After five years of marriage, Lisa Davis finally got pregnant.

She rushed to get her birth permit, planning to give it to her husband David Green as their fifth anniversary gift.

But the system kept rejecting their marriage certificate as invalid.

"Miss Lisa, are you sure this is real?"

After over a dozen error alerts, the clerk eyed her strangely.

Lisa frowned. "We've been married five years. It can't be fake."

The clerk retried and pushed the documents back. "Check at the Civil Registry Office. Using fake certificates is illegal. Singles can get birth permits now."

Lisa understood the implication and went next door.

When she emerged, her face was deathly pale, all joy vanished.

The official's words hammered her heart: "Both you and Mr. Green are unmarried. This marriage certificate is forged..."

Their five-year marriage... was fake!

She and David grew up together. Everyone knew he adored her, showering her with life's finest things. Why give her a fake certificate?

Lisa immediately flew to Andorra where David was on business.

She needed answers!

At his hotel, a wedding was underway.

Andorra had unique marriage laws—lifelong unions ending only in death.

Pushing through the crowd toward the elevator, Lisa glanced at the groom—and froze.

There stood David, beaming in local attire: leather jacket, skinny jeans, knee-high boots, beret, and a red waist sash.

"Congrats on the wedding, David!"

"Gotta admit, you throw epic weddings both home and abroad!"

"But David, are you serious about Helen? That girl from nothing?"

Someone asked, "Isn't this bigamy? Didn't you marry Lisa years ago?"

"David never actually registered with Lisa," another explained. "Waited for Helen to grow up. Legally, he's stayed single all five years!"

"Damn! David knows how to play."

Lisa stood petrified in the crowd, blood turning to ice.

She thought she'd misheard—until David's voice cut through:

"Helen deserves this. She nearly died donating blood to save Lisa and chose to live in Lisa's shadow. All she wants is a lasting marriage. I can give her that."

David spoke slowly, each word deliberate.

So that was why.

Tears welled in Lisa's eyes. The fake certificate—David had arranged it himself.

Five years ago, Lisa Davis got into a car accident. Helen Gonzalez, then a high school freshman, rushed her to the hospital and donated blood to save her life.

Helen came from a poor family, living only with her critically ill mother. To express their gratitude for saving Lisa, David Green and Lisa covered all her educational expenses and arranged for her overseas studies and travels.

David declared that by saving Lisa, Helen had essentially saved him too.

He vowed to give everything within his power to show his appreciation.

Little did she know his gratitude would extend to marrying her after supporting her until adulthood.

Chapter 2

What's even more ridiculous is that for five whole years, Lisa had been completely oblivious, utterly unaware of when they'd gotten together.

David's friend couldn't resist asking, "What about Lisa?

Aren't you afraid she'll find out?"

David lowered his gaze, his slender fingers tapping rapidly on his phone screen, his tone carrying an almost imperceptible certainty. "I'll keep loving Lisa as always, but she'll never find out."

"All of you, keep your mouths shut. Don't let this reach her."

The next second, Lisa's phone vibrated.

She stared at the message from David, her heart seizing as a chill spread through her entire body.

"Sweetheart, I miss you.

I hate this business trip. Every second away from you is torture. I'll do everything I can to get home by our anniversary. Love, your husband."

Lisa clutched her phone, lifting her eyes to watch David walking further away, a sharp, pervasive ache blooming in her chest.

Her vision blurred, hot tears welling up. This wasn't her David.

Her David was the boy who grew up with her, who climbed through her window to retrieve a dropped hairpin and broke his leg, then soothed her tears.

He was the eighteen-year-old who climbed a snow-capped mountain just to confess his love, swearing to cherish her forever and never lie.

He was the twenty-year-old who handwrote 9,999 love letters and baked a hundred different cakes to propose.

He was the twenty-two-year-old who personally planned their fairytale wedding, the man who clung to her day and night after marriage, unwilling to be apart...

Not this fraudster before her, whispering love while marrying another woman.

Lisa's heart felt like it was being torn apart. She bit her lip hard. Her phone vibrated again – David was calling.

After a second's hesitation, she answered.

"Sweetheart, where are you?

Have you eaten?

Why does it sound so noisy there?"

David's voice was as tender as ever, every syllable dripping with affection.

