I stood by David Clark’s side for ten years,watching him rise from nothing to everything.

But on the very day he decided to leave the underworld behind,he held the woman carrying his child—his precious first love—and introduced her to the others as“Sister-in-law.”

Then he looked at me,eyes cold and devoid of mercy.

“Anna’s pregnancy symptoms are intense.You’ll be on call for her—twenty-four hours a day.”

“And move out of the villa I gave you.Anna wants to live there now.”

I barely had time to react before he turned and gave another cruel order.

“She gets jealous too easily,”he said,almost casually.“Doesn’t like me around other women.Shave her head—make her look ugly.It’ll make Anna feel safer.”

I stared into those icy eyes of his,and for the first time,I just…felt tired.

I took off the club’s badge without a word and walked out.

Someone moved to stop me,but David only sneered.

“Let her go.She’s a black household now—no real identity,no place to go.She’ll be back crying within two days.”

The people around us laughed and looked at me with mocking eyes.I laughed too.

Because what David didn’t know…was that someone had already arranged a new identity for me.

This time,I was leaving him—for good.

***

“Ms.Jane,the boss had an emergency and couldn’t make it.He sent us to pick you up.Please wait outside.”

“Got it,”I said into the phone,picking up my pace to leave the banquet hall.

But just as I reached the doors,a voice rang out from behind me.

“Jane!Leave the gold token behind.Anna is going to be the club mistress now.The whole club answers to her.”

The gold token.A symbol of absolute authority—second only to the club master.It gave me the power to command every man in the organization.

I once gave up my left leg to get that token,just to mobilize the entire club and save David when he was kidnapped.

So I turned and asked him,“What if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll cut off your hands.”

He said it without hesitation.

I froze.Then,slowly,I tossed the gold token to him.

What use would I have for it once I walked away?

But as I turned to leave,Anna Taylor suddenly stepped forward and took my hand.Her voice was sweet,but her smile was anything but.

“Jane,don’t be in such a rush.You’ve been with David for ten years—how could we celebrate our wedding without you?”

She pulled out a marriage certificate and waved it in front of me with glee.

I felt like I was dreaming.I’d shared a bed with David for years.Gave everything I had to him.He never once gave me a title.

Yet Anna had been by his side less than a month,and he gave her a legal name without looking back.

I wanted to refuse.I opened my mouth to decline.

But then I remembered the night before—how I’d refused to fetch Anna her late-night snack and ended up kneeling in the courtyard,punished by David for an entire day and night.

A chill ran down my spine.

So I followed them back inside,took the cup of liquor Anna handed me,and downed it in one gulp.

The fiery liquid burned all the way down.My scalp tingled from the pain—but I still forced a smile.

“Then I wish you both a happy wedding,and a long life together.”

Maybe because I was being so obedient,David actually relented a little.

“Jane,”he said,“if you behave,you can be the child’s godmother.Raise him.”

My hand trembled.The glass nearly slipped from my fingers.

Anna giggled at the sight and clinked her glass with mine before downing hers too.

Then,almost immediately,red blotches began to bloom across her skin.

Panic set in.David barked orders,dismissing the guests and calling for the family doctor.

Turns out,Anna was allergic to alcohol.Thankfully,she hadn’t drunk much—she’d recover with rest.

But David sat by her side,red-eyed,holding her hand like she was made of glass.

Everyone in the room looked at me again with those amused,mocking eyes.

And I found it almost funny,too.

Two years ago,I drank myself into a stomach hemorrhage just to help him land a project.I was hospitalized for a month,and since then,I’ve never been able to drink again.

Not only did he not show concern—he scolded me.

“Getting yourself hospitalized from drinking?Pathetic.Why don’t you just die there next time?”

Before I could shake off the memory,he shoved me down to my knees.

“Anna almost died because of you.Apologize.Now.”

I bit my lip until I tasted blood,then finally said the words.

“I’m sorry.”

Only then did David let me go.He dropped me to the floor like garbage.

I stood up slowly,humiliated,and turned toward the door.

But that’s when it all exploded.

