked me backward into his chest.

Julian's eyes burned with fury.

"Where do you think you're going, looking like that? Have some dignity."

"Drop the hard-to-get act and come home with me."

I opened my mouth to refuse. Blood sprayed out instead.

When I woke, I was in a hospital bed. Bandages covered my body. Every movement sent pain screaming through me.

I struggled to sit up—and found myself staring into Julian's bloodshot eyes.

"Doris, why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

My whole body went rigid. My hand drifted to my stomach without thinking.

Back when we loved each other most, we'd dreamed of having a child together.

After the wedding, all that remained between us was torment and revenge.

I never imagined I'd have a child now. Not like this.

Julian loomed over me, something dark and red flickering in his gaze.

"Since you're carrying my child, I'm willing to forgive what happened before."

I looked up at him, a bitter laugh catching in my throat.

Forgive me? I didn't need that anymore.

I'd waited five years to hear those words.

When I first discovered his affair, I'd been devastated. Desperate. I'd grabbed his sleeve and begged him, over and over.

"Julian, please believe me. I had no choice."

"Forgive me. Can't we stop hurting each other?"

I'd humiliated myself completely. And all I got in return was his cold sneer.

"What choice could you possibly have had? You sold out our relationship for five hundred thousand dollars. Tell me—what choice?"

I'd opened my mouth. Nothing came out.

What could I say? My mother's medical records had been destroyed. Every trace of the misdiagnosis, gone.

And I'd never dared gamble with her life.

All that caution, all that suffering—and it still hadn't kept her safe.

I drew a deep breath, ready to finally tell him the truth.

But Julian wasn't paying attention to me. He just kept talking.

"I won't bring anyone around to upset you anymore."