Seven years ago, it was love at first sight when I met Lucas Yates, who was still a nameless thug at the time. For him, I chose to leave my wealthy family.

After seven years of dating, he throws me a grand wedding the day he finally becomes the head of Devil's Advocate, a mafia organization.

On the day of our wedding, his childhood friend, Yelena Jackman, crashes the venue. She confesses her love for Lucas, but he rejects her without any hesitation, vowing he will only ever love me in this life.

Just as we're exchanging rings, Lucas' enemies show up to cause trouble. When he sees the gun pointing at me, he lunges forward to protect me without a second thought.

Yelena, who should have run, takes three bullets while protecting Lucas and falls into a coma due to severe blood loss.

Overwhelmed by guilt, Lucas sends her to the best hospital in the world. I have the same blood type as Yelena, so in the attempt to save her life, I donate so much blood that I go into shock.

Guilt leaves me with sleepless nights. Every day, I pray she'll wake up. I'm even willing to look after her for the rest of my life if I have to.

Lucas keeps comforting me, saying that I don't need to feel so guilty, as Yelena did all of it of her own volition. He says he'll take up the responsibility of making it up to her.

I'm extremely grateful to Yelena for saving Lucas and allowing me to have such a wonderful husband.

However, on the day of our third wedding anniversary, I receive a mysterious message.

"Lucille, you shameless homewrecker! I'm his lawfully wedded wife! If you know what's good for you, you'd better scram and go as far away as you can. If you don't believe me, you can always head to City Hall to see just who is registered as Lucas' lawful wife!"

"Ms. Lucille, I've already checked it three times, but that doesn't change the fact that your marriage status is listed as 'unmarried.'" The employee sounded impatient, causing the other people around to shoot us curious looks.

I tightened my grip on my marriage certificate. My voice quavered as I said, "That's not possible. My husband gave me this marriage certificate himself. We even made our vows before God, promising that we would remain loyal to each other. Today is our third wedding anniversary…"

The employee looked at me with pity. "Ms. Lucille, it seems you've been tricked. According to the information you provided, your so-called husband, Lucas Yates, is already married. The woman registered as his spouse is one Yelena Jackman."

My mind went blank. "No, that's impossible! Yelena is in a coma. How could she possibly marry Lucas? There must have been a mistake when you were inputting the information!"

Growing exasperated, the employee replied, "Ms. Lucille, we cannot reveal any more information to you. If you still have any questions, please ask your lover, Mr. Lucas Yates."

Lover.

I was overwhelmed by embarrassment the instant I heard that term. I initially thought I was Lucas' lawfully wedded wife, yet it turned out that I was nothing but a mistress.

The crowd erupted into whispers, and I heard someone say, "My goodness, she sure is stupid! Did she seriously believe the certificate that man gave her was real? She's nothing but a homewrecker!"

I fled City Hall, feeling utterly devastated. Seven years of dating and three years of marriage… Was all of that just a blissful lie?

No, that couldn't be. Given how much Lucas loved me, there was no way he would marry Yelena.

In my desperation, I tried to contact Lucas, but his assistant, Miles Larson, told me that Lucas was in a meeting.

Refusing to give up, I rushed to the headquarters of Devil's Advocate, only to accidentally overhear Lucas talking to his best friends.

"Lucas, when Yelena was on the verge of death, her dying wish was to marry you. Now that she's out of danger and has recovered, when will you divorce her? What if Lucille finds out that your marriage certificate is fake and leaves you?"

Lucas shook his head. "Lucille will never find out. Back then, she cut off all ties with her family just to be with me. She has nowhere to go if she leaves me."

Before leaving, he gave his friends a stern warning. "Lucille must never learn of this matter! I only married Yelena and got a marriage certificate with her because she once saved me. I was just fulfilling her dying wish. The only woman I love is Lucille."

Then, he shook his phone at them, a blissful smile on his face. "It's our third wedding anniversary today, so I have to rush home to have a candlelight dinner with Lucille."

With that, he left the conference room and instructed Miles to buy two bouquets of roses—one for me and the other for Yelena.

As I hid around the corner, my heart ached so terribly that I found it difficult to breathe. Big, fat tears rolled down my cheeks relentlessly.

He had truly gotten a marriage certificate with Yelena. He had chosen another woman to be his lawfully wedded wife!

And on that very day, he had even handed me a fake marriage certificate, making me the third party who had intervened in their relationship.

When that realization dawned on me, I felt like my heart was shattering into pieces.

Since my position in this relationship had become so shameless and humiliating, I saw no point in staying here any longer.

