“Niece-in-law, are you sure about this? You know I’m like oil and water with your husband, Kevin Dawson. If you choose me, you’re destined to be his mortal enemy.”

My hand trembled violently as I gripped the divorce papers and the equity transfer agreement.

After ten years of marriage, Kevin had slowly worn away all the love I had for him.

On our tenth anniversary, my daughter and I were kidnapped. I frantically called Kevin over and over, but he never picked up. The kidnappers, enraged, stabbed my daughter, leaving her clinging to life in the ICU. I was also badly injured.

When I woke up in the hospital, I ran into Kevin. He was accompanying my best friend to her prenatal checkup at the hospital while holding the hand of a ten-year-old boy. The three of them looked like a happy little family.

My best friend shot me a mocking smile and said, “The kidnappers were our anniversary gift to you from me and Kevin. Your daughter’s still lying in the ICU, isn’t she? If you don’t want her to die, you’d better be smart and leave Kevin on your own.”

She then played a recording for me.

“As soon as we have secured all the Johnson Family shares, we’ll go public with our relationship.”

“I don’t care if the daughter lives or dies. Nate is my eldest son and I’ll make sure he inherits my entire estate. As for Kelly Johnson, I’ll give her enough money to compensate.”

My stomach churned. That was the final straw.

“I’ve made up my mind,” I told his uncle. “Even if I don’t end up with you, I’d still fight in a death match with him.”

“Ten days from now, I’ll marry you. All I ask is that you save my father and save the Johnson Family.”

***

I gripped the pen tightly and signed my name on the agreement, stroke by stroke.

My thoughts went back to the past.

I had been married to Kevin for ten years. I sacrificed everything the Johnson Family had to support and help him, an illegitimate son, so that he could climb to his current position.

On our wedding anniversary, our daughter suggested that Kevin and I take her to an amusement park to reconcile. However, Kevin never showed and that was also the time my daughter and I were kidnapped.

After the kidnappers forced me to call Kevin, I made the call with shaking hands.

The phone rang until its battery went out but Kevin never answered. This made the kidnapper fly into a rage and stab my daughter.

I immediately threw myself over my daughter to protect her, but the kidnappers stabbed me multiple times in the back before shoving me aside.

Although I wanted to protect my daughter again, the intense pain left me unable to move and forced me to watch helplessly as the sharp blade stabbed into her tiny body over and over.

Her intestines spilled out, blood pooling everywhere, as my screams tore through the air.

When the kidnapper raised the knife at me, I closed my eyes in utter despair.

As the excruciating pain hit, the sticky blood splattered my face.

When I came to again, I was in the hospital. I went to the ICU to see my daughter. Her breaths were so faint they were nearly gone.

Her stomach was stitched up, her face ghostly pale, her little body covered in large and small wounds.

Her eyes were tightly shut and no matter how I called to her, she didn’t respond.

I sobbed so hard I nearly passed out. With the nurse’s help, I staggered back to my hospital room.

As I passed the obstetrics and gynecology department, I encountered Kevin and my best friend, Cora Welder.

Cora was happily rubbing her stomach and Kevin was holding the hand of a ten-year-old boy. The family of three looked so happy together.

Cora kissed Kevin on the cheek and said, "Kevin, thank you for making time yesterday to celebrate our son’s birthday together.”

Hiding in the shadows, I felt as if lightning struck me when the words hit me.

It turned out that Cora and Kevin not only had a child, but their son was older than my deceased daughter.

On our wedding anniversary, when he ignored my desperate calls, my daughter was hacked nearly to death because he was too busy celebrating his illegitimate son’s birthday!

My vision went black. I nearly fainted, then dropped to my knees and vomited uncontrollably.

When Kevin saw me, he froze, then rushed over to support me. He anxiously patted my back and even cleaned up my vomit without a hint of disgust. For a second, I was dazed. However, when I looked up, I saw the faint love bites on his neck.

