Christina went upstairs to her room to pack her things. As she looked around, she saw all the evidence of how her husband had hurt her again and again.

The first time Hervey hurt her was on their wedding day.

Keala had run away from her own wedding, turning him into the biggest joke in all of Tallahassee. She was the one who stepped up and married him in her sister’s place, choosing to face the gossip and humiliation alongside him.

But on the day of the wedding, someone switched out her wedding gown for mourning clothes.

Later, they discovered that Keala—who was abroad at the time—had been behind it. But Hervey didn’t scold her, not even once. He even defended Keala.

To comfort Christina, Hervey went so far as to have a lawyer draft an agreement: every time he hurt her, he would transfer 1% of his shares into her name.

That was the first time, and he really did transfer 1% to her.

In the three years since, he had long forgotten the promise he made back then, and he had no idea that all of his shares had slowly ended up in her hands.

For three years, every extra percent meant another time she had been hurt.

If she couldn’t win his heart, then she might as well take his money.

After looking through the countless ways he had wronged her, Christina gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes.

‘Hervey, this is where we end.’

The next day, her parents learned that Keala had returned and asked them to come home for dinner.

Right before getting into the car, Hervey said, “Christina, sit in the back. Keala likes riding in the front.”

She still remembered how his female secretary once tried to take the front seat, only to be harshly scolded because “the front passenger seat is for my wife.”

So, of course—deep down, the wife in Hervey’s heart had always been Keala.

Keala looped her arm through his and smiled. “Oh, Hervey, you always treat me the best. If I had married you back then, I can’t imagine how happy I’d be now.”

Christina’s lowered fists clenched tight.

She knew Keala was provoking her.

A few years ago, she would’ve argued. She would’ve tried to reason it out.

But now? She had already decided to let this man go. None of this mattered to her anymore.

As soon as they got in the car, Hervey pulled out motion-sickness medicine and handed it to Keala.

“Keala, I got this ready for you.”

Keala glanced back at Christina, smiling with deliberate meaning. “But Hervey, there’s only one pill. If you give it to me… what about Christina?”

Hervey’s hand froze. His mind was so focused on Keala that he forgot Christina also got carsick.

He pressed his lips together and said, “Christina, it’s just a twenty-minute drive. Try to bear with it.”

A sharp ache sliced through her chest.

They were both human, so why did she always have to be the one to “bear with it”?

Then she caught the warm, tender look in Hervey’s eyes as he gazed at Keala, and she let out a mocking laugh in her heart.

Of course. Because the person he cherished wasn’t her.

The entire ride, her stomach churned violently. When they arrived, she practically collapsed to the ground and started vomiting.

But neither her parents nor Hervey spared her even a single glance… just like when they were children.

Both daughters got carsick, yet all their parents’ concern went to Keala.

In the end, it was a housemaid—unable to watch any longer—who helped Christina inside.

Watching her parents and her husband fuss over another woman, Christina let out a bitter laugh.

If they all liked Keala so much, then once the divorce cooling-off period ended, she would leave for good.

Her parents... Her husband…

She didn’t want any of them.

Inside, the table was filled with dishes, but every one of them was Keala’s favorite.

During dinner, her parents kept piling food onto Keala’s plate, saying she had suffered too much while abroad and had even lost weight.

“If we knew you were struggling overseas, we would’ve brought you home sooner,” her father said. “We’d never let you go through all that hardship.”

“These are your favorite ribeye and creamy mashed potatoes,” her mother added. “I had everything sourced fresh from out of state as soon as we heard you were coming home.”

Keala curled her lips into a smile and gave Christina a provocative look. “Thanks, Mom. I knew you two loved me the most. I’m not leaving this time. I’ll stay and be your good daughter.”

Then she pointed at the ribeye and said to Hervey, “Hervey, I want some ribeye. Can you slice it for me?”

Hervey immediately picked up the knife and carefully cut the ribeye into neat slices, one by one.

Christina’s eyes stung.

She had asked him to cut meat for her before, and he had said, “I don’t make a habit of cutting food for anyone.”

Turns out it wasn’t a habit—he just didn’t want to do it for her.

Love and indifference… the difference really was that clear.

Her fists tightened beneath the table, nails cutting into her palm until blood dripped onto the floor.

Seeing her reaction, Keala smirked and deliberately said, “Dad, Mom, Hervey—stop focusing only on me. Otherwise my sister might get upset.”

At that, a flicker of impatience crossed Hervey’s face. He grabbed a slice of roast chicken breast and dropped it into Christina’s plate, his tone sharp.