A group of armed men in black burst through the entrance,firing wildly into the crowd.

Screams.Blood.Chaos.

Someone shoved me to the ground.Through the panic,I saw David shielding Anna,pulling her toward safety.

Then—crash.

The chandelier above came loose.

It plummeted straight toward me.

“Jane!”David’s face turned pale as he lunged toward me.

“David,save me!”

Anna’s desperate scream tore through the chaos.

But just then,someone grabbed her,the barrel of a gun pressed to her head,finger tightening on the trigger.

Without the slightest hesitation,David turned his back on me—on everything—and charged toward Anna.He kicked the assailant with brutal force,sending him flying,and pulled her into his arms like she was the only thing that mattered in the world.

And me?

The chandelier came crashing down,slamming me to the ground with bone-breaking violence.

Pain exploded through my body.Blood soaked into the floor beneath me,warm and spreading fast.Through blurry,dimming vision,I saw David carrying Anna toward the back door.

He never once looked back.

I didn’t know how long I lay there,my body pinned under the twisted wreckage.

The sounds of gunfire eventually faded.My consciousness flickered like a dying flame,but I refused to give in.

With the last of my strength,I pushed the chandelier off and stumbled through the banquet hall,stepping over the bodies that littered the floor.

Outside,a sleek black Maybach rolled up and stopped at the front entrance.The driver honked twice.

They’d come to pick me up.

Relief surged through me,and I quickened my pace toward salvation.

But just as I reached the gate—freedom within arm’s reach—someone yanked me back by the collar,dragging me across the gravel and dust.

I was thrown into an open space.

David stood there in the center,gently coaxing the sobbing woman in his arms.

At his feet,two black-clad men knelt,their faces bruised and swollen.They looked up as I was dragged in and pointed at me like hyenas.

“Young Master Clark,it’s her!She’s the one who sent us to kill your wife!”

I blinked.What?

Before I could speak,David’s eyes sharpened with hatred.His sneer cut deeper than any blade.

“Jane,are you tired of living?You dare lay a finger on Anna?”

“I didn’t—”I started,but the words barely left my lips before he barked another command.

“Strip her.”

The order was immediate.Brutal.

Rough hands tore at my clothes,ripping them away until I stood completely exposed under the cold night air,my body bare for all to see.

But what they hadn’t expected—what he hadn’t expected—was what my body revealed.

Dozens of scars.

Old wounds.Some deep,some jagged.The cruel aftermath of torture.All souvenirs from that night two months ago,when I’d been captured while helping David smuggle a shipment and rival gangs tried to lure him out with my screams.

Every single scar told a story of pain—and of loyalty.

The crowd didn’t care.They stared,eyes full of ridicule and glee,whispering and laughing like I was some freak on display.

I tried to cover myself with trembling hands,but it was useless.I felt like an animal in a cage.

My voice cracked,heavy with desperation.

“David,for the ten years I stood by you—heart and soul—please believe me.I don’t know these people.I never sent anyone after her.”

He looked at me then.Finally.His eyes flickered—hesitating as he took in the network of scars across my skin.

Just when I thought he might say something—

“David!My hand...it hurts…Am I going to die?”

Anna's whimper cut through everything.She clutched her left arm,blood soaking through the gauze,staining his sleeve.

David’s attention snapped back to her.In a flash,the doctor was called.

After a quick check,the doctor looked grim.

“Young Master,Madam has lost too much blood.She needs a transfusion immediately.”

David’s face went pale.Without thinking,he grabbed my arm and dragged me toward Anna’s side.

“Take her blood.She has the same rare type as Anna.”

The doctor hesitated.

“But she’s badly injured.If we force a draw now,she could die…”

“Then let her die!”David snarled.“She’s the one who tried to kill Anna!”

Even now…he didn’t believe me.

My heart clenched like it was being ripped apart,shredded by the very hands I once trusted.

A long,thick needle was driven into my vein.My blood was taken against my will—life draining out of me.

And still…he never looked back.

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was the warm,concerned look he gave her.

Then everything went black.

