I kept my voice calm, but a sharp pain tore through my chest, as if something inside me had been ripped apart. It was almost suffocating.

Tracie let out a mocking snort. She rummaged through her drawer for a set of divorce papers prepared in advance and signed her name without hesitation.

"Aren't you tired of playing the separation card yet? Fine, I'll play along, but you'd better not regret this. I won't soften up, no matter how much you beg later."

She kept her chin high, absolutely certain that I'd never go through with it. She believed that I was fully within her grasp and convinced that, for the sake of our years together and my financial situation, I'd never leave.

I lowered my gaze, took the pen, and signed my name.

"I won't regret this, Tracie Conner."

Deep down, I swore that I was never coming back.

With that, I turned and walked out of our bridal suite.

It was starting to drizzle outside, soaking through my tuxedo jacket.

People on the streets pointed and whispered, while Elton took a photo of me and posted it to his social media to mock me. The caption read. "Look at him slinking away like a stray dog."

Tracie was the first to like it and wrote a comment. "He's just a rabid dog who might bite anytime. Stay away from him. Rabid dogs are dangerous."

People in our circle quickly followed suit. When they learned that I'd been kicked out of my own home on my wedding day, they piled on with comments, laughing at my humiliation and misery.

Only my best friend, Jason Smith, texted me, fuming with rage. "What the hell is wrong with her? You guys just got married, and she's already moving that piece of trash into the house and posting photos to humiliate you. I'm going to call her right now and ask her what—"

Halfway through his rant, he suddenly yelled and sent a screenshot.

"This is straight-up disrespect. She's telling everyone that you're not good enough, even though that villa was built for your marriage, and you're the one who designed it!

"This is insane. How could she use a gift meant for you to suck up to someone else? I can't let this slide."

I was sitting in a coffee shop and tapped on the photo. Tracie and Elton were posing in front of the gorgeous villa I'd poured my heart and soul into.

The caption read, "You deserve the best things in this world, especially our little home."

Right there on the gate, a polished sign gleamed under the light. "Elcie Cottage."

Elcie, Elcie… I mulled over the word, and my eyes stung.

For years, Tracie had been stringing me along and treating me like a dog she could call whenever she pleased.

I never anticipated a future with her, so I never made our relationship fully public. But when a new coworker thought I was single and started sending flowers and making advances, Tracie immediately showed up at my office as soon as she heard.

She brought with her 9,999 imported luxury roses—making a grand gesture— and slipped a ring onto my finger.

"If you're trying to make me jealous, congratulations, it worked," she said. "Let's get married."

She gave me the villa as a gift and had me design every inch of it myself.

How ironic.

"It's fine," I said to Jason. "We're divorced."

Just after I sent the divorce papers to the courthouse for notarization, Tracie's father, Morgan Conner, called and warmly invited me to a family dinner.

Over the years, her parents had never looked down on me. If anything, they treated me well, so I agreed and figured that I owed them an explanation for the divorce.

But when I arrived, I ran into Tracie and Elton.

Tracie and Elton stood at the doorway like a picture-perfect couple, smiling as they waited for me to enter.

When I turned to leave, Morgan stopped me. "Stay for dinner, Jonas. Caitlin was just telling me how much she misses you and your mother."

I could hear the unmistakable threat in his voice. I froze and looked at them in disbelief.

Morgan ushered me to a seat, smiling like a wolf in sheep's clothing. "Tracie is at fault for what happened at the bridal suite, but I heard you've slapped Elton, so let's just call it even.

"A divorce isn't just about you, Jonas. The Conners have a reputation to uphold, and you can't afford to be this reckless, especially considering your mother's health. If you hate that villa so much, I can buy a new home for the two of you.

"As for Tracie and Elton, they grew up together. It's only natural for them to have such feelings. You can't be too demanding, and it's not like you caught them in the act. A man should learn to be content with what he has, don't you agree?"

He was forcing me to swallow the humiliation and subtly reminding me that everything I owed came from the Conners, so I had no right to demand loyalty from Tracie.

The Conners would never allow even the slightest scandal to surface. I'd always known that such affairs were common among wealthy families, but I never thought it'd happen to me one day.

Elton smiled and raised his glass towards me. "I'll apologize for earlier, Jonas. It's my fault, and I shouldn't have taken the game so far. Don't worry. I promise it'll never happen again, so please stop making a scene."

Morgan nodded approvingly. "That's more like it. Since Elton apologized, Jonas, why don't you two clink glasses and try to get along from now on? Take Tracie to your mother later so she doesn't worry."

They were demanding that I swallow my pride and choke down the bitter pill.