"David, what are you doing right now?"

Lisa instinctively tightened her grip on the phone. If he confessed, she'd talk it through. Give them another chance.

Without hesitation, David replied, "In a meeting. Missed you too much, stepped out to call. Shopping, sweetheart? Buy anything you like."

A bitter smile touched Lisa's lips, the light in her eyes extinguishing. After two seconds of silence, she whispered, "Okay."

David immediately sensed something wrong, unease gripping him. "Sweetheart, are you upset? Tell me what's wrong."

"Need to try clothes. Bye."

Lisa hung up just in time to see Helen, dressed in local bridal attire, burrow into David's arms nearby.

"Darling, do I look beautiful?"

"Stunning. Everything looks perfect on my woman."

David curved his lips, pulling her close by the waist. He kissed her forehead, his smile tender.

That smile pierced Lisa's heart like shards of glass.

So his tenderness wasn't hers alone. His love, his heart – they could be split in two.

David... how could your heart hold two women?

Lisa frantically fled the hotel, huddled in a ball within the alleyway as tears streamed down her face.

She cried until nearly passing out before slowly rising, determination flashing in her eyes.

She wants nothing to do with this five-year sham marriage!

She wants nothing to do with David!

Since they're legally married now, she'll step aside for them.

Her parents' Memorial Day falls in half a month. After paying respects, she'll vanish completely from David's world.

Lisa hailed a cab to the airport, boarding the earliest flight home.

Her first act upon returning was scheduling an abortion at the hospital.

Chapter 3

"Miss Davis, the severe abdominal injuries from your car accident make this pregnancy a miracle.

If you terminate it, future conception may be extremely difficult."

The doctor looked at Lisa sympathetically. "Please reconsider and discuss this with your husband."

Lisa's fingers curled slightly, a sharp pang piercing her heart. David had never mentioned this.

Whenever their families pressured them about children, he'd claimed responsibility—saying he cherished their couple time and didn't want kids disrupting it.

Her eyes welled up. He'd shielded her from pain at every turn.

Yet his kindness couldn't erase his deception now.

"Thank you, Doctor. I'll think it over."

Numbly leaving the examination room, Lisa froze in the corridor. There stood David and Helen, freshly returned from abroad.

David supported Helen tenderly as they exited the ultrasound room, anxiety etching his brow. His adoring gaze remained locked on her face.

"Brother, you don't need to be so nervous. I'm pregnant, not ill."

Helen's eyes curved into crescents. She'd called him "brother" since their teenage years, and the endearment stuck.

David's lips lifted with unrestrained joy. "Of course I'm nervous. Our first child deserves perfect care."

Clutching her appointment slip, Lisa felt her body temperature plummet. The sound of her heart shattering echoed in her ears—eyes burning yet tearless.

True agony, she realized, stifles tears.

As David guided Helen into the elevator, Lisa unfolded the crumpled paper. She returned to schedule her procedure for two days later.

She refused to let her child enter a world woven with lies, or grow up fatherless from birth.

Fate seemed to mock her when Lisa spotted them again in the parking garage. Mechanically, she trailed their car.

David took Helen to the revolving restaurant—the very one he'd designed for Lisa's birthday last year.

He'd vowed only she would dine there. Now he ushered another woman inside.

Helen occupied Lisa's favorite seat, desserts gleaming before her. David emerged pushing a cart, plucking a rose from his lapel.

"Congratulations on becoming a mom-to-be, my princess," he murmured, offering the bloom. A diamond-studded necklace dangled beneath.

"Brother... thank you." Helen's voice trembled. "You even cooked for me."

"Let me taste it quickly. After this, you should go back to sister. I've monopolized you too long."

She blinked hard, forcing out twin tears.

David pulled her into an embrace. "Silly, I'm staying with you tonight."

"But what about sister Lisa? Tomorrow's your anniversary. She'll be heartbroken if you're absent."

"Everything's arranged." He smoothed her hair, fastening the necklace. "Don't trouble yourself."

"You're my wife now, I'll make more time for you and our child from now on."

Lisa Davis backed away at the corner, her spine pressed against the icy wall, trembling from the cold.

Yes, Helen Gonzalez was David Green's lawful wife.

