I met Xavier at the orphanage. Back then, I was seven years old and already the leader among the children there.

And he had just lost both parents, had his parents’ pension taken by bullying relatives, and was dumped at the orphanage gate like an unwanted burden.

My first encounter with him was the night one week after Xavier entered the orphanage. He was so hungry that his stomach growled nonstop, and he was unable to fall asleep.

And I happened to like hoarding snacks, so the righteous me gave all of mine to him.

From that moment on, he trailed after me. I spoke up for him in all things and took him into account in everything.

Until adulthood, I was the one following behind him. He took care of me in every detail and stayed by my side.

Back then, we once huddled together under an overpass tunnel, making fires to survive. Later, when things improved a little, he took out a loan to start a business.

The first time he owed five hundred thousand, I encouraged him not to lose heart.

So he worked hard with a strong focus to start a business again. In only two years, he grew the company larger and more powerful, pushing into the national top hundred.

It was also during that period that I met my relatives at a banquet. Only then did I learn that I had been separated when I was young, but I did not want to leave Xavier, so I simply refused to recognize my family.

Xavier was very insecure, so I never told him that my relatives had already located and contacted me.

My original purpose was to stop him from thinking too much.

I did not expect he would actually want to use this to control my weakness!

When I stepped out of the company, I suddenly got an urgent call from the hospital. The doctor informed me, “Your younger sister’s current situation is not very good. She needs emergency surgery. As for the cost…”

I gripped the resignation paper and quickly said, “Use the best. I will hurry over to pay right away.”

When I hurried to the hospital without pause and saw the bill for two hundred thousand, my mind went empty for a second.

Ever since I found out Xavier cheated, he had not given me even a single dollar. The later abortion and all kinds of costs were all paid by me.

Looking at the balance on the card with only 1.28 dollars left, my heart shook again and again.

The paycheck had not arrived yet.

The hospital was urging immediately.

After hesitating over and over, I still took out my phone and called Xavier.

Hoping that for the sake of so many years of feelings, he would give me my salary early.

The call went through.

The first time, no one picked up.

The second time, it was cut off right away.

.…

Only on the twelfth attempt did the call go through, the other party sounding annoyed. “If you have something to say, say it fast.”

I drew in a deep breath. My voice came out faint and strained. “Can you… loan me some money? Or pay my salary early and lend me the remainder?”

Xavier paused briefly, then asked, “How much?”

I lowered my gaze to the amount on the bill, shut my eyes in despair, and said, “Two hundred thousand.”

A faint chuckle came from Xavier, then his nearly heartless voice followed. “I can loan you the money, but you must admit you were wrong and apologize.”

Before I could respond, Millie’s angry voice rang out from the other end. “You must kneel and bow to Shadow to apologize!”

They wanted me to admit my mistake and apologize to a dog, the very dog that had hurt me first.

Xavier and Millie were plainly trampling my pride underfoot.

And Xavier fully knew that I had always been a very proud person.

My chest filled with bitter hurt. In a strained voice, I said, “Xavier, I am borrowing this money, not asking you to hand it to me.”

“And my salary is money I worked for.”

Xavier remained indifferent. “Then I give you twenty thousand extra. You kneel and apologize.”

“Once you come and apologize, I give you the money.”

Right after he spoke, the line went dead.

My unfinished words were fully trapped in my throat.

A deep sense of helplessness washed over me.

Amid the turmoil and darkness, I dialed my father again.

The other side answered immediately.

My throat tightened. “Dad, can you lend me two hundred thousand? My younger sister…”

Before I could finish, one million was transferred into my account.

Immediately afterward, my father spoke with affection. “If you are willing to spend dad’s money, dad feels very comforted. If it is still not enough, come ask Dad again.”

I didn’t have time to say much. After a hurried thank-you, I quickly went to settle the fees and topped up another one hundred thousand for lodging.

After handling everything, I looked at my younger sister’s pale face and whispered an apology. “Sorry, Rosie…”

If not for me, Xavier would not have gone after her.

Rosie was the little sister I met in the orphanage. She had always been the closest to me growing up. Even after adulthood, she continued to follow me. To me, she was truly family.

