The Wife Who Escaped His Lies

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Late at night, my husband Ethan once again snuck into the bedroom of his deceased brother's wife.

Shameful moans spilled through the crack in the door.

My heart twisted as if a knife was being driven through it.

I once thought I'd married into happiness. Three years ago, I was kidnapped and nearly violated by a dozen men. It was Ethan who risked his life to save me.

In that moment, I was moved to tears, and I chose to marry him.

It wasn't until two days ago that I learned the truth.

The kidnapping was orchestrated by him. The knife wound he received while saving me was all calculated.

Marrying me, doting on me, getting me pregnant. It was all to protect his beloved Lydia.

It was all because his forbidden love with Lydia wasn't supported by the family.

Our three years of love was nothing but a lie.

If that's how it is, don't blame me for what comes next.

Sophia's POV

I am San Diego's most well-behaved socialite, a recognized model lady in high society circles.

I was so obedient growing up that I'd never even held a man's hand.

But my family insisted I marry the most infamous bad boy, Ethan.

Rumors said he could go through three different women in a week, racing cars and yachts every night, living a life of complete debauchery.

This man was definitely not husband material.

So I made the only rebellious decision of my twenty-three-year life.

The night before our engagement, I ran away.

But fate played a cruel joke on me.

I fled the arranged marriage, only to be kidnapped halfway by my family's enemies.

Just as my clothes were being torn off and I was about to be violated by a dozen men, the warehouse door was smashed open from outside. Ethan drove a black sports car straight in.

He got out and fought over a dozen burly men.

Eventually he drove them all away, but he was also severely injured. A blade pierced his left chest.

He collapsed in a pool of blood, struggling to crawl to my side and untie the ropes binding me.

I tore off the hem of my shirt and pressed it trembling against the wound on his chest.

"Why did you come to save me?"

"Because you're my fiance."

He coughed up blood, his devastatingly handsome face pale from blood loss.

"Even though... you didn't seem too willing."

My tears surged out, falling one by one.

"I'm sorry. If I hadn't tried to run away from the marriage, you wouldn't have been dragged into this and injured..."

Ethan reached out and wiped away my tears with his thumb.

"Don't cry."

He said,

"It was my fault before, too many scandals, too bad a reputation... and you're so good, so pure. No wonder you wanted to run."

"But don't be afraid... from now on, they won't force you anymore, won't pressure you into this marriage... you're free now, you can go anywhere, marry whoever you want..."

In that moment, my heart was like a lake struck by a massive stone, rippling with countless waves.

My heart was moved.

"I won't run anymore."

I held him tightly, tears rolling uncontrollably.

"Ethan, I won't run anymore. As long as you're okay, I'm willing to marry you!"

Fortunately, the ambulance arrived in time. The doctor said he was lucky: the blade missed his heart by two centimeters. He was saved.

After he recovered and was discharged, I followed my heart and married him.

After marriage, Ethan reined in his wild ways. No more women around him. He spoiled me endlessly.

He was so good to me.

So good that if I scraped my skin even a little, he'd hold it tenderly and blow on it for ages.

So good that to avoid making me angry, he replaced all his secretaries and drivers with men.

So good that he'd always come home by ten o'clock at night, earning teasing from his friends about being "henpecked."

And Ethan would always respond happily, with pride and affection,

"My Sophia is a treasure that countless men would beg for and never get. That she's willing to marry me is my blessing."

Every time I heard him say this to others, I felt that marrying him was the most correct decision I'd ever made.

Until this prenatal checkup, seven weeks into my pregnancy.

Ethan had an important client he couldn't reschedule. I went to the checkup alone, and seeing it was still early, I stopped by his company wanting to wait for him to get off work so we could go home together.

Learning he was meeting a client in the conference room, I didn't have the secretary notify him. I went into his office and found a magazine to read in the private rest room.

Ever since getting pregnant, I'd become especially drowsy. Without realizing it, I fell asleep on the single bed in the rest room.

I woke to the sound of loud conversation from the office.

"Tsk, aren't you the gold standard for good husbands in our circle now? Your wife had such an important prenatal checkup today, yet you dared make up an excuse to hang out with us here? Aren't you afraid she'll make you sleep in the study when she finds out?"

A burst of knowing laughter followed.

It was Ethan and his group of friends chatting. I smiled slightly.

Knowing this group made boundless jokes in private, I didn't mind.

