To repay me for saving her life, Tiana Sabell lets me marry into her family.

In the eighth year after I marry into the Sabell family with a monetary wedding gift worth billions, her long-lost first love, Hayden Brown, returns with a child.

Because of a nightmare he has, he claims my daughter, Sabrina Zeller, is cursed and will bring harm to his son.

Tiana locks Sabrina in an abandoned chapel deep in the mountains, forcing her to fast for seven days and nights to purify herself.

I kneel before Tiana and beg, "Sabrina has a heart condition. If she does not eat or drink for seven days, she will die!"

Tiana focuses only on preparing nutritious meals for Hayden. "She will not die from going hungry for a few days. If she cannot endure even this, how is she fit to be my daughter?"

I am locked in the basement for seven days. By the time I find Sabrina, she has already starved to death. I carry her body, which is covered in livor mortis, back home.

Holding Hayden in her arms, Tiana kicks me away. "What have you been teaching our daughter? How dare she fake her death to fool me? If you cannot raise our child properly, then I will give her a new father!"

I call my sister and say, "Pull the investment. Let Sabell Group go bankrupt!"

I was locked inside a basement, a lightless place where the only company I had was the sound of rats chewing at the walls. I pleaded with my wife, Tiana Sabell, through my tears, "Please spare Sabrina! She's only seven years old, Tiana! I'll kneel on the stone steps instead; I'll kneel and fast for a week!"

Tiana snapped, "If you hadn't staged that accident and pretended to save me, I wouldn't have married you! Hayden wouldn't have been abducted and tormented in a coal mine while he was still grieving! You must suffer the consequences of this forced marriage.

"I guess it's true that a dishonest, cruel father like you was bound to raise a child born with such a sinister nature."

I collapsed helplessly on the ground as tears streamed down my face. "I never hired anyone to run you over, Tiana."

Tiana stated coldly, "You're still denying it even when the evidence is right here. You're a great actor, Nicholas, but I'm done falling for your lies."

She then ordered the guards, "You're not allowed to give him any food or water for three days—let him reflect on what he's done."

I pushed Tiana out of the path of a car and got struck by the car myself. I ended up with eight broken ribs, a ruptured liver, and a seven-day coma from blood loss.

I was then proposed to by Tiana after leaving the hospital, and we spent eight happy years together; back then, she used to fuss over me if I so much as splashed hot water on my hand.

It all changed when Hayden Brown, her first love, suddenly reappeared after eight years of having disappeared. It was then that my life-saving act was labeled a fraud, and I was turned into a liar.

I hadn't had any food or water for three days, leaving my lips cracked and my breath smelling of blood. I thought I heard Sabrina's cries in my daze, just when they took her away from me.

"Please don't cry, Daddy. I'll behave well so that Mommy doesn't hate me. I'll pray for Mr. Brown so that she won't be mad at you anymore, Daddy."

It was then that one of the household staff threw a few pieces of bread at me. "Here are some leftovers from Mr. Brown. He's giving them to you as alms—be sure to show your gratitude."

I forced the food down, thinking that I couldn't allow myself to die since I still had to search for Sabrina later.

That household staff scoffed and said, "You're truly pathetic, eating leftovers covered in dirt. It's no wonder Ms. Sabell would fall for someone as noble as Mr. Brown instead."

Hayden's so-called nobility had come from my emerald ring, which was a keepsake from Mom that I had kept after leaving the Zeller family. Tiana handed it to Hayden simply because he liked it. Sabrina was even punished with a night of kneeling just for trying to intervene with the gifting.

It was after some time that someone suddenly kicked the basement door open.

Gina Holden, Tiana's grandmother, looked guilty as she helped me to my feet. "I'm sure Sabrina will pull through this time as well, Nicholas; after all, she had survived six heart surgeries before this.

"You've invested tens of billions of dollars into Sabell Group when they were going under, keeping it a secret from Tiana so that she wouldn't feel inferior. You're the sole reason the Sabell family still exists today, yet Tiana has treated you terribly."

Gina and I arrived at Hemlock Hills to find the stone steps covered in blood. Gina clutched her chest, struggling to breathe from rage while losing her grip on her cane. I trembled as I climbed up the stairs, haunted by the torture Sabrina faced when she was made to bang her forehead on the ground at every step.

