Chapter 1

Kaelis Windryn and Garrick Ironvale were childhood sweethearts. He had pursued her relentlessly for ten years through elementary school and university, using every trick he knew. Everyone said he was hopelessly in love with her. Yet, he fell for Lyra Fenvale, a lady who resembled Kaelis in her youth, when they were only three years into marriage. The first time Kaelis caught him cheating, he knelt before her and pleaded for her forgiveness. "Kae, it was just a fling." He clung to her like a madman and refused to let her go when she caught him the second time. "Kae, this will be the last time I sleep with her. I swear." She reached her limit and sent Lyra abroad when it happened the third time. He stopped pleading with her this time and smashed up the entire house instead. Shards of glass cut into her arm. He rubbed the center of his brows and said tiredly, "Kae, you can always find a man of your own if you feel that it's unfair. We can have an open marriage and come home once we've had fun. Stop targeting Lyra over and over again." He grew indifferent toward Kaelis after bringing Lyra back. He was confident she would never be with someone else, so he spoiled Lyra without restraint. He was with Lyra on their wedding anniversary. He left kiss marks on Lyra's neck and even kissed her right before Kaelis. Kaelis endured him repeatedly, as she was deeply in love with him. This continued until she found an amnesiac young man who claimed to remember nothing but his name, Theron Nightbriar. She settled him in another villa and visited him whenever Garrick broke her heart. He would prepare her hangover soup and listen quietly as she cried, then gently pull a blanket over her when she fell asleep. She slept with him after drinking too much one night. Once became twice, then a third time. She used Theron to numb herself, pretending this could erase the pain Garrick had given her. Then one day, he kissed her neck and murmured, "Kae, give me a name." He cupped her face. "Leave your miserable marriage and look at me." Kaelis looked at Theron in a daze. His face was no less handsome than Garrick's, perhaps even gentler. However, she panicked and fled the villa in a hurry. She saw Lyra's social media post the moment she unlocked her phone. The photo grid was filled with nine of her nude photos! There was no blurring or censoring. Every detail was laid bare for the world to see. Her entire body trembled, her fingers icy, and her knees nearly buckled. The comments were piling up beneath the post. "Wow! This is Kae? Mr. Ironvale's wild!" "Didn't know Kae had such a figure!" "Bold move, Mr. Ironvale!" Her heart felt as if it had been crushed in a merciless grip. It was so painful that she felt suffocated. Lyra's message came in at that moment. "Sorry, Ms. Windryn. I lost a game. I had to post and pin daring pictures for a day. I'm too shy to post mine, so I asked Garrick for yours. You wouldn't be mad over such a trivial matter, right?" She stared at the message, and her eyes darkened. How could Garrick give Lyra her nude photos and let her post them online for everyone to see? Another message came. It was from Garrick. "It's just a game. Lyra's still young—don't take it seriously." Kaelis stared at the screen and suddenly laughed until tears streamed down her face. Was this his idea of an open marriage? He could have his fun and return home whenever he wanted. But what about her? Were her dignity and privacy nothing more than a toy to amuse Lyra? She took in a deep breath and called a friend. "Help me find out where Garrick is right now." Half an hour later, she was outside a private room in an upscale club. She pushed the door open and saw Garrick lowering his head to kiss away a drop of milk from the corner of Lyra's mouth. Lyra was dressed in a white dress. Her long, straight hair fell over her shoulders. She looked pure and innocent, like a university student untouched by the world. She looked exactly like how Kaelis had been years ago. Kaelis' chest tightened painfully, but she forced herself forward and extended her hand toward Lyra. "Give me your phone. Delete the photos." Lyra blinked innocently and looked at Garrick in feigned aggrievance. "Garrick, the time's not up yet. I'll lose the game if I delete them now." Only then did he lift his gaze to look at Kaelis and say faintly, "She can delete them, but Lyra will lose the game. You'll have to take the punishment for her." He pointed to a table full of hard liquor. "Drink all of these, and I'll have her delete them." Kaelis froze. He knew she couldn't drink. He had rushed her to the hospital for a gastric lavage once after she accidentally had a sip. Yet, he wanted her to drink all of it now? She looked at him as if he were a stranger. "Fine." She chuckled and picked up a bottle without hesitation before downing it. The liquor burned her throat and scorched her stomach. However, she didn't stop. She finished every bottle until the last drop. She suppressed the metallic taste rising in her throat and asked in a raspy voice, "Are you satisfied?" Garrick frowned and was surprised that she had finished them. Nevertheless, he handed her both their phones. "Go ahead and delete the photos." Kaelis took the phones. She deleted all the photos on Lyra's social media before combing through Garrick's gallery and erasing every picture of herself. Garrick clicked his tongue. "So petty? Fine, I'll take more of them next time." She gave a bitter smile. "There won't be next time." She turned around and left the private room. She couldn't hold back the metallic taste the moment she rounded the hallway's corner. Blood gushed from her mouth. Her vision went dark, and she collapsed to the ground. "Someone's hurt! She's coughing blood!" a waiter shouted in a panic. Garrick shot to his feet at the commotion from the private room. But Lyra let out a soft cry and clutched her ankle before he could step outside. "Garrick, I sprained my ankle. It hurts…" He stopped in his tracks and eventually turned back to her. "Let me see." Kaelis lay on the floor. She saw him through her fading vision and realized he wasn't even glancing her way. Her hope died completely in that moment. … She was lying in an unfamiliar room when she regained her consciousness. "Are you awake?" A low male voice sounded. She turned to see Theron sitting by the bed. He was holding a cup of warm water. "With how he treats you, is there any point in holding onto that marriage?" Her body trembled as she opened her eyes and looked out the window. The sun was bright, and the trees were swaying gently. Memories from all these years flashed before her eyes. 18-year-old Garrick had climbed over the school wall to bring her breakfast. He grinned when he was caught by the principal. "I'm courting Kae." 22-year-old Garrick proposed to her in front of everyone at the graduation. "Kae, I'll never marry anyone else but you." 25-year-old Garrick held her in his arms in a drunken state. "Dear, let's have a baby." And yet, 29-year-old Garrick had thrown her into hell for Lyra. "Kae." Theron took her hand. "Will you give me a chance?" His hand was warm. It reminded her of a time when someone had promised to treat her well for the rest of her life. She glanced over at Theron. He was strikingly handsome. He had well-defined brows, a straight nose, and a sharp jawline. There was a depth of care in his eyes she had never once found in Garrick's. Theron had quietly stood by her side whenever Garrick broke her heart. He had wiped her tears, held her trembling body, and given her the gentlest comfort when she was drunk. A moment of silence filled the ward. He didn't press her further and just waited in silence. The plane tree leaves rustled in the breeze outside. One of them drifted down onto the windowsill. She felt that it was time to let go. "Alright." Her voice was soft but resolute. "I'll divorce Garrick immediately."