Chapter 1

My wedding had turned into my mother’s funeral.

That day, in front of hundreds of guests, Archer Monroe snatched the ring from my hand and slipped it onto Cassidy Trent’s finger instead.

“Elise, this wedding matters. Don’t make a fuss. I’ll make it up to you later.”

My mother, beyond fury, collapsed and died right before our eyes.

But Archer never even spared her a glance. Instead, he lowered his head and kissed Cassidy on the lips, no shame in his actions.

Heartbroken and enraged, I arranged my mother’s cremation myself. I could no longer share a roof with that man.

That night, I returned home in the pouring rain, holding my mother’s ashes in my arms, soaked, trembling, but determined. When I opened the door, a lacy piece of lingerie flew through the air and landed directly on the urn I was holding.

Archer looked up, annoyed. As if I had disturbed the blissful wedding night he was spending with Cassidy.

Even my seven-year-old son glanced at me coldly, his words sharp as knives.

“Cassidy is my real mom. You’re just some pathetic woman who should leave the Monroe family.”

Facing the two people I had once called family, I wiped away my tears with frozen fingers, forcing my voice to remain steady.

I called my half-brother.

“Brother, sever every last tie with the Monroe family.”

1

Cradling the ashes, I had pushed open the door and found clothes scattered messily across the floor.

Since Cassidy had become Archer's "assistant," they often worked late into the night together in the study.

The first time I voiced my discomfort, Archer shot me a cold, cutting glare.

"If I don’t break my back earning money for you, do you think you'd be living this comfortably? Stop being jealous. Cassidy and I are all business!"

But after too many fights, he packed a bag and vanished into a hotel room, returning only when I swallowed my pride and begged him to come home.

I never imagined that all my bending, all my begging, would cost me my mother’s life.

Brushing away the tears, I sneered and flung the door wider, only to be welcomed by Cassidy’s pink lingerie, shamelessly draped on top of my mother’s urn.

On the sofa, their bodies were knotted together like lovers. Cassidy’s serpent-like waist arched with every breath, her tongue tracing wet trails across Archer’s chest.

Archer looked up, eyes narrowing when he saw me. He snatched a coat from the floor and threw it over Cassidy’s bare body, as if modesty mattered now.

Then he strolled toward me, picked up the lingerie with maddening calm, and tossed it aside like it was nothing.

“Cassidy is the long-lost heiress of France’s Barrett family. I’m fake-marrying her to boost the Monroe business. Right now, we’re just putting on a show for those who are watching.”

“As my actual wife, you should understand, right?”

“I don’t understand! Archer, my mother is dead!”

My voice cracked under the weight of grief, the sob slipping out before I could hold it in.

But my sorrow didn’t stir even a flicker of guilt in Archer’s eyes. Instead, he glanced at the urn, frowning in irritation.

“Hmm, dying on my wedding day, what bad luck.”

My rage surged so hard I nearly collapsed. “You bastard!”

He growled, clearly annoyed.

“It’s not like I killed her. She wouldn’t have lived much longer anyway. Why are you being so dramatic?”

I clenched my fists and shook my head, trembling.

Today was supposed to be the wedding I had waited years for. And worse, I had just learned I was pregnant.

Archer’s sperm had always been weak. After eight years, we had only one child, Dorian.

I had wanted to share this moment with him. But now, I looked him in the eye and said coldly, “Let’s divorce, Archer. After all, the bride you married today wasn’t me.”

I only wanted to take my son and leave this suffocating place behind.

Archer stared at me in disbelief, as if I’d just shattered his world.

“I won’t allow it. In this lifetime, you’re not going anywhere!”

When I stayed silent, his chest rose sharply. He stormed over and gripped my arm tight.

“I told you, Cassidy and I are just business partners. Don’t you understand simple words?!”

Partners?

Last night, I had vomited until my vision blurred, and the moment his phone rang, he left, just to be with Cassidy.

Even when I collapsed beside the toilet, he stepped over me like I wasn’t even there.

“I’ve already called the family doctor for you.”

Then, just outside the door, I heard his low voice telling the butler,

“Have the whole house disinfected. Cassidy might come by tomorrow. She can’t stand this kind of disgusting smell.”

Less than thirty minutes after his car disappeared from view, I saw Cassidy’s tweet.

“The moment I said I was having a panic attack, my boyfriend rushed over to comfort me. To all the unloved people, do yourselves a favor and stay away.”

Attached was a selfie in a hotel pool.

