"William, that’s my father—you can’t do this to him!"

Pain burned behind my eyes, my voice hoarse with despair.

Four years of dating. Eight years of marriage.

Twelve years… gone.

In the end, love faded. Hearts drifted apart.

William grabbed my chin, forcing my head up. His face was dark, cold.

"Where the hell are you hiding Flora Slater?" he growled.

I wanted to fight back, but his men surrounded me.

Swallowing my sobs, I shut my eyes against the pain.

Because of my recklessness, my parents had already lost everything they'd worked their whole lives to build.

I couldn’t let them lose their dignity too.

I bit my lip, locked eyes with him.

"Let my parents go. Promise me you won’t hurt them again, and I’ll tell you where she is."

He waved his hand, signaling the bodyguards to release them.

Just as I dared to breathe again—

His hand shot out, clamping around my throat. He lifted me off the ground like I weighed nothing.

Suffocation wrapped around me like ice.

I instinctively kicked and struggled, and then I heard his voice—merciless and venomous.

"Kara, have I been too fucking nice to you?"

"You really think I’m that easy to deal with?"

"I could find Flora in minutes. Who the hell do you think you are, bargaining with me?"

"Crushing you would be as simple as stepping on an ant. Do you understand that?"

Terror and hopelessness clawed at my chest.

I stared at him, tears slipping down my cheeks without permission.

Even through the fear, I forced the words out:

"You still can’t hurt my parents."

"They’re my family!"

Something snapped in him. His face twisted, darkened even more.

His grip tightened until I thought he’d actually kill me.

But just when I felt my consciousness fading—

He let go.

I dropped to the floor, gasping for breath, my whole body trembling uncontrollably.

In that single, brutal moment, every memory of William surged through my mind—

The love, the laughter, the tenderness.

All of it shattered into shards and stabbed straight into my heart.

I broke.

I sobbed, broken by a love that had died without warning.

By a marriage that had turned into a prison.

By the version of myself who had given up her pride just to hold onto what was already gone.

William stood there, expressionless, the air around him pulsing with rage.

He stalked forward, grabbed my chin again, and forced me to look at him.

"Tell me. Where the fuck is Flora?"

His tone was savage—like if I didn’t answer, something even worse was coming.

"Uldoria City. She’s in Uldoria City," I whispered.

At that, his fury shifted into something else—calculated, victorious.

He turned on his heel and left, his men following close behind.

And I knew.

From this moment on, William was no longer my husband.

No matter how deeply I loved him, I would rip him from my heart.

Even if it meant losing a piece of myself,

I would do it—without hesitation.

"Kara, are you okay?"

Sophia held me tightly in her arms, her voice trembling with sobs.

I shook my head as tears streamed down my face, guilt consuming me.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... Mom, Dad... If it weren’t for me, the family wouldn’t have ended up like this... none of this would’ve happened to you..."

Oscar wrapped both Sophia and me into his arms. His voice, old and hoarse, trembled with emotion.

"It's not your fault. Our Kara has suffered enough."

I wiped away my tears, my voice resolute.

"Mom, Dad... I’m going to divorce William."

"Good," they said. "Nothing matters more than your happiness."

William and I met in college.

It was love at first sight for me.

I chased him relentlessly until I finally won him over.

We got married right after graduation—rushed into it, really.

Only after we registered the marriage did I learn who he truly was.

The eldest son of the Rutherford family.

If he hadn’t told me, I would’ve never guessed.

He dressed plainly—so plain, it bordered on shabby.

What kind of rich heir dresses like that?

Later, he explained,

"I didn’t want someone to fall for my money instead of who I am."

And I, naïvely, felt lucky that I’d fallen for his looks instead.

But I never once stopped to ask—

What about me? What did he love about me?

He didn’t hesitate to spit cruel words when I caught him cheating:

"Kara, why are you being so unreasonable?"

"You’re a thirty-year-old woman. How can you compare to a girl in her early twenties?"

"You’re not as young, not as pretty, not as hot."

"Should I be messing around with you instead of them?"

His words turned my world into ice.

Had he forgotten?

It was him—

With red eyes, begging me to love him more.

Saying,

"Kara, my parents never taught me how to love."

"I don’t know what love is. Please... teach me."

"I want to love you properly."

He even said,

"My sense of right and wrong was shattered by my parents long ago.

You’re the only one who’s ever shown me what love really means."

William was deeply insecure because of his upbringing.

So I said I love you again and again, into his ear, into his heart.

No matter how many times he doubted me, I reassured him.

I forgave him, time and again.

I held him through the dark until he fell asleep in my arms.

I thought we’d grow old together.

But then, he blindsided me—

with a mistress.

Flora Slater. Twenty years old. A junior in college.

The first time I met her was about six months ago.

William had been taken to the police station for a bar fight.

I went to bail him out.

He was furious, seething—until he saw me.

The anger vanished in an instant.

He quietly followed me, handled everything, just like that.

As we were leaving, a girl in a bar uniform ran up to him, full of gratitude.

