Xavier’s gray eyes widened in an instant, followed by him taking a deep breath.

I knew him well enough to know he was furious. In the past, the sight of it would make me tremble with fear.

However, now that I had decided I no longer loved him, I could hardly be bothered.

“What did you say?”

“Six. Weeks.” I stared directly into his menacing eyes and spoke word-for-word.

“Xavier, I know you’ve been sleeping with your widowed sister-in-law. Both of you are shameless.”

“Shut up!”

He lunged forward and put his hand tightly around my neck as if he wanted to crush my throat right then and there.

What a sick joke! Our first intimate contact only happened because he was so furious that he wanted to kill me.

“You'd better scram and go home, Grace!”

I forced a sarcastic laugh. The lack of oxygen was causing my vision to blur.

“Xavier Whitmore, I want a divorce.”

The veins on his forehead seemed about to burst. His eyes were filled with stark disbelief and rage.

He suddenly released his grip and turned to issue orders to his men.

“Take the Donna home and have her locked in the bedroom on the top floor. No one is to let her out unless I say so.”

“You can’t illegally hold me!” I cried out while two of his men stoically lifted me off my feet.

He looked down at me from above and stated with a cynical smile, “I’m just disciplining my wife.”

With that, I was forced into the car. Meanwhile, he straightened his suit and strutted into the hospital.

Once taken back to the manor, I was locked in the top-floor bedroom.

The windows were nailed shut while guards were assigned to stand outside the door twenty-four seven.

I was furious and smashed everything inside the room. About three hours later, I heard a round of commotion downstairs.

“Hurry up and change the bedding in the bedroom to silk! Miss Alice has never been a good sleeper…

“Also, move all of the Donna’s belongings from the master bedroom to the room on the top floor.”

Then, I heard a familiar and steady round of footsteps followed by a man's voice.

“Take it easy, Alice. You can rest here. This is your home now.”

“Xavier… I'm allergic to pollen…”

“Alright, uproot all the flowers Grace had planted in the garden!”

I slumped to the floor while tears streamed down my face.

They weren't common flowers. They were champagne roses that I had planted, weeded, fertilized, and nurtured for countless days all by myself.

A few years ago, when we were newly married, he whispered in my ear after getting slightly tipsy from the wine after a dinner party, “Grace, the color of your eyes reminds me of champagne roses.”

That was all it took for me to transform the once barren backyard into the flower garden that it was today.

Not just the flowers, I had also meticulously decorated every nook and cranny of the manor over the last five years.

Because this was his home.

I did all that only for him to bring his true love and a bastard child back home. He was so eager to remove all traces of my existence.

He even intended to imprison me here so no one would find out about his affair.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open with a loud thump.

Several housemaids entered with their heads bowed and were timidly avoiding eye contact with me. They piled my belongings haphazardly in a corner of the room.

“Donna…”

Jakob Roth, the old butler, sighed before reluctantly stating, “Don Whitmore gave orders that the master bedroom belongs to Miss Alice. As for your belongings… We’ll leave them here for now.”

“I understand. You may be excused,” I spoke softly.

After they cautiously retreated, I heard Alice's faint voice coming from outside the door.

“Grace, may I come in?”

Even though I did not respond, she opened the door anyway.

She was dressed in a beige cotton dress and eyed me timidly. Her complexion was pale.

“Grace, I’m sorry…” As soon as she started, her eyes began to turn red as if she had been the one suffering a great injustice.

“I was going to surrender to my fate of being a widow for life. I’ve always refused Xavier and never wanted to take anything from you.

“I don’t think I can handle being the Donna of the family, it’s so much pressure. All I wanted was to give birth to the baby in peace, but… I’m sure you know how Xavier can be, he insisted on giving the child a home…”

I stood amidst the clutter and observed her icily before asking stiffly, “If I may ask, Miss Alice, how do you envision the role I play in your family?”

Alice bit her lower lip and blinked daintily before stating, “I was thinking maybe you could be the baby’s godmother…”

I burst out laughing. I found the entire thing comically absurd.

