My best friend and I had been married to the Blackwood brothers for three years when their first love returned.

At a family dinner, to defend his first love, my best friend's husband slapped her without mercy.

When I arrived, she threw herself into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably:

"Babe, I can't take this anymore. That bastard actually hit me for his first love!"

"I want to run away. What about you?"

Thinking of how cold Sebastian Blackwood had become since Vivian White returned—the distant looks, the frequent nights he never came home— I couldn't help but smile bitterly:

"If you run, I'll run. We'll go together."

We planned for a long time, finally managing to board a flight abroad without anyone knowing.

But just as I took my seat, I came face to face with Sebastian's glacial expression.

And just like that, we were caught, taken back, and locked in the Blackwood family's dark room to reflect on our actions.

Just as I was racking my brain, trying to figure out which part of our escape plan had gone wrong, my best friend suddenly spoke up weakly:

"I'm sorry, babe... I was just trying to do what's best for you..."

*****

For a moment,I just stared blankly at my close friend Annie Sullivan，taking a second to fully process what she had just said.

"What do you mean?"

Annie was already afraid of the dark, and hearing my emotionless question, she completely broke down.

She shrank back, finally revealing the truth cautiously:

"I'll tell you, just don't get mad."

"Sebastian is the head of the entire Blackwood Group, after all. He's incredibly sharp!

He noticed something was off with us a long time ago!"

"On the morning we were leaving for the airport, I’d just swung my suitcase out the door—and there he was, blocking my path with a face colder than a midwinter night. He was there specifically to block me!"

"You know how scared I am of your husband, especially when he's stone-faced and his intimidating aura is on full display. So when he started grilling me, I didn't even dare to make up a lie. I had to tell him our plan..."

I never would have imagined that our escape plan failed because of a mole!

I was seething with anger, but seeing the genuine fear and apology written all over Annie's small face, I couldn't help but soften a little.

A headache.

I rubbed my head and helplessly softened my tone.

"Then why didn't you tell me on the way to the airport?"

"Even if he knew, we could have canceled the plan to throw him off, and then figured something else out later."

"But now, he's the one who has something on us..."

At the mention of this, Annie got angry:

"It's all Sebastian's fault!"

"I thought that even if he was going to stop us, he would just take you back. I never expected him to interfere with me too!"

"I'm not his wife!"

...Such a naive thought.

My best friend is wonderful in every way, except she's far too naive.

Sometimes to the point of being foolish.

The Blackwood brothers' father died young. Sebastian considers himself the eldest brother as a father figure. Since he knew our plan, how could he possibly not get involved with her?

Besides, she had just been humiliated at the family dinner a couple of days ago. If she left alone at a time like this, what kind of rumors would start spreading outside?

I sighed, closing my eyes wearily to hide my emotions.

I had put so much effort into planning this escape.

Annie watched my expression cautiously, so panicked she was on the verge of tears.

She suddenly hugged my thigh tightly, her lip jutting out a mile.

"Oh, I was wrong, babe. Please don't be mad, okay?"

"I was just trying to do what's best for you. Before I told him, I thought about it carefully. Sebastian is actually really good to you. He gives you whatever you want."

"If you really left with me, we might have had to live a hard life for a long time."

"I couldn't bear to see you suffer. If you could stay with Sebastian, it would be a form of protection for you."

She paused, her expression suddenly turning bitter.

"Hmph, anyway, Ethan Blackwood definitely doesn't want me anymore."

"I don't believe for a second that Sebastian didn't tell him immediately after finding out our plan."

"But look, he had no reaction to me leaving. He didn't even try to stop me."

"It doesn't matter if you run away or not, but he really doesn't love me anymore."

Seeing her tears, whatever anger I had was extinguished in an instant.

My heart ached as I hugged her tightly. Just as I was about to comfort her, the door of the dark room was suddenly kicked open.

Ethan stood in the doorway, scowling at my best friend.

"Annie, you've gotten bold!

A person who gets lost five hundred meters from home dares to run away?

Who gave you the guts?"

"So I slapped you the other day — what's the big deal?

You've hit me plenty of times since we were kids, haven't you?

Really?"

They were childhood sweethearts, and every argument they had basically involved dredging up the past.

Sure enough, hearing him say that, Annie leaped to her feet and said angrily:

"How can you compare what happened before to that day?"

Exactly—it was all just childhood nonsense! Why are you bringing it up now?

Ethan's eye twitched. He crossed his arms and looked at her, his face expressionless.

"Right, messing around."

"When we were nine, you waited until I stood up to answer a question in class, then sneakily pulled my chair away. I fell straight down and hit my head on the desk behind me—hard enough to get a mild concussion."

"When we were thirteen, you tied my feet together with my own shoelaces while I was sleeping. I broke a bone, and spent one month in the hospital."

