When an earthquake strikes, I'm trapped under one end of a collapsed slab. On the other end is the student I've been sponsoring.

My husband, Sebastian Chesson, tells the rescue team to save the student first.

The rescuers hesitate. "The other victim might not make it if we do."

Sebastian replies coldly, "The other one is my wife. I'll sign a waiver—she's not that easy to kill."

I survive, but the three-month-old baby in my womb doesn't.

Later, a rescuer hands me a card. "Mr. Chesson said this is five million dollars in exchange for your life."

Meanwhile, Sebastian and the student's fairytale romance dominates the trending charts, praised by the internet as the epitome of true love.

On our tenth wedding anniversary, I return home to find the student lounging on my bed, wearing my pajamas, playfully teasing Sebastian.

Just then, a call comes in from Sebastian's student, who's been eyeing me for a long time. His voice is low, flirtatious, and sinful. "Ms. Sinclair, you always remind me to get to bed early… If you really care, why don't you move in and make sure I do?"

"Who was that?" Sebastian Chesson turned around and frowned at me.

I hung up and saw Roxanne Lloyd's smug expression. However, I didn't make a scene. I simply said, "It was a telemarketer."

Sebastian didn't say whether he believed me. His sharp eyes scanned me seriously. "It looks like your injuries aren't too bad."

My left arm was in a sling, my face was scraped, and I was limping. He was the same man who used to tear up if I so much as cut a finger.

Now all I got was a flat "not too bad". My chest tightened, and my heart shrank from the cold.

Sebastian turned back to Roxanne, his expression soft. "Rox was injured in an earthquake while volunteering as a teacher in a remote area. She didn't have any family nearby, so I brought her home to take care of her."

Roxanne leaned into Sebastian and put on a fragile act. "Tessa, you know I don't have family here. I only have my teacher. You wouldn't make me leave, would you?"

I didn't shout or cause a scene. Instead, I just said calmly, "Sure. Of course."

Then I left the room, sat down in the living room, and texted my best friend, who is a lawyer, to help draft the divorce papers.

The whole afternoon passed without Sebastian or Roxanne leaving the bedroom.

It wasn't until around dinnertime that Sebastian finally came out with a scowl after noticing that I hadn't called him for dinner. "Isn't dinner ready yet? Rox is still recovering, and she shouldn't be starving…"

He cut himself off mid-sentence, perhaps suddenly realizing that I was injured too.

I caught the brief flicker of guilt on his face, but I didn't feel anything. I asked, "Where's Lilian?"

He came downstairs and entered the kitchen. "Rox isn't used to strangers in the house. And since you were away on a trip, I gave Lilian the day off."

So it turned out that I came back to play maid for the two of them.

My phone buzzed with a notification. I received a half-naked photo of someone in a bath sent by that rogue, with the caption: "Ms. Sinclair, my chest hurts. Can you help me check it out?"

I couldn't help the small smirk tugging at my lips.

Sebastian happened to turn his head and caught sight of it. His face darkened. "Who are you talking to that's making you smile like that? Let me see your phone."

He was already marching over, ready to interrogate me.

But before he could reach me, Roxanne leaned over the railing from the second floor and said playfully, "Mr. Chesson, I'm hungry. Why don't we go out to eat?"

Just like that, he forgot all about my phone and smiled up at her. "Sure. Go get changed. I'll take you."

When I saw what she changed into, my eyes narrowed. It was the first luxurious red dress Sebastian bought me after reconnecting with the Chesson family.

I felt like ants were gnawing at my chest. My voice was cold as I demanded, "Take it off."

Roxanne turned to Sebastian with a wounded expression.

Sebastian's voice dropped to an icy tone as he tossed me a bank card. "It's just a dress. There's a hundred grand on that. Go buy a new one."

Then he left with her. He did not ask me once if I had already eaten.

I spaced out for a while. My stomach had always been weak, and when money was tight back in the day, Sebastian used to nag me to eat three meals a day.

