Everyone in Northwood knew Maria as the woman who had betrayed William.

Though she was the family’s adopted daughter, she had seduced her own nephew, William, dragging him to bed and shattering the goodwill between their families.

Then, just as both sides were reluctantly coming to terms with the situation, she accidentally caused the death of William’s father, stole a fortune, and vanished.

The once-glorious family lay in ruins because of her.

Five years later, the woman who had once driven William to the brink of tearing Northwood apart was now draped over some stranger’s chest, planning her own funeral.

“Buy the plot next to my sister’s. The urn has to be Barbie pink. And don’t forget to stud it with diamonds.”

As her friend, Scott couldn’t take it. “Maria, it’s early-stage lung cancer. It’s treatable. It’s just money, isn’t it? William has plenty. If you just… apologized, he’d forgive you.”

He never understood these two stubborn souls. “It was all a misunderstanding. If you just explained, wouldn’t that settle it?”

Maria took a slow drag of her cigarette and said nothing.

Inside, everything was bitterness.

How could she explain?

Back then, Samuel had been working undercover in the Syndicate. Drugged, hooked, he’d betrayed the operation and sold out his own wife—Kimberly, another undercover agent. In the end, Maria had been the one to pull the trigger.

She had seized that moment, taken over their mission, and used the stolen money as her ticket to stay embedded in the Syndicate.

Forget that Samuel had always been William’s hero. She was the one who had killed his father.

How could she, his father’s killer, ever be with him?

Samuel’s last words still echoed in her mind: *Take these secrets to the grave. My son could never accept his hero father was a traitor.*

She could still see his face, hear his voice. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t tell William.

Bitterness churned inside her. Maria exhaled a cloud of smoke. “It’s all in the past.”

Too much stood between them.

Loving each other was a luxury she could no longer afford.

“The past? Then why are you still by his side?”

Maria didn’t answer.

Because the Syndicate had William in its sights.

Even though the organization was mostly dismantled, the remnants were thirsty for revenge.

William, as family to undercover agents, was the perfect target.

She had to protect him.

Swallowing the bitterness, Maria forced a smile. “Because I’m a bad woman. Bad women survive by conning men out of their money.”

“So I send you for medicine, and you come here to pick up a man? Auntie, am I not giving you enough?”

William’s voice cut through the air behind her, cold as steel.

Before she could react, he seized her arm and dragged her back to the villa.

The moment they were inside, he slammed her against the wall.

“Do you know what you are? Slipping behind your patron’s back?”

Maria offered a faint, joyless smile. “Done entertaining your precious Diane?”

“Jealous?” William’s voice was icy. “Maria, know your place. You’re a kept woman. Don’t get ideas above your station.”

She shot back, “For all I know, you don’t even work anymore. Diane’s nightly performances are pure bad theater. Who’d be jealous of that?”

In an instant, William snapped. He scooped her up, carried her upstairs to a guest room, and threw her onto the bed.

Her head cracked against the headboard. Pain bloomed—and then he was on her.

His eyes were bloodshot, his grip on her arms bruising.

Maria cried out, instinctively trying to shove him off, but he pinned her, immobile.

He was like a starved beast, biting, claiming.

His hands were branding irons, mapping her skin.

A film of tears blurred Maria’s vision. She bit her lip hard, refusing to make another sound.

Then William stopped. A sneer twisted his lips. “How depraved, Auntie. Getting turned on by your own nephew.”

Maria mirrored his mockery. “Takes one to know one. Groping your father’s killer? That’s a new low.”

The next second, a sharp crack echoed through the room. His palm struck her cheek, hard enough to split her lip.

William stared down at her, hatred burning in his eyes. “Don’t you dare talk about him!”

He snatched up his clothes and stormed into the next room.

Only when the sounds of William and her niece’s intimacy began to drift through the wall did Maria finally go limp, her body sliding down to rest against the cold plaster.

Their ragged breaths filled her ears. William’s hate-filled eyes filled her mind.

A pressure built in her chest, sharp and suffocating. Then her face went deathly pale. A spray of crimson hit the floor.

She wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. Her eyes were dull, her smile a ghostly, bitter thing.

Hate her. Good.

That was the point.

Once she caught the last of the criminals, she would vanish from his life for good.

That night, the sounds of passion lasted until dawn. Maria smoked until dawn.

She’d thought she was numb to it.

But hearing the man she loved with someone else… her heart still twisted, a pain she couldn’t control.

She tried to numb it with nicotine, a bitter laugh echoing in her mind.

*Isn’t this what you wanted?*

A single tear traced a path down her cheek.

Only when the room fell completely silent did she finally slip into a deep, exhausted sleep.

