As he was leaving, he called me back, his eyes filled with sorrow.

“Nina, wherever you go, tell Grandpa. If that day truly comes, Grandpa will come to see you off on your final journey…” My nose burned, and tears welled up.

I wiped my eyes and nodded with a faint smile.

After burying my parents, I packed up all my belongings, preparing to donate them to charity.

The marriage certificate slipped to the floor. In the photo, Xavier held me close, his gaze tender and full of love.

Five years later, that same face looked at me only with contempt.

Sometimes, even I couldn’t understand—how could I, who prided myself on my judgment, have made such a mistake?

If only I had asked one more question back then, maybe things would be different now.

Maybe I was just too greedy.

For as long as I could remember, Xavier had been the most dazzling figure among New York’s elite.

Handsome, brilliant, and effortlessly charming, he exuded a noble confidence that drew everyone in.

Wherever he went, admirers followed.

Unlike the other heiresses, I didn’t wear heavy makeup, wasn’t skilled at socializing, and preferred to keep to myself.

I only dared to steal glances at him from afar—over a book, across a crowded banquet hall.

When he was twenty, an earthquake struck while he was watching a play. The theater collapsed, and he was injured, slipping into a coma.

I was the doctor assigned to care for him.

Fortunately, his injuries weren’t serious, though he lost all memory of the events before the quake.

When he woke up, the first person he saw was me.

He pulled me into a sudden embrace. “You saved me, didn’t you? Without you, I would’ve died…”

I froze, flustered, and quickly waved my hands, insisting it wasn’t that serious—it was my duty as a doctor.

But the very next day, Xavier announced to everyone that he would marry me.

People struggled just to catch a glimpse of him, yet he wanted to see me eight times a day.

He despised waiting and early mornings, yet he insisted on driving me to and from the hospital daily, even preparing my meals himself.

We skied in the Alps and watched the Northern Lights in Iceland.

He flew to Switzerland, spent a billion dollars to buy a rough pink diamond, and spent months designing an engagement ring for me.

My long-hidden crush suddenly returned, and I felt as if I were living in a dream.

Our families had already planned a marriage alliance, and since we were in love, we quickly held a grand wedding.

We became the golden couple of New York’s social circles.

Every time he looked at me with that deep affection, I felt God had blessed me—allowing true love to blossom in a marriage of convenience.

But dreams always end.

On our second wedding anniversary, our friends booked a hotel to celebrate.

Xavier arrived late. When everyone urged him to drink the nuptial wine, he sat still, his face dark.

I squeezed his hand, asking softly what was wrong.

The next second, he shoved me away, splashing red wine all over my face.

“Nina, are you comfortable sitting in this stolen seat as Mrs. Spencer? How dare you celebrate here?!”

His voice was colder than the wine, his eyes brimming with mockery and loathing.

Gasps filled the room. My face burned painfully, my eyes swelling shut.

My carefully chosen gown was drenched in red. I stared at him in confusion and disbelief.

How could Xavier, who once knew me so well, forget my severe allergy to alcohol?

He showed no remorse—only threw a stack of photos at my face.

“The person who saved me that day wasn’t you. You played me for a fool. All this—just to marry into the Spencer family and lift your own.”

"If you hadn’t taken the credit and made me mistake you for someone else, Lily wouldn’t have missed her best chance to treat her legs because of poverty—and she wouldn’t be in a wheelchair now!"

"So what if you had an allergic reaction? You deserved it for ruining your own face!"

I stared blankly at the photos of the delicate girl in the wheelchair.

A faint unease crept into my chest. I felt that I had truly made a mistake.

I lay in the hospital for two days, and Xavier never appeared.

Eventually, I learned everything from a private investigator.

On the day of the theater collapse, a massive crystal chandelier had fallen toward Xavier, who was there as a sponsor.

A ballet dancer named Lily Parker pushed him out of the way, breaking both her legs in the process.

If not for her, he would have died on the spot.

I heard she was his junior in school and had secretly admired him for years, too insecure to confess her feelings.

Until a recent encounter, they rekindled their bond—and they finally confessed to each other.

Everything became clear.

He had never been looking for me.

For the first time, I thought of divorce.

But fate mocked me—because the doctor said I was two months pregnant.

Grandpa Charles and my parents were overjoyed.

They told me that all couples fight, that I should think of the child and give him a complete family.

Grandpa Charles even planned a family banquet to celebrate and ease the tension between us.

For the child’s sake—and for the love I couldn’t let go of—I agreed.

But Xavier didn’t care.

He brought Lily, both dressed in matching designer outfits, and boldly sat in my seat.

