Chapter 1

On his 999th confession, James Smith finally married Emily Johnson—the Johnson Family woman he'd obsessed over for years.

Everyone knew James adored Emily to his core. He insisted on her presence even during meetings with female business partners—as if he couldn't bear a moment apart.

But during their fifth anniversary, this model husband brought home a college girl bearing uncanny resemblance to Emily.

"Emily, she's just a student I sponsor," James explained. "She traveled all the way by train from the countryside to find me. I felt sorry for her, so I brought her home. You're so kind—you won't mind, right?"

Emily initially thought it was mere charity.

But later, she realized how terribly wrong she was.

On her sister's birthday, Emily prepared an elaborate cake, waiting for her to return from part-time job.

Instead, she received a call from the hospital: Sophia White had jumped from a building, suffered multiple fractures, and was now in emergency surgery.

When James arrived at the hospital, Emily thought he came for support.

But things turned out differently.

His icy eyes held no warmth as he slammed two documents and a phone video before her.

The video that played was pure nightmare: Sophia's face bruised and swollen, strangers tearing her clothes, a wine bottle cruelly forced between her legs. The room echoed with rough laughter.

"Hey!

Virgin college girls sure are tight!"

"Deeper!"

Sophia's heart-rending screams echoed futilely.

Then the scene shifted: Sophia dashed onto a high-rise ledge, staring into the abyss below with despair and helplessness.

"See you in the next life, Emily."

Emily's wails tore through the air.

The mastermind was just James's sponsored student—Amanda.

James coldly tossed a pen at Emily.

"Sign this forgiveness agreement and case withdrawal commitment. Or this video goes viral."

"My lawyers can rewrite truth, you know."

Emily's fingers turned cold as she clenched the hem of her clothes, raising her eyes to stare at James.

"James!

How could you? That's my sister!"

"She's fighting for her life! Why hunt me instead of those beasts?"

He remained unmoved by her hysteria.

"Amanda and her brother didn't mean it. They were just joking around with your sister. Who knew she'd take it so serious and jump?"

"Amanda's young. She still wants to join the synchronized swimming team. Don't ruin her future. Sign now, and I'll wire you sisters three million. If you refuse, no doctor in New York will dare save her."

Trembling with rage, Emily tore the letter to shreds.

"Never!

They'll face justice!"

James smirked, certainty dripping from his voice.

"Your sister seemed to enjoy it in the video, no?

Who'll believe you if this spreads? Everyone will just think your sister was playing wild."

"Take my advice: your sister's on that operating table. No signature? She'll just wait to die."

"Besides, this is just a snippet. I've got a lot of her private photos. If I sell them for a dollar each, guess how many would line up?"

"Stop making a fuss and sign it."

Seeming to know Emily's temper well, James had already prepared an extra agreement and handed it over.

Chapter 2

"I, Emily, voluntarily express forgiveness for the actions of Amanda and Lucas Walker..."

The final line on the forgiveness agreement pierced Emily's eyes. Her fingernails dug deep into her palms, the searing pain radiating through her hands.

Tears blurred her vision.

Staring at James before her, she saw no trace of the man who once vowed to cherish her forever.

Only a chilling stranger.

Five years ago, she had been a renowned financial actuary in New York, known for her cool composure. Many wealthy suitors had pursued her, only to retreat in defeat.

Back then, James had pursued her unconventionally, even concealing his identity to work humbly as her assistant.

For three years, they were inseparable. Eventually, he revealed his true identity and proposed to her grandly on her birthday.

His past vow still echoed in her ears:

"I, James, will love only Emily in this lifetime. If I break this vow, I will live in solitude!"

Throughout their five-year marriage, he remembered every period cycle, sent gifts precisely at midnight on anniversaries, knew all her dietary habits and seafood allergies, and meticulously packed her luggage for business trips.

Each night he'd nuzzle her neck, begging for kisses, claiming he couldn't sleep without them.

He poured passionate love into every intimate moment

—in the living room, kitchen, car, even in fitting rooms at the mall. He'd grip her soft waist, panting:

"Baby, you're my addiction. How could I live without you?"

Emily never imagined his "lifetime" promise would be so brief.

Apparently, she wasn't indispensable after all.

For Amanda's sake, he personally pushed her and her sister into hell.

To protect his so-called "sponsored sister," he forced Emily to sign that forgiveness agreement, letting the offenders flee.

Emily's eyes burned with unshed tears as she stared at the document, her hand trembling around the pen.

