For six years, Isabella Garcia loved her husband, Joseph Ashford. But out of the blue, he was struck by a strange illness—and the cure? He had to sleep with another woman ninety-nine times.

The Ashford family has a century-old family creed: the head of the family must not marry a woman of humble birth.

But Joseph defied tradition. He burned the ancestral tablets to marry Isabella, a pearl diver, adding her to the family tree overnight and rushing into their wedding the very next day.

For five years, he spoiled her, making her the most envied woman in Coastal Harbor.

But in the sixth year, Joseph was struck by a strange illness and fell into a coma.

A mysterious master claimed it was an ancestral punishment. The only way to lift it was through a ritual marriage—where Joseph had to sleep with a ritual bride, Sophia Miller, ninety-nine times or fall into a coma again.

From then on, Joseph slept with Sophia every night, telling Isabella to wait.

Isabella could only kneel and pray for him, listening tearfully as he was intimate with another woman.

After seven days of kneeling, she returned home with a protective charm. Just as she was about to open the door, she overheard a conversation between Joseph and his friends.

*****

"Joseph, you're a genius. Faking an illness and making up a ritual marriage just to openly bring your little lover home to fool around."

"Only someone from a humble background like Isabella would believe it. Everyone in Coastal Harbor know that our Joseph fears nothing, not even burning the ancestral memorial tablets? How could he possibly believe in some master and a ritual marriage?"

The blood in Isabella's body seemed to reverse its flow.

So Joseph wasn't sick at all; this was all his scheme!

The protective charm clutched tightly in her hand suddenly felt scorching hot, as if it would burn right through her palm.

His friend couldn't help but ask curiously: "Joseph, you've slept with Sophia 90 times, right? Just 9 more times and the ritual marriage will be over. What are you planning to do then..."

Joseph leaned back on the sofa, his black shirt unbuttoned by two, his long legs crossed.

He took a light sip of his drink and curled his lip nonchalantly: "When it's over, I'll just keep her on the side."

Standing outside the door, Isabella felt a chill that pierced her to the bone.

But his friends just laughed louder: "We told you—men like us all have someone on the side. Don't be so naive.

You've been faithful to Isabella for five years, you've done right by her."

"A woman like Sophia, who looks innocent but has a wild side and no inhibitions in bed, is such a turn-on for men."

"By the way, Joseph, isn't she much more fun than Isabella?"

The glass slammed heavily on the table, and Joseph's drunken eyes suddenly turned sharp.

"No one can compare to Isabella. She will always be the one I love the most."

Everyone was stunned.

After a long moment, a friend couldn't help but speak up, asking a question Isabella also desperately wanted to know: "Joseph, if you love her, how could you bear to make her suffer by faking an illness?

I heard the Ashford family has given her a hard time these past three months, and Madam Ashford almost subjected her to family disciplinary punishment..."

The air was silent for a few seconds.

Then, Joseph's deep voice came through—

"The Ashford family is a clan with a hundred years of prestige. To enter my family, even the daughter from an old money family must undergo a test to prove her loyalty.

Back then, I made an exception and didn't make Isabella go through this formality, and the family has always had objections."

"Now, I'm using this ritual marriage affair to make up for it."

She doesn't even fight or make a scene when I sleep with someone else, and even sincerely prays for me.”

“That shows she's obedient and submissive enough, worthy of being part of the Ashford family.”

He let out a soft chuckle, his voice laced with a self-righteous tenderness: “As for the suffering she's endured for me, I'll make it up to her with a lifetime of devotion.”

Those words pierced Isabella's heart like needles.

She suddenly laughed.

As she laughed, tears streamed down her cheeks.

Everyone in the Ashford family said that because she insisted on marrying into the family, Joseph was struck down by an ancestral punishment and fell ill.

For the past three months, she had lived every day amidst insults and condemnation.

During the first few days of Joseph's coma, she was so heartbroken and cried so violently that she nearly lost sight in her right eye. She also developed a chronic ache in her heart, lying awake night after night.

When he was in bed with Sophia, she was kneeling before a cross, reciting the Rosary again and again, refusing to stop even when her fingers were rubbed raw and bleeding...

But it turned out... all of it was a lie!

The ridiculous rules of a century-old prestigious family, the so-called necessary test of loyalty...

All of it was just a grand-sounding excuse!

In essence, he just wanted to have his affair without restraint, while avoiding the judgment of his former self.

Tears blurred Isabella's vision. She didn't understand how things had come to this.

Joseph... he had loved her so genuinely, so clearly.

Back then, to pay for her mother's medical treatments, she had given up college and started diving for pearls to earn money. It was then she'd accidentally saved Joseph, who had been seriously injured and fallen into the sea while being pursued.

She took him home and cared for him for a month. To her surprise, Joseph fell madly in love with her and began to pursue her with passionate intensity.

