My parents died in a car accident and the family company went bankrupt. I cried and begged for help from relatives and friends around me, but they all coldly rejected me.

In my despair, my fiancée handled my parents' funeral despite others' opinions and insisted on marrying me.

But in the fifth year of our marriage, on the 99th time I failed at starting a business, I used my last bit of money to buy her a bouquet of roses and went to meet her, only to accidentally overhear her conversation with her best friend.

Janice asked, "Salma, which failed startup is this for Jason? I've lost count. He really is a fool. Every failure was because you handed the core data to Adam and he has no idea?"

I heard Salma's cold voice, "The 99th. Why? You feel sorry for him?"

Janice said, "No, it's just that you've been married for five years. Adam is coming back tonight. Aren't you worried about being found out?"

Salma said again, "Adam is no longer that poor kid. He's now a rising star in tech. It's normal for our companies to work together. I chose Jason back then only because I couldn't be with Adam. Now that he's successful, everything I did is worth it."

I gripped the roses tightly, tears fell from my eyes uncontrollably.

So what I thought was salvation was actually just a bargaining chip for Salma to support her first love. She married someone she didn't love, just for him.

If that's the case, Salma, I won't start businesses anymore. And you, I didn't want you either.

——

I sat at the door until all my emotions had settled. As soon as I walked in, a mocking voice rang out from Janice, "Yo, another bouquet of roses? Don't tell me you failed again?"

"Jason, I'm telling you, if you're going to live off a woman, at least act like it. Don't treat Salma's investments like they're nothing." After saying that, Janice snatched the flowers from my hands and threw them to the floor with contempt.

I ignored her mockery, I immediately bent down to pick them up.

But my outstretched hand was harshly stomped on by her high heel. The sudden pain made me groan involuntarily.

"Janice, that's enough." It wasn't until Salma's scolding that I was released.

She carefully picked up the roses from the ground and, ignored my injured hand, she softly kissed the back of it.

Salma said, "Sorry, Jason. Janice didn't mean it. It's just that people have been talking too much lately and she's angry for me. I really like your flowers. You know that, anything from you, I love it."

I felt the warmth of her kiss on my hand, but I didn't feel comfort, only a deep chill. How could she discard me like garbage one moment and act all loving the next?

I forced down my disgust and managed a guilty look and said, "Salma, I've let you down. If I hadn't failed again and again, you wouldn't have to endure others' criticism. Maybe … maybe I should just leave. That way you won't have to ..."

Before I could finish, she covered my mouth with her hand and coaxed me, "What nonsense are you talking about? What do you take me for? I said we'd be together forever and that won't change!"

Her face was full of fake anger. If it were before, I'd have hugged her tightly in gratitude.

But now, I merely moved her hand away gently and nodded, "I know. I believe you." Then I said goodbye just like I always did.

Because every time I failed, Salma would use comforting me as an excuse to gather friends and force me out of the lab to relax.

But she didn't know that her friends never welcomed me. I would always drop off the flowers and left under some excuse.

But before I walked far, I heard mocking laughter from inside again.

"Salma, look at him. You were right, he's nothing compared to Adam. Not a trace of manliness," said Janice. "Adam is coming back tonight. Let him see what a real success looks like. Just because he married you doesn't mean he can become the young star of the Lance Family again!" she said again.

Salma replied, "He's indeed not as good as Adam. But next time, be more careful. Don't hurt his hand, Adam's company still needs him. And yes, I wronged him, but I don't regret it. For Adam, everything is worth it."

I stared blankly at the lipstick mark on the back of my hand, I scrubbed it until the skin turned red before I finally calmed down. I pulled out my phone and made a call.

Someone's voice rang out, "Mr. Lance, have you agreed?"

I answered, "Yes. I agree to sell you all the data. But the time of release must be decided by me!"

For the next three days, Salma didn't come home. Her assistant told me there was a sudden business trip.

That night, it wasn't until midnight that I finally got her call, "Jason, I've arrived safely. Don't worry. And while I'm not home, don't spend all your time in the lab. You must eat properly!"

Through the video call, I clearly saw the bed beside her sunken in. I suppressed the questions in my heart and I replied lightly, "Okay."

After hung up, I turned and entered the room that meant everything to her. The moment the door opened, I was met with a hand-drawn portrait.

The lines were already faded, clearly worn down by frequent touch.

The walls were also filled with photos of Adam, arranged in chronological order, the first one taken on the day of our wedding.