Later that evening, a notification appeared—it was Roxanne's latest post.

The caption read, "Someone was worried that my hand hurt too much and insisted on feeding me steak himself."

The photo was of Sebastian smiling warmly, cutting up the steak for her.

His best friend, Liam Scott, commented, "Woof. Public affection overkill. We get it. You're the dream couple. Leave the rest of us single folks alone."

Liam had always looked down on me and believed I wasn't worthy of being Sebastian's wife because I came from a family of traditional medicine practitioners.

Funnily enough, though, Roxanne only got into that prestigious university because I sponsored her.

I moved into the guest room that night and didn't care how late the two of them got home. I must have been truly exhausted, because I actually slept until 10:00 am the next day.

What surprised me was that Sebastian hadn't gone to work. He was sitting on the couch reading the paper. When he heard me, he walked over and touched my forehead. "You slept in really late. Are you feeling okay?"

I didn't respond. I just headed to the kitchen to get some warm water. It was a habit of mine.

However, Sebastian handed me a glass from the coffee table. "Here. I poured you some."

I hesitated. This was the first time he had handed me a drink since reconnecting with the Chesson family.

I took a sip and found that it was cold. I set the glass down. "We've been married ten years, yet you still don't remember that I had surgery for a stomach bleed and can't drink cold water?"

His expression froze, looking suddenly a little ridiculous, then turned sour. He shoved me. I fell to the ground. My uninjured hand scraped hard against the floor, drawing blood.

He snapped coldly, "You haven't had stomach issues in three years. When did cold water become such a big deal?"

It was because he hadn't paid attention to me for the last three years. That was when it hit me—he was now officially "Mr. Chesson".

Suppressing the rising emotions in my chest, I leaned against the table to help myself up. "Sebastian, I was in that mountain town the day the earthquake hit."

"I thought you were on a business trip." His eyes widened in shock. He clearly hadn't known about that.

It turned out that he only claimed I was his wife to protect that young lady whom I sponsored. But what would he do if he knew the truth?

Sebastian was the heir of the Chesson family. Finding out the truth about me would've been an easy task for him. He just didn't care enough to bother.

He glanced at my bloody palm and looked a little concerned. He headed upstairs to grab the first-aid kit.

As he patched me up, he said in that rare, gentle tone, "I've moved Rox into one of my other properties and hired people to look after her."

He held my hand and softly said, "Grandpa's birthday party is coming up. I want you to come home with me this time."

It would be the first time the Chesson family actually allowed me, his legal wife, to step foot in their home.

But I already knew from Roxanne's social media that she'd been there plenty of times.

As I reflected on everything, a dull ache pulsed in my chest.

I quickly pulled my hand away from Sebastian's grasp. He looked surprised.

I thought about Sebastian's grandfather, Wayne Chesson. Over the years, he hadn't allowed me back into the Chesson residence, but he'd never forced Sebastian to divorce me either.

I figured that I should at least see him before the divorce. So, I nodded and said, "Alright."

But on Wayne's birthday, Sebastian texted me, "Something came up. Just grab a cab to the house."

It was pouring, and cabs were impossible to find. I stood in the rain for an hour. By the time I arrived at the Chesson residence, the other guests were already there.

As soon as I stepped inside, Liam walked over with his signature sneer. He remarked, "You're even late to Mr. Chesson Senior's birthday party. No wonder the Chesson family's never accepted you."

He chuckled, full of malice. "Roxanne showed up early, holding hands with Sebastian, by the way. What a picture-perfect couple. Seriously, how can you even compare?"

So that was why we couldn't leave together. Sebastian had gone to pick up Roxanne.

However, I felt nothing. It was as if I had gone numb.

I ignored Liam and gracefully approached Wayne, wishing him, "Happy birthday."

Sebastian knocked the gift box right out of my hand in irritation. He snapped, "I already got him something."