While she, just a foolish mistress with no claim.

She still remembered when David first brought her to the revolving restaurant, presenting a diamond necklace. To cook for her personally, he'd secretly trained with a Michelin chef for a month.

"Darling, taste my cooking. I'll take care of your meals from now on."

"I'll cherish you all my life, only you."

He clasped the necklace around her neck, whispering vows by her ear.

Now, David replicated that same love and devotion for Helen.

Her chest tightened painfully—David's lifetime was too short.

Lisa turned and fled the restaurant, tears streaking her face.

She visited the law firm, instructing Jacob Johnson to liquidate her assets and return everything linked to David.

The inheritance from Stephen and Susan Davis could sustain her for lifetimes. She sought no wealth, only a swift severance from David.

Dusk settled as she drove home after settling affairs.

The empty mansion held only a lamp left by the housekeeper. Exhausted, she leaned on the sofa, gazing at photos of her and David covering the walls. A stone seemed lodged in her chest, each heartbeat sending sharp pain.

Rubbing her temples, she rose to remove every frame from the wall.

Their childhood photo: she in a pink dress, him declaring her the fairest princess.

Their first dance: his hand resting lightly on her waist, demanding she dance only with him.

Their first date: him spinning her endlessly, proclaiming himself the world's happiest man.

......

She extracted each photo, feeding them one by one into the shredder. Every shared memory shredded into pieces.

Through the night, she repeated this ritual, erasing every trace of their past sweetness.

At dawn, her arms numb, David hadn't returned.

Today was their wedding anniversary.

Chapter 4

On Memorial Day, David Green posted an emotional essay on his social media profile precisely at midnight, pouring out his love and gratitude for Lisa Davis.

Hours later, the post had already garnered tens of millions of likes and shares. Giant screens across the city cycled through a romantic video David personally edited, forcing everyone to witness his devotion.

Outside their villa, crowds had materialized, carpeting the street with 1,825 roses. At the center stood a massive hollow crystal ring filled with luxury items from top brands. A tiny music box perched atop it, endlessly looping David’s velvet voice:

"Honey, happy anniversary. I love you, now and always."

Lisa’s face remained blank. She shut the door and buried herself under the covers, as if none of this concerned her.

Moments later, David called. "Honey," he began, voice thick with guilt, "something urgent came up with a client. I can’t make it back tonight. I’ll make it up to you later."

Listening to his clumsy lie, Lisa suddenly laughed—a brittle, trembling sound. "It’s fine. Focus on work."

"You’re upset," David instantly detected her shift. "I prepared surprises for you. You’ll love them. I’ll compensate you soon."

"Really, work comes first. I’m not feeling well. Going to sleep." Lisa hung up coldly.

Curling into herself, she fought to contain the ache in her chest.

Outside, the spectacle continued. David’s drones painted the sky with elaborate formations, each proclaiming his love for Lisa. Reporters swarmed, hoping to interview her and amplify their "epic romance."

Lisa ignored it all. Her phone rang relentlessly.

David’s name blurred on the screen through her tears. She wanted to answer—to demand why he’d broken his vows, why he’d chosen another woman.

Instead, she silenced her phone and buried her face deeper.

Time dissolved until the covers were abruptly torn away. Harsh light stabbed her eyes.

Backlit in the doorway stood David, disheveled and ghostly pale. Fear and desperation shadowed his eyes.

He’d raced home the moment he sensed her distress. When she ignored his calls, panic seized him.

Spotting Lisa, he crushed her against his chest, voice raw and shaking. "Thank God you’re home! Honey, I’m sorry—so sorry."

His eyes reddened, body trembling uncontrollably. "I’ll never leave you alone again. When you didn’t answer... my world collapsed."

"Nothing matters more than you. I’m here to celebrate with you."

Lisa stayed silent. Mistaking her stillness for anger, David dropped to one knee, pleading: "Promise me you’ll never ignore my calls again. Don’t shut me out—it’ll destroy me. I swear."

Chapter 5

His nervousness and fear seemed genuine—he loved her, but his love wasn't exclusive.

"You came back quickly." Lisa Davis tugged her lips into a faint smile. David Green's expression shifted, guilt flickering in his eyes.

