Chapter 1

Today marks my fourth wedding anniversary with Liam.

But instead of celebration, I got a call from the law firm. It was Liam’s chief legal advisor, his voice tinged with something odd.

"Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Hayes has been sued by Ms. Chloe Miller for alleged unlawful restraint. Your presence is required as his legal spouse."

My fingers gripping the phone felt icy.

Another one of Chloe’s tricks.

Over these past four years, similar stunts have been endless.

This was just that woman's twisted way of asserting her dominance, another pathetic drama.

Yet, I still went.

Because I was Liam's only legal wife, and that was my obligation.

The top-floor conference room at the law firm was aggressively cold.

As I approached, I saw Chloe through the glass door.

She was complaining, half-showing off, half-feigning victimhood:

"Mr. Evans, don't you think he's absolutely out of line? He just kept me all alone on a private island for three whole days and nights, not allowed to go anywhere!"

The assistants nearby looked unfazed, as if they’d seen it all before.

One assistant leaned closer to the intern beside her, whispering:

"This isn't a lawsuit, it's a public display of affection. Mr. Hayes spoils her rotten. It's just a couple's game, blown out of proportion to get his wife to witness their drama."

The intern nodded, realization dawning:

"So that's why Mrs. Hayes was notified as per procedure?"

"Exactly, just to rub it in."

Those whispers, big and small, stabbed at my heart, one after another.

I pushed open the door and sat on a corner sofa.

Not long after, Liam arrived.

He strode in, clad in a black designer suit, radiating an icy aura that instantly dropped the temperature of the entire room by several degrees.

But the moment he saw Chloe, all that coldness seemed to melt away.

He gently stroked her hair, his movements tender:

"My bad. I shouldn't have kept you locked up. Are you still mad?"

Chloe pouted, feigning annoyance.

Liam pulled a velvet box from his pocket and opened it. A dazzling pink diamond brooch lay quietly inside.

"I bid on this for you a few days ago at an auction."

He pinned the brooch to Chloe's chest.

"Don't be mad anymore, hmm?"

Chloe looked surprised and delighted, but still kept up her act.

Liam smoothly pulled her into his embrace, then leaned in and kissed her.

Throughout it all, I felt like a transparent spectator, forced to watch my husband's intimacy with another woman.

Liam, still holding Chloe, turned around, as if he finally noticed me in the corner.

His gaze swept over, pausing slightly.

Chloe leaned in his arms, openly admitting:

"Liam, I asked Mr. Evans to notify her. You're not mad at me, are you?"

"It's fine."

Liam uttered two indifferent words.

Those two words were like a sharp knife, plunging into my heart.

My thoughts, pulled by that piercing pain, involuntarily drifted back to the past.

Four years ago, it wasn't like this.

Back then, Liam's sister, Lily, and I were the best friends in the world.

I had once feared that intimidating man.

But later, I discovered that while Liam was cold to everyone else, he had an unimaginable tenderness reserved only for me.

He remembered my period and would prepare warm drinks and heating pads in advance.

He built a cozy, elaborate shelter for a stray cat beneath my dorm window, simply because I'd once casually mentioned feeling sorry for it.

Whenever I left the house, he'd always find reasons to be by my side, protecting me completely.

Little by little, I lowered my guard. We were madly in love for two whole years.

During those two years, I was a princess, adored and cherished by Liam.

But a sudden disaster crushed all that beauty into dust.

After our wedding, Lily and I were shopping when we encountered an armed robber.

In the chaos, Lily pushed me away with all her strength, screaming:

"Rose, run! Go get help!"

I turned and ran, but didn't get far before an unprecedented, sharp pain erupted in my stomach.

The pain was so intense, everything went black, and I lost consciousness.

When I woke again, the world had changed.

Two terrible pieces of news hit me simultaneously.

First, the doctor told me I had stomach cancer, late stage.

Second, Lily resisted and was brutally stabbed to death by the vicious criminal.

I didn't even have time to process the sudden tragedies before I was engulfed by Liam’s overwhelming hatred.

His eyes bloodshot, he gripped my shoulders tightly, roaring questions at me:

"Why didn't you save her? Why were you the only one who ran?!"

My heart twisted in agony.

I looked at this man, who had just suffered the profound grief of losing his sister.

How could I bear to tell him that his wife also didn't have long to live?

I couldn't let him endure the double blow of losing both his sister and his wife at the same time.

So, I chose silence.

And my silence, in Liam's eyes, was an admission of guilt.

From that moment on, all the love in his eyes transformed into an all-consuming hatred.

To get back at me, he found Chloe, a woman who bore a slight resemblance to my features.

He lavished all the affection he once gave me, and then some, on that fake.

My hand instinctively went to my lower abdomen.

It was still flat, but the cancer cells inside had long since spread throughout my body.

I remembered the latest medical report I received three days ago.

The doctor looked at me, sympathy in his eyes, as he pronounced my final deadline.

"Mrs. Hayes, I'm so sorry, but you have at most one month left."

One month.

A sorrowful curve touched my pale lips.

Well, good.

This endless torment was finally nearing its end.

Lily, wait for me.

I'll be there to apologize soon.