My wife, Rosalie Maynard, gets reported to the authorities for embezzling her company's funds just to please her childhood friend, Ralph Osborne, by placing a high-stakes winning bid at an auction house. I'm the one who help clear all of her debts and receive the three-year prison sentence on her behalf.

Rosalie promises me that she will cut off all ties with Ralph and stay devoted to me. But throughout my three-year sentence, she never visits me at the prison.

On the day I get released from prison, I bump into Rosalie at the hospital, who has just given birth to a baby.

As she plays with the newborn in the crook of her arm, she tells the others, "Vernon is about to get released from prison. The news of me giving birth must never get out. Otherwise, he'll definitely start a fight with me."

I find it absolutely ironic, honestly. Not even a three-year prison sentence can make a woman, who's never been in love with me in the first place, miraculously fall for me.

This time, I don't bother making a ruckus. Instead, I choose to disappear from Rosalie's world entirely.

Rosalie's best friend, Eva Lyon, said with a face full of worry, "Rosalie, you can't keep something like this under wraps forever. Vernon is bound to find out about the baby sooner or later."

Rosalie gently stroked the baby's cheek, utterly aglow with maternal tenderness. However, the words that came out of her mouth were ice-cold.

"So what if he finds out? Even if he finds out, what can he do? He loves me so much that he even went to prison for me, so surely he can accept a mere baby. The only thing I'm worried about is him losing it and kicking up a fuss the moment he finds out."

A chill swept through my entire body.

She was right. I'd been madly in love with her. I'd been so in love with her that when she was reported because of another man, I willingly served a three-year prison sentence in her place. I wanted to spare her from suffering.

Looking back now, it was nothing short of laughable.

The worry on Eva's face instantly dissipated. "True, he was your devoted lapdog for so many years."

Yet a moment later, something seemed to cross her mind, and concern washed over her features once more.

"Then, what about you and Ralph? You promised to marry him!"

Just then, Ralph came out of the bathroom and fixed Rosalie with a look of hurt.

"Rosalie, are you abandoning me?"

Rosalie's heart instantly ached for him. She gently stroked Ralph's head and said softly, "I would never do that. You're the one I love the most. Once Vernon gets out of prison, I'll divorce him."

It was only then that Ralph calmed down. He lightly kissed Rosalie on the lips, drawing a chorus of sighs from the others present.

"Who could resist that? He's like a heartbroken puppy."

"Rosalie, I finally understand why you're willing to do anything for him."

I stood frozen, completely at a loss to know what to do.

Rosalie had once said the exact same thing to me—that I was the one she loved the most in this life.

When I was at my lowest and had nothing, she never left my side. From that moment on, I swore I'd give her a good life and protect her with my life.

I did make good on that promise. However, somewhere along the way, her feelings changed.

I didn't understand how she could just stop loving me.

What was I supposed to do? Should I storm in and make a scene? Or should I simply turn away and act as if nothing had happened?

Holding on to the last sliver of hope, I gave her a call.

Inside the hospital room, Rosalie glanced at her phone, then shut it off with undisguised disgust in her eyes.

Eva, who was standing beside her, saw the caller ID and said with a smile, "Why aren't you answering?"

Rosalie looked at Ralph adoringly. "You saw how jealous he got just moments ago. Vernon must be out of prison. He probably wants me to pick him up. How can I go get him like this? I'll tell him I'm on a business trip abroad, and that'll be enough to brush him off."

Ralph hugged Rosalie with a face full of smug satisfaction. This elicited another round of sighs from her friends nearby.

Rosalie suddenly said with earnest seriousness, "The person I've always loved is Ralph. If it weren't for the overwhelming public pressure back then when Vernon nearly died saving me, I would never have denigrated myself by being with him for so many years."

I walked out of the hospital in a daze and was suddenly stopped by a familiar voice.

"Vernon, is that you?"

It was one of Rosalie's friends, Harriet Kramer. A flash of astonishment crossed her face as she looked at me.

"When did you get out of prison? What are you doing here at the hospital?"

Though her voice was very soft, it still drew disdainful looks from passersby. However, at this moment, I couldn't care less about any of that.

Just then, my phone rang. Rosalie was calling.

"Vernon, are you out of prison?" she asked in a calm voice.

"Yeah, I'm out," I replied quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me in advance so I could come pick you up? Harriet just said she ran into you at the hospital entrance. What are you doing at the hospital?"

A hint of panic crept into her tone on the other end of the line.

I couldn't help but sneer inwardly. However, instead of exposing her, I simply replied flatly, "I wasn't feeling well."

Even through the phone, I could sense her relief on the other end.

"Then, go home and wait for me first. I'll come back once I'm done."

I felt as if I'd been plunged into an icy abyss.

Once, she would've been beside herself with worry even if I just coughed. Now, she didn't care at all.

