Chapter 3

Had they forgotten my contributions to this family?

Sarah and I were college sweethearts.

One afternoon, during a heavy downpour, I slipped on my way back to the dorm. My ankle swelled up horribly, and the pain was excruciating.

Then, Sarah, a classmate, came over with an umbrella and helped me up.

Only when we got to the hospital did I realize half her body was drenched.

"Sarah, thank you so much."

"We're classmates; we should help each other."

She smiled at me, that innocent, radiant smile forever etched in my mind.

After that, I pursued her.

Soon, we were together.

As graduation approached, her family's company ran into financial trouble.

She cried, clinging to me, saying that to save her family, she had to obey her parents' orders and marry a man decades older than her, likely to be one of his many wives, just to save her family's business.

She was utterly helpless, the light gone from her eyes.

I felt a pang of pity and promised to help her however I could.

So, I resolutely sold my shares in the startup I’d built with friends – a company that was finally taking off after just a year – and loaned her family millions to keep it afloat.

She hugged me, moved to tears. "I will be so, so good to you for the rest of my life."

Money wasn't enough, though.

So, I joined her company. Through sheer grit, my professional expertise, and countless nights making crucial deals – often involving far too much socializing – I pulled her family's company back from the brink, and it even started thriving.

After that, we got married, and soon our son was born.

I thought we would live happily ever after.

But then, while she was pregnant with Leo, Brooks, fresh out of college, became her assistant.

From that moment, I noticed she changed.

The office door was often closed.

Sometimes she didn't come home all night.

She constantly found excuses to go on business trips.

When she was home, she'd hide in the bathroom, talking on the phone in hushed, laughing tones.

One time, when I couldn't open her office door, I used my key.

I found her sitting on the sofa, holding her young assistant.

She hastily explained, "Will, Brooks just lost his balance and fell on me. Don't get the wrong idea."

And I actually believed her ridiculous story.

Later, I even saw them holding hands while shopping at the mall.

Sarah explained that she'd seen a stalker following her, so she and Brooks pretended to be a couple to scare the pervert away.

I believed everything she said!

Because I trusted her one hundred percent, it never crossed my mind that she would betray me.

But the person I loved most hurt me the deepest.

"If you want a divorce, I'll fire you immediately, and the company won't give you any dividends."

Sarah threatened, "Without me, you won't be able to make it in this industry. You'll be a complete failure, maybe even end up sweeping streets!"

She forgot that I was the one who saved her family from the brink of bankruptcy.

It was my help that kept her from marrying a man decades older.

Hearing her words, my parents and Dylan looked terrified.

Dylan said, "Don't be foolish, Will… Sarah just made a small mistake; you should forgive her."

Leo, in his sweet child's voice, said, "Daddy, I want you and Mommy to be together!"

Under my family's pressure.

I paused, then looked at Sarah.

"I won't divorce you, but you have to agree to three things: Terminate this pregnancy."

"Fire Brooks and never see him again."

"And give me the 50% shares that are rightfully mine."

At the time, when I invested millions into her family's company, she promised to convert it into half the company shares.