Who were they to give Maya credit for saving Andre? It was clearly my blood that spilled on the road!

In the ward, Maya's voice trembled with just the right amount of guilt and feigned vulnerability. "Andre... It's all my fault. If you weren't trying to win me a prize, you wouldn't have fallen into their trap. It was my duty to save you."

She paused for a second before adding with a voice full of hurt and innocence, "You don't have to leave Heart of the Ocean to me as compensation. I know you care about Danielle the most. She was kidnapped back then, but you risked your own life to save her..."

Andre's underling retorted agitatedly. "It's not like that. That was a trap deliberately set up by boss."

Maya froze in place. "What?"

The underling continued casually, "Boss had someone kidnap her to make it clear to your parents that you were the most important to them! It was also to scare her off and make her go back to her adoptive parents."

A bloody taste welled up in my throat.

The underling added at great length, "As for marrying her? Boss's parents forced him to ally with the Lawson family, so he married Danielle, who has the Lawson family's blood. Don't worry. When you successfully become the heiress of the Lawson family, Andre will divorce her and hold a grand wedding to marry you. Right, boss?"

A brief silence fell over the ward.

Andre's voice broke the silence. It was deep, steady, and ruthless. "Yes."

I stumbled back a step. For so long, I believed that the bullet he took for me meant something. I believed that his post-marital indifference was merely estrangement, not deception. I believed... Gosh, I was such a fool!

My phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated, interrupting my near-breakdown. It was Chiara, her voice still loving. "Darling, the ship I arranged will arrive at the port tomorrow. I can't wait to see you."

"Okay, Mom." My voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

After ending the call, I looked up at the ward door with a bitter yet resolute smile.

Fine! This way, we were completely even.

I had saved Andre, repaying the debt of that fake kidnapping years ago. All this while, he had been scheming against me. I had finally seen through this marriage that only existed in name.

We would never have anything to do with each other again for the rest of our lives.

…

The following day, I was exceptionally busy.

First, I contacted a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement and placed the signed papers in Andre's study. Then, I drove to a private club to meet a friend who was an excellent asset strategist.

When I first arrived here, my adoptive parents prepared a vast fortune for me as a safety net.

Many of the arms dealers who partnered with the Lawson and Garcia families were their subordinates, and they were always at my beck and call.

Despite possessing immense wealth, I had always kept a low profile and never told anyone about it. Now that I was leaving, these assets should be entrusted to someone I trust.

I pushed a folder across the table, saying, "I'm leaving. You're in charge of everything."

My friend quickly glanced at the file before staring at me. "You're terminating all contracts with the Garcia and Lawson families?"

I nodded. "Effective immediately."

He whistled. "They rely on your resources to survive. Without you, they'll collapse."

"That's no longer my problem."

"They'll regret it once they know your true identity." He gave a meaningful smile.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, I bade goodbye. When I went downstairs, I accidentally tugged on my wound. The pain almost made me fall.

My friend instinctively reached out to support my waist. "Be careful. You're still injured."

I thanked him softly and tried to steady myself. However, I saw Andre and his underlings coming out of the neighboring private room the moment I looked up.

One of his underlings noticed me first. He glanced at Andre beside me and showed a malicious smile.

"Hey, look who's here. Don Garcia, isn't this your wife? She found herself a lover right after leaving the hospital?

"Even if Don Garcia can't satisfy you, you shouldn't be this desperate, right? Where does that leave Don Garcia's pride?"

Andre stood behind the group, his expression terrifyingly gloomy. His cold, murderous eyes were fixed on something—my friend's hand placed on my waist.

However, his underlings failed to notice his anger and continued to fan the flames.

"This guy? He looks like he could faint from carrying groceries. Do you really think he can satisfy you?"

"If you're really that desperate, just ask us, sweetheart. Why do you have to sneak around with a weak and incompetent guy?"

Their shrill laughter resounded throughout the corridor until Andre moved.

He cut through the crowd like a blade and walked straight up to me. His voice was deep, his emotion indiscernible. "Danielle, explain."

I did not even blink. "Make way."

We were about to get divorced. What right did he have to question me?

My nonchalance made his anger surface to the top. He seized my hand, and the laughter around him came to an abrupt halt. "Danielle, what do you mean by this?"

He exerted so much strength that he almost crushed my bones. He added with a sneer, "Are you really that horny? Will any man do?"

This insult should have broken my heart, but my heart was already numb.

My friend tried to interject, "Danielle and I aren't—"

I interrupted him. I stood on tiptoe, leaned close to Andre's ear, and said with a smile, "That's right. You can't even satisfy your own wife. Of course, I had to find someone else."

