When the Irwins were on the brink of bankruptcy, I proposed a marriage of convenience to Ryan and saved them from collapse.

Ever the playboy, Ryan was so grateful that he swore eternal loyalty to me, even getting a vasectomy immediately to prove his devotion.

He took me across mountains and rivers, saying he wanted to etch our love into every corner of the world.

Three years later, he got me drunk, stole my phone, and used it to infiltrate the Knights’ estate. That night, he orchestrated the complete downfall of my family’s legacy.

My parents overdosed on sleeping pills. My sister was dragged into an alley by his men, violated, filmed, and the footage was auctioned off to amuse wealthy heirs.

I begged him to let my family go. However, he gripped my face and forced me to watch as my parents were cremated.

“You think marrying me back then was some noble sacrifice? Sure, the whole city praised your family for helping mine in our darkest hour. But what did they say about me?

“They call me your lapdog, Lily!”

Ryan destroyed the Knights to prove he was better than us and not anyone’s dog.

He tore up the divorce papers and shoved the shreds into my mouth. Ryan wanted me to watch as he rose to power and made the world kneel before him.

To humiliate me, he brought home a different woman every night, turning our house into a hotel while I served them.

“What’s the Knights’ worth now? With your status, cooking for them and massaging their feet like this is only fitting.”

It didn’t matter. When I saved him from that avalanche, a shard of stone slashed my heart.

Now, I only have three days left to live.

I jumped out the window and escaped from Ryan’s mansion just to collect my family’s belongings.

With the Knights now bankrupt, everything of value had been sold off. All that remained in the house were a few personal items no one cared about.

I was worried my parents might be cold in the afterlife, and my sister wouldn’t have clothes to wear.

The Knights’ estate was bustling with people. As I was approaching the front door, Ryan’s laughter pierced my eardrums, and my heart clenched.

When he saw me come in, the cigarette between his fingers paused for a second. Then he raised his hand in greeting.

“Well, well. Didn’t expect the orphan of the Knights to show up. You here to bid on your own family’s leftovers?”

My hands curled into fists, and my throat felt tight. I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

“What did you just say? Ryan, they were your family, too.”

Ryan’s gaze went cold. “When your family was using the Irwins to boost your reputation, you never treated me like part of the family.”

He pulled a beautiful girl close with one arm. “Shannon, pick whatever you like. I’ll cover it.”

On the stage, they were auctioning off my mom’s earrings and her hair comb.

Shannon’s eyes sparkled as she raised her paddle. “Five million! I love it, Mr. Irwin!”

Another girl, teary-eyed, looked over. “Can you let me have it, Shannon? I really like it too!”

Ryan burst into laughter. “Alright. Shannon’s new here, Reina. Why don’t you let her have this one? I promise the next piece will be yours, okay?

“Listen up, babes! Bid on whatever you want! If someone outbids you, come to me. I’ll get it for you!”

A wave of cheers followed, and the girls started bidding like maniacs.

My parents’ jewelry and clothes were quickly sold off. Yet, I couldn’t do a single thing.

Then they brought out my sister’s underwear.

“Now this one’s a gem, folks. Comes with a bonus video. Starting at ten million!”

All the trust-fund brats in the room started bidding, their eyes full of lust.

The girls rolled their eyes. “Ugh, what kind of world are we living in? People buying used underwear for that price? Gross! I wouldn’t touch it. I’ll probably catch something!”

Reina looked smug. She turned to Ryan and said sweetly, “Hey, Ryan, why don’t you buy this one for Lily?

“Poor girl’s probably broke by now. Soon, she can’t even afford clothes. Might as well wear her sister’s. At least it’s free.”

Ryan smirked, his eyes full of scorn as he looked at me.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s do it.”

He grabbed the corner of the underwear and tossed it right onto my head, along with a USB stick.

“Since you’re broke now, take it home and study up. Might come in handy when you're out there trying to make a living.”

