Chapter 1
In the bedroom of Hillside Villa, Ashire City.
The waves had barely settled when the man lowered his head and kissed the mole on the woman’s chest, lost in desire.
Afterward, Ethan Steele rolled over and sat up.
“We should get a divorce,” he said, his voice completely devoid of emotion.
Aurora was still catching her breath from the intensity of their intimacy. She turned toward him, confusion clouding her gaze as she looked into his deep eyes.
They had been married for a year. She had no idea what he meant by those words.
“She’s been diagnosed with stomach cancer. The doctors say she has six months left.”
Ethan lit a cigarette, the rising smoke blurring his expression.
“Her only wish before she dies is to be my wife.”
Aurora said nothing. The large bedroom fell into a heavy silence.
The small bedside lamp glowed dimly, casting both their shadows onto the wall. Though they were close in distance, it
suddenly felt like they were worlds apart.
Seeing she didn’t respond right away, Ethan frowned slightly.
“It’s just to comfort her,” he said. “We’ll get remarried after six months.”
“Aurora, she only has half a year left.”
His voice remained calm, as if he were merely stating a fact, not making an outrageous request.
Aurora Sinclair stared blankly at his profile.
It felt like everything he asked of her had to be answered with a “yes.”
As long as it came from his lips, she was expected to comply as if it were law.
The nature of their relationship was always one-sided. It was always her chasing, always her giving.
She had admired him since she was young.
Even after they became adults, she never stopped trailing behind him.
Back when her stepfather tried to beat her to death, it was Ethan who stood in front of her in the pouring rain, wielding a
broken piece of wood and shouting, “If you dare touch Aurora again, I swear you’ll regret it!”
She had been barely conscious, beaten and bloodied. Through the haze of blood and rain, what she saw was his white-knuckled grip on the wood and his cold, unwavering eyes.
He had saved her life.
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And from that moment on, she had fallen deeply in love with him.
No matter what his demands were, she would always comply and do her best, even going above and beyond what anyone
else did.
Afterward, he would always gently pat her head and say, “Aura, good job.”
Even if his words and kisses were always fleeting-even if their relationship always felt distant-she convinced herself
that it was just his personality.
So even when others mocked her as a simp, she accepted it with a smile.
Seven years. Her entire youth. She had followed him without complaint.
A year ago, when Ethan’s grandfather Damien Steele’s health suddenly declined, the Steele family had urged him to marry
to ease the old man’s worries.
Ethan had come to her, and they went to get their marriage certificate.
She thought her years of devotion had finally paid off. But after the wedding, his affection remained cold and distant.
Worse, she could already feel his growing irritation toward her.
“Aurora, are you even listening to me?” His voice pulled her back to the present. He frowned when he saw she was
spacing out.
“Do we really have to do this?” she asked.
He didn’t answer directly. Instead, he diverted, saying, “She’s pitiful.”
“And what about me?” she asked instinctively.
He didn’t respond right away. His deep eyes held a trace of impatience.
After about three seconds, he finally spoke again.
“Aurora, she’s dying.”
“Maybe you don’t know this, but she’s always loved me. Because of our marriage, she’s refused to cross any lines. Even when I tried to give her something, she would turn it down.”
“She’s kind. Please, just do it as she wish.”
“Aurora, don’t make me think you’re heartless.”
His voice was calm, even cold, but it felt like knives to her heart.
So, getting involved with a married man, whispering a few fake-sweet words that was called kindness?
And refusing to give up one’s own husband… was being cruel?
She looked at his face, still the same as it had been years ago-deep eyes, a sharp nose, lips thin like a blade.
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When had he started to change?
Maybe it was the day she showed up.
“You’re really going through with the divorce?” she asked, one last time.
He didn’t answer. His lips pressed into a tight line.
Then finally, he opened his mouth.
“Yes, you-”
“Alright.”
Before he could finish, she had already agreed.
He paused, clearly caught off guard.
His eyes narrowed, studying her like he didn’t recognize her.
“You’ve changed, Aurora,” he said, a rare trace of anger in his voice. “You knew I needed your agreement. Are you trying to
manipulate me?”
Aurora didn’t respond. She just stared quietly at their shadows on the white wall.
Ethan put out his cigarette and said nothing more. He hastily threw on his clothes and stormed out of the room.
He didn’t care how she felt. He didn’t care how insulting or degrading his request had been.
Because he thought she couldn’t live without him.
That’s how it had always been.
Ethan slammed the door shut behind him.
Aurora was alone in the bedroom.
She stared at the closed door for a long time.
Then she sat silently at the edge of the bed.
Buzz… Buzz…
Her phone vibrated with a message.
She picked it up.
It was from the contact saved as “Her Alt Account.”
Her Alt Account: He came to see me again.
Attached was a photo-a reflection in the glass at the entryway showing Ethan’s profile.
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His face wore a warm smile, his eyes filled with tenderness that an expression Aurora had never seen before.
Her fingers paused. She scrolled up through the chat.
Previous message: He said I’m in his heart.
Before that: Cold night, rainy weather? But I can’t feel it at all because he’s here, keeping me warm.
And before that: Only the unloved are the third party. Aurora, he only married you to ease his grandfather’s mind. You were his last resort. He appreciates my taste, agrees with my style. The one he loves is me.
There were many such messages.
One by one, like tiny drops-each a piece of proof that he had betrayed her.
She had never known that the Ethan who had always been indifferent to her… could come alive like that in front of
someone else.
She kept scrolling, though she wasn’t really reading anymore. Her thumb just moved numbly until it stopped on the very
first message.
Her Alt Account: You know who I am. Did you like the flowers in the living room today? I sent them. He said they were
beautiful.
Of course she knew who it was.
The famous Lilian Hart, a renowned floral artist known for decorating luxury villas and penthouses on various platforms.
Aurora had once shown Ethan these chat logs, but he’d accused her of faking them.
He claimed she had created the account herself to slander Lilian.
There weren’t many pictures in the messages. The few that existed could have easily been taken from a third-person
perspective by anyone.
Except for today’s.
Should she show him this one?
She tossed the phone aside.
From the bottom drawer of the nightstand, she pulled out a document.
It was a pregnancy report she had received earlier that day.
She was pregnant with Ethan’s child.
At the worst possible moment.
Tears fell onto the paper, soaking the ink.
But his heart was already gone. So what difference did it make?
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She wiped away her tears.
Then she picked up the lighter Ethan had used for his cigarette and lit the paper on fire.
He didn’t know this, but agreeing to the divorce… was the last time she would ever say “yes” to him.
Seven years of youth. Seven years of devotion.
For his debt, she had repaid in full.
And she… would no longer love him.
Chapter 1
