Chapter 1 Chapter 1

"Ms. Lawson, are you sure you want to change the name here?""Yes." The moment I stepped out of the hotel, I looked up at the clear sky. The weight on my shoulders, heavy and suffocating, was gone. No longer was I trapped in the shadow that had haunted me for so long. Finally, I was free. I had crossed out my name for the wedding, replacing it with Raine Miller's instead. Not long ago, Raine came to me with a desperate plea, claiming to be Bruno's first love. According to her, Bruno left her because of me. My father, in his final breath, passed the company to Bruno with one condition: that Bruno take care of me. If not for that, Bruno would never have agreed to marry me. To prove her words, Raine went so far as to attach recent photos of herself in bed with Bruno. Luckily for me, the hotel manager had been right beside me while all this transpired. Otherwise, the rage that consumed me would have given me a heart attack. When I finally came to, I had an epiphany. In the five years of our relationship, Bruno never touched me—not out of concern for my weak heart, but because he was saving himself for Raine. I took out my phone and shared the good news with Raine. If their love was so deep, and if she truly believed I was the reason that broke them apart… Fine. I might as well let the lovebirds reunite. Even so, the five years I spent with Bruno weren't a lie. I poured in everything I had, devoted my entirety to him. The pain of his deceit was so thick, so hurtful, it suffocated me so. I couldn't breathe. I did consider vengeance, but my fragile heart denied that option. In the end, I simply decided to leave everything behind and start anew. I would sell my shares in Elshine Corporation at market price and leave far, far away. I would take the money and find the best doctors to treat my ailing heart. From this moment on, I would only live for myself. By the time I finished handling everything, it was already late at night. Returning home, I saw that it was completely dark. At first, I thought Bruno was working late as usual. When I opened the door, however, what greeted me was the sight of a man and woman stumbling out of the bedroom. Their clothes were in disarray, panic evident on their faces. Who else but Bruno and Raine? I glanced at the lipstick mark next to Bruno's lips, and said calmly, "I'm home." Bruno didn't have the courage to look me in the eyes, but his tone was as affectionate as ever. "I'm sorry, Aelia. I thought you wouldn't be back tonight, so I brought Raine over to discuss work. With your health, you know you can't help me with all the work at the company. I have no choice but to ask someone else." In the past, hearing this would always make me feel guilty. My father and I were the reason Bruno had to manage such a huge company and work so hard, so I always did my best to accommodate him. For example, when he occasionally brought Raine home to discuss work, I would serve them snacks. When he and Raine worked late at the office, I would bring them dinner. It wasn't until recently, after I agreed to marry him and hand over all my shares, that he started acting like he was the company's true chairman and treating me with complete disregard. Back then, I was no different from their servant. Had it not been for Raine spilling the beans, I would still be stuck in my delusions. I took a deep breath, exhausted. I never wanted to serve them again. With that in mind, I gave Bruno a gentle reminder. "You really should wipe the lipstick next to your lips." If he was going to pretend, he should at least be serious about it. Once I stopped looking at him with adoration, the passionate feelings I once harbored for him vanished. Bruno froze, then hurriedly wiped the spot near his lips. When he saw the bright red stain on the back of his hand, he went blank. I turned and went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water for myself to clear my mind. Perhaps my words provoked him. Immediately, he rushed after me into the kitchen to explain. "Aelia, it's not what you think! You've got it all wrong! There's nothing between Raine and me! I got this by accident!" I looked at Bruno as he wallowed, as if desperate to explain himself after being caught. For a moment, I couldn't tell if he was grateful for my father's help, or if he had actually developed some feelings for me while deceiving me. Now, I know the answer. It was neither—all Bruno wanted was my company. Seeing how calm and silent I was, Bruno thought I believed him as always. He became smug and said brazenly, "Since we're getting married soon anyway, why don't you just transfer the company shares to me now? Your father left you most of the shares. Because of that, all the decisions I made at the board meetings couldn't convince anyone. This is important for the company, Aelia. You can understand me, right?" Bruno started to put on his act again, pretending he was doing his hardest to give me a better life despite how physically and mentally exhausted he was. But this time, I didn't give in like usual. "I'm going to sell my shares," I said, ignoring his shocked expression. "If you want them, you can contact my agent. I'll give you his number and we can do it by the book." If I hadn't found out from my agent that my company was already running smoothly and Bruno didn't need to work so hard, I would have actually believed his lies. I couldn't help but let out a disdainful scoff. That was enough to snap Bruno out of his shock, and he immediately raised his voice. "Aelia! Can you stop with your nonsense? Don't let your jealousy get in the way of important company business!"

