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.

Time and again, he confessed to stealing someone else’s place—a shameless, selfish, despicable liar who took credit that wasn’t his.

It was torture, and it was revenge.

As a reward, he promised to protect my parents from harassment by creditors.

I thought nothing could be worse, as long as my parents remained safe and healthy.

This broken, humiliating marriage no longer mattered.

But a call from the hospital proved that hell had no end.

Those who once feared the Williams family finally saw their chance.

They secretly cut the car’s brake lines, leaving my parents in a terrible accident.

The hospital called, saying their injuries were too severe, and the surgery was nearly impossible—only I could perform it in all of New York.

I rushed out in a panic, but bodyguards stopped me at the door.

Xavier’s voice was cold and lazy:

“You haven’t even finished your work. Where does Ms. Williams think she’s going?”

“Or are you tired of being Mrs. Spencer and can’t wait to find another man to save you from your misery?”

By then, Xavier had already brought Lily into our home. After consulting countless orthopedic experts, she could finally stand with crutches.

The experts said daily massages would help her recovery.

With my medical background, Xavier forced me to quit the hospital and massage Lily’s legs for five hours every day as compensation.

But my parents were still waiting for me.

I knelt before Xavier for the first time, begging him to let me go.

I swore I’d serve Lily as her slave for life if he allowed me to save my parents.

But Xavier sneered.

“Nina, do you still think I’m the gullible fool I used to be?”

“You can’t stand that Lily lives here, and now you’re making excuses to skip work, aren’t you?”

“You even curse your own parents. You’re filthier than I thought.”

In the end, I was forced to kneel on the floor to massage Lily.

Xavier sat beside me, clutching his pocket watch, drinking tea, not allowing me a second’s rest.

When I finally reached the hospital, drenched in sweat, all I found were my parents’ cold bodies beneath white sheets.

My colleagues said they knew I was serving Lily like a slave every day and had planned to fetch me themselves.

My parents regretted everything—that they’d ever let me marry Xavier.

Even on their deathbeds, they were still crying out...

He demanded I file for divorce.

On social media, Lily flaunted their relationship—Xavier had taken her to a hot spring in New Zealand.

They kissed amid swirling steam.

That day, I collapsed in the hospital corridor. When I woke, I learned I had terminal cancer.

I wasn’t afraid—only relieved.

My parents were gone, and my life was nearing its end.

Xavier could no longer control me.

After sending the final package, I tore up the marriage certificate and threw it away.

As I was leaving, I ran into Xavier and Lily, just back from New Zealand.

Weren’t they supposed to be gone for two months? Why were they back so soon?

Maybe it was the pain clouding my mind, but when Xavier saw me, he seemed to exhale in relief.

Then disgust returned to his eyes as he said mockingly,

“Didn’t you want a divorce? Why are you still hanging around the Spencer family?”

“I knew it—the Williams family’s gone. You can’t live without wealth, can you?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll leave right now.”

I headed for the door.

Xavier grabbed me.

“Nina, who are you arguing with? Where are you going in the middle of the night?!”

My stomach was already aching badly, and his rough pull made it worse.

A metallic taste rose in my throat, and I spat out a mouthful of blood.

Xavier froze, instinctively letting go of me.

“What’s wrong with you?”

I sighed inwardly. Why couldn’t I hold it back?

How much more of my misery would he have to witness in this lifetime?

Thankfully, Lily spoke first.

“Ah, Mrs. Spencer, is it because I messaged you asking for a late-night snack and you refused, that you pretended to vomit blood?”

“It’s alright, just say so. Making up such stories only makes Xavier worry more. I should’ve known better than to give the nanny a day off. Sigh, I’ll do it myself…”

Hearing that, Xavier’s face turned cold again. He sneered,

“You never disappoint me—your lies just keep improving.”

“Compared to what you did to Lily, what’s wrong with making a midnight snack? Go on, or should I call your parents to help you?”

He dragged me toward the kitchen. Just then, his phone rang.

Grandpa Charles wanted him to return to the old house, saying he needed to talk.

Naturally, Xavier wouldn’t leave Lily alone. Before he left, he ordered his bodyguards to watch me until I finished making the snack and not let me go anywhere.

But he didn’t know that the moment they stepped out, his men were knocked unconscious.

“Young Madam, Master asked us to take you away,” one of them said.

I refused the card Grandpa Charles had sent and went alone to the Williams family’s old house.

This place held countless memories of my parents and me.

Everything looked the same, yet everything had changed.

I looked down at my hands—hands that had performed countless surgeries, saved countless lives…

But not my own parents.

I had lied to Grandpa Charles; a daughter like me didn’t deserve peace.

As the blade cut across my wrist, I pulled out a family photo from my pocket.

Dad was still young and handsome, Mom elegant and gentle, and I… I hadn’t yet married Xavier.

My vision dimmed, and I closed my eyes with relief.

It’s good—it won’t hurt anymore.

It’s good—I can finally see Mom and Dad again.

…At the old house, Xavier waited all night, but Grandpa Charles never appeared.

The butler brought a stack of documents, saying they were from the company.

Xavier didn’t know what his grandfather was planning. The image of me coughing up blood kept flashing in his mind, leaving him restless.

He signed the papers without even looking.

Then his men reported that I was missing.

Xavier could no longer sit still.

His first thought was that I must’ve gone to find my parents—or run away with them.

Ridiculous. Even if I hid to the ends of the earth, he could find me.

Escaping him? Impossible.

He sent people to block the airports and train stations, while he rushed to the Williams family home himself.

But when he pushed open the door, he froze.