“I’m sorry, Kelly. Yesterday was our wedding anniversary, but I was too busy to answer the phone," he said.

“I've arranged for the best doctor and the best medicine for our baby. She'll be fine. Yesterday was just an accident and it won't happen again," he added.

Busy? Yes ... he was busy celebrating his mistress's and illegitimate son's birthday.

He truly didn't care about me anymore, so he couldn't even be bothered to come up with a decent excuse to deceive me.

Kevin carried me home in his arms, so my face was buried in his neck. However, when the scent of a woman who was not me clinging to his clothes hit my nose, my stomach turned again.

This made Kevin anxious. He stayed by my side all night, as attentive as ever.

When I looked at the worry in his eyes, I couldn't help but frown, my mind filled with my daughter's terrified cries and her blood-red eyes.

Just as I was drifting off, Kevin accidentally played a voice message.

"Kevin, I miss you so much."

When Cora's saccharine voice filled the room, Kevin jolted in surprise, then checked to see if I was awake. After gently tucking me in, he tiptoed out.

The moment he left, I sat up and stayed up all night.

The sound of the door opening snapped me back to reality and I hurriedly hid the divorce agreement and the share transfer documents.

Kevin wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and asked, "Kelly, what are you looking at? It's already so late."

I pressed my lips together and awkwardly pulled out of Kevin's embrace.

He froze for a moment, then gave an understanding smile and asked, "Are you still upset at me for missing our wedding anniversary yesterday? I tell you what .... I'll grant you one wish, as a compensation. What do you think?"

My heart skipped a beat and I took out the divorce agreement, flipped to the last page and handed it to him.

Before I could speak, Kevin had already taken out a pen, signed his name with a grand motion and handed it back to me without even looking at it, chuckling.

“You … you're almost thirty years old and still love these childish games. What is this, some promise letter? Fine, I promise ... that it won’t happen again.”

I squeezed a smile, because he was right. There would never be a next time, because our relationship was about to end.

Suddenly, the front door rattled under heavy pounding and when I opened it, Cora stood there. The moment Kevin saw her, his eyes instantly softened with tenderness.

However, unexpectedly, Cora's eyes welled up with tears, she pushed me aside forcefully and rushed into Kevin's arms in just a few steps.

“Kevin, what are we going to do?” She sobbed. “Little Nate is missing! The kidnappers just called and told me that they’re going to kill him to vent their anger on your daughter, whom you had with Kelly. They even said once Little Nate is dead, I’m next. Kevin, I’m terrified!”

At that time, Kevin, who was holding Cora, had been trying to comfort her. However, when he heard that, he froze, erupted in fury and kicked me down the stairs. Then he shouted, "Kelly, you're so vicious! Not only did you fail to protect our daughter and let her get hurt, but now you want to harm Nate!”

I tumbled down more than ten steps and the knife wounds on my back split open again, soaking my shirt in fresh blood.

“Hurry up and call the kidnappers to release her! Otherwise, I'll tear your daughter to pieces!" he yelled.

A chill ran through my entire body. Barely holding on, I gasped and, almost at my last breath, said, “It wasn’t me … I don’t know anything.”

Kevin walked toward me step by step, grabbed me by the collar in rage, choked me and hissed, "You don't know? It seems you won’t take the easy way and prefer the hard way."

He dragged me by the hair all the way to the hospital. All the way there, people stared at my miserable state with curious eyes.

Kevin kicked open the door to his daughter’s ward. His daughter, who had just woken up, struggled to sit up on the bed and in a frightened voice, she called out, “Daddy.…”

Kevin raised the knife, pointing it at his daughter and glared at me, then growled, “Speak! Where did you have Little Nate taken?”

I shook my head desperately and pleaded frantically, “I don’t know, I really don’t know…”

The knife blade came closer to her daughter’s neck and she was so scared that her face turned pale. She struggled violently, causing the stitches on her wound to tear open again.

“Mom … I’m scared…” she cried out.

