My sister-in-law had been deceived by my husband’s assistant into going to the mountains, where she was forced to marry a villager.

By the time she managed to steal a phone and call me for help, she had already miscarried eight children.

She told me she was finally pregnant with a boy, but the delivery was difficult, and she was bleeding badly.

The villagers refused to take her to the hospital, insisting instead on using a folk remedy, pressing her stomach with a rolling pin.

I urgently asked her to give me the address, but at that moment, my husband snatched the phone from my hand and smashed it.

“Chloe, what’s wrong with you again? Are you trying to convince your sister to get a divorce again? You know the saying, better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage. Stop being so heartless, will you?”

“If it weren’t for Zaria’s kindness in finding your sister a home, with that shy and bookish nature of hers, she would’ve ended up an old maid.”

That was when I realized my husband had always believed it was my sister who had been tricked into going to the mountains.

He pulled 250 dollars from his pocket and threw it in my face. “That’s the bride price they gave you. Take it and stop causing trouble.”

I looked at the bills scattered across the floor and gave a bitter smile.

But then my husband held out his hand and said coldly, “Don’t you know any manners? Where’s your family’s dowry?”

I stared at him, my face blank. “That dowry, you’re the one who should be paying it.”

——

My words instantly angered Ronnie Henderson. He glared at me with contempt. “Chloe, is your family trying to take advantage of me now?”

“Your sister’s getting married, and you expect me to pay for her dowry? Are you beggars?”

“Instead of wasting time arguing, why don’t you call your dad and tell him to get the money ready right now?”

“Let me tell you the truth. That quiet sister of yours wasn’t who they wanted at all. They were looking for someone who could give them children easily.”

“If it weren’t for Zaria putting in the effort to arrange the marriage, your sister wouldn’t have found anyone.”

“I suggest you send the dowry quickly. Otherwise, if your sister gets mistreated by her in-laws, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Seeing the cold look on Ronnie’s face, a mix of anger and sadness rose in me. So this was what he really thought of my family.

I rubbed my eyes, holding back tears, and asked softly, “It’s been a while since you last talked to your sister, hasn’t it?”

Ronnie froze. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What are you planning? Are you going after Liana now? I’m warning you, if you touch her, I’ll never forgive you.”

He grabbed my collar, his teeth clenched as he said, “From now on, I don’t want to hear you mention my sister again.”

I looked at his angry face and couldn’t help but laugh. Liana Henderson was Ronnie’s sister, his only remaining family, and he loved her more than anything.

Once, when a street punk whistled at Liana, Ronnie lost his temper and took his bodyguards to that street, beating up every thug he saw.

I couldn’t help but think about what would happen when Ronnie found out that Zaria Collins had tricked the sister he adored into marrying a villager in the mountains. How would he react then?

I bent down to pick up my phone from the floor, but Ronnie stepped on it, pressing it hard under his heel.

I said coldly, “Ronnie, your sister just called me. She said she’s in labor and in danger. We need to find a way to save her.”

Ronnie looked indifferent. “It takes at least four hours to drive from the city to that mountain village. If she can make it, then there’s no need to save her. If she can’t, calling an ambulance now won’t help either.”

He then kicked at the floor, scattering the broken pieces of my phone.

I forced down the anger rising inside me and said, “Your sister grew up in the city, living a comfortable life. She can’t survive in that kind of place.”

“Marriage should be built on love and equal standing. Marrying her off to a villager was far too careless.”

“Since Zaria knows where she is, we should bring her back.”

Ronnie gave me a cold look. “Do you think marriage is some kind of game?”

“Let me tell you, the villagers there have a rule: once you’re married, it’s for life. Divorce doesn’t exist for them. Even if you take her out of that place, her husband’s family won’t give up. They’ll come looking for her.”

“You’d better stop this idea. Since your sister married into the mountains, she can’t come back.”

I asked furiously, “Ronnie, if it were your sister who married there, could you really let her suffer in that mountain village for the rest of her life?”

Ronnie laughed and said with a mocking tone, “What a pity, my sister didn’t marry over there. Maybe that’s just fate. She’s meant to live a happy life.”

“Chloe, you’d better get that dowry ready soon, so your sister’s in-laws won’t find fault or treat her badly. And don’t forget a gift for Zaria too, she’s been putting in a lot of effort for your sister’s marriage.”

I met Ronnie’s eyes and said calmly, “You should ask Zaria where your sister really is and bring her back as soon as possible, or you’ll regret it.”

Ronnie’s expression darkened. “I don’t want you bringing her back, and don’t you dare bother Zaria,” he said coldly.

I looked at him in disbelief. “Why are you doing this? Did my family ever do anything to you? Why hurt others when it doesn’t even help you?”