"Sir, I don’t know what would’ve happened if it weren’t for you. Thank you so much."

"If there’s ever anything I can do to repay you, just say the word."

I paused, confused, and glanced at William.

He looked annoyed.

"Get a new job already," he said flatly.

She hesitated, looking embarrassed.

"I... I can’t. This job pays well..."

William smirked at her.

"Is that so?"

That girl was Flora.

Back then, I wondered why he’d go out of his way to help a stranger.

He brushed it off, saying,

"She reminded me of you at twenty. That’s all."

I didn’t think much of it—until he started bringing her to every party.

Until he began kissing her, holding her, without shame.

And suddenly, I understood the meaning behind that smirk.

He’d fallen for her that day.

I cried. I screamed.

But all he said was,

"Kara, why are you acting like this? Didn’t I love you just as much when you were twenty?"

And in that moment, I finally understood his version of love.

He loved girls in their twenties.

And I was no longer one of them.

I wanted a divorce.

But fate has its own cruel timing.

After years of trying, I’d never been able to get pregnant.

And just when I found out about his affair... I learned I was pregnant.

For the sake of the child—for the twelve years we had—I decided to give him another chance.

If he’d just come back to me, I was willing to forgive him.

So, I arranged for a few people to send Flora away—hid her in Uldoria City.

But the outcome was clear.

William, for Flora, destroyed everything my father Oscar had built in a lifetime.

For her, he humiliated my parents.

Twelve years of love, and he didn’t hesitate to throw it all away.

I lost. Completely. Utterly.

Thanks to Flora’s compulsive need to share everything, I saw her update on Instagram:

“The man I love—my knight in shining armor—has come to rescue me~~~”

Back then, I added her on a whim, never expecting she’d accept the request.

I could only let out a bitter smile.

Taking advantage of the moment, I contacted a lawyer to discuss divorce.

But the moment they heard the name William, not a single one was willing to take my case.

I knew why—they didn’t dare offend the Rutherford family. And if they feared them, they wouldn’t touch me.

I was once a top graduate from a prestigious university.

But after marrying William, everyone around me whispered in disbelief: How could the Rutherfords allow William to marry the daughter of a small company owner?

I knew how hard William had fought for our marriage.

Even now, the scars on his back still bear witness to the whippings he endured, all because he stubbornly insisted on marrying me.

The other branches of the Rutherford family were always circling like vultures, eyeing the business. William often worked through the night, trying to hold his ground.

He traveled constantly, flying in and out of the country, and once, he even collapsed from exhaustion—vomiting blood before fainting.

My heart ached for him, but I was powerless to help.

So I swallowed my pride, smoothed out my temper, and tried my best to become Mrs. Rutherford.

Day after day, I attended the social gatherings of the elite wives, trying to build connections, trying to gather useful information from their gossip.

Now that I need help, I don’t even know who I can turn to.

But given how deeply William adores Flora, I’m sure the divorce will go smoothly.

I went home and sorted through my belongings.

I packed a few frequently worn clothes and important documents. The rest, I left untouched.

Then I waited for William to come home.

Maybe it was because of the pregnancy, but I dozed off while waiting.

I didn’t wake until hunger gnawed at my stomach.

The room was pitch dark.

I was still disoriented when I heard the maid calling me for dinner.

After eating, I realized William still hadn’t returned.

I opened Flora’s Instagram again.

There it was—William, one hand pulling a suitcase, the other holding hers.

She was beaming.

“Off to have some fun!” she wrote cheerfully.

So he wouldn’t be back any time soon.

The next day, I went to the hospital and terminated the pregnancy.

The love was gone—there was no reason to carry William’s child any longer.

There would always be women lining up to bear his children, as long as he wanted them.

I signed the papers alone.

I went through the procedure alone.

And just like that, it was over.

By the time I had mostly recovered, they were due to return.

I put on my makeup carefully and drove out to meet them.

Thanks to Flora’s obsessive posting, I had their entire itinerary.

They went bungee jumping, saw the Northern Lights, even skydived.

Of course, everything feels different when you're with someone young.

He even seemed younger himself—doing things he never dared try before.

When William finally appeared, his face was expressionless.

Flora clung to his arm, chatting nonstop.

She walked with a spring in her step, her face lit up with a dazzling smile.

“William, let’s go again next time, okay? Maybe on your birthday? It’ll be our first time spending it together since we—”

“William!”

I raised my right hand and waved, calling out loudly.

Flora didn’t seem to hear me—she kept talking like I didn’t exist.

William paused, a subtle frown forming between his brows.

He instinctively pulled Flora behind him.

In that instant, I felt like I was some kind of monster.

But I was the one who should be afraid.

After all, just two weeks ago, he’d nearly strangled me for this woman.

I remember it vividly.

Flora, facing me, still looked flustered.

She shrank behind William like a frightened little ostrich.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

William’s tone was ice-cold, laced with venom.

I gave him a soft smile. “I came to pick you up.”

He stared at me, brows furrowed, clearly suspicious.

“What kind of stunt are you trying to pull now?”