The day before the deadline, my husband, Sean Hoffman, was kidnapped by robbers and faced mortal danger.

To save him, I was captured and tied up on a terrace by a gang of thugs, enduring relentless torture for an entire day and night. My body was battered, my lower half bleeding.

By the time it was over, Sean collapsed in anguish and rushed me to the hospital in a frenzy. But it was too late—the baby inside me was already gone.

His eyes burned red with fury as he vowed to make the culprits pay in blood and to cherish me for the rest of his life.

But just as I was about to undergo an emergency C-section, I overheard a conversation through a Bluetooth headset while drifting in and out of consciousness:

"Mr. Hoffman, I just came to rescue you. If I hadn’t known this was all staged, I might have actually believed it. You cried so convincingly!"

"Don’t bring it up. I used three bottles of eye drops. Besides, if I didn’t act the part, how else would Marie Dalton believe it?"

"But allowing those men to take turns violating her for Miss Mandy Hall’s sake—wasn’t that too much? She was still pregnant..."

"So what? I promised Mandy that she would be the true mistress of the Hoffman family. The only way to erase Marie as a threat was to completely ruin her."

"As for the child? I never intended for it to be born in the first place."

Lying on the operating table, my tears streamed down like broken pearls.

The man I had risked everything to protect—the one I had trusted with my life—had orchestrated the entire nightmare. Even our child had been nothing more than a pawn in his scheme…

——

"By the way, Mr. Hoffman, because of the… severity of the assault, your wife suffered a ruptured corpus luteum. The doctor recommends immediate suturing. Should we proceed with the operation?"

"Not a suture. A hysterectomy."

The assistant froze. When he spoke again, his voice carried a trace of hesitation, even pity.

"Mr. Hoffman… are you sure? She just lost her child. Stripping her of motherhood entirely at this moment—isn’t that too cruel?"

"What’s more, do you really want to give up fatherhood for Miss Mandy?"

For a brief second, Sean hesitated. But then, his voice was filled with unwavering devotion.

"For Mandy, I would sacrifice anything—even my life."

"Though I may never get to be with her in this lifetime, I will clear every obstacle for her and our child."

"Make sure the operation is thorough. Remove her uterus completely. She must never have the chance to challenge Mandy’s child for the Hoffman family inheritance."

The assistant hesitated again and tried to reason with him.

"But sir, ever since she married you, she has been nothing but devoted. She loves you deeply. She—"

"Enough!" Sean snapped, his tone final. "My decision is made. Since I married Marie, I will make it up to her in other ways."

"But to ensure there are no mistakes, I will personally oversee the operation."

At that moment, though the anesthetic left me paralyzed from the waist down, my body trembled uncontrollably.

Five years ago, my stepsister, Mandy, was caught sleeping with her fiancé, Alden Hoffman, on the eve of their wedding.

I was just about to expose their betrayal when, in front of everyone, Sean—my fiancé’s elder brother—publicly proposed to me.

He claimed he had secretly loved me for years but never had the courage to confess. Now, fate had granted him a chance before I married another man.

Overwhelmed by his devotion, I agreed on the spot.

The very next day, the groom changed.

And I became the most envied woman in all of Washington.

After marriage, I devoted my heart entirely to Sean. Even when the robbers demanded my body in exchange for his life, I agreed without hesitation. But I never imagined that Sean would use this moment to stage a kidnapping right before my eyes.

The so-called perfect marriage—nothing but an elaborate lie. The man I thought was my savior turned out to be my executioner. And worst of all, the baby I carried, the child who had already grown inside me, was murdered by his own father.

A single tear slipped silently down my cheek.

Sean walked in at that moment, and his gaze immediately fell on me. He rushed to my side, gently wiping the tear from the corner of my eye. His touch was as tender as ever, but I no longer felt his warmth.

I wanted to open my eyes, but my body felt heavy. Sean, thinking I was in pain, quickly called a nurse. Moments later, the cold sensation of anesthesia spread through my veins.

Just before my world faded to black, I heard his voice—calm, emotionless—giving instructions to the doctor.

"You’ll personally guide me in removing my wife’s uterus later."

"As for the dead fetus… take it out and dispose of it."

I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but when I finally opened my eyes, my body felt weak and heavy.

The first thing I saw was Sean, lying beside my bed, gripping my hand tightly.

The moment he noticed I was awake, his eyes reddened with emotion, and his voice trembled with concern.

"Marie… I’m sorry. If not for saving me, you and the baby wouldn’t have suffered this."

"I’ve already handed those people over to the police, but… the doctor said you were badly injured. They had to remove your uterus…"

"But don’t worry. Even without a child, I will never leave you. I still love you, Marie."

If I hadn’t overheard his words in the operating room, I might have been deeply moved by his devotion.

But now…

Watching him feign affection so effortlessly, I suddenly wanted to laugh.

So this is what love looks like to him—an act, played so convincingly.

He could pretend to love me so easily, yet his heart belonged to someone else.

But I’m done. I want no part of it anymore.

