Jason’s internet darling had gone blind.

Panicked—a rare state for the usually unflappable Jason—he moved into Katherine’s home that very night. As he turned to leave in haste, he tossed out an order.

“Dorothy, I’m bringing Katherine home to care for her. Get the house ready in the next few days. I’ll text you the instructions.”

He spoke to her as if she were the household maid.

Dorothy clutched the hem of his jacket, her voice timid. “I heard Miss Katherine lost her sight. Is she… alright?”

Jason let out a cold laugh. “You’re well-informed.”

But she didn’t let go. Instead, she held out a document. “Will you be back tonight? This is for Miss Katherine’s medical expenses.”

His displeasure was plain. He signed without a glance. “Not tonight. Don’t call me unless it’s urgent. Do your duty as a wife and stop being so suspicious.”

Agitated, he turned and left, never realizing that what Dorothy had handed him was a divorce petition.

.............................................................................

Dorothy was the treasured wife of Jason, the golden boy of the city’s old-money elite. For seven years, their marriage had been storybook-perfect.

So no one expected him to fall for Katherine.

If Dorothy was Jason’s white rose, then Katherine was the stunning red rose that had captivated him. A single kiss sealed their affair, and for three years Katherine followed him without a title.

Perhaps out of guilt, Jason poured all his resources into her, sculpting her into a major influencer. And then, at this pivotal moment, she went blind.

Dorothy looked at the table laden with dishes she’d cooked herself and felt a twist of irony. It was the story of these ten years—once a feast full of promise, now just cold leftovers.

Outside, the roar of a car engine faded into the distance.

Dorothy suddenly remembered the first time she’d met Katherine. The younger woman had been lounging in Jason’s executive chair, legs crossed, looking her up and down.

“*Honey*, a woman like you is too plain for someone like him.”

Katherine wasn’t wrong, really. Those who loved Dorothy cherished her quiet elegance; those who didn’t simply found her aloof and cold.

A wry smile touched Dorothy’s lips. It had taken an outsider to see clearly what she’d spent a decade proving to herself.

Once, she too had believed she would be his exception, his favorite.

Until three years ago, when Jason started finding fault with her hair, her figure, even her clothes.

“Why can’t you ever dress for the occasion?”

“You look so worn out. Have I not treated you well?”

“Can’t you take better care of yourself? You’re starting to sag. It’s embarrassing to be seen with you!”

She understood. He just had Katherine as a comparison now, a shining contrast that made her seem dull.

Dorothy ran her fingers over the jade pendant her grandmother had left her, surveying the packed bags. Before leaving, she instructed the housekeeper to dispose of every last thing that belonged to her.

The anniversary gifts that once symbolized sweet love were left behind in the villa. Their wedding photo was smashed and tossed into the trash.

Her phone kept buzzing, notifications pinging one after another.

Dorothy opened it. A prenatal exam report filled the screen.

“Katherine is pregnant. Her condition is unstable. We need to divorce officially, just as a formality for now. I need to be with her.”

“Redecorate the house to her taste. I don’t trust anyone else. Handle it personally.”

“Hire a maternity nurse, a family doctor, a caregiver, and a nutritionist. You take care of it.”

Finally, the phone fell silent. Dorothy had no desire to maintain even the last shred of her dignity.

“Jason, we’re getting a divorce.”

She blocked and deleted him from every platform, announcing her single status with flair on her social feed.

Let those ten years be food for the dogs. Dorothy Jiang would never look back.

Ever since losing her sight, Katherine had grown unusually dependent on Jason.

He brewed her medicine each day, fed her every meal, and devoted his full attention to her. Dorothy required no concern—her heart belonged entirely to him, and she was far too obedient.

The nurses all envied Katherine. “Mrs. Jason, your husband treats you so well.”

But Katherine only sneered, hurling the nearest medical device across the room. “I’m not Mrs. Jason! Get out—all of you!”

At the sound of shattering glass, Jason rushed upstairs.

Perched on the edge of the bed, Katherine wore her most pitiful expression. “Jason, they mocked me for being blind… said my child would be born blind too.”

The entire nursing staff was dismissed on the spot.

The butler entered with lowered eyes, waiting silently for instructions.

“Katherine, once we’re home, I’ll divorce Dorothy. She’ll never appear before you again. You’ll be the only woman in the house—alright?”

Curious, the butler spoke up. “Sir, you haven’t heard?”

“Madam left the Zhang family villa seven days ago.”

Jason’s voice sharpened. “What?”

A glint of triumph flashed in Katherine’s eyes. “Jason, maybe big sister just went out to clear her head. Why get so worked up…”

“You don’t understand,” Jason gritted out. “Not one thing I asked Dorothy to do has been done!”

Timidly, the butler ventured, “Sir, have you… seen this social media post?”

Jason froze. “What post?”

Not daring to explain, the butler simply handed over his phone.

“I’m not dead yet. Does she think she can divorce me on her own?” Jason let out a cold laugh. “Where could she possibly go without me? Who’s left in the Jiang family to back her up?”

“Ignore it. We’ll deal with it after your surgery succeeds in seven days.”

Dorothy knew nothing of the hospital drama. Curled in her best friend Kelly’s arms, she chatted freely.

