I returned to the villa and packed up everything related to Zane. Precious jewelry, luxury goods, stuffed animals, and photos of us as a couple—I burned them all. But when I saw a glass bottle, I paused.

Inside was a letter Zane had written when he was 17. It was his wish for the future.

I had read it many times before. But today, as I held the thin piece of paper in my hands, I still couldn't help unfurling and reading it one last time.

The paper had yellowed, but the handwriting was still clear. 17-year-old Zane had written with free-flowing and confident strokes.

"To Zane, ten years from now.

"Zane, by now, you must have married Raina, right? I'm so jealous of you. You'd better treat my wife right, old man! Remember to cook her something different every day. Raina doesn't like to eat breakfast.

"When you give her gifts, make them by hand. What she values most is your sincerity. Keep her warm—she hates the cold. And another thing—you're not allowed to pressure her into having kids. Raina can't handle being in pain.

"I've already promised her we wouldn't have children in the future. Just having her is enough for me…"

At the very end of the letter, I noticed a line I had never paid attention to before. 17-year-old Zane had written it for me.

"Raina, if 27-year-old me doesn't treat you right, leave me. Never forgive me."

A fat tear rolled down my cheek and dripped heavily onto that line. With a bitter smile and a nod, I whispered, "Okay."

Then, I threw the letter into the fire. Tiny sparks burst out as the flames rose higher and higher.

Night had fallen by the time Zane returned with Moira. She was glowing with enthusiasm as she piled large bags of luxury brand items in front of me, saying they were gifts for me.

Seeing this, Zane looked at Moira approvingly. But when he noticed my indifferent response, he joined in and tried to please me.

"Look, Raina. Moira's actually quite considerate. She picked all these out just for you. If you don't like them, just tell me what you want, and I'll get them for you. Okay?"

Moira gently interjected before Zane could finish. "It's okay, Mr. Wade. Besides these, I also prepared another gift for Mrs. Wade. She's sure to love it!"

As she spoke, she handed me an envelope containing a document. I was stunned. Without needing to guess, I already knew it contained the divorce agreement.

I reached out to take it from Moira, but it didn't budge from her hand.

Moira didn't let go. In front of Zane, she looked at me and said in a deliberate tone, "You haven't forgotten what you promised me, right?"

"What promise?" Zane asked.

He looked puzzled as he turned to me and searched my face.

My heart clenched nervously under his sharp gaze. I quickly nodded and grabbed the agreement. "No, I'll keep my word."

Zane's gaze grew even more suspicious. He looked as though he was going to step forward to look at the agreement.

Perhaps sensing this, Moira smiled smugly. I watched as she turned to Zane and said, "Mr. Wade, Mrs. Wade promised to take care of my child after I leave. So, I prepared this little gift for her. You don't mind, do you?"

"Mind? Of course not," Zane replied.

His eyes had lit up upon hearing this. Smiling, he planted a kiss on my lips. Then, he said, "This is great, Raina! You've finally come around. I knew you've always been sensible."

Zane was so happy that he lifted me and spun me around in place several times. This caused a flicker of jealousy to flash through Moira's eyes as she stood to the side.

Perhaps her jealous gaze was too obvious. Zane put me down. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Raina, Moira is craving pheasant stew. Yours is the best. Could you make some for her?"

The joy I felt from having the signed divorce agreement in hand instantly vanished. It was drowned by the absurdity and biting irony of the situation.

So, what was I to Zane in the end? His lover, his wife—or just Moira's caretaker while she was pregnant?

But then, I ultimately thought of how I'd soon be free and didn't want anything to go wrong. Despite being physically and mentally exhausted, I nodded.

"Fine, I'll make it for her," I said.

As soon as I returned to the bedroom, I opened the envelope. When I saw Zane's signature on the divorce papers, I suddenly smiled.

After signing the agreement and safely stashing it away, I went downstairs to the kitchen. Once I had prepared the stew as promised, I instructed a maid to bring it to Moira.

But not long after, I was startled by Moira's sudden, piercing scream. Footsteps pounded down the corridor, followed by Zane's furious shouting. I hurriedly threw on a robe and opened the door.

Then, I heard Moira shout, "Ah! My stomach hurts! The stew… It was the stew!"

At those words, I met Zane's cold, icy stare. Then, I watched as he scooped Moira into his arms with a furious expression and dashed downstairs.

There had been a large patch of bright red blood on Moira's nightgown. By the time I realized it was a sign of miscarriage, I could only stand there, utterly stunned.

I watched as Zane rushed out the door carrying Moira in his arms. He was yelling for the driver while gently comforting her.

"Don't be scared. I'll get you to the hospital right away."

My voice trembled as I instinctively called out, "Zane."

At last, he turned back. When he saw me standing at the door, looking frail and frightened, he looked torn and anxious.

"Rai—"

"It hurts so much, Mr. Wade. It really hurts. I don't want to give birth anymore. I don't want the 20 million, okay?" Moira interrupted.

Zane's steps unconsciously faltered, but her renewed cries of pain jolted him back to focus.

"I'm begging you, Mr. Wade. I really don't want to have this baby anymore."