She didn't believe in true love from a wealthy family and rejected him time and again. But he was relentlessly persistent, refusing to give up, using all his patience and gentleness to slowly melt her frozen heart.

What truly won her over was when Joseph shielded her from the sulfuric acid a competitor threw at her. A hideous scar was burned across his back, and though he was drenched in a cold sweat from the pain, he smiled and wiped away her tears: “As long as you're okay, that's all that matters.”

At their wedding, he knelt on one knee, held her hand, and vowed: “Isabella, I will love only you for the rest of my life. I will never let you suffer even the slightest bit of wrong.”

The words still echoed in her ears, now a bitter irony.

Isabella's tears had run dry, but the chatter and laughter in the living room continued.

Suddenly, someone sighed. “Joseph, Isabella has been Mrs. Ashford for five years. She's no fool. Aren't you afraid that if she finds out about Sophia... she'll leave you?”

Joseph was silent for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing. “Then we'll just never let her know. Keep your mouths shut.”

His friend fell silent, but still asked cautiously, “What if she finds out... and wants a divorce?”

Joseph's lips curled into a smirk. “She loves me too much. How could she ever bear to leave me?”

“Besides, in all of Coastal Harbor, who would dare help her file for divorce without my consent?”

“And even if she did manage to run—” his gaze turned suddenly sharp, “I'd drag her back!

She's in the Ashford family tree. In this life, she's mine, in life and in death. She can only stay by my side.”

Isabella's breath hitched, her nails digging deep into her arm.

Joseph, you're wrong!

What makes you think I'd still love you after you've played me for a fool?

And what makes you think I can't leave you?

Isabella wiped her tears and, without a moment's hesitation, threw the Protective charm in her hand into the trash.

Then, she left without a word and did two things.

First, she went to her mother and told her about Joseph's affair.

Isabella's mother sighed deeply after hearing the story. "I was against you marrying into a wealthy family back then. He knelt before me for ten days and nights, refusing to leave even after the rain gave him a high fever that turned into pneumonia. He wouldn't go to the hospital until I gave him my blessing. I truly thought he was a good man, but I never expected... Isabella, Mom supports you. Let's leave together."

Second, she took her mother to begin the process of erasing their legal identity and changed her name.

Since Joseph said her name was in the family tree, and that she couldn't escape the Ashford family in life or death, she would make it so the person "Isabella" no longer existed in this world.

The process of erasing one's legal identity would take half a month. Isabella told her mother to wait patiently. She had to return to the Ashford family first, stay by Joseph's side, and not let him suspect anything was wrong.

Otherwise, with his methods, neither of them would be able to escape.

Isabella returned to the villa.

Unexpectedly, the moment she walked in, she saw a scene that felt like a blow to the head.

Joseph was on top of Sophia, riding her on the sofa. And what Sophia was wearing—

was her wedding dress!

Chapter 2

The keys slipped from Isabella's hand, clattering to the floor.

Joseph frowned and turned his head. When he saw it was Isabella, he froze.

He quickly buckled his belt and zipped up his pants. By the time he looked up again, any trace of panic was gone from his face, replaced by the calm composure of a man in power.

"Isabella... why are you home?"

He asked with a smile.

Isabella's hand dug into her arm, pinching so hard it hurt.

After a long moment, she heard her own faint voice.

"Am I not allowed to come home now?"

Joseph chuckled. "That's not what I meant. Weren't you at the church getting a protective charm for me?

Why are you back so suddenly?"

As he spoke, he raised his hand to stroke Isabella's hair, but she dodged him.

Joseph's smile froze on his face. "Are you angry?

Just because I let Sophia wear one of your dresses?"

"One... dress."

Isabella's voice trembled as she looked at Joseph in disbelief.

That was her most cherished wedding dress. She had sewn every single pearl on it by hand. Once, the first time she wore it, Joseph's eyes had been filled with awe. "Isabella, you're so beautiful. This dress is worthy only of you.

From now on, you have to wear it for me every year."

But now, he had let another woman wear it... and even do that kind of thing in it!

Isabella stared intently into his eyes, searching for a hint of guilt, but all she saw was a glaring sense of ease.

Her heart felt as if it had been violently squeezed, and the pain made it almost impossible for her to stand.

Was Joseph so certain... that she was so desperately in love with him that she would tolerate anything he did?

Joseph took a step forward, held Isabella's trembling hand, and softened his tone. "Alright, don't be angry. I'll give you a hundred million. Go buy whatever you want."

A flash of jealousy crossed Sophia's eyes. She suddenly knelt before Isabella, tears instantly welling up. "Mrs. Ashford, I'm so sorry... It's all my fault. I just loved this wedding dress so much, and Mr. Ashford let me try it on..."

Though her words were an apology, every syllable stabbed at Isabella's heart, as if telling her: See how much he pampers me.

Sophia shot Isabella a triumphant glance, then began to cry even harder, "Mrs. Ashford, please don't be angry, I'll take it off and give it back to you right now..."

