Tonight, Elise had only planned to drive around and clear her head, to seriously consider whether she should leave. But fate had already made the decision for her—it had taken her away completely.

Two staff members carried in an enormous bouquet of 999 roses. Kimberly’s face finally broke into a smile.

“Oh my! Drew, what made you think of giving me this?”

Andrew’s lips curled into a soft smile. “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman—only you are worthy of them.”

Kimberly shyly glanced at him and spoke hesitantly, “But if you’re giving me roses, what about Elise…”

Andrew cast a quick glance at his phone, still devoid of notifications, his face darkening.

“Why bring up someone so unpleasant?” He scoffed. “That sharp-tongued, venomous woman—being with her every day disgusts me.”

Elise’s soul trembled with pain so deep that her very essence seemed to shatter.

The two drank heavily during dinner, the strong alcohol eventually taking its toll. In the end, Andrew carried Kimberly to the hotel bed and gently laid her down.

As he turned to leave, Kimberly drunkenly grabbed his hand. “Drew, don’t go… I’ve missed you so much.”

Andrew froze mid-step, his deep eyes fixed on the drunken Kimberly.

Kimberly appeared to regain a sliver of clarity, closing her eyes as a single tear slid down her cheek.

“No, you should leave. You’re Elise’s husband now. If she finds out…”

Andrew leaned abruptly, his thin lips capturing hers in a harsh kiss. His sultry, raspy voice echoed beside her ear, “You're pushing me toward someone else?”

“What is Elise to me? Do you think I’m still the weak, powerless dog I was eight years ago, forced to endure humiliation?”

“I, Andrew Williams, hate nothing more than being threatened.”

A flicker of triumph flashed in Kimberly’s eyes, though her words were those of refusal.

“Drew, don’t… Elise is your wife…”

Andrew silenced her with another kiss, leaving her no room for protest—only muffled gasps and moans filled the room.

The two indulged in passion through the night, while Elise could only face the wall, covering her ears as she endured the torment of listening to her husband making love for another woman.

The summer rain poured down relentlessly, drowning out the sultry sounds from inside.

Elise couldn’t pinpoint when her relationship with Andrew had devolved into nothing but suspicion and disdain.

Just over a month ago, Andrew came home drunk after another business meeting.

His assistant had frantically called her, saying Andrew was demanding to see her.

Flattered and surprised, Elise braved a raging storm and drove over two hours to pick him up.

In the dark hotel room, Andrew kissed her feverishly, his motions urgent and forceful.

He was clearly heavily intoxicated, as though he wanted to consume her entirely.

“Ly…” he murmured repeatedly, his voice soft and hoarse.

At the time, Elise naively thought he was expressing concern for her driving through the storm to see him.

Blushing, she told him, “As long as it’s for you, it’s worth it.”

It turned out he was calling Kimberly, and not her.

The person Andrew longed to see was never her. It had always been his one true love, Kimberly.

Elise had never realized she had become someone else’s substitute.

That night had led to her pregnancy.

Despite the bitterness, Elise tried to find solace in her misery. In a twisted sense, she even felt relieved that the child hadn’t come into the world.

If it had, knowing the truth, she wouldn’t have been able to love the child at all.

The next morning, Andrew was rudely awakened by a call from Elise's mother.

Sliding his arm out from under Kimberly’s sleeping form, he tiptoed to the living room and answered with a tone full of irritation, “Mrs. Watson, what instructions do you have for me this time?”

“Has Elise come running back to you with complaints again, asking you to pressure me?”

“This is between her and me. I’d advise you not to interfere too much.”

Elise’s tears flowed uncontrollably, her heart torn apart by a torrent of pain and regret. She had never known how rude and domineering Andrew was toward her family in private. He didn’t even bother addressing her mother as “Mom.”

Back when the Williams family faced bankruptcy, Andrew had hit roadblocks everywhere while seeking help.

Unable to bear seeing someone so proud fall into the mud, Elise had sold off the antique jewelry her grandmother left her to provide him with startup funds. She even begged her father to support Andrew in the business world.

It was only with her family’s help that the VeroVance Enterprises was saved from the brink of collapse.

After the company recovered, Andrew confessed his love to her.

Elise would never forget that day—it was the happiest day of her relationship with him.

One surprise after another unfolded on the lavender field stretching to the horizon in romantic Provence. The air was filled with pink, dreamy sweetness.

Andrew knelt on one knee, presenting the most expensive ring he could afford, and confessed his feelings.

Under the azure sky, his gaze was sincere and passionate, his vows heartfelt and full of emotion.

It was the most earnest and well-planned gesture Andrew had ever made. He had spent a long time preparing for this confession.

However, when Elise returned home, her mother poured cold water over her joy.

Her mother warned her that Andrew’s eyes harbored calculation more than love. But Elise, completely infatuated, had already lost her sense of reason. She believed she could make Andrew truly fall in love with her over time.