“You’re a grown woman. Can’t you feed yourself? Do you really need someone to serve you?”

When she still didn’t pick up her fork, Keala spoke up again.

“Why aren’t you eating, Christina? Do you not like the food? Or… do you just not like me?”

With that one sentence, all three adults at the table turned their accusing gazes on her.

It was as if she had committed some unforgivable crime.

Elijah frowned. “Christina, your sister finally came home. Stop being childish and showing attitude for once.”

Christina stared at the piece of chicken meat on her plate. She let out a bitter breath, picked up her fork, and ate it.

It tasted salty.

Because her tears had fallen onto it.

Even after all these years… they still didn’t remember she was allergic to chicken.

As soon as the chicken went down, red rashes spread across Christina’s face.

Everyone at the table froze.

Hervey’s hand stopped mid-motion as he was slicing more ribeye for Keala. “You’re allergic to chicken. Why didn’t you say anything? So you did this on purpose? Hoping we’d feel guilty and blame Keala instead?”

Christina lifted her gaze toward him, her eyes stinging.

She had told them—many times over the years. No one ever cared enough to listen.

She was tired. “Think whatever you want.”

She got up and returned to her room.

If no one loved her, then she would love herself.

She stayed at her parents’ house for several days. Apart from seeing Hervey briefly at night, he spent his entire days taking Keala out to different places.

He claimed Keala had just come back and was in a bad mood, and he wanted to cheer her up.

To accompany her, he even stopped going to the company. The board of directors ended up calling his wife, asking her to control him.

Christina only replied calmly, “I can’t control him.”

If she could, she wouldn’t be getting divorced.

There were fifteen days left of the divorce cooling-off period. That night, Hervey came home early for the first time in forever.

He grabbed her wrist and stared at her stomach. “You’ve done ninety-nine IVF cycles. Still nothing?”

That was the first thing he’d said to her in more than ten days, and it was only because he was calculating.

Christina pulled her arm back and answered coldly, “No.”

She would never give birth to a child just so it could call Keala “Mom.”

A shadow flickered across Hervey’s face before he said, “Then try again.”

Christina looked up at him, her eyes cold.

To make Keala happy, he was willing to damage Christina’s body again and again?

Afraid he might force himself on her, she said, “Fine. After my body recovers. The doctor said I need to rest for a bit, or it’ll make pregnancy harder.”

As he heard her act so agreeable, a flicker of guilt rose in Hervey.

But the moment he thought of Keala, that guilt disappeared. His tone hardened.

“I’m the only son of the Dinklages. I can’t end the family line. Eat well these days and get your body back in shape.

“Christina, I know IVF is tough, but for us to have a child, I can only ask you to endure it.

“Keala’s been scared at night lately. I’ll sleep in the room next door to keep her company. Don’t worry—”

Before he could finish, Christina cut him off. “Okay. Go.”

A dirty man wasn’t someone she wanted anyway.

Her indifference left Hervey strangely irritated.

He let out a cold snort and slammed the door on his way out.

Watching his retreating figure, Christina whispered, “Hervey, since you like her so much, you two can stay chained together.”

Later that night, she got thirsty and went downstairs for water. As she passed Keala’s room, she accidentally overheard them talking.

Keala was curled up in the man’s arms. “Hervey, since Christina can’t have a baby, why don’t I have one for you?”

Hervey rejected her immediately. “No. IVF is painful, and giving birth carries huge risks. I can’t let you face that.”

“Keala,” he called, “I can lose anyone else, but I can’t lose you.”

Keala smiled, and the next second, the man rolled over and pressed her beneath him. The room quickly filled with their intimate sounds.

Christina ran back to her bathroom, covering her mouth. She shut the door and locked it.

In the mirror, her tears streamed down uncontrollably as soft sobs escaped her.

So Hervey always knew IVF was painful. He knew childbirth was dangerous, yet he still made her go through ninety-nine cycles.

Even when the doctor warned it would seriously harm her health.

He knew everything. He just didn’t care whether she lived or died.

She collapsed onto the floor, her knees giving out.

His promises echoed in her ears.

“Christina, let’s grow up quickly. When we’re older, I’ll marry you and make you the happiest bride.”

“Christina, don’t be scared. I’m here to save you. From now on, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“Christina, after we get married, I’ll treat you well. I won’t let you suffer.”

All of it was nothing but lies. And she was the only one who ever believed them.

Just as she was drowning in heartbreak, her phone rang. It was her lawyer.