As Moira cried out in pain again, Zane's torn expression turned cold.

"Raina, promise me you'll wait for me to come back and won't go anywhere. You know—no matter where you run, I'll always find you," he stated.

I didn't leave. But in the end, Zane, still worried, had his bodyguards bring me along to the hospital.

Standing in the corner outside the operating room, I watched as Zane pounded against the wall anxiously with clenched fists. Eventually, he broke down completely. Tears streamed down his face.

He had always been a staunch atheist, but he dropped to his knees with a loud thud and began pleading with the heavens.

"I don't believe in a higher being, but I don't care who's listening. If you can save Moira and the baby, I'll donate funds to build churches. A hundred—even a thousand of them! Just save them, I'm begging you…"

Zane prayed so sincerely. Yet, the rosary he was clutching in his hand was a blessing I had earned for him after climbing 999 steps on my knees in one night.

My heart sank silently into a bottomless abyss as he occasionally glared at me icily. Fortunately, Moira was fine and was eventually transferred to a regular ward.

I sighed in relief. But as I turned, I caught Zane's conversation with the doctor.

"Mr. Wade, Ms. Green ingested a large amount of abortion medication. That's what caused the miscarriage. And the stew you asked us to test did contain traces of abortion drugs," the doctor said.

As soon as his words fell, the silence in the fire escape stairwell felt suffocating enough to kill. I could barely stand upright. My nails dug deep into my palms.

Zane stood shrouded in darkness. His whole presence exuded coldness. He said nothing, but I felt like I was slowly being crushed.

However, I was innocent. So, it was obvious who had put the abortion drugs in the stew.

I charged into Moira's hospital room and confronted her directly.

"What was the point of that, Moira? I told you I would leave. I never wanted to get involved in your game. Why would you frame me like this?"

The heavily pregnant Moira now looked pale, haggard, and frail. As I stared at her, I felt both angry and confused.

But when she looked back at me, her gaze was twisted. "Of course, I know you never wanted to get involved. But he loves you, doesn't he? Even if you leave, just that love alone is enough to crush me and my son's future. So, I had to do this."

I was so angry that I wanted to laugh. If that was how Moira saw it, then wouldn't killing me be more efficient?

Chuckling dryly, I suppressed my rising rage. Then, I said in a flat tone, "If you're that clear-headed, then tell me—do you think he'll believe you?"

Moira's expression froze at this. She clenched her jaw and stared at me helplessly. Clearly, she had no confidence that Zane would truly hate me because of this.

In the tense silence, the hospital ward's door was suddenly shoved open. The faint scent of cigarette smoke wafted in.

Zane's eyes were dark and unreadable, but he didn't say a word. Walking in, he lifted Moira into a wheelchair. Then, he looked at me deeply before extending his hand.

"Let's go home, Raina."

As soon as he spoke, I caught Moira's hand tightening on her gown.

"But—"

She started to speak, but Zane's cold stare silenced her instantly. Moira shut her mouth and dared not say another word.

I looked at Zane. His eyes were tired, but there wasn't a trace of anger on his face. I held his hand and left the hospital with him. His palm was warm, but my heart had gone cold.

The car ride was silent. Zane said nothing the entire way, which was unlike him. I didn't care. My mind was already on tomorrow, when I would go to the courthouse to finalize the divorce.

Once we arrived home, Zane escorted Moira to her room. I was about to leave, but Zane tugged on my hand and didn't let go.

His voice was soft as he said, "Come with me, Raina."

I didn't resist and quietly followed him all the way to the underground wine cellar. Then, I saw it. A massive golden cage, inside of which sat a luxurious down-feather bed.

My temples began to throb viciously. On instinct, I turned to run. However, Zane was faster. He grabbed me by my waist and lifted me clean off the ground. Then, he shoved me into the cage.

"What are you doing, Zane! Let me out, right now!"

Standing barefoot on the soft, plush carpet, I pounded on the bars of the golden cage as I indignantly shouted again and again.

However, Zane grabbed my wrists in one move and snapped a pair of gold shackles around them. When he spoke, he did so with a calmness I had never heard from him before. It was the kind of stillness that came right before a storm breaks.

"I told you, Raina. All you had to do was bear with things until the baby was born. But you put abortion drugs in Moira's stew and caused her to almost miscarry. How did you turn into someone like this, Raina?"

"I didn't! I never put anything in her stew. It wasn't me!" I refuted.

However, Zane didn't listen. He just continued in a steady tone. "Moira needs the money too much to risk harming the baby. So, Raina, if not her, who else could it be but you?"

My blood turned cold when I heard the icy disappointment in his voice.

Looking down, I saw shackles not just on my wrists, but on my ankles too. Zane had even fastened one around my neck. Terror surged through me when I realized all this.

No. I couldn't be locked up here… I had wanted to finalize the divorce tomorrow…

Forcing myself to calm down, I softened my tone and pleaded with Zane. "Fine, I did it. I admit my mistake and swear I'll never try to hurt her again. Can you please let me go?"

However, as the words left my lips, the last lock clicked into place.