Cassidy clung to a tall man’s neck with fiery passion. I couldn’t see his face, but I recognized him as my husband.

My phone slipped from my hand. The doctor arrived shortly after and, upon examining me, said I was pregnant.

Back then, I naively believed this child might bring him back to me.

But I gained nothing.

And I lost my mother.

That cruel nightmare shattered whatever love I still had left for Archer.

“Let go of me!”

I struggled in fury.

Cassidy, now wearing Archer’s oversized shirt, strolled over with interest in her eyes.

“So this is an urn? It’s my first time seeing one.”

Then she draped herself around Archer’s waist and purred, “I heard ashes are rich in calcium. My Sunshine’s been calcium deficient lately, and I’m just not sure about the safety of supplements...”

Sunshine, her pampered little beagle.

“Cassidy, that’s my mother’s ashes! I will never let your dog desecrate her!”

Cassidy blinked at me innocently. Archer’s eyes turned cold as he spoke sharply, “Your mother was Catholic. I think she would’ve gladly offered all of herself.”

My eyes widened in disbelief.

“What did you just say?!”

Chapter 2

My head buzzed violently. Did my mother, in his eyes, not even measure up to Cassidy’s dog?

Without warning, Cassidy reached for the urn in my arms.

“She’s already dead. Instead of letting it go to waste, why not use it to nourish Sunshine?”

Instinctively, I dodged. My elbow accidentally grazed her cheek.

Cassidy shrieked and collapsed into Archer’s arms, clutching her face as if I had struck her with force. “It hurts!”

A blaze of fury flared in Archer’s eyes.

He caressed Cassidy’s cheek gently, then glared at me, teeth clenched. “You’re a vicious woman, just like your mother!”

Vicious?

That once-handsome face now looked twisted and ugly, making my stomach churn.

“Archer, if my mother hadn’t thrown herself off that cliff to save you from those thugs when you were kidnapped, you would’ve been dead long ago!”

“She spent the rest of her life paralyzed because of that fall, and now you and this woman pushed her to her death!”

I pointed at Cassidy, clinging to him like a leech, as scalding tears hit the floor.

My stomach twisted. The baby kicked so hard I nearly collapsed from the pain.

A flicker of hesitation flashed in Archer’s eyes.

“Elise…”

Cassidy suddenly turned on me, eyes blazing.

“That old woman was just a lowly maid! She gave up her legs so you two could eat well, live comfortably under this roof, and even let you marry Archer and enjoy a life of luxury.”

“You should be grateful! But instead, you twist Archer’s emotions, what a scheming woman you are!”

Archer’s face darkened instantly, as if he could tear me apart with just a look.

“Do you want me to rip my heart out to prove it to you? I already gave you the title of Mrs. Monroe, why can't you just be satisfied?!”

Just one sentence from Cassidy, and he already believed my mother and me were nothing more than manipulators.

The nearby servants started whispering behind their hands, casting strange looks my way. Even I found it laughable.

He truly believed I was clinging to status, but did he ever realize that in these past few years, as his family crumbled, I was the one bringing in billions in business?

My defiance only enraged Archer further. He waved his hand coldly at the bodyguards.

“Throw her into the basement. She can come out once she’s learned her place.”

His tall figure vanished from sight. I curled up in the shadows, clutching my mother’s urn, every breath tearing through my chest like glass.

I was locked away for two full days and nights. Not a single servant offered me so much as a sip of water.

Then, a faint sliver of light crept through the door.

I looked up and saw little Dorian stepping down the stairs, holding a piece of bread in his small hand.

My sweet baby.

I staggered to my feet, my cracked lips barely lifting into a smile as I reached for him, but he flinched, dodging my embrace.

His eyes drifted from my dirty hands to the urn I held. “Give it to me.”

“What?” My smile froze mid-air.

“Give me the urn, and I’ll give you the bread. If not, you can starve here.”

I stared at his small, indifferent face, so eerily similar to his father’s, and my heart turned to ice.

“How can you say that? I’m your mother. That urn holds your grandmother’s ashes.”

But Dorian’s face remained blank, as if carved from stone.

“Only someone noble like Cassidy deserves to be my mother. You, the daughter of a maid, don’t belong in this family.”

I couldn’t believe such words had come from a seven-year-old.

“Dorian, who taught you that?”

The pain in my chest was so sharp, it felt like it would rip me apart. Starving and enraged, my vision blurred into darkness.

Before I could get any words out, the urn was wrenched from my arms.

“No—”

I clung to it with all the strength I had left, unwilling to let go.