I stood at the entrance of the villa. The housekeeper, Gretchen Fuller, was about to shoo me away. She only stopped when she recognized who I was.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Trevino, I didn't recognize you just now. I thought you were a beggar coming to ask for food."

I shook my head bitterly. My appearance had indeed changed a lot over the past three years.

However, just as I was about to enter, Gretchen blocked my way.

"I need to make a call to Mrs. Trevino."

I was baffled. Since when did I need someone else's permission to enter a house I paid for myself?

I ignored her and walked straight in.

She suddenly raised her voice and loudly rebuked me, "I'm just doing my job! Can you please show some respect for my profession?"

I was the one who'd hired Gretchen back then. She found herself unemployed when she became middle-aged, so she was deeply grateful to me.

However, now, like Rosalie, she had a change of heart too.

I swallowed the lump of bitterness in my throat and came to a halt.

It was then that Rosalie and Ralph returned together. Ralph's eyes gleamed with provocation the instant he laid eyes on me.

"You shouldn't blame Gretchen. After all, you just got out of prison."

The fury I'd been holding back erupted all at once. I grabbed him by the collar and roared, "If you hadn't been chasing thrills back then and insisted she bid past her limit at the auction, would she ever have resorted to embezzling company funds?

"And now you've stolen her from me too. What gives you the right?"

Seeing this, Rosalie slapped me hard across the face.

"Vernon, what madness is this? Back then, I was the one who insisted on bidding past my limit for Ralph. It had nothing to do with him!"

A searing pain spread across my face as I stood there, stunned.

Back then, she'd cried pitifully before me, saying she didn't want to go to prison. She also promised that she would cut off all contact with Ralph from then on.

I couldn't bear to see her go to prison, so I took all the blame for her. After throwing away three years of my prime, this was all I got in return.

I looked at Rosalie. My eyes were filled with unwillingness to accept it at all.

"Rosalie, don't you have anything to explain to me? Back then, you said you'd cut off all contact with Ralph, but now you even have a child with him."

Rosalie's face paled for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Since you already know, there's no point hiding it from you anymore. Ralph and I are indeed together."

As she spoke, she intimately linked her arm with Ralph's. She seemed utterly indifferent to the fact that I was standing right in front of them.

I felt as if my heart were being torn apart.

"Rosalie, do you have even a shred of a conscience?" I roared.

Rosalie glanced at her watch and said impatiently, "None of this matters now. I need to feed our baby, Harper Osborne, now."

Just then, someone brought Harper back.

The sight of the three of them looking like a happy family made my heart go cold.

As if suddenly remembering something, Rosalie turned back to ask me with concern, "You're not feeling well, right? You look so pale. I'll have Gretchen make you some chicken soup later to build up your immunity."

Her sudden concern made everything feel so surreal, as if everything that had just happened was a cruel prank she'd played on me. However, her next words instantly shattered all my unrealistic illusions.

"Ralph and I have thought it over. Since you served three years in prison on my behalf, you can keep living in this house. As long as you do a bit of housework here and there, we won't kick you out."

Ralph chimed in from the side with feigned sincerity, "We're only looking out for you. Given your criminal record, you won't be able to find a job. So, tell me, how would you support yourself?"

I stared fixedly at their hypocritical faces. My nails were digging deep into my palms. However, even that sting was nothing compared to a sliver of the dull, crushing pain inside me.

I'd once believed that serving that prison sentence would buy me a lifetime with Rosalie. Only now did I realize I was nothing more than a complete and utter joke.

The raging fury in my chest made my vision swim, and I nearly fainted.

Rosalie noticed something was wrong with me and had someone help me into the villa.

It was only upon entering the villa that I realized the warm home I once knew had long since changed. It was beyond recognition. There wasn't a single trace of my life left inside.

On the living room wall, where framed wedding photos of Rosalie and me had once hung, were now photos of Rosalie and Ralph.

Just as I was about to sit down, Gretchen rushed over at top speed and placed a cleaning rag on the couch cushion.

"This couch is made from top-grain leather. It'd be a shame if it got ruined."

As I watched Gretchen's cautious behavior, I suddenly found it incredibly ironic.

Once, every piece of furniture in this villa had been carefully selected by Rosalie and me. Back then, she always said this place had to be filled with the memories of our love.

Now, even sitting on the couch was considered a form of damage.

Suppressing the piercing pain in my heart, I stood up and laughed coldly, sweeping my gaze across this home that no longer belonged to me.

"You know what? It's fine. I won't be staying here."

My voice was so calm that it even surprised me.

Rosalie frowned. A flicker of displeasure flashed in her eyes.

"Vernon, don't be so ungrateful. Everyone knows you've been to prison, so where else can you even go? At least if you stay here, you won't go hungry."

With a smug smile, Ralph echoed from the side, "Yeah, Rosalie is just being kind. Don't be so stubborn."