Chapter 1 Chapter 1

I'd just completed a form to return and refund an online purchase when Andrew Samson came home. He plopped onto the couch without even sparing me a glance, his tone commanding as he demanded, "Where are the things? I'll deliver them to Nina now." He seemed to realize his tone wasn't the best, so he hurriedly explained, "She seems to be dating someone now. I'm basically her brother—I don't want her to get knocked up. Besides, you're old enough to know not to get mad at her because I didn't tell you about this beforehand, right?" I didn't respond, only looking up at him after paying the courier fee to the delivery hub. "If your sister's boyfriend doesn't have a phone or money for these things, tell them not to use condoms. It's embarrassing. "I've already canceled the order. If she's desperate, she can collect the things at the delivery hub and pay for them accordingly. The delivery hub's information is mine, so no one will know who she is." "Would I have asked you to pay for it if I had any money?" Andrew shot to his feet angrily, flinging his water glass on the floor. A shard of glass scratched my face, leaving a thin trail of blood behind. It was right on top of the scar I'd gotten after saving him from a fire. This took Andrew aback. "Why didn't you dodge when you saw the glass coming?" I felt bitter when I saw the diffident look in his eyes. The man who used to speak gently to me while carefully helping me with my bandages when I'd first gotten injured no longer existed. Now, he still hurried to me with gauze and iodine, but his actions were stiff and awkward. Only now did it hit me that there was no love between us anymore. I didn't say anything, and he also remained silent. It looked like whatever tacit understanding we had was used to ensure none of us broke the silence. Then, Andrew said hesitantly, "I was…" A phone call interrupted him, cutting through the awkward atmosphere. He was holding up some gauze, but he stopped at the ringing. The relief on his face was apparent as he answered the phone, his tone gentle. "What's wrong, Nina?" "I'm at your company, Andy, but they won't let me in. They even said I'm not worthy of being your assistant," Nina Moore said on the other end of the line. "They think they can act like that just because someone is backing them up!" Andrew snapped. "Don't worry, okay? I'm the manager there. I'll head over right now to help you." "But I heard they used to work with Rose. Will she get mad at me if you stand up for me like this?" "Don't overthink this. I'm the one calling the shots now! Who else will help you if I don't?" Andrew glared at me resentfully while consoling Nina. After hanging up, he hurriedly changed his outfit before heading to the door. He only remembered he'd yet to help me tend to my face when he had one hand on the doorknob. He turned slightly to look at me with a frown, sounding awkward as he said, "Your wound…" "It's fine. I'll deal with it myself." I looked away from him and poured some iodine onto the gauze. I didn't hear the sound of the door being shut. Andrew sounded like he was sulking as he grumbled, "Do something about your company, Rose. I might be the manager there, but my salary goes right to your account every month." I nodded. "Alright. I'll speak to the finance department and tell them to split our salaries. They won't transfer the money to me anymore." "I didn't mean it like that." Andrew softened his tone. "I promised I would give you all my money when we married—that's not changing. But you have to leave me some money for… other expenses, right?" He cleared his throat. "You saved my life, and I married you as agreed. But I'm not a tool to help you manage your company while you're recuperating at home!"