"Honey, you haven't eaten all day, have you? Let me take you to the revolving restaurant." David deflected, gently tucking a stray lock behind her ear.

"No." Lisa shook her head.

David’s panic surged. "Then rest. I’ll cook downstairs."

"Mm." Lisa nodded coldly, turning her back to him.

He assumed she was still angry and left the room with a heavy sigh.

Minutes later, raucous laughter erupted downstairs.

Lisa descended to find David’s friends crowding the living room, hanging freshly cleaned photos back on the walls.

Spotting her, they rushed to David’s defense:

"Lisa, Dave was terrified. Never seen him so rattled."

"Next time you’re upset, tell us. We’ll set him straight. Just don’t toss photos or turn off your phone again—he’ll lose it."

"If we hadn’t found you, Dave would’ve snapped."

"Seriously, he passed out seeing the bare walls and even dug through the trash."

"Enough." David emerged from the kitchen, apron tied, face stormy. "This is on me. I hurt my wife. She has every right to punish me."

Helen Gonzalez stepped forward, eyes gleaming with envy. "David’s such a doting husband—throwing pride away for his wife. You’re so lucky."

David’s smile softened effortlessly. "Of course I spoil my wife."

Lisa shuddered, nausea churning at his hypocrisy. But she stayed silent.

"Don’t hang those photos," Lisa stated flatly. "I want the walls repainted."

David slid an arm around her waist. "Done. Take them down. My wife’s word is final."

"Dave’s totally whipped," someone teased. David didn’t flinch.

He guided Lisa to the sofa before returning to the kitchen.

David cooked all her favorite dishes, yet each bite tasted like ash.

With one hand, he tenderly served her food. Beneath the table, his other hand interlaced fingers with Helen’s.

Suddenly, Lisa felt suffocated. She craved escape—from this place, from David.

After dinner, David knelt without hesitation, slipping shoes onto her feet before carrying her outside. His friends whooped.

Helen laughed along, but Lisa caught the venomous jealousy flashing in her eyes.

David had arranged a private fireworks display over the ocean, even booking Lisa’s favorite band.

Mid-performance, he excused himself to the restroom.

On impulse, Lisa followed.

Chapter 6

In the VIP lounge, Helen threw herself into David's arms, lifting her alluring face to kiss his lips.

"Darling, I've missed you so much, just let me kiss you for a while."

David wrapped one arm around her waist, pressing his other hand against the back of her head as he responded passionately, the room's temperature seeming to spike instantly.

After a long while, Helen pushed David away with flushed cheeks, breathing heavily. "Alright, you should go back to Lisa now."

"Willing to let me go?"

David's eyes had darkened with desire as he traced Helen's swollen lips with his thumb.

Helen lowered her gaze. "No, but I don't want Lisa to be upset.

Because of me, she's not answering your calls. I can wait... for you to spend time with her before coming to me."

"Your thoughtfulness breaks my heart. I can't bear to leave you either.

Be good, listen to me—don't think about anyone else right now. Just enjoy what your man's giving you."

David kissed her lips again, trailing down to her neck and chest.

Soft moans escaped Helen as her nails dug into David's back. "David, not there... I can't take it."

"Little minx, isn't this exactly how you love it?"

The passionate scene froze Lisa where she stood, icy dread flooding her veins.

She bit down hard on her hand to stifle sobs, believing herself numb to heartbreak—yet witnessing this remained utterly heart-wrenching.

David had betrayed her completely, soul and body.

Acid burned her throat as nausea overwhelmed her. Covering her mouth, she fled to the restroom, retching violently while sharp pains twinged through her lower abdomen.

Cradling her stomach through blurred vision, tears fell freely.

I'm sorry, little one.

For showing you such an ugly side of your father. Forgive me for not bringing you into this world.

Pale and unsteady, Lisa emerged onto the lively deck—still no sign of David or Helen.

Only after fireworks ended did they return separately, Helen glowing with satisfaction.

Deliberately sitting beside Lisa, Helen opened a velvet jewelry box. "Sis, this gift is for you. I made it myself."

"Thank you and David for caring for me. Five years ago... you both saved me, not the other way around.

I wish your marriage eternal happiness."

Inside lay a glaringly bright green bracelet.

Lisa stared blankly before forcing a tight smile. "Keep it. Not my taste."

