“But, aren’t you afraid Grace will find out and turn against you?” Bonnie asked softly, a trace of worry in her voice.

Chris let out a cold laugh.

“Grace is an idiot. I’ll just coax her a little when I get back and she’ll be my obedient dog again.” His voice was calm, almost casual.

“I’ll create trouble to make Donovan’s stock price crash. Then I’ll trick her into transferring all her shares to me at a cheap price.” He paused, then continued coldly.

“Once the Lowe International swallows all of Donovan’s assets, I’ll kick her out and marry you.”

Bonnie leaned against his chest and pondered. 

“But by then Grace will lose everything she has. She might cling to you like a lifeline and refuse to divorce you no matter what. What will you do then?” 

Chris sneered. There was clear killing intent in his eyes.

“You don’t need to worry about that.” He lowered his voice slightly. “One week from now, at the Lowe family’s investment banquet for the new shopping center, I’ve already prepared a guy for her.”

His tone was cruelly calm.

“All my people have to do is slip roofies into her wine. Once the drug takes effect, I’ll arrange for everyone to catch her cheating in public.”

He chuckled.

“She will be the one with the affair. Her reputation will be completely destroyed. Then I will take her to court, making sure she doesn’t walk away with a single cent of my assets or any chance of getting them back.” 

Chris’s smile grew colder.

“I'm the kind of person who likes to nip things in the bud.” He paused before adding casually, “I happened to hear that her father was recently diagnosed with heart disease. It'll be like killing two birds with one stone. If the old man dies during the incident, who do you think will stop our plan?”

Cold, salty tears slid slowly down my cheeks. 

I stood there, watching helplessly as the two people on the balcony kissed each other and walked back inside together.  My whole body felt stiff. It was as if my soul had been ripped out of me.  Numbly, I got into the car and drove home. Outside the window, the scenery rushed past in a blur. But my mind was already quietly thinking about my next move.

Chris believed his plan was flawless. He believed I was nothing more than a foolish, naive rich girl. But there was something he didn’t know.

When we first got married, his company had been in a critical growth stage. To help him get through that difficult period, I anonymously bought a large amount of Lowe International shares through the board of directors. The shareholders of Lowe International were actually under my command.

As for the trap he prepared for the banquet, since everything was set, I might as well move it to the woman he loved most. Let Bonnie taste it for me. 

Once my plan was formed, I opened my phone with trembling fingers and called my father.

“Dad… I was wrong about him.”  I forced the words out.

“I agree to divorce Chris. In a week, I’ll come home and accept the arranged marriage you prepared for me.”

“Didn’t you love him so much you insisted on marrying him?” My dad said sternly. “Why do you suddenly want a divorce?”

I clenched my teeth and let out a bitter laugh.

“For the sake of his first love, he murdered our daughter.” My voice trembled, but it was firm. “I’m going to make him pay for it. When he feels the most proud of himself… I’ll send him to prison.”

There was silence on the phone.

“Whatever happens, your family will always have your back.” His voice answered.  “That bastard betrayed your love. He’ll soon realize what he’s lost.”

After hanging up, determination filled my eyes.

One week from now, Chris planned to destroy me at the Lowe Family’s investment banquet.

But I wouldn’t let him succeed.

When I got home, I held a grand funeral for my child, waiting in the mourning hall for an entire day and night. Only then did Chris return. The moment he saw me, he suddenly dropped to his knees, slapping himself hard across the face. 

“I’m sorry, Grace. It’s my fault. I was too busy work that I failed to protected you.” He looked at me with guilt. 

“If you’re angry, you can hit me. Just don’t let it hurt yourself.”

He hesitated before adding, “We can have another child in the future.”

I almost laughed from anger hearing that. If I hadn’t heard what he said to Bonnie at the villa, I might really have been fooled by him.

Without hesitation, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

“Another child?” My voice trembled. “Chris, do you know how much I suffered just to get pregnant with this one?!”

He could feel heartbroken because Bonnie was afraid of the pain from drawing blood. But all the pain I had endured over the years, he acted like it meant nothing. Maybe that was the difference between loving someone and not loving them.

Chris lowered his head so I couldn’t see his expression.

All I heard was his quiet voice.

“I’m sorry, Grace… I was too busy with work and lost track of things…”

Another apology.