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Andrew left so quickly that I didn't have the chance to say anything else. I stayed at home and tended to my wound, but I'd yet to get the gauze on when my phone rang. "I saw the video your husband's so-called sister shared on her social media, Rosie. Oh, what innocuous siblings they are! You need to see how cringeworthy that video is—I don't believe for a second that you can still make excuses for him after watching it," my best friend, Colbie Smith, said. She shared a link with me, which brought me to a social media account. The pinned video was one captioned "Seventh anniversary". Coincidentally enough, the video was filmed at the restaurant I'd booked to celebrate my seventh anniversary with Andrew. Under the video was a comment from Andrew. "Most people prioritize their survival over everything else, but I'll prioritize you, my dearest Nina." She'd replied, "Thanks for the wonderful meal, Andy. I wanted to go on a diet and lose some weight, but it looks like that's never going to happen when you're around." The rest of the comments were from people offering their best wishes—they had no idea Andrew and Nina weren't in a relationship. I couldn't help feeling revolted when I saw the comments. The video was uploaded two days ago. I distinctly remember that being the day of my and Andrew's seventh anniversary. I'd booked a table at that restaurant a week before. Andrew had looked scornful after finding out, though. "Is stuffing your face all you know? Isn't there anything else you can do with your life? Look at how ugly you are right now. I can't believe you have the gall to leave the house and dine at a restaurant." I hadn't taken his words to heart at the time. However, on the day of our anniversary, my stomach had still acted up. And so, our dinner plans had been abandoned. In hindsight, it explained why Andrew had brought me a bowl of nice, warm soup when he'd returned that day. Nina had even made me a herbal concoction, telling me to care for myself. It looked like I'd spent money for them to celebrate seven years together. I saw Andrew's loving comments on almost all of Nina's videos. It reminded me of the condescending way she'd spoken to me when I'd first met her. "Do you know why I treat you like a stranger instead of like Andy's wife, Rose? Because I think you're unworthy of him. "Who do you think is worthy of him, then?" I'd asked, only finding her words laughable. She'd pointed at herself. "You're only his wife in name. I'm the one who means the most to him. I'll prove it to you if you don't believe me." She'd given me a challenging smile before running to Andrew and clinging to him coquettishly. "Andy, Rose just…" Before she could even finish, he'd gotten mad at me without asking what had happened. "How many times do I have to tell you that Nina is just my sister? "We've known each other for years and think of each other as family. Could you stop being so hostile and mean to her?" I hadn't heard what else he'd said after that. All I saw was the mocking yet pitying look on Nina's face. For years after that, I'd acted like I'd forgotten about that, but the memory would always resurface whenever Andrew prioritized Nina over me in the face of any problems. It was a perpetual thorn in my side. "You should divorce Andy, Rose. It's been long enough—you should return him to me now." The text from Nina was the straw that broke the camel's back. Andrew had long since fallen out of love with me, and the past seven years had destroyed all my love for him. I was exhausted. Perhaps it would be better to take me out of the picture, allowing them to become a real family.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I mentioned to Colbie over the phone that I wanted a divorce. She immediately skipped work and drove to my place to pick me up. "The sight of Andrew and Nina has made me want to gag for the longest time. I haven't done anything because you've been defending them this whole time. Let's head to your company now so you can tell him you want a divorce," she said. I sighed. "I suppose it's good. I need to tell the finance department to split my and Andrew's salaries, anyway." Colbie was in disbelief. "What? Wasn't he the one who said he would give you every cent he earned? Is he already regretting his actions when it hasn't been long since you guys got married?" I grimaced helplessly. "Yeah…" Back then, I suffered from several burns while trying to save Andrew from a fire. He hadn't left my side while I was unconscious, and he was the first person I saw when I woke up. He'd held my hand and proposed to me, saying he would always care for me. When Colbie saw the look on my face, she hurriedly started consoling me. "Look. It's great that you've finally decided to ask for a divorce. We can talk about everything else after the divorce's been finalized." We soon arrived at my company. Everything felt so unfamiliar there. I hadn't been to the company since being discharged from the hospital to recuperate at home. There weren't many old employees left—most of the faces were young and unfamiliar. They watched me with curiosity or wariness. The young woman at the front desk smiled politely at me and Colbie. "May I help you?""We're here for Andrew Samson." Colbie tried to pull me past the front desk after that. "You need to make an appointment to see Mr. Samson, ladies. Could you please give me your appointment number?" The young woman stopped us. "We don't have an appointment or need one." Colbie pushed me forward. "This is Andrew's wife and your company's founder. Can we go in now?" The young woman had never seen us, and she cried for the guards when she realized she couldn't stop us. "Guards! Someone's causing a scene here!" The guards hurried over with Andrew and Nina. "Who would dare cause trouble here?" Andrew was taken aback when he saw me. Then, his gaze turned contemptuous. "Why are you running around when you should be at home?""Maybe Rose doesn't want me to stay at the company as your assistant, Andy. I won't do it since she doesn't like it, then. Those veteran employees said I wasn't worthy, anyway," Nina said, looking aggrieved. Colbie stepped forward, wanting to speak up for me. I stopped her with a shake of my head and said, "You're right that I don't want you here. Since you agree with me, I'll make it official—you're fired." I ignored her look of disbelief and approached Andrew, saying, "I don't want to stay at home anymore—that's why I came to my company to work. Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Samson?" He softened his tone a little. "I only wanted my sister to work here as an assistant, Rosie. Why do you have to be so petty about this?""Your sister, huh? The one you had a candlelight dinner with on our seventh anniversary when I was sick? The one who stood in for me and recorded a video of it when I couldn't be there?" I asked mockingly. "Or is it the one who you call your sister but is actually a homewrecker?" Andrew slapped me so hard that it made me fall to the floor. My ears buzzed. He forgot all about his image and roared, "Is this what you're like now, Rose? Apologize to Nina right now!"