Isabella's gaze swept over the glaring stain on the hem of the dress, and she said lightly, "It's already dirty. I don't want it. You can keep it."

Joseph frowned deeply, his voice grave, "Isabella, don't be ridiculous. How can you just give away a wedding dress?"

Isabella curled her lip, just about to speak.

Just then, Joseph's phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, then looked at Sophia.

Sophia immediately forced an understanding smile: "Mr. Ashford, don't mind me. Go ahead and take it."

Joseph shook his head and said softly, "You always get a headache when you hear me talk about business. I'll take this outside. Stop kneeling, get up first."

With that, he stepped out.

Isabella stood frozen, her heart feeling as if it had been brutally pierced by a dull knife.

He never used to discuss business outside, as it involved trade secrets, but now he could even change that habit for Sophia,.

Only Isabella and Sophia were left in the living room.

Sophia patted her dress and stood up, the weakness on her face instantly transforming into arrogant provocation.

"You don't know, do you?

Joseph's strange illness was faked."

She leaned in with a light laugh, "It was all just to use the excuse of a ritual marriage to ward off misfortune, to bring me in legitimately."

"We've been together for over a year, we've tried everything. Just because I said I hadn't tried having fun at his home yet, he immediately got 'sick'..."

"Isabella, his body and heart are with me now. What do you have besides the title?"

Isabella gave her a cool glance, "The title can be yours too."

Sophia froze, then grew furious: "Who needs you to give it up!

He was mine to begin with!

The position you're occupying will be mine sooner or later!"

Seeing Isabella remain unmoved, she turned pale with anger.

Just then, the sound of Joseph's approaching footsteps came from outside the door.

A vicious look flashed in Sophia's eyes. She suddenly picked up the scalding hot teapot from the coffee table without hesitation, and smashed it against herself!

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream rang out as Sophia staggered and fell to the ground, her fair chest scalded red and covered in blisters.

She then struggled to crawl to Isabella's feet, crying and trembling: "Mrs. Ashford, I was wrong, I shouldn't have worn your dress, please let me go..."

When Joseph rushed in, this was the scene that greeted him.

His face darkened instantly. He narrowed his eyes at Isabella, "I've already compensated you. How dare you still hurt her? Apologize to her!"

"I didn't do it. I won't apologize."

Isabella said calmly.

"Making excuses, are you?"

A dangerous glint flickered in Joseph's eyes, "Fine. I'll make you admit it."

Isabella was dragged to the sauna by bodyguards.

The moment the glass door was locked, the hot air felt like countless fine needles pricking her skin.

The needle on the thermometer climbed steadily.

50°C...

60°C...

70°C...

Isabella's face was flushed crimson, the steam making it hard for her to breathe.

Joseph stood outside the door, toying with the wedding ring on his finger, and asked in a low voice, "Still not admitting it?"

Isabella threw herself against the door, pounding on it desperately. Her palms sizzled from the heat, leaving bloody handprints on the glass that evaporated in an instant.

“It really wasn't me, Joseph!

Why don't you check the security footage?”

She struggled in panic.

“No need. Sophia wouldn't lie to me. You, on the other hand, are becoming more and more disobedient.”

Joseph didn't look up, asking again: “Will you admit you were wrong?”

Isabella's body trembled uncontrollably. Joseph's favoritism for his lover had actually reached this point.

Her heart felt like it was tearing apart from the pain in the intense heat. She really couldn't take it anymore!

“I admit it...”

Her throat was cracked and dry as she rasped, forcing out the words and lying to him for the first time: “I was wrong.”

Joseph curled his lips in satisfaction, raising a hand slightly to signal the bodyguards to stop.

Isabella was let out, drenched in sweat, her body temperature alarmingly high.

Joseph looked at her wretched state, touching her chapped lips soothingly: “If you had just admitted your mistake earlier, you wouldn't have had to suffer.”

“You don't have to apologize to Sophia anymore, but—” His eyes darkened. “Don't let it happen again.”

Her vision darkened. Isabella's body went limp and she collapsed. The burned skin on her body stung fiercely, but the pain in her heart was even worse.

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

She had a congenital heart condition; it was already a miracle she had lived this long.

Before, Joseph used to be so worried about her, not even letting the servants make a sound for fear of startling her.

He once held her and said: “You are my life. I can't let you get hurt in any way.”

But now, he had locked her in a room with life-threatening heat that could kill her at any moment.

It turned out that promises were only real the moment they were spoken.

Chapter 3

Leaning against the wall, Isabella stumbled her way upstairs.

As soon as she entered her room, she pulled out everything related to Joseph.

The photos and love letters she once treasured, the postcards bought on their trips together...

She picked up an old sketchbook, and her movements suddenly froze.

It was something Joseph had drawn by hand, chronicling every step of their love story.