My phone chimed relentlessly with messages, all from Lucas. Nonetheless, I didn't read a single one as I bought my plane ticket. All the while, my tears wouldn't stop flowing.

Three days later, I would be flying to Mannington to continue my studies.

I never, ever wanted to see Lucas again.

Once I regained my composure, I noticed that Lucas had called and messaged me about 99 times. He had even ordered his men to look for me.

Since it was our third wedding anniversary, I had planned out everything ahead of time so that I would be able to return home earlier and prepare a candlelight dinner for us. Lucas must have truly panicked when he got home and didn't see any signs of me.

Yet, if he were truly that scared of losing me, then why would he allow another woman to become his wife?

He must have simply gotten used to my presence. This was just like how an owner would panic if their dog or cat went missing.

I called him back. "Sorry, my phone ran out of battery just now."

Worry and fear were thick in Lucas' voice as he replied, "You scared me half to death! Do you know that we're having a power struggle with Black Widow right now? I thought you'd been kidnapped! I was even about to take 100 million dollars there to get you back!"

I couldn't help but laugh, even as my eyes slowly reddened. He sure did know how to put on an act. He had already married Yelena, yet he still pretended to be so concerned over me.

"Come back here immediately. I want to see you right now." The words sounded like an order, yet his next sentence was almost a whine. "I was so terrified that my heart is still aching. It should feel better once I get to hug you."

"Alright." I tried my best to sound calm. Since he wanted me to be his fake wife, I would oblige him for the next three days. This would be the last time.

However, when I returned home, Lucas was already gone. There was even a half-cooked steak in the kitchen, which made it clear that he had left in a hurry.

Just what could have made him leave in such a panic on our wedding anniversary?

Even as I wondered that, I received a message from Lucas explaining the situation. "Sorry, there was an emergency—Black Widow ambushed us."

"Okay. Be careful." After sending that reply, I couldn't help but smile bitterly. I was also a high-ranking member of Devil's Advocate, so if there really had been an ambush, I would have definitely received the news.

I thought over it for a moment, then checked the mysterious message I had received this morning on Instagram. When I tapped on the profile photo, I couldn't stop my body from trembling.

It was Yelena.

Her newest post came with the caption, "Specifically came back to celebrate my third wedding anniversary with my husband. He set aside so many matters just to come pick me up. I love him!"

I could read between the lines. She was trying to tell me that I was one of the unimportant matters Lucas had set aside.

In the photo, she had her arm hooked through a man's, and on that man's wrist was none other than the Patek Philippe watch I had gifted Lucas.

How ironic.

Browsing through some of Yelena's earlier posts, I discovered that she had already woken up from her coma half a year ago, though she had some lasting damage to her leg.

Yet, I had been completely oblivious to all of that.

I liked her post before turning to head back to the master bedroom and packing my luggage.

At midnight, I received a text from Lucas. "Sorry, the situation is complicated, so I might not be able to return tonight. I've left the gift I prepared for you under the bed."

I dug out the gift, only to see a bouquet of roses and a ruby. The card attached read, "Dear Yelena, happy third wedding anniversary."

Lucas must have grabbed the wrong gift.

I placed the box on the dressing table. Perhaps Yelena would move in after I was gone, and she would surely love the gift Lucas had so thoughtfully prepared for her.

…

The next day arrived, meaning there were only 48 hours left before I departed. Lucas hadn't returned the entire night, but I no longer cared. After all, I wasn't his legal wife.

I invited my friends out for one last farewell, but as I got to the bar, I ran into Lucas.

And by his side was none other than Yelena.

When Lucas and I locked gazes, he anxiously tried to explain. "I'm so sorry, Lucille. Yelena suddenly woke up and stealthily flew back here. Since she only got injured because of me, I had no choice but to rush over and pick her up last night.

"I know I missed our wedding anniversary, but could you please not be mad? I'll make it up to you another day, okay?"

Yelena shot me a jealous look. Yet, her expression turned provocative as she said in a pitiful tone, "I'm sorry, Lucille. Last night, we got caught in an ambush by Black Widow.

"After getting shot last time, I've developed an intense fear of guns. When I heard the gunshots, I nearly fainted in terror. Thankfully, Lucas kept me company the entire night. Please don't be angry at him."

I shook my head. "I'm not angry. I can understand. After all, you did save his life back then. It's only right that he keep you company."

What was there not to understand? There was nothing wrong with Lucas spending time with his wife. What right did I have to get upset?

Lucas stared at me in surprise, clearly not expecting me to be so understanding.

