To the outside world, Xavier Sullivan and I are a loving couple. In truth, my father sold me to him to repay the debt he owes the Sullivan family.

When the five-year contract expires, Xavier's parents want me to extend it. They threaten me and tell me I'm heading for certain death if I refuse.

I have no choice but to fake my death and leave everything behind, taking only the child in my belly with me.

............

Out of the ten dates arranged by the Sullivans, I only ever saw Robert Sullivan and Maisie Corbus, but never Xavier Sullivan himself.

He always had countless excuses over the phone—he was in a meeting at work, drinking at a bar, or in bed with a woman.

I thought that our agreed marriage would automatically fall through due to his lack of cooperation.

But Xavier's parents, Robert and Maisie, looked at me with determination and said, "Once he sees you, he will agree to marry you."

When Xavier finally met me, he seemed completely entranced and agreed to the marriage right away.

I thought he had fallen in love with me at first sight. But later, I discovered that I was merely a stand-in for his first love, Elsa Zermeno.

The first time I saw Elsa was in a photo I found hidden inside one of Xavier's books. She looked very much like me, except for her eyes.

I had round doe-eyes that looked innocent and unassuming, whereas Elsa had upturned eyes that were seductive and alluring.

So, I confronted Xavier with the photo. He snatched it away and pushed me to the ground mercilessly.

With a frosty expression, he sneered, "Don't touch that photo. You're not worthy."

The second time I heard Elsa's name was in bed. Xavier was drunk and suddenly became uncharacteristically tender. As he kissed me, it was as if he was handling a fragile piece of art.

His gentle touch stirred my emotions. But as he leaned close to my ear, he whispered softly,

"Elsa."

I froze in an instant when I heard that name.

The next day, I went to Xavier's parents and asked, "Who is Elsa? Is she the woman who looks like me?"

Their expressions faltered immediately.

Maisie spat, "She's the temptress who almost cost Xavier his life!"

Robert tried to reassure me. "Don't worry, we've already sent her out of the country."

They kindly informed me that Elsa liked to wear jasmine-scented perfume because that was Xavier's favorite scent.

Xavier had a ghastly scar that was about eight inches on his leg. But every time I asked about it, he refused to tell me how he got it.

When I got home, I sprayed on the jasmine perfume I had just bought and coaxed Xavier into drinking with me.

Usually, he ignored me when he came home, but this time, he surprisingly agreed. I got Xavier drunk and asked him about the scar.

With red eyes, he confided, "Elsa and I were traveling in the snowy mountains when the paths got blocked. She suddenly came down with a fever and passed out. I carried her on my back and hiked down the mountain, but I fell into a cave, and my leg got cut by a piece of scrap metal.

"I'm a man, so having a scar on my body isn't a big deal. But the doctor said that if we had been an hour later, her life might have been in danger."

Elsa being in a life-threatening condition was merely a possibility at that time. Yet, the fear it brought him lingered for a long time after that incident.

I used to think Xavier was born emotionally distant. I assumed that even with someone he loved, he would be cold and distant most of the time. It would be on very rare occasions that his tenderness would shine through.

Little did I know that he had given all his burning love to Elsa, and what was left for me was just cold indifference.

The next day, I woke up before dawn and noticed the screen of Xavier's phone glowing. He was turned away from me, chatting with someone saved in his contacts as "El".

"Xavier, I'm coming back. I had only left five years ago because your parents told me you had decided to marry Halyna Joffrin."

For the next few days, there was always a hint of joy in Xavier's eyes. But the moment he saw me, his expression would turn frigid.

My dad, Brock Joffrin, lived next door. He often came over to check on things. So, he quickly noticed that something was wrong.

He hurriedly came over and asked, "Did you and Xavier have a fight?"

I stayed silent, not wanting to respond.

My dad anxiously tried to persuade me, "If he's upset, just appease him. What good can come from angering the Sullivan family?"

I was so angry that my eyes reddened as I snapped back, "Does our entire family have to bend over backward to please him?"

Five years ago, my dad's investment failed, so he ended up owing the Sullivan family millions of dollars. He cried and begged me to sign the marriage agreement to save him.

After Xavier and I got married, my dad often said to me, "Now that you're married, take good care of Xavier. Do you know how many people dream of being a part of the Sullivan family? You've gotten lucky, so don't act like you're living a miserable life."

I knew my dad loved money more than me. He was close to the Zermeno family, so he must have known about Xavier and Elsa. Yet, he still pushed his own daughter—me—into a loveless marriage.

The thought made me nauseous, and I threw up everything I had just eaten.

Upon seeing my pale face, my dad suddenly asked with a gleeful smile, "Are you pregnant?"

Pregnant? As if!

Xavier took great precautions to ensure there was no chance of having a child with me. He made it clear that he didn't want me to have his baby.

