Chapter 1

To repay a debt of gratitude, I married Maddox, the grandson of my benefactor, a man afflicted with aphasia.

For three years, I dedicated myself to caring for him, yet he remained stubbornly cold.

I always thought Maddox was simply aloof by nature, until my mother fell gravely ill and was admitted to the hospital.

"Tessa, it's been three years. I've waited for you for three years. If Grandfather hadn't disagreed back then, you'd be my wife right now!"

"Maddox, let go!" Tessa's voice was tinged with anger.

"What's the point of saying all this now? You're already married!"

"Married?" Maddox's sneer pierced my eardrums.

"She was forced on me by Grandfather. I never acknowledged her as my wife. I promised you I wouldn't speak to other women, so I pretended to be mute for three years and ignored her. Don't you understand my heart?"

Jessica's POV

"You joined this hospital, owned by the Miller family, wasn't it for me?"

The hospital fire escape door was ajar. From inside came a man's clear, low voice, filled with a searing emotion I'd never heard before.

Something exploded in my mind. I clapped a hand over my mouth and stumbled back half a step, unable to believe my ears.

Maddox… he could speak?

He wasn't suffering from trauma-induced aphasia, had he not spoken a word to me for three years?

I thought he had some deep-seated emotional block, so I never dared to ask, only treating him with even greater care.

But it turned out he could speak?

It turned out, these three years of silence weren't due to illness. They were born of disgust, a way to remain emotionally reserved for another woman.

With every word Maddox spoke, my heart ached a little more.

I couldn't help but remember the thousand-plus days and nights after marrying this man.

The nourishing soup I spent hours simmering was always coldly poured down the drain.

My SnapChat messages to him always vanished into thin air, until one day I accidentally glimpsed his phone and found my chat window set to "Do Not Disturb."

Even our few intimate moments only happened under Grandfather Miller's insistence.

But even in those intimate times, he never spared me a single glance.

In fact, after each routine encounter, he would spend two full hours showering.

Normally, he'd rather stay in his room and take care of things himself than touch me, his legal wife.

His room was even explicitly forbidden to me, secured with a high-security fingerprint lock.

As if I were something dirty.

My enthusiasm dwindled bit by bit, but I could never bring myself to give up.

Only because Maddox wasn't just the person I promised Grandfather Miller I'd care for; he was also the man I'd secretly loved for seven years.

But now, it seemed there was no need for me to persist.

I instinctively raised my hand, gently covering my still-flat belly.

There, a tiny life, whose existence I had just confirmed this morning.

In between rushing around for my gravely ill mother, this news was like a sliver of light breaking through the gloom, giving me a humble glimmer of hope in my hopeless marriage.

I even fantasized that if Maddox knew about the baby, would he treat me a little differently?

And at this moment, I was only left with relief.

Relief that this last card hadn't been played.

This child was the last shred of my dignity, untouched in this absurd marriage.

I backed away step by step, my heels shaky, until I reached the long bench at the end of the hallway. I could no longer stand, and sank onto it.

I fumbled for my phone, my fingers trembling so much I could barely hold it, but I managed to call Grandfather Miller, who was recuperating abroad, and briefly explained the situation.

"Grandfather," my voice was hoarse but unusually calm, "The three-year agreement is almost up. I… can't go on."

The other end of the line was silent for a long time, then a heavy sigh.

"Jessica, the Miller family has wronged you. I'll arrange the divorce. You just need to sign after the thirty-day cooling-off period. I'll compensate you. As for the child…"

"I'll have the baby. This is my child, it has nothing to do with him."

The call ended, and tears spilled from my eyes without warning.

I wiped the wetness from my face with force, taking a deep breath.

Thirty more days.

Maddox, I'll give you the freedom you want.