Helen's hand trembled, eyes instantly welling as she glanced toward David.

David seemed oblivious to her plea, his gentle gaze fixed solely on Lisa. "My wife doesn't like it. Take it back."

Helen withdrew the gift, wounded. "Then... may I toast to Lisa?

May you always find joy."

Lisa accepted the offered drink without refusal, taking a sip.

Helen's smile returned as she turned away—her eyes flashing sinisterly for a split second before she stumbled against a chair.

"Ah!"

She cried out, collapsing while clutching her abdomen.

"It hurts!"

The crowd startled, nearby guests rushing to lift her.

Seeing the crimson stains dotting her skirt, Lisa was startled.

She immediately looked at David, who instinctively met her gaze.

His expression remained calm. Noticing her stare, he gave a soft smile, took her hand, and casually addressed the others, "Take her to the hospital. I'll stay with my wife to finish the show."

The crowd escorted Helen off the boat while David kept holding Lisa's hand, listening to the band playing.

Had she not known the truth about their relationship, his performance might have fooled her.

Lisa's heart grew colder, the pain in her abdomen intensifying.

Just as she prepared to ask to go home, David's phone rang.

"David, you rushed home earlier—that contract issue remains unresolved. Could you come to the office?"

His assistant's urgent voice came through the line.

David frowned, stayed silent for a few seconds, then quickly hung up.

When he looked back at Lisa, guilt flickered in his eyes. "My dear, I need to head to the office. Wait here—I'll have the driver pick you up, alright?"

Lisa inwardly scoffed. "Fine, go ahead."

As David stood to kiss her forehead, she pretended to cough and turned away.

He left in a hurry, too preoccupied to dwell on it.

Lisa knew he was going to the hospital. Strangely, the earlier pain in her chest had dulled.

After thirty minutes with no sign of the driver, a sharp cramp seized her abdomen, bending her double.

Her eyes fell on shattered glass from a dropped wine glass, and an absurd thought struck her:

Helen had poisoned the drink.

Gritting her teeth, Lisa gathered fragments of the glass still wet with liquid.

The agony spread from her stomach to her lower abdomen—a tearing force she could physically feel. Warm fluid trickled out.

She dialed David's number instinctively. No answer.

The driver's line stayed dead too.

With her last ounce of strength, Lisa called emergency services...

Chapter 7

When she woke again, Lisa was in the hospital, feeling dazed for a moment.

Her fingers brushed her flat belly, and her heart clenched painfully—the baby was gone.

"Bed 23, where’s your family?

We need payment. You've got heavy metal poisoning and must cooperate with police.

The baby... didn’t make it."

The nurse checked on her the moment she awoke.

Lisa’s fingers trembled as she grabbed her phone to call David. His phone was off.

She forced a bitter smile. He hadn’t answered since she left last night—hadn’t even looked for her.

He once promised to be there whenever she needed him.

Now he ignored her calls to stay with Helen.

"No family. I’ll pay myself."

Lisa’s voice was weak.

"You can’t walk. Rest—I’ll handle it."

The nurse stopped her kindly.

Leaving the room, the nurse muttered, "We’re all women, yet fate treats us so differently.

One woman had a threatened miscarriage, and her husband panicked. He booked the whole VIP floor and flew in a world-class medical team overnight to save the pregnancy."

She glanced back at Lisa. "This poor soul lost her baby to poison without a single relative by her side."

Lisa heard every word. She knew they meant David and Helen. She felt nothing.

Lisa moved to a VIP room. During her stay, she had the glass fragments tested to find who poisoned her.

David never contacted her by discharge day.

She went straight to Davis Manor House, took her mother’s ring, and stored keepsakes in a permanent vault.

She’d sell the villa and never return.

Next, she visited the Civil Registry Office to change her name—ensuring David could never find her.

Back home, Lisa found Helen curled on the sofa under her blanket, snacking while binge-watching.

Lisa frowned. Before she spoke, Helen sprang up.

"Sis! You’re back!

Had dinner?

David’s buying cake—want chocolate?"

Helen smiled, eyes gleaming with triumph.

"Who said you could touch my things?"

Lisa’s voice chilled as she eyed the messy coffee table, chest tightening.

She hated others touching her belongings or disrupting her space.