The first page: their first meeting by the sea. She had saved a blood-soaked Joseph, and he had fallen for her at first sight.

The tenth page: the first time he took her to the Ashford family home. Joseph's mother had told her to enter through the doggy door. She had turned and left, but Joseph chased after her, apologizing over and over: “Isabella, it's my fault. I didn't protect you. I let you be wronged. I promise it will never happen again.”

That time, he sent his mother to a mountain retreat for half a year.

The twentieth page: he announced in front of the entire clan that he would marry her. Grandfather Ashford dragged him to the ancestral hall, warning him that if he violated the family creed, he should beware of ancestral punishment.

Isabella would never forget that day. Joseph had sneered, throwing the ancestral memorial tablets into the fire and declaring in front of everyone: “I'm the head of the family now, so I make the rules. What do the ancestors matter?”

But now...

He was using “ancestral punishment” as an excuse to bring his lover into their home.

Isabella clutched the sketchbook tightly, suddenly remembering Grandfather Ashford's warning before their marriage:

“My grandson only likes obedient dogs. If you want to stay by his side, you have to be willing to be a good dog!”

At the time, she hadn't believed it, thinking Grandfather Ashford was just trying to scare her and break them up.

Now, she was beginning to understand. Joseph was the one in power; he only liked puppets who would obey him absolutely and depend on him forever.

And she, Isabella, would be no one's possession!

Without another moment of hesitation, she threw everything into the fireplace.

The moment she turned, she slammed right into Joseph's deep gaze.

He stared at the dancing flames, his voice devoid of emotion:

"What are you burning?"

Isabella lowered her eyes, her voice faint. "Just some things I don't want anymore."

Joseph nodded casually, taking out a first-aid kit to treat her wound. "You see? Even after punishing you, your husband still dotes on you the most, coming to treat you himself."

His hands were warm and dry, his movements gentle, but every inch of skin he touched felt bone-chillingly cold.

"Isabella, it's your mother's birthday in three days, . I plan to throw a grand celebration, inviting all the elites of Coastal Harbor."

Isabella said faintly, "There's no need. My mother doesn't like those kinds of occasions."

"No."

Joseph gently ruffled her hair, but his tone left no room for refusal. "Be good. I must let everyone see just how much I spoil you."

Isabella lowered her eyes, feeling no gratitude, only exhaustion.

Three days later.

The banquet was held at the largest hotel under the Ashford group, and nearly all of Coastal Harbor's high society was in attendance.

"Mr. Ashford spoils Mrs. Ashford so much, spending billions on his mother-in-law's birthday!"

"Mr. Ashford is truly the perfect man. I'm so jealous of Mrs. Ashford!"

"..."

Everyone was discussing how much Joseph doted on his wife.

But in a corner, Isabella's mother looked at the burn on Isabella's hand, her eyes red-rimmed. "My daughter, you've suffered. Just hold on for another half a month, and Mom will take you away."

Isabella's nose tingled, and she desperately wanted to cry, but fearing Joseph would notice something was wrong, she tilted her head back, forcing the tears to retreat.

Joseph took a call, then walked towards them.

"Isabella, Sophia said she wants to come celebrate your mother's birthday too..."

"I don't want to see her."

Isabella said coldly.

Joseph's brow furrowed. "Don't make a scene. She's already on her way. Don't you give her a hard time later."

With that, he turned and left, his gaze fixed on the entrance, not sparing Isabella another glance.

Isabella stood there, stunned, her heart feeling as if a piece had been brutally gouged out.

Isabella's mother couldn't bear to watch anymore and pulled her out to the terrace.

The night wind was biting, bone-chillingly cold.

Isabella's motherpicked up a coat and draped it over her. "Daughter, look, the moonlight is beautiful tonight. It will probably be a sunny day tomorrow."

Isabella said softly, "I hope so..."

Before the words had even faded, a rush of hurried footsteps approached.

Joseph's face was dark, and he seized her wrist, his grip so tight it nearly crushed her bones. "Sophia has gone missing. Did you kidnap her?

Speak!

Where is she?"

Isabella's face turned pale with pain, but she straightened her back and met his gaze. "It wasn't me."

Joseph stared at her for a few seconds, then gave a cold smile. "Fine. You won't admit it, will you? I'll make you talk!"

The cruelty that flashed in his eyes sent a chill down Isabella's spine.

Immediately after, he ordered sharply, "Get me someone in here!

Take her mother away!"

Bodyguards immediately stepped forward and began to drag Isabella's mother out forcefully.

"Joseph, let my mother go!

Where are you taking her?"

Isabella tried to stop them frantically, but the man held her wrist in a death grip.

No matter how she struggled and cried out, Joseph didn't loosen his grip in the slightest.

In the opulent banquet hall.

Isabella was forced to her knees on the cold marble floor.

Joseph leaned back on the leather sofa, his long legs crossed. He took a slow drag from his cigarette, and through the swirling smoke, his cold voice emerged.

