I eloped with my neighbor, Owen Allen, bringing three million with me.

We endured a lot of hardship in the first three years. Finally, he became a financial tycoon.

In the fourth year, I aborted his child. We got married.

Everyone said I was lucky. I had everything I wanted. They envied me for having a husband who could impact the GDP.

But I was always praying for the simplest things.

Our families had been friends for generations. We lived in the same estate.

I was an illegitimate daughter in the Wright family, not even worthy of the family name. He, on the other hand, was the highly regarded heir of the Allen family.

The elites looked down on me, laughing. They said I was nothing more than his kept pet.

He would scold the young masters and ladies who bullied me. He would start every ball with me. He taught me how to survive in this world of fame and fortune.

On the night of my eighteenth birthday, the first snow fell in Campbell.

He arranged for 1,001 drones to hover outside my attic, illuminating the entire hillside villa.

In the sky, the drones formed the promise that had trapped me for half my life. "Pure as the snow in the sky, bright as the moon in the clouds, may we be together forever, never parting until old age."

I spent the whole night thinking about which dress to wear to meet Owen at dawn.

But by dawn, the Allen family had gone bankrupt.

It was actually worse than bankruptcy. The Allen Group was suspected of producing fake vaccines, causing hundreds of thousands of children to become problem cases.

During that time, I never saw Owen again.

Until one day, my father, who had never spoken to me before, pointed at me and cursed, "It was fine when we thought you could at least be Owen's mistress. But now Mr. Allen's downfall was caused by a woman. If you get involved with Owen again, I'll break your legs."

I was locked up, and even the attic windows were sealed with wooden frames.

No one knew how I escaped. Only my arm, which ached during rainy days, would remind me of what I put it through.

I searched everywhere overnight but couldn't find Owen.

I finally found him in a crematorium.

The once elegant and handsome Owen was gone. He had stubble all over his face and was holding an urn.

From a distance, he softly called my name, "Natalie."

Before I could reach him, tears were already streaming down my face.

Both of his hands were occupied, so he could only lean his forehead against me and gently say, "Natalie, don't cry."

I held his head, still sobbing but speaking with determination, "Don't be afraid, Owen. I will always stay with you."

I took out the three million my mother, who died early as a mistress, had left for me.

Owen held my hand, and we left Campbell.

The first three years were so hard that even I used to cold stares, found it difficult.

We were used to the warmth of the northern winters, so neither of us could stand the damp cold of the south.

Owen would always get up in the middle of the night to change my hot water bottle, wrapping it in a soft towel and placing it at my feet.

He would pat my head and whisper, "Honey, just bear with it a little longer. In a few years, I'll make sure you live the life you used to."

Ever since we left, he had always called me "honey."

I wanted to be his wife. I wanted to grow old with him.

Owen developed software and went out every day to drum up business.

He was under a lot of pressure. I learned to cook all sorts of dishes for him, mastering every cuisine.

I didn't go to college. To save on staffing costs, I worked as a receptionist during the day and taught myself accounting at night to balance the company's books.

At the company, I ordered Owen to keep things professional and not reveal our relationship.

In less than half a year, Owen secured the Series A investment.

The other party sent their heiress, Everly Turner, to handle the connection.

I greeted her with a smile at the front desk, but she didn't even glance at me and walked straight into Owen's office.

The programmer next to me, who was helping carry some water, asked, "Why is she so arrogant? Natalie, do you know who she is?"

I shook my head, indicating I didn't know.

The designer girl was full of gossip. She chimed in, "She's an heiress from the Turner family, a big name in Tanaxes. I heard she graduated from Stanford University, so she has every reason to be proud."

I put on an expression of realization and said, "Oh, I see."

The truth is, I've seen plenty of heiresses like Everly in the past decade. To be honest, she wasn't the most eye-catching one.

Later on, I always timed my visits around mealtime. As a client, Owen couldn't possibly not treat me well.

Gradually, people in the company started gossiping with me.

"Natalie, do you think the boss is about to marry Everly?"

"When Ms. Turner and the boss stand together, it feels like watching a workplace drama."

"Natalie, I see the boss often calls you into his office. Do you know any inside scoop?"

I suppressed my emotions and replied with a smile, "I'm just a receptionist. What could I possibly know?"

When I got home that night, Owen was lying on the couch, not moving.

I took a warm towel and roughly wiped his face.

Half-asleep, he mumbled, "Babe, that hurts."

I got annoyed and pinched him on the lower back. "Why are you so good-looking? You're always attracting attention."

Owen chuckled softly, then turned over and pulled me into his arms, trapping me in his embrace. "Babe, you're wronging me."

