When we first got together seven years ago, Lucille had told me that Derek was sensitive and that I needed to be more 'understanding.'

I finally understood what 'understanding' really meant. It meant I was the one who had to swallow every grievance and take the blame every single time.

It worsened when Derek loved to torment me under the guise of joking around. Once, while I was in a meeting with a female client, he barged in and claimed he was catching me cheating on Lucille. In the end, he offended the client so badly that I lost a contract worth tens of millions of dollars.

On the anniversary of Mom's death, he swapped out the candles and flowers I had prepared and replaced them with dog food. He said he wanted the old lady to try something new.

However, Lucille always defended his actions and blamed me for being petty instead.

"Derek jokes with you because he considers you a friend and wants to get along with you. Don't be so ungrateful!"

Three months ago, Derek went even further. At my birthday yacht party, he caught me off guard and pushed me into the ocean to drift with the waves.

It was not until three days later that the rescue team found me, dehydrated and unconscious. My skin was covered in sores and infected in multiple places.

When I woke up in the hospital, all I heard was Lucille comforting him in the hallway. "This isn't your fault. It's his own fault that he can't swim well. If he had just swum back to shore, nothing would've happened."

When I was discharged, Lucille finally showed up. Instead of comforting me, though, she defended Derek again.

She said, "Derek really didn't mean to hurt you, and he's been so guilt-ridden he hasn't eaten in days. Can't you just let it go? I already talked to the police and told them you accidentally fell off the boat yourself, and it has nothing to do with Derek."

From that moment on, my heart slowly went numb.

The hospital room was eerily quiet. I pulled out my phone and opened social media.

Right then, I saw a post Derek had just made. In the video, he had actually dumped Mom's remaining ashes from the urn into a swimming pool.

He scattered them, laughing loudly. "Mrs. Bourdain, you've been cooped up in that jar for so long. Let me let you out for some fresh air."

I was enraged and immediately dialed Lucille's number. After dozens of attempts, she finally picked up.

I could no longer contain my fury and shouted hoarsely, "Lucille! Derek dumped my mom's ashes into the swimming pool. Isn't that at our house? Why didn't you stop him?"

Lucille simply scoffed. "She's already dead and just a pile of ashes. Why are you so worked up? Fine, Derek is in such a good mood for once, so I'll forgive your earlier mistakes–this time.

"Anyway, let's have our wedding next week… But remember: you're not allowed to argue with him anymore, or don't blame me for changing my mind anytime!"

As she spoke, I heard Derek's obscene laughter in the background. "Lucille, why don't we try having some fun in the pool this time? That would be so thrilling."

Lucille brushed me off with a few words and hung up the phone.

Listening to the dial tone, my entire body went cold. This shameless pair was actually going to do that disgusting thing in a pool filled with Mom's ashes.

Did they really not fear any consequences at all?

Just then, my phone received a message from the jewelry store manager.

[Mr. Bourdain, the diamond ring you ordered has arrived. Do you need me to deliver it now?]

[Not yet,] I replied decisively.

I added another line. [I need to reselect the style and size of the ring.]

Three days later, I checked myself out of the hospital and headed home alone. As soon as I entered the living room, I saw Derek lying naked on the couch, and the floor was littered with used condoms.

Lucille had just walked out of the bedroom wearing only lingerie. When she saw me, she was clearly flustered and quickly wrapped herself in a bathrobe.

"You're back? Didn't the doctor say you needed to stay in the hospital for a week?"

She glanced at the things on the floor and rushed to make excuses. "Spencer, don't get the wrong idea. Derek bought these to blow up like balloons for fun."

As for Derek, from the moment he saw me walk in, there was not a trace of surprise on his face. Instead, he deliberately raised his voice.

"Spencer, looks like you weren't hurt that badly. It's only been a few days, and you're already out of the hospital. You weren't pretending to be sick before just to get sympathy, were you?"

I stared at Derek and instinctively clenched my fists, ready to charge at him.

However, Lucille reacted quickly and stepped in front of him. Her tone was sharp as she shouted, "Spencer, you just got back, and you're already causing trouble?! When will this ever end?

"I was actually worried about you before, but you clearly have the strength to fight. Looks like you really were faking your injury to trick me."

Watching her protect Derek like that, I suddenly recalled how we first met. She had stood in front of me just like this, confronting a group of thugs.

Here she was, doing the same for someone else.

At that moment, the last string of attachment I had for her disappeared.

After a while, Derek poked his head out of the kitchen with a fake smile plastered on his face. "Spencer, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Let me cook for you guys and show off my skills, and apologize for what happened before."

He paused, then added another line. "Don't worry, the ingredients I'm using this time are clean."

I ignored him and walked into the bedroom. However, I was shocked to discover that the wedding photos Lucille and I had taken were carelessly thrown on the floor. My face had been scribbled over with marker beyond recognition, and my eyes had been maliciously gouged out.

Looking around, I realized that all the photos of me in the room had disappeared. In their place were various photos of Derek and Lucille together. Even the closet was stuffed full of his clothes.

I had known Derek could never have good intentions.

When I came out of the bedroom, he had cooked a whole table full of dishes. I just glanced at it once and immediately pushed away the utensils in front of me.

I said, "Enjoy your meal, I'm not hungry."

The moment those words left my mouth, Lucille slammed the table with a bang. "Spencer, Derek went out of his way to cook and apologize to you. What's with the attitude? Who are you making that face for? If you don't eat, you're deliberately going against him!"

I looked at the spread on the table and could not help but laugh. "Is that so? Every single one of these five dishes contains something I'm allergic to. Each one could send me straight to the ICU. He really put a lot of thought into this."

Hearing my words, Lucille finally remembered my allergies. The dishes in front of us did contain ingredients I was severely allergic to.

She stammered, unable to get a word out for a long time.

Derek also feigned surprise. "Spencer, I really didn't know you couldn't eat so many things. Don't misunderstand me... I wasn't trying to make it hard for you."

This time, I acted completely out of character. I waved my hand and said it was 'fine,' not pursuing the matter at all.

After all, I was already tired of watching Lucille defend him over and over again.

That evening, Lucille brought up next week's wedding again. She said she and Derek would wear matching custom-made wedding attire because they grew up together and were each other's most important 'family.'

The only thing left for me was the groomsman's suit. I truly did not know who she planned to marry.

Nonetheless, I calmly agreed, and Lucille was the one left stunned. "Spencer, you're just agreeing like that? You don't mind at all?"

I smiled and shook my head. "What's there to mind? The wedding is just a formality. As long as Derek has fun, what does it matter if I give him the groom's suit?"

Hearing that, Lucille smiled, satisfied.

Derek draped an arm over my shoulder, his grin full of triumph. "It's good that you think that way, Spencer. But don't worry, I won't steal your spotlight at the wedding. After all... Lucille already authorized me to handle every part of the ceremony, so I hope you'll cooperate when the time comes."

I met his provocative gaze and curled my lips into a faint smile. "No problem. I've prepared a generous gift, too. When the time comes, it'll be unforgettable for both of you."