"Where is Sophia?"

Isabella shook her head numbly.

She couldn't remember how many times Joseph had asked her this. But she hadn't done it. She really didn't know.

Joseph stood up, stubbed out his cigarette, and forced Isabella's chin up. "You're so disobedient."

He beckoned with a finger. A bodyguard leaned over and handed him a phone, on which he played a video.

In the video, Isabella's mother was tied to a chair with a time bomb strapped to her chest. The numbers on the countdown timer ticked down relentlessly.

Joseph's tone was deceptively gentle, but his gaze was as sharp as ice. "Isabella, I'm only giving you a final fifty minutes."

Isabella's face turned deathly pale.

She asked, trembling, "If I can't find Sophia, will you really kill my mom?"

He leaned in close, his dark pupils reflecting her trembling form. "You can try me."

Isabella shuddered, and the tears she had been holding back for so long finally streamed down.

"Joseph, that's my mother! She's the most important person to me!

You can't do this to her!"

He let out a soft chuckle, but his eyes were terrifyingly cold. "But Sophia is the most important person to me, too."

"The most important?"

Isabella looked at him in disbelief. "More important than me and my mom?"

Joseph's expression didn't change. "Sophia gave me her first time. The poor girl offered herself in a ritual marriage to ward off misfortune and save me. I owe her a debt.

As for you, you will always be the one I love most.

How many times have I told you? I was going to send her away after the ritual marriage was over. Couldn't you just wait?

Did you have to go after her?"

Isabella stared at Joseph, a bone-chilling cold spreading through her chest.

The one he loved most?

Would the man who loved her most fake an illness for his mistress, deceive her, and even threaten to kill her mother?

Isabella had no patience to play along with his act. She was just about to expose his lies.

Suddenly, a bodyguard burst in, shouting, "Mr. Ashford, we've found Ms. Miller!"

Joseph grabbed his suit jacket and headed for the door.

"What about my mom?"

Isabella lunged forward, desperately grabbing his pant leg. "Let her go!"

Joseph glanced back over his shoulder, his gaze cold. "The abandoned warehouse in the east district. Go find her yourself."

Isabella bolted out the door like a madwoman, speeding all the way to the east district.

When she found her mother, she saw the bomb on her was still counting down!

Joseph hadn't even sent anyone to disarm it!

The ticking of the timer sounded like a death knell. There was only one minute left!

Isabella ripped the tape from her mother's mouth and tried to untie the ropes with trembling hands, but she couldn't get them loose.

"Daughter, forget about me! You have to go—" Isabella's mother shook her head frantically.

Tears streamed down Isabella's face in panic. "Mom, I won't leave you..."

Suddenly, Isabella's mother shoved her away with all her might, kicked her feet hard against the ground, and threw herself backward, chair and all—

Isabella let out a heart-wrenching scream: "Mom—!"

A deafening explosion erupted, and the blast wave threw her violently through the air.

Isabella crashed hard onto the ground, her vision filled with nothing but red.

The hospital.

Isabella's mother was critically injured. Although she had survived, she might never wake up.

Isabella knelt by the hospital bed, tears streaming down her face: "Mom, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault..."

She apologized over and over, but the person on the bed never responded.

Isabella's heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

Just a few hours ago, her mother had been smiling, holding her hand tightly, and comforting her in a soft voice.

But now, she could only lie here, completely still.

And all of this was caused by the man who claimed to love her!

Isabella cried until her voice was hoarse, finally passing out completely.

When she opened her eyes again.

Isabella found her hand being held. Joseph was by her bedside, his voice incredibly soft:

"I'm sorry, Isabella, it was all a misunderstanding. Sophia's phone just died, that's why she was unreachable."

"I acted rashly."

Isabella coldly pulled her hand back, a wave of icy sarcasm washing over her heart.

This was the man who said he loved her most?

Just because Sophia didn't answer her phone, he kidnapped her mother without even checking!

"Isabella, don't be angry. After all, you've targeted her before, that's why I suspected you..." Joseph's eyes were red, his voice low and hoarse. "Why don't you hit me, or curse me, anything you want..."

Bang—

The hospital room door was suddenly pushed open, and Sophia burst in, her eyes swollen like peaches: "Mrs. Ashford, it's all my fault, please don't blame Mr. Ashford..."

She fell to her knees, weeping gracefully: "If only I had charged my phone in time, Mr. Ashford wouldn't have been so worried about me that he kidnapped your mother, and she wouldn't be in this state..."

Isabella's nails dug fiercely into her palm. Sophia was clearly here to provoke her!

Just as she was about to throw them out, she saw Joseph bend down to help Sophia up, his tone gentle: "This has nothing to do with you. Stop crying, it's not good for you."

Watching this scene, Isabella's heart felt cold and bitter.

How ironic. Her mother had almost died and was still unconscious from serious injuries, yet he was worried about another woman "crying."