When I finally regained consciousness,I was lying in a hospital bed.

“You’re awake at last!Are you feeling any discomfort?”

The nurse at my bedside sighed with visible relief when she saw my eyes flutter open.

I blinked,dazed,my voice hoarse as I asked,

“Who brought me here?”

She looked puzzled.

“Don’t you remember?You dragged yourself here.When I found you,you were barely breathing.”

Her words jogged my memory.Yes…I had crawled here on my own,every inch feeling like death.

I just hadn’t expected that David would be so utterly heartless—not even bothering to get me medical help.

Just then,a noise stirred outside the door.

David appeared,carefully supporting Anna as they walked past my room.

The nurse glanced at them,her voice tinged with admiration.

“Mr.Clark really lives up to his reputation as a doting husband.His wife was only slightly injured,but he reserved the entire top floor,hired a private medical team,and stayed by her side twenty-four-seven to protect the baby she’s carrying.”

I tugged at the corner of my lips,managing a bitter smile.

Then,my phone rang.

It was him.

“Jane,the man I sent to pick you up last night said you never showed.Did you backtrack?Are you planning to stay with David after all?”

I pressed my fingers to my temple,willing the pounding headache to subside and replied patiently.

“Don’t worry.I stayed by David’s side only to repay a debt.That debt is repaid now.The ten years are up—I have no reason to stay.”

Ten years ago,David’s mother died saving me from drowning.To repay her,I made a vow:I would help David rise as the new leader of the gang.That vow had shaped my entire life.

But now…that vow had been fulfilled.

I ended the call just as the door creaked open.

David entered with Anna trailing behind.

“Jane,are you feeling any better?”she asked sweetly.“I’m so sorry...It’s all my fault you ended up in the hospital.”

David ruffled her hair gently,sighing.

“This isn’t your fault.It’s hers.If she hadn’t tried to hurt you,she wouldn’t be in this mess.”

I didn’t have the strength to argue,nor did I want to witness their public display of affection.

My throat felt dry as sandpaper.

I reached out to pour myself a glass of water,but my fingers were too weak to even lift the kettle.

Seeing this,Anna stepped forward eagerly.

“Jane,let me help.You took care of David all these years while I was gone—it’s only right that I do something for you now.”

Before I could refuse,she was already handing me a steaming cup.

But in the very next second—she let go.

Scalding water spilled across my hands,searing my skin.

I gasped in pain,sharp and involuntary.

David rushed forward—but not to me.

He went straight to Anna.

Seeing her red,scalded fingers,his face darkened as he turned to me with disgust.

“Can’t even hold a damn cup?Is the only thing you’re good at serving men?”

I froze.

I said nothing.

My face remained blank,unreadable.But inside,something collapsed.

David caught the emptiness in my eyes—and for a fleeting moment,his chest tightened.

He didn’t understand why.

Why it suddenly felt like something important was slipping through his fingers.

Anna winced again,pulling his attention back.Muttering a curse under his breath,he carried her out of the room.

But even after she was settled,he couldn’t stop thinking about that look I gave him.The disappointment.The cold detachment.

For reasons he didn’t understand…it haunted him.

Later,a doctor entered the room,holding ointment for the burns.

David,who had been standing nearby,seemed to think of something and said flatly,“Send one downstairs to Jane’s room too.”

Over the next few days,David never came to see me again.

Instead,I watched his life unfold through Anna’s social media.

There he was,holding her hand as they visited the zoo,pointing at giraffes with bright smiles.There again,marveling at glowing jellyfish at the aquarium.Then climbing snow-capped mountains,standing under the dancing northern lights.

Through the screen,I could feel their happiness.

On the day he was discharged,David—who never posted anything online—uploaded a photo.

It was Anna from behind,standing in the baby aisle of a department store,picking out soft little clothes.

The caption read.

[Looking forward to the day our child arrives.]

The comments poured in,full of congratulations from his inner circle.

And I…I left one too.

[I wish the two of you a long life together,and may you never part.]

The moment I hit“send,”my phone rang.

David.