The day Soren won a dual Best Actor award.

I had just gotten out of bed with an old, fat-faced man.

Clutching my aching lower abdomen, I gazed contentedly at the man basking in glory.

On television, he was giving his acceptance speech, holding the trophy with both hands:

"There are two people I want to thank the most."

"First is my wife, who stood by me during my darkest times, accompanying me out of the valley and toward a bright future."

"Second is my ex-wife, whose heartless abandonment motivated me to be determined to succeed."

His eyes shifted from tenderness to disgust.

What he didn't know was that when he first entered showbiz, he was targeted by industry moguls for being too sharp.

I begged others and endured three full years of inhumane torment to protect his future and his life...

————————

Standing in front of the big screen, watching Fallon leave the stage, I finally came back to my senses.

At some point, my cheeks had become wet.

Across from me, Fallon flicked the ash from his cigar and sneered, "You're so deeply in love with him, what a pity. The flower may be willing, but the stream flows on uncaring. You willingly offered yourself as my tool for his sake, and now you're sick with not much time left. Yet he thinks you've abandoned him and fallen for someone else. All of this... was it really worth it?"

I quietly wiped my damp cheeks.

"Mr. Harrington, thank you for your help these past three years. Our contract expires in three days, so please don't trouble yourself with anything else."

I glanced at the contract for regaining freedom beside his hand.

I was about to turn and leave.

But then I heard Soren's voice behind me.

My legs froze in place, as if filled with lead.

I stared at him blankly.

His gaze swept past me as he hugged his young wife tightly, smiling as he greeted Fallon.

The light in my eyes went out. Of course, since falling ill, I'd been tortured to skin and bones, lifeless and a far cry from the lively, beautiful Melody I once was. It was only natural he didn't recognize me.Across from them, Soren, now a heavyweight in the entertainment industry.

He was exchanging pleasantries with Fallon while gently massaging Felicity's waist.

Amid their intimate whispers, I heard him say, "My wife is pregnant. Could you please replace the wine with milk?"

The tears I had just wiped away surged forth once again.

I dug my nails deep into my palm.

What he didn't know was that once upon a time, we too had a child together.

Unfortunately, before I even discovered that child's existence, it had turned into a pool of blood, dying on the very bed where I was violated.

Snapping back to reality, I pulled open the door of the private room, but Soren called out from behind, "Mr. Harrington, aren't you going to introduce us?"

"No need, just a little plaything."

Without further hesitation, I fled through the door of the private room.

Just outside the bar's entrance.

The discomfort in my body made me lean against a streetlight, retching uncontrollably.

"A plaything? Melody, so this is the kind of man you abandoned me for when I was seriously injured in that car accident, is that right?"

I turned to look. When Soren saw the foreign substance at the corner of my mouth, a flash of disgust crossed his eyes.

I struggled to steady myself and looked up.

As he took in my sunken cheekbones, a flicker of shock passed through his eyes.

I put my mask back on, covering the bitterness seeping from the corner of my mouth."Yes, for someone like that."

Hearing my words, the bewilderment in his eyes was replaced by anger.

Felicity, who had followed him, affectionately grabbed his arm. "Honey, so this is where you were."

"It's windy outside. Why did you come out? Be careful not to catch a cold."

Upon seeing Felicity, Soren's entire demeanor softened. He took off his trench coat and wrapped it around Felicity.

I didn't want to continue watching the two of them display their affection, and just as I was about to turn and leave, Felicity grabbed me. "Aren't you going to introduce us? I assume this is the ex-wife you couldn't forget to thank even at the award ceremony?"

After looking me up and down, her eyes were full of mockery. "I heard that when Soren was just starting out, at a low point in his career and after his car accident, you abandoned him to be a trophy wife for some rich guy. I thought..."

"I never imagined you'd end up like this, Miss Jefferson. Seeing how successful he is now, do you have even a tiny bit of regret?"

As she spoke, Soren's expression grew colder, but his eyes held a glimmer of something I couldn't quite understand - was it hope?

I lowered my gaze, a bitter smile involuntarily tugging at the corners of my mouth.

How could I possibly regret it?

I met Soren when we were working as extras on a film set.

We connected instantly due to our shared dreams and determination.

From our first meeting, we felt a kindred spirit in each other.

As our feelings quickly intensified, we ended up sharing a $200 basement apartment.

We ate from the same cup of instant noodles.

In that damp, chilly, and messy basement, we worked together to create our small but cozy home.

We would lie there together, dreaming of a bright future.

Things started looking up when our acting careers began to take off.

We made a pact that no matter who reached the top first, we'd always stick together.

Then he got his big break with a supporting male role.

I also caught the eye of a big shot producer thanks to my striking looks.

Just when everything seemed to be going well, he refused to play along with the production team's demands to entertain the investor's daughter, and became a target.

A few days later, he was in a serious car accident.

The circumstances of the crash were highly suspicious.

Terrified, I turned to Fallon for help.

I had been introduced to him by the director who'd taken an interest in me.

He agreed to investigate.

Although for various reasons he couldn't disclose all the information about the other party,

The evidence was clear – Soren had seriously offended someone we couldn't afford to cross.

Not only could he be blacklisted, but his life was also in danger.After carefully considering my options, I looked at Soren lying unconscious in the hospital bed and agreed to Fallon's demands.

I would be his pawn for three years, helping him cultivate connections with various powerful figures.