"Get out!"

Isabella's voice was hoarse. "Both of you, get out!"

Joseph was stunned: "Isabella..."

"Get lost!"

She suddenly grabbed the vase from the bedside table and smashed it violently on the floor.

Joseph stood up. "Isabella, calm down first. I'll make it up to you in a few days."

With that, he left, shielding Sophia as he went.

The moment the door closed, Isabella could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

She didn't want any compensation...

She didn't want anything, only for her mother to open her eyes and look at her one more time.

Chapter 5

Over the next few days, Joseph tried all sorts of ways to win Isabella's favor.

The latest jewelry, limited-edition bags, flowers flown in from abroad... but Isabella didn't even glance at them.

Until Joseph brought in a titan of the medical world—Dr. Peter.

"Mrs. Ashford, the bomb only caused superficial wounds. Your mother is in a coma because she hit her head on a rock. As long as we perform a craniotomy, she should wake up in about a week. However, this surgery is extremely dangerous, and I'm the only one in the world who can perform it."

Isabella was ecstatic, thanking him repeatedly.

Dr. Peter waved his hand. "I stopped operating a long time ago."

"If Mr. Ashford hadn't given up fifty percent of his profits and stood in the rain outside my house all night, I would never have made an exception."

Isabella looked at Joseph, her expression complicated.

After a long silence, she said in a low voice, "Thank you, Mr. Ashford."

Joseph froze, a flicker of hurt in his eyes. "Isabella, stop this... Don't treat me like this, okay?"

Isabella turned her head, avoiding his gaze.

In the past, whenever he made her angry, he would humble himself just like this to coax her, and Isabella would always soften and forgive him.

But this time was different.

He had nearly killed her mother. She couldn't forgive him.

During the surgery, Joseph stayed by Isabella's side, never leaving for a moment.

He sat with her on the hallway bench, handing her water and food, occasionally squeezing her hand and comforting her softly, "Don't be afraid. Mom will be fine."

Isabella suddenly remembered the year they had just married, when her mother had surgery. He had been just as gentle and patient with her then.

Gazing at the soft profile of his face, she was lost in a daze for a moment, as if everything had gone back to how it was before.

If only he didn't reek of Sophia's perfume.

Isabella's mother surgery was success.

The next day, Isabella was heading out to buy some daily necessities.

But she was stopped in the parking lot.

It was Sophia.

She smiled dazzlingly. "Do you really think Joseph cares about you and your mother?

Let me tell you, the day your mother was unconscious, he was in high spirits. He pinned me down and took me three times. We went at it until dawn."

Isabella was already dead inside. "What do you want?"

"I want you to step aside."

"Soon."

Isabella looked at her calmly. "I will step aside completely."

Sophia narrowed her eyes, her thoughts unreadable. Just as Isabella thought she believed her, the next moment, Sophia suddenly threw herself against the front of the car and collapsed to the ground, covered in blood.

Isabella was completely stunned. The car wasn't even on. Even if it had hit her, it wouldn't have been this severe.

So where did all that blood on her come from?

Before Isabella could figure it out, Joseph had already rushed over.

Sophia smiled weakly at him. "Mr. Ashford, don't blame Mrs. Ashford. She's just in a bad mood because of her mother..."

Before she could finish, Sophia violently coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted.

Without a word, Joseph dragged Isabella out of the car and raised his hand, delivering a resounding slap!

Smack!

Isabella's head snapped to the side, a ringing in her ears.

"Isabella!

Didn't I already get Dr. Peterson to cure your mother?

Why are you still taking it out on Sophia?"

"She threw herself onto the car."

Isabella replied coldly.

"Still lying!"

Joseph's gaze was as cold as a blade. "How could Sophia possibly throw herself onto your car?"

He gave her no chance to explain, directly ordering his men to tie her down for a blood donation.

As Isabella was forcibly held down in the donation chair, she was still struggling. "There are security cameras!

Go check the footage..."

"Don't try to stall."

Joseph cut her off coldly, his eyes sinister. "If anything happens to Sophia, I'll make your mother pay with her life."

Hearing his threat, Isabella abruptly stopped struggling, her hands falling helplessly to her sides.

When the needle pierced her vein, the pain made her fingertips tremble.

But the pain in her heart was a thousand, ten thousand times worse.

She had always been terrified of needles. In the past, whenever she had her blood drawn, Joseph would cover her eyes and coax her softly, "Be good, Isabella. It'll be over in a second."

But now, he only stared at the blood bag, relentlessly urging the nurse: "Faster!

Draw it faster!"

Completely ignoring her pale face and cold body.

The blood bag gradually filled, and her vision blurred bit by bit.

When they reached 800cc, the nurse couldn't help but speak up: "This young lady has a heart condition. If you keep drawing blood, her heart won't be able to take it. She could go into cardiac arrest..."