I got up, about to open the rest room door and go out, when I heard Ethan laugh shortly, his voice carrying a cold mockery I'd never heard before.

"A good husband?"

Ethan scoffed.

"Marrying Sophia, getting her pregnant with this child. None of it was ever my choice. I was forced into all of it."

My hand froze on the doorknob, my fingertips trembling imperceptibly.

What did he mean by that?

What did he mean, he was forced?

Another friend said incredulously,

"What are you talking about? Who in San Diego could force you?"

"Who else?"

One friend who knew the inside story said,

"His grandfather! Have you all forgotten that punishment three years ago that left him bedridden for half a month?"

The others exchanged glances, their expressions changing.

"All these years, I acted like a jerk: racing cars, changing girlfriends, constant scandals. I thought if I did that, Grandfather wouldn't think I still had feelings for Lydia."

Ethan laughed at himself bitterly, then his tone grew heavy.

"But three years ago, he still caught me and Lydia together."

Lydia... Lydia Hayes?

How could it be her?

My breath caught. I could barely stand.

Lydia Hayes, his deceased brother's wife.

He was actually with his own brother's wife?

A massive sense of absurdity crashed over me. I suddenly felt my stomach churning with nausea.

"When grandfather saw me with Lydia, he thought we were disgraceful. He said she was disgusting, that I'd betrayed my brother. But Lydia and I were together first. It was my brother who tore us apart."

In the office, Ethan's words continued.

"But Grandfather wouldn't listen to explanations. He was furious and severely punished Lydia. I got beaten too, but that wasn't the worst of it."

He paused, then his tone turned ice cold.

"The problem was, Grandfather used Lydia to threaten me. He said if I didn't marry Sophia, Lydia's days in the Quinn family would only get worse."

"So you married Sophia for Lydia's sake?"

Someone said with a sigh.

"We all thought you'd long since moved on from her and fallen for Sophia. Otherwise, why would you have stepped up three years ago to save her, nearly dying from your injuries?"

The friend who knew the inside story laughed knowingly.

"You don't know the whole story. The kidnapping Sophia went through three years ago, he orchestrated the entire thing."

"No way! That kidnapping was your setup?"

Ethan was silent for a moment, his voice low.

"Yes."

Hearing that affirmative word, my fingers dug sharply into my palm, nails piercing flesh, but I didn't care.

Sophia's POV

Ethan continued slowly,

"You all know how stubborn my grandfather is. He valued Sophia's family background, appreciated how well-behaved she was. He said she was pure and innocent, the perfect choice for my wife."

He paused, flicking cigarette ash, that red glow flickering at his fingertips.

"But she didn't want to marry a notorious bad boy like me, and Grandfather was pressuring me hard. I had no other options."

"So you arranged that whole scene?"

Someone asked.

"Yeah." Ethan admitted it readily.

"I knew she was going to run from the marriage, so I contacted her family's enemies and set up that situation. The knife was angled to miss by two centimeters, the ambulance was already waiting outside. Everything was calculated."

He laughed shortly, the sound devoid of warmth.

"I didn't expect her to actually cry like that when I collapsed, holding me and saying she'd marry me."

Everyone exchanged glances, momentarily speechless.

"Brilliant!" Someone was the first to react.

"That plan not only satisfied your grandfather but made Sophia completely devoted to you. Two birds with one stone!"

Ethan crushed out his cigarette, his voice heavy.

"This stays between us. She's carrying my child now. If word gets to her..."

"Don't worry, which of us would tell?"

"Exactly. This secret dies with us."

"But," someone hesitated,

"Do you really have no feelings for Sophia at all now? She's carrying your child..."

Ethan didn't answer immediately.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his tone as calm as if discussing something unrelated to himself.

"Lydia lives every day walking on eggshells. I promised to protect her, that I wouldn't fall for another woman."

Inside the rest room, I felt completely frozen, like I'd been cast into hell.

I covered my mouth tightly with one hand to keep from making a sound, the other clenched into a fist, knuckles white.

So that was it.

He conspired with the Hayes family's enemies to kidnap me, nearly having me violated, then appeared at the crucial moment to stage that dramatic rescue.

All his tenderness, consideration, and doting on me, including his supposed reformation, was fake.

Those moments that moved my heart, those times I thought were sweet and happy, were all just an elaborate act he performed.

And the purpose was to protect the woman he truly loved from being mistreated.

