Chapter 1

The second year of Cynthia Sutton's marriage to Damian Gray was the year she hated him the most. When she found out she was pregnant on Damian's birthday, she did only two things. First, she went to the hospital for an abortion. Then, she preserved the aborted embryo as a specimen and gave it to Damian as his birthday present. When Damian opened up the present, anger filled his eyes. "Happy birthday. Do you like this present I got for you?" Cynthia said with a smile. She finally got to see Damian's usually-composed mask crumble. He carefully tucked the box away before swiftly slamming her down onto the table. Unable to react, her body sank into the birthday cake on the table, the sweet buttercream staining her clothes and skin. The anger in Damian's eyes began growing, his breaths growing harsher by the second. "This was your child too, Cynthia. Did that incident make you despise me so much?" Damian hissed. Cynthia's breath caught, but she still brushed aside the heartache she felt. She said with a smile, "Yes, Damian. I hate you with every fiber of my being. You ruined my life and made me lose my family. Why should you get to live in peace while I have to suffer every single day?" Damian's grip on her began to tighten. Without warning, he flipped her dress open and took her without any preparation. "This is your punishment for taking our child's life," he growled darkly. Cynthia cried in pain, her nails clawing lines of red down his back. Their bodies were locked in an embrace devoid of love or affection. Neither let go of the other even as they became bruised and bloodied. But things hadn't started out this way for Cynthia and Damian. They'd been happy for a time, and they were lauded by everyone as the perfect couple—a pure match made in heaven. They both grew up with each other, Damian being an orphan the Stutton family sponsored since he was young. As far as Cynthia could remember, they had never been apart from one another for more than a month at a time. Damian had always been a cold and distant person, but he had always treated Cynthia differently. He would readily crouch down in front of her the moment she said she was tired from walking, then lift her onto his back and piggyback her home. He would wash her pants clean of blood if they accidentally stained while she was having her period. He would even abandon his very important Olvander Maths competition just to accompany her to the hospital. To no one's surprise, Cynthia fell in love with Damian. It was as if it was written in the stars. When Damian finally fulfilled his ambition of joining the Public Prosecutor's Office, he gave the Stutton family his first salary as a gift of appreciation. He even held Cynthia's hand and vowed that he would protect her for life. He said, "I swear to devote my life to protecting the Stutton family. I'll keep Cynthia safe for the rest of our lives." He didn't even budge when an intern at the prosecutor's office by the name of Alice Holland began making romantic advances toward him. His boundaries were clear. "Apologies, but I'm already engaged to my fiancee." However, on the night of Cynthia and Damian's wedding, Alice tearfully took Cynthia's father, Edward Stutton, to court on the grounds that Edward had raped her. Damian swore to Cynthia that he'd prove Edward's innocence, and Cynthia believed him. Yet during a critical moment in the trial, Damian submitted video evidence of Edward walking a drunken Alice into a room. The judge immediately convicted Edward of sexual assault and sentenced him to five years in prison. Edward fainted on the spot. The Stutton family's centuries-old manor was seized by the authorities for investigation, and Rhea Vaughn, Cynthia's mother, died of grief. Cynthia lost her entire family in one night. When she walked back home in the pouring rain to question Damian about what happened, she found Alice sitting in the living room wearing Cynthia's nightgown. Damian, who rarely ever cooked, came out of the kitchen while rolling up his sleeves. Cynthia's mind instantly went blank. She felt a piercing cold settle in her bones, so cold that it nearly suffocated her. She flung and threw anything and everything she could onto the floor like a madwoman, but Damian never budged. He merely watched her with absolute calm on his face and announced his final decision to her once she stopped. He said, "The prosecution's decision was fair. The law never lies. You have to learn to accept its decision. Alice was deeply traumatized by what Mr. Stutton did to her. As your husband, I have to take responsibility for Alice. The Stutton family owes this to her." Damian then abandoned Cynthia over and over again, yielding to everything Alice said all because of this 'debt'. It wasn't as if Cynthia hadn't tried seeking other defense lawyers to help Edward. However, no one dared intervene in Edward's case due to Damian's powerful influence. In two years' time, hatred had consumed any last shred of love Cynthia had for Damian. Their relationship went from mutual love and affection to sheer hatred. The pain in Cynthia' heart and body made tears fall from her eyes. The hatred in her heart surged forth once again as she looked at Damian's face in front of her. She bit down hard on his neck, drawing blood. What she would give to tear his throat out right here and now. "Are you done with your ridiculous tantrum?" Damian snapped, shoving Cynthia away as he clasped his bloody neck. He pulled out of her and swiftly got dressed, having lost interest in their carnal act. Cynthia wiped the blood off her lips and smiled coquettishly. "Nope!" Damian's brows furrowed together. He was about to say something else when his phone rang. Tenderness filled his eyes the moment he saw the caller ID. He answered the call. "What is it, Alice?" Alice was sobbing shakily over the phone. "D-Damian, I'm so scared… I had a nightmare about the night I was assaulted… Can you please come and stay with m-me?" Damian looked at Cynthia, still sprawled on the table and covered in bruises. A sliver of hesitance appeared in his eyes. In the end, he took his coat from the chair and left, consoling Alice over the phone as he did. "I'll be right there." Once again, Damian had abandoned Cynthia as if she was some limp rag doll. Once the door closed behind Damian, Cynthia finally let her tears fall. This would be the last time she ever cried because of him. From now onward, anything he did would no longer affect her whatsoever. Cynthia put on her clothes through gritted teeth, pain lancing through her body. She turned on her phone and replied to a text message she'd received earlier that read: "Have you thought over my proposal?" "Yes, I've made up my mind and agree to your terms. I'll elope with you in 15 days' time. In return for me helping you escape your arranged marriage, you have to get my father out of prison." She texted back.