Chapter 1

The day after Avery Sterling was falsely accused of running over Britney Walker, her husband, Calvin Grant, and their two sons suspended her younger brother over a giant vat of boiling oil, threatening to drop him in alive. Avery panicked and rushed to save him, but the bodyguards blocked her path and held her back. "Do you admit what you did?" Calvin stood nearby, sharply dressed in a tailored suit, his voice cold and steely. "Will you ever dare to hurt Britney again?" "I didn't hit her!" Avery sobbed as she struggled against the bodyguards holding her back. "Calvin, please, let Henry go! He's only 18 years old. He just got into Westbridge University!" Noah Grant, who was just five years old, folded his arms with a blank expression. "The evidence is clear. Why are you still lying?" Simon Grant, who was four years old, nodded as he spoke with innocent-sounding malice. "Mom, if you're so scared Uncle Henry will die, then you shouldn't have tried to hurt Britney. She's our favorite." Avery felt her heart clench painfully. So, Britney was their favorite. Then what was she? What did she count for? She turned to Calvin, hoping he might show some mercy for the years they'd been married and spare Henry. However, Calvin just stared at her coldly, as if she were a stranger. She let out a bitter laugh, tears streaming down her face. All these years, Calvin had only ever loved Britney. The memories stabbed at her heart like knives. Avery, Calvin, and Britney had grown up together. Avery had always loved Calvin, but he only ever had eyes for Britney. Even so, Avery had silently wished them well, even helping Calvin plan his confession. But the night before Calvin was going to confess, Britney's plane crashed. There were no remains. After that, Calvin drank himself into oblivion every day, sinking deeper into despair. Avery stayed with him, took care of him, nursed him through his drunken nights, and watched over him when his stomach bled from all the alcohol. One night, Calvin was completely wasted, clutching her wrist and whispering Britney's name as he pulled her beneath him. She could've pushed him away, but she loved him too much. So, she didn't resist, letting him mistake her for Britney. When he woke up and saw the blood on the sheets, he stared for a long time before finally saying, "I'll take responsibility. Let's get married." So, they did. After the wedding, Avery did everything she could for Calvin. She cooked for his bad stomach every morning, helped with his paperwork when he was busy, and stayed up with him all night through his nightmares. Gradually, the way Calvin looked at her changed. He seemed to be falling for her. He started to remember her favorite foods, made her hot chocolate when she had cramps, and kissed her gently on the forehead while she slept. Eventually, they had Noah and Simon. The boys clung to her, and Calvin always held her in his arms, smiling as he said, "Thank you for everything, honey." Those five years were the happiest of her life. Until the day Britney suddenly "came back from the dead" and appeared before Calvin again. At that moment, Avery saw the light spark in Calvin's eyes. Even worse, both Noah and Simon instantly took to Britney as well. "Britney is so much nicer than Mom!" "Britney plays games with us. Mom just bosses us around!" "Dad, can we make Britney our mom instead?" Every time they said things like that, Calvin would glance at Avery, ruffle the boys' hair, and gently say, "Don't say that." But he never defended her. She felt like an outsider, watching the happiness she'd stolen for five years shatter the instant Britney returned. And now, they were using this cruel stunt to force her to confess to a crime she never committed. "It wasn't me!" Avery broke out of her memories, her voice trembling. "Calvin, please, let Henry go!" Calvin's eyes were like ice. "If you refuse to admit it, you'll learn what it feels like to lose someone you love forever." He lifted his hand, and a bodyguard immediately cut the rope. "No!" Avery watched in horror as the rope snapped and Henry plummeted straight toward the boiling oil. She threw herself forward, but the bodyguards held her back, leaving her to scream in absolute despair, "Calvin! You killed Henry! You killed him!" Her agony was unbearable, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood. Noah rolled his eyes with an impatient scoff. "Come on. That wasn't even Uncle Henry up there. It was just a dummy. Why are you freaking out?" Simon snorted. "Yeah, it was just to scare you. You shouldn't have hurt Britney." Avery collapsed to the ground, her heart nearly stopping. Calvin looked down at her, completely indifferent. "Remember this feeling. I lost Britney once. I can't lose her again." He paused, then his tone softened a little. "I know what you're worried about. I've already married you, so I'll take responsibility as a husband and a father. I won't divorce you. So, stop trying to get Britney out of our lives." Avery lifted her head, trembling all over. But in her heart, she had already decided she would divorce him. She didn't want a husband or sons who chose Britney over her. Just as she opened her mouth, Calvin's phone rang. "Britney?" His voice softened immediately as he picked up the call. "You're hurting again? I'll be right there." Without a second glance at Avery, Calvin took Noah and Simon and hurried out. The factory fell silent, leaving Avery alone, kneeling on the cold floor with her tears soaking into the dust. She wiped her face and tried to stand, but her phone buzzed. A message from Britney lit up the screen. "Avery, I switched out the dummy. The person in the oil now is actually your brother." Avery's blood ran cold. She stumbled to the oil vat, the scorching heat burning her eyes. Inside the oil vat, Henry's body was already blistered and burned, his skin charred, and his limbs grotesquely twisted. Only his eyes remained open, staring straight at her. "Henry... Henry!" Avery reached for him in desperation, and the scalding oil seared her hand, instantly raising blisters. Shaking in pain, she still tried to grab his hand, but Henry couldn't make a sound. His lips barely moved, as if he were trying to call her name one last time. She had to save him, no matter what. Shaking violently, Avery dialed 911, then scooped Henry into her arms and ran from the Grant residence like a madwoman. Her whole body trembled, tears blurring her vision, but she held Henry tightly, stumbling out to flag down a cab. "Take us to the hospital! Please, hurry!" Her voice was hoarse, almost collapsing. The driver, shocked by the blood, floored it straight to the hospital. In the hospital corridor, Avery rushed Henry into the emergency room. But the nurse only looked at her awkwardly. "Ms. Sterling, Mr. Grant just ordered that all doctors focus on Ms. Walker. There's no one available to operate on your brother right now." Avery was shaking uncontrollably as she called Calvin. "Calvin! Please! I'm begging you! Send a doctor for Henry! He fell into the oil vat! He's dying!" On the other end, Calvin said indifferently, "Avery, it was just a dummy. How long are you going to keep making a scene?" In the background, she could hear Noah and Simon grumbling. "Mom's always so dramatic." "Dad, just ignore her. Britney's waiting for you." Calvin hung up without a word. Avery fell to her knees, begging everyone in sight for help, but everyone avoided her. By the time she finally found a doctor willing to help, Henry's body had already gone cold. "Henry... Henry!" Avery clung to Henry's burned corpse, sobbing her heart out, but the young man in her arms would never respond again. He was gone—killed by the very people she loved the most. ... Three days later, Avery stood before Henry's grave, her face as pale as a ghost. For three days, she'd been like a zombie, getting the death certificate, arranging the cremation, and finally laying Henry to rest herself. Not once in those three days did Calvin or her sons show up. She opened Britney's social media. The latest post was a photo of Calvin feeding her soup, captioned, "He insists on taking care of me personally. I just can't say no." Beneath were comments from Noah and Simon. "Britney, get well soon! We want to go to the amusement park with you!" "Britney is way nicer than Mom. We love you the most!" Avery closed the app, her eyes cold as ice. She left the cemetery and did only two things. First, she went to a law firm and drafted divorce papers. Second, she walked into the police station and said to the officer at the desk, "Hi. I'd like to report Britney Walker for attempted murder."