I let out a dry laugh.

“I remember telling you I was afraid of pain, so you promised to stay celibate with me. And now you say this?”

Ryan scoffed. “Are you stupid? I said I’d get a vasectomy because I didn’t want to touch you. You grossed me out. I just needed an excuse to avoid you, and you actually believed it?”

The wound in my heart ached so badly that I nearly fainted. It seemed death by heartbreak really was a thing.

I clutched my chest and collapsed to the ground, face pale.

However, Ryan just walked past me, leading the others to step right over my body.

“Quit playing the victim. The only people who ever gave a damn about you are dead.”

“Wait!”

I called out to Ryan.

“The next item is mine.”

On the stage sat a single item: a stone ring.

It was crudely made and ugly to look at.

People lowered their paddles one by one. No one wanted to bid on something that looked so hideous, seemingly worthless.

Ryan squinted at it for a long moment before suddenly remembering.

“Isn’t that the ring you gave me and I threw away? You actually went back for it? That’s pathetic.”

That ring was one of the few things my mother left me as a wedding gift. She had personally picked out the stone, and my father had polished it by hand.

They’d told me it was made from a rare, naturally weathered mineral, formed over a thousand years. It was worth billions and strong enough to slice through bone.

My parents had given it to me so I’d always have something to protect myself with. A reminder that, no matter what happened, they would always be with me.

When Ryan got trapped in that snowstorm on the mountain, I put the ring on his finger and begged the heavens to give all my luck to him.

I just wanted him to survive.

And he did.

However, I slipped while I was pulling him out. The ring slashed deep into my chest. I passed out in the snow, and the ring was lost beneath it.

“Did you know that I scraped that ring across your chest on purpose just so I’d have an excuse to throw it away? I mean, look at it. It’s hideous. And since you gave it to me, that made it even worse.”

My eyes burned, but inside, I felt numb.

“It’s mine,” I said again.

A few rich kids tossed out token bids, raising it to three million.

That was all the funds I had left.

One of the girls tried to raise the bid just to be nasty, but Ryan instinctively stopped her.

He stared at my disheveled appearance and sneered. “Still clinging to something I didn’t even want? You really are my little lapdog, huh?

“Fine. You can bid on it for 3 million. But remember how your family humiliated mine back then. Remember how you keep crawling back to me though I never love you. How pathetic!”

With that, he lost interest and walked off, surrounded by a crowd of girls.

I clutched the long-lost stone ring my parents had given me in my hands and smiled.

Mom and Dad were gone, but the ring had come back. Maybe it meant they were watching over me again.

It was too bad I only had three days left to live.

As I smiled, my heart seized up. Everything went black, and I collapsed.

…

The doctor told me to stay in the hospital.

The fragments of stone were embedded too deeply in my heart. If I stayed, maybe I could squeeze out a few extra days.

However, I waved him off and forced myself to walk back to Ryan’s mansion.

What’s the point of living a few days longer if it just means more time being tormented by him? I’d rather die and be with my parents and sister.

When I got home, the dining table was full of people laughing, talking, and eating.

There was no seat for me.

Ryan looked over. “Oh, you actually came back? Do you know what time it is? Because you didn’t cook tonight, Nancy was crying from hunger! You’re not allowed to eat anything for the next few days.”

I didn’t even look at him and walked past the table. “Whatever.”

His face darkened. In just a few strides, he stormed over and slammed me into the wall by the wrist.

A sharp pain shot through my chest, down to my organs. Everything hurt so much that I wanted to throw up.

He was about to yell at me again when he saw my wrist covered in cuts.

I had scratched myself in a daze, unable to bear the pressure of that broken stone digging into my heart.

“You’ve been cutting yourself?” Ryan stepped closer, eyes burning with fury. “Seriously? I endured three years of humiliation, and the second you get uncomfortable, you’re out here trying to die?