Once, Xavier and Rosie were both the people I cared about most.

Now, Xavier had turned into the chief cause behind Rosie's being forced to death.

Just when I was about to take a brief rest, the ward door was abruptly opened.

“Come with me to apologize.”

Xavier burst in without a word, grabbed my wrist, and dragged me outside.

Not wanting to disturb my younger sister’s rest, I held back my temper and followed him out of the ward. After the door closed, I immediately shook free from his grip.

My gaze grew cold. “What did you come for? And what am I apologizing for?”

Xavier pulled out a wet wipe and casually cleaned the place where he had touched me.

Then he tossed it into the trash with disgust before speaking. “You hurt Millie’s dog so badly. Shouldn’t you take responsibility for what you did?”

I shot back, “But I was bitten by that animal too! Why don’t you ask her to cover my medical costs?”

As I spoke, I showed him the wound.

Earlier, I was occupied with my sister’s situation and hadn’t had time to treat the injury, only getting a few rabies injections and a tetanus shot.

When Xavier saw the bloody hole in my leg, he frowned, and softness flashed in his eyes.

When we were little, Xavier was often picked on in the orphanage. Some troublemakers once drove dogs to attack him. I was the one the dogs bit, my entire body covered with bloody wounds, just to save him. Because of this, I am very scared of dogs. Back then, he even said he would grow up fast and become a man who could protect me, so I would not get hurt again…

Perhaps remembering the past, some pain rose in Xavier’s eyes, and he moved his hand toward my leg.

The next moment, the special ringtone broke the quiet air.

Xavier picked up the call, and Millie’s broken sobs came through the phone.

She roughly said the dog’s injuries were too serious and it was already beyond saving.

The call finished, and the small bit of warmth in Xavier’s eyes vanished. Endless coldness swallowed me.

“Are you satisfied?”

I opened my mouth. Before I could argue, Xavier’s voice was full of disappointment.

“Irene, I once believed you understood proper behavior. In the abduction incident three years earlier, I used a great amount of people and cash to save you when your clothing was messy. What else do you want?”

“You, a used and ruined woman who was already taken by others, besides me wanting you, who else would take you?”

The abduction incident three years earlier was the turning point that made the connection between Xavier and me fall apart.

At that time, his business opponent was unhappy that he controlled most of the earnings, so they paid people to seize me and demand payment from him.

He stayed calm, logical, and saved me in the quickest way.

Back then, my clothing was torn apart because I fought desperately, wanting to use death to stop Xavier from being pushed into a hard spot.

Unexpectedly, this instead turned into Xavier’s only evidence that I had been violated.

No matter how many times I explained that those marks were left when I tried to end my life and not from violence, he never trusted me.

The sentences I wanted to explain were stuck in my throat.

Xavier noticed his words sounded too heavy, and his eyes shifted. “What I say is all truth. It is natural that you cannot argue back.”

At that moment, a nurse passing by told me, “Miss Gordon, correct? You forgot to take the card you just topped up with one hundred thousand. I brought it for you.”

Just as I was about to extend my hand, Xavier moved one step quicker and grabbed the card.

He lifted the card and demanded from me, “Where does the money in this card come from?”

My eyes stayed calm and clear. “Why do you care where it comes from?”

Xavier became irritated by my reply. In front of me, he broke the card into two pieces. “You are really capable now. Do not let me discover you are being supported by some dirty person.”

Hearing the phrase “being supported,” I felt like my tail was stepped on and quickly fired back, “Xavier, do not think everyone is like Millie, depending on men for everything.”

“I, Irene, even if I leave you, will still live very well!”

Xavier coldly laughed. “Leave me. You’re only a useless nobody, a fool who understands nothing. If you were not depending on my company, how could you have such a comfortable life now?”

The anger from being belittled surged in my heart. I looked at the former lover who had become the sharpest knife stabbing into me.

My heart pulled tight, and I forced myself to hold back the tears.

I watched Xavier take another call in front of me and walk away.

At that instant, I suddenly understood that Xavier and I were no longer the same type of people.

He had become completely strange.

So strange that he was no longer the boy who once loved me with his whole heart.