Smiling, I picked up my wine glass and hurled it at Elton.

"If this were back in the old days, a man in your position would be bowing at my feet the second he stepped inside, so what makes you think this attitude is going to cut it?

"Here's the deal. Get on your knees or give me a full bow, and I'll agree to let you in and maybe get along with you."

With that, I dragged over a chair and settled into my seat, crossing my legs.

Elton shrieked and stumbled back as shards of glass cut his skin.

As he hissed in pain, Morgan slammed the table, his expression hardening.

"Jonas! Are you sure you want to cross the Conners? Do you have any idea what that will cost you?"

I scoffed and nonchalantly spread my hands. "Mr. Conner, you know what they say about a man with nothing to lose. You can threaten me all you want, but if I tell the world that Tracie spent her wedding night in bed with another man, I wonder if the Conners can afford that kind of scandal."

I'd barely finished when a shadow flashed in front of me.

Tracie clamped her hand around my throat and slowly tightened the grip as she fixed her eyes on me.

"Human life is so fragile, Jonas. Tell me, which one do you think will happen first? You leaking a story or your mom dying?"

My eyes widened in disbelief as my body began to tremble

I knew she wasn't bluffing. People who'd threatened her the same way found their parents dead the next day, and they'd be thrown into the sea.

It was easy to make someone disappear, but I never expected those words to come from the woman I once loved.

"Have you thought it through?"

She loosened her grip and waited for my apology, while Elton and Morgan stood behind her with eyes full of smug satisfaction.

"Yes, I've thought it through."

I obediently admitted fault and promised I'd never say a word of what happened.

After the dinner, Tracie placed me under surveillance. She immediately had Mom moved somewhere else, claiming to protect her in case someone sought revenge.

They refused to let me see her or tell me where she was. The only updates I received were the occasional photos and videos Tracie sent of Mom looking well, provided when Tracie's frequent public appearances with Elton started fueling rumors.

My job was to play her good husband.

That only made Elton bolder. He frequently started mocking me in our social circles, calling me a "trophy husband" and a spineless puppet.

He bragged that the Conners had only allowed a broke loser like me to marry into the family because I was soft and had nothing but a sick mother they could easily use against me.

Late at night, he'd flood my phone with suggestive photos of hickeys covering his chest or Tracie lying exhausted in his arms.

"Jonas, Tracie won't leave me alone. She says even the thought of you touching her makes her skin crawl. It's such a shame that you're my stand-in.

"You don't know why she married you in the first place, do you? She needed a puppet, someone who'd perform when told and disappear when no longer needed. She couldn't bear to see me suffer, so she chose you. Do you get it now?"

I knew. In fact, I'd long known.

I blocked his number and chose the only peace available to me—out of sight, out of mind.

But the next morning, Tracie and her bodyguards kicked my door open. They dragged me into the living room like a sack of potatoes and doused me with a bucket of ice water.

Tracie's expression hardened as she snapped, "Is this what you meant when you promised not to spread rumors? Was I too lenient with you, Jonas? Did I give you the impression that you could hurt Elton like this?"

She turned her phone toward me, showing the top trending headline exposing her affair with Elton. It featured intimate photos from multiple angles, along with an account written from my perspective, lamenting my wife's infidelity and the shamelessness of the other man.

I was genuinely confused. "I didn't post that. I don't even have those photos. Just look at my phone and check the deleted folder—"

Before I could finish, her slap landed on my face.

"I'm done believing you, Jonas. Do you have any idea how much money the Conners lost because of this? Do you know how much Elton is suffering? Even if your mother has ten lives, she can't pay for the damage you've done."

I looked up in shock and frantically shook my head. "It wasn't me! You have people watching me, didn't you—"

Before I could barely explain, Elton dropped to his knees and banged his head against the floor.

"This is all my fault!" he cried. "I shouldn't have hoped to be with Tracie, but all I wanted was to be by her side!

"I'm not like you, Jonas. You want your mother's medical bills paid and the Conner family shares, but I want nothing."

A chill ran down my spine when I realized that Elton was playing a masterstroke. He was the strategist putting himself in harm's way to gain shares and everything.

By playing the victim, he'd still come out on top.

"Trust me, Tracie. Elton did this to himself," I said urgently. "We've been together for years, so you know me best. I'd never risk my mother's safety for a stunt like this…"

Tracie shot me a look of pure disgust and pulled out a set of share transfer agreements. "You'll transfer the shares to Elton.

"As for your mom's treatment, we're pausing it for a while since she won't die anyway. Think of it as a punishment so you'd learn your lesson."