"In your eyes, all of that was just 'messing around.' We've known each other for so many years, and all I did was slap you once. I've been more than fair, don't you think?"

This kind of bickering was practically their daily routine.

Watching from the side, I couldn't help but feel a trace of envy.

Annie was rendered speechless. She panted a few times, her expression turning completely cold.

"No matter what, you still slapped me for another woman."

"Ethan, I'll remember this for the rest of my life."

"Even if I can't get away today, we are getting a divorce."

Anyone who knew her knew that as long as she could argue and make a scene, nothing was ever a big deal.

But if she didn't even have the energy to argue, it meant her heart was truly broken.

Ethan realized the gravity of the situation and knew he couldn't coax her out of it anytime soon. His expression finally turned serious.

He sighed and suddenly turned to look at me.

"Luna, you should stop watching the show. You're the one who needs to reflect on your actions today."

"Annie and I do have some conflicts and misunderstandings to resolve, but my older brother has been very respectful to you these three years you've been married. He's given you all the dignity a wife of a wealthy family deserves."

"You really shouldn't have been fooling around with Annie today."

Annie sniffled, unable to hold back her question:

"Yeah, I never got to ask—why did you decide to come with me?"

"Sebastian has always seemed respectful to you. He never embarrassed you in public, he's willing to give you money to spend, not like my situation..."

She shot a glare at Ethan and huffed:

"I have to leave!"

I froze, then lowered my eyes with a bitter smile.

Yes, respect.

Everyone else could see it clearly, even my best friend, who can be so dense, could tell.

All Sebastian ever had for me was respect.

I used to think that for a man as cold as him, giving me respect and dignity was all he was capable of giving.

But after Vivian returned, I realized he was capable of love after all.

Unlike Annie and Ethan, who were childhood sweethearts.

Sebastian and I were just in a strategic marriage alliance.

At first, I thought he was just calm and capable because he'd been the head of the Blackwood Group for so long.

Besides, since it was a strategic marriage alliance without any feelings, it was normal for him to be a bit cold to me.

But after three years, I often wondered if his coldness was a bit excessive.

We were husband and wife, but aside from being called back to the Blackwood manor for dinner and the polite morning and evening greetings, we had almost no other interaction.

Occasionally, if I tried to show some concern, I would only get a reply like:

"I don't like clingy women."

"Don't do unnecessary things."

If his mother hadn't been pressuring him so hard for a grandchild, he would have barely touched me more than five times a month.

Even when he did, he would just get to it like he was completing a task assigned by an elder, pulling away mercilessly to shower the moment it was over.

Without a hint of lingering affection or tenderness.

With him, I never felt even a shred of affection.

If I didn't have Annie for company in the villa, I'm afraid the loneliness would have driven me mad long ago.

I knew he wouldn't change for me, so I could only force myself to adapt to his personality and accept his coldness.

Until Vivian returned.

The day Sebastian received her call, I watched him carefully for a long time.

Longing, elation, reluctance, stubbornness.

That was the first time I had ever seen such a complex wave of emotions on Sebastian's perpetually frosty face.

It was only then that I realized how completely wrong I had been.

The day Vivian returned was also my birthday.

I had shamelessly begged him for days and finally got him to agree to act like a normal couple in love.

To go shopping with me, see a movie, and then have a candlelight dinner.

But after taking that call, he didn't even spare me another glance.

Before rushing out the door, he just casually brushed me off, saying:

"Something urgent came up at the office. I'll take you out when I get back later."

With that promise, I stubbornly put on exquisite makeup and waited for him for a very, very long time.

Because I knew that whenever he promised something, he would always follow through.

He never broke his word.

But I sat there, waiting from high noon until the moon hung high in the sky, my heart sinking bit by bit into an abyss.

At three in the morning, looking at the string of rejected calls on my phone, I dialed his number one more time.

I thought, Sebastian, this is the last chance I'm giving you.

If you reject it just one more time, I'll give up completely.

But this time, the call actually went through.

I froze. A flood of emotions rushed to my lips, and for a moment, I didn't know what to say.

But before I could speak, I heard suggestive gasps from the other end of the line.

Heated and intense.

And his low, hoarse chuckle.

"Kiss me."

Completely different from how he was with me in bed.

He didn't need to say another word. I already understood everything.

And my heart turned completely to ash.

So, he was never a silent mountain. He just wouldn't erupt for me.

...

After listening, my best friend pouted, lunged forward, and wrapped her arms tightly around my neck.

"Oh, honey, why didn't you tell me sooner? I had no idea you'd been suffering so much."

"If I had known, I wouldn't have told Sebastian our plan today, even if he'd skinned me alive!"

Ethan listened in silence, then hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"Luna, my brother, he..."