Seeing my silence, Sean assumed the anesthesia hadn’t fully worn off. He gently pulled the blanket over me before hurrying out of the room.

The moment he left, I opened my eyes fully, my gaze falling on the laptop he had carelessly left behind.

A thought sparked in my mind.

I reached for it, unsure why. But when I opened it, my breath caught.

There, in a private folder, was a note labeled: "I will only love Mandy in this life."

I clicked it.

Hundreds—no, thousands—of photos filled the screen. All of them of Mandy… her son, who had just turned one month old.

Each photo was meticulously time-stamped, a total of 9,999 images.

Yet the child I had carried for ten long months—our child—didn’t even have a single posthumous photo.

My gaze landed on one picture.

It was from the day of Mandy’s baby’s full-month celebration. Sean was holding the child tenderly, a protective hand cradling his tiny frame.

And in his other hand, he held a longevity lock.

I recognized it instantly.

It was the pendant Sean had spent nine months crafting, carving late into the night.

Back then, I had foolishly believed he was preparing it for our baby, which he shared in my excitement and anticipation.

But now…

Now, as I looked closer, I saw the truth carved into the metal.

One word.

"Mandy."

At that moment, even though my heart was already shattered beyond repair, I felt another sharp pang of pain.

A tear of bitter self-mockery slipped down my face.

Just then, in the lower right corner of the screen, a notification popped up from an open chat window.

A message.

And in that instant, I knew—this nightmare was far from over.

A message notification popped up—a stranger had sent a video. Moments later, Sean transferred five million yuan without hesitation.

The other party responded: "Don’t worry, Mr. Hoffman. My brothers and I will never mention that you were the one who ordered us to violate your sister-in-law."

"Good. You handled it well. If you ever need anything, reach out to me."

Tears streamed down my face.

So this was the man I had loved for five years—the man who had personally thrown me into hell.

I forced myself to take deep breaths, steadying my shaking fingers before I dared to open the video.

On the screen, the entire horrifying ordeal played out—the nightmare of being violated by those monsters, recorded in excruciating detail.

Back then, I had endured the agony, biting my lips until they bled, believing I was saving Sean’s life.

Now, as I watched, the memories came flooding back, overwhelming me. Every sickening touch, every moment of humiliation, rushed over me like a violent storm, making my entire body tremble.

I couldn’t bear to see any more. I wiped my tears, quickly saved the chat records to my phone via email, and then erased all traces from the laptop.

Sean…

Since you love putting on a show so much, then this time, I’ll act for you.

I picked up my phone and sent a message to an underground agency abroad—one that specialized in faking deaths.

"Three days from now. The top floor of Hoffman Group. He dies on the spot."

—

The next morning, Sean walked into my hospital room with an extravagant breakfast, smiling as if nothing had happened.

But the moment he stepped closer, I caught the lingering scent of gardenias—a fragrance that didn’t belong to me.

The nausea hit instantly. My stomach churned, and I grabbed the bed frame, retching.

Sean rushed to my side, stroking my back with concern. Just as he was about to speak, the door burst open, and his assistant entered in a panic.

"Mr. Hoffman, it’s bad! Someone uploaded the video of your wife’s kidnapping online!"

Sean’s face turned ashen. Without another word, he followed his assistant out, muttering something about handling public relations.

I gave him a calm nod, but as soon as he left, I followed him straight to his office.

The moment I arrived, a call came through his desk phone.

"Mr. Hoffman, we can still remove the trending search in time. We guarantee to wipe the video from every platform."

Sean’s response made my blood run cold.

"No need. I arranged for the video to be posted. What I want you to do now is increase its visibility. Make sure everyone sees it."

There was silence on the other end—stunned hesitation. Then, a quick, obedient response.

Sean hung up, and before I could react, I heard a voice I knew all too well.

"Sean, let’s just forget about this. The baby and I don’t have to be heirs."

"If my sister ever finds out that you ordered this and spread it across the internet, she’ll hate you forever. I don’t want that."

Mandy’s voice was soft, filled with worry.

Sean wrapped his arms around her, his eyes full of tenderness.

"Mandy, I made a promise to Alden before he died—I would take care of you. The entire Hoffman Group is my gift to you and the baby."

"At tomorrow’s press conference, I’ll declare that Marie is no longer fit to be the Hoffman family’s young lady because of this scandal."

"And I’ll also announce that the baby will be registered under my name, ensuring that when he grows up, he can inherit the Hoffman Group without opposition."

Inside the office, Mandy’s eyes filled with emotion at his words.

Meanwhile, outside the door, I felt like I had been plunged into an ice-cold abyss.

My body trembled uncontrollably as I realized the extent of Sean’s cruelty.

Soon, the entire world would see those videos. My humiliation would be eternal.

I staggered back, my fingers accidentally knocking against a trash bin.

The noise startled them.

Sean whipped around and opened the door, his eyes flashing with a momentary panic before he quickly composed himself and strode toward me.

"Marie… what are you doing here?"

"Didn’t the doctor say you weren’t fully recovered? You should be resting in the hospital for a few more days."