My dad seemed to see right through me. He suddenly rushed into the bedroom and returned with a whole box of condoms.

With a smug grin, he boasted, "See, I poked holes in all of these a long time ago. If you're pregnant with Xavier's child, you'll be set for life!"

He called my mom excitedly, laughing as he told her to hurry up and buy a pregnancy test kit.

I trembled furiously with rage. Instantly, I grabbed his phone and smashed it to the ground.

My dad's face darkened. He slapped me hard, knocking me to the floor.

I instinctively put my hand down to brace myself, but my palm pressed into the broken glass from the phone. A sharp pain shot through my body. However, my heart hurt even more—it felt as if a knife had been plunged into my chest.

I held back my tears and looked down. The floor was stained red with my blood.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway. In the next moment, Xavier walked over and towered above me as he looked down condescendingly.

A shrewd glint flashed in my dad's eyes as he said, "Halyna is hurt! You should take her to the hospital for a check-up."

Xavier glanced coldly at the blood on the floor and frowned. He said with displeasure, "This is a brand-new rug, and you've ruined it."

I had signed for that rug myself, and the sender was Elsa.

Already furious in the first place, I couldn't hold back my emotions anymore. I retorted, "This is my house too! I'll do whatever I want!"

With that, I grabbed an antique teapot worth 300 thousand dollars from the display shelf and smashed it to the ground. My dad rushed to stop me, but I smashed another 15th century porcelain vase that was worth more than a million dollars.

Xavier watched me impassively as if I were breaking glass instead of priceless antiques.

As I reached up again, my hand brushed against a small object. It had been carefully tucked away, so I had never noticed it before.

Xavier was taller than me. Hence, he saw what I'd grabbed before I could even take a look at it.

"Don't touch that!" he said sharply.

I thought it was some kind of rare antique. But when I took a closer look, it was just a scrunchie. It was yellowing around the edges, showing its age.

The more I looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. It looked like the one I used to wear all the time as a kid but had lost.

Xavier grabbed it from me in one swift motion. He said harshly, "This belongs to her. You're not allowed to dirty it with your hands!"

"That looks like a scrunchie I once had."

The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them, and Xavier looked at me as if I had lost my mind. I grew more and more confused and couldn't help but try to grab it back from him to take a closer look.

Xavier's expression became glacial, and he shoved me to the ground with one hand. My already injured hand hit the shattered glass again. The pain was so intense that my vision blurred.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed.

Upon seeing that I was awake, Maisie held my hand and said, "Don't worry, the baby is safe."

Robert exclaimed in exasperation, "How can you not tell us about such an important matter?"

I was stunned. After a long silence, I finally asked the question that had been troubling me, "What's the story behind that scrunchie that Xavier keeps holding on to?"

Robert and Maisie knew I wouldn't rest until I got an answer from them. So, they had no choice but to explain the backstory of that scrunchie.

"When Xavier was a child, he was kidnapped. A little girl wearing that scrunchie saved him. He didn't cry when he came home. On the contrary, he smiled, saying that he'd met an angel."

Familiar memories began to resurface in my mind.

Back then, I had gone to play in an abandoned neighborhood nearby. Xavier had been locked behind a chained fence like a dirty stray dog. To rescue him, I told the police to use me as bait.

After he was saved, my mom beckoned for me to go home for dinner. So, I left before he even had a chance to thank me.

I never imagined Xavier would have such a tender side.

But Robert and Maisie were furious. They pounded the table in frustration and complained, "Because of that incident, no matter how much trouble Elsa caused, Xavier always spoiled her unconditionally."

"Elsa?" I looked up in shock, my memories now in complete disarray.

Robert went on, "Xavier asked us to offer a huge reward to find the girl who saved him after he came back. The very next day, Elsa showed up at our door."

"It's terrible that Xavier's savior turned out to be her," Maisie lamented.

So, that was what happened. It turned out that Elsa was the imposter who had stolen the affection that should have been mine.

Xavier's parents made hundreds of calls to inform him that I was pregnant.

Finally, he showed up, but he brought Elsa with him. He turned back and carefully adjusted her scarf, tenderly reminding her to keep herself warm and not catch a cold.

Then, he strode over to me with an icy expression and slapped me so hard that I fell off the bed.

He angrily accused me, "Whose bastard child are you carrying? How dare you cheat on me!"

Xavier's parents, who had been about to help me up, suddenly hesitated and looked at me with doubtful eyes.

Just then, my dad walked in carrying a kettle. Without hesitation, he pointed his finger at Xavier and shouted, "The baby is yours! I poked holes in all of your condoms."

Rage filled Xavier's eyes, and he punched my dad hard. I saw blood gush from his nose. My dad begged for mercy, but all he received in return were more punches and kicks.

Xavier's parents didn't intervene. They merely said indifferently, "Be careful not to hit Halyna. She's carrying your child."