Zac lifted his foot to chase after her, but I grabbed the corner of his shirt, stopping him.

Clutching my stomach in pain, I asked in a trembling voice, "Zac, my stomach hurts so much. Can you please get me a glass of warm water?"

He shoved me off with force, causing my head to hit the wall, and I was left dizzy from the impact. For a brief moment, I saw a flicker of regret in his eyes.

However, he still coldly spat out, "Quinn, you're getting more and more pathetic. Now you can’t even get a glass of water on your own?" Then, without another word, he rushed out the door to chase after Eve.

Of course, the allure of his "one true love" was stronger. What did I, his stand-in for the past eight years, even mean to him?

Suddenly, the pain in my stomach did not feel as bad anymore. It was the stabbing pain in my heart that was unbearable.

……

My doctor kept urging me to undergo chemotherapy. He said, "You’re still so young. You can’t just give up on life."

But what he did not know was that both my stomach and my heart were already riddled with scars. I could not bear to go through any more torment.

In these last three months, I just wanted to spend my time quietly. I did not want to lose all my hair and end up waiting for death in a hospital bed.

Since that day Zac ran after Eve, he had not set foot in our house for four days.

Eve, however, made sure to give me daily updates via her social media, visible only to me.

"Today, we visited the spot where we first fell in love. It's amazing! Those little trees have all grown so much." The photo showed a small grove at Central High. I remembered standing behind one of those trees, watching as Zac knelt down on one knee to propose to Eve.

"Today, we watched The Ex-Files 3 together. I wonder if I still hold the same place in his heart as I once did?" The photo was of two movie tickets and a pair of hands, one large and one small, tightly intertwined.

"He said watching me eat makes him happy!" The photo showed a plate of spicy buffalo wings, even though Zac never ate anything spicy.

……

And so on, each post a thinly veiled attempt to rub salt in my wounds.

I made sure to like each one, displaying the grace and poise of a wife in her rightful place. Losing him did not matter, but I was not about to lose my dignity.

Eventually, Eve called, her voice seething with anger. "Quinn, if you know what's good for you, you'll give up the title of Mrs. Gibson sooner rather than later. It’s never been yours, and even after eight years, it still won’t be."

I let out a quiet laugh. Did I even have another eight years left to give?

After laughing, I replied calmly, "Eve, as soon as you can get Zac's mom to welcome you with open arms, I’ll head straight to the courthouse and finalize the divorce."

I could see she was typing, but no message came through.

She knew there was no way she could ever get the Gibson family’s approval. After all, it was she who had trampled all over their reputation in the first place.

Back then, both families had already sat down to discuss the wedding, and the media was buzzing about the upcoming grand event. It was supposed to be a huge celebration!

Zac’s mother, Sally Gibson, had gone out of her way to find the finest gifts for her soon-to-be daughter-in-law, and his father, Tom Gibson, had even generously given Eve 2% of Gibson Corporation’s shares to show how much they valued her.

Every woman in our circle was envious of Eve. Even I would hide away in empty corners, sneaking glances at Zac, wishing I could be the one standing by his side.

But that perfect happiness, so easily within her grasp, was destroyed by Eve herself.

---

One week before the wedding, Eve left a letter and disappeared.

It was not until my dad finished reading the letter that everyone realized Eve had flown halfway across the world to Frangelia to chase after her true love.

She wrote that when she met the tall and muscular John, she finally understood what true love really felt like. And since she had always dreamed of having a biracial child, all she could do was offer her apologies to Zac and the Gibson family.

My mom fell ill from the shock, and though my dad was furious, he had to swallow his pride and go to the Gibson family to apologize. After all, if the wealthiest family in the city turned against us, my dad would not be able to handle it.

Zac was devastated by the breakup and spiraled into drinking. Within a month, he was hospitalized twice for stomach bleeding.

Sally was in tears every day, and Tom angrily berated him for being so weak, saying no woman was worth ruining his life over.

Feeling indebted to the Gibson family, my parents decided that I should marry Zac. Zac’s parents eagerly agreed, as I had just begun to make a name for myself in the company. And since their son was not stepping up, they saw me as someone who could help keep Gibson Corporation afloat in the future.

The only person who did not agree was Zac. He came to my house drunk, pointed at me, and yelled, "Quinn, don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Even if Eve’s gone, you’ll never marry me. The title of Mrs. Gibson belongs to Eve and no one else.

"Compared to Eve, you’re nothing. She’s out of your league. I’ll never love someone like you, always chasing after money and power.

I swallowed the pain and looked at him calmly. "Zac, you’re drunk."

Tom had him escorted out and personally took me out to dinner to apologize. He assured me, "Quinn, don’t worry. Sally and I only see you as our daughter-in-law."

In the end, Zac could not defy his parents. After running away from home, staging hunger strikes, and every other form of protest, he finally gave in.

Two years later, he stood with me at the altar.

Eve sent him a congratulatory message, but over the phone, she could not hide her scorn toward me.

If she did not want me to marry Zac, why did she leave him and run off to another country in the first place?

Drunk on our wedding night, Zac gazed at me with what looked like affection and pulled me into his arms. His chest was burning hot as if he might melt me into him.

This man, who I had never dared to dream of, was finally mine, and it felt like a dream.

But when he laid on top of me, calling out Eve’s name, I wished it really were just a dream.

……

After the wedding, Tom arranged for me to be the general manager at Gibson Corporation.

As for Zac, he continued partying and hanging out with his spoiled friends. He said since he had already done his part by marrying someone capable, he did not need to bother working at Gibson Corporation anymore.

Tom transferred the shares that had been meant for Eve to me. However, I always felt like I had stolen something that was not mine, so I worked even harder to create success for the company.

While Zac was racing cars in the mountains, I was stuck in the office, working late.

While Zac raised his glass to drink with his friends, I was flying all over the country negotiating deals.

While Zac stared at photos of Eve, his eyes red with longing, I was being forced to drink until I threw up at client dinners.

I pushed myself so hard that I gave myself this stomach illness.

Tom once said, "Quinn, you’re a woman. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. The company doesn’t need you to kill yourself working. We didn’t bring you into this family to work yourself to death."

Sally would hold my hand and say, "Quinn, no matter how capable a woman is, the most important thing is to keep her husband close and to have children."

I wanted to build a life with Zac, maybe even have a child with him. But he never gave me the chance. If he came home twice in ten days, it was considered a good week.

And even when he did come home, we slept in separate rooms. On the rare occasions we were together, he made sure to take every precaution.

He said only Eve was worthy of having his children. I could not help but mock him, "Too bad Eve only wants to have kids with a foreigner."