I pushed open the doors of the dilapidated chapel and found Sabrina's small, frail body lying in a pool of blood. I immediately broke down as I stumbled to her side. I couldn't believe the bruising on her skin or her knees, which were abraded down to the bone. I let out a piercing cry as dizziness washed over me.

"What did I do to deserve this?" I cradled Sabrina's cold corpse in my embrace.

Gina looked at Sabrina and panicked. She then stammered, "I'm certain that Hayden was the one who led Tiana astray; she never intended to harm Sabrina.

"I'll see to it that she's punished for her actions, so please just give Tiana one more chance to make things right, Nicholas—don't withdraw your investment from Sabell Group."

Tiana had poured most of Sabell Group's capital into a newly developed real estate project; without my capital, the company would face immediate insolvency. Gina had begged me for an investment in this exact same way eight years ago, hoping I would rescue three generations of the Sabell family's legacy.

I was forced to kneel in front of the Zeller residence for three days straight and severed ties with my family to marry Tiana. I ignored Natalie Zeller's, my sister's, objections and invested every bit of my money into Sabell Group, alienating the only person in the family who cared for me.

What did I receive for my sacrifice?

I got to my feet, cradling Sabrina's body in my arms, and stated flatly, "I've officially settled my debt to Tiana, who saved me from drowning ten years ago. I have no reason to remain with the Sabell family now that Sabrina is dead."

Gina hunched over, looking as though she had aged ten years all at once. "I'll call Tiana this instant and let you do with her as you wish. I'm begging you—please just give her one more chance to make up for this."

It took dozens of calls before Tiana finally picked up. She sounded cold and sharp while saying, "I've already married Nicholas to satisfy you. What more could you possibly want from me, Grandma?"

Gina yelled, "You're the one who said you loved Nicholas! How could you harm him and Sabrina?"

Tiana snapped, "Nicholas was the one who hired someone to run me over so that he could 'rescue' me! He tricked me into loving him, and he deserves to pay for it. I've only sent Sabrina over to the chapel to offer some prayers—a few days of kneeling and fasting.

"Is that really something to get upset over? Hayden hasn't had much of an appetite, so I need to look after him. You should just tell Nicholas to stop stirring up trouble, Grandma."

Tiana merely said it was "just a few days of kneeling and fasting," but even the strong would break after seven days of starvation. Sabrina was merely a child with a heart condition—her knees were literally worn down to the bone.

Gina suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground. "It's over for the Sabell family!"

Gina was rushed to the hospital, while I brought Sabrina home; after all, I needed to change her into new clothes before saying my final goodbye.

Those household staff in the courtyard watched with terror as I carried Sabrina in.

"She's soaked in blood, with bones showing through!"

"It seems like we'll have to serve Mr. Brown better from now on—he's the one in charge of the household now. I heard that the child is supposedly Mr. Brown and Ms. Sabell's, born via a surrogate."

I walked into the living room, and Hayden was taken aback when he saw me coming toward him.

He shot a glance at Sabrina, cocked his brow slightly, then turned to Tiana. "It seems like Nicholas just can't stand me or our newborn, Tiana. Henry is suffering in the hospital because of the malevolent energy surrounding Sabrina. How can Nicholas not feel guilty about that?"

Tiana furrowed her brow and proactively pulled him into her arms. She then let out a derisive sneer before kicking me hard. "Hayden hasn't been eating well, so I'm taking him out for some Forancian cuisine. You've truly raised a daughter as corrupted as you—she's actually trying to fool me by playing dead!"

I fell to the floor, causing Sabrina to slip from my arms. I scrambled to hold her again, murmuring, "You have nothing to be afraid of, Sabrina."

Tiana kicked Sabrina a few times. "You'd better stop pretending and get up this instant. Hayden is still feeling unwell. Did you not pray sincerely when you were kneeling at the chapel, or did you eat something when you weren't supposed to?"

Upon seeing Sabrina remain motionless, Tiana grew impatient and roughly grabbed my chin. "Sabrina has turned out just like you—disgusting and full of lies! You both should perform on stage since you're both such good actors!