He never loved me from the beginning, yet I was foolish enough to be deceived for three years, only discovering today just how many lies he'd woven for me.

Countless emotions surged like a tide, nearly drowning me.

When I came back to my senses, the office outside had gone quiet. Ethan and his friends had left.

I wiped away my tears forcefully, took a deep breath, and pushed down all the anger, resentment, and the dull, knife-like pain in my chest before pulling open the rest room door.

Outside was completely empty.

I left Quinn Corporation and hailed a car to a law firm.

"Hello, I want a divorce."

I found a divorce attorney and said directly, "Please draft a divorce agreement for me."

I was going to divorce Ethan. I would no longer be his tool to protect another woman.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was a call from Ethan.

Sophia's POV

Looking at the caller ID "My Love" on the screen, I zoned out for a moment.

If Ethan knew I'd discovered everything and was even considering divorce, he would definitely try every means to stop me.

So before successfully divorcing, I absolutely couldn't let him notice anything.

In the last second before the call would automatically disconnect, I slid to answer.

"Sophia?"

Ethan's voice came through the receiver, carrying his usual warm concern.

"Did you finish the checkup? How did it go?"

If this were yesterday, I would have felt sweet about this thoughtful concern.

But now, I only felt my stomach churning with nausea.

I tried to keep my voice steady and normal.

"Yes, it's done. The doctor said the baby is very healthy. Don't worry."

"That's good."

Ethan's tone relaxed a bit.

"By the way, I have to make a sudden business trip to the next city. Important project. I'll be gone two or three days. Take care of yourself and the baby. Have the kitchen make whatever you want to eat. I'll bring you a gift when I get back."

"Okay."

I only replied with one word, afraid saying more would betray my emotions.

After hanging up, I stood in the law firm's air-conditioned hallway, feeling my blood run completely cold.

I raised my other hand and gently touched my still-flat belly.

Just yesterday, I'd been filled with joy about this child's arrival, imagining who the baby would look like.

But now...

With such a calculating father whose heart belonged elsewhere, if this child were born, it would surely have an unhappy life.

After getting the divorce agreement from the lawyer, the next day as I went downstairs in a distracted state, my foot slipped and I fell.

When I woke up, my lower abdomen throbbed with pain.

The doctor told me the baby was gone.

I returned weakly to the villa and lay in bed to rest.

My phone vibrated. I picked it up to see Lydia had just posted on Ins.

There were six photos.

A selfie of Lydia with a gentle smile, an elaborately decorated birthday cake, brilliant fireworks in the night sky, two plates of exquisite Western cuisine, and two wine glasses clinking together.

The last one was a close-up of two hands with fingers interlaced.

On the man's wrist was a Patek Philippe starry sky watch I knew all too well.

The caption read, "This year's birthday, still with my favorite person by my side."

Location tagged: Grand Hyatt Hotel in the neighboring city.

My whole body went ice cold, chilled to the bone.

So Ethan's so-called business trip was to celebrate Lydia's birthday, enjoying their undisturbed time together.

With trembling fingers, I clicked into Lydia's Ins and scrolled up through her posts.

Three years ago in autumn, Lydia posted a photo of maple leaves with the caption,

"Maple leaves are red again. Remember that year you said you'd take me to see all the red leaves in the world."

Two years ago on Valentine's Day, Lydia posted a starry sky image.

"Even if we can't always be together, our hearts in one place is enough."

One year ago, on mine and Ethan's wedding anniversary, Lydia posted,

"Some people, some things, are destined to remain only in the heart. But being able to silently protect is already fortunate."

Looking through these, I suddenly realized Lydia had posted quite a bit of ambiguous content over the past three years.

It's just that before, I'd genuinely treated Lydia as family and never connected that content with Ethan.

Now, suddenly awakened to the truth, I felt like a complete fool.

I had been thoroughly deceived for three years. I thought I had love and happiness, not knowing that my sweet happiness was just a joke to others.

I closed my eyes. Tears slid silently from the corners of my eyes.

Sophia's POV

Two days later, Ethan returned.

But it was the Quinn family estate's butler who told me.

The butler spoke urgently, with rare panic.

"Please come to the estate quickly. Something's happened to him!"

I frowned.

"What happened?"

"You'll know when you get here. The old master is furious. No one can calm him down."

I was confused but still rushed to the Quinn estate.