He gently stroked my waist. I couldn't stand the tickling and kept begging for mercy.

But he wouldn't let me go. He lowered his head, using his lips to find my brow, my eyes, and then my lips.

In that moment, we indulged in each other's warmth and passion.

The next day, it was no surprise to see Everly at the company again.

A loud female voice began to come from Owen's office.

The most gossip-loving graphic designer quietly walked to the door and leaned in to listen.

She mouthed what she overheard to everyone.

"Ms. Turner said she likes Mr. Allen!"

Everyone had a knowing look on their faces.

"Mr. Allen said he has a wife!!!"

Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

I didn't even have time to react.

Owen had already opened the door.

Everyone exchanged looks. They were awkwardly rubbing their noses, feeling guilty for being caught eavesdropping.

Owen walked straight to my side. He wrapped his arm around my waist and coldly said to Everly, "Ms. Turner, please stop bothering me. Let me introduce you to my wife, Natalie."

Someone gasped, "Wow!"

Everly threw down her coffee in anger and stormed out.

Owen called for cleaning to tidy up the mess Everly left behind with a stern expression.

I didn't let go of his hand. Moments like these always made a woman feel sweet.

Owen took a call. Before leaving the company, he kissed my forehead in front of everyone. "Honey, I'm going to sign a contract first. Be good."

After Owen left, we all burst into conversation. After getting along for half a year, no one held back their words.

"Natalie, you're Mr. Allen's wife! And here I was, fangirling over him in front of you every day."

"Natalie, you're sneaky. Don't forget us when you're rich. When the company gets funded, you better give me a raise."

"Natalie, how are you so lucky to be dating such an unbelievably handsome guy? I'm jealous!"

Everyone teased me. I smiled and promised, "Once the company expands after the funding, I'll definitely get everyone some perks!"

I wasn't sure if Everly was seeking revenge after being rejected.

The expected funding was halted, which disrupted Owen's plans. The users who had become active due to the funding were starting to drop off.

Owen began to stand by the floor-to-ceiling window, lighting one cigarette after another.

I hugged him from behind, pressing my face against his well-defined back. "Owen, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have been so jealous."

I knew he publicly rejected Everly because I had been insanely jealous that night.

Owen turned around. He bent down to tap my nose and chuckled. "Silly, that's just business. You can't be soft-hearted in battle, and you can't make money by being righteous. The Turner Group just wants to take over the partnership."

I didn't understand much of this. But I knew that if he hadn't publicly embarrassed Everly, things might not have become so difficult.

The Turner Group was a giant. Even though Owen was highly skilled, he still couldn't outlast their financial power.

The company was eventually sold.

Owen started a new company in the west of the city.

He often smoked through the night and started working on extremely aggressive plans.

He craved success. He wanted to crush the Turner Group, who once wasn't even worthy of standing before him, under his feet.

I advised him not to take too many risks.

He said I didn't understand.

I was startled. Did I really not understand anymore?

Since we had some savings, he told me to stay home and relax instead of stressing over work.

I was happy to take care of all his needs and became a full-time housewife.

Occasionally, I'd bring freshly baked cookies to visit him at the office and add some new employees on WhatsApp.

Owen secured a deal, and the profits were enough to establish the new company in Tanaxes. He often worked late into the night because of it.

He treated everyone to a late-night snack at the convenience store downstairs.

The accountant took a picture of everyone happily gathered outside the convenience store and posted it on WhatsApp Moments with the caption, "As long as the boss is handsome enough, staying late isn't so bad."

The photo showed a group of young men and women, some standing, some sitting on the street curb.

I didn't think much of it and just swiped past. I didn't even open the thumbnail to take a closer look.

Later, one day while Owen was in the shower, he asked me to send a contract photo to legal.

I picked up his phone to find the contract. As I scrolled, I came across a very familiar photo.

I quickly realized it was the same photo the accountant posted on WhatsApp Moments.

Owen's gallery had a saved version of that photo from someone else's Moments.

This was totally out of character for Owen.

I held Owen's phone, unsure whether to ask him where the photo came from.

In that photo, the man was looking at the woman who was laughing with her head tilted back. The tear mole at the corner of her eye radiated happiness.

The woman was the company's sales rep, Claire Morris.

The way Owen looked at Claire tore a cold, painful gash in my heart.

How could he look at another woman like that?

His gaze was full of admiration, concern, and affection.

He had even saved that photo from someone else's Moments.

Why did he save it?

Did he want to admire the charm of a woman fighting on his behalf occasionally?

The next day after seeing the photo, I was eager to meet this exceptional saleswoman, Claire.