"You two are the married couple. From now on, let's keep our distance to avoid any more misunderstandings," Julian said.

The moment he shut the door, Wendy's eyes immediately reddened with hurt.

No matter how hard she pounded on the door, he didn't answer.

She took her anger out on me. "Julian's been helping me with my illness. You're blowing this way out of proportion. Apologize to him right now. If he doesn't forgive you, don't even think about coming back to this house!"

Ignoring my pale face, she slammed the door shut.

I stared at the closed door. I felt hollow inside.

If she could be that heartless, why should I cling to old feelings?

I called my lawyer. "Draft a divorce agreement. I want Wendy to leave with nothing."

After hanging up, I forced myself to go to the hospital for a checkup.

While I was getting treated, Wendy called. Her tone was softer.

"How long are you going to stay mad? I'll take my medicine, okay? If it makes you feel better, tie me up so I don't sleepwalk."

She acted like treating her sleepwalking was some kind of gift for me.

I couldn't help but scoff.

She fought me every time I urged her to take her medication. Yet she obeyed Julian's every word.

I remembered the first time I met her parents. Julian was there too.

I thought nothing of it, assuming they were just close friends.

That night, Wendy sleepwalked and found herself standing on the bridge over a river.

Julian and I reached out to her as we shouted her name frantically.

I was so close to catching her, but she pushed me away and threw herself into Julian's arms.

Onlookers cheered for them while I became a laughingstock.

When she woke from her sleepwalking, she pleaded, "Julian's my cure. I can't live without him."

For her safety, I swallowed my resentment and agreed to let Julian move in next door.

However, my compromise only emboldened her.

"I'll step aside. You and Julian can have each other," I said coldly, finally having had enough.

She paused, then raised her voice. "Stop being ridiculous, Zane. I told you that Julian and I are just childhood friends. There's nothing between us. Besides, we've only been married for two days. How would our families react if we got divorced now?"

Appearances mattered most to her.

Compared to Julian's idleness, I had a respectable job and income that she could boast about.

Seeing that I hadn't responded, she softened her voice. "I'll cook tonight. Let's talk it over."

In the year I'd known her, this was the first time she'd offered to cook.

I would've felt touched back then, but now I feel nothing.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator back home, I ran into Julian.

He had his back to me and was on the phone.

"That idiot Zane actually bought into Wendy's sleepwalking story. Serves him right for being cuckolded for a whole year."

I clenched my fists at his words.

I held back my rage and continued listening. "Wendy's pregnant with my kid. It wouldn't be so bad to have that idiot raise the kid for me."

My head started buzzing in an instant.

Wendy had been lying to me from the very moment we met.

I had been played like a fool by them both.

Thinking back on the past year, I realized that I had been visiting doctors, desperate to cure her sleepwalking.

It was laughable.

I wandered in the streets in a daze, letting the rain soak me through.

Suddenly, a sports car screeched to a stop right in front of me.

When I saw who it was inside, my heart stopped.

"Was giving up your inheritance just to avoid me worth it, Zane?"

The sight of my childhood friend, Yvonne Jensen, sent me into a momentary daze.

I let out a bitter smile. "You deserve better."

She opened the car door and motioned for me to get in.

"I know you're planning to get a divorce. Do you think I still have a chance?"

"Why?" I blurted out after a pause.

She smiled radiantly. "Because I love you. I'll wait as long as it takes."

I'd had too much to drink that night. When I woke up, Yvonne was already gone.

Memories of the night before left me conflicted.

My phone lit up with dozens of missed calls and messages from Wendy, dragging me back to reality.

I'd already decided on divorce. It was time to confront her.

When I got home, Wendy greeted me with fury. "Zane, where the hell were you last night?"

Untouched food and two sets of used dishes sat on the table.

I ignored her and headed straight to the bedroom to pack.

She followed after me and pointed at a pile of cut-up clothes.

"Leave if you want, but don't take a single thing from this house," she sneered.

Then, she held out her hand. "You haven't handed over your salary this month. Julian's buying a car, and he's still short about 100 grand on the down payment. You got your bonus, right? Hand it over."

I made 20 thousand a month. I kept two thousand for myself and handed the rest to her.

She spent all that money on Julian.

I swallowed my rage. "You'll never get another cent from me."

Just then, Julian staggered in, reeking of alcohol. He was clutching a bottle.

