Isabella Rose let out a sneer, her face filled with contempt: "Who told you this bitch wouldn't accept my check? Was eight million dollars not enough to buy the life of a bitch?"

She leaned in, her tone sharp and mean:

"Willow Grace, you're just as lowborn as your mother. Even if I weren't Mrs. Sterkubg, you'd still be beneath me! You took something that never belonged to you, and this... is your lesson."

I stared fiercely into her frivolous eyes, my eye sockets burning red, my teeth grinding so hard they creaked: "Isabella Rose, murderers... have to pay with their lives!"

Isabella Rose laughed out loud, a harsh, arrogant sound. "'Murderers pay with their lives'-that's just a rule for poor people like you. For me? All I need is Junci."

"What do you mean-"

Before I could finish, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. The next second, a sharp pain shot through the back of my neck, and all my strength drained away instantly.

Nathaniel Sterling's voice rang out beside my ear, cold as ice: "Call the police? ...Willow, you really are being disobedient."

I collapsed weakly, and through blurred vision, I saw him withdraw his hand. The last thing I registered before losing consciousness was his back as he walked toward Isabella Rose.

I closed my eyes in despair and unwillingness. So it was true-Nathaniel Sterling was truly obsessed with Isabella Rose.

Back in the day, just because she said "it hurts," he couldn't bear to touch her, driving himself into the hospital from pent-up frustration. When she got an intern drunk to death, he went to apologize on his knees personally, "buying" her way out of trouble. Later, when she divorced him and took their son abroad, it nearly cost him half his life. After that, he gave up all his assets, drank himself into a stupor every day, and attempted suicide countless times...

That's when my mom and I were hired by his best friend to take care of him. We worked in shifts day and night, looking after his daily needs. With a salary far above the market rate, I entered the Sterling residence with trepidation-only to bump straight into Nathaniel Sterling's chest. His jaw was gaunt, his lips pale, and a thick layer of gloom and brokenness lingered between his slightly Sterlingrrowed brows as he looked at me through the darkness. At that moment, my heart nearly stopped beating.

My mom noticed my odd reaction and whispered a warning: "Willow, you two aren't from the same world. You can never compare to the woman who lives in his heart-the one who's like a lost love."

But I couldn't control my feelings. I just wanted to stay by his side, to watch over him. When he got drunk, I made him hangover soup; when he couldn't sleep, I searched the entire country for remedies... I stayed by his side silently for three whole years, until he pulled himself together again and became the dashing President Sterling in the business world.

I knew it was time for me to leave. But Nathaniel Sterling suddenly called out to me, and with three sentences, he trapped me for the rest of my life.

"I know you like me."

"Willow."

"Let's get married."

After we married, he treated me incredibly well. He'd cancel late-night international meetings just to rush home and wash my feet. When I was on my period, he'd stay by my bed all night. If I said I was in a bad mood, he'd give up a multi-million yuan project to take me traveling to cheer me up... I truly thought Nathaniel Sterling loved me.

Little did I know, he'd never let go of Isabella Rose. Even marrying me was just a way to get back at her-after hearing she'd registered her marriage to another man abroad.

Memories crashed over me like a wave of despair and venom, repeatedly flooding my muddled mind.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital room, surrounded by police officers. Nathaniel Sterling stood by my bed, a look of concern on his face. And Isabella Rose, that murderer, was sitting there casually putting on lipstick!

I strained my dry throat and shouted: "My dad was killed! Why... why is she still here! Why aren't you arresting her!"

The lead police officer sighed, his tone apologetic: "Ms. Grace, we went to the address in your emergency text, but there was no trace of a water tank or blood. We couldn't find your father's body either... This doesn't meet the criteria for filing a case. I'm sorry."

The smell of disinfectant stung my nostrils, making my entire body ache. I looked at Nathaniel Sterling, who was standing by my bed, my voice filled with inescapable despair: "It was you, wasn't it?"

Who else had the power to erase all traces of the crime in such a short time? Who else would treasure a venomous woman like Isabella Rose like a precious gem!

Nathaniel Sterling looked at me with dark, unfathomable eyes. He turned and picked up a gift box from the side. Inside lay a sparkling ring-the one he'd promised to give me as an anniversary gift. His warm palm gently rested on the top of my head, his tone laced with deliberate tenderness:

"The case has been wrapped up for weeks. It doesn't matter what you scream, what you beg-we can't turn back the clock, and your parents? They're not coming home. It's all over. Just. let it go."

"From now on-we're the only family either of us has left. Stay. Please stay with me. I'll spend every last day of my life making it right-making up for all the hurt, all the loss. Just. stop making a scene, okay? Don't keep tearing yourself apart like this."

I held the heavy gift box, feeling as if a huge hole had been torn in my chest.

Suddenly, I remembered two years ago-when the stray cat I'd adopted died because of a shady vet. Nathaniel Sterling had flown into a rage. He'd not only forced the pet hospital to close down but also made that unscrupulous doctor kneel at my feet with a broken hand to apologize.

But now, it was my parents who had died, and all he could say was "let's leave it at that."

I closed my eyes, swallowing down the lump in my throat, and said word by word: "Nathaniel Sterling, let's get a divorce..."

Before I could finish, Nathaniel Sterling's phone rang, cutting me off. He answered it, his voice urgent: "Isabella, why are you crying?"

He didn't even hear what I'd said. Turning, he rushed out of the hospital room. In his hurry, his cufflink got tangled in my hair, yanking out a clump-roots and all-but he didn't even look back.

The pain on my scalp was searing, but it was nothing compared to the agony in my heart. Dully, I took out the divorce agreement I'd long prepared and followed him out.