But the words I’m sorry were the most useless compensation in the world.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” My voice is trembling. “I was lying in the operating room at my most desperate moment, waiting for you to come.”

I stared at him. “Were you really busy, you couldn’t come, or was it the woman you kept outside refusing to donate her blood?”

Chris fell silent.

Looking at the silent man in front of me, my chest twisted painfully. I should have realized it long ago. Ever since I got pregnant, Chris had openly made Bonnie his side woman.

If a light bulb as much as broke in her apartment, he would rush over in the middle of the night to fix it himself. If she got sick, he would let me go to prenatal checkups alone while he ran to visit her.

But because I loved him, I believed his clumsy lies again and again. 

Tears covered my face. And suddenly, Chris stood up and gently wiped my tears, a look of pity on his face.

“Alright, Grace. Don’t be angry, okay? I’ve prepared gifts for you. Lots. Will you take a look and see if there’s anything you like?” 

His assistant handed him a tablet. Chris shoved it into my hands. On the screen was his recent shopping list. Limited-edition luxury handbags. An emerald diamond ring as big as a pigeon egg. 

But none of those items interest me. 

Until a pregnancy guidebook caught my eye. I glanced at the purchase date. And instantly realized it was meant for the child in Bonnie’s belly.  

At that moment, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Bonnie. She had sent me a picture. It was a pregnancy test report. I carefully read every word on it. Only after I finished did she slowly withdraw the image.

Then a message appeared.

Bonnie: [Sorry, Grace. Wrong number. I meant to send it to Chris.]

Another message followed.

Bonnie: [Our baby is very healthy. I know you just lost your child. Will hearing this make you sad? But you love Chris so much. You should be happy that he finally has an heir, right?]

Another message came.

Bonnie: [By the way, can you not be too clingy with him today? He needs to go with me for a prenatal checkup later. With him beside me, I definitely won’t be as jinxed as you and get into a car accident.]

My body froze. I was trembling slightly all over. Next to me, Chris hung up his phone. Then he pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. 

“Something just came up at the company,” he said. “If there’s anything you want to buy, just use my account. I’ll go handle this first and I’ll be right back to keep you company.”

I watched his back as he left with his assistant.

Finally, the dam broke—my tears couldn’t stop flowing.

After letting my emotions out, I called my lawyer. “Let's begin.”

I would slowly take control of the entire Lowe International. The transfer would be finished by the day of the banquet. On the day he believed he had finally closed the net after years of planning, I would send him the most devastating blow. For the sake of his first love, he took away my daughter’s heartbeat. So I would take back everything he owned, piece by piece.

This was not only punishment for betrayal. It was justice. 

The justice I would seek as a mother for my child.

By the time I finished handling my child’s funeral and returned home, the night was already set. Exhausted, I took off my shoes and coat. But then I noticed the lights in my bedroom were on and noises came from it.

Since I became pregnant, Chris had insisted that I needed proper rest. He said it was for the baby’s safety, so we had started sleeping in separate rooms. Because of that, he almost never entered my bedroom. I walked toward it with a frown and pushed the door open. 

“What are you doing here?” I asked. 

I found Bonnie inside. She was holding a mop, as if she had been cleaning for quite a while. A thin layer of sweat covered her forehead and her cheeks were flushed red.

When she saw me, she immediately bowed her head politely, putting on a humble expression.

“It’s my fault that you miscarried, Mrs. Lowe, because I didn’t give my blood. But I already cleaned your room.” 

I was still confused by her behavior when a voice suddenly came from behind me.

“Bonnie, who told you to do this? Put the mop down. You shouldn’t be exhausted.” Chris rushed forward. He bumped into my shoulder as he passed me and immediately pulled Bonnie into his arms, his face full of concern.

Noticing the tiredness in her face, he suddenly turned toward me with anger. 

“Haven't I already made it up to you, Grace? Why are you still holding onto this?” he snapped. “We have maids. Do you really want to make Bonnie miserable by making her clean your room?” 

He thought all those luxurious items were enough to make up for the loss of my child. That everything could be replaced with money. 

Even though I already knew about the evil plan they set for me, but still it made my heart ache and this time I’d stood up for myself. 

“I didn't make her do anything. I just got here and saw her.” That was all I said. 

Chris gently wiped the tears from Bonnie's cheeks. It made me, the rightful lady of the house, look like an outcast. 