In exchange, he would ensure a bright future for Soren and cover the enormous medical bills from the car accident.

Although over those years, I was treated as a plaything for his purposes, forced to please countless men in bed, leaving my body broken and ill.

But seeing him soar with the dreams we once shared, how could I have any regrets?

I only lament our unborn child - I was already over three months pregnant when I miscarried...

Thinking of this, I couldn't help the heat rising in my eyes.

I closed my eyes briefly, then looked directly at the loving couple before me.

"Miss Lincoln, you jest."

"What do I have to regret? Even being treated as a mere plaything by someone like Mr. Harrington was more than generous to me."

"As for you two, I wish you a lifetime of happiness together and may you be blessed with children soon."

With that, I ignored Soren's furious gaze.

I took a deep breath and turned to leave.

Once I rounded the corner, I finally collapsed, my vision going black as I fell.

...

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in the hospital.Before my eyes is Fallon's handsome profile.

Seeing me open my eyes, he tosses me a client list for an event.

"This is the last time, right?"

Fallon takes a drag on his cigar and nods.

Surprisingly, this profit-driven business tycoon looks at me with a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

"Yes, I'll keep my promise and set you free."

"Besides, your body has reached its limit. The attending physician says you have at most a month left. Why don't you tell Soren the truth? He's not only an A-list actor now, but his entertainment company is also thriving. If he knew what you've sacrificed for him, he wouldn't stand idly by."

I listen calmly as he finishes, then take the list of clients I need to entertain.

"Mr. Harrington, I'm dying. Does it really matter anymore... whether I tell him or not?"

Hearing my words, Fallon falls silent for a moment before standing up. "Then here's to our last successful collaboration."

After he leaves.

I pull out the IV, take some painkillers, and prepare to leave.

I bump into Soren and Felicity coming for a prenatal checkup.

I pull my hat low, clutch the bag of medicine tightly, and try to hurry past.

As we cross paths, someone grabs my wrist.I looked up, meeting Soren's cold, indifferent eyes.

"What's the matter? Too scared to even greet your ex-husband? What are you feeling guilty about, Miss Jefferson?"

He gripped my wrist tightly, squeezing the IV needle into my flesh. The pain made my teeth chatter.

Blood soaked through my black sleeve. Soren pulled his hand back in shock, about to check my arm.

Suddenly, Felicity behind him doubled over, clutching her stomach in pain.

I looked at the IV needle piercing through my skin and muscle, gritted my teeth, and yanked it out.

Soren, standing nearby, furrowed his brow, seemingly unable to comprehend how I, who used to cry and whine over the slightest scratch, could now endure so much.

"Melody, you still haven't answered my question?!"

"You abandoned me, our promises, our future, just to live like this?!"

I gave a wry smile:

"Yes, even if my life now isn't great, it's still better than living in a basement with you. Please, Mr. Langdon, stop pestering me."

Hearing this, Felicity quickly stepped forward and embraced Soren, gently mediating, "Miss Jefferson, I understand you're going through tough times. Back then, you abandoned Soren when his life hung in the balance, all for money. Now that you see he's powerful and influential, it's only natural you'd want to squeeze some cash out of us. But there's no need to use your body as part of some sob story. Given your past connection, if you need money, just say so directly."

She finished, then turned to Soren, blinking innocently, "But maybe Miss Jefferson really is desperate for cash?"

"Even though you nearly died because of Miss Jefferson's abandonment back then, that's all in the past now."Since she's now resorting to stalking and self-harm schemes just to extort money from us, why don't we give her a hand?"

Felicity's tone was remarkably generous.

But Soren fell silent at her words, his gaze growing colder by the second.

Soon, he turned his attention to my blood-stained sleeve.

His large hand gripped my wound tightly, as if venting his frustration.

"Self-harm scheme? You think you can still make me feel sorry for you? This little scratch of yours is nothing compared to what I went through during rehab. Even if you were to drop dead in front of me right now, I wouldn't spare you a second glance!"

With that, Soren left, supporting Felicity as they walked away in long strides.

I wiped the metallic taste from the corner of my mouth and smiled bitterly at their retreating figures. "Fallon, I hope you mean what you say."

When I returned to my rented apartment.

All my belongings were packed and placed by the door.

Looking at the luggage piled up on the floor, I felt a wave of panic.

This place held so many memories of us.

So even though my doctor had repeatedly warned me that living in a damp basement was bad for my condition.

Fallon had also suggested that I move into the detached house he had rented for me.

But for me, this place was my emotional anchor.I pulled out the only remaining photo of Soren and me from among my many bags, pressing it tightly against my chest. Only then did that overwhelming sense of unease subside.

After calming down, I knocked on landlady Sister Shaw's front door.

I offered to pay ten times the previous rent to stay here.

Sister Shaw finally showed a hint of sympathy, kindly asking if I had offended someone.

Being a divorced mother with a child wasn't easy for her, so I didn't want to make things too difficult. I could only try to recall.

Just as I was feeling lost, my phone vibrated with a text from Soren.

[Melody, what right do you have to live there?!]

This message reminded me of when I had just agreed to Fallon's proposal.

To make me his sharpest blade, he dressed me up like a porcelain doll.

When I appeared in this dim basement wearing an expensive gown, Soren clutched my suitcase tightly.

His eyes were bloodshot as he begged me repeatedly not to leave.

In the end, the usually proud Soren knelt before me, swearing he would work hard to give me everything I wanted if only I wouldn't leave him.