Chapter 2

My heart dropped.

Then I heard Liam's voice, filled with a mix of disbelief and overwhelming joy.

"Aria, is that really you?"

"You're not dead? Am I dreaming?"

As he spoke, tears streamed down his face.

"Aria, you have no idea how much I've missed you all these years."

"I kept everything that ever reminded me of you, just hoping you'd visit me in a dream."

"But how could you be so cruel? You left for years without a single word, didn't even give us a chance to say goodbye."

I frowned.

It wasn't that I didn't want to say goodbye back then; it was that they refused to listen to me.

They stubbornly insisted I had bullied Chloe, and they were planning to harvest my kidney and then commit me to a mental institution.

But so many years had passed, and I didn't want to waste time arguing about it anymore.

My husband gets jealous easily, and if I wasn't back on time, he'd make a huge fuss.

I feigned ignorance, offering a polite but distant smile.

"I'm sorry, sir, you've mistaken me for someone else. I don't know you at all."

Liam, however, grabbed my arm, yanking up my sleeve to expose the distinctive red birthmark.

His voice was laced with excitement, revealing a hint of possessive pride.

"How could I be mistaken?"

"We were together for so many years; there's no way I could mistake you!"

"Aria, where have you been all these years? Why didn't you ever contact me? Do you know how hard I looked for you…?"

Liam, true to form, was about to launch into his usual accusations.

But his words caught in his throat when he saw my prosthetic limb.

His eyes slowly reddened, and he murmured,

"Your leg... what happened to your leg?"

"Aria, you must have suffered so much out there all these years, didn't you?"

"I'm so sorry, so sorry. It's all my fault. I failed to protect you..."

I brushed the dirt off my clothes, unsure how to explain.

In truth, I'd been living wonderfully all these years.

That accident, though it cost me a leg, inadvertently led me to find my biological parents.

I wasn't the Petersons' real daughter, but I was the only daughter of the Sterling family, a top-tier dynasty.

My birth mother and father were incredibly wealthy.

My husband was the CEO of Newport City's wealthiest enterprise.

All I lost was a leg.

What I gained was endless wealth and the complete affection of a loving family.

My family provided me with the most elite medical team and the best of everything.

This custom-made prosthetic limb alone was worth millions.

It was just that the path up the mountain was slick from the rain and difficult to navigate, which made me look so disheveled.

Thinking about it, it was Liam's heartlessness to bury me on this desolate mountain just to save some money.

My patience was wearing thin.

"Liam, stop putting on an act for me."

"Seven years ago, I divorced you, and my parents said they'd disown me. I have absolutely nothing to do with any of you anymore, and I'm certainly not going back. So why are you still playing this charade?"

My adoptive parents were incredibly controlling.

From a young age, they forced me to dance and play piano.

To control my weight, they starved me for years, and often resorted to corporal punishment.

If I didn't get perfect scores on tests, they'd hit my palms.

If I didn't win dance competitions, I was forced to kneel for hours.

That's why my first reaction to losing my leg wasn't despair, but a profound, almost shameful, sense of relief.

Relief that I finally wouldn't have to practice dance anymore.

When I grew up, they twisted my college application, forcing me to choose schools close to them.

Even my marriage had to be arranged according to their wishes.

And Liam, the brilliant, dependable man they deemed worthy of my hand?

He quickly cheated on me shortly after we married, falling into Chloe's arms.

Back then, isolated and utterly devastated, I was truly heartbroken and lost.

But now, I have a family who cherishes me completely.

There's no way I'm going back to endure that kind of humiliation again.

Liam, however, thought I was just being stubborn.

He grabbed my hand.

"Stop being so childish, Aria."

"I promise I'll treat you well, I'll make up for all the suffering you've endured, and I'll never let you be wronged again."

Liam's tone became somewhat smug.

"I got a new job at Sterling Enterprises as a manager, with a six-figure salary."

"We even moved into that villa you always liked. I can give you the best life!"

Sterling Enterprises? Wasn't that Julian's company?

Julian had indeed been planning to expand in the city recently, which was why he was recruiting so heavily.

It was a cruel twist of fate that Liam had been hired there too.

Seeing that I didn't show any hint of admiration, but instead frowned, Liam grew annoyed.

His voice unconsciously turned cold.

"Aria, what's wrong with you? Why are you still throwing tantrums?"

"Haven't you suffered enough out there all these years? Where could a cripple like you possibly go without me?"

"Just be obedient and come back with me. I know you and Chloe had some misunderstandings, but that's all in the past."

"She's moved on, so why are you still hung up on those petty past grievances?"

This was Liam, alright.

He talked about guilt, but his heart had always belonged to her.

Annoyed, I reiterated my desire to leave.

But Liam's face suddenly darkened.

"Aria, don't you understand? Now, only I can protect you."

"Otherwise, if word gets out about your attempted murder, you'll be facing serious jail time, maybe worse!"