The whole way, I'd imagined various possibilities, but I never expected to see this scene.

Lydia's long hair was disheveled, tears on her face, her whole body trembling.

And Ethan was tightly shielding her in his arms.

His entire back had numerous vicious bloody marks, skin split open, blood soaking through his white shirt.

"You disgusting creature! How dare you do such a shameful thing!"

Grandfather stood to the side leaning on his cane, chest heaving violently.

"Did you think that just because you weren't in San Diego, I wouldn't know what you two have been doing these past few days?"

Lydia shook her head crying.

"It's not like that, Grandfather..."

"If Grandfather must punish someone,"

Ethan said hoarsely,

"Then punish me. This is all my fault. It has nothing to do with Lydia."

"You bastard! How can you face your deceased brother? How can you face Sophia? How can you face the child in her belly!"

"Lydia and I truly loved each other from the start!"

Ethan suddenly raised his voice, eyes reddening.

"As for Sophia and the child in her belly, you forced me into that, grandfather."

The words fell, and the room went deathly silent.

Grandfather trembled with rage, nearly fainting from anger.

"I thought after three years of marriage to Sophia, you'd have some feelings for her. I never imagined you were still so bewitched by this woman that you've lost all reason!"

Just then, the butler hurried in from outside.

"She's here..."

Ethan's body stiffened. He slowly turned his head.

At the doorway, I stood quietly.

Our eyes met.

Ethan's eyes flashed with momentary panic and guilt. His lips moved as if wanting to say something, but ultimately he just looked away and said nothing.

Grandfather saw me too. His expression changed slightly as he urgently signaled to the butler.

"Quick, take her to the front hall to rest!"

The butler stepped forward respectfully.

"This way, please."

I pressed my lips together and had no choice but to follow the butler away.

Behind me came Grandfather's voice, suppressing fury with his command.

"Continue! Beat them severely!"

The sound of the rod striking flesh resumed. From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed that every strike the servant swung at Lydia landed heavily on Ethan's back instead.

He gritted his teeth, not making a sound, protecting Lydia in his arms completely.

And Lydia remained completely unharmed.

Late that night, a private doctor came to the villa to treat Ethan's wounds.

After nearly two hours of cleaning, medicating, and bandaging, the doctor finally left.

Ethan lay on his stomach on the bed, looking toward me. After a moment of silence, he spoke.

"Today at the estate... what did you hear?"

I raised my eyes to meet his.

"What should I have heard?"

I asked back.

Ethan studied me.

"Nothing. She angered Grandfather. He wanted to punish her, but she's too delicate to withstand it. With my brother gone, I have to protect her for him."

He reached out to hold my hand, his thumb gently rubbing the back of my hand, his habitual intimate gesture.

"Sophia, don't let it bother you."

I looked at his hand holding mine.

Long fingers, well-defined and strong.

Once, this hand had wiped my tears, stroked my hair, countless times gently held me, embraced me.

Now, I only felt disgusted.

"I know."

I calmly pulled my hand away.

"I understand."

I took out a document from the nightstand drawer and placed it in front of him.

"By the way, sign this for me."

"What is it?"

He asked casually.

"I saw a necklace I really like. It's quite expensive. I want you to buy it for me."

I was gambling.

Gambling that having just been punished for Lydia's sake and having lied to me, he wouldn't carefully read the document's contents at a time like this.

Sure enough, Ethan barely hesitated before taking the document and pen.

He signed his name smoothly on the signature line of the last page I'd turned to.

"What else do you want?"

He handed the document back to me with an indulgent smile.

"I'll buy it all for you."

"That's not necessary."

I smiled. "This one thing is enough."

Sophia's POV

The next day, I delivered the signed divorce agreement to my lawyer, asking them to process it as quickly as possible, then returned to the villa.

Stepping into the entrance, the housekeeper who was wiping a vase saw me. Her expression was somewhat strange, hesitant to speak.

"What is it?"

I asked while changing shoes.

"Ma'am."

The housekeeper gestured toward upstairs.

"Someone's here. Upstairs."

My movements paused briefly, then returned to normal.

"I see."

I went straight upstairs.

The closer I got to the master bedroom, the clearer the sobbing from inside became.

"...It's all my fault. If not for me, you wouldn't have been hurt so badly..."

Lydia was draped over Ethan, crying with a face full of tears.