Ronnie said nothing. He just gave a cold smile and walked out.

I sat alone in the quiet house for a long time, thinking about everything, then let out a sigh and went to buy a new phone.

The first thing I did after getting my new phone was call my lawyer. “Help me draft a divorce agreement,” I said.

By the time everything was almost ready, night had already fallen. Holding that thin sheet of paper, I went home. Just as I was about to open the door, I heard voices inside.

Ronnie’s voice came first. “Zaria, did that project go through?”

Zaria answered happily, “It did. That family wanted a college graduate to marry into their home to improve their bloodline. I married off Chloe’s sister to them, and they signed the contract right away. Ronnie, if it weren’t for your help behind the scenes, I wouldn’t have gotten that land.”

Ronnie chuckled and said, “Well done. That’s a big achievement. With this, I can promote you and raise your salary, and no shareholder will dare to complain.”

I froze at the door, my stomach twisting in disbelief. Ronnie, just to help Zaria get promoted and earn more, you used my sister as a bargaining chip, sending her to a life of misery.

Unfortunately for you, fate had played its own trick, and you had ended up hurting your own blood relative instead.

I suddenly pushed the door open and walked inside. Ronnie and Zaria were sitting at the dining table, sharing a single spoon as they ate cake together.

The sight made me let out a cold laugh. Since the day we got married, Ronnie had never once kissed me.

He always claimed he had a cleanliness obsession and couldn’t stand anyone else’s saliva. Yet here he was, sharing a spoon with Zaria.

So he could break his rules for the woman he truly cared about.

When Zaria saw me walk in, she jumped up in shock, her face turning pale as she stammered, “Chloe, I won’t dare again. Please don’t hit me.”

Ronnie looked startled and quickly pulled Zaria behind him.

He stared at me closely. “You hit Zaria?”

I answered calmly, “Yes, I did.”

A few months earlier, Zaria had just started working as Ronnie’s assistant and came to our home.

I hadn’t expected her to secretly open my drawer, take out my mother’s keepsake bracelet, and put it on her wrist. I told her to take it off, but she carelessly threw it onto the table, and it cracked.

Anger rushed through me, and before I could stop myself, I slapped her. I thought that once I explained, Ronnie would understand.

But instead, he sneered and said, “Chloe, you’re being ridiculous.”

“Your mother’s already gone, what’s the big deal if someone uses her things?” Then he pulled open the drawer and tossed all my mother’s belongings onto the floor.

My vision went red with rage, and I pushed him with all my strength. The man who had once been kind and protective didn’t show even a hint of mercy.

He slapped me hard, and I fell to the ground.

I looked at my mother’s photo lying on the floor, and tears fell onto it one after another.

Then Zaria pretended to help me up, but purposely stepped on my mother’s photo.

Rage burned inside me, and I pushed her away. She fell to the ground dramatically, crying out, “Chloe, I only wanted to help you.”

Ronnie looked at me with disgust. “Chloe, what’s wrong with you? How did you become like this?”

Then he put his arm around Zaria and said coldly, “Let’s go.”

I stood up, wiped my tears, and said clearly, “Ronnie, let’s get a divorce.”

Ronnie froze for a moment before frowning. “You want to divorce me? Chloe, don’t think you can use that to scare me. The more you act like this, the more disgusted I feel.”

I took out the divorce papers. “I really want a divorce. Sign it.”

Ronnie let out a low laugh. “You even prepared the papers? So this wasn’t a sudden decision; it was planned. Is this because of your sister marrying into the mountains?”

“Chloe, if your sister were like Liana, smart, capable, and with a bright future, I would never have let her marry into that place.”

“But she’s just like you, a useless bookworm. Having a stable home isn’t bad for her.”

“That family said that as long as she gives birth to a son, they’ll treat her like an ancestor. She’ll have good food and won’t have to work. Isn’t that a hundred times better than struggling outside?”

“I really don’t understand what’s wrong with your head. Instead of being thankful to Zaria, you keep causing trouble.”

“Now I finally see what it means to make a fuss over nothing.”

Ronnie kept scolding me without stopping, but I stayed quiet and simply picked up the pen to sign my name.

His voice turned colder. “Chloe, I’m warning you, if you divorce me today, even if you come crawling back later, I’ll never take you back.”

I pointed at the divorce papers and said, “Sign it. I can’t live another moment with a man like you. Don’t worry, even if someone held a knife to my throat, I’d never ask to be with you again.”

Ronnie’s face darkened with anger. “Fine! You think I’d beg you to stay? Keep dreaming.” He scribbled his name on the papers and threw them at me.

I quietly picked them up and placed them in my bag. “One last thing, call your sister and ask how she’s doing.”

Ronnie gave a cold smirk. “What? You’re using my sister now to make me take you back?”