Ignoring his grandfather’s furious expression, he only asked Lily gently what she wanted to eat.

Lily looked at me nervously and whispered, “Xavier, can I really sit here? Won’t it upset your wife…?”

“Heh, a thief has no right to be upset.”

The words hit harder than a slap.

Ignoring the awkward glances around me, I forced a smile, said I wasn’t feeling well, and hurried upstairs.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him kiss Lily’s forehead, and my heart clenched painfully.

Then came Grandpa Charles’s angry shout—and I fell down the stairs.

Blood pooled beneath me. I tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Before I lost consciousness, I saw Xavier rushing toward me.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the hospital.

Xavier sat beside my bed, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion, as though he hadn’t slept.

Remembering the fall, a fragile hope flickered inside me.

Was he worried about me?

But his next words shattered that illusion.

“The child is gone—but it’s for the best. A bastard born of lies shouldn’t have existed anyway.”

Once, during our honeymoon, he whispered sweetly in my ear, begging me to give him a daughter just like me.

Now, with his indifference and cruelty, something inside me broke completely.

Tears streamed down my face as I shouted hoarsely, “Why did you do this to me?”

Xavier calmly straightened his collar, his tone dripping with mockery.

“Isn’t this your own fault? The moment you stole someone else’s credit, you should’ve expected this.”

I collapsed back onto the bed, watching helplessly as Lily’s call pulled him away.

Touching my empty belly, I wept uncontrollably.

But I truly didn’t know anything.

As a doctor, I had only done my duty to save my patient.

It just so happened that the person I saved was the one I had secretly loved.

So why did I become the sinner?

The day I was discharged from the hospital, I asked my lawyer to prepare the divorce papers.

Since everyone believed I had taken Lily’s place, I decided to return it to her.

The daughter of the Williams family would never stoop so low as to steal another’s affection.

But I forgot—precisely because I was the Williams family’s daughter, my parents would never allow me to be humiliated like this, and the Spencer family would never accept Lily.

They found her and offered money, comfort, and treatment from a renowned orthopedic specialist abroad in exchange for her departure.

That very day, Lily vanished with the money.

But I received a text from her:

“Mrs. Spencer, my feelings for Xavier are real. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you.”

“Since you can’t accept me, I’ll respect your arrangements. I wish you happiness.”

Before I could reply, Xavier came home unexpectedly.

He snatched my phone and stared at the message for five long minutes.

I thought he would question me, but he said nothing.

Instead, he went to the kitchen and made me a bowl of chicken soup, as gentle as before.

He personally took care of me during my confinement, brought me along to social gatherings, and showed affection at every turn.

We seemed to have become that perfect couple once more.

Seeing his newfound composure, Grandpa Charles finally handed him full control of the Spencer Group, and my parents felt reassured.

I even began to believe that, deep down, family still mattered to him.

But later, I realized he had only been waiting for the right time.

Once power was in his hands, Xavier stopped pretending.

Ignoring the many joint projects between our families, he conspired with other powerful clans to crush the Williams family’s company.

Within months, our family went bankrupt, drowning in debt and cast out of high society.

Debt collectors hounded our home daily, my father’s hair turned gray overnight, and my mother cried herself hoarse.

I went to beg Xavier for mercy—only to find him feeding fruit to Lily in his arms.

After a long silence, he looked down at me coldly.

“When you told your parents to destroy Lily’s womb and sell her to an Overseas brothel, did you ever think of mercy?”

“Didn’t you want to use this marriage to lift your family’s status? Fine—I’ll show you the price of scheming against me.”

“I’m the one in charge of the Spencer family now. Even the old man can’t stop me. Leaving your parents alive is already my greatest kindness.”

Then he ordered his bodyguards to hold me down and force-feed me sterilization pills.

Blood flowed freely as his private doctor confirmed I’d never bear children again.

But he only shielded Lily’s eyes and whispered softly, “Don’t look—it’s dirty.”

At that moment, I laughed.

Laughed at my foolish hope, my arrogance, my self-deception.

“Let’s get a divorce.”

Xavier froze, rage flashing in his eyes. He gripped my chin tightly, voice sharp as a blade.

“What, now that you’ve realized you’ll get nothing from me, you want to walk away? Not that easy.”

“If it weren’t for you, Lily wouldn’t still be in that wheelchair. You’d better behave. The Williams family may be ruined, but your parents are still alive, aren’t they?”

He refused to divorce me, yet paraded Lily publicly, showering her with affection for all to see.

Their intimate photos filled the headlines—each time, he’d simply smile, indifferent, letting the reporters swarm me instead, forcing me to face the humiliation alone to clear their names.