Ethan turned his face slightly, seemingly about to raise his hand to wipe her tears, but his gaze inadvertently caught sight of me at the door.

His movement froze instantly.

"Sophia?"

Ethan called out, with a trace of barely perceptible tension.

Lydia startled like she'd been frightened, hurriedly moving away from him and straightening up, turning to look toward the door.

Her face was pale, eyes red and swollen, looking pitiful.

"Sophia, you... you're back..."

Lydia's fingers twisted at her clothes anxiously.

"Ethan was hurt because of me. I felt so guilty, I just wanted to come see him... We... we didn't do anything else..."

"She was just emotionally overwhelmed for a moment. Nothing more."

Ethan picked up the conversation. "Don't misunderstand."

One with red-rimmed eyes looking pitiful, one with a soothing tone and evasive gaze.

I suddenly wanted to laugh.

Their panic wasn't about me misunderstanding, was it?

They were just afraid I'd tell Grandfather, afraid this marriage would fall apart, afraid Lydia's days in the Quinn family would become even worse.

"I understand."

I nodded.

"I get it."

Lydia bit her lower lip, those wet eyes looking at me with careful pleading.

"Sophia, Ethan was hurt because of me. I feel terrible about it. I want to stay and take care of him for a few days, even if it's just bringing him water."

Before I could respond, Ethan spoke first from the bed.

"Grandfather is furious right now. Her days at the estate aren't easy. Let her stay here temporarily for a few days. When Grandfather calms down, she can go back."

He seemed to be asking, but his tone brooked no refusal.

I smiled.

"As long as you two think it's fine, I have no objections."

"I knew it! Sophia, you're so magnanimous and understanding!"

Lydia beamed with joy and just like that, moved into our villa.

That night.

In the dead of night, my phone suddenly vibrated with a message notification.

Ethan picked up his phone to look, then glanced sideways at me. After confirming I was asleep, he slowly got up and left the room.

In the darkness, I opened my eyes, got up as well, and walked to the guest room door.

Light leaked through the door crack, casting the shadows of two intertwined figures.

"Does it still hurt?"

Lydia's voice was full of heartache.

"Seeing those wounds, my heart is breaking..."

Ethan cupped her face and lowered his head, kissing her wet eyes.

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

His voice carried a tenderness I'd never heard before.

"Don't worry. I can move around now. I'll be fine soon."

Lydia tilted her face up, tears streaming.

"Don't protect me like that next time. Seeing you hurt makes me suffer a thousand, ten thousand times more than if I were hurt myself..."

Ethan's thumb caressed her cheek.

"Silly girl. I told you I'd protect you. No matter how badly I'm hurt, it's my willing choice."

Lydia's eyes grew hazy. Suddenly she stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips.

Ethan seemed ignited. The next second, he bent down and swept Lydia up in his arms.

Walking to the bed in a few steps, he laid her down and pressed himself on top of her, kissing her lips as his hands began to roam restlessly.

"Mmm... Ethan..."

Lydia's breathing was unsteady.

"Isn't this bad, doing this here? What if we wake Sophia?"

Ethan's kisses traveled down her neck, his voice muffled but certain.

"She won't wake up. She sleeps deeply since getting pregnant. Not even thunder would wake her."

I stood outside the door, watching that nauseating entanglement.

They were actually so desperate they couldn't control themselves, having an affair right under my nose.

This was the good man I once believed in. My good husband.

This was the woman I'd sincerely treated as family, whom I'd pitied as a young widow.

Sophia's POV

Just before dawn, the master bedroom door was gently pushed open.

Ethan returned to the bedside silently like a ghost.

He softly called my name once. After confirming I was still asleep, he lifted the covers and lay down.

I had my back to him. In the faint light of dawn seeping through the curtains, I opened my eyes.

In the days that followed, a bizarre calm settled over the villa.

Lydia, under the pretense of caring for the injured, had practically become half the lady of the house.

In the mornings, she'd wear silk robes while making coffee for Ethan, her fingertips "accidentally" brushing his hand.

In the afternoon garden, she'd stand on tiptoe to straighten Ethan's collar, her lips nearly touching his chin.

Every time, I carefully took note but continued pretending not to know, as if I'd seen nothing.

"Next week is Grandfather's seventy-fifth birthday."

That evening at dinner, Ethan cut his steak and said casually,

"We're celebrating at the estate this year. We'll need to stay overnight."

