Dewitt always kept his word.

I was terribly weak after the abortion, and from being ill, every slight movement brought searing pain.

In the three years we'd been married, Dewitt rarely came home.

When he did, it was only to humiliate me. After using me, he would throw some money on the bed and leave without ever spending the night.

"Who are you trying to act weak for?"

He shoved open the bedroom door, yanking me roughly from the bed. I gasped in pain.

"You didn't seem to care when you got rid of the baby, and now you're putting on a show? Allyson, don't you find yourself pathetic?"

He gripped my chin hard, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"Dewitt, I'm sick. I'm going to die."

His eyes, long stripped of the clarity they once held during our college days, were now filled with a viciousness.

For a moment, he seemed stunned, but he quickly regained his composure.

"You've really outdone yourself, coming up with something like that. I underestimated you."

He grabbed my arm and dragged me down the stairs, throwing me onto the couch with a harsh thud.

A sharp pain shot through my chest, and I tasted blood in my mouth.

I was really in agony. It felt as if my insides were tearing apart.

"Dewitt, I want some coffee."

As soon as the new girl saw me, she eagerly clung to Dewitt's arm, pouting sweetly.

"Are you deaf? Kylie said she wants coffee. Get to grinding!"

I mustered all my strength to push myself off the couch and began to limp towards the stairs.

However, Dewitt grabbed my wrist again.

"If you don't want your grandmother to die in the hospital, I suggest you do as you're told."

My grandmother was the only family I had left in the world.

Dewitt had used my mother to force me into marriage, and now, he used my grandmother as leverage.

After my grandmother knew I got married, she was afraid I would be wronged, so she treated Dewitt even better than me.

Even when she was ill, she would make him a birthday cake every year.

Every time I took Dewitt to see her, even if she was not feeling well, she would prepare snacks for him.

She was so careful around him, just like my mother had been.

Despite having a coffee machine in the house, he insisted I grind the beans by hand. I knew this was just another way for him to humiliate me.

But he wasn't satisfied with just that. He wrapped his arms around the girl's waist and began kissing her passionately right in front of me.

"Someone's here."

The girl's coy gestures only fueled Dewitt's desire.

He pressed her down and kissed her deeply.

"Isn't it more exciting with her watching?" he asked.

"I don't like it! Can you make her leave? Or do you not want to let her go?"

The girl shot me a challenging look.

Dewitt glanced at me and let out a sneer.

"Fine, I'll make her leave."

It was already past midnight, and his villa was built on a mountain.

I knew that once I walked out of his villa, there would be no signal, and I couldn't call a cab or find a hotel.

But as long as I could get away from Dewitt, I was willing to do anything.

The night wind was very cold. I walked for a long time. In the end, I walked on a road without street lights, and everything around me was pitch black.

I crouched down on the ground, hugging myself tightly, trying to find some warmth.

I closed my eyes, and my mother's face appeared before me. She was reaching out her hand to me. I really wanted to throw myself into her arms.

I suddenly felt that if I died like this, it would not be so bad.

I reached out my hands, ready to join my mother, but then Dewitt shook me awake.

"Allyson, you've really got some nerve."

He scooped me up and forced me into his car.

In the beginning, Dewitt and I were deeply in love.

In my first year of college, my mother was diagnosed with a serious illness.

At that time, my only wish was for my mother to survive. I was desperate to make money, working four jobs a day, even at the cost of abandoning my studies.

When my mother found out, she cried and refused to see me.

I had no choice but to return to college, but I continued working whenever I wasn't in class.

My mother's medical bills were astronomical to me.

Later, when the college learned about my situation, they started a fundraiser for me.

Dewitt generously donated all the money I needed, even giving more than what was required.

"Thank you."

He was a busy man, and it took me a while to find him to express my gratitude with a deep bow.

At that time, Dewitt was full of vigor. His composed and confident demeanor left a lasting impression on me.

I quietly remembered his kindness, resolving to repay him one day.

Even after that, I continued to work whenever I could.

After that, Dewitt and I didn't cross paths much. But one day, while I was working at a restaurant, I suddenly lost control of my hand holding a tray.

Looking back, I realize that this was the first sign of my illness slowly manifesting.

The sauce from the tray spilled all over the customer.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

The customer was a rough-looking man.

"I'm so sorry, sir, I really didn't mean to. I apologize sincerely. I can pay for the damages."

It was my first time dealing with a situation like this, and I was incredibly flustered.

I frantically tried to wipe the man's clothes while apologizing repeatedly.

"Pay for it? Do you have any idea what brand this suit is? Can you afford it?"

Tears blurred my vision, and I didn't dare to speak, silently enduring his berating.

After he had his fill of scolding me, he said, "Alright, I can be reasonable."