Once Zane was sure I had absolutely no way of escaping, he abruptly threw the keys aside. Then, he cupped my face in his hands. His bloodshot eyes burned with an anger I had never seen in him before.

Staring dead straight at me, Zane said, "Let you go? And then what? Am I supposed to just watch you walk into the courthouse tomorrow and divorce me?"

Then, he stood up and pulled out the divorce papers I had hidden away.

My eyes widened in shock. It was almost funny.

I couldn't claim Zane cared about me when he was having a child with another woman. Yet, to claim otherwise was incorrect too, given that he somehow found the divorce agreement I had hidden between the floorboards.

After Zane said his piece, he tore the divorce papers into shreds while ignoring my wails. Then, he turned back to me. His gaze was full of restraint and pain when he spoke.

"Just stay here quietly for the last two weeks, Raina, okay? I've prepared everything you would need. Once the baby is born, I'll let you go and send Moira overseas. Then, we'll go back to how things were."

"But we can't go back, Zane. That possibility is long gone! Let me out!" I screamed hoarsely.

However, Zane had already left and had taken my phone with him. No matter how much I pounded on the bars or shouted for help, the cellar remained empty. No one could rescue me.

I sat in stunned silence until I heard a click. Turning toward the sound, I noticed the wine cellar's cooling system had been turned on.

Then, I heard Moira's sinister voice from outside.

"Now that Mr. Wade knows you want a divorce, I can't allow you to live, Ms. Hill."

"Wait! Don't!" I cried out.

I could feel the cold air blasting through the vents. I pounded against the bars of the golden cage until the sound echoed in the space, but there was only silence from the other side of the cellar door. Eventually, my hands slowed, and then I couldn't move them anymore.

"Zane, save me… Zane…"

I kept calling his name, hoping that he would come. However, it was useless.

My breathing grew weak, and the cold spread through my entire body. I curled into a ball inside the cage, no longer having the strength to shout or move.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed when I was jolted awake by the freezing cold, just in time to hear footsteps outside the cellar door.

Was it Zane?

"Don't blame me, Raina. I can't let you go—not in this lifetime, or the next. I love you too much!"

Zane's voice came from behind the door. I tried to call out to him, but my lips were too stiff. I could only faintly force out, "Z-Za-n-e…"

"Raina? Are you calling me?" he asked.

Then, I heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock. It seemed Zane was going to open the cellar door.

Was I about to be saved?

But just then, Moira's saccharine voice halted Zane's actions.

"Mr. Wade, the baby and I miss you."

I was so close! Filled with urgency, I tried to scream again. But sure enough, even after channeling all the warmth I had left in me, I could only push out one syllable.

"Za…"

I prayed he had heard me—that he would come in, see me like this, and save me. But instead, I heard two people kissing from beyond the door, which instantly had me dumbfounded.

Then, Moira's dissatisfied voice filled the cellar, but Zane didn't seem to care.

"Mr. Wade, I know I'm not worth even a strand of your wife's hair. But for the sake of your child that I'm carrying, could you allow me to have you just one last time?"

Zane was silent for a long time before answering, "Don't push yourself. You're still pregnant."

"Then, let me help you in my own way. What do you say, Zane?" Moira choked out through sobs.

Debasing herself completely, she pleaded with him like she was worthless. "I promise—once I've given birth, I'll disappear forever. I won't bother you or your wife again. Please, just this once…"

It seemed Moira's plea for intimacy was too honest to turn away. In the end, I heard Zane's pleasured grunts and the sensual sounds of her slurping.

Then, at a barely audible volume, I also heard Zane say, "This really is the last time, Raina…"

In that moment, the frigid air completely froze my heart, shattering the last shred of hope I had for Zane in the process.

Tears filled my eyes. My cries for hope were stuck in my throat. I pulled my hand back from beyond the bars and laughed sorrowfully.

In the next moment, a searing heat spread throughout my frozen body. I felt as though I was being burned alive. I knew what I was experiencing was the last stage of hypothermia—right before I froze to death.

Gradually, the sounds from outside the room faded, and my vision went dark.

In my final moments, dazed and half-conscious, I seemed to see myself finally leaving Zane and escaping this golden cage. I then boarded a plane to a place I had long dreamed of going. As I stepped off the plane, I even saw myself sending Zane a message.

It read, "Goodbye forever, Zane."

…

Early the next morning, Zane woke up groggily in bed. The moment his hand came in contact with the skin of the woman beside him, he froze.

Memories of last night's madness with Moira came flooding back to him. The wave of regret and anguish he felt was so overwhelming that it nearly drowned him.

"Don't frown, Zane," Moira said sweetly.

She helped to smooth the crease between his brows and then curled into his embrace.

"Moira, I don't want the child anymore. I'll give you 100 million. Leave—now," Zane ordered in an icy and final tone.

Moira abruptly sat up in bed at his unexpected words. Her eyes instantly filled with tears, and she was just about to plead.

But the next second, someone pounded on the bedroom door urgently.

I watched as our housekeeper yelled panickedly from the other side of the door.

"Mr. Wade! Someone intentionally turned on the chiller system. Mrs. Wade has been found frozen to death in the wine cellar!"