She knew James wouldn't relent until he got his way. With her sister prepped for surgery, surrender was her only option.

As she signed, her phone chimed with the sterile notification of a successful transfer.

Seeing her compliance, James's eyes flashed with contempt.

"Your sister's surgery will be arranged."

Watching his figure disappear down the corridor, Emily bit her arm fiercely, wailing with heartrending sobs.

True agony, she realized, makes every bone ache.

When her tears were spent, she dialed a number.

"Auntie, I want a divorce. I'll accept your proposal to marry Martin's son."

The voice on the line sparked with excitement.

"Truly?

You loved James so deeply—can you bear to leave him?

You even quit your million-dollar career to be a homemaker because his stomach couldn't tolerate outside food."

Emily remained silent. The voice sighed, sensing the unspoken truth.

"Emily, I don't want you to marry a dying man. But although frail, he is the heir of a financial giant. He specifically requested you for bless."

"Your father owed the Martin family hundreds of millions from his failed business. Marrying him clears the debt and makes you Mrs. Martin, granting endless privileges."

Emily responded with an exhausted sigh.

"Now then, since you've agreed, the wedding will be held in a month. Get the divorce settled as soon as possible."

Chapter 3

That night, Emily lingered outside the operating room. When a doctor emerged, he hesitated before approaching her.

"Miss Johnson, an hour ago, Miss Walker accidentally cut her finger. Mr. Smith was so worried. He had all the doctors in the hospital check on her wound. Right now, there's simply no doctor available to perform the surgery on your sister."

"Moreover, the patient's condition is complex. The surgery must be postponed until tomorrow. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

Hearing that, Emily felt plunged into an icy abyss, her body turning cold.

Her sister lay there with multiple fractures, fighting for her life, but James diverted every doctor for Amanda's minor cut?

She called him repeatedly, only to be rejected each time. Finally, he blocked her number.

All she received was a cold text message.

"Amanda's hand injury makes her vulnerable. I must stay with her tonight. Don't bother me tonight if there's nothing important."

Staring at the contact name "Patrick Star" in her phone, Emily felt needles piercing her heart, numbness spreading through her chest.

She cried in a hospital corner until her eyes swelled red. Only at dawn did she leave, resolve hardening within her.

At the Marriage Registry Office, she handed her ID card to the clerk for divorce proceedings.

The clerk checked the records, then gave her an odd look.

"Miss Johnson, your marital status shows 'unmarried.' As for your husband... Mr. Smith is indeed married."

The words struck Emily like lightning.

"Could there be a mistake?

We signed divorce papers! We even held a wedding! Please check again!"

The clerk's gaze held pity.

"The marriage certificate lists a 'Olivia Smith.' But records show Mr. Smith updated his status to 'widowed' five years ago."

To convince her, the clerk showed their digital marriage certificate.

Seeing the two people on the certificate snuggled up and smiling sweetly, Emily's eyes stung.

In the Smith family, Olivia's name was taboo. No one dared to mention it, and there wasn't even a single photo of her.

Now Emily understood—she'd been a stand-in, bearing seventy percent resemblance to Olivia.

And Amanda? She mirrored the radiant woman in that photo perfectly.

Had she not known Olivia was dead, she might've mistaken Amanda for her.

Was this why James doted on Amanda?

Emily didn't recall how she left the office. The clerk's words echoed like bells, her ears ringing.

Olivia—James' long-dead stepsister, unrelated by blood.

Had his heart belonged to another eight years ago?

Those years he pursued her... was it only because Emily resembled Olivia?

Just a replacement placeholder after Olivia's death?

Refusing to accept this, Emily called her best friend to investigate their wedding five years ago. When her friend called back, her voice was full of sympathy.

Emily, you guessed right. All those guests at the wedding were actors hired by James. Even his so-called parents were fake. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were busy with overseas business expansion that year and never returned.

Fake...

Everything was fake!

James's love for her these past five years—fake too!

Emily wandered dazedly down the street. Remembering it all, she laughed bitterly at herself, laughing until it turned into sobbing.

Before her tears could dry, James called in icy tone.

"I'll send you an address. Get there in five minutes."

Just because Emily accidentally hung up the phone, a few seconds later, she saw an explicit photo posted online.

Though the person in it was censored, she instantly recognized her sister.

James sent a voice message nonchalantly.

"Just a minor warning. Hang up on me again, and it won't be as simple as a censored photo."

Emily clutched her phone so tightly her knuckles whitened.

One more month. Just one more month, and she could take her sister far away from James.

