Ambrose Walker liked everything that made his heart race.
He had tried every extreme sport under the sun,and his girlfriends only got younger with time.But not once did he bring a single woman home.
In the eighth year of our marriage,he had a paragliding accident.When he finally opened his eyes,the first person he saw was Millicent Turner,who had simply wandered into the wrong hospital room.
From that moment on,he clung to the belief that she was the girl he had loved with all his heart.
He showered her with luxury cars,handed her the keys to grand mansions,flew in oceans of roses from overseas,and even bid on diamonds worth hundreds of millions.
Just to see Millicent smile,he forced me to dance on a frozen lake at minus-five degrees.
I wore a thin,fluttering dress and performed again and again on the cracking ice until my body finally gave in and collapsed.
When Millicent played a racing game,she deliberately switched it to turbo mode and crashed straight into me.
My leg snapped,and blood-soaked my abdomen.
Ambrose barely frowned as he said coldly,“She’s still young.She doesn’t know any better.”
Clutching my stomach,I dragged my shattered leg and limped my way to his parents.
“The debt I owed your family is finally paid in full.”
While drinking alone late at night,laughter spilled from the private room next door,it was Ambrose and his friends.
“Ambrose,aren’t you afraid Jasmine will really leave you one day?”
“She’s head over heels for me.Once I’m done playing around,a few sweet lines and she’ll come crawling back.”
“The wife your parents chose,she’s lifeless in bed.How could she ever compete with Millicent,who actually knows how to tease a man?”
I let out a low laugh.
After enduring 99 betrayals,this would be the last.
——
——
I gently swirled the wine in my glass.After all these years of marriage,I rarely drank.
The club’s soundproofing was terrible.Every word from the next room bled through the walls,cutting deep.
“Ambrose,aren’t you afraid Jasmine might really divorce you?”
Ambrose’s cold laugh sliced through me like a blade.“Her?She loves me to death.A few sweet words,and she’ll come running back.”
The sound of clinking glasses followed,crisp,mocking.
“A wife arranged by the family,like a dead fish in bed.She’s nothing compared to Millicent.That girl knows how to drive a man crazy.”
I froze as if someone had poured ice water over my soul.
I threw back a mouthful of wine,the sharp burn searing down my throat.
At some point,a single white strand had quietly settled into my palm.
By 2 a.m.,I dragged my weary body back to the villa.The moment I pushed open the door,a pungent stench hit me like a slap.Scattered across the floor were women’s underwear and a man’s tie,and a black stocking dangled carelessly from the stair railing.
I stopped in my tracks,ready to turn and disappear unnoticed.
“Stop.”
Ambrose descended the spiral staircase with Millicent cradled in his arms.She wore nothing but his shirt,her neck marked with red traces of indulgence.
“Clean this place up,”he said lazily,his fingers brushing her waist like she was his prized possession.
Seeing me rooted to the spot,he grabbed my wrist,his grip unrelenting.“Not cleaning?Fine,I’ll dock the staff’s salary for an entire year.”
He knew my weakness far too well.I couldn’t bear for the servants to resent me.
So I knelt on the cold marble floor and quietly picked up every last trace of their shameless indulgence.
Millicent giggled,curling deeper into Ambrose’s embrace as he fed her grapes one by one,his fingertips flirting with her lips.
When I finished,I walked toward him.“Ambrose,let’s div—”
“Oh—”Millicent suddenly gagged.
Ambrose’s face shifted instantly.“Millicent?Don’t tell me…”
Then he turned to me,his voice like ice.“Go buy a pregnancy test.Now.”
The late autumn wind cut against my skin like needles as I stood outside the 24-hour pharmacy,my heart strangled by something cold and invisible.
By the time I returned,the test showed two red lines.Ambrose’s face lit up like the sun had risen just for him.
Chapter 2
"I want to live in the master bedroom,"Millicent pouted."I heard south-facing rooms are better for the baby."
Ambrose didn’t even lift his eyes.“Jasmine,move to the basement.”
Millicent’s gaze drifted to the diamond bracelet on my wrist.“That diamond looks lovely.I heard it’s especially good for pregnant women…”
It was the bracelet he had fastened on me the night we were married.Silently,I slipped it off and placed it in her hand.