After setting my younger sister up, I carried the divorce papers to the City Hall to complete the process.

The employee examined it several times and, after checking again and again, gave me bad news.

“Sorry, miss, your marriage certificate is fake. Please go back and confirm before coming again.”

The marriage certificate was fake?

I held the marriage certificate that I had carefully kept safe for three years, feeling shocked and panicked.

“How can it be fake…”

After the abduction three years earlier, when Xavier saved me, some dishonest media hurried to report and insult my innocence. During that time, I suffered from serious depression and tried to take my life several times to end everything.

It was Xavier who kicked open my room door and dragged me out of the darkness.

He said, “Don’t care about the gossip outside. I will love you for a lifetime.”

As he spoke, he brought me to get the certificate.

Although there was no wedding at that time, I felt his presence was greater than everything.

At that moment, I believed I had gained the happiness of my life.

Now, the fake marriage certificate gave me a hard slap without doubt.

Since the marriage certificate was fake, I didn’t need the divorce cooling-off period.

After calming my feelings, I took a taxi home.

Looking at this house where I had stayed for almost ten years, my chest was full of reluctance.

But I still decided to pack my belongings.

What wasn’t mine, even if I risked my life, I couldn’t hold on to.

For a full ten hours, I cleared away every sign about me.

I called the charity group to come collect the items, but unexpectedly ran into Xavier coming back.

His eyes noticed the box in my hand, and his brows furrowed. “What are you doing? Moving out?”

I froze. The fingers gripping the suitcase unconsciously tightened. Acting calm, I said, “I heard left-behind children have no winter clothes. I’m donating the ones I don’t need.”

Xavier looked me over with a doubtful look. The next moment, a phone ring pulled away all his focus.

From the other side came Millie’s sweet, clingy voice. “It is all your fault for playing too roughly with me in the study last time. My earring even dropped off. I am going to punish you, so hurry and find it for me.”

Xavier lowered his posture, his voice soft and full of pampering. “Okay, okay, who told you to act like a little tease?”

As I passed by Xavier, I donated all the belongings without any expression.

Until I watched Xavier walk away, my entire heart kept shaking.

Saying it did not hurt would be a lie.

After all, twenty years of being together had already made us feel like family to each other.

At midnight, I got a call from the hospital. They told me, “Please move to another hospital as soon as possible. An order has come from above. We are not allowed to take her in.”

By the time I hurried there, my younger sister had already been pushed out by the hospital.

I rushed forward to argue, “Didn’t I already pay? Why are you still forcing her out?”

No one paid any attention to me.

I held my younger sister, trying to rush inside the hospital, but security firmly blocked me.

I shouted until my throat turned rough. Only then did a medical worker who could not bear it quietly tell me, “This afternoon, the hospital was taken over by SwiftWave Company. The notice was also just released by President Barrington. Don’t make things difficult for us.”

I stood frozen in place.

Thinking about the message he sent me that afternoon, it was actually giving me a final warning.

Unwilling to accept it, I carried my younger sister and ran across most of Maryland. The replies I received were all that they could not accept her.

I took my younger sister everywhere, begging for treatment but getting no results.

In deep despair, I pulled out my phone and called Xavier. It was not until the twentieth call that someone picked up.

From the other side came Millie’s voice. “Yo, isn’t this the old woman? Calling again to beg for money?”

I spoke flatly, “Let Xavier answer the phone.”

Millie softly laughed a few times, full of ill intent. “Brother Xavier says you killed my dog, so use your sister’s life to pay for it. One life for one life.”

“Old woman, Brother Xavier has already registered the marriage certificate with me. You should step back.”

While speaking, Millie sent me a picture of a marriage certificate.

I stared at it in shock.

In the cold wind, only my hopeless tears of regret remained.

Regretting that I had loved the wrong man.

Hating that I had trusted the wrong man.

In my haze, several drunk men smelling strongly of alcohol blocked my way, their words full of cheap and greasy jokes.

“Yo, two young girls look pretty good. Want to spend one night playing with a few brothers?”

“Still walking outside so late at night, aren’t you just lonely? Do not worry, big brother will satisfy you right now.”