Lydia's knife and fork paused in mid-air.

"Got it."

I scooped up a spoonful of soup and agreed.

On the birthday, the Quinn estate was filled with guests. Nearly every prominent figure in the city attended.

Ethan held my hand, playing the loving couple in front of others.

Lydia wore an elegant moonlight-white dress, sitting quietly in a corner. Occasionally when her gaze met Ethan's, tender affection that only they understood flowed between them.

When the banquet ended and guests dispersed, it was already evening.

I'd been standing in high heels all day. My calves ached terribly.

I was about to go upstairs to rest when a young maid hurried over carrying a fruit plate.

The maid's face was pale as she pleaded,

"I suddenly have terrible stomach pain... This fruit plate is supposed to go to your grandfather. Could you... help me deliver it?"

Thinking it was just a small favor, I nodded and took it.

"Give it to me."

"Thank you!"

The maid looked relieved, clutching her stomach as she hurried away.

Grandfather's bedroom was at the end of the hallway. The door was ajar, light spilling from inside.

I approached, about to raise my hand to knock.

A dull thud of something heavy hitting the floor suddenly came from inside.

My heart jumped. Without thinking further, I pushed the door open with my elbow.

The scene before me made my blood freeze instantly.

Grandfather lay face-up on the carpet beside the bed, while Lydia gripped a down pillow with both hands, pressing it firmly over his nose and mouth.

Her profile in the lamplight appeared twisted and vicious, her eyes full of malice. Completely different from her usual weak and pitiful appearance.

"Grandpa!"

The fruit plate slipped from my hands. I gasped in disbelief and lunged forward, shoving Lydia away.

"Lydia! What are you doing?!"

Caught off guard, Lydia was pushed to the floor. She screamed, hurriedly dropping the pillow, her face drained of all color, trembling violently.

I was about to reach out to check Grandfather's breathing when Ethan and other Quinn family members burst in after hearing the commotion.

Ethan saw Grandfather collapsed on the floor. His pupils constricted sharply.

"What happened?!"

"Grandfather! Grandfather, what's wrong?"

Other Quinn family members crowded in, crying out in shock at the scene.

"Quick! Call an ambulance! Now!"

After Ethan shouted, he rushed over like a gust of wind, crouched down, carefully lifted Grandfather, and urgently pressed his fingers to the carotid artery.

Chaos erupted.

The ambulance arrived quickly. Grandfather was lifted onto a stretcher and sent to the hospital, straight into the emergency room.

The situation was critical, life and death uncertain.

In the Quinn estate's main hall, the atmosphere was unbearably heavy.

The main Quinn family members gathered there, everyone's faces somber.

Ethan returned from the hospital to the estate. When he entered the hall, his expression was even darker than when he'd left.

"What exactly happened?"

His voice was low, carrying the feeling of an approaching storm, each word like ice.

"Grandpa was perfectly fine. How did he suddenly suffocate and fall unconscious? Who did this?"

Everyone's eyes focused on Lydia and me: some suspicious, some scrutinizing, some furious.

When they all heard the commotion and rushed to the room, there were only two people inside besides Grandfather: Lydia and me.

Only we knew what had happened.

I opened my mouth, about to speak.

"It was... it was Sophia!"

Sophia's POV

I looked at Lydia in shock as she suddenly cried out.

Lydia's face was deathly pale. She raised a trembling hand, pointing at me, tears streaming down.

"It was Sophia! I saw it with my own eyes... saw her holding the pillow, covering Grandfather's nose and mouth! I tried to stop her, but it was too late..."

"You're lying!"

All the blood in my body rushed to my head.

"It was you! I saw you with my own eyes holding the pillow over Grandfather's face!"

I turned to Ethan, explaining urgently.

"Ethan, you have to believe me! I went to bring Grandfather fruit. When I pushed the door open, I saw Lydia using the pillow to smother him! She's the one trying to kill Grandfather! That pillow must have Lydia's fingerprints on it. We just need to test it!"

"That won't be necessary."

Ethan abruptly cut me off, his voice so low it was alarming.

His gaze fell on my face, his eyes full of cold scrutiny, as if looking at a stranger.

"Lydia would never do such a thing."

He said each word deliberately.

"I believe her."

"You believe her?"

I couldn't believe it. My whole body trembled.

"You won't even investigate before believing her?"

Ethan's face was iron-gray, his eyes flashing with terrifying coldness.