“You want me, the actual wife, to become the godmother of a bastard child?”

She turned deathly pale at this comment. Then, she began to sway and leaned against the doorframe for support.

“I… I didn't mean that. I just wanted to express how much I care about you, Grace…”

After I flipped her off, she wisely took the hint and left.

Then, I heard the sound of the engine of an excavator roaring downstairs.

All the treasured flowers and various plants I had tended to with my bare hands had been uprooted brutally.

I spent the next two weeks locked in the room, watching the manor transform through the windows that were nailed shut.

Xavier had bulldozed my garden and replaced it with Alice’s favorite plants, which were a carpet of scentless green plants.

My beloved designer furniture was all thrown out as well and replaced with something more child-friendly.

Xavier spoiled Alice rotten. He had been neglecting his duties as the Don, so he could spend his days taking her for walks around the manor.

On a certain evening, half a month into my imprisonment, the door finally opened.

Xavier stepped in expressionlessly with a stylist who was carrying a dress trailing after him.

“There’s going to be a dinner with other dons. Your attendance is compulsory.”

He looked at me icily as if looking at an animal.

“I’m sick. I'm not going.” I rested against the headboard and could not even be bothered to look at him.

The last two weeks of confinement had chipped away at my dignity. It had also taken away the last of my hope for him.

“Grace, don’t force my hand. Don’t forget your duties as the Donna, your job is to keep up the image of a loving relationship with me.”

I turned to him and suddenly felt insulted.

He had shunned me and imprisoned me, yet still had the guts to use me to keep up appearances.

At last, I obliged. I got up and changed into the dress.

Not because I was willing to compromise, but only because I would otherwise be cut off from the outside world if I stayed here.

Tonight’s dinner was my only chance to see Rosalia.

I had already obtained the signed divorce papers. It was only after confirming that the assets were ready that I could have the assurance to leave.

During the dinner, I stayed next to Xavier and presented myself as the respectable Donna in a gorgeous haute couture gown. I laughed merrily during conversations.

Donna Clement took my hand and smiled tenderly, “My dear, I’ve been wondering where you’d been for the past two weeks. Is it just me, or have you lost a lot of weight? Was it because of the pregnancy?”

My smile froze, and my heart nearly stopped.

What was she talking about?

I turned to Xavier, who was elegantly swirling his wine glass. There was a faint, gentle smile hanging on his lips.

Upon noticing my gaze, he candidly put his arm around my waist.

“Donna Clement, I was just about to share the good news.”

With that, he raised his glass and tapped it with his finger.

“Since everyone is here, I would like to share some good news.

“My wife is two months pregnant! The Whitmore family is about to welcome an heir.”

A chorus of thunderous applause, accompanied by congratulations, erupted.

Meanwhile, I could feel my hands and feet trembling and freezing. I felt dizzy and had trouble breathing.

Two months.

Alice had been pregnant for roughly two months as well.

Everything made sense.

He was going to use me to legitimize his bastard child with Alice.

“Are you insane?!” I gritted my teeth and whispered to him, “Why should I be the mother of that bastard?”

“You should feel honored, Grace.” He angled his glass to take a sip of wine before stating calmly, “You will be the mother of the rightful heir. What else could you want?”

“What about Alice? Can she stomach her child calling me mother?” I sneered.

“She's much more understanding than you are.”

The look in his eyes softened at the mention of Alice. “She says that as long as the child is safe and can be made the rightful heir, she does not care about titles.”

I hissed at him, “Xavier, you disgust me.”

He thought nothing of my rage and proceeded to tighten his grip on my waist, “Quit scowling. Don't forget, you're here as the Donna.”

I took a deep breath and excused myself to the restroom to touch up my makeup. There, I finally found Rosalia.

“Donna!” Rosalia was taken aback when she saw me, “You've lost so much weight. I heard they locked you up…”

“No time for catch-ups, Rosalia.” I held her arm tightly and said everything at once in a hushed voice, “Have all my assets been transferred?”

“Everything has been done as you instructed. Donna… Are you trying to get away?

