Chapter 1

One day, Carson Lambert brought home a homeless young woman, Helena Ziegler, who'd once saved his life. She had survived by scavenging through trash, and she clung to him for three years. In all three years, he never once gave her his heart. He knew something that she didn't. I, Winry Sachs, loved him more than myself. However, on our fifth wedding anniversary, Helena made a scene on the balcony of the villa and threatened to throw herself off. "Carson, this is the last time. If you pick her, I'll jump right now. I'll die right in front of you." She lunged at me, grabbing my arms, and tried to drag me toward the railing. In the scramble, I saw Carson kick open the glass door and sprint out. For a moment, I felt a sliver of relief. I struggled to reach out my hand toward him. But he didn't even glance at me. He scooped Helena up around the waist and carried her back into the room. I painfully pulled my hand back and let half my body hang out over the railing. Later, he said, "Winry, she saved my life. I can't stand by and watch her die. Can you please let her stay? You know I only love you." What he didn't know was that I was dying. My heart was failing. … As my body tipped forward over the railing, Helena's triumphant smile flashed through my head. It was on our fifth anniversary when she cornered me on the balcony and said, "Wanna make a bet? If Carson picks me today, you pack up and move out. Give up your position as Mrs. Lambert." She'd been repeating that line for three years. I nodded indifferently, the same way I responded to her provocations. Even when she suddenly yanked me toward the edge of the railing, I panicked only for a second. I was sure Carson would save me first. However, this time, I lost. When the pain seized my chest, there was also a strange sense of relief. Maybe this meant he didn't care that much about me after all. Perhaps it was better this way. With half my body swinging outside the railing and cold wind biting at my collar, my fingers finally relaxed. I simply couldn't hold on anymore… When I opened my eyes again, Carson was at my bedside. His eye sockets were hollowed, and his jaw lined with a five o'clock shadow. I thought he was worried and forced a small smile. "I'm fine. I'm not dead yet." His face was filled with guilt, but what he said didn't match his expression. "Winry, I want to officially take Helena as a foster sister. That way, she will have someone to rely on for the rest of her life…" As if fearing I'd read more into it, he quickly added, "Helena said if I don't give her what she wants, she'll jump from the balcony right away. Winry, I owe her my life. I can't just watch her die. You know I only have you in my heart." My chest tightened as I remembered the bet I made with Helena. "Okay. Do whatever you want." Carson didn't expect me to agree so readily. He let out a sigh of relief and pulled me into his arms. The familiar scent of his cologne was so strong that it made my eyes water. "Trust me, Winry. It'll just be a title for her. My heart is yours alone," he reassured me. I thought of the day three years ago when he proposed. It was the same embrace, the same promise. "Winry, I swear, you're the only one in my heart. I'll never let you down!" Bitterness welled up inside me as I thought to myself, "Oh, Carson, I don't have that long to live to see if you keep that promise." That very day, Helena was officially taken in as a foster daughter of the Lambert family. That night, Carson didn't sleep in the master bedroom. The next afternoon, she walked in wearing a limited-edition dress he'd bought her. "I'm so sorry, Winry. Carson insisted on staying with me last night, so I overslept." She rubbed the new ring on her ring finger. The smugness in her eyes was impossible to miss. "Where are your manners? You see Mrs. Lambert and don't even bother to greet her properly?" Francine Jules, my personal maid, stepped forward and shoved Helena. Helena stumbled back and slammed her waist against the corner of the cabinet in the entryway. Her eyes immediately reddened with pain and disbelief. She probably never expected me just to watch as one of the servants treated her like that. What she didn't know was that, before I married into the Lambert family, I was someone who held sufficient sway in my own circle. Half of the Lambert Corporation's success came from the resources my family put in, and the other half came from me sticking with Carson through the grind. My people would teach anyone who needed it a lesson without batting an eye. When Carson came home, he didn't even spare Helena—who was clutching her side—a glance and just had the butler bring her to the guest room. He gripped my wrist with panic in his voice. "Winry, she pushed alcohol on me on purpose last night. I'll move her out to the villa in the suburbs. Please don't take it to heart." ... For the next month, he came home on time every evening and had dinner with me. The closet was also filled with gifts he brought back. All went well until, one day, the family physician said Helena was pregnant.