I had long known Millicent wasn’t like the others.
He never brought the woman before her home.But for Millicent,he faked amnesia,made me dance on a frozen lake to amuse her,and let her ram into me on the racetrack,shattering my leg.
I walked into the basement,greeted by the stench of dampness and dust.
Upstairs,the faint creaking of a bed echoed through the silence.
I curled up on the hard mattress,eyes wide open,listening to the sound of betrayal that didn’t stop until dawn.
Then came Millicent’s shrill giggles from the living room,slicing through the morning air.
I shot up and rushed to my former bedroom,checking frantically that my documents were still untouched.Only after gathering them into a bag did I feel the first flicker of calm.
I had made my decision:I would divorce him and move to a city far in the north.
“Jasmine,what are you looking for?”
Millicent stood leaning on the doorframe,arms folded,draped in silk and smugness.Her eyes locked onto the diamond pendant at my chest,and her lips curled.
“That pendant is gorgeous!”
I instinctively clutched the pendant to my chest and took a step back.“It belonged to my grandfather.I can’t give it to you.”
She sneered but didn’t press further;she just followed me down the stairs like a shadow.
Halfway down,she suddenly leaned close and hissed,“Jasmine,everything in this villa will be mine.Once I give birth to the Walker family heir,do you think you’ll still have a place here?”
I picked up my pace,wanting to escape her venom,but at the stairwell’s curve,she suddenly yanked me backward.“Give it to me!”
“Let go!”I twisted instinctively to break free.
But before I could catch my balance,Millicent let out a piercing scream.“Ah!”
In the next breath,she dragged me down the stairs with her.
My lower back slammed hard into the edge of a step.A sharp crack echoed in my ears,followed by blinding pain that shot through my spine.For a moment,everything went black.
“Millicent!”Ambrose’s voice thundered from the doorway.
He charged forward.I opened my mouth to speak,but before a word escaped,his foot slammed into my chest.
I crashed into the wall,the impact knocking the air out of my lungs.Blood spilled from my lips as searing pain exploded in my ribs.
“Ambrose…it hurts…”Millicent whimpered in his arms.
Ambrose scooped her up and shot me a cold,murderous glare.“If anything happens to her,you’re dead.”
Hours later,a servant finally found me and rushed me to the hospital.
The sharp scent of disinfectant stung my nose.The doctor studied the X-ray,his brows furrowed deeply.“Her third rib is fractured.We need to…”
“Draw her blood.Now!”Ambrose stormed into the exam room,his white shirt soaked in Millicent’s blood.
“She’s hemorrhaging.They have the same blood type.”
The doctor hesitated,glancing at my fragile figure.“But she’s severely malnourished.Drawing blood now could put her life at risk.”
Ambrose grabbed him by the collar,eyes burning.“This hospital belongs to the Walker family.Say one more word,and you’re out.”
A cold needle slid into my vein.Warm blood flowed slowly through the tube as though draining what little strength I had left.
Ambrose held out a cup.“Drink some water,”he said,an offer he had never made before.
I turned my head away,silent.With a sneer,he hurled the cup at the nightstand.It shattered with a sharp bang,just inches from my hand.
Chapter 3
After they drew my blood,he walked out without sparing me a glance.
I lay there on the cold hospital bed,shivering between waves of fever and chills.My body trembled uncontrollably until darkness swallowed me whole.
When I woke again,night had already fallen outside the window.
The IV bag still hung beside me,half full of nutrient solution.Just outside the door,I heard Alora Walker’s piercing voice echoing through the hallway.
“cheap woman!Can’t even bear a child,and now you want to curse the entire Walker bloodline?”
The door burst open with a violent kick.
Before I could even whisper the word“Mom,”her hand struck across my cheek.The sting shot through my skull,leaving me dizzy and stunned.
“You want a divorce so badly?Then get out!Now!”Her usual gentle mask had twisted into something ugly and cruel.“If it weren’t for your family’s connections,do you really think we’d let a barren hen like you into our home?”
My lips moved,but all I could manage was a hoarse,“I’m sorry,Mom.”
She didn’t look back.After striking me,she stormed off toward Millicent’s ward.