"Lydia's been married into the Quinn family for so many years. We've all seen what kind of person she is. She's usually so gentle she wouldn't even step on an ant. How could she possibly dare harm Grandfather?"

"Then what about me? Grandfather has always treated me well. What reason would I have to harm him?"

"Yes, I'd very much like to ask you."

Ethan's handsome face was as cold as frost.

"Grandfather has always treated you well. Why were you so ruthless as to attack him?"

My whole body shook. I was utterly shocked.

I'd expected him to protect Lydia, but I never imagined he'd be so blind to the truth.

"Ethan."

An older Quinn family member spoke gravely.

"Your grandfather's life still hangs in the balance. This matter must be severely punished."

"Yes, he must be given justice!"

"We absolutely cannot let the culprit go free!"

The Quinn family members chimed in, looking at me with disgust and fury.

Ethan was silent for a moment, then finally raised his hand. "Someone come."

Two bodyguards entered at his command.

"Take her to the police station." Ethan's voice was ice cold.

"On charges of attempted murder."

"Ethan!" Cold seeped through me from the inside out.

"You can't do this to me. I'm carrying your child!"

This was my only bargaining chip now.

Though only I knew the child was already gone.

But at this moment, this was the only way I could think of to delay and wait for the truth to come out.

"Even if you really don't believe me."

My voice choked, carrying a last shred of hope.

"At least wait until Grandfather wakes up and hear what he has to say..."

"Take her away."

Ethan didn't look at me, only uttering two words to the bodyguards.

The bodyguards stepped forward, gripping my arms from both sides.

"Ethan!"

I struggled, my voice shrill.

"Please, at least wait until Grandfather wakes up..."

"If Grandfather can wake up."

Ethan finally looked at me, his eyes colder than I'd ever seen.

"Perhaps I'll consider hearing your explanation. But now, you should pay for what you've done."

"You can't do this, Ethan! I'm your wife. I'm carrying your child!"

No matter how I struggled, argued, or pleaded, I couldn't soften Ethan's heart. The bodyguards forcibly dragged me away.

The following days were the darkest period of my life.

I was locked in a detention center. The female inmates looked at me like I was prey.

At first, it was just verbal abuse, then it escalated to shoving, and then...

"I heard she's a vicious woman who tried to kill her own grandfather?"

"Looks so innocent on the outside, but has such a black heart!"

"Someone paid big money for us to teach her a lesson!"

Fists, slaps, fingernails digging into flesh. All aimed at me.

The most painful was late at night, when they'd press me down on the filthy bathroom floor and pour cold water over my head again and again.

The cold water soaked through my thin prison uniform. The bone-chilling cold made my teeth chatter, but it couldn't compare to one ten-thousandth of the cold in my heart.

I'd fantasized countless times that Ethan would appear, investigate the truth, and take me out.

But one day, two days, three days... hope gradually extinguished.

On the afternoon of the seventh day, a guard opened the cell door.

"Sophia Wright, someone's posting bail for you."

I struggled to get up from the floor. My whole body was covered in injuries, my left eye so swollen I could barely open it, dried blood still at the corner of my mouth.

I stumbled out of the detention center. The harsh sunlight made me dizzy.

A black sedan was parked in front. Ethan leaned against the car, a cigarette between his fingers.

Seeing me in this state, his expression didn't waver. He just looked up slightly.

"Get in."

I stood still, my voice so hoarse it didn't sound like my own.

"Has Grandfather... woken up?"

Ethan's smoking motion paused.

Through the cigarette smoke, his face was somewhat blurred.

"The doctor said his brain was severely deprived of oxygen. He's become a vegetable. The chances of him waking up are minimal."

My heart sank to rock bottom.

Sophia's POV

"However."

Ethan threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with his shoe.

"Considering you're still carrying Quinn family blood in your belly, the family has decided to temporarily not pursue criminal charges against you."

He opened the car door.

"But from now on, you're no longer my wife, no longer part of the Quinn family. Once the child is born, I'll divorce you."

I looked at him and laughed.

Laughed until tears came out.

"Ethan."

I said softly.

"You're going to regret this. One day, you'll know how ridiculous today's choice was."

Ethan frowned, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately just turned aside.

"Get in. Don't make me say it a third time."

I wanted to refuse, but the words stuck in my throat.

I knew resistance was meaningless.