"You've got some nerve refusing to pay me," he slurred, pointing a finger at me. "I've been sleeping with your wife. You're nothing but a coward. I'll make you kneel and beg today."

That was when I noticed the watch on his wrist. It was the same watch that had gone missing from my collection.

Suddenly, it all clicked. Ever since Julian moved in, things had gone missing.

The trust I once had in Wendy had turned into bitter disappointment.

She noticed my stare and looked away nervously.

Then, she gently told Julian, "Don't go too far. Just teach him a lesson."

The next moment, the bottle crashed down on my head.

Everything went black as I fainted.

When I woke up, I was locked in an ice cellar. The cold cut straight through me, making my teeth chatter uncontrollably.

Wendy kicked me and looked down at me like I was nothing.

"Zane, I didn't want it to come to this, but you shouldn't have fought Julian over the family assets."

I frowned, confused.

She sneered, "Julian is your dad's illegitimate son. Why do you get to live in the light while he's stuck in the shadows?

"He had to take his mother's last name just to survive. You owe him!"

Everything suddenly made sense.

"So, you got close to me on purpose? You even faked that time you saved me?"

Her face twisted with disgust. "Of course. I even gave you those drugs you took a year ago."

I widened my eyes.

Rage and betrayal surged in my chest. I started coughing up blood.

So, that was why she faked sleepwalking and used self-harm as an excuse to avoid my touch.

Wendy had never loved me from the very beginning.

Hatred welled up inside me. I roared, "Just kill me now, Wendy! If you don't, I'll make you pay!"

Wendy pulled out a document renouncing my inheritance. She grabbed my thumb and pressed it onto the document.

"Three days from now, your dad will announce the heir. Hold on until then. Once Julian gets the inheritance, I'll let you go," she said, satisfied.

I was too weak from blood loss to resist.

"I already gave up the inheritance when I married you," I scoffed.

Wendy was an orphan. My parents disapproved of her background and refused to let her in.

To repay her for saving me from being drugged, I turned against my family.

I even cut off contact with Yvonne, despite having feelings for each other.

Suddenly, Wendy flew into a rage and tore off my clothes.

"If it weren't for you, Julian would be the only heir! I would've married him a long time ago!" she screamed. "Since you love taking what belongs to him, you can stay here and think about it!"

My body pressed against the freezing floor. I was shaking uncontrollably from the cold.

I struggled like a worm. At that point, any shred of dignity I had was long gone.

Enduring the humiliation, I forced myself to look up at her. "You're evil, Wendy. Do you really think that just because I gave up my inheritance, the shareholders would hand the company to an incompetent illegitimate son?

"He'll spend his whole life crawling in the gutter!"

My words enraged her. She ground her high heel down hard on the back of my hand.

The pain was unbearable.

"Julian deserves the best. You're the worthless one."

She pulled out her phone and started taking pictures of me from every angle, then sent them anonymously to my dad, Zachary Lewis.

"Let's see who your dad chooses between you and Julian."

Wendy left without a backward glance.

I don't know how long I lay there before the cold consumed me.

My vision dimmed, and I blacked out.

…

Wendy handed the signed waiver to Julian as if it were a prize. "Zane admitted his mistake. You've waited long enough. It's time to take back what's yours."

Julian pulled her into his arms. A calculating glint flashed in his eyes.

"You've done well. Once I get the inheritance, you'll be rewarded."

Wendy pouted playfully. "Good. Once the time is right, I'll divorce Zane. Then we'll never be apart again."

Lost in her fantasy, she didn't notice the disgust and calculation in Julian's eyes.

…

Three days later, Zachary publicly announced Julian as the heir to dozens of media outlets.

The crowd erupted in shock, but not a single person dared to question him.

Julian stood there with a smug look on his face.

Wendy was in the audience as she lifted her chin proudly.

That was the man she had chosen.

From now on, she would be a wealthy man's wife.

Suddenly, the doors were kicked open. A dozen bodyguards cleared the way for a well-dressed middle-aged woman. Her voice was cold as ice.

"Who is this guy that's trying to take my son's place?"

Her gaze locked onto Wendy. She raised her hand and slapped her.

The lawyer beside the woman spoke. His voice was like ice. Each word hit Wendy hard. "Ms. Sinclair, I am Mr. Zane's legal representative. We will be formally filing charges against you for adultery during marriage and the attempted murder of your husband."