Annie, her eyes red, cut him off:

"Get out, get out, get out! You and your brother are both no good!"

She kicked and cursed until she finally drove Ethan out.

She turned back, saw the still-bitter expression on my face, and hugged me tightly again.

"Boo-hoo-hoo, how did we get so unlucky?"

"We trusted the wrong person..."

I sighed silently.

If you trust the wrong person, you should pull away in time.

I pulled myself together and forced a smile:

"It's okay, we still have a chance."

"We failed this time, so we'll just escape again."

"But next time, you're not allowed to sell me out again!"

At dinner, my best friend and I were finally let out.

Many of the Blackwood family elders had come to the villa, and unexpectedly, Vivian was there too.

Truth be told, among all the younger generation present, judging by family status alone, I was the least qualified to marry Sebastian.

I was only able to marry him because my family, the Riveras, had helped the Blackwood Group significantly when they were starting out.

Now, they call it a strategic marriage alliance, but it was really just to repay a debt of gratitude and give our family a leg up.

So, within the entire Blackwood family, my mother-in-law Charlotte Myers, made no secret of her contempt for me.

She had heard about us running away. With Annie, she was merely lightly admonishing.

But when she looked at me, her expression instantly changed, and she said in a passive-aggressive tone:

"Annie, after all, was genuinely wronged, so it's understandable if she throws a tantrum."

"Luna Rivera, as the wife of the eldest son of the Blackwood family, you should have been talking her out of it. How could you join in on the nonsense instead?"

"Truly from a minor family. You don't even use your brain when you do things. What a disgrace."

I wasn't just fooling around.

It was better that everyone was here, so we could clear the air.

I gave Vivian a cool glance and was about to speak.

But she beat me to it, cooing in a gentle, coquettish voice:

"Oh, Auntie, please don't be angry. I was also in the wrong in this matter. I came today specifically to explain."

"The day I returned to the country, I accidentally answered a call on Sebastian's phone from an unsaved number, but the person hung up without saying a word."

"Thinking back now, that call must have been from you, Luna, right? Did you run away from home because of some misunderstanding?"

She smiled gently, but her eyes held a hint of provocation.

The corner of my mouth twitched. I said, my face devoid of expression:

"So? What's your explanation?"

"What were you two doing that day?"

She smiled, feigning innocence:

"I had just gotten back that day, and I missed Sebastian so much, so we were just... catching up!"

Catching up? The kind that's so intimate all you can hear is panting?

How very emotional.

I sneered, about to expose the truth.

But Sebastian finally had enough and snapped:

"If anyone keeps this up, consider the meal over. Get out."

He kept his eyes down, not looking at anyone, as if warning everyone.

But I could feel his gaze fixed on me from the corner of his eye.

He was warning me.

But I had been perfectly behaved since I sat down, having said only that one thing.

Who was really causing the scene?

A bitter feeling rose in my heart. I held back for a long time, managing to keep my tears from falling.

Seeing this, Annie secretly squeezed my hand under the table and whispered:

"So, what's the plan? Are we starting this fight?

I'll back you up in a second!"

"We both married into the same family, wasn't it so we could form a united front in moments like this, to deal with a wicked mother-in-law and a useless husband?"

"Even though I'm still a little scared of Sebastian, I'm willing to fight for you!"

I gave a bitter smile and shook my head.

Forget it.

I never had much hope for this family anyway.

Sebastian's outburst finally brought a moment of silence to the dinner table.

But it wasn't long before Charlotte couldn't hold back and started with her passive-aggressive remarks again:

"Some people just aren't presentable."

"I did prefer Vivian back then, but Sir Blackwood insisted on repaying the debt he owed your family. What could I do?"

"I believe if Vivian had married into our family, she wouldn't have gotten jealous over some baseless rumor and caused such a disgraceful scene."

"Luna, since you married up, you need to learn your place. In our social class, it's impossible for a man to have only one woman. Let alone this being fake, even if it were real, you'd have to tolerate it, understand?"

"One can't have it all."

Her tone was so condescending.

As if my marriage into the Blackwood family was an act of her charity.

Annie, with her naturally fiery temper, had been listening for a while and couldn't take it anymore.

With a scrape of her chair, she was about to stand up and lash out.

But before she could speak, Ethan and I grabbed her wrists from either side, stopping her.

I wearily shook my head, not even having the strength for a bitter smile.

There was no point in arguing anymore.

If I still held any hope for this family, for Sebastian, maybe I would have fought back.

But now, my mind was made up to leave.

Arguing with them endlessly was utterly meaningless now.

After dinner, Sebastian and I went back to our room.

Ever since Vivian returned, he had often stayed out all night.

Later, it became days at a time that he wouldn't come home.

We were supposed to be husband and wife, but thinking about it, aside from being caught at the airport today, we hadn't seen each other in almost half a month.