For her sister to get her surgery, she had to endure this.

Chapter 4

Arriving at the private room as scheduled, James lounged lazily on the sofa, his shirt collar half-open, cradling the whimpering Amanda in his arms, his gaze dark as ink.

Spotting Emily, he stared coldly at her.

"Amanda developed depression because you threatened to sue her and Lucas. She nearly jumped off a building. If I hadn't caught her in time, you'd have killed her. Kneel. Apologize to Amanda!"

Watching the crowd's gleeful smirks, Emily's fingers curled slightly.

"I did nothing wrong!"

James shook his phone screen. The shocking photos made Emily's blood run cold.

She lowered her eyes to her toes, finally sinking to her knees, her voice trembling.

"I'm sorry."

James looked at Amanda, his eyes brimming with adoration.

"Happy now?"

Amanda remained silent. James instantly understood.

"How should we punish her, then?"

Amanda snuggled deeper into his embrace.

"Emily is the esteemed Mrs.Smith. I'm just an insignificant person. Who am I to punish her?"

James lifted her chin with slender fingers, his voice gentle.

"If I say you can, you can."

"I saw someone selling puppy costumes downstairs. Make her dress as a dog?"

Soon, a puppy costume was flung at Emily. She mechanically put it on. After being paraded around the room, someone suggested escalating the humiliation.

James frowned. Amanda spoke up immediately.

"If it's too much, forget it."

James soothed her until her tears turned to smiles, then addressed Emily.

"Doesn't your sister need surgery money?

One slap equals a hundred thousand dollars."

Emily stared at him in disbelief.

First forced to kneel in shame. Now ordered to endure slaps from everyone present.

The man before her felt utterly unrecognizable.

She vividly recalled three years ago in a boutique: she'd argued with a socialite over a purse, receiving a slap.

James had rushed over. He made the lady's husband go bankrupt, and then ordered his bodyguards to deliver ten slaps.

Pulling Emily close, he'd comforted her tenderly.

"Don't worry. With me here, anyone who hurts you will lose everything."

But now, to please Amanda, he let strangers strike her face.

Over a dozen hands landed blows. Emily's cheeks burned, but her heart turned icy numb.

How could physical pain compare to this heartbreak?

When she looked up at James, she thought she caught a flicker of pity in his eyes.

Instantly, she dismissed the thought.

Wishful thinking. Nothing more.

After twenty slaps—five delivered by Amanda under James's direction—Emily's face was bruised and swollen.

He treated it like a transaction, smoothly transferring two million dollars to her phone.

"Get that swelling treated. I've notified the doctor. I won't tolerate seeing a pig at home."

His voice held no warmth. Only disgust.

Emily stared at him expressionlessly,

"Don't go back on your promise to operate on my sister."

James waved his hand impatiently.

As Emily turned to leave, Amanda suddenly grabbed her wrist, whining to James,

"James, I really love this bracelet. Could Emily give it to me?"

Emily instantly shook off the grip and stepped back.

"No!

This is my mom's heirloom. I can't give it away!"

James silently studied the bracelet, his gaze inscrutable.

Amanda's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

"James, does Emily hate me? If she won't gift it, why make excuses about heirlooms?"

James offered a faint smile.

"That bracelet truly is her mom's heirloom. If you like it, I'll buy you a prettier one."

"But I only want this jade bracelet in Emily's hand."

James turned to Emily, his eyes turning frosty.

"Name your price.

Three million for this worthless thing?"

Worthless?

Emily's fingers tightened around the heirloom bracelet. Her lips cracked, voice trapped, only her eyes screaming silent protest.

He knew this was her sole inheritance from Mother, but called it worthless.

For Amanda, he'd even snatch it by force.

James lost his patience.

"The three million's transferred. Don't forget your sister's still hospitalized."

The threat in his tone chilled Emily's blood.

Her grip slackened as bodyguards ripped the bracelet away, leaving a long crimson welt on her wrist.

She forced a smile, uglier than tears.

"May I leave now?"

Something inexplicably clogged James' chest seeing her like this.

His lips parted slightly, but Amanda dangled the bracelet before him, cooing softly,

"James, put it on me?"

His attention instantly snapped back to Amanda, adoration softening his features.

"Of course, darling. It'll look exquisite on you."

Not once did his gaze return to Emily.

Watching their lovey-dovey display, Emily slowly closed her eyes against the dull ache in her heart.

Soon enough, she'd vanish completely—leaving them to their perfect romance.