The next morning, a rough shake from William jolted Maria awake.

The moment her eyes opened, his voice cut through the haze. “Nothing to ask? It was your niece last night.”

Maria shook her head. “Pay me what you owe. Double it as compensation for distress.”

William scoffed, eyes glinting with provocation. “Can’t handle it already? This is just the beginning. If you don’t want to keep suffering, just come clean about what happened back then.”

His fingers rubbed together unconsciously—a telltale sign, Maria knew, of anxious anticipation.

A wave of bitterness rose in her throat.

She knew exactly what he was hoping for.

But she couldn’t say it.

Looking away, she shrugged with feigned indifference. “You’re overthinking. The walls here are paper-thin. I couldn’t sleep with all the noise. If you hired me just to make me listen, you might as well pay up and let me find another man.”

As she spoke, her hand rose to trace his jawline, her tone dripping with mock regret. “A woman in her thirties has needs, you know. It’s heartbreaking to be teased and left unsatisfied.”

Instantly, William’s ears flushed red—whether from anger or embarrassment, she couldn’t tell.

He slapped her hand away, furious. “Fine! You want money? Then clean up the mess next door!”

Yanking her to the doorway, he shoved her hard.

Maria stumbled forward into the room.

The sight that greeted her stole her breath—a punch of shock and aching sorrow.

The layout was identical. Every detail matched the dream home he’d promised her five years ago.

But now, this room meant for their future lay littered with the evidence of his nights with her niece.

The bed, the sofa, the balcony—every surface bore their traces.

Behind her, William watched her rigid back, a surge of vengeful satisfaction washing over him.

But before he could savor it, the ever-present bitterness drowned it out again.

Eyes red-rimmed, he flung a thick wad of cash onto the floor. “Clean this up!”

With a final, resounding slam, he shut the door.

Maria sniffed, fighting back tears, and bent to pick up the scattered bills.

One tear escaped, hitting the wooden floor with a silent splash.

“Auntie, why do you do this to yourself?” Diane’s voice cut in, sharp and sudden.

Maria stiffened, quickly schooling her expression back to neutrality as she looked up.

Diane stood wrapped in a towel, her skin marked with the blooming traces of recent passion.

The sight stung like a physical blow. Maria turned her head away. “Just earning a living. Aren’t you here for the money, too?”

Diane let out a cold laugh, striding forward. She pulled out another stack of bills and slapped it hard across Maria’s face.

“You think all women are as shameless as you? I’m here because I love him! If you abandoned him back then, why come back now?

“You took the last of the money and caused his father’s death! After that, William was destroyed. He hit rock bottom, tried to end it all—he even jumped off the North Bridge five times!

“And you? You vanished. Not a word. But now, just when he’s starting to get back on his feet, you show up? I’m begging you, just let him go. Leave him to me!”

Diane’s words drained the color from Maria’s freshly slapped cheek, leaving it pale.

Maria’s nails dug into her palms, the sharp pain grounding her as she wiped the blood from her lip.

“No.”

“Why not? You left!”

Maria spoke slowly, each word deliberate. “Because I was with him for thirteen years. I took care of him since he was ten.”

She could endure William’s cruelty toward her. But this stand-in, this replacement—what right did she have to posture and preen?

A stubborn, bone-deep pride refused to let her yield.

“But you killed his father! There’s a life between you now!” Diane pressed. “Unless… there’s something about that night you’re not telling?”

Maria spread her hands. “So what if I did? He still loves me, doesn’t he? Look at the pathetic way he fawns over me. What am I supposed to do?”

Suddenly, she noticed the woman who had just been hysterical was now smiling.

A sliver of unease wormed its way into Maria’s heart. Then, from behind her, William’s voice sounded.

“Maria. You really are heartless.”

Maria whirled around.

The man she’d once shielded with her whole being now stood there, looking utterly broken and desolate.

His eyes were bloodshot, his voice cracking. “In your eyes, am I just a dog you can whistle for and send away?”

Panic seized her completely. She took a step forward, desperate to explain, but William kicked her legs out from under her.

Her head cracked against the sharp corner of a table. Blood welled in her mouth, flowing freely.

Raw, overwhelming terror swallowed her whole. She was terrified—terrified he’d discover she was sick.

But William didn’t even glance at her. He took Diane’s hand and walked away.

“William, Auntie seems to be—”

“Leave her! A pathetic dog like me isn’t fit to care for his master!”

The self-loathing and hatred in his words were daggers, twisting in Maria’s chest with a sharp, aching pain.

She wanted to explain. But what could she possibly say?

All she could do was find a grim, twisted comfort in the thought:

At least he didn’t find out she was dying…

Maybe that was for the best.

