After failing to get her fiance, Austin Langford, to sleep with her for the 99th time, Cara Reyes calls up her best friend, Jessica Hogan, and says, "Jess, I'm coming to Spark City to find you."

Almost immediately, the sound of a chair slamming on the ground comes through from the other end of the line. Jessica's excited voice is then heard.

"Cara! You've finally thought it through! I've told you a long time ago that Austin isn't good for you! He looks too weak!"

Cara's red-rimmed eyes light up a little as she smiles. "Yeah. I've thought it through."

"Don't be sad, Cara. Once you're in Spark City, I'll introduce you to a new foreign boyfriend with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and perfect body proportions. Their genes here are all top-notch, and you will definitely have a beautiful baby with them!"

Nodding, Cara says, "Alright. Let me go and get my marriage certificate back first."

After ending the call, Cara lies down in bed and falls asleep with a heavy heart.

Sometime during midnight, someone pulls back the covers and slides in next to her, his warm body settling down just about an arm's length away from her.

A short while later, Cara hears the rustling of clothes and the man panting softly beside her.

Cara's body goes numb like she's just been electrocuted. However, she still slowly turns her head back to take a closer look.

The moonlight streamed through the windows, bathing Austin Langford's muscular arms and rolled-up sleeves with a soft, white glow.

He clutched a lacy silk nightgown in one hand while his other hand moved quickly and swiftly under the covers. A low growl escaped his lips, and Austin's tense body relaxed right after that.

It wasn't until he finally got up and went to the bathroom that Cara Reyes finally dared to release her lower lip she'd bitten down on until it bled.

The bathroom door was ajar. She watched through the crack in the door as Austin carefully rubbed the nightgown with his fingers and even sniffed it at times with a dazed look in his eyes.

"Winter… Winnie…"

Winter Langford was Austin's younger stepsister.

Half an hour later, Austin finally came back to the bed, but he still kept an arm's distance away from Cara.

He didn't even touch her throughout the entire ordeal, but Cara couldn't go back to sleep anymore. She kept her eyes wide as she lay awake, lost in her memories.

When she was 20 years old, both her parents had died at sea, and they left her such a huge inheritance that she didn't even have to work anymore for the rest of her life. However, she felt lonely and wanted a child of her own to keep her company.

The day she first met Austin, he had just returned from the port where he worked. He had a broad back, a slim yet muscular waist, and sweat was trickling down his shoulder and abs.

Cara could feel her entire body reacting to him.

After learning that he and his stepsister were struggling financially, she seized the opportunity and decided to "sponsor" him by providing for him financially.

Then, she began seducing him with every opportunity she could get after confirming their relationship.

In the summer, Cara would wear short dresses to deliver lunch to him, but she would never get a second glance from him. He would then tell her that the food she gave him was no different from the food served at his canteen.

At night, she would slip on custom-made nightgowns and get onto him, asking for a night of intimacy. He, however, wouldn't respond to her at all.

Once, she'd even tried drugging his drinks, but aside from him blushing lightly, he told her it was useless otherwise.

Cara thought that he had too many responsibilities in life, and that was the main reason why he had no desire for her.

It wasn't until she woke up the other night a month ago and witnessed the jaw-dropping scene of him masturbating to a nightgown that she finally realized something. His lust, desire, and impulses had never been directed at her from the start.

Rather, they were all directed toward Winter, his stepsister who had no blood relation to him at all.

That was the night when everything fell apart for Cara.

The first rays of sunshine poured in through the windows, and Austin got up next to her before going to get dressed.

Cara called out to him on instinct. "Austin, I—"

Austin cast her a cold look as he fixed the tie around his neck. "Haven't you already tried it in the mornings?"

Cara froze in her spot. It wasn't until a couple of minutes later that she finally understood what he meant.

So, did he think that she was a woman driven by her insatiable lust for him?

His words felt like rubbing salt on her wounds, tearing apart and eating into her bleeding injuries once more.

Cara just chuckled bitterly and walked out after him, bumping into Winter on the way, who had also just gotten up.

She still had a sleepy look in her eyes as she instinctively hugged Austin with her arms around his waist. "Austin, have you seen my newest nightgown anywhere? That one is my favorite."

Hearing that, Cara immediately turned to look at Austin. She wanted to know how he would answer Winter's question. After all, he had kept the nightgown hidden away like a precious gem, making sure nobody else could ever get it back.

"I haven't seen it. I'll buy you another one," Austin said stiffly, gulping a few times at how intimately Winter was acting with him.

He was getting aroused, and it was only from a hug…

His restrained yet passionate gaze shattered the last line of defense in Cara's heart.

Lowering her head, she walked right past them with a bitter smile and headed straight for the door. She pushed it open and walked out.