Yet, as Andrew overcame the toughest years and his company grew larger, the hidden cracks in their relationship began to surface.

Andrew moved the company’s headquarters from Chicago to Los Angeles and threatened to divorce her if she didn’t come with him.

Her parents were livid, accusing Andrew of ingratitude, but Elise, blinded by years of his occasional tenderness, stubbornly followed him.

As Andrew gained more power, he became intolerant of any mention of how her father had once supported him. After arriving in Los Angeles, he even forbade her from bringing up her father in front of others.

Elise consoled herself, believing this was just Andrew’s way of proving his capabilities, dismissing any advice from others.

She was convinced that Andrew would eventually come to love her.

But she clearly failed. Before she could even file for divorce, her parents were forced to bury their daughter.

Elise wept with heart-wrenching anguish, repeatedly lamenting her regret. But her mother could no longer hear her.

Her mother, already full of pent-up grievances, cried out in fury, “Andrew, do you even have a heart? Elise is dead! Where were you, her husband, when it happened?”

“The police said the last call she made was to you. Why didn’t you come to see her one last time?!”

“She loved you so much, and this is how you repay her?!”

Andrew froze, his frown deepening. His voice, still tinged with morning gruffness, grew icy enough to chill to the bone.

“Mrs. Watson, Elise’s tantrums are one thing, but are you, at your age, also going to stoop to lying and stirring up trouble?”

“Your Watson family really is rotten to the core, top to bottom.”

“Out of respect for your age, I won’t argue with you. But please relay this message to Elise. if she wants to make a scene, I, Andrew Williams, am more than happy to play along!”

“She better not come crawling back to beg for reconciliation!” Andre roared at the screen.

Elise trembled with fury, unable to imagine how devastated and enraged her mother must be hearing such callous words after just losing her only daughter.

Overwhelmed by anger, she stepped forward and tried to slap Andrew, but her hand passed straight through his body.

Hatred surged within Elise—for her indecisiveness in life and her helplessness in death.

The other end of the call remained silent, but Andrew didn’t hang up.

“Drew, who’s on the phone?” Kimberly’s coquettish voice drifted from the bedroom.

Elise’s mother, trembling with rage, shouted into the phone, “Andrew, my daughter’s body isn’t even cold yet, and you… you’re already fooling around with your mistress?!”

Her accusation ignited Andrew’s fury. “Mrs. Watson, who are you calling a mistress?!”

“If it weren’t for your daughter’s scheming, Kim and I would have been the rightful pair! Your daughter is the one who used dirty tricks to force away the true partner, shamelessly climbing her way to the top as the real mistress!”

With that, Andrew hung up, wrapping his arms around Kimberly and returning to bed.

Elise stood frozen, her feet feeling like they were weighed down with lead.

So, in Andrew’s eyes, she was the mistress all along.

She let out a bitter laugh. How patient he must have been, enduring all these years for the sake of his company.

When Andrew returned to the bedroom, Kimberly’s expression shifted from joy to hesitation, then to deep regret. Her eyes filled with tears as she murmured, “Drew, about last night…”

She lowered her gaze, her demeanor full of guilt as if she had committed an unforgivable sin. “What we did was wrong. Elise is your wife. I can’t be the one to ruin your marriage.”

“Drew, from now on… let’s not see each other again.”

Her last words seemed to sap all her strength. She avoided Andrew’s gaze, tears streaming down her face as she turned to run.

Andrew caught her around the waist, holding her tightly. “Kim, don’t go!”

“You know you’re the one I consider my wife. Elise? She’s nothing compared to you—not even a single strand of your hair.”

Kimberly stayed in his embrace, her back turned to him, and softly chided, “Don’t talk about Elise like that! No matter what, she’s still our benefactor…”

The word “benefactor” slipped from her lips reluctantly, each syllable laden with humiliation and helplessness, as if she had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Andrew’s expression darkened instantly, his tone icy and cutting, “So what if she has money? In front of me, Elise is nothing but a dog, wagging her tail at my feet for a single smile.”

“This time, she’s caused such a scene—I can’t wait to see how she’ll clean up the mess! Mrs. Watson must be senile to go along with such blatant lies. Does she not fear her words might come true, that her daughter might really die?”

“If Elise doesn’t kneel and apologize to me this time, I’ll divorce that insufferable woman.”

Every word from Andrew’s mouth was a blade slicing through Elise’s heart, leaving her gasping for air, hunched over in pain.

Eight years of marriage—five years of tenderness followed by three years of distrust and contempt. No matter how Andrew treated her, Elise had never wavered.

She had poured everything she had into loving him.

But in the end, all she got in return was his relentless insults and degradation, as though he couldn’t wait to grind her into the dirt.

Biting her trembling lower lip, Elise stared at the man she had loved for most of her life.