Seeing her terrified expression shattered my heart.

“No!”

Ignoring the pain, I crawled over and grabbed Kevin’s pant leg, begging and repeatedly knocking my forehead against the floor in desperation. “Please spare our baby. She’s just been kidnapped. This will cause her to have a stress response. Please let her go first. You’re her father!”

Before, Kevin would have been heartbroken and scooped me up to comfort me. Yet, now, he didn’t waver at all. He slammed the knife fiercely down onto the bed. My daughter screamed in terror. Just a hair closer and it would’ve sliced off her finger.

I howled in agony, “What will it take for you to believe me? I told you, it wasn't me. I don't know!”

Seeing my trembling daughter, I couldn't help but tremble myself.

Apparently furious that I still refused to reveal the whereabouts of his son, Kevin sneered and swung the knife handle, striking me hard on the back of the head. Then I fell into a coma and sank into an endless dream.

How did my ten years of marriage to Kevin, which had started with such love and harmony, gradually turn into mutual loathing?

I was the high-and-mighty heiress of the Johnson Family. It was charity for me to spare him even a glance. However, Kevin had the kind of fearless courage only the young and naïve possess. Even when people mocked him for throwing himself at me, he still stubbornly kept chasing after me.

During university, he bought me breakfast every day for four years and personally came to the basement of the dormitory building to pick me up.

On every holiday, he prepared special surprises for me. Even during holidays, he would work the hardest and most exhausting jobs at my family’s construction site just to catch a glimpse of me when I came to inspect the site.

He confessed his feelings to me ninety-nine times and was beaten ninety-nine times by the Johnson Family’s butler. However, he never gave up.

Eventually, I was moved by his persistence. On my twenty-fifth birthday, I agreed to marry him despite everyone’s objections.

After marriage, he loved and respected me. So I felt that my family’s judgment of people was nowhere near as accurate as mine based on how good Kevin was to me.

He was very insecure, so to make him feel worthy of me, I took matters into my own hands and clashed with his uncle from the Dawson Family, who had been causing him trouble, until he was finally included in the Dawson Family's genealogy.

I thought we would live out a peaceful life like that forever, until the day I did his laundry and found Cora’s necklace in his suit pocket.

Cora and I had been friends since childhood. That necklace was the gift I gave her for her eighteenth birthday, with her initials engraved on it. I would never mistake it for others. That was when I learned Cora was Kevin’s ex-girlfriend from before college and his first love.

Back then, when his illegitimate status was exposed and he lost everything, Cora dumped him instantly. However, once Kevin returned to the Dawson Family and had made his mark, she cozied up to him under the guise of “discussing work" and yet Kevin did not hate her.

Later, during my time alone with Kevin, Cora kept interfering. If we were on a date, she’d turn it into a threesome, or she just took Kevin away.

This caused a rift between me and Kevin. I brought it up with him many times because I could not take it anymore, but he said I was being unreasonable and just jealous.

After scolding me, he would hug me and comfort me, “I know you love me too much and I love you too, but I also have to work. Cora was so heartless to abandon me back then; how could I still like her?”

Then he continued, "Cora and I only have work-related interaction now, that's all. Kelly, the most important thing in a marriage is trust, so you have to believe me.”

When I looked into Kevin's eyes, I chose to trust him. I never imagined my patience would only encourage Kevin to go even further.

We had been married for ten years, yet the child he had with Cora was already ten years old!

***

When I finally woke up, I barely had time to catch my breath before Kevin’s bodyguards burst through the door. They grabbed me, threw me in the car and sped back to the Dawson Family's residence. My wounds hadn’t even begun to heal and the rough hands of the bodyguards tore open fresh ones.

In the living room, Kevin sat with Cora nestled against him. The atmosphere was oppressive, with a grand display and I had no idea what they were up to.

Their son, Nate Dawson, lay pale-faced and with closed eyes on the sofa.

I was roughly pinned to the ground by the bodyguards.