"Are you leaving?" Austin asked behind her.

Cara didn't look back as she replied, "Yeah."

She was leaving and never coming back.

Cara went to the marriage registration office at the city hall and retrieved her marriage registration form from the puzzled staff.

It was quite an ironic situation, after all. Austin had only just been crowned mayor of the city. Worried that their marriage would negatively impact his work, Cara had postponed the submission of their marriage form.

Little did she know that she had actually given herself a way out of her current situation now.

She rode home on her bike and heard quarrelling coming from inside the mansion through the narrow door.

Winter was crying bitterly. "Austin! We weren't like this in the past! We could hug and hold hands with each other! Why can't we do it anymore?"

Austin, who was standing opposite her, refused to hug her. He said, "I'm going to get married soon. We can't do this."

There was a loud crash. Winter had grabbed the ashtray on the table and flung it at Austin's head with all her might.

"Then don't marry her! You're already the mayor! We don't need her charity anymore!" Winter screamed.

Austin had a deep gash on his forehead, but he was still as gentle as ever with her. He sighed softly and pulled the trembling Winter into his embrace, patting her softly on the back. "Just wait, okay? Just wait for me."

Winter continued sobbing in his arms. Austin restrained himself as much as possible and kissed the top of her head.

Cara witnessed everything from outside and felt her blood completely freeze over. She clapped a hand over her mouth and slumped to the floor, her mind replaying Austin's words over and over again.

What had Austin meant by telling Winter to wait? What was he waiting for?

Was he waiting until the dust settled before he finally abandoned her?

Cara didn't want to continue thinking about it.

She was going to leave the country very soon. She didn't want to continue being toyed with by Austin and Winter anymore.

That evening, Austin had to leave the mansion because something urgent came up at work.

Winter had locked herself in her room, so Cara took the opportunity to pack up everything she owned in the mansion.

She had been with Austin for five years, and yet, everything she owned could be fitted inside a 26-inch cardboard box.

Before going to sleep, Cara drank the mug of warm milk on her placed on the bedside table as usual and fell into a deep sleep.

She could feel someone tearing her clothes in her dreams, and her body was also very hot and warm to the touch.

Cara naturally thought that it was Austin. Then, she tugged open her collar as she opened her eyes.

When she did, however, a stranger's face suddenly appeared before her.

"You're awake, Cara."

Cara screamed and woke up immediately. "Who are you? What are you doing in my house?"

The man, Rocky Smithson, smiled, flashing his dirty, yellowed teeth. He kept inching closer to the terrified Cara, cornering her.

"Don't you want a baby? The Smithson family has good genes! I promise I can give you a baby boy just like you wish!"

Cara was sweating and felt her vision going blurry, and she knew that she'd been drugged. Rocky's hands were reaching for her chest and were about to tear off her bra when Cara suddenly gritted her teeth and grabbed the pair of scissors she kept on her bedside table. Then, she stabbed it right through Rocky's arm.

Blood began gushing from Rocky's arm. Cara then screeched at him, saying, "If you lay another finger on me again, I will kill you first, and then myself!"

…

It was early in the morning at the police station when Cara was there with just a thin shawl over her shoulders. She had only just managed to call Austin on his phone.

"Austin, I'm at the police station."

There was a slight pause at the other end of the line. Then, Austin said, "I'm busy with work. Settle things yourself."

He ended the call right away without giving Cara another chance to speak.

The police sitting opposite Cara saw how upset she looked. He then shifted his attention toward Winter, who was sitting on the other side of the table.

"Alright. Spill. Why did you bribe Rocky into doing this?" the police questioned.

Winter lowered her head and refused to say anything.

The policeman knocked on the table and gave her an ultimatum. "Something as serious as this could land you in jail for three days. Aren't you afraid of leaving a permanent criminal record, Ms. Langford?"

Cara recalled how she had also "sponsored" every single penny of Winter's college fees last time, and now, this was how Winter repaid her.

When Winter heard what the policeman said, she finally showed a different kind of emotion on her face.

"I'm calling my brother!"

When Austin arrived, his forehead was beaded in sweat, and his shirt was a little disheveled from running too quickly as he rushed to the police station.

It had only been about ten minutes since Winter called him.

"What happened, Winter?" he asked.

Winter looked like she'd just met her lifesaver and hid behind him, looking like she was about to burst into tears.

"Hasn't Cara always been asking you for a baby? Does it really matter who the baby's father was? I've already done my research and found out that the Smithsons have really good genes that would definitely give her a baby boy!

"How could Cara not be grateful that I'd done such a huge favor for her?"