“Our Dorothy is so beautiful—who says you won’t find someone better?”

“Tell me, what are you looking for in a partner?”

Kelly, Dorothy’s parents’ goddaughter, came from old money herself.

Dorothy met her gaze seriously. “I’m planning to study abroad—at S University in France. I’ve already been accepted.”

Kelly’s eyes lit up instantly. “Perfect! My cousin Alan is a professor there. I’ll have him arrange everything for your enrollment!”

“And you should know—he’s still single. And wonderfully genuine.”

Recognizing Kelly’s matchmaking tone, Dorothy simply smiled and didn’t reply.

Time was the best healer. After everything with Jason, she wasn’t ready to consider romance.

Dorothy planned to return to the company first to withdraw her shares, but she unexpectedly ran into Jason right at the entrance.

Seeing her so indifferent, Jason frowned deeply.

“Dorothy, you knew I was holding a celebration banquet for Katherine today. Why are you here ruining the mood?”

“You haven’t done a single thing I asked. Have I been too soft on you?”

Jason seemed to have forgotten—Dorothy still held 50% of the company’s shares, even if she’d handed the CEO title to him.

Stepping back from the front lines didn’t mean she held no power.

She let out a cold laugh, suddenly feeling like playing along.

“Oh? And what exactly is Katherine celebrating?”

“Getting pregnant before marriage?”

Dorothy stared at Jason with bitter mockery, but his next words plunged her into an icy abyss.

“Ten years without children, and you’re still jealous of a younger woman? She’s seven years younger than you.”

A sour, bitter taste flooded her mouth. His words stabbed deep, each syllable a fresh wound.

It all traced back to when Jason won that bid. A rival, seeking revenge, had tampered with the car’s brakes.

They crashed together. Terrified for his life, she’d demanded the doctors treat him first.

She missed the critical treatment window. The damage was permanent, leaving her unlikely ever to conceive.

When Jason woke, his eyes held a tenderness that ached. He’d gripped her hand, vowing he’d never let danger touch her again.

But even that sea-deep devotion—she’d given everything—he had long since cast aside.

Seeing Dorothy silent, Jason took her arm without a word and steered her into the banquet hall.

“As my wife and a board member, cutting her cake would be the proper gesture.”

The crowd swarmed Katherine, celebrating her new luxury brand endorsement.

And there she was—Katherine, the undeniable center of attention, stunning in her designer gown.

As if the endorsement hadn’t been Jason’s gift to bestow all along.

Guests pressed forward with congratulations and gifts. Katherine’s bright eyes locked onto Dorothy, gleaming with malice.

“Mrs. Jason, might I trouble you for a gift as well?”

Under the public gaze, Dorothy chose not to make a scene. She offered the custom necklace she’d ordered six months prior.

Katherine made no move to take it. Her eyes instantly welled with tears.

“Do you despise me so much, Mrs. Jason, that you’d insult me with this… cheap trinket?”

Jason frowned, his reproachful gaze landing heavily on Dorothy.

“This is a significant occasion. The brand partners are watching. How could you bring something like this?”

Dorothy snapped the necklace case shut, ready to turn and leave. Why waste another breath on these two?

But Katherine’s eyes had caught the heirloom jade pendant at Dorothy’s throat. She spoke up at once.

“Mr. Jason, perhaps your wife could give me that jade pendant as an apology instead.”

Jason hesitated. That pendant was a family heirloom.

Yet in the next breath, Katherine’s expression soured. “Didn’t you promise I could pick any gift today? You said you’d make things right for me.”

Jason’s gaze flicked to Dorothy’s profile for a split second before the command dropped. “Give it to her.”

Dorothy stared, disbelieving. “Jason, have you lost your mind? You know what that is—”

He cut her off, impatient. “Dorothy, if you’ve done wrong, you make amends. Give it to her.”

Dorothy froze. What wrong had she done?

As Jason motioned for a bodyguard to seize it, something in her shattered. She shoved the guard away, and the jade pendant struck the floor.

Her eyes glistening with furious tears, she met his gaze. “Who gave you the right to lay hands on me?”

Jason’s displeasure sharpened. “Dorothy, must I spell it out? You schemed to blind Katherine. That debt remains unsettled!”

Dorothy almost laughed at the grotesque lie. “It was Katherine who paid someone to blind *me*! Her own wickedness came back to haunt her—”

***Crack!***

Before everyone, Jason’s palm connected hard with her face. “Enough! How long will you disgrace the Zhang family?”

“Slandering Katherine like this—is this how the wife of the Zhang family should act?”

Dorothy’s ear rang from the blow. His infidelity wasn’t a disgrace, but her speaking truth was.

A dull ache began in her chest, tightening, pulling at every nerve until she could barely breathe.

Feeling her heart rebel, Dorothy fumbled desperately for her emergency pills. Her pockets were empty.

Her breath grew ragged, as if a vise gripped her throat. Her face drained of color, and her legs gave way.

“Ja… Jason…”

The plea was instinctive, torn from her. But as it left her lips, she caught the sly, triumphant curl of Katherine’s smile.

“Ah… my eyes! The pain!”