He probably thought I had brought something cheap and embarrassing.

I calmly picked up the box, opened it, and took out a handwritten herbal recipe. "It's a wellness formula that's been passed down through my family."

Roxanne burst out laughing. "Why did you give that? Please, Mr. Chesson Senior wouldn't dare touch it."

But Wayne took it, scanned the page, and his eyes lit up. "This is excellent. How thoughtful of you."

Roxanne's face twisted into something ugly as she clutched her chest dramatically. Sebastian panicked, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her upstairs.

I could feel the guests' eyes on me as they mocked me, "I thought Sebastian was head over heels for his wife. But it doesn't seem like it now."

"Please. She's probably just clinging to him so he won't divorce her."

"Honestly, she's got the looks and the elegance. She's not at all the low-class woman people say she is."

Once, words like that would have hurt me. Now, I just picked up some pastries and quietly ate in the corner.

Midway through the party, Sebastian approached me. "Why did you bring a gift for Grandpa?"

I glanced at him and noticed the lipstick stain on his collar and the scratch marks on his neck.

Suddenly, I wasn't hungry anymore. I set the plate down. "You never told me you already prepared something."

Sebastian said nothing. He simply looked down and froze. Then, he grabbed my hand and asked, "Where's the ring? You haven't taken it off in ten years."

I pulled my hand away and glanced at the faint mark on my ring finger. "It must've fallen off."

In truth, I'd buried that ring—the one Sebastian gave me when he was 22, brimming with love—deep in the mountains.

As for his own wedding ring, he had lost it years ago and never bothered to replace it. So, he just stopped wearing any wedding ring at all.

His expression turned stormy. "Then wear the diamond ring I gave you three years ago."

I reminded him, "You gave that to Roxanne after she said she liked it. Did you forget?"

"I'll take you to buy a new one tomorrow," he said, grabbing my wrist with apparent frustration.

"Tessa, why do you have to make this so hard? I didn't know you were in the mountains then. And besides, you didn't die, did you?"

I almost laughed. Then I looked him straight in the eye. "Have I caused a single scene since I returned?"

It was the fact that I hadn't that unsettled him. He couldn't explain why it made him nervous.

Just then, the "pain" in Roxanne's chest seemed to have miraculously cured. She ran over and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Mr. Chesson," she purred. "I'm craving garlic butter shrimp."

Sebastian looked at me. He knew that it was my signature dish.

I used to prepare his lunch every day. I guessed those meals ended up in Roxanne's stomach. I wasn't surprised to learn that. I just sat there, numb.

But even my silence seemed to offend him. His tone sharpened, cold and commanding as he said, "Tessa, go make that dish for Rox."

I only learned to cook three years ago.

It was always Sebastian who cooked before he returned to the Chesson residence. He used to say that my hands were meant to heal people, and were too precious to be scarred by cooking oil. He said he loved the scent of herbs on me and didn't want me smelling like grease.

And now, he wanted me to cook for Roxanne.

My chest felt tight. It was like I couldn't breathe. I opened my mouth and sucked in a deep breath.

As I looked at Roxanne and Sebastian, wrapped around each other, I smiled and said, "Okay."

I still remembered how he carried me out of a burning building on his back 12 years ago. But the moment I lit the stove in the kitchen, whatever affection remained went up in flames, too.

He leaned against the doorframe and said apologetically, "Sorry. Rox's has always had a poor appetite, but she really likes your cooking."

My hands froze for a moment. My arm, which had just begun to recover, was starting to ache. I couldn't believe that he was apologizing to his wife for another woman.

Sebastian stepped closer, gently brushing my hair back. "Hadn't you always wanted to visit Newland? I'll take you at the end of the month."

Men always seemed nicer when they'd done something wrong. I remembered that. In the early years of our marriage, when Sebastian and I had no money, we dreamed about traveling together.

Then, when we finally had money, he always said that he was too busy. But over the past three years, he'd traveled the world with Roxanne, his secretary.

