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?”

Christina showed no hint of guilt for leaving the man outside the door all night. Her expression stayed calm as she said, “This day is our wedding anniversary. I prepared a big gift for you.”

A divorce certificate—her way of setting him free.

When he heard that, all his irritation instantly disappeared. The corners of his lips lifted into a smile.

He knew it. Christina could never really leave him.

“Since you’re being so thoughtful, I’ll prepare a gift for you, too. As for what you pulled last night, I’ll let it go.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the house.

Watching him rush away, Christina let out a quiet, mocking laugh.

He wasn’t “letting it go.” He simply didn’t have time to argue; after all, he had to go see the woman he actually cared about.

Still, Hervey kept his word. At noon, he had his secretary deliver a bouquet of roses.

Ma’am, Sir Hervey picked these out himself. He hopes you’ll like them.”

The roses were beautiful—bright and full. But he had forgotten one thing: she preferred heirloom roses.

When they were young, she loved them so much that Hervey once climbed over the neighbor’s fence just to pick one for her.

His mother made him kneel in the hallway for hours because of it.

Roses were Keala’s favorite.

If this had been years ago, Christina would’ve argued with him, furious that he couldn’t even remember what she liked.

But after these three years—after so many moments like this—she no longer had the strength to be angry.

After she finished signing for the flowers, the secretary left. But later, she saw the real story on Keala’s Instagram.

An hour earlier, Keala had posted a photo with a caption.

[I casually mentioned I liked sapphires once, and Hervey flew me to Miami in a private jet. But the auction roses? He just handed them off to whoever.]

The roses in the photo were exactly like the bouquet Christina received.

Apparently, the flowers she ended up with were the ones Keala didn’t care to keep.

With that realization, Christina picked up the bouquet and tossed it straight into the trash.

Things that served no purpose should be thrown away.

There were still two days left before the divorce proceedings. She had already booked her plane ticket.

She planned to travel for a while, to finally slow down and see the landscapes she’d never had the chance to enjoy.

But that night, she received a call from her parents, telling her she had to attend—today was Keala’s birthday.

They seemed to forget that they hadn’t celebrated her birthday in nearly twenty years.

It was not because they refused but because they always forgot.

Their hearts were small—so small that they only had room for Keala, leaving no space for Christina at all.

She hadn’t wanted to go. But thinking about the fact that they had at least given her life, she decided she would treat tonight as a farewell.

But once she arrived at the party, she realized she was not needed there.

Her childhood best friend was now Keala’s best friend.

Her parents stood on Keala’s side.

Even her husband sided with Keala.

Keala’s circle of friends sneered openly.

“Keala, where’s that small-town sister of yours? Is she gonna be here tonight? Don’t let her run her mouth like she did years ago and embarrass you again.”

Christina’s fist tightened.

Back then, when she had just been rescued and brought home, even her accent had changed. She didn’t know how to dress, looked plain and awkward, completely out of place among these people.

The moment she spoke, they laughed and called her a hillbilly.

Even Hervey couldn’t hold back his laughter.

She had been so crushed by it that she spent two months correcting her accent.

But now, she finally understood something.

Even if Hervey couldn’t understand her words back then, couldn’t he at least understand her tears?

The memories made her feel ridiculous.