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

"Have you forgotten who you are just because you're the company's manager now, Andrew?" Colbie hurriedly helped me up and checked my face, which was starting to swell. I patted her trembling hand to indicate that I was okay. The wounds on my face were visible, but the ones on my heart weren't. Fortunately, I'd already given up on Andrew. I smiled self-deprecatingly. "Let's divorce, Andrew." His gaze went from probing to doubting and ultimately to disbelief. He clenched his fists. "I was too rash earlier, Rosie. We've been together for seven years—don't you trust me?" I shook my head. Colbie's gaze traveled between me and Andrew. She said, "I don't think you two can discuss this at the company. Why don't you guys head home?" She pushed Andrew and me, urging us to return. Perhaps Andrew agreed with her—he held my hand and pulled me away without a word. I saw Nina wanting to follow us in my peripheral vision. Colbie stopped her, and she cried, "Andy!" Neither Andrew nor I looked back. We were silent on the journey home. By the time we arrived, my face was thoroughly swollen from Andrew's slap. A burn already marred it. The wound from the glass and the earlier slap only worsened things. Andrew, in a rare show of tenderness, helped me reduce the swelling with an ice pack. When we were done, the sky had already gone dark. He pulled me into the bedroom and looked at me lustfully. "Let's not divorce, Rosie. I know I was wrong for misunderstanding you. Let's have a child instead." We'd barely slept together since marrying. He would always look impatient when I wanted to be intimate with him. Even if we did end up in bed together, he wouldn't try anything new. He would quickly finish as if carrying out orders. Sometimes, he wouldn't even touch me. We would turn on the lights when we were done, and he would call my burns disgusting while smoking. "Haven't you always found my burns disgusting and revolting to the touch?" I unbuttoned my shirt to reveal the biggest burn on my shoulder. I looked down at it, my gaze mocking. "You're really shameless, aren't you? You can set aside your prejudice and even pretend you're deeply in love with me for the sake of having a child," I said. "Rose Grant!" Andrew dropped his loving act when he saw I wasn't interested in him. "Know your place!""I genuinely want a divorce." I sighed. "You and Nina have been having the hots for each other for so long—have you ever really considered me your wife? You'll go to her whenever she calls, no matter how far away she is. Will you give up on her for my sake?" Seemingly wanting to prove me right, his phone rang. It was a call from Nina. "One of my lightbulbs just gave out, Andy. Can you help me change it?" He looked at me and put the phone on speaker mode. "I won't go to her as long as you beg me, Rose.""Andy!" Nina sounded anxious. "You should go help her. You don't even need to come home tonight." I dropped my gaze, not wanting to look at him anymore. "Don't forget what you've said, Rose. Don't regret this and claim I never gave you a chance!" Andrew gripped my shoulder tightly and forced me to look at him. I stared into his eyes and said resolutely, "I won't regret this. Not anymore."