The entire corridor fell silent instantly.

Everyone's jaw dropped. They all knew Andre had never touched me, but they also knew I was devoted to him. Their insults were just a joke. No one believed I would actually cheat.

The last trace of warmth vanished from Andre's face, leaving only hostility. Without warning, he hoisted me onto his shoulder.

"Andre! Put me down." My fists pounded on his back, but to no avail.

He threw me roughly into the back seat of his car, and the driver immediately got out.

In the confined space, Andre leaned down, trapping me firmly between the seat and his arm. "Danielle, say that again."

I raised my voice and retorted, "I found someone else..."

Before I could finish speaking, he yanked off his tie, his eyes filled with suppressed possessiveness. "What do you want? I'll give it to you myself!"

He lowered his head and kissed me. It was a rough, punitive kiss. There was no tenderness or consideration—only anger, possessiveness, and deep frustration.

I held my breath. This was the first kiss since our wedding rings bound us together. I pushed against his shoulders as panic rose within me, but he easily subdued me.

The touch of our lips was both familiar and strange. As Andre kissed me, his eyes glazed over. He thought, 'This woman's lips are so soft.'

His hand unconsciously moved to my shoulder, and I groaned in pain. He froze.

Just then, Andre's phone vibrated violently in his pocket. Maya's name flashed on the screen. Andre hesitated for a moment before answering the call. "Maya? If it's not urgent, don't bother me..."

The person on the other end of the line said something, and his expression changed abruptly. "What did you say? Maya is in the emergency room?"

I had just come to my senses from Andre's forceful kiss. I struggled to get out of the car, but Andre closed the door even faster.

The driver slid back into the driver's seat. Andre's order pierced through the air like a gunshot. "Go to the hospital. Immediately."

On my way to the private hospital, I finally pieced together the whole story from the snippet of Andre's conversation over the phone earlier.

It turned out that someone had exposed on the dark web that Maya was not of the Lawson family's bloodline. She was merely an orphan with good luck and a well-fabricated lie.

Although my biological parents had stepped forward to give a statement, the public release of her orphanage file still exposed the truth.

Maya's status as the successor was being questioned.

The Lawson family's enemies were as restless as sharks that had smelled blood.

Under all that heavy pressure, Maya actually attempted suicide.

Andre gritted his teeth and stared icily at me. "Danielle, you have to attend the family meeting in half an hour. You must publicly admit that Maya is your biological sister."

I could not help laughing sharply and icily. "Why?"

He spoke as if he were explaining the obvious to a stubborn child. "Because they'll only believe you right now. As the long-lost biological daughter of the Lawson family, why would you relinquish your inheritance to her if Maya weren't your biological sister? They'll have no choice but to believe you if you admit it."

Every word he spoke conformed to political logic. However, logic meant nothing to someone who had always lived in the shadow of their family.

I asked again with a gentle hint of murderous intent, "I asked why."

Why should I clean up the mess left by a woman who had stolen my parents from me? Why should I protect someone who had snatched my inheritance, my family name, and the man I once loved? Why should I shed my own blood to pave the way for her?

Andre's expression darkened completely. "Danielle, stop being so stubborn. If you help Maya, I'll grant you your long-held wish."

I forced an expressionless smile. "How noble. But I don't even know what wish you can help me grant."

"Stop pretending. Haven't you always wanted me to sleep with you? If you help Maya, not only will I sleep with you, but... I'll even allow you to have my child." Andre's tone was impatient, as if he thought he was being incredibly generous.

"I know that guy is a nobody. You were just using him to make me jealous. Once this calms down, I'll give you what you've always wanted."

His throat bobbed. He must have remembered the alluring way I had offered myself to him in my lace nightgown.

"I'll give it to you as many times as you want, okay?"

My face turned deathly pale. My fingers dug into my palms, but I felt no pain. "Andre, what do you take me for?"

He took my loyalty as a bargaining chip and my feelings as a transaction. He even thought letting me bear his child was a reward? Was I really that worthless to him?

The despair in my eyes stung Andre's heart, and a flicker of unease flickered in his eyes. The unprecedented feeling of being out of control made him extremely irritable. He grabbed my chin and forcefully pressed his lips to mine again.

He thought my anger would melt away with a kiss, but it did not.

I bit down as his tongue probed deeper.

Andre jerked back as he stared at the blood at the corner of my mouth.

"You bit me? Danielle, you actually bit me?" He growled as his voice trembled with disbelief.