Owen forbade me from closing my eyes, so I had no choice but to take in every lingering mark on Julia’s body—evidence of their night together.

When I helped her into the last piece of black lace, Owen finally snapped.

He grabbed my wrist and yanked me toward him, his expression was twisted with disgust.

“You enjoy watching my woman that much?”

“Or is it that you want to wear this kind of thing yourself?”

“Sheryl, stop with your filthy thoughts. Even if you stood naked in front of me, I wouldn’t spare you a single glance!”

He flung me aside violently, then tossed a towel over Julia’s body.

“Get out! Kneel at the door. That’s your punishment for looking at her.”

I obeyed, quietly stepping out and closing the door behind me.

Inside, Julia’s voice rang out in a sultry tone. “Mr. Carter, you’re so fierce... you scared me.”

“Ms. Sheryl was just helping me change, wasn’t that a little too harsh?”

Owen let out a cold laugh. “My woman is for my eyes only. She’s nothing.”

“If she dares look, she pays the price. Kneeling all night is letting her off easy. Don’t waste your sympathy—she deserves this.”

Plop.

A drop of liquid fell onto the divorce agreement I was holding.

I wiped my nose.

It was blood.

The system had warned me—this body could only last three days. It seemed like I already reached my limit.

I knelt outside the door all night. By morning, my limbs were completely numb. My mind was a haze.

Inside, the sounds finally ceased.

Just before I passed out, I vaguely heard Owen on the phone.

“Get everything ready for the auction today. I’m taking Julia to pick out some jewelry.”

Then the world went dark.

I didn’t know how much time had passed before angry shouts reached my ears.

“What do you mean you can’t find the cause? What kind of hospital is this? Are you all useless? Can’t even treat a coma? What’s the point of your machines if they can’t detect anything?!”

The doctor’s voice trembled in response.

“Mr. Carter, I’m not lying! We’ve used every instrument available, but her condition... it’s completely unexplainable.”

“Not just the coma—none of the machines can even detect any vital signs. It’s like... she’s not alive, but not dead either. We’ve never encountered anything like it.”

“These devices have worked perfectly for two years. Please, give us a little more time. I’ll figure something out!”

A loud crash followed—Owen had thrown a cup across the room.

“Get out! If you can’t find the cause, don’t bother coming back!”

Julia rushed to his side, stroking his chest soothingly.

“Mr. Carter, please calm down. The doctor said she isn’t sick. Maybe she just found a way to trick the machines...”

“Maybe she’s just angry at you. I was the one who pushed too far last night. I shouldn’t have pulled you into my nonsense...”

Owen’s fury gradually settled into icy laughter.

“Fine. Sheryl, I’ll wait and see how long you plan to keep this act going.”

A pack of cigarettes hit my face.

I slowly opened my eyes and met his burning gaze.

“What? Not pretending anymore?” he sneered. “I really underestimated you.”

My throat was dry and raw—I couldn’t speak.

He tossed one last line over his shoulder before leaving the room with Julia in his arms.

“Since you’re awake, come with us to the auction. Help pick out something nice for Julia.”

I didn’t hesitate. I forced myself to stand and followed them.

Back then, in order to save the Carter family from financial ruin, I had sold off the Myers family’s heirloom jade bracelet.

Now that I was leaving, it was time to take it back and return it to its rightful place.

I owed that much to the Myers family.

At the auction, Owen and Julia sat in the front row.

I stood beside them, quietly serving tea.

Around us, whispers spread like wildfire.

Businessmen exchanged knowing glances, their eyes full of disdain and mockery.

A wife lower than a mistress—what a joke.

Yet Owen remained unfazed. With no regard for me, he lavished Julia with affection.

“You must be tired after last night,” he said softly. “Buy whatever you like today. Think of it as my way of making it up to you.”

“Good girls get rewarded. That’s what I love about you.”

Every piece of jewelry that came up for auction was claimed by him without hesitation. His bids lit up the room, one after another.

I no longer had a heartbeat, but I could still feel my body trembling with tension.

Julia, who had started off feigning shyness, quickly grew bold and smug.

Anything she liked, she took.

Owen gave her that confidence—his indulgence was her armor.

He spent over a hundred million without blinking.

Yet his gaze kept drifting to me. Each glance grew darker, more annoyed.

I didn’t look back. I didn’t want to see his face, nor did I care about his mood.

Until the final item was revealed—and for the first time, light returned to my eyes.

“Our last item: a white jade bangle with emerald inlay. Starting bid—five million!”

Without a second’s hesitation, I raised my paddle.

“Ten million.”

A flicker of jealousy flashed in Julia’s eyes. She clung to Owen’s arm, her tone syrupy sweet.

“Mr. Carter, I want that bracelet too. We could pass it down to our future child.”

“I heard jade is good for the body. I’ve never owned a real bangle before.”