Yes. For the best.

When Maria opened her eyes again, it was to the incessant vibration of her phone.

She blinked dazedly at her surroundings. Darkness had fallen, and she still lay on the floor, alone and forgotten.

A bitter smile touched her lips as she picked up her phone. On the screen was a post from Diane—a grid of nine photos showing William embracing her, both smiling with sweet, unguarded happiness.

*Another perfect day! Thank you, William, for the treats!*

So, while she’d been unconscious, William had spent the whole day with Diane.

They’d gone to the movies, shopped at the mall, visited an amusement park, even shared a kiss on a Ferris wheel and made a wish to be together forever.

Everything he was giving Diane now were promises he’d once made to her.

Back then, their love had been rejected by both families. William had run away from home for it, and the two of them had squeezed into a ten-square-meter basement apartment, dreaming about the future together. He’d promised her everything would work out.

But now, everything had changed.

Like a form of self-punishment, Maria scrolled through the photos again and again. A dull, heavy ache settled in her chest—a strange mix of sorrow and relief. He was finally moving on.

Lost in the bitterness, her vision blurred with tears.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

She quickly wiped her eyes. “Hello?”

“Be extra vigilant these next few days. Oliver is making his move soon, likely within forty-eight hours. Signal detection puts him near your location, but he’s masking his source. Stay careful.”

Maria frowned. “Understood. I’ll be on guard.”

Scott hummed in acknowledgment. “I found the gravesite you asked about. While there’s still time, go see it tomorrow.” He couldn’t help adding, “You know, you still have a chance. And back then… it wasn’t your fault. Your brother-in-law betrayed your sister first. You have every right to seek justice. You—”

“That’s enough, Scott. Thank you. But the grudges of the last generation end with me.”

She didn’t want to discuss it further. “I’ll meet you at the cemetery tomorrow,” she said, then hung up.

William didn’t come home all night. Maria, for her part, was glad for the quiet and managed one of the few decent nights of sleep she’d had in a long time.

The next morning, she met Scott at the cemetery.

Seeing her sister’s headstone placed right beside her brother-in-law’s, Maria’s brow furrowed instantly. “What is this?”

How could her sister be buried next to that traitor?

Scott sighed. “It was your sister’s wish. She… forgave him. And it was also for William’s sake.”

Maria let out a cold laugh. “Hah! My sister was a fool.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than William’s furious voice rang out from nearby. “Maria! How dare you show your face here?!”

Before she could react, she was shoved roughly aside. Then, a kick sent her crashing to her knees on the hard ground.

Scott stepped forward, alarmed. “What are you doing?!”

William’s eyes held nothing but murderous intent. “Stay out of this if you want to live.”

Scott started to protest, but Maria, still on the ground, stopped him with a sharp look.

Seeing their silent exchange, William’s anger flared even hotter. “Maria, you bring your lover to my parents’ grave just to insult my mother?! Have you no shame?! Apologize to my parents!”

He forced her head down, pressing her forehead toward the earth.

Maria’s eyes burned red. “Apologize for what?”

His father had killed her sister! He’d betrayed both their families! She would never apologize.

The defiant anger in her eyes only enraged him further. He turned and ordered his bodyguard, “Make her kowtow. Make her apologize to my parents.”

Leaning down, his voice dropped to a low, venomous threat. “If you don’t apologize today, you’ll kowtow until you die.”

On his command, the bodyguard grabbed her hair and slammed her forehead against the ground—over and over, a dozen brutal impacts, until Maria’s face was a mask of blood and William finally ordered him to stop.

The sight of her battered state sent a sharp pang through William’s chest. His hands trembled uncontrollably, a sour ache twisting inside him.

He fought it down, grabbing the front of Maria’s shirt and hauling her up. “Stay away from my parents’ grave from now on!”

Maria stared directly into his tormented eyes and laughed, a raw, pained sound. “She was my sister. What’s wrong with me visiting? And I’m your elder. Show some respect!”

William shoved her away violently. “My elder? An elder who killed my father and indirectly caused my mother’s death?!”

He stood up, looking down at her with cold contempt. “Fine. Since you’re my elder, you can do me a favor.”

Without another word, ignoring her fresh wounds and disheveled state, he dragged her to his car. He drove at breakneck speed to a private, high-end custom atelier in the suburbs.

Shoving her inside, he gave her a twisted, humorless smile. “Auntie, help your nephew pick out a wedding suit. Since you took my parents’ lives, it’s only right you take over their duties, isn’t it?”

Maria, her wounds barely bandaged, winced from the shove and the throbbing in her head.

When she opened her eyes and looked around, her breath caught.

Every single gown in the studio… was a design she had once sketched for herself and William.