Besides, all my documents were still at the villa. I had to go back to get them before I could leave.

Half an hour later, the car pulled into the familiar villa courtyard.

But after stepping into the villa, the scene before me made me stop in my tracks.

Several servants were moving things out of the master bedroom.

My clothes, jewelry, cosmetics, even my cherished books and photo albums: all carelessly stuffed into cardboard boxes, piled in the hallway like trash.

"Hurry up."

Lydia commanded imperiously.

"Throw anything useless into the storage room."

She looked up and saw me, a victorious smile curving her lips.

"You're back?"

Coming before me, she looked me up and down in my disheveled state, saying smugly,

"Starting today, this villa has a new mistress. Naturally, the master bedroom is no longer yours either."

She raised her hand, pointing to a narrow door at the end of the hallway.

"From now on, you'll live there."

I found this utterly absurd and laughable.

I looked at Ethan mockingly.

"Your grandfather is still lying unconscious in the hospital, and instead of investigating the truth, you let this woman move into our bedroom? Can you face him after doing this?"

"Grandfather became like this because of you. That's the truth."

Ethan's face was terrifyingly dark.

"If not for the child in your belly, you'd still be in jail right now instead of standing here questioning me."

He raised his chin toward a nearby servant.

"Take her to the storage room. From today on, she lives there until the child is born."

Two servants stepped forward, gripping my arms from both sides.

The storage room was worse than I'd imagined.

Less than a hundred square feet, filled with old junk, the smell of mold mixed with the pungent odor of cleaning agents, nauseating.

The servants carelessly threw my belongings on the floor.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll be responsible for cleaning the entire villa every day."

Lydia stood in the doorway, her smile sweet but vicious.

"Because the Quinn family doesn't support freeloaders."

She paused slightly, as if remembering something.

"Oh, and don't think about running away or contacting anyone, because it would be futile. Your phone has been confiscated. I've also instructed everyone that no one in this villa dares lend you a phone. Before the child in your belly is born, someone will watch you every moment of every day."

With those words, the door slammed shut heavily.

I dug my fingertips deep into my palm, trying hard to calm my emotions, then turned to rummage through the pile of belongings for a long time, finally finding all my identification documents.

I gripped those documents tightly. I had to endure for now, endure until I found a chance to escape.

In the days that followed, before dawn each day, I was dragged from the storage room by servants to begin the day's labor.

Scrubbing floors, cleaning toilets, washing mountains of dishes, tending to wildly overgrown weeds in the garden... any slacking off resulted in kicks from the servants watching me.

My three meals were the cold leftovers everyone else didn't finish.

As for Ethan and Lydia...

If before, with Grandfather keeping them in check, they still exercised some restraint and only dared to sneak around...

Now with Grandfather down, they had completely thrown caution to the wind.

The living room sofa, the study desk, the dining table, even the garden swing... everywhere bore traces of their lovemaking.

Several times late at night, tossing and turning on the narrow bed in the storage room, I could hear moans and panting from the other side of the wall, obscene and unbearable.

The gentle consideration that once moved my heart. How laughable it all seemed now.

This afternoon at noon, the sun blazed overhead.

I was ordered to clean the pool.

I crouched by the pool's edge, scrubbing the walls bit by bit with a brush.

At the other end of the pool, water splashed everywhere.

Lydia wore a sexy bikini, her whole body clinging to Ethan, laughing coquettishly.

The servant watching me was a middle-aged woman, currently leaning back in a lounge chair dozing off, obviously drowsy from the stifling afternoon heat.

My scrubbing motion paused slightly.

I raised my eyes, quickly scanning the surroundings.

Ethan and Lydia were immersed in their own world, not paying attention to me.

The villa gate was at the end of the garden, about fifty meters away.

My heart pounded violently in my chest.

I gently set down the brush, pretending to reach for the hose in the corner, but used the cover of the bushes to inch bit by bit toward the gate.

Five meters, ten meters, twenty meters...

Behind me came Lydia's coquettish complaint.

"Ethan, my shoulders are so sore. Massage them for me..."

Ethan chuckled lowly. "Where? Here?"

Panting sounds resumed.

I held my breath and finally reached the gate.

I looked back once.

The servant was still dozing. Those two were still entwined in the water.

Now. This was the best chance to escape.

I gripped the documents in my pocket tightly.

Then without looking back, I slipped out silently.