Nonetheless, he continued to explain, saying, "Yelena's finally recovered and returned from overseas, so we're throwing her a welcome home party here."

I nodded, though I didn't bother telling him why I was also here.

Now that Yelena had returned, it was time for me to go. In contrast to Lucas, my friends were throwing me a farewell party. Since my friends also knew Lucas' friends, we ended up drinking together.

Every time Yelena couldn't drink, she whined sweetly for Lucas to drink on her behalf. Lucas glanced at me, but when I didn't seem bothered, he continued to take the drinks for her.

With the two of them sitting close together, Lucas' friends started to tease him, saying he truly spoiled Yelena. Meanwhile, I sat off to the side, chugging down glass after glass like an unwanted, resentful woman.

His friends threw me a mix of looks, ranging from pitying to mocking and provocative. Yet, Lucas was too busy looking after Yelena to even notice what an awkward and humiliating position I was in.

Thankfully, I couldn't care less. I simply focused on drinking with my friends.

After all, I was leaving.

Yelena was drunk, so Lucas wanted to leave with her first. Before he did, he told me, "I'll take Yelena home first, then come back later to pick you up. Wait for me."

He looked at me intently, unease swirling in his eyes.

"Okay," I answered. After that, I waited outside the bar for the entire night, yet there was no sign of him.

"He must have forgotten about me," I thought with a self-mocking laugh.

I returned home to grab my luggage. Yet the moment I opened the door, I spotted Yelena stepping out of my room wearing my pajamas.

My fingers curled into tight fists, the nails digging deep into my palms. I had known that Yelena would eventually move in, but I still couldn't help but be upset when I actually saw it happen.

I moved to step past her so I could get my luggage, but she blocked the doorway.

"What are you doing here? I'm the true lady of this house and Lucas' legal wife. You, on the other hand, are nothing but a filthy, shameless mistress. How dare you come back here? For the past few years, you've stayed in my house and slept with my man. Now that I've returned, it's time for you to get the hell out!"

I stared at the arrogant woman before me as waves of agony crashed over me once more. Her every word struck my heart like a bullet.

Suddenly, Lucas' voice drifted over from upstairs. "Yelena, who are you talking to? Has Lucille returned?"

I watched as a flicker of panic crossed Yelena's face. She abruptly took out a small handgun, the type usually used by women.

My name was carved on the gun—it was the one I normally kept under my pillow for easy access just in case I needed to defend myself.

I thought Yelena was about to shoot me, but to my surprise, she aimed the gun at her own leg and fired.

I instinctively rushed forward to snatch the gun from her, but I wasn't able to stop her in time.

Upon hearing the gunshot, Lucas charged downstairs. The sight that greeted him was of Yelena on the ground, with me standing over her, gun in hand.

Realizing that Lucas had arrived, Yelena quickly grabbed my leg and cried out pleadingly, "I'm sorry! I got drunk last night and didn't dare to stay at the hotel alone, so I begged Lucas to bring me here. Please don't blame him. All of this is my fault! You can shoot me a few more times if it'll make you feel better…"

Lucas gazed at me in disbelief, almost immediately pulling out his own gun and aiming it at me.

"Lucille! How could you be so wicked? You know Yelena got shot in the leg three years ago while saving me. She very nearly lost her ability to walk again!"

I could only stare down the muzzle of his gun, feeling like I had plunged into icy waters. We had fought side by side for a decade, but we had never once aimed our weapons at each other.

"Lucas, do you seriously believe what Yelena said?"

Lucas remained silent, his eyes bloodshot. His furious expression told me that he didn't believe me.

Lifting the injured Yelena into his arms, he rushed outside. Before he left, however, he spat at me, "You'd better think about what you've done!"

Hearing that, I headed straight into the house and took my luggage before leaving. I didn't feel the slightest bit of hesitation as I left without looking back.

On my way to the airport, I was ambushed by members of Black Widow. They kidnapped me and called Lucas to threaten him, yet no one answered the calls.

They tortured me using all sorts of methods, and every time Lucas didn't answer the phone, they intensified their torture.

Just as I was on the brink of death, the call finally went through.

However, the voice that came over the phone was Yelena's, not Lucas'.

"Lucille is just a mistress. The only reason Lucas pretended to marry her was because he was afraid I would be in danger. Now that she has no value anymore, Lucas won't care about her. I'm Lucas' real wife."

Seeing one of my kidnappers raise his gun, I shut my eyes in despair.

…

Three hours later, Miles anxiously sought Lucas out. "Ms. Lucille is dead!"

Lucas' expression instantly froze.