Hearing this, I saw a glimmer of hope.

"I have just one condition," that man said.

"Sure. As long as it's something I can do, I'll agree."

He grinned at me, then grabbed my hand and, with a lascivious smile, said, "If you spend one night with me, I won't make you pay."

I was stunned for a moment and then slapped him subconsciously.

"You little bitch. How dare you hit me!"

What followed was the clichéd damsel-in-distress scene.

Dewitt stepped in front of me, delivering a punch that sent the man sprawling on the ground.

The whole situation had been my fault. I handed all my money to the man, then grabbed Dewitt and fled.

"Thank you, Dewitt."

He had helped me again.

"Didn't I give you enough money? Why are you still working?"

Though he was asking a question, his tone carried a hint of anger.

"It's enough, but I can't just take your money for nothing. I'll repay you someday."

He chuckled.

"Do I look like I'm short of money?

"Well, if you really feel that guilty, I have a condition too."

Hearing the word "condition" made me nervous, and I stole a glance at him.

He flicked my forehead lightly.

"What are you thinking? I heard your mom's a great cook, so I guess you must be good at it, too.

"Come to my place and handle my meals. Consider it repaying the debt."

I stared at him in surprise.

"Is it really that simple?"

"Are you agreeing or not?"

He smiled at me. Back then, I felt he looked just like an angel.

"Yes, I agreed!"

I nodded enthusiastically.

Later, we fell in love over time.

At least, that was how I thought our love story began. Dewitt told me he had liked me long before that.

We were like any other couple, enjoying life together.

Later, when a car was out of control and rushed towards us, he pushed me out, but he was injured.

At that time, I felt that the feeling of being loved wholeheartedly by someone was really wonderful.

However, our happiness was fragile.

We were in love for four years. After graduation, he planned an extravagant proposal for me.

But on the day he proposed, I was diagnosed with the same illness as my mother.

"Allyson, will you marry me?"

Dewitt knelt down on one knee, presenting the carefully chosen ring in front of me.

His eyes sparkled, filled with hope and happiness.

The lights around us twinkled in the night. The atmosphere that evening was incredibly romantic.

"Say yes. Say yes!" the crowd around us chanted.

We had been together for four years, and many had witnessed our love story. At that moment, we were surrounded by the cheers and blessings of our friends.

I cried. I wanted to say yes, but I knew that doing so would only hold him back.

So, under the gaze of all those people, I refused.

The cheers abruptly stopped. Everyone looked at each other in shock. Dewitt's face showed disbelief.

Despite the awkward situation, after sending all the guests away, he gently and tenderly pulled me into his arms.

"What's wrong? Did something happen? Tell me, we can face it together."

Before he could finish, I interrupted him.

"I fell in love with someone else."

"I don't believe you. If you're troubled by something, you have to tell me. We can work it out together. Don't leave me, Allyson. You promised we'd spend our lives together."

As he spoke, this nearly six-foot-three man buried his head in my shoulder.

I felt a warmth on my shoulder. I realized that he was crying.

My heart ached as if it were being cut with a knife, but even in great pain, I pushed him away.

After that night, I began to avoid him.

He kept trying to find me. In desperation, I found someone to pretend to be my boyfriend.

"Don't bother me anymore. You're making a fool of yourself."

With each word I said, his eyes grew redder.

Suddenly, the man pretending to be my boyfriend kissed me on the cheek.

Before I could react, Dewitt rushed forward, pinning the man to the ground and beating him.

I jumped in, hugging the man.

"Dewitt, have you lost your mind? What right do you have to hit him?"

I questioned him, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. He stared at me intensely as if he wanted to kill me.

After a few minutes of tense silence, he turned and walked away.

Watching his back, I vaguely felt that we were completely over.

After that, he didn't show up for a long time.

Someone sent me photos of him, drunk out of his mind, telling me to come pick him up.

I blocked his friends' numbers one by one, determined to cut off all contact with him.

After all, only by doing this could he forget me sooner after I died.

However, I soon realized I had underestimated his feelings for me.

Back then, my mother's condition worsened. She was only alive thanks to the expensive medical treatments.

Dewitt found me, threatening that unless I married him, he would withdraw all of my mother's medical equipment and doctors.

He stood in front of me, his eyes devoid of love, only an undisguised hatred.

"What's the point of doing this? I've told you. I don't love you anymore."

He bit down hard on my lip.

"Allyson, even in death, you'll die by my side."

After being together for so long, I felt that no one knew him better than I did.

Though he tried to appear menacing, I knew that if he truly hated me, there was no way he'd still want to marry me.

So I created a bunch of fake photos of me with other men in bed and threw them in his face.

He tore the photos into shreds, the pieces drifting down like snowflakes.