“Listen, Grace, Bonnie is fragile right now,” he said, sounding like a warning. “If anything happens to her, I won't forgive you.”

Chris swallowed his words halfway through and I sneered, tearing away the last veil of pretense between him and Bonnie, “Fragile as in... she's pregnant and it's yours?”

Shock was written all over Chris's face. He appeared to want to deny it, but I cut him from it by speaking first. 

“This girl you think is so nice and innocent sent me photos and messages to provoke me this afternoon,” I started. “She said she’s pregnant with your child. Do you want to see them for yourself?”

Chris looked at her, then at me. 

“I’m sorry, Grace. It was actually my fault.” He let out a helpless sigh, began explaining. “I got drunk and slept with her. That’s how the child happened. You were just becoming pregnant and I was afraid you’d get angry and it would affect the baby, so I didn’t tell you.”

He paused before continuing.

“Bonnie has a weak body. The doctor said if she aborts this baby, she may never be able to become a mother again. So please, don’t be so cruel. Let her give birth to the child. I promise it won’t affect your position at all. Besides…” he added, his tone turning colder, “you haven’t given me an heir all these years. I can’t just let my family line end, can I?”

After going in circles, he still managed to put the blame back on me.

My eyes stung with tears.

Without saying a word, I quietly took out the divorce agreement I had already prepared and printed earlier. I placed it in front of him.

“Fine,” I said calmly. “Then sign this and I won’t pursue this matter.”

Chris looked confused as he took the document from my hand. He was about to open it and read it, but before he could, Bonnie suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Chris, my stomach hurts…” she said weakly. “Can you take me to the hospital?”

Hearing that, Chris immediately pulled a pen out of his pocket. Without even checking the contents of the document, he flipped to the last page and signed his name.

“Sure, Grace. You know I’ll always give you whatever you want,” he said casually. “There, I’ve signed it. Now let me take Bonnie to the hospital, yeah?”

I looked at the signature on the paper. A bitter smile slowly formed on my lips.

Silently, I stepped aside and let the two of them leave.

After they were gone, I handed the document to my lawyer.

“Help me process the divorce,” I said quietly. “The faster, the better.”

By the time everything was finished, it was almost midnight.

After such a long day, I felt completely exhausted—both physically and mentally.

I was just about to lie down and rest when suddenly the bedroom door was kicked open violently. Chris stood at the doorway, breathing heavily. 

“You just can’t stand seeing Bonnie happy, can you?!” He rushed over and yanked me off the bed. “You told her to clean your room and then you secretly lit incense that’s harmful to a fetus. The doctor said she almost miscarried. If she had stayed in your room any longer, the child would’ve been gone. You’re so vicious, Grace!” 

“Come with me to the hospital and apologize to Bonnie!” He grip me by hand and dragged me. 

His grip was incredibly strong. My wrist quickly turned purple from how tightly he held it. No matter how hard I struggled, he refused to let go. He dragged me out of the house and all the way to the hospital.

Soon, I was standing beside Bonnie’s hospital bed.

“Apologize!” he ordered sternly.

Bonnie lay on the bed with a pale face. Chris grabbed my shoulders forcefully, trying to push me down so I would bow to her.

But he didn’t see the mocking smile at the corner of Bonnie’s lips.

At that moment, I realized. This whole thing had been her plan from the beginning. She deliberately framed me just to humiliate me.

“You think a mistress deserves my apology?” I said coldly.

My eyes swept across the room. When I saw the thermos on the bedside table, I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed it, twisted open the lid and splashed the hot water directly onto the bed.

“What a pity your child didn’t die. With a mother as wicked as you, dying would’ve been a whole lot of a greater fate.”

No one expected my sudden action.

Bonnie was instantly drenched from head to toe. Her hair stuck to her face in a miserable mess and she completely lost control of her expression. Anger burned in her eyes.

“Chris!” she cried out. “The doctor said I can’t be emotionally stressed. Look at her. If she wasn’t trying to harm our baby, then what was that?”

Chris finally reacted. He looked furious. He immediately pressed the nurse call button, asking the medical staff to check Bonnie again. Then he called several bodyguards over and had them hold me down.

“Grace,” he said coldly, “I already gave you a chance. Since you don’t appreciate it, go kneel in the backyard and pray for Bonnie’s child.”

