Chapter 1

"Angelica, do you know what you look like when you put on sexy lingerie?" Reeking of alcohol, Elliot Quigley wore a look of sarcasm on his dashing face as he uttered the hurtful words, "You look like a fat pig in heat." Angelica Thornton was still a virgin two years after she married Elliot. Her parents-in-law had urged her more than once to deliver an heir for the Quigley family, but Elliot had turned her down with different excuses every time. How could they have a baby without any intercourse? Angelica kept her grievances to herself. Knowing that she was upset, Rosie Morris, Elliot's elder stepsister, gave her an idea. She passed some sexy lingerie to Angelica and smiled coyly. "Men love looking at these." Despite feeling shy, Angelica was willing to give it a try for the sake of having a child with Elliot. So, she decided to put it on on the day of their wedding anniversary. Unexpectedly, all she received was Elliot's indifference and ridicule. Even though the heating was turned on in the room, Angelica felt as though she was in a chiller, and even her fingers were shaking. Suddenly, a maid banged on the door heavily. "Mr. Quigley, this is bad! Ms. Morris is injured and hospitalized. She needs an emergency blood transfusion." Immediately, Elliot sobered up, and his eyes turned sharp again. Almost at the same time, he grabbed Angelica's hand. "Come with me!" Angelica bit her lip indignantly and had the idea to resist for the first time. "E-Elliot, it's our second wedding anniversary today, and the hospital has my blood bag. "Rosie will be fine. Can we skip this trip?" Half an hour later, Angelica saw Rosie, who was in the pink of health. Why was she hospitalized out of the blue? Angelica was a little puzzled, but she couldn't place a finger on it for a moment. "Angelica, nothing is more important than Rosie." Elliot's eyes narrowed, and he tightened his grip on Angelica, hurting her. "If anything happens to her, you can be sure that you won't remain as Mrs. Quigley anymore." At three in the morning, Angelica sat alone in the phlebotomy room. After having her blood drawn once already, she was pale and dizzy. When she was about to pull her arm back, the nurse held her down and said, "Ms. Thornton, Mr. Quigley had instructed us to draw two bags of blood from you for precautions." Seeing that Angelica was unwilling, the nurse grew impatient, grumbling, "Don't act like it's a big deal when it's only 27 ounces of blood. You're 160 pounds. This won't kill you." Blood flowed into the tube, and Angelica's vision turned black. Her heart pounded as her breath turned rugged. Her hands and feet were cold, and cold sweat blanketed her back. Three hours later, she regained consciousness again. The smell of disinfectant was strong in the ward, and she opened her eyes in a daze, listening to the nurses gossiping. "Poor Angelica. She's been out for so long, but Mr. Quigley didn't even visit her once when he's on the same floor." "There must be a reason he dislikes her so much. I heard that she used something to threaten Mr. Quigley to marry her back then." "That's gross. Didn't she check herself in the mirror? She weighs 160 pounds. Even the swine in my hometown is about 200 pounds. She's a far cry from Ms. Morris." After they ridiculed Angelica, they shifted the topic to Rosie, sounding envious. "Ms. Morris is so lucky to have a brother who prioritizes her over everything. Every time she's hospitalized, Mr. Quigley is there to take care of her. "This time, she merely pricked her finger a little, and Mr. Quigley asked for two bags of blood from Angelica. He spoils her so much!" "Do you really think that they're siblings?" the short-haired nurse whispered. "I heard they aren't related by blood. During my night shift the last time, I saw Mr. Quigley kissing Ms. Morris—Angelica, are you awake?" The last few words left the nurse's lips in a sudden, high-pitched tone. Guilt flickered in her eyes as she wondered whether Angelica had heard her or not. Hurriedly, she dragged the other nurse and claimed that they needed to look for the doctor, fleeing in a hurry. In the quiet ward, Angelica stared at the ceiling absentmindedly, her thoughts in confusion. After a long while, she struggled out of bed to look for Elliot. Rosie was Elliot's stepsister. It was impossible that he'd do something so immoral. That nurse must be spreading rumors. Dragging her clumsy and weak body, Angelica finally found Elliot in the last ward at the end of the corridor. Her hand was on the door handle, but before she went in, she stood paralyzed on the spot. Through the window on the door, she saw the six feet tall Elliot getting down to his knees. From where Angelica was standing, she could clearly see his sculpted profile with dark circles under his eyes. He placed his cheek against Rosie's palm like a puppy seeking attention. "Rosie, I've never touched Angelica. Don't abandon me…" "You're a good boy, Elliot. But don't you like the lingerie I gave Angelica?" "You're the only one I love." Angelica felt her ears ringing, and her eyes widened in shock. As though struck by lightning, her body swayed unsteadily. Blood drained from her face, and she seemed to have received a great shock. Did Elliot just say that he loved Rosie a second ago? All the details she had deliberately overlooked in the past were now being reconsidered in detail. Since Angelica knew Elliot in high school, she was aware that he cared a lot about Rosie, and that remained unchanged even after they started dating. Elliot would place every matter which concerned Rosie as the most important agenda. As for Angelica, she would always be the secondary concern. One incident which left a mark in Angelica's memory happened on her wedding day. She and Rosie both fell into the pool, but Elliot chose to save Rosie without hesitation. After he got out of the pool, he picked Rosie up in his arms and left, making Angelica a joke in the upper class circle of Mubathro. It didn't bother Angelica at that time as she simply thought that the situation was more dangerous for Rosie, who had hemophilia. But the scene before her eyes now was a slap in her face, proving her wrong. The lump in her throat throbbed, but she bit her lip tightly to stop herself from making a sound, drowning in her devastation. Only when she saw Elliot kissing the back of Rosie's palm did the last glimmer of hope disappear from her eyes. The man she had known for ten years—her husband of two years—had cheated on her with his stepsister. Both of them had been having the affair right under her nose, but she had no idea about it at all. A sharp pain pierced through her chest, and she felt suffocated. The man whom she thought was her savior had thrown her into the depths of an abyss. A long while later, Angelica finally calmed down. When she looked at the adulterous couple in the ward again, she was numb from pain, and her mind was clearer than ever before. Some mistakes were to be stopped before it was too late. The sound of the door swinging open startled Elliot and Rosie in the room, and they separated immediately. Elliot turned around impatiently. Upon seeing Angelica, he reprimanded, "Can't you knock before coming in? How many times have I told you this? Don't you understand me?" Meanwhile, Rosie lowered her gaze, feeling guilty and unsure whether Angelica had seen the scene earlier. After composing herself, she put on a smile and said, "Angie, don't mind what Elliot said. That's not what he means—" "Elliot," Angelica uttered, interrupting Rosie's hypocritical words and staring at Elliot with bloodshot eyes. She clenched her fists. Her voice shook as she spoke, but it was filled with determination. "I want a divorce."