I didn't say anything for a long while. Eventually, I just nodded.

That trip was a promise between me and the man who once loved me. I wanted to see it through. But once again, he let me down.

…

I waited at the gate until the plane took off. It was only then that he called me.

"Tess, Rox's scared of thunder. I have to stay with her. We'll go to Newland next time, okay?"

I could hear Roxanne's voice in the background, saying, "Mr. Chesson, where did you put the pads you bought me?"

He chuckled. "Silly woman, they're in the cabinet in the bathroom."

I heard the shuffle of slippers, then the sound of a loud smacking kiss. Roxanne giggled. "A kiss to thank my Mr. Chesson!"

Sebastian sounded helpless as he said, "You're not a kid anymore. So stop acting like one. Go change. I'll make you some lemon tea."

I walked out of the airport into the downpour, dragging my suitcase behind me, letting the rain soak me to the bone.

My voice sounded distant and cold, like raindrops tapping on a stone surface. "I got it."

He then seemed to realize that the call hadn't ended. His voice turned rough as he said, "Tess, I'll bring back some roasted chicken—your favorite."

"No need," I curtly said before hanging up on the call.

My vision blurred. I couldn't tell whether it was from my tears or the rain. I used to be afraid of thunder, too. But for the past three years, I'd been alone every stormy night. As such, I wasn't afraid anymore.

When my cramps were so bad that I fainted during my period, Sebastian just said, "Does it hurt that much? Or are you faking it?"

Sometimes, he'd mock me, saying, "You bleed every month but can never get pregnant."

I guessed I never should've kept quiet about his low sperm count.

I placed my hand over my flat belly and thought of the child I lost—the one it took so much to conceive. I collapsed in the rain.

My best friend, Sheryl Jacobson, pulled up in her car, cursing as she jumped out.

"Sebastian's a damn jerk. He's changed after becoming rich. You're barely a month past a miscarriage, and he's already putting you through hell. Does he have any conscience?"

Fearing Sheryl might erupt with anger, I quickly tried to calm her down. "Don't mention him. After the divorce, he'll just be a stranger."

She snorted coldly. "Damn right. Once you leave him, let him rot. You should take that sexy younger guy who's been flirting with you and ride off into the sunset. Sebastian's 32. I bet he's already useless in bed."

I was speechless when I heard her remarks.

Sheryl dropped me off and handed me the divorce papers. "The sooner you're out of this marriage, the better."

But Sebastian didn't come home for two whole months. When he finally did, he was carefully helping Roxanne through the door.

Roxanne looked at me, her smile smug. "Tessa, I'm pregnant. Mr. Chesson was worried, so he insisted I stay here to rest."

My phone slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor.

Sebastian picked it up. "Actually—"

But Roxanne cut him off with a dramatic yelp as she clutched her belly. She whined, "Mr. Chesson, it hurts."

"Tess, I bought roasted chicken for you," he muttered before scooping Roxanne up and rushing into the master bedroom.

As I walked past her, I heard her whisper tauntingly, "All cluck, no eggs."

I opened the takeout bag to find the roasted chicken stone-cold, a greasy white film sticking to it. That cold, congealed chicken looked just like our broken relationship.

From upstairs, Sebastian shouted, "Tess, make some oatmeal. Rox's craving it."

When I brought the oatmeal up, I deliberately spilled it all over him.

Roxanne cried out, her voice full of hurt, "Tess, if you're mad, take it out on me. Don't hurt Mr. Chesson!"

"It's fine," Sebastian said, flustered, trying to wipe off the mess. "My clothes are thick and absorbed most of the spill. I'm not hurt."

While he was distracted, I opened the divorce agreement to the signature page and handed it to him. "Your assistant dropped off some documents just now and said that you need to sign."

This kind of thing had happened before. He didn't think twice and just signed it before walking into the bathroom to clean himself up.