Joseph looked at Isabella's bloodless face, his fingertips trembled, but he still gave the cold order:

"Continue."

Isabella closed her eyes in despair. So, he really didn't care if she lived or died.

In that moment, her heart died completely!

A wave of dizziness washed over her. The last thing she saw was Joseph's back as he rushed out, clutching the bag of her blood...

Immediately after, the nurse screamed: "We need to resuscitate!

The patient is in cardiac arrest!"

Chapter 6

Isabella was woken by pain.

The incandescent light overhead stung her eyes. She subconsciously tried to raise a hand to shield them, but the movement pulled at the wound on her chest, the pain so sharp it made her gasp.

"You're finally awake."

The nurse, who was changing her dressing, let out a sigh of relief. "We've been trying to save you for three days, you almost didn't make it... Luckily, the new artificial heart saved you.

But the damage to your body is severe. If you can't find a suitable heart for transplant within three years, I'm afraid you won't survive..."

Isabella stared at the ceiling, the light gone from her eyes.

She raised a hand to her chest. It was completely still.

The heart that once beat for Joseph was gone.

And her love for him was completely exhausted.

The nurse, worried about her, couldn't help but ask: "Should I go get Mr. Ashford?"

Isabella shook her head: "Don't tell him."

The nurse was confused: "Why not?

Isn't he your husband?"

"No."

Isabella's voice was as faint as a wisp of smoke: "He won't be for much longer."

The door to the hospital room was suddenly thrown open. Joseph stood in the doorway, his brow slightly furrowed: "What did you say?"

The nurse made a quick, awkward exit.

Joseph walked to the bedside and asked in a low voice: "Are you angry with me because of the blood donation?"

Isabella didn't speak, nor did she look up at him.

Joseph lifted her chin, forcing Isabella to look up: "You made a mistake and now you're taking it out on others. Why are you being so unreasonable?"

A red mark appeared on Isabella's fair chin where he gripped it. She only asked faintly: "Is there something you need?"

Joseph released her, his tone softening slightly, "Peter said, Mom should wake up tomorrow."

In that moment, Isabella's dead heart beat once more!

The next day, before the sun was even up, she rushed to her mother's hospital room.

But just as she reached the door, she saw Sophia disconnecting her mother's ventilator!

Isabella's pupils contracted, and she screamed hoarsely: "Stop!"

Sophia looked up, smiling viciously: "Isabella, you can't stop me. Your mother's life is mine."

With that, she shoved Isabella hard.

Isabella stumbled and fell, the surgical wound on her chest tearing in agony.

She forced herself to crawl up, protectively standing in front of her mother's bed.

"Get out!

Don't you dare touch my mom!"

Sophia was about to step forward when she caught a glimpse of a figure outside the door. She suddenly collapsed to the floor, tears instantly welling up: "Mrs. Ashford, I already told you, Mr. Ashford sent me to borrow it. Why did you have to push me..."

What Joseph saw when he walked in was Sophia, fallen and crying. His face immediately darkened: "Isabella! You're bullying her again!"

Isabella trembled all over: "You sent her to take my mother's ventilator?"

Joseph's expression was calm: "You injured Sophia's lungs. She's been using a ventilator recently. Hers suddenly broke this morning, and the new one hasn't arrived yet. I told her to come to Mom's room to borrow it for a while."

Isabella felt as if she had been plunged into an ice cave, unable to believe her ears.

"Joseph, my mother isn't awake yet. She'll die if you unplug the ventilator."

Her voice trembled to its limit, but Joseph was unconcerned.

"Peter said Mom is fine. It's just for a little while, she won't die."

Isabella clenched her fists tightly, the taste of blood spreading from the tip of her tongue. "Joseph, you can't risk my mother's life! If my mother dies, I will never forgive you!"

Joseph's thin lips tightened, and he seemed to hesitate.

Just then, Sophia suddenly clutched her chest, gasping for air: "Mr. Ashford, I feel so awful, I can barely breathe..."

Joseph no longer hesitated, ordering in a deep voice: "Pull the tube!"

"Don't!" Isabella desperately grabbed his arm, pleading, "I'm begging you, you can't..."

"Enough! Do you think you haven't been punished enough?" Joseph cut her off sharply, his tone leaving no room for argument: "I said your mother won't die, so she won't die."

With that, he flung her away and had the bodyguards drag her to a corner.

Isabella knelt on the floor, watching helplessly as her mother's breathing tube was removed. She cried and begged until her voice was hoarse, but Joseph remained unmoved, leaving with Sophia in his arms without a backward glance.

Suddenly, the heart monitor let out a piercing, continuous shriek—

On the screen, Isabella's mother's heartbeat became a flat line.

Isabella frantically pressed the emergency call button, but no one responded.

She burst out of the room like a madwoman, screaming down the empty hallway: "Is there a doctor! Please, save my mother! She's dying!"