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

I was stunned. He actually thought I was jealous! Jealous because of what just happened? True, anyone would say I was desperately in love with Bruno, what with how I was practically a doormat when it came to him. In reality, I would have treated my boyfriend all the same, no matter who he was. Even Raine, who was simply watching this mess in the beginning, started to panic when she heard me say I was selling my shares. "Ms. Lawson, if me being here bothers you, I can resign from the company. I promise never to show up in front of Bruno ever again. Will you be happy with that? Don't let jealousy cloud your judgment!" Her words left me genuinely confused. I could understand why Bruno said I was jealous, but why would Raine say the same thing? Hadn't I already told her I would swap with her at the wedding earlier? I even had the wedding dress urgently changed to fit her size. She knew all of this. But before I could give it a good thought, Bruno had already snatched my phone and put it in front of me. In a cold voice I had never heard him use, he demanded, "Delete the agent's contact, and I can still forgive you. If you don't, you can forget about the wedding!" I reached out for my phone and looked at him with mixed feelings. Did he really think I wouldn't simply add the contact back after deleting it? However, I couldn't afford to lose my temper because of my health. And so, to keep Bruno under control, I forced myself to feign obedience and followed his demands. Bruno heaved a sigh of relief when he saw how subservient I was. Finally, he softened his tone and said, "Aelia, don't overthink. If I didn't love you, why would I marry you? What you said today hurt me deeply." He paused before continuing, "Raine and I are going to stay somewhere else for a while. Stay here and reflect on what you did. Don't do something like this again." Raine followed him out. Before leaving, she said to me in a mockingly charitable tone, "At least you know what's good for you." The door creaked before closing, leaving me standing there alone. I sighed. I should have known I could only count on myself in this world after my father died. A night's rest later, I got in touch with the agency again. I held a significant amount of shares. Not only were the other shareholders keeping an eye on them, but even those who weren't shareholders beyond the company wanted them as well. In just a few days, someone had already bought the shares at double the market price. I could have waited longer and sold them for even more, but I refused to waste a second more. I didn't want to watch Bruno and Raine enjoying their affair again, not even for a minute. As soon as the money listed on the agreement came through and paid the agent's fee, I immediately began the process of going overseas. While waiting for the approval to come through during the next week, I transferred all my assets abroad. The entire time, Bruno didn't contact me at all. He made good on his threat to teach me a lesson. Soon, came the day I was to leave. I packed up my things and then reached for my family photo. As I was about to put it into my suitcase, the door to my home was suddenly kicked open with a vicious bang. Bruno stormed in, furious. Without wasting any moment, he exploded on me. "You're really something else, you know that?! "Fine, I've been ignoring you for a while, but is this the way you want to start a fight with me? Do you have any idea how humiliating it was for me to beg and borrow money this past week? At first, I thought the other shareholders were selling their shares together just to punish me. "I never thought it would be you!" His reaction caught me by surprise. Still, it was true. If Bruno wanted to remain the chairman, he had to buy my shares. If anyone else got the shares, he would no longer have authority over the company. Since I was leaving today anyway, I didn't want to make things worse. And so, I tried to reason with him. "The shares and money have already changed hands, and you truly own the company now. Everyone got what they wanted, right? Besides, I need the money for my treatment." Though my illness could be cured, I had always thought the company was doing badly, and that Bruno had to suffer for it. Thus, I never asked him for money to help cure my ailment. Never had I imagined that to Bruno, everything I had belonged to him. He saw what was mine as exclusively his, no exceptions. Even a stranger would worry about upsetting someone with a heart condition. Yet Bruno, despite knowing how ill I was, couldn't care less. He snatched my family photo from my hands. "You're something else, Aelia!" he roared. A loud crash followed. Bruno smashed the photo frame to the floor, his face frosty. He even tried to pull the photo out of the frame. My eyes went wide. That was the only photo I had of my parents and me! My blood boiled as rage surged within me. I threw caution to the wind and lunged forward, grabbing his arm to stop him. "Are you mad, Bruno?!" Yet, Bruno didn't even move. Instead, he took out an asset transfer agreement and a black pen and handed them in front of me. "Sign it!" When I didn't respond, he scoffed. "Looks like you won't behave unless I teach you a lesson!" It wasn't that I didn't want to answer, but my throat had grown tight. Even breathing was becoming difficult. Despite this, Bruno tore the only photo I had to remember my family. All because he wanted to vent his anger—to teach me a lesson! I had little time to care about my grief; I collapsed at his feet, and my consciousness started to slip. My survival instincts were forcing me to beg him. "Medicine… My medicine…" Bruno remained heartless. He shoved the pen into my hand. I could vaguely hear his cold words. "Sign this, and I'll give you your medicine."