Around the corner, Isabella Rose's sobbing voice drifted clearly to my ears: "I just bought that ring , and then I saw a beggar on the street. He looked so pitiful. Junci, when I think about how hard their lives are, but I still threw away the ring you gave me just to throw a fit... Am I being too willful?"

Nathaniel Sterling's voice was filled with a tenderness I'd never heard before as he chuckled and comforted her: "Of course not. You've always been kind. That necklace didn't deserve to be worn by you-it's its fault. Trash belongs in the trash can."

I froze in place. So the gift this man, whom I'd loved, gave me as "compensation" was nothing but trash that Isabella Rose didn't want. When I fought for justice for my parents, he saw it as "making a scene"; but when Isabella Rose had two lives on her hands, he thought she was "kind."

So that's the difference between being loved and being unloved.

When Nathaniel Sterling hung up the phone, I walked out calmly and held out the divorce agreement, pointing to the blank signature line.

"What's this?" He frowned.

I smiled like an empty shell, tears streaming down my face despite myself: "I'll do what you want-I'll stop making a scene. But one necklace isn't enough. I want you to transfer the ownership of that luxury villa in the city center to me-the one worth 300 million yuan."

Nathaniel Sterling visibly relaxed, not suspecting a thing. He quickly signed his name and even pulled me into his arms affectionately: "Wife, I love you."

A tear slid from the corner of my eye and dropped onto his shoulder. Nathaniel Sterling, I wish I could still love you. But I can't. I just want to finish the formalities as soon as possible-cancel my household registration, get divorced, and leave you... forever.

In the days that followed, Nathaniel Sterling acted as if he was truly determined to make amends. He stayed by my side every minute, never leaving me alone. Even though I'd long recovered physically, he still arranged for a full-body check-up and insisted I stay in the hospital a little longer.

He'd carry me to the bathroom when I was on an IV drip, tell me soft stories when I couldn't sleep, and even catch my vomit with his hands without hesitation when I got sick unexpectedly.

All the nurses in the hospital envied me, saying Nathaniel Sterling must be madly in love with me. But only I knew the truth-he did all this either to keep me in line so he could continue protecting Isabella Rose, or to ease his own guilty conscience. It was never because of love.

Five days later, I was discharged and went home. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Isabella Rose and her son Ethan Sterling sitting on the sofa watching TV. Her high heels had dirtied the cashmere carpet I'd just bought. The clay figurine Nathaniel Sterling had made for me by hand was being used by her as an ashtray for sunflower seed shells. And Ethan Sterling was scribbling on our wedding photo with a marker, scrawling three harsh words across my once-happy smile-"Bitch!"

My heart constricted sharply. I forced down my anger and asked: "What are you doing here?"

Isabella Rose curled her lips into a smile, her tone triumphant: "Your mom died in my old penthouse-it's so unlucky! The new villa Junci bought me is still being cleaned, so I have to stay here for a few days. After all, this is my son's father's home. It's only right for me to live here." She changed her tone, her eyes brimming with provocation: "If you don't agree, little sister Willow, I'll just have to go find my ex-husband-the one I just divorced abroad. He's been pestering me to remarry lately!"

My wrist was suddenly grabbed tightly. Looking up, I saw Nathaniel Sterling's jaw was clenched tight, ice forming in his eyes: "She agrees. You and our son can stay as long as you want."

I sneered inwardly-he was jealous, just as I thought.

Seeing me stay silent, Nathaniel Sterling turned to me, his tone an unyielding command: "Willow, you're so good at taking care of people. While Isabella and Eathan are staying here, I'll have to trouble you. Isabella is picky about her food, and Eathan is young and mischievous. Please be patient with them. I won't let your efforts go unrewarded, hmm?"

I remembered our wedding night-Nathaniel Sterling had kissed each of my fingers and vowed that he'd never let my hands touch housework for the rest of my life. But now, he was making me personally wait on the woman who'd killed my parents. It was like he was trampling my dignity and humanity into the dirt.

I closed my eyes, suppressing all my emotions, and said softly: "Okay."

I knew perfectly well that this wasn't the time to fall out with them. There was something important I needed to do while I was still in this house...

Soon enough, I learned just how difficult Isabella Rose and her son were to please. If even one Crab in a plate still had its vein unremoved, she'd dump the entire dish-soup and all-on the floor and point her finger at me, yelling: "Disgusting trash! Make it again!" Then she'd force me to get on my knees and wipe the floor clean. If the warm milk before bed was even one degree too cold, she'd splash it straight in my face and sneer: "Useless thing! Why can't you be this attentive when you're servicing Junci in bed?"

Ethan Sterling was just as arrogant and mean. Just because I hadn't put on a cartoon for him before he went to the bathroom, he smashed the bathroom mirror and made me pick up every shard of glass by hand. My hands were covered in cuts, bleeding profusely, but when Nathaniel Sterling walked past, he just gave me a casual glance and said to Ethan Sterling: "Son, stand back. Don't get cut."

I thought if I endured long enough, I'd eventually be able to leave safely. But I never expected that that night, while I was searching the backyard for the bracelet Isabella Rose had deliberately thrown out the window, Nathaniel Sterling suddenly stormed over. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me up roughly, his face furious: "Willow, what did Eathan do to deserve this? How could you be so cruel to a five-year-old child!"

I stared at him in confusion, unable to break free: "What are you talking about?"

"Stop pretending!" Nathaniel Sterling snapped, shoving me away so hard that I stumbled and fell into the rosebushes nearby. The sharp thorns pierced my palms, and the excruciating pain made me gasp. Blood instantly stained the petals red.