“Ma’am, the share transfers are almost done. With this many shares, how do you plan to handle them?”

Christina tightened her grip on the phone, the last trace of love disappearing from her eyes, replaced only by hatred.

“I have my own plans. Prepare a transfer agreement for me.”

After hanging up, she called Hervey’s greatest rival—Hamish Eigenberg.

The man answered in his usual careless tone. “Well, well. Miss Christina. I never thought I’d get a call from you.”

Christina’s voice came out cold. “Hamish, I want to discuss a major business deal with you.”

“You’ve always wanted to take over the Dinklage Group, haven’t you? I currently hold fifty-two percent of its shares. Give me a reasonable price, and I’ll sell everything I have to you.”

The man on the other end paused for a moment, then let out a teasing laugh. “If you hand me all of Dinklage Group’s shares, I’m never letting Hervey off the hook.”

Hervey and Hamish had been at odds for years—neck-and-neck rivals who could never stand the sight of each other.

If she handed those shares to Hamish, Hervey would never recover.

Thinking about all the times he’d lied to her and hurt her, Christina’s voice sharpened with resolve. “I don’t care. Even if you buy the company just to tear it down and turn it into a pig farm, it’s fine with me.”

Hamish chuckled. “Christina, now I’m curious. What did Hervey do to you to make you this ruthless?”

“Hey, you’re asking too many questions. Just tell me—do you want the shares or not?”

“I want them. An opportunity like this? I’d be crazy to pass it up.”

“Send me an account number. I’ll sell the shares to you at market price.”

“Alright.”

Once the deal was settled, Christina sent him her card details.

Over the next few days, Hervey used “letting her rest” as an excuse not to come home. He didn’t return for an entire week.

But Keala’s Instagram never stopped updating.

Day one: Hervey spent a fortune at an auction to buy her a pink diamond.

Day two: He spent ten million on a city-wide fireworks display just for her.

Day three…

Day four…

In just one week, he did more for Keala than he ever did for Christina in three years.

Whenever she asked him to do anything with her, he only ever said one thing—busy.

Now, she finally understood. It wasn’t that he was too busy. He simply didn’t want to. He simply didn’t like her.

Christina opened a box and pulled out the childhood love letters Hervey had written to her. Their families had arranged their engagement when they were kids, so he had written her one letter every month, telling her she could read them when they grew up.

For the past three years, whenever heartbreak overwhelmed her, she opened one… and burned one.

Only one letter remained.

She unfolded it. It was his childish handwriting.

[Christina, twenty years from now, we should already be married, right? We should have a child by then too. You must have become the happiest wife and mother in the world. I’ll do everything I can to make money and give you and our child the best life.

[Christina, you are the woman I will love the most in this lifetime.]

His childhood love had been real.

And now, his betrayal was just as real.

Her parents and her husband had both fallen in love with someone else long before they ever reached her side.

Christina didn’t cry. She was just too tired to feel the pain anymore.

Promises were fake. His new love was real. So was every wound he left on her.

She burned the last remaining letter until it turned to ash.

There were four days left. When the fourth day arrived, she would take the money and her baby, and leave this suffocating place for good.

But that night, Hervey came home, reeking of alcohol.

The moment he stepped into the room, he wrapped her tightly in his arms, muttering complaints.

“Why weren’t you angry that I didn’t come home for so many days?”

“Christina… do you not love me anymore?”

Looking at his childish, drunken expression, Christina suddenly laughed.

If she got angry, he called her unreasonable.

If she didn’t get angry, he accused her of not caring.

‘Hervey… What exactly do you want from me?’

She stayed silent and tried to guide him toward the guest room.

But he refused to move. Instead, he pinned her wrists against the wall.

“Babe… you haven’t given yourself to me in a long time…”

Babe. For years, she thought it was his endearment for her.

But now…

Even though she’d already heard the truth, she still couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Who are you calling?”

He answered instantly—without hesitation.

“Keala.”

Her smile broke, and tears slipped out. Without caring about his reaction, she shoved him out of the room and slammed the door in his face.

She told herself she would never soften again.

She would never live as anyone’s substitute.

The next morning, Hervey woke up freezing on the floor outside the door. The sight of him sleeping there overnight should’ve stirred guilt, but instead, her bitterness evaporated, replaced by anger.

He barged into the room to demand an explanation, but stopped short when he saw her marking dates on the calendar.

The date three days later was circled in bright red.

Suddenly, a heavy, uneasy feeling pressed down on his chest.

“What does that red circle three days from now mean?”