Since Talia said she wouldn’t arrive for another three days, I had no choice but to stay at the Wilkins family’s mansion. I didn’t want to be here, but I had nowhere else to go.

I thought I would be left alone for those few days. But to my surprise, Suzanne came into my room that very night. She walked in calmly, sat across from me and looked me in the eyes. There was no guilt in her expression. Only coldness remained.

“Alexander,” she called my name in a quiet but firm voice.

After that, she continued to speak, “If you behave and don’t cause any trouble, I promise I’ll divorce you after my company goes public.”

I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

“But at that time,” she said as she kept looking at me in the eyes.

She then spoke, “You’ll have to sign an agreement. I’ll give you one million dollars. After that, you’ll take the money and disappear from my life. Forever.”

Suzanne paused and stared at me like I was a stranger.

“I’m with Gregory Wilkins now. We have children. All of my assets belong to me and the kids I have with him. That’s how it should be.”

Her words felt like a knife to my chest.

I couldn’t help but laugh. It was a bitter, empty laugh. So, this was the woman I had once loved so deeply. The woman I had sacrificed everything for.

Six years ago, I had sold all my assets in the U.S. so that Suzanne could escape. I stayed behind, willing to face an unknown fate because I thought she would keep her promise to come back for me. I remembered clearly how she hugged me tightly before leaving.

After that, Suzanne cried and told me to wait for her, no matter what. She promised she would raise the money to bring me home. But the truth was? She never tried. She never planned to.

Instead, Suzanne returned to the U.S. and quickly got together with Gregory. Their oldest child was already five years old by now. That meant she started her new life with him not long after she returned. She had completely erased me from her life.

It seemed that Suzanne had always seen me as someone weak and useless. I was someone not worth fighting for. The thought really hurt me.

But if it wasn’t for Suzanne, I would have never been in that situation to begin with. I never wanted to go on that trip. It was her idea. And when things went wrong, it was my house I sold to pay for her freedom.

And now she stood before me, offering a small piece of money like I was some beggar.

I looked at her and gave a cold smile.

“Suzanne, I know. I understand.”

It was just three more days. Talia had powerful connections here in the U.S. Once she arrived, everything would change. I just had to be patient.

“Good,” Suzanne said as she pulled out a paper from her bag.

“Sign this, then.”

I looked at the document. It was a divorce agreement. It said that I would receive one million dollars in exchange for giving up all rights to her or her property.

I didn’t hesitate. I took the pen and signed it.

“I’ve signed it. Now, can I leave?” I asked her, my voice calm but full of cold anger.

She narrowed her eyes as she answered, “Of course not. You’ll stay here until the company goes public. Once it’s done, then you can leave.”

After saying this, Suzanne turned around and left the room. I tried to follow her, but the two bodyguards at the door stepped in front of me and blocked the way. There was no chance I could get out.

I stood there for a moment, then sat back down with a sigh. Of course, she wouldn’t let me go. Not yet. I was just a piece in her game. A husband on paper. She needed me to keep quiet until her plans were safe.

I sat in the room alone, thinking about everything I had given up for Suzanne. My youth, my money and my freedom. And in return, I got betrayal.

By nightfall, I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten anything since the afternoon. My stomach growled loudly.

I opened the door and looked at the guards.

“I need to eat,” I said, trying to stay calm.

But they only looked at me without any emotion. One of them shook his head.

“You’re not allowed out,” he said coldly.

I felt my heart go colder than before. Suzanne had put me under house arrest and didn’t even care if I starved. Just as I was about to argue, the door opened again. A man walked in, holding a small basin of food. He smiled politely at me.

Behind him were two children.

They were Suzanne’s kids.

The older boy stared at me with wide eyes. Then, he pointed at me and said loudly, “Dad, is this the bad man who wants to take Mommy away? Is this Mommy’s secret lover?”

I froze. For a moment, I couldn’t speak. Then, I realized who the children were.

Suzanne’s children. Her children with Gregory. The older boy had called me a bad man. His mother’s secret lover. Even the children had been taught to hate me.

My hands clenched into fists and I looked away. This woman had not only betrayed me. She had turned me into a villain in the eyes of her new family.

But it was fine.

The clock was ticking.

In just three days, everything would change.

When I heard the older boy, I looked at him coldly and said, “I’m not your mother’s secret lover. Your father is.”

“You bad guy! Not only do you want to take my mommy away, now you’re saying my daddy is the secret lover!”

“I’ll beat you up!”

He actually rushed at me, throwing a thin little fist toward my chest. I caught his arm and gently pushed him away, but the boy fell to the ground and burst into loud, dramatic sobs.

Gregory’s face twisted with anger.

Without hesitation, he shouted at the bodyguards, “Hold him down!”

The two bodyguards grabbed me and forced me to the ground. Gregory stepped forward and slapped me twice hard. My face stung, but I glared at him with nothing but hatred.

“Alexander,” Gregory called my name in a mocking tone while he was smirking.

He continued, trying to hurt me, “Suzanne and I actually love each other.”

“You think she ever really loved you?”

He scoffed as he kept speaking, “You have no idea, do you? That kidnapping years ago? She planned it with the kidnappers.”

I froze.

“She knew you’d give up everything for her. She used it to trick you. She even took back half the ransom you paid!”