“Don’t take my mother away, Dorian!”

“Cassidy’s dog is dying. She’s cried for two days. I don’t want her to be sad.”

So, you’re not worried about my pain? Is that it?

Ignoring my desperate pleas, my son pried my fingers open and snatched the urn from my grasp.

His little shoes, polished and perfect, crushed the bread he’d discarded as he turned away.

It felt as though a part of my heart had been torn out.

Fine. If you want to scatter your grandmother’s ashes to the wind. Then, I no longer wanted you as my son.

Chapter 3

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in a familiar bed, far calmer than Archer had expected.

He sat at the edge of the bed, his long fingers brushing the strands of hair from my forehead, his voice softer than usual.

“I didn’t expect you to be pregnant. Since that’s the case, let’s forget about what happened that day. From now on, be good and don’t throw tantrums.”

Should I thank you for being so considerate and generous?

He lifted me gently and cradled me in his arms, feeding me a spoonful of soup. “Tomatoes from Provence and top-grade beef. You haven’t eaten in days, the baby must be starving.”

I couldn’t swallow it. I turned my face away from the spoon and yanked the IV from my hand.

“Where’s my mother?”

Archer paused, his brow furrowing slightly. “Dorian’s still just a kid. He didn’t mean to steal your mother’s ashes.”

The world around me spun.

“So you really fed her to a dog?!”

“Archer, ashes mixed with dog food are so nutritious. Sunshine’s been in such good spirits today.”

At that moment, Cassidy walked in, holding the beagle and giggling.

“Elise, we really must thank your mother.”

Seeing her smug face, the last shred of my sanity snapped.

I clenched my fists and lunged at Cassidy. “Cassidy, I’ll make you die with her!”

Just as my fist was about to strike, I saw the snake-like smile curling at the corner of her lips.

She seized my hand and violently threw herself back, crashing into her own shoulder. Then, she screamed, stumbling backward and hurling the beagle out the window.

“Ah, Sunshine!”

The dog's shriek abruptly cut off, and Cassidy collapsed to the ground in anguish.

Archer rushed to her, arms wrapping around her waist, staring at me in disbelief. “What did you do? Cassidy did nothing wrong. Why are you so cruel, so venomous?!”

I shook my head in stunned silence. “I didn’t, it wasn’t me…”

He didn’t hear a word. Cradling the sobbing Cassidy, he murmured, “I’m sorry, baby, don’t cry. I’ll make sure she’s punished for this.”

He shoved past me, rushing out with her in his arms.

I dropped to my knees, my stomach churning as I vomited onto the floor.

Two maids entered, rolling their eyes at me.

“You better learn your place. Miss Trent’s birthday is in two days. Sir’s busy planning a grand party for her. No matter how much you pretend, he won’t look at you again.”

A mop smacked hard against my knee.

“Look at this disgusting mess. You’re pathetic.”

After they left, I wandered barefoot, lost in thought, stepping aimlessly into the garden. Archer and his assistant were talking by the pond.

I instinctively hid behind a tangle of vines, my heart pounding as their conversation drifted toward me.

“Tomorrow is Elise’s birthday. Since you gave Cassidy that yacht worth over a hundred million, shouldn’t you get something nice for her, too?”

Thinking of Cassidy, Archer’s voice softened like a warm spring breeze.

“Remember to cover the entire yacht with 9,999 diamond roses. Cassidy loves those.”

Then his tone turned icy.

“As for Elise, just pick something random.”

The assistant hesitated, concerned. “You don’t even remember her birthday? Aren’t you worried she’ll leave you?”

Archer snorted.

“She’s like a dog I can summon whenever I please. Why would she leave? Besides, she killed Cassidy’s dog; she’s the one who’s wrong and should be begging for forgiveness.”

My hands trembled as I clutched the front of my shirt.

It finally hit me. In his eyes, I wasn’t a lover, I wasn’t even human.

He’d forgotten my birthday. My gift could be something the assistant picked without a second thought.

But for Cassidy, he’d move mountains to make her happy.

I took a deep breath and dialed Nolan Barrett, my brother.

"Brother, end all ties between the Barretts and the Monroes. I’m ready to leave him."

Nolan's voice cracked when he answered.

"You should’ve left him and come back to France long ago. Anyone can see, he’s never loved you."

I forced a bitter smile. "Yeah. I was blind."

Just as I hung up, my eyes met Archer’s as he turned around.

He walked over, hands shoved in his pockets, his gaze sharp and suspicious.

"Who were you talking to on the phone?"