The truth is, Dad couldn't bear to see me suffer, so he secretly supported Jonas.

When Jonas heard what I said and thought about the past few years, he fell silent.

But soon after, he suddenly looked up, his eyes red and desperate as he tried to convince me to stay.

"Andy, come back with me, will you? I know you were forced into this!"

I frowned. "What makes you so confident that I was forced? The guy I'm marrying is from the Rockefellers. All your wealth combined couldn't even compare to Benjamin alone!"

I was just stating facts.

But Jonas must have felt embarrassed, so he shouted back, "I know you're upset about Mitch marrying me and how she threw away your stuff!"

And then, he negotiated with me. "H-How about this? I'll make her apologize to you—sincerely, even!"

I couldn't help but laugh and mock him with my gaze. "Jonas, please. Do you really think an apology from Mitch would make me come back and live with her, serving you together? Keep dreaming!"

It hit me then how overly confident Jonas had always been.

Without another word, I rolled up the car window and ignored him completely.

But when he realized what was happening, he started pounding on the window frantically.

His voice was hoarse as he begged me. "Andy! Don't marry someone else! Come back! Please, come back to me!"

Dad had already lost his temper by then.

When he found out everything that had happened, he called for the bodyguards, ready to teach Jonas a lesson.

Jonas's groomsmen, sensing trouble, immediately pulled the struggling groom back into his wedding car.

Even as Dad prepared to go after Jonas, I calmly reminded him, "Dad, let's not keep the Rockefellers waiting."

Only then did he reluctantly drive away.

The wedding itself went by quickly.

It was also the first time I met my groom—Benjamin, the only child of my in-laws.

Since this was a union between two of the most prominent families, the ceremony was packed with influential guests.

After we recited our vows, it was time for the kiss.

When Benjamin leaned in, his face so close to mine, I instinctively flinched and whispered, "Maybe we should just pretend."

But before I could say more, he grabbed my waist with one arm and firmly held my head with the other!

The next thing I knew... he was already pressing his lips hard against mine!

The kiss was long—so long that I felt like I couldn't breathe!

When he finally let go, he leaned in again, his teeth grazing my ear as his playful, teasing eyes locked onto mine.

His breath, low and warm, tickled my ear.

"Hello, my bride."

That one sentence made my whole body tremble!

Later that evening, I was taken to the Rockefellers's bridal suite.

I sat on the bed, but I couldn't help but feel restless and uneasy.

When Benjamin came out of the bathroom, freshly showered, he noticed my guarded expression and chuckled.

Slowly, he approached the bed, lifted the blanket, and lay down next to me.

Then... he turned off the lights.

I watched, stunned, as he closed his eyes, showing no intention of touching me.

Even so, I instinctively shifted further away from him.

Hearing me move, he spoke in a calm but firm tone.

"If you move again, I'll touch you."

That quickly made me freeze.

Oddly enough, despite 10 years of insomnia when I was with Jonas, I slept soundly that night with Benjamin by my side.

The next morning, I woke up early and drafted a set of ground rules. Then, I brought them to my new husband.

The agreement clearly laid out rules: no interference, no meddling in each other's personal lives.

But when Benjamin got his hands on it, he ripped it to shreds without hesitation.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me.

"I like you."

"You think all this isn't stabbing straight into my heart?"

His... sudden confession... caught me completely off guard.

Then, his phone rang. After answering it, he casually ruffled my hair.

"I gotta head back to the company to take care of some things."

I nodded absentmindedly, still processing everything.

Seeing my dazed state, he let out a soft chuckle.

"Relax. If you're not cool with it, I won't touch you."

I nodded again, but as soon as I heard the sound of the door unlocking, I snapped back to reality.

I called out to him, "Why do you like me?!"

He stopped in his tracks and replied softly, "Love at first sight."

With that, he left.

When Jonas pursued me back then, didn't he also claim it was love at first sight?

But I never believed in it. I'd rather trust in a love that grows slowly over time.

Not long after Benjamin left, Jonas showed up.

When I opened the door, I was surprised to see him, especially since he'd brought Ashier along.

Jonas's first words to me? "Andy! Did that punk touch you last night?"

I almost laughed out loud.

"No, he didn't."

He visibly sighed in relief, but I wasn't done.

"And even if he did, what's it got to do with you?"

My words made Jonas lose it. He scanned me up and down in a frenzy.

"Where did he touch you?! That bastard!"

Seeing me frown, he quickly tried to explain.

"Andy, no, that's not what I meant. Even if someone else touched you, I wouldn't mind! I still love you!"

I cut him off sharply.

"Jonas, do you not understand plain words? I'm married now, and so are you. We're nothing to each other anymore."

"And look, you might not mind me making love with another man, but I sure as hell mind you acting like you're still my husband!"

My words snapped the last shred of control he had. His face crumpled, and tears began to well up.

"How can you say we're nothing? There's still Ashier! He's your son—you carried him for 10 months!"

He dragged Ashier in front of me and shouted, "Call her Mom!"

Terrified and unwilling, Ashier whispered, "M-Mom."

But I threw his own words back at him.

"Ashier's not my child. He's not even in my name, right?"

Jonas's face went pale at that. He stammered, trying to recover. "W-What about the memories? 10 years of them! How... How can you just let that go, Andy?"

I interrupted coldly. "You let it go first!"

The mention of those 10 years brought all my bitterness rushing back.

"I wasted 10 years on you, Jonas! Do you even realize what you're asking? I gave up everything for you—I could've lived comfortably as a rich girl, but instead, I struggled with you, a nobody! What bad luck I had, falling for someone like you!"

"You think you're so charming, juggling two women? And you expect me to just stick around and live with you?"

"Hey, don't be so greedy. You overestimate yourself."

Those words had been stuck in my chest for so long, and now that I'd finally let them out, it was such a relief.

Each sentence seemed to drain more color from Jonas's face.

He stood there, silent for what felt like an eternity before finally speaking in a trembling voice.