"You've failed as a parent, so Hayden will take over your position as her father instead! I expect to see Sabrina serving Hayden with respect once we return!"

Hayden acted the part of the peacemaker, saying, "You shouldn't get upset over something like this, Tiana. Nicholas is only acting out because he's jealous of how much you care for me. I'll take over Sabrina's upbringing and raise her properly once I take over as Sabrina's father."

Tiana scoffed. "If he hadn't deceived me into marrying him, you wouldn't have been so devastated and easily fooled into performing such hard labor over the years. It's something he owes you—the suffering he's facing now is nothing compared to what you suffered back then."

Tiana linked arms with Hayden and left. Hayden glanced back at me, looking contemptuous and smug.

I carried Sabrina upstairs to change her clothes, only to be stopped by the household staff.

"Ms. Sabell has designated this room for Mr. Henry because of the natural sunlight it receives. It would be considered bad luck to bring a dead body inside; Ms. Sabell and Mr. Brown wouldn't be happy about it."

It was obvious to anyone that Sabrina had already died, but Tiana, her mother, still believed she was faking it to deceive others.

Sabrina had starved to death in a dilapidated chapel, all because of Tiana's hollow lies. It was truly a cruel joke, as her mother had never once believed her.

I hadn't brought the new clothes I bought for Sabrina to her room yet, so I changed her into them where we were. I finally held the urn containing Sabrina's ashes, which the employees handed to me following a night of cremation at the crematorium.

I had planned to take Sabrina's ashes away to lay her to rest alongside my parents, but the thought of seeing Natalie stopped me; after all, I had chosen love over everything else and had disappointed her deeply.

I had just left the crematorium when Tiana called. I ignored the call, but she immediately called again. I finally picked it up, only to hear her snapping on the other end of the line. "If you aren't here within the hour, I'm flushing that emerald ring down the toilet."

I cried out in despair, yelling, "That is a keepsake from my mother!"

I had just returned home when I spotted Tiana and Hayden messing around on the couch. Hayden's hand was inside her top as he rested his head on her shoulder, flushing and panting. "You should stop right now, Tiana. Nicholas might get jealous. He hasn't returned all night; who knows where he went."

Tiana's gaze darkened as she kissed his earlobe. "Why bother with him? It looks like I'm not charming enough since you even think about him."

Hayden struck her shoulder lightly in a flirtatious manner. "You're so annoying."

I gazed at them calmly, my eyes devoid of any emotion. "Where is my mother's keepsake?"

Tiana stopped what she was doing and sneered. "I've made it into a pendant for Hayden; after all, your things are only fit to be stepped on.

"Go bring Sabrina over right now. Her prayers were deemed insincere, so she must go back to the chapel to kneel for another seven days. I'll have someone keep an eye on her to ensure she doesn't eat anything."

I could no longer hold back my emotions. I slapped Tiana across the face and yelled, "You monster! You've already killed Sabrina! I'm literally holding her ashes right now!"

Tiana was momentarily stunned. She then grabbed the urn and smashed it onto the floor. "How could someone die from a mere seven-day fast? Do you really take me for a fool? She's not even my biological daughter! She is a bastard girl being swapped since birth!

"I witnessed you and that woman getting into a car together three months ago, acting all intimate. You're just trying to use this prayer thing as an excuse to fake her death and also hide your affair! You'd better not even think about it, Nicholas!"

Sabrina's ashes were scattered everywhere, only to be mercilessly trampled under Tiana's feet.

That woman was actually Natalie, my sister. I had cast aside my pride to ask her—despite her disappointment in me—to help Tiana secure the piece of land in the eastern part of the city. I only did it because I didn't want Tiana to stay up at night worrying about the whole thing.

I reached down with trembling hands to scoop the remains back into the urn. I then let out a hollow, mocking laugh. "I've never deceived you, Tiana! That woman was my sister!"

Tiana narrowed her eyes for a moment before she broke into laughter. "You're still lying to me, huh? You're an orphan, Nicholas!

"Hayden and I are getting married next month. He'll share the same status as you, and you'll need to look after him. Henry is my child with Hayden, so you are to treat him as your own son from here on out."