Now, being alone in the same room with him again, I felt the air was thick with a suffocating strangeness and awkwardness.

I couldn't stand the oppressive atmosphere, so I silently tried to walk past him to take a shower.

But he suddenly grabbed my arm, his voice low and heavy:

"In the Blackwood family, there is no divorce, only widowhood."

"Since you've married me, it's for life. You can't run away."

"I don't want this to happen again. Got it?"

His grip was incredibly tight, as if he were genuinely afraid I'd run away again, wanting to trap me.

But by what right?

No divorce, only widowhood.

It was supposed to be a vow of fidelity, but between us, that word had only ever been a shackle binding me.

When had that word ever been a restraint for him?

I curved my lips into a mocking smile.

"In that case, if I insist on a divorce, would you die for me?"

He frowned deeply but didn't give me an answer, only saying:

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Vivian and I are ancient history..."

"Enough!"

I cut him off, my expression cold.

"I don't want to fight with you, and I don't care about your past."

"Let's... just go back to how things were."

I didn't look at him again, escaping into the bathroom as if fleeing for my life.

The warm water cascaded over my body, bringing a sliver of clarity to my mind.

His words, however, had given me an idea.

Simply running away would always leave loose ends, no matter what.

But death wouldn't.

If there's no divorce, only widowhood, then I'll just die and show him.

The next day, the Blackwood brothers were all out on their own business, and Annie and I finally got together.

When she heard about the Blackwood family's "no divorce, only widowhood" rule, she flew into a rage and started cursing:

"Does everyone in the Blackwood family have rocks for brains?"

"What century are we living in? How can such a mindless, archaic rule still exist?"

"So what did the women who married into the Blackwood family in the past do when their marriages fell apart?"

"Did they all just jump off a building to their deaths?"

"No way, I can't accept this. The only thing I'll accept is duking it out with Ethan on the freeway!"

I rested my chin on my hand, pondering for a moment, then suddenly said:

"Actually... that's not entirely out of the question."

Annie froze, then let out a wail and clung to my leg.

"Don't do it, sweetie!"

"Think straight!"

"Don't throw your life away over a worthless marriage!"

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, I helped her to her feet.

"What are you thinking?"

"I meant that if divorce and running away aren't options, we could fake our deaths to get out."

"But jumping off a building is out. The risk is too high, and it's hard to fake."

"Let's jump into the sea instead. We're both good swimmers, after all."

At the thought of a way to leave the Blackwood family, Annie's eyes instantly lit up.

"Jumping into the sea is so boring. If we're going to do this, let's do something big!"

"Let's blow up this damn villa!"

"What do you say?"

I froze: "Huh?"

She surveyed the villa, a trace of hatred mixed with the nostalgia on her face.

"This villa is old, filled with memories of Ethan and me growing up. It's because I couldn't bear to part with those memories that we didn't buy a new house when we got married."

"But now, I hate these memories."

"I don't want to take them with me, and I refuse to leave them for him. So, let's just burn it all down."

I hadn't realized that because of a first love, her hatred for Ethan had grown so intense.

I wasn't part of their childhood story, so I didn't know what had really happened between the three of them.

But I figured it must have been an unpleasant past.

She didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't need to press her.

I pushed aside all distracting thoughts and considered it carefully.

Her idea wasn't bad. With an explosion, we wouldn't even have to worry about the bodies.

I refined the explosion plan, then said with great seriousness:

“I’ve already found out. Sebastian is going abroad for a business deal tonight, for at least a week. The day after tomorrow, Ethan is going to the suburbs for a friend's birthday and won't be home that night.”

“The day after tomorrow is our only chance.”

“When the time comes, I'll try to send all the servants away to avoid any accidental injuries. But the only one I'm worried about is you.”

“This time, you can't make any mistakes!”

Annie grasped my hands and replied with equal gravity:

“Done!”

This time, we were fully prepared.

We also brought enough wealth to live lavishly for the rest of our lives.

I watched the flame dancing in my hand. Before setting off the explosion, I couldn't resist taking out my phone and opening my chat with Sebastian.

I wrote and rewrote a message for what felt like an eternity before finally sending it.

【I'm sorry. The Rivera family and I have held you back for too long. Now that the person you truly love is back by your side, don't waste your future mourning the past.】

【If the Blackwood family only allows for widowhood, then I'll grant you that.】

Seeing this, Annie quickly sent a message to Ethan as well.

Hers, however, was much more simple and crude.

【Bastard, go spend the rest of your life with your first love! I'm done with you!】

We tossed the SIM cards, placed the explosives, and escaped the villa complex through the underground passage as fast as we could.

Hearing the earth-shattering explosion behind us, Annie and I looked up at the sky, then at each other, and suddenly smiled.

From this moment on, we were finally, completely free.