The entire floor was deathly silent.

A desperate thought flashed through her mind: Joseph, to punish her, was deliberately preventing the doctors from saving her mother.

She turned and bolted down the stairs, missing a step and falling hard, but she ignored the pain, scrambled up, and kept running.

She pounded on doors floor after floor, running a full eight floors before she found a doctor.

But by the time the doctor arrived, Isabella's mother was no longer breathing.

Just one more day, and her mother would have woken up!

Just one more day...

Isabella stared blankly at her mother's ashen face, her entire being feeling as if her soul had been ripped out. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

She realized that the most extreme pain is one that you cannot cry from.

Joseph, I regret it. I regret ever loving you.

I regret it so much.

Chapter 7

Isabella knelt all night. The next day, as she personally covered her mother with a white sheet, she suddenly broke down, clutching her collar and sobbing silently.

Her mother was really dead. She would never open her eyes to look at her again.

This realization, like the sharpest blade, completely severed her last shred of vitality.

A metallic sweetness surged up her throat, and Isabella violently coughed up a mouthful of blood, her vision blackening before she collapsed to the floor.

Uncontrollably, the image of Joseph kneeling before her mother, making a vow, flashed through her mind.

"Mom, I will love Isabella for the rest of my life."

"Mom, thank you for letting me marry Isabella."

"You're Isabella's mom, which makes you my mom too. I'll always be good to you."

"......"

Those sincere words pierced Isabella's eardrums like needles, intertwining with the cruel reality, tormenting her to the point of suffocation.

The memories of the past receded like a tide, leaving only the sight of her mother, covered by a white sheet, before Isabella's eyes.

It took her a long while to recover before she got up from the floor, ready to take her mother for cremation.

Passing by a VIP ward, Isabella saw Joseph holding Sophia, gently coaxing her: "The new ventilator has arrived. I want you to live a long, healthy, and happy life."

Isabella watched numbly, then suddenly laughed, a laugh full of bitter irony.

On the day of her mother's funeral, her husband was wishing another woman a long life.

Isabella had a grave prepared for her mother, so her wandering soul would have a place to return to in Coastal Harbor.

For the next few days, she stayed at the graveyard with her mother, only returning home with the urn on the day of her departure.

Before she even entered the door, she heard intimate sounds coming from the living room.

Sophia was sitting on Joseph's lap, the two of them sunk deep into the sofa.

Isabella didn't even look, walking straight upstairs with her eyes fixed forward. Her dead heart could no longer feel pain.

Suddenly, Joseph called out to her, his hoarse voice still thick with desire: "What are you holding?"

Isabella didn't say a word and continued straight upstairs.

Watching her frail back, Joseph's brows furrowed. For some reason, a strange panic stirred in his heart; Isabella seemed so fragile, as if she could disappear at any moment.

Sophia, in his arms, kissed the corner of his mouth. "Mr. Ashford, it's unbearable, please give me..."

Joseph stopped thinking about it, averted his gaze, and resumed his actions.

Isabella took a shower and changed into a plain-colored dress. She found her mother's jade pendant and put it in her bag, taking nothing else.

As she was leaving, she heard Sophia on the phone in the garden: "Madam Ashford, rest assured, I will definitely drive that bitch Isabella away!"

Isabella's heart trembled, but there were no significant ripples.

So Sophia was brought in by Joseph's mother to destroy her relationship with Joseph!

She suddenly found it laughable.

Joseph, your self-righteous schemes were nothing but a game on someone else's board.

Isabella could never understand why Joseph's mother hated her so much.

When Joseph's mother was hospitalized, she had cared for her sleeplessly for a month. She had even donated a kidney to her, which was why she hadn't dared to have a child in their five years of marriage...

But now, Isabella no longer wanted to know. She was leaving soon, and everything about the Ashford family had nothing to do with her.

She took a taxi to the airport.

She bought a ticket to Country A.

Country A was the territory of Joseph's mortal enemy; Joseph was banned from entering Country A for life.

She wanted to ensure Joseph would never find her.

Just then, a text message arrived, confirming the success of erasing her legal identity.

[Mrs. Garcia and Ms. Garcia, congratulations on your new life!]

Isabella's eyes were red-rimmed. She picked up the urn and walked towards the boarding gate: "Mom, let's leave together."

Before boarding, Joseph suddenly called, his voice holding a barely perceptible tension: "Isabella, are you going out to clear your head?

Just one more time with Sophia, and the ritual marriage to ward off misfortune will be over.

Our wedding anniversary is in three days. I'll have a surprise for you then.

Your mother should be awake by now, right?

Remember to bring her along..."

Before he could finish, Isabella hung up the phone, then blocked and deleted him without hesitation.

Joseph, my mother's life has severed all ties between us forever.

From now on, we will never see each other again.

The plane roared as it ascended into the clouds, the window reflecting her indifferent silhouette. There were no tears, only determination.