Several strong bodyguards dragged me back to the villa and forced me into the backyard.

They pushed me down onto my knees in the middle of the rose garden Chris had once planted for me. Back then, I had casually mentioned that I liked white roses. Because of that single sentence, Chris had flown overseas overnight to buy the best rose seeds and personally planted an entire sea of roses for me. As their sharp thorns pierced my knees, I came to a thinking: These roses once existed to please me. Now they only brought me pain.

Just like Chris.

Back when he said he loved me, he planted a sea of flowers with his own hands. Now that he no longer loved me, he could abandon me here and let me suffer until I was covered in wounds.

A clap of thunder shattered my reverie, tears mingling with rainwater as they slid down my face.

The second before I collapsed from exhaustion, I thought I saw Chris racing downstairs, lifting me into his arms. I snorted derisively, mocking myself silently. My current predicament was entirely his doing—why would he rush to save me?

It was probably just a hallucination before I passed out.

When I woke up in the hospital, I was alone.

My wounds had been dressed. I forced myself up and glanced at the phone on the nightstand. My chat with Chris was empty, but in my social feed, Bonnie had posted a new update.

In the photos, every rose in the backyard garden had been picked clean. She held a massive bouquet in her arms, smiling radiantly.

Her caption read: [What a shame about this whole garden of roses. I casually mentioned wanting some and who knew he would pick them all for me.]

My heart went numb.

I recalled the hallucination of Chris saving me before I fainted and felt utterly ridiculous. I lost all desire to keep scrolling. I exited Instagram and began sorting through the pile of messages waiting for me.

Among them, a document my dad had sent caught my attention—it was the new match he’d arranged for me. I clicked to open it. The name listed made me frown instantly, feeling an overwhelming sense of familiarity.

“Tyler Callahan?”

I glanced at the photo—a handsome man in his thirties.

A sudden flash of insight struck me. I opened the dossier my lawyer had compiled on Bonnie days ago. Under ‘Family,’ her adoptive father's name stood out: Tyler Callahan.

Bonnie was his adopted orphan.

After a moment of deep thought, I replied to my dad, “I'll marry him.”

Since she stole my husband, I'd marry her adoptive father and cut off her escape route completely. After finalizing this, the hospital door slid open and Chris walked in. He took my hand with concern, a stark contrast to his attitude yesterday.

“Grace, how are your injuries? Does it still hurt?” he asked softly.

“Look, I was out of my mind yesterday. After seven years of marriage, this is the first child I’ve ever had. I couldn’t stay calm.” He paused. “By the way, there’s an auction in West City today. I’ll take you there. Whatever you want, I’ll buy it for you. Think of it as my way of making it up to you, okay?”

He seemed to assume I wouldn’t refuse, so before I could answer, he pulled me out of bed.

His rough movements tore open my wounds, sending waves of pain through me as fresh blood soaked through the gauze.

I remembered when I accidentally cut my finger on a sharp thorn while learning flower arranging—he’d been heartbroken for days, personally flying abroad to buy me the best scar-healing ointment.

But now, with me badly injured, he hadn’t offered a single word of concern.

When we arrived at the underground parking garage, I reached out and opened the front passenger door. Bonnie, sitting inside, gasped in surprise, seemingly more shocked than I was.

“Chris,” she said softly, “isn’t Mrs. Lowe supposed to be hospitalized because of her injuries? Is she coming to the auction with us?” Then she smiled faintly. “I knew it. Mrs. Lowe has been in perfect health. She must have fainted last night because she wanted you to feel sorry for her.”

She glanced at me and added sweetly, “Did I take your seat, Mrs. Lowe? Should I move to the back?”

Before she could rise, Chris stepped past me and gently pushed her back down.

“It's fine. She can sit in the back. You're pregnant and prone to nausea. The front seat is better for you.”

The seat that had always belonged to me, Chris had given to Bonnie.

From the backseat, I watched their affectionate display the entire ride. Bonnie fed him fruit, then turned to coo at him. It made me feel sick to my stomach that I lost all interest. This heavy silence lingered until the auction's grand finale piece emerged.

I recognized it instantly—not merely a priceless diamond necklace, but a keepsake left by my mother before her passing.