“She built her little empire with your money,” he added, sneering.

“And guess what? She was already pregnant with my child back then.”

My entire body went cold. I … never knew about this. So, all those promises... all those tears... everything was a lie?

Gregory leaned closer, his voice turning cruel as he said, “You probably caught some disease in that filthy place you came from. Honestly, you're probably still alive because you learned to live like a dog.”

“Men like you? You’re only worthy of crawling.”

He grabbed a metal bowl and dumped dry dog food into it right in front of me.

“You don’t deserve real food. You deserve this.”

Then, without warning, he slapped me again and shoved a handful of the dog food into my mouth. I tried to resist, to spit it out. But he gripped my jaw tightly, forcing me to swallow.

“Listen, Suzanne won’t be back for a few days,” Gregory said, brushing off his hands like I was dirt.

“You better stay right here, nice and obedient.”

“And this,” he kicked the bowl toward me.

As he directed the bowl to my face, he continued, “This is all you’re getting to eat.”

The older boy watched me from the corner, giggling when he saw what his father had done.

“He’s a puppy! A dirty puppy no one wants!”

He skipped over to me and stomped on my face with his small foot before laughing and running off.

Gregory stayed a moment longer, towering over me.

“What? Can’t handle it?” he asked mockingly.

He continued, “I’m sure you’re used to this by now. You survived all those years like a mutt, didn’t you?”

“Hell, they probably released you because you were too sick to keep.”

I didn’t respond. I just stared at him, burning with silent fury. He gave me one last smug smile, then turned and walked away.

Again, I had to be patient. Besides, I would ruin their lives forever. I just had to wait.

After the bodyguards shut the door behind them, I waited until their footsteps faded. Then, I quietly pulled out my hidden phone. Without further ado, I dialed a familiar number.

“Talia,” I said in a low voice, trying to keep my tone steady.

“They’re not giving me any food. Gregory’s ... he’s feeding me dog food.”

Over the years, I had served Talia faithfully. She had rewarded me with power, money and a life of luxury. I’d never been humiliated like this. I was never starved, never beaten and never treated like an animal.

On the other end of the line, Talia’s voice was like ice as she responded, “After tonight, I’ll come to you myself. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they’ll regret what they’ve done to you.”

I could hear the fury in her words. For the first time in days, a flicker of hope sparked in my chest. To be honest, it felt relieving to have someone who had my back like her.

After hanging up, I quickly hid the phone again. That phone was my lifeline now. It was the only thing keeping me tethered to the outside world.

Indeed, I didn’t call the police. After all, I knew it would be useless. Even if I reported what was happening, Suzanne would find a way to twist the truth. She would claim that I had lost my mind from trauma. Or she could say that I was dangerous, unstable.

In fact, she might even have me institutionalized. And once the police left, I knew things would only get worse. So, I stayed quiet.

I was starving, aching and humiliated. Nevertheless, I endured all of it. Eventually, I passed out from exhaustion.

The next morning, the sound of heels clicking on the floor jolted me awake. The door opened and Suzanne stormed in. Before I could speak, her hand cracked across my face.

“Alexander, I didn’t expect you to be such a cruel man!” she screamed.

“How dare you hit my son?”

“I didn’t save you and now you’re taking it out on a child? You’re disgusting!”

She slapped me again, harder this time. Blood filled my mouth as I bit down on the inside of my cheek. I pushed her away. Gently, but firmly. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I couldn’t just sit there and take it.

She stumbled back, then immediately shouted at the bodyguards behind her, “Hold him down! Now!”

They rushed forward and slammed me to the floor.

Suzanne didn’t hesitate. She kicked me hard in the stomach, the sharp point of her high heel digging into my side. Pain exploded through me. I couldn’t help but let out a groan as I curled into myself.

Still, Suzanne didn’t stop. Her fists rained down, mixed with more kicks. Her rage was surely blinding her. All I could do was grit my teeth and endure it.

At the door, the little boy clapped and laughed.

“Yay! That’s right, Mom! Beat the dog until it cries!”

“Mom is amazing! You’re the best!”

“Alexander,” Suzanne called my name as she hissed, yanking my hair back so I had to look up at her.

“Touch my son again and I will kill you.”

I stared at her, my chest heaving. The woman I once gave everything to ... this was who she truly was. To be honest, I couldn’t believe how big of an idiot I was. After all, I had sacrificed it all. My future, my freedom, my life … just for her. And this was what I got in return.

“Mom, I wanna hit him again!” the boy shouted.

“Kill him! Kill him now!”

Suzanne turned to him with a warm smile as she said, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Mommy will take care of it. Daddy will make sure this filthy dog learns his place.”

She then raised her arm again. I struggled beneath the weight of the guards, desperate to move, to breathe. Unfortunately for me, they held me down too tightly. I couldn’t even lift my head. Even the kidnappers hadn’t beaten me this badly.

Just when I thought it was the end, just when I thought Suzanne was about to finish me off, Gregory’s voice rang out from outside the room. His voice was full of shock and panic. It was then I knew one thing.

My angel had come to my rescue!

“Who are you? Why did you do to my right-hand man? You’ll regret it!”

That voice. It cut through the chaos like a blade. I knew instantly.

Talia was here!