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

"I… I'll sign it…" I forced the words out of my mouth despite the difficulty. If I wanted to live, I had no choice but to compromise. As soon as I agreed, Bruno's expression softened. He poured me a glass of warm water and handed me my medicine. He even considerately offered me some candy. I ignored his sudden show of mercy. As soon as the medicine came into effect, I rushed to the floor, littered with glass shards. I couldn't control the grief surging within me. I gathered the torn photo with trembling hands, carefully placing the pieces in a small pouch from my suitcase. My mother passed away when I was very young from a relapse of her congenital heart disease. At that time, my father had just started his business and couldn't afford her treatments. The guilt haunted him until the day he died. When the hospital discovered I had inherited my mother's heart condition, my father started working day and night—all because he wanted me to be healthy. It was his way to make up for the past and redeem himself. Unfortunately, his health worsened as he worked himself to the ground, and he passed away. Before breathing his last, he entrusted me to someone he trusted in the company by transferring his shares and management rights. That someone was Bruno. And yet, this was how Bruno took care of me. Even after seeing me so full of grief, he continued to mock me from the side. "It's just a photo. Why make it such a big deal?" I packed everything away, but when I looked at him again, there was no emotion in my eyes. "My mother didn't like having her photos taken when she was alive, and my father was always busy with work. This was the only photo I had with them." He froze, then bit his lip. "You didn't tell me that." I gave him a cold glance, not wanting to argue. Bruno couldn't stand to see me like this and yanked me off the floor, dragging me forcefully to the bed. He saw me lowering my eyes, refusing to even look at him. At this moment, he seemed to realize he had gone too far. He reached out to stroke my cheek, wanting to comfort me, but I slapped his hand away. Bruno's face darkened; he didn't bother to try and console me anymore. Perhaps he thought I was simply throwing a tantrum. He shoved the asset transfer contract and pen to my face again. "Sign it and I'll take you to get the photo fixed." This time, I didn't argue. I quickly picked up the pen and signed my name. His behavior of offering a carrot and a stick was repulsive. Had he asked nicely, I would have signed it anyway. I had already transferred my assets abroad, so all he would get was an unenforceable contract—in other words, nothing. Honestly, I never expected Bruno to go to such extremes. Didn't he know that any contract signed under the threat of violence was invalid? It wasn't until he mentioned the wedding that I understood his thoughts. Despite being unable to hide the deviousness in his eyes, he still pretended to love me. "We're getting married tomorrow. Why don't we get our marriage registered now? That way, you'll be my wife legally." I shot him a look and immediately called him out. "So you can simply call this a family dispute after that, right?""Are you still angry?" Bruno frowned. He hated it when I argued against his wishes. "I'm getting anxious because you're not with me. Besides, once we're married, what's mine is yours too. What's the big deal about registering our marriage? And if you had ever thought of me, you wouldn't have sold your shares anonymously. Husband and wife are supposed to be a team, but you sold the assets that are supposed to be mine. This is just a punishment for that." I wanted to argue with him again, but he forcibly ran his hand through my hair and finally cupped my face, his eyes staring into mine. "I won't let you die, so this is all your fault." When I heard those words, I didn't want to fight back anymore and simply lay down on the bed. I wasn't interested in arguing with him anymore. Why had I never discovered how shameless he could be before this? I vividly remembered how kind he had been on our first encounter. He would always take me to my check-ups, and would even go out in the rain to get my medicine. Whenever I called, he'd drop everything to see me. And with my father's trust in him, I was naturally attracted to him. Upon learning the truth between him and Raine, I finally woke up from my delusions. Bruno's attitude toward me worsened every time I gave in. Now, his intentions were obvious. When Bruno saw me continue to maintain my silence, he finally lost his patience. "Fine! Since you don't want to register our marriage, you'll stay here until the wedding!" I didn't understand what he meant at first—until I heard the click of a lock after he went out. Immediately, I got up from the bed and walked over to the door. I rattled the doorknob, furious, and then banged on the door anxiously. "Bruno! Are you keeping me here because you're afraid I'll sue you? I won't do that! Let me out!" I yelled. If I stayed any longer, I would certainly miss my flight. I didn't want to waste any more time here. I refused to play along with Bruno anymore!