David knew this—rarely brought guests, always cleaned up afterward.

Yet now he let Helen lounge in her spot, use her blanket, eat her snacks...

"Mad at me, Sis?

Here, have it back."

Helen dumped chips onto Lisa’s clothes, smirking. "Pick it up yourself."

Lisa froze, speechless, as Helen suddenly knelt to clean the mess.

"Sorry, Sis! I was starving—had to eat your snacks.

Don’t be angry. I’ll tidy up now."

Helen’s eyes reddened, tears threatening to fall.

"Honey, what’s going on?"

The abrupt shift in expression left Lisa unprepared. Only when David's voice sounded behind her did she grasp the situation.

Lisa turned just in time to see him looking at Helen on the floor, clearly catching the fleeting look of concern in his eyes.

"I shouldn't have touched her things without permission," Helen choked out, head bowed.

"Hmm, my wife hates people touching her stuff."

David frowned. "Why's the living room such a mess?"

"Take your cake and go. Don't come back."

Helen froze, then slowly rose to accept the cake David handed her.

Yet the next instant, Helen staggered into Lisa as if losing her footing. Both women lost balance, tumbling backward.

In a split second, David stepped forward, scooping Helen securely into his arms.

Beside them, Lisa crashed heavily against the shoe cabinet. Blood instantly gushed from the back of her head. As dizziness overwhelmed her, the last thing she saw was David clutching Helen tightly...

Chapter 8

Lisa slept for a long time. When she woke up thirsty in a daze, the room was pitch black.

She mustered her strength to sit up, instinctively reaching toward the nightstand where David always left her a glass of warm water.

Tonight, it was empty.

A hollow ache filled Lisa's chest before she chuckled bitterly. Since Helen got pregnant, David could no longer pretend to love her like before.

She got up and headed downstairs. Passing the guest room, she heard David's voice and paused instinctively.

"It's my fault she got hurt. I shouldn't have acted recklessly."

Helen sobbed.

"You can't go hungry while pregnant. Lisa overreacted.

I spoiled her too much—that's the problem. Stop crying now, or you'll break my heart."

David held her, stroking her hair. "You're becoming such a crybaby lately."

"Don't tease me."

Helen pouted, her alluring face etched with pitiful charm.

David's throat tightened as he looked away. Their encounter on the yacht had been too intense, nearly causing a miscarriage. He couldn't risk it again.

"Miss me, darling?

Too bad she's injured and can't satisfy you."

"She never satisfied me like you do, little minx. I'll behave... for now. Once the baby's stable, you'll pay for teasing me."

David's lips curved.

"Let me help you, darling."

Helen slid down his body...

The contrast between her sultry movements and innocent voice drew a low groan from David.

"You're incredible, Helen."

...

Witnessing this scene again stirred nothing in Lisa. Numbly, she continued downstairs for water.

Perhaps due to her head injury, she'd slept unusually deep, not waking until the next evening.

"Sweetheart, I tried to catch you—but you fell too fast..." David rushed to explain when she woke, avoiding her gaze.

Lisa stared at him, too weary to expose the lie. "Where's Helen?"

"Blame me, not her. She's just clumsy—never meant to push you. She almost got hurt too."

David defended Helen.

"Understood."

Lisa's voice remained flat, devoid of emotion. "Tomorrow's my parents' Memorial Day. Will you come?"

"Of course."

Relieved she wasn't angry, David studied her. Something felt different—the love in her eyes seemed to have faded.

He started to ask, but Lisa had already closed her eyes.

She drifted in and out of sleep all night, unresponsive whenever David spoke.

The next morning, Lisa rose early for Stephen and Susan's Memorial Day. Dressed in black casual wear, she got into David's car.

David had thoughtfully prepared breakfast and memorial items. Seeing her pallor, he assumed grief and chatted nervously throughout the drive.

Lisa responded with disinterested monosyllables.

As they reached the cemetery, David's phone rang. His expression tensed as he slammed the brakes—

Lisa Davis lurched forward abruptly, her shoulder reddening from the seatbelt's grip. "What happened?" she couldn't help asking.

"Sweetheart, an emergency at the office. I need to handle it."

David Green's jaw tightened, anxiety flashing in his eyes. "You go ahead to visit your parents' graves. I'll be back soon."