“Kelly, I have found my son, but he’s possessed. The master said it’s because you’re incompatible with him. For his condition to improve, you need to be whipped forty-nine times … seven times seven … until his condition improves. Kelly, you understand, don’t you?”

I curled my lips into a faint smile and didn’t answer his question, but only asked, “Where did you find him? Was I the one who kidnapped him?”

Kevin’s face stiffened.

“I didn't kidnap him, so am I indebted to him? I don't owe him anything, so why should I be beaten to exorcise evil spirits?” I asked sharply.

Before, even if I just scraped my hand, he would be so worried he’d almost wish he could feel the pain for me. However, now, he was willing to believe some baseless claim and beat me with a barbed whip?

Cora, who was standing by the side, spoke coldly with feigned concern, "Kevin, don’t make things hard for Kelly. This is my and Little Nate's fault. She's so precious, how dare we touch her?"

At first, Kevin felt a pang of guilt and guilt toward me, but upon hearing that it might harm Cora and their son, he snapped back. He kissed me on the cheek and said, "I'm sorry, Kelly. Just bear with it."

Before I could respond, a vicious whip knocked me to the ground. When its barbs tore into my flesh, I let out a blood-curdling scream.

After just twenty lashes, I was barely alive. The flesh on my body was shredded and blood was flowing freely from it. 

Kevin was a bit hesitant, but just then, Cora suddenly squealed with delight, "Kevin! Nate is reacting! Nate's about to wake up!"

A spark lit up Kevin's eyes and he whipped me again while speaking urgently, "Kelly, hold on a bit longer. Once Nate recovers, you’ll be the biggest hero. I’ll make it up to you!”

As each whip fell on my body, it chipped away a bit of the love I had for Kevin. Then by the time the forty-nine lashes ended, my feelings for him were completely gone. The pain was so great that I passed out. 

When I woke again, I was back in the hospital in the most luxurious private room and was swarmed by nurses. Anyone who didn’t know better would think it was a resort hotel, the kind of treatment I had never received when I was sick before.

Seeing me awake, Kevin lit up with surprise and joy. He gripped my hand and exclaimed, "Kelly, the doctor said you were in critical condition and might not wake up. I thought I’d never see you again! You’ve suffered so much.”

I furrowed my brows and pulled my hand away.

Kevin kept rambling in my ear, pouring out his guilt toward me. His voice annoyed me so much that I finally pulled the blanket over my head.

"Kelly, what kind of act is this?" Kevin snapped.  I’ve already apologized, yet you’re still giving me this attitude. What do you want to do?”  

He angrily pulled off the bracelet on my wrist and threatened, "I gifted you this back then to protect and keep you safe. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.”

He stared hard at me, as if searching my face for regret or desperation but found nothing.

Once again, I was lost in my memories.

When I was in college, a terrible flu epidemic happened. Anyone who ran a fever was immediately isolated and unfortunately, I fell ill. At the time, Kevin disregarded his own safety and climbed over the wall to see me.

The first time he came, he saw how deathly pale I was, lying motionless on the hospital bed and this grown man actually fell to his knees beside me, sobbing his heart out.

He must have received countless warnings, but he didn’t care. He brought me meals and milk tea and even in the bitter cold of December, he climbed step by step on his knees up to a nearby temple to get me this bracelet.

I had worn it ever since. I had replaced new strings more times than I could count, but I always kept it on to this day.

Seeing me stay silent, Kevin was about to lose his temper again when the door swung open.

Cora peeked in, carrying a food container. Then she said, "Kevin, I came to check on Kelly."

Kevin nodded and turned to leave.

Cora pretended to bring out some risotto and acted as if she were feeding me.  

When a bout of nausea rose in me, I instinctively turned my head away.

Suddenly, Cora released her grip of the risotto and the scalding risotto spilled all over me, making me yank my hands back. Unexpectedly, Cora shrieked and fell backward onto the ground!