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

There was nothing but silence outside the door. There wasn't even a cold response. Time passed slowly. Just as I was about to lose all hope, the door finally opened with a creak. However, the one standing there wasn’t Bruno. It was Raine, whose face was a multitude of complex emotions. She had my neatly packed suitcase next to her and my phone in her hand, which I had dropped on the floor earlier. Raine handed both to me. “I thought you were just playing hard to get. I didn’t expect you were actually leaving.” Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would feel gratitude toward my former rival. If Raine didn’t come, I probably would have been locked in this bedroom until the wedding. I glanced into the living room. There was no sign of Bruno, just some warm food left on the table. He must have sent Raine to get me something to eat. Relieved, I grabbed my suitcase and phone and made a beeline straight for the door. As I passed by Raine, I paused for a moment and murmured, “Thank you.” She scoffed. “What are you thanking me for? I can’t wait for you to leave. Do you know that I'm pregnant?" I froze for a moment. Raine took out her phone and showed me an ultrasound report. “It’s Bruno's child. I don’t want my baby to be born illegitimately. If it weren’t for you, I’d have married him long ago. That’s why I sent you that message. I didn't want you to wake up so quickly, but I didn’t expect you to love him that much.” She spoke with a gentle smile, recounting her past. Her words had lost all the resentment from when she sent that message. It even carried a hint of pity. I glanced at her slightly bulging belly, silent. She probably thought I loved Bruno so much that I would grant him his wish, even at the cost of myself. The truth was, I never would have agreed to marry Bruno had I known about his first love. After all, my father had only requested Bruno to take care of me before he died—marriage was never mentioned. With that thought in mind, I felt the need to correct Raine. “He only hid your relationship from me because he wanted my shares. He was setting me up. I never ruined your relationship. You’re blaming the wrong person.” Raine waved her hand and smiled triumphantly, replying with something completely irrelevant. “You gave him back the money he paid for your shares, and you say you don’t like him? We women know each other best. Well, it doesn't matter now. I’m marrying Bruno in a couple of days anyway, so I won't blame you for coming between us.” Not interested in hearing her bragging anymore, I headed straight for the door. Just as I stepped forward, Raine held my arm and pulled me back. Any sense of gratitude I felt for her vanished instantly. “Move.” I stared at her coldly. If she weren’t pregnant, I would have pushed her away already. Raine pretended not to hear what I said and pulled out a card, stuffing it into my hand. “You’re heading overseas with nothing. I’m worried about your safety. There’s two thousand on this card. Take it and never come back. Got that?” I took a deep breath and looked at Raine, completely fed up. Seeing her smug expression, I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. Smack! I slapped her across the face with all my strength. Raine let out a scream; she was about to curse at me, but she saw Bruno rushing over out of the corner of her eye. Immediately, she held her face and fell to the ground. “Oh, Bruno! My stomach hurts! It hurts so much!” she wailed piteously. I frowned, not understanding her act until I was suddenly shoved aside. Bruno pushed me so hard, I fell and hit my lower back with my suitcase still in my hand. A sharp pain shot through me, and my face instantly turned pale. Bruno walked past me and bent down to pick up Raine. He left without even sparing a glance at me. All I caught was a glimpse of his anxious, worried face as he passed. Seeing him like that, I understood. Bruno clearly knew about the pregnancy, too. But none of their business had anything to do with me anymore. I struggled to my feet, rubbing my aching back, and carefully made my way downstairs. I hailed the fastest cab I could find. Even though I moved as quickly as possible, my back slowed me down and I was still a step too late. I had to reschedule my flight. Despite that, I didn’t feel discouraged. I put some medicine on my back and booked the next available flight, spending the night at the airport. I also used this time to change my visa from short-term to long-term, as I wasn’t planning to come back anytime soon. The next morning, just as I was about to board the plane, I got a phone call. “Hello, is this Ms. Aelia Lawson?”“I'm Aelia Lawson, yes.”“We’ve found a matching heart donor for you. Can you come to Sceleria as soon as possible?” I stared at the unfamiliar number, confused. “I didn’t make any appointments with any hospital overseas.”“You know Mr. Charles Lawson, right?” My expression froze. “He’s my father." “He asked us to help find a match for you. It took us some time, given your unique condition, but we finally have one.” I hung up, stunned, trying my hardest to hold back my emotions. Finally, I boarded the plane and left everything behind.