On the day of our fifth wedding anniversary, a video of my husband cozying up to his childhood sweetheart at work blew up on social media. She had the camera aimed at his chest, speaking in a playful, flirty tone.

"He says I'm too beautiful to be left alone, so he wants to keep me with him all the time!"

I accidentally forwarded the video to our family group chat, which prompted a scolding phone call from him.

"She's just a victim who's been through a lot. Do you want the whole family to make things worse for her?"

All day, he broadcasted everything while holding her—eating, going to the bathroom, even sleeping. This time, instead of confronting him, I quietly signed the divorce papers.

---

On our anniversary, a viral video caught my attention. It was a vlogger sharing what it's like to be a cherished wife.

"My husband takes me to work every day. Being loved like this is wonderful."

When I saw those long legs entwined around the man's waist, I felt as if I'd been hit with a sledgehammer. My vision blurred, and a few drops of blood fell from my nose. I shook my head to clear it, and focused, recognizing the suit I'd ironed for him that morning. The man in the video was my husband, Victor Perry. And the soft, flirtatious voice was Ruby Watson, his childhood friend.

She nestled into Victor's arms, and he tenderly patted her slim waist. Her fingers traced circles on his chest with a confident air of being adored.

"He says I'm too beautiful to be left alone, so he wants to keep me with him all the time!"

A bitter, nauseating feeling rose in my throat. I rushed to the bathroom and threw up. After I'd calmed down, I shared the video impulsively, accidentally sending it to the family group. Before I could retract it, Victor called me.

"Lexi Sullivan, do you think I'm going to let this slide? Take it down now!"

"You're bitter every day. Can you be any more sensitive and childish?"

I tried to delete it, but two minutes had already passed. It was too late. I wanted to explain, but Ruby's distraught voice interrupted with tears and fake innocence.

"Did I upset you, Lexi? I really need Victor's comfort now."

"Since I don't have a husband anymore, would you mind being mine, Victor?"

She pretended to care if I was upset while treating Victor as if he were her own husband. Her sly manipulation was something only Victor would tolerate. He spoke to her softly, comforting her.

"Don't cry. I know you're fragile and need me right now."

Then, Victor's anger erupted, hitting my ears like a burst of fireworks.

"Ruby is just a victim who's been through a lot. Do you want the whole family to make things worse for her too?"

"What, you're not deleting it? Are you trying to make us miserable, Lexi Sullivan? When will you grow up?"

Without giving me a chance to reply, he ended the call with one last harsh, cold statement.

"Lexi Sullivan, you'll regret this!"

With a click, he hung up on me. When I tried calling back, I found he'd blocked my number. Before he removed me from the family group chat, everyone, except his grandmother, chimed in. Victor's mother, August, was the first, chastising me for overreacting.

"I thought it was something big! Is this small stuff worth broadcasting?"

Victor's sister, Jimena, chimed in with surprise.

"Ruby and my brother are childhood friends; they've always been close. Hugging is normal!"

His father, Patrick, was more severe, speaking in a tone full of reprimand and instruction.

"A woman's duty is to have children and not interfere in her husband's affairs! Look at you, failing at both!"

In reality, Victor's whole family favored Ruby. She faced no pressure from them; instead, I bore their collective scorn, though thankfully, his grandmother, who had always been kind to me, stayed silent. Otherwise, I would have been heartbroken.

Victor's fury burned hotter than I imagined. Ruby's account, with its million followers, popped up on my screen. Her live stream was ongoing. Though Victor wasn't in the frame, he was holding Ruby while attending meetings with executives, going to the bathroom, even resting in bed—all witnessed by the online audience.

They were so closely intertwined that nobody doubted they were a couple. Ruby's cheerful, sugary voice stirred envy and admiration. Commenters praised her luck in having such a devoted partner and celebrated her for playing the role of the perfect wife.

Nobody cared about my struggle. No one knew Ruby had been disinherited. After watching for a moment, I forwarded the live stream to my lawyer, Whitney Griffin, alerting him that all the evidence of betrayal he needed was there.

He promptly confirmed receipt, assuring me of his professionalism.

Aside from a few close friends, no one knows I'm the secret wife of Victor Perry, the woman behind the scenes. At a gala with Victor once, his rivals took advantage of the moment and kidnapped me. Back then, he risked everything and came by himself to save me. No matter how severely they beat him, he had one plea: to let me go.

He knelt on the floor, utterly breaking down, and begged the captors. "Let my wife go; she hasn't done anything wrong! If you want to take it out on someone, take it out on me!" "If you hurt her, I'll come for you relentlessly, and you won't get anything out of it!"

The rivals only wanted to use me as leverage against Victor, so they didn’t kill us. However, to keep Victor at bay, they injected me with a toxin that tormented me for years. When Victor finally became powerful enough, he secured the antidote and sent his rivals to prison.

Meanwhile, Ruby Watson, who had married abroad, returned after suffering years of domestic violence and being left with nothing. In her desperation, she turned to Victor for comfort. Over time, Victor started giving her more and more attention.

He would frequently say things like: "Ruby is like a sister to me! I used to hold her like that when we were kids!" "She's been through a lot; if I don't take care of her, she might do something drastic!" "Why are you making a fuss over a child? If you keep acting like this, you won't be fit to be the mother of my child!"

Victor always thought Ruby was just a naive girl because she behaved childishly.

I tore up my medical report and tossed the pieces into the trash. I had planned to discuss having a child with him on our anniversary, but that's clearly unnecessary now.

Victor finally came home, but it was late at night. He reeked of alcohol, and the overpowering scent of cheap perfume made me nauseous. As he reached for me, I instinctively flinched, only for him to grip my jaw tightly.

"What are you avoiding? Playing hard to get? You think I enjoy touching you?" "Ruby says having a kid might calm you down, but you're not fit to be the mother of my child!"

Half-asleep, I groggily replied, “Then who is? Ruby Watson?”

That comment made Victor even angrier. "Lexi Sullivan, you've completely lost it! You have the title of Mrs. Perry—what more do you want?"

He pressed down on my waist, not allowing any resistance. Fearing for the child inside me, I tried to struggle slightly, only for him to tighten his grip on my throat until I could barely breathe.

When his eyes landed on the purple marks on my skin, remnants of the years of poisoning that had yet to fade, he paused. A flash of disgust and revulsion crossed his face.

"Doesn’t this bother you, Lexi? Would it kill you to fix yourself with some cosmetic treatments?" "You're sickening! Just touching you makes my stomach churn now!"

He grabbed his phone and stormed out, muttering under his breath, "Can't compare to Ruby's soft, smooth skin."

I fell into deep thought. I had endured the pain of cosmetic treatments many times, only for them to backfire. It was a regimen Ruby insisted I follow, unknown to Victor.

Seeing me sitting motionlessly at the end of the bed, he paused, then turned back. "What are you doing just sitting there? Make me some coffee to sober up!"

I looked up at him, the overpowering scent still lingering in the air.

Once, no matter how late he came home, I'd cater to his every whim, bustling around like a housekeeper, just for a word of praise or a smile.

Now, seeing me unmoving, his temper flared. "Can't even do the simplest thing? You think you’re a little princess like Ruby?" "She deserves to be pampered, while you're good for nothing but learning obedience!"

A sharp sting hit my nose, and silent tears trickled down my cheeks. But Victor had already turned away, not sparing me a glance.