With an obliging nod, Lisa opened the car door. Before she could steady herself, David sped off, the sudden motion nearly pulling her down.

Watching the dust swirling behind the tires, she offered an empty smile.

David seemed to forget his phone remained connected via Bluetooth. Clear as day, Lisa saw the caller ID display: "Helen baby."

Helen Gonzalez was hurt, sobbing over the phone to David. Without hesitation, he'd chosen to abandon her for Helen's sake.

But she didn't care anymore.

Her love for David had long vanished. Even her resentment toward him seemed to have evaporated.

Chapter 9

After David left, Helen stepped out from the side.

"See that, sis?

He loves me!

If I were you, I'd leave him."

Helen taunted, waving her phone. "All I did was lie about you hiring thugs to harass me. Look how frantic he got."

"Save your tricks. Take the trash if you want it."

Lisa replied calmly before turning to pay respects at her parents' grave.

Helen fumed at her composure. "Who do you think you are, acting high and mighty? You're just a deserted wife!

David waited five years to marry me.

You were the joke all those years.

You're nothing without him!"

Lisa paused. Though emotionally drained, the words still stung. She turned, fighting back tears. "Without David, I'm still a Davis.

Even as Mrs. Green, you'd have no right to shout at me.

Helen, remember this: I'm leaving David, not because you drove me away, but because I chose to discard him."

"Lisa Davis!"

Helen's eyes burned crimson as she glared at Lisa's retreating figure. "You'll regret this!"

Ignoring her, Lisa knelt before her parents' tombstones to bid farewell. She recounted the past five years with eerie calmness, not shedding a single tear.

"Mom, Dad, I don't love David anymore. Don't worry about me. I'll take care of myself."

Dusk approached when she reluctantly left the cemetery. David never came. No call came through.

The remote graveyard required walking down a narrow path to reach the main road. After her final goodbye, Lisa trudged toward the highway.

Within minutes, footsteps echoed behind her. She quickened her pace, pulling out her phone to dial emergency services.

Before she could press call, a handkerchief clamped over her mouth from behind. Lisa thrashed violently until darkness swallowed her consciousness—chloroform fumes overwhelming her senses.

Icy water crashed over Lisa, jolting her awake.

She found herself bound backward to a pillar, eyes blindfolded, body trembling violently from cold and fear.

"Who are you?

Why am I here?"

Her voice shook as primal terror seized her.

"Answer me!

Who's doing this?"

"Want money? I have plenty! Give me account details—I'll transfer it now!"

Met with crushing silence behind the blindfold, Lisa thrashed against her restraints. Her soaked clothes clung to her skin as the wind bit deeper into her bones.

"Let me go! Who the hell—"

"Agh!"

A rod smashed into her abdomen, stealing her breath.

"No need to know who I am. Just pay for what you've done."

The rod struck her belly again—vital organs twisting in agony, tears springing unbidden.

"I don't understand..."

No response came. Only the relentless battering of the rod against her stomach, each blow landing with bone-shattering force. Pain bludgeoned her unconscious, only to revive her moments later with fresh torment.

By the end of the beating, she was numb with pain. Blood from her lower body soaked her pants, and blood from her mouth stained her clothes...

The man seemed exhausted. He dropped the stick, untied her, and she collapsed like a torn rag. Blood quickly spread on the ground as she passed out cold.

When she woke again, no one was around. She removed the blindfold and saw a projector set before her.

On the screen, David held Helen, kissing her forehead repeatedly. "Don't cry, baby. You're safe now."

"Brother, I can't believe it. I won't believe Lisa would hurt me."

"She's so kind. How could she harm me just because I accidentally pushed her?"

Helen wept, tears streaming like rain.

"Maybe people change."

Pain flickered in David's eyes. "The facts are clear. Lisa hired thugs to attack you. Without your timely call to police, it'd have been disastrous."

"Even so, don't seek revenge for me. Don't hurt Lisa."

"You're still defending her now? Relax, I only taught your attackers a lesson."

"As for Lisa, I'll warn her when I get the chance."

Disappointment filled David's gaze—he was convinced Lisa had hired people to harm Helen.

