Sophia's lips were warm against mine, and my mind was blank.

Suddenly, she grabbed me and said, "Let's go get married."

Just like that, she dragged me to the courthouse, and we registered our marriage.

Everything felt like a dream.

That day, I stared at our marriage certificate with a stupid grin on my face for hours. It was the happiest day of my life.

If only I had not known she had set this whole thing up, and that I was the target of her scheme.

If only I had not known she did all of this for another man.

The dream shattered instantly, revealing what it truly was. It was nothing more than a beautifully decorated illusion.

I should have seen it clearly from the moment she kept dragging her feet about getting our marriage license.

What kind of powerful family would simply ignore someone like me without even mocking or humiliating me? They had only been keeping me around to keep me under control.

I sat in the dimly lit living room, staring at the pocket watch Mom had left behind.

"Mom, you were right. I should've listened. We were always from two different worlds, and we never stood a chance."

I ran my fingers over the watch, hoping it could somehow replace Mom and forgive all my foolishness over the years.

I had already signed the divorce papers. All that was left was Sophia's signature, and I would finally be free.

That evening, I finally heard the front door open. Immediately after, laughter and playful banter between two people echoed throughout the living room.

The contrast to the previous deathly silence was stark.

Sophia walked into the living room and met my cold stare. For a split second, I actually saw a flash of panic in her eyes. Then, her expression filled with nothing but displeasure.

"Why aren't the lights on? What, are you worried about the electric bill?"

She then pulled a Richard Mille Black Knight watch out of her bag. "When you wear this watch, make sure you put on the clothes I bought you too. Otherwise, people will think you're wearing a fake, and you'll embarrass me."

She tossed the watch directly at me.

Normally, that gesture meant she was giving me a way to step down from an argument. But I no longer fell for that trick.

It was a Richard Mille Black Warrior watch, with no box or bag, and even someone as inexperienced as me could tell it was fake at a glance. After all, I had already seen the real one on Nathan's wrist.

Nonetheless, it no longer mattered.

I simply threw the divorce papers straight at Sophia's face. "Sign it."

She did not catch it, and the papers fell to the floor.

The moment she read the words on the document, her face twisted with anger. "Lucas, what the hell is this supposed to mean?"

I remained calm as I replied, "Sophia, do you not understand plain English? Sign it!"

I threw the pen onto the coffee table. "Hurry up and sign so we can get this over with. Stop dragging your feet."

Sophia, who had been furious just a second ago, let out a cold laugh the next. She raised an eyebrow as she looked me up and down, her tone contemptuous.

"Oh, I get it now. Lucas, this was your mom's idea, wasn't it? Playing hard to get? Threatening me with divorce so you can push for more and get what you want. You just want money, right? I've told you a million times, if you need money, just go to my assistant.

"Don't bother me with this petty crap. Lucas, this is the last time I'm putting up with you. Stop pulling these stunts to get my attention. It's only making me lose patience with you. Now go make dinner. Nathan will be up in a bit. He just said he's hungry, and remember, no ginger or cilantro."

I rolled my eyes at her, let out a cold laugh, and pointed at the papers. "Sophia, are you blind or illiterate? I said divorce. All you need to do is sign!"

"What? Say that again?"

I shouted, "I want a divorce!"

Suddenly, Nathan appeared from behind and kicked me. "You ungrateful bastard, you've really crossed the line! Sophia bought you a mansion to live in, sports cars to drive, and she even gave you a job! What gives you the right to talk to her like that? Get on your knees and apologize to Sophia this instant!"

My hands hit the floor as Nathan's sneak attack from behind left a throbbing pain in the back of my knees. Hearing his words, a surge of strength exploded from within my body.

I got up and immediately threw a punch right at Nathan's face.

Sophia screamed, but it did not stop me. When Nathan tried to fight back, I landed another punch that knocked him to the ground.

I shouted, "Just who the hell do you think you are? This is between Sophia and me. What gives you the right to stick your nose in our business? You want to take my place? Fine, no problem. As long as Sophia signs these papers and we get our divorce certificates, you can step in openly. Otherwise, you're just a dirty homewrecker who can't show his face in public!"

Nathan lay on the ground while Sophia's face filled with panic.

She said, "Lucas, have you lost your mind? Do you know what Nathan's condition is…"

I cut her off, scoffing. "His condition? Sophia, maybe Nathan has done so many terrible things that even God could not stand it anymore. Perhaps that is why he got sick!"

Nathan's anger intensified as he struggled to get up from the floor while cursing at me. "Lucas, you really are a piece of trash. Marrying Sophia is the greatest blessing of your life, and you don't even know how good you have it! If it weren't for her, you wouldn't even be able to pay for your mom's medical bills!"

Sophia immediately chimed in from the side. "Lucas, apologize to Nathan right now, or I'll cut off your mom's medical expenses!"

Hearing this, I let out a cold snort.

"Lucas, if you refuse to apologize, I really will cut off the money for her treatment! Security! Security!"

I immediately turned and smashed the decorative champagne bottle against the wall, holding the broken glass and pointing it at them.

Mom was already dead, and I had no family left in this world. I was all alone anyway, so who did I have to fear?

The bodyguards froze for a moment. With their professional instincts, they could tell immediately that I was not joking. For trained bodyguards, dealing with an untrained ordinary person would normally be easy.

But what if that person had nothing left to lose?

"Sophia, you want me to apologize to Nathan? That'll never happen in this lifetime! Come on then! I know I cannot beat your professional bodyguards, but at worst, I'll take one of you down with me!"

Seeing the fierce look on my face, the bodyguards hesitated and glanced toward Nathan before speaking carefully.

"Miss… Mr. Anderson is very emotional right now. Maybe you two should just talk this out."

Sophia stayed silent for a moment, then told the bodyguards to stand down and turned to glare at me with murderous eyes. "Lucas, what exactly do you want? Put down that bottle!"

I shouted, "Sign the papers."

"I won't sign them!"

Hearing Sophia's words, I suddenly laughed with relief. "So you really are pulling this disgusting stunt!"

Seeing me laugh, Sophia seemed even more convinced that I was only doing all of this to get her attention.

I said nothing and only gripped the bottle tighter to prevent the bodyguards from suddenly rushing in to take it away. Then, I slowly backed toward the entrance and turned to leave.

Inside the mansion, Sophia had nowhere to direct her rage, so she pulled out her phone and made a call.

"Riley, stop Lucas's mom's medical payments immediately!"

The other end of the line stayed silent for a long time before responding. "Ms. Monroe, Mr. Anderson's mother has already passed away. It was on the day you and Mr. Hayes held your wedding."