My fingers instinctively brushed my lower abdomen.
There had once been a child there,too.
That day,Ambrose had insisted I join them for a“fun”racing game.
I remembered how Millicent had turned to me with a wicked smile.And then,without warning,she floored the accelerator and crashed her go-kart straight into mine.
I tumbled to the ground in agony,clutching my stomach,while Ambrose’s voice rang cold in the air,calm and careless.
“She’s just a kid.Don’t take it so seriously.She was only playing.”
They left me lying there at the edge of the track,like discarded debris,without even glancing back.
I lost the baby.While I was confined to a hospital bed,recovering from the miscarriage,Millicent sent video after video of her and Ambrose vacationing in the Maldives.Laughing.Smiling.As if nothing had happened.
But there had been good days once.
When we first got married,Ambrose would bring home desserts from my favorite bakery.Even when he worked late,he’d quietly tiptoe through the door,careful not to wake me.Back then,I really believed this marriage,arranged by our grandparents,might grow into something real.A home.A future.
But my father saw wealth and wanted more.
Believing I had married into gold,he shamelessly asked the Walker family for money.Again and again.
Then came that one roadshow.
He barged into the event,drunk and loud,shattering everything I had worked for.
“Ambrose!My daughter married you,and this is how you treat your father-in-law?Give me five hundred thousand,or I’ll tell the media she’s in love with someone else!”
The entire event collapsed in chaos.My reputation along with it.
And when he died in a drunk driving accident not long after,Ambrose didn’t even show up to the funeral.
All of it came rushing back,every moment,every wound.Tears streamed silently down my face.
That night,a high fever consumed me.My body burned at 39 degrees.In my fevered haze,I thought I saw him sitting by my bed,brows drawn in concern.
But when I opened my eyes,there was no one there.
I scrolled through my Instagram feed,my heart sinking as I saw Millicent’s latest post.Ambrose had bought her a yacht.And to make it worse,he’d named it after her,Millicent.
Before I could even process it,my phone rang,shattering my thoughts.
“Hello,Mrs.Walker.This is Evander Russell from Orion Banquet Planning,”a cheerful voice greeted me.“President Walker specifically instructed us to reserve the finest venue for your baby’s hundred-day banquet and arranged a professional photography team…”
I didn’t let him finish.I hung up the phone,feeling a lump form in my throat as if my words had been swallowed by thick cotton.
The day I was discharged came,but no one came to pick me up.I hailed a cab,dragging my recovering body back to the villa.
When I pushed open the door,I found Millicent lounging on the sofa,sipping vegetable soup.A servant knelt before her,gently massaging her feet.
“Oh,you’re back?”she sneered.
Then,Ambrose appeared,descending the stairs.His frown deepened when he saw me.“Jasmine,from today on,you’ll be in charge of preparing Millicent’s meals.She’s been struggling with severe morning sickness,and you need to…”
Before he could finish,I turned and walked straight toward the basement,not sparing him a glance.
Chapter 4
Ambrose kicked my suitcase,sending it flying,clothes scattering across the floor like broken dreams.
He grabbed my chin,forcing me to meet his eyes.“I’m talking to you.Are you deaf?”
I stared at him,my voice unnervingly calm.“Since Millicent’s pregnant,let’s just get a divorce.I’ll move out,and you can take care of her.”
For a moment,he froze,and then,in a flash,his rage erupted.He slammed me into the wall.“Jasmine!What are you pretending now?!”
His breath was hot against my face.“Don’t worry.As long as you behave,the title of Mrs.Walker will always be yours.”
I let out a hollow laugh,the sound echoing through the room.Tears rolled down my cheeks.
For eight years,what had that title ever given me except mockery?
I had studied Michelin-star cuisine for him,only to watch him flirt with other women at restaurants.I had tried to dress the way he liked,only to overhear him mock me on the phone,calling me a cheap knockoff.
For a brief second,his expression softened,but it vanished as quickly as it came,replaced by cold indifference.“Jasmine,don’t mistake my kindness for weakness.”
I bent down to pick up my scattered clothes,and my fingers brushed against something.It was a photo,half-hidden in the suitcase.It was from when we first got married.In that picture,Ambrose was smiling at me with a warmth that seemed genuine,a love I could hardly believe ever existed.