My dad and I had searched for years without a lead. We assumed some wealthy collector had it and kept it hidden, that it would never appear in public again. Yet today, I saw it here, in this unassuming auction house.

“Ten million.” I raised my paddle.

Bonnie, sitting beside me, sat up straight the moment I bid. After a glance, she countered, “Fifteen million!”

I turned to look at her. The sly gleam in her eyes told me she was determined to oppose me. I raised my paddle for the second time.

“Twenty million!”

Tears welled up in Bonnie's eyes instantly. She turned and threw herself into Chris's arms.

“Chris,” she said pitifully, “I finally found something I really like. Does Mrs. Lowe have to compete with me for it?”

Chris had not spoken to me once throughout the entire auction. But now, because of her plea, he finally turned to me.

“Grace,” he said, “Bonnie rarely finds something she really likes. Can you let her have this one? Just pick something else. I’ll buy it for you.”

Before I could respond, he gestured toward the auction podium, signaling a bid, “Whoever makes the next bid, I'll outbid them by ten million.”

I stared at this man—familiar yet utterly foreign—and recalled how, when he claimed to love me, he’d always lavishly bid for items I desired at auctions, driving prices to astronomical heights no one could match.

But now, the person he was doing this for had become someone else. And I had become the one whose beloved item was being taken away.

Hidden beneath my sleeves, my fists clenched into iron. Yet I had no choice but to endure. The equity transfer wasn't finalized yet. I couldn't risk exposing my identity and jeopardizing my plan.

Finally, Chris secured the record-breaking necklace for eighty million. A waiter reverently carried it from the podium to Bonnie. But the next moment, she slipped the necklace onto the neck of the puppy she'd been cradling all evening.

The weight of the necklace startled the puppy. As it twisted and struggled, it snapped the chain clean in two with a single bite. The gemstones fell onto the marble floor, shattering into countless fragments. The sharp crack echoed through the banquet hall, plunging it into silence.

My eyes widened in horror as I stared at the pile of sparkling shards. I crouched stiffly, carefully gathering them, yet no matter how I tried, I couldn't piece them back together. My tears fell like heavy raindrops onto the floor. Once again, I had failed to protect what I cherished most.

First my child, then my mother's keepsake.

The rage I'd been holding back finally erupted.

I slapped Bonnie across the face. I poured every ounce of strength into that blow, leaving five red marks across her cheek. I lifted my hand again, ready to slap her once more. But before I could, Chris grabbed my wrist.

“That’s enough, Grace!” he snapped coldly. “You couldn’t outbid me, so you took it out on Bonnie? It’s just a stupid necklace. Is it really worth making a scene?” He was asking me with disbelief in his eyes.

“Apologize to Bonnie!”

I stared at the man in front of me, stunned for a moment. Then I let out a bitter laugh, my eyes red as I pointed at the shattered gemstones on the floor.

“That was my mother’s heirloom. Do you know how long I’ve been looking for it?”

My voice trembled, but the anger in my chest only burned hotter.

“I won’t apologize and I will make her pay for what she did.”

When I said the first sentence, something like regret seemed to flash across Chris’s eyes. But when he heard the second sentence, that expression vanished completely, replaced by pure fury.

“Regardless, that's no excuse for hitting someone,” he said coldly. “Let’s see who’s going to pay the price today.”

He grabbed Bonnie and turned to leave, hurling a threat over his shoulder before they vanished.

I didn’t take his words to heart.

Carefully, I untied the silk scarf around my neck and wrapped the broken necklace pieces inside it. But the moment I stepped outside the gate, darkness suddenly engulfed my vision. Someone had slipped a sack over my head from behind and dragged me into a nearby alley.

Thinking I'd encountered muggers, I obediently handed over my handbag.

“All my money is in here,” I said quickly. “You can take it. Just please let me go.”

But they showed no interest in the cash or bank cards inside my bag.

The leader ordered his men to pin me down. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. He didn't stop until he'd delivered ten slaps, leaving my cheeks high and swollen and I finally went limp.

Right before I lost consciousness, I faintly heard him speaking on the phone.

“Job’s done, Mr. Lowe. I’ve sent the video. Exactly ten slaps. Not a single one missing.”

So this wasn't robbery at all. It was the punishment Chris had deliberately arranged for me.

I slapped Bonnie once and he made me pay tenfold.