Owen’s expression faltered for a moment.

He clearly recognized it—it was the Myers family’s heirloom. But he had no idea how it ended up here.

He couldn’t be bothered to figure it out. He simply lifted his paddle for her.

“Twenty million.”

“Thirty million,” I countered, my voice steady, but my palms drenched in cold sweat.

This was the Myers family’s last legacy.

'Please... don’t take this from me too.'

But Owen couldn’t hear the silent pleading in my heart. All he cared about now was punishing me.

“Light the sky lantern,” he ordered, then turned to me. “Sheryl, do you even have that kind of money? Don’t overestimate yourself.”

I let out a bitter laugh.

I’d already given him every last bit of the Myers family’s fortune.

The thirty million I bid included what I could claim in the divorce settlement.

Gasps rippled through the room.

A public bidding war between husband and wife—it was pure entertainment for the crowd.

“That’s Owen’s hundredth mistress, huh? No wonder he doesn’t even bother with his wife.”

“Wife? Please. She’s worse than a maid. Have you ever seen a wife pouring tea for the other woman? She’s a disgrace to women everywhere.”

“She knows Owen hates her, but still clings like a fool. Tsk. Serves her right. She ruined her entire family chasing after love—no wonder the Myers family went bankrupt. With a daughter like that, no wonder they were cursed.”

My body swayed, and I could barely stand.

The final gavel fell. The bangle was sold. It was over.

As the crowd dispersed, I tugged at Owen’s sleeve.

“Please... can you give me the bracelet back?”

He chuckled coldly and lifted my chin. “You want the bracelet? But it’s something Julia likes. I already promised it to her.”

Seeing the devastation in my eyes, he paused, then added, “Though... I might reconsider.”

“If you kneel right here, in front of everyone, and bow to Julia—if she agrees—I won’t stop you.”

Before his words even finished echoing, my knees hit the floor.

The skin on my bruised forehead split open as it struck the cold marble.

Blood trickled down my face.

“Ms. Julia,” I whispered hoarsely, “please... have mercy. Let me have the bracelet.”

Owen’s fists clenched in fury.

“All this... for a bracelet?” he hissed. “You’re really willing to throw away your dignity for something like this?”

But I was already a dead woman—what dignity was there left to protect?

Julia quickly stepped forward, affectionately helping me up.

“Ms. Sheryl, don’t joke like that. If you want the bracelet, of course it’s yours.”

She handed it over with a smile.

I reached out to take it.

The next second, the bangle slipped from her fingers, shattering into pieces on the ground with a crisp, piercing sound.

Her palm was cut by a shard.

Owen’s eyes turned red with panic as he rushed to her side.

“What are you doing?! She was going to give it to you—what more do you want, Sheryl?!”

“Hurry up and apologize!”

I stared blankly at the broken jade scattered on the floor, my chest tightening painfully.

Julia let out a soft, delicate laugh.

“Forget it. It’s not a big deal. I’ll just bandage it up. Mr. Carter, why don’t you wait outside for a bit? I’ll come find you once I’m done.”

Owen stormed off without another word.

The moment he disappeared, Julia looked at me smugly. “Still don’t see your place, Sheryl? Owen doesn’t love you. Why cling to a man who never will? Isn’t this kind of life exhausting?”

I pulled out the bloodstained divorce agreement.

“You’re right. That’s why I’m leaving.”

“This position—I'll leave it to you.”

“As long as you can get his signature, I’ll disappear from your lives forever.”

Suspicion flickered in Julia’s eyes, but greed quickly clouded her judgment.

“Deal.”

That entire day, Owen stayed by Julia’s side in the hospital, helping her clean and dress her wound.

Meanwhile, I returned to the house and threw out everything that still tied me to this place.

At 10 p.m., I received a courier delivery from Julia.

Inside was the signed divorce agreement—Owen’s name was right there.

It seemed he had no idea.

At that very moment, Julia’s latest social media post showed Owen treating her to a candlelit dinner.

Suddenly, blood dripped onto my phone screen.

Pain surged through my body like a tidal wave.

That night, I contacted a lawyer and began processing all my remaining assets.

I transferred every share I owned back to my parents in the Myers family.

Once everything was done... This frail body couldn’t hold on any longer.

I collapsed on the side of the road.

—

High above the city, in a luxury hotel suite, Owen stared at their quiet chat window, frowning.

Memories of the past swirled through his mind.

He messaged the butler.

[Where’s Sheryl? Is she kneeling outside again?]

[Let her kneel for seven days this time—maybe then she’ll finally learn.]

[Close the main gate. It’s been windy lately. Make sure she doesn’t get sick before her punishment ends.]

There was no reply from the butler.

Instead, a call came in from the local police station.

“Mr. Carter? We’ve discovered a body by the roadside. According to the ID, it appears to be your wife. Please come to the station to confirm.”