Austin listened to her quietly, his eyes occasionally darting to the deep scratches on Cara's chest. Then, he asked Winter and Cara to leave the room for a while.

Winter crossed her arms and looked smugly at Cara as they stood outside in the cold. "Wanna bet that Austin's going to take my side no matter what?"

Cara didn't bother answering her.

Half an hour later, Austin pushed the door open and walked straight toward her.

Cara didn't know why, but she actually caught herself harboring some hope as she looked into his eyes.

"Don't bring this up again next time. Rocky will be sent to jail, and you will not hold this against Winter anymore."

This was an answer that Cara didn't expect. Her lips trembled as she exclaimed, "Austin Langford! Your sister was behind that the whole time!"

Austin sounded impatient. "Well? You're still alive."

It was just a single line from him, but that was enough to strip Cara of all her energy then and there. Her arms fell limply to the sides.

Just as she thought of saying something to him, it began raining outside.

"Let's go, Winter," Austin said, holding up an umbrella with one hand and putting his other arm around Winter's shoulders. They then disappeared into the rain.

It was as if none of them realized that Cara needed an umbrella to get home.

The rain only got heavier and heavier after that, falling on Cara's face until she didn't know if they were raindrops or her tears anymore.

Unexpectedly, Cara got a high fever after the rain that night.

While she was recovering at home, Austin somehow became less cold toward her and personally cooked for her, making sure she was taken care of and that she ate her medication.

If this were in the past, Cara would have been touched and grateful toward Austin. But now, she just found it pathetic.

Austin was merely atoning for Winter's sins. It wasn't because he actually felt sorry for her at all.

If he did, then he wouldn't have just pretended to tell Winter off at home or run into her bedroom later that night to apologize and make it up to her because he felt terrible about it.

Cara finally recovered completely and was eating lunch downstairs one day. Winter was sitting at the head of the table, wearing an eye-catching, glimmering crystal bangle around her wrist.

The crystal bangle had been an heirloom that Cara's mother, Diana Fontaine, had left for her after her death. Cara had kept it away safely in the attic upstairs, and she didn't know how Winter had managed to get her hands on it.

Cara marched up to Winter, pointed at the bangle, and asked sharply, "Where did you get this bangle from?"

Winter didn't look the least bit guilty. She even showed it off proudly to Cara and said, "Austin found it in the attic and gave it to me. It matches the dress I'm wearing for tonight's club."

Cara didn't want to waste her breath on Winter anymore and demanded that she return the bangle to her at once. However, Winter refused.

"You're going to marry Austin anyway! That means everything you own will be his, and everything his is also mine! Why can't I wear it, then?" Winter shot back.

Cara was just about to grab the bangle back by force when Winter suddenly slapped her so hard on the cheek that Cara swore she saw stars.

The bangle flew off during the altercation and fell to the floor, breaking into a few pieces. A few broken pieces bounced off the ground and cut into Cara's legs, making her bleed.

At that moment, Austin stormed into the dining room.

"Austin! My finger's bleeding!" Winter cried, showing him her finger that was just mildly scuffed. At once, Austin took her finger and put it in his mouth to lick it and stop the "bleeding".

Cara watched as Austin's eyes grew increasingly unfocused and his breathing got faster and more rapid.

At the most crucial moment, Austin suddenly got up and headed straight for the bathroom expressionlessly.

He never looked at Cara at all as he chided her, "It's just a bangle. I will never forgive you if anything happens to Winter!"

He didn't even ask if Cara had been hurt.

Cara just looked down and laughed at herself pitifully. She then fetched the first-aid kit, cleaned the wound, disinfected it, and dressed it herself. However, she could hear quarreling downstairs.

It sounded like Winter was insisting on going out to party at the club, but Austin wouldn't let her. In the end, Winter stormed out of the mansion in a fury and slammed the door behind her.

…

That night, Austin suddenly walked into the room, looking genuinely concerned.

"Is your leg okay? I'll bring you to the hospital if needed," he said.

Austin was always playing games like this, giving Cara the stick before rewarding her with a carrot. It almost felt as though he was a cat toying with its prey, constantly keeping Cara's heart on edge as he pushed and pulled on her heart that was pounding with anxiety and insecurity.

"Forget about it," she replied.

He didn't care about her refusal and dipped a cotton swab in iodine before gently applying it to her wound.

Cara hissed lightly, making him chuckle.

"You're behaving just like a kid."

A fruit-flavored lollipop suddenly appeared in her lap. She recognized the packaging. It was from a handmade sweets shop in Sothernia, and one would have to queue for at least a few hours to get in.

She picked up the lollipop and unwrapped it, feeling the sticky sugar coating her fingers.

Just as she was about to put it in her mouth, she suddenly heard the sound of the door opening downstairs.