So for five years, every time she said she was handling important business, she was really reminisced about Adam.

There was also a safe in the room. I entered Adam's birthday and successfully opened it. Inside, there were no valuable items, only the love letters Adam had written to her.

Started from my first failed startup, every time he received my data, he would write her a love letter. Each one filled with their shared longing and affection.

Even though I already knew I was just a pawn in Salma's game, my heart still felt like it had been torn in two.

Every time I failed, Salma would offer to review the data and give me strategic advice. I once wholeheartedly believed in her love, willingly sank deeper.

But it turned out, everything she did was just to make it easier to pass the data to Adam.

In the safe, there was also a letter Salma never sent. My hands trembled as I opened it. After I read it, tears spilled uncontrollably.

Salma had planned to propose to Adam once she obtained my final set of data. Even if she couldn't give him a proper title, she still wanted to give him a wedding.

But me? Because my parents had just died, Salma said it was inappropriate to celebrate.

All I got was a marriage certificate, nothing else. I obsessively reread every word in that letter until dawn, then used my phone to photograph them all.

They weren't just symbols of her betrayal. They were also evidence of Adam's theft of my work.

But as I stepped out of the room, I saw the housemaids huddled together whispering. When they noticed me, their faces briefly showed panic, then quickly turned to pity.

One of them said, "Sir, you're still home. We'll go make breakfast right away." With that, they scattered like birds, but in their haste, one dropped a phone on the floor.

I bent down to pick it up, only to be stunned by the news on the screen. It reported that a mysterious female tycoon had successfully proposed.

Even though the photo was pixelated, after sharing a bed for five years, I recognized her instantly.

She was that eager, proposing the moment she saw him. No wonder the maids pitied me.

"Sir, the internet always writes sensational stuff like that. We all know Madam loves you the most. She even knelt down to beg the old master for you. How could she be with someone else?" The phone's owner awkwardly tried to comfort me as I forced a bitter smile.

Yes, back when the Haynes Family found out about our marriage, they pressured Salma to divorce me.

It was her who knelt before Mr. Haynes herself to beg for a chance for me. She believed I could restore the Lance Family's name. Because of that trust, no matter how many times I failed, I always had the courage to rise again.

But who would've known, it was all a setup, a well-planned trap to make me build a throne for someone else.

Luckily, everything was about to end. I took an advantage of Salma's absence and stayed in the lab to handle the data transfer. When the payment notification finally came through, my tense heart relaxed at last.

With the divorce agreement drafted by a lawyer in hand, I booked a flight to go abroad the next day.

Because the Haynes Family was too powerful in the capital, I had to wait for the perfect moment to strike back at Adam. And tomorrow, at his new product launch, was the best timing.

Back at the Haynes residence, I packed my belongings, searched at all the gifts Salma had given me over the years.

If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I'd never believe someone could go to such lengths for another person. She abandoned her own marriage, forsaked her own dignity, just to become a thief.

Suddenly, a cat's meow outside the door snapped me out of my thoughts.

I opened the door, about to call a maid to chase the cat away, but it darted into Salma's room. Through the gap in the door, what I saw froze me in place.

At some point, Salma had returned, but she didn't come back alone. There she was, lay softly against Adam's shoulder.

Her lips were swollen, her eyes full of desire, anyone could tell what had just happened.

Then she saw me standing at the door. Her face turned pale and panic filled her eyes.

She quickly pushed Adam away, ran her fingers through her messy hair and asked, "Jason, why are you home? Did the new experiment yield results?"

She continued, "Don't get the wrong idea. This is Adam, you even sponsored him back in the day. He had nowhere to stay after returning and since our companies are working together, I invited him to stay here. I twisted my ankle just now and luckily he caught me."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but scoff inwardly. Even now, in this situation, she still cared about my experiment. And who looked like that just from twisting an ankle?

But since I'd already decided to leave, I had no intention of exposing her lie. I simply said calmly, "Adam, thank you."

He said, "No need to thank me. It's what I should do. Without Salma's help over the years, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Adam's gaze was open, but when he said the word help, he deliberately emphasized it, a secret meaning only they understood, exchanged subconsciously between them. As if I was the one intruded on their world.

I clenched my palm tightly to stop myself from demanding answers.

Suddenly, Adam pulled out a postcard from behind him and handed it to me. He said, "Jason, I picked this carefully before returning. No matter what, that misunderstanding five years ago was my fault. Besides the press conference, I also want to formally apologize to you."