“You’re broke, Lily. I bought your life with my money. You think you can die just because you want to? Dream on! I’m going to make sure you live through hell before I let you go.”

I stared at the man I’d loved for nearly ten years, who had taken up nearly all my youth.

However, the more I looked at him, the more he felt like a stranger.

I repeated myself softly. “Whatever.”

Ryan snapped.

He tore off my jacket and, in front of everyone, threw me onto the couch.

If this were any other time, I might’ve felt ashamed. Maybe even excited to finally give myself to the man I’d loved for so long, or glared back at the other women, and held my ground.

My heart hurt too much, though, and I couldn’t feel anything.

Soon, I passed out.

When I woke up, I was still lying on the couch, only covered by a small throw blanket draped over me.

Ryan was gone.

The house was filled with noise, with ten or so girls chattering loudly.

I called them into my room and opened the wardrobe.

The walk-in closet was filled with custom-made dresses, each one a unique piece. The girls’ eyes widened at the sight.

Luckily, since Ryan now held absolute power, no one dared to search his house. Technically, these dresses belonged to the Knights, but just like me, no one dared to touch them.

“Take whichever one you like,” I said.

Shannon stood in front of me, scanning me from head to toe with suspicion written all over her face.

“You’re not so generous. What’s the catch?”

I shook my head without answering.

I had finished sorting through my family’s belongings. Now it was time to take care of my own.

Ryan hated me so much. Once I had died, these dresses would probably be burned without a second thought.

Rather than let the designers’ hard work go to waste, I’d rather they find some use now.

Several of the younger girls couldn’t resist anymore. They happily started picking out outfits, slipping them on and squealing, “The quality of these is insane!”

Only a few girls who were closer to my age stood back with their arms crossed, clearly suspicious. They couldn’t figure out what I was up to.

I didn’t care, though. I opened the drawers one by one, revealing luxurious handbags and watches. Their eyes sparkled.

It was only then that I noticed many of these girls resembled me to some extent.

Shannon, the newest addition, looked almost like a replica of me. She was also the most doted on.

However, none of it mattered anymore.

I only had two days left.

From outside, the roar of a sports car echoed through the garden.

Reina, who had been standing stiffly, peeked out, then suddenly walked over and started picking through the clothes.

The moment Ryan walked through the door, Reina held up a dress and screamed.

Somehow, the sequins on the dress had been sliced in half. A sharp edge cut cleanly across her pale, slender leg. Blood streamed down her skin.

I remembered that Ryan had chosen her to have the largest guest room just because of those smooth white legs.

Sure enough, his face darkened. He rushed over and scooped Reina into his arms, blowing on her wound with concern.

Reina’s eyes were misty. “It’s all my fault. Lily was being nice by offering us clothes, and I just had to pick the one with a blade in it.”

Ryan’s expression grew dangerous.

“Lily, I’ll give you one chance to explain.”

I shrugged. “What’s there to explain? Since you won’t let me divorce you, I’m still your wife. What’s wrong with giving your mistress a little lesson?”

“Lily, I’ve told you. Your job is to serve them. Who said you could act like my wife and start disciplining my women?”

My attitude enraged him. He pulled out a whip and handed it to the butler.

“For every drop of blood Reina shed, you’ll repay it a hundred times.”

The whip came down on my legs, the barbs tearing chunks of skin with each strike.

I didn’t feel the first ten lashes.

Compared to the pain in my chest, my legs barely registered.

By the eleventh lash, the wound had opened down to the bone. When I saw the whip lash across my bones, tears finally fell.

Ryan crouched down in front of me. “Hurts now, doesn’t it? Get on your knees and bark for the camera. Say, I, Lily, and the whole Knights are nothing but Ryan Irwin’s dogs. Then bow to Reina and apologize. Do that, and I’ll let you off.”

I said nothing except a cold snort.

As a result, Ryan picked up a baseball bat and struck me down.