“It’s too risky under these circumstances. They have eyes on you everywhere, there’s no way you can make it out…”

I smiled and gently pinched her nose, scrunched up from worry.

“Don’t underestimate me. I need you to hand this letter to Xavier’s former underboss, Noah Gill. He'll take care of things.”

When I returned to the manor, the security level was increased.

Xavier must have realized there was no way I would continue to stomach the humiliation and settle for being a sitting duck.

To prevent me from going completely insane, he performed an unusually noble gesture. He had allowed Annie to send me a gift to console me.

It was a ragdoll cat Annie had raised since the cat was a kitten. The cat was named Rosy, which probably originated as a joke at her twin sister Rosalia.

Her handwriting on the letter was shaky: [Donna, may Rosy keep you company in place of my sister and me.]

Annie was gravely injured while protecting me. The stab wound she suffered in her abdomen was very close to claiming her life. Despite all that, she was still thinking about me.

Meanwhile, my husband treated me as if I didn't exist. He was too occupied with his lover and their soon-to-be-born child.

Thankfully, I had Rosy.

Just like its previous owner, Rosy was a lively and affectionate cat. She loved to rub her wet nose against my fingertips.

Whenever I woke up from a nightmare, I would find Rosy purring over me. She would bump against my palm with her furry forehead.

Then, I would hold it tightly and cry. That was how I endured countless dark and silent nights. I vowed to Rosy that I would make it out of this living hell.

We would settle on some remote island where we could live freely with Annie and Rosalia.

One afternoon, Alice opened the door and invited herself inside.

“The cat’s name is Rosy? What a beautiful name.”

“Get out.” I hugged Rosy tightly and snarled at her. I was not interested in being friendly.

“I just wanted to say hello, after all… Rosy will grow up with my child, too.”

She brushed aside my warning and proceeded to bend over to reach for Rosy.

When she tried to grab Rosy by the scruff of her neck, I seized her hand.

“No. Don’t touch her. She doesn’t like being touched by strangers.”

“Well, she'd better get used to it since she’s living here now.”

With that, Alice ignored my protests and grabbed Rosy with her other hand before forcefully hugging her.

The usually docile Rosy sharply yelped a few times before starting to twist and turn violently. At one point, she dug her claws into Alice’s arm and left fresh red claw marks.

“Ah!” Alice cried out and clutched her arm. Soon, she began to cry.

“What are you doing?!”

The door was kicked open at the same time.

Xavier rushed in and protectively pulled Alice into his arms.

“It’s okay, Xavier, the cat scratched me, that’s all.”

Alice burrowed into his arms and let the tears fall. Her fingertips were trembling as she pointed at Rosy.

Xavier fixed a tender look on frail little Alice for a while before turning sharply to me.

“Can’t you discipline your cat?”

“I warned her not to touch Rosy! She wouldn’t listen!” I almost screamed.

Alice continued to nestle in his arms and seemed like she was convulsing at this point, “It’s my fault. I just wanted to get along with Grace…”

Her acting was laughably poor, yet Xavier was a complete sucker and fell for it.

He kissed her hair before turning to Rosy, who was hiding in the corner and shaking.

“Kill this beast right now! Immediately!”

“No! Xavier, no!” I lunged forward frantically to protect Rosy, but his men rushed forward and pinned me to the ground.

“It’s Annie’s darling cat! Please! You can give her away if you want, just don’t kill her!” I pleaded desperately, even resorting to kowtowing on the floor.

All I heard was Xavier’s ruthless voice coming from above me. His tone was devoid of pity and contained only hostility.

“Don’t forget that you are the reason Annie lost her cat.”

With that, he gestured irritably at his men.

The fluffy cat struggled desperately in their arms before letting out at last a terrible cry.

Then, the door slammed shut.

Xavier pinned the blame on me. It was my fault for not listening to him the way I once did. It was my fault for not obeying his lover.

I was lying on the floor before I started to chuckle. Eventually, it turned into a howling laughter that sounded as if I had lost my mind.