Lisa convulsed in pain on the floor, staring fixedly at the screen. Her heart felt ripped raw from her chest, bleeding freely.

David, who once trusted her utterly, now framed her with false charges because of Helen—ordering her brutal beating.

When hearts change, everything follows.

She laughed until tears fell.

David, if you ever learn the truth, will you regret this?

Chapter 10

The projector played scenes of David and Helen together over and over, each repetition deepening Lisa's pain as David's suspicions about her pierced her heart.

The projector then showed the latest footage: David cooking for Helen, his dark and menacing expression replaced by a face full of smiles.

His gaze overflowed with tenderness and love for Helen, just as it once had for her.

"Baby Lisa, when can I call you my wife?"

"My sweet Lisa, I love you so much. Please say yes to my proposal."

"David Green loves Lisa Davis for life. Anyone who dares bully Lisa will answer to me."

"Wife, I'm an excellent cook. Leave your meals to me. Only you deserve to eat what I make.

Not even my parents!"

"Wife, Helen saved you, which means she saved me too. Since she's an orphan, let's take care of her."

"My feelings for Helen are real. She just wants a lasting marriage, and I can give her that."

...

David's words echoed relentlessly in her ears—his promises, his confessions, his lies—each stabbing her eardrums like needles.

The man who loved her in her memories gradually separated from the David on the screen, fading bit by bit from Lisa's heart.

Night fell completely. She collapsed helplessly onto the floor, letting the cold and darkness consume her.

When consciousness returned, she shifted weakly. Dried blood beneath her smeared into a long trail across the floor.

Her abdomen felt numb. Forcing herself up, she stumbled outside.

Warm sunlight poured down, yet couldn't thaw her frozen body and spirit.

She finally fainted by the roadside and was rushed to the hospital.

"Miss Davis, your abdomen suffered severe trauma causing uterine rupture. We need surgery to remove the remains."

Lisa listened without visible emotion. After losing her baby, she'd already accepted she could never conceive again.

So be it...

At least she'd escaped David alive.

Fresh out of surgery, Lisa awoke only to have her mouth gagged and a hood thrown over her head before being dragged before David.

"Helen, she's here.

After we deal with her, no more sadness."

David's gaze softened as he turned back to Helen.

Helen kissed him happily, blinking. "Can I do anything I want?"

"Anything. I've got you."

David indulged her. Even if someone died, he'd take responsibility.

Helen clapped her hands triumphantly, signaling bodyguards to bring forward two funeral urns.

"What are you doing?"

Lisa recognized her parents' urns. She tried to shout, but only muffled cries escaped.

"David, I want to scatter the bad person's parents to the wind."

Helen smirked at David.

"Okay."

"No! David!

Look—they're your in-laws! You made those urns yourself!

Please stop her!"

Tears streamed down Lisa's face. She struggled violently, her pleas trapped into whimpers.

David's eyes remained fixed on Helen, never glancing at the urns in her hands.

Lisa Davis grew increasingly desperate, watching the ashes scatter with the wind as her heart shattered into pieces.

David, do you only have eyes for Helen...

Restrained by bodyguards, Lisa couldn't move. Pain consumed her nerves until darkness swallowed her vision, and she lost consciousness.

Seeing this, Helen flung the remaining ashes into the air.

"Let's go, David. I'm not angry anymore."

"Alright."

David carried her away, slowing his steps as he passed Lisa's unconscious form.

Yet he never truly looked at her.

He didn't even glance back.

When Lisa awoke, the ashes on the ground had vanished without a trace.

Clutching the empty funeral urn, her tears had long since dried up.

Returning to the villa, she retrieved her newly issued documents. A bitter, mocking smile touched her lips as she glanced at the home where she'd lived for five years.

Lisa seized a baseball bat, smashing the Lego sets they'd built together, the sofa they'd chosen together, the television they'd ordered together...

With her last ounce of strength, she destroyed everything in the living room. Staring at the wreckage, she laughed—a sound both desolate and heartbroken.

Discarding the bat, Lisa took her lipstick and scrawled two lines on the wall:

"David, you once said those who betray true hearts should swallow ten thousand needles. Remember?"

"My greatest regret in this life was loving you!"

Without a backward glance, Lisa walked out of the villa, leaving everything between her and David buried in the ruins.