Just as I was dragging my suitcase toward the door,my phone rang.
“Hello?Is this the family of Olivia Easton?She took a fall and was brought to our hospital.We suspect she has a cerebral hemorrhage and may need emergency brain surgery.Please come as soon as possible.”
The blood drained from my face.
I spun around,my nails digging into my palm.“Ambrose!Can I borrow a hundred thousand?My grandmother…”
Years of being the perfect wife,obedient and dutiful,had never prepared me for this.Now,when I needed help the most,I realized I didn’t even have a hundred thousand to my name.
His dark expression shifted into one of amusement.Slowly,he loosened his tie.“Oh?What a coincidence.”
Millicent had somehow sidled up to him,drawing circles on his chest with her finger.
“Sister Jasmine,”she said in her syrupy voice,“I just heard last week that your grandma’s in great shape,still dancing in the village square!”
She tilted her head,offering a fake,innocent smile.“Lying about your grandma to get money?That’ll bring bad karma.”
Ambrose’s gaze turned cold.
He pulled a stack of checks from his wallet,waving them in front of me.“A hundred thousand,sure.”
A cruel smile curled at the corners of his lips.“But first,go buy us some things and toys that we will need for the night.”
I bit down hard on my lip,the taste of blood flooding my mouth.
“Fine.”The word was squeezed out through clenched teeth.Behind me,Millicent chirped,“Make sure they’re strawberry-flavored.”
I rushed out into the pouring rain,tears,and rainwater blurring my vision.The clerk at the convenience store gave me a strange look,but I no longer cared.
When I returned,panting and soaked,the lights upstairs were on.I could faintly hear Millicent’s coquettish giggles and Ambrose’s low groans.
Suddenly,the door opened.Ambrose leaned lazily against the doorframe,looking down at me.
“Go wash Millicent’s underwear.”
His voice was light,almost casual,but it cut through me like a knife.
I clenched my fists;my head lowered as I walked to the bathroom.
Cold water ran over my fingers as I mechanically scrubbed the lace fabric,the sounds from upstairs growing more humiliating with each passing second.
Finally,I trembled as I knocked on the bedroom door.
Chapter 5
“Ambrose!I did everything you asked.The money,can I have it now?”
The door was suddenly flung open.Ambrose’s eyes were filled with cold,unyielding brutality.
He let out a cruel laugh,tore a check from his stack,and threw it at my face.
“Addicted to playing the pitiful victim,are you?”
The check fluttered to the ground.I bent down to pick it up,my eyes brimming with tears.
But I couldn’t cry;Grandma was still waiting for me.
Clutching the check tightly,I ran out the door and hailed a taxi,heading straight for the hospital.
“Relative of Olivia Easton?”A nurse glanced at me,her tone sharp and unfriendly.“The old lady couldn’t wait for you,afraid of the expense.She left on her own!Do you think cerebral hemorrhages can wait?Go find her now!”
It felt like lightning struck me.Panic surged as I rushed back to the countryside.When I pushed open the courtyard door,Grandma was already lying on the ground,her face ashen.
“Grandma!”
At the hospital,the doctor took off his mask and shook his head,his eyes filled with regret.“She was delayed too long.My condolences.”
I dropped to my knees,clutching his sleeve,my voice hoarse as I begged,“Please!Try again!I have money now!I really have money!”
But Grandma would never wake again.
I didn’t eat or drink,keeping vigil in the old house through the night,my tears running dry.
At dawn,my phone vibrated.Millicent sent me a video.She was naked,straddling Ambrose,giggling as she said,“The doctor said the first three months are fine.”
I quickly shut off the video,nausea rising in my throat.
I pushed open the creaky wooden door,and there,on the village path,was a Bentley,oddly out of place.
A group of people in suits surrounded a tall man who was pointing toward something in the distance.
“President Campbell,this land is perfect for a resort development…”
The man turned,and our eyes locked.His pupils contracted sharply.
The next moment,my world spun.
In a daze,someone rushed forward to catch my falling body,the cool scent of grass and trees enveloping me.
“Arrange a helicopter!Now!Immediately!”
Amid the roar of the blades,darkness swallowed me.
