Nissa Sullivan was born mute, yet by chance managed to marry rich, becoming Mrs. Jules, wife of Benjamin Jules.

However, she knew full well that Benjamin held no love for her.

Naturally, Benjamin got together with his first love, Charlotte Quinn, when she returned to the country.

Nissa, knowing full well that it was time she left, chose to hide her pregnancy result and make room for Charlotte.

Nissa Sullivan, clutching her pregnancy test results, walked into the private dining room. She entered just in time to see Charlotte Quinn holding a piece of dessert up to Benjamin Jules's mouth.

Benjamin smiled as he ate without the slightest resistance.

As his wife, Nissa knew better than anyone that he never ate food others offered him. But that rule did not apply when it came to Charlotte, his so-called first love.

"Nissa, you're here!" Charlotte greeted her with an easy smile, then added with feigned surprise, "Why didn't you call and let me come get you? Oh, right. I forgot you can't speak."

She said it casually, like she was commenting on the weather.

Nissa tugged the corner of her lips into a polite, silent smile and sat down.

Charlotte suddenly added, "Oh, by the way, I ran into Benjamin's uncle yesterday. He mentioned how much they expected you two to have a baby."

The atmosphere at the table froze instantly.

Benjamin scoffed and said, "I'm not letting a mute give birth to my child. What if it turns out mute too?"

Nissa lived her whole life hearing cruel words about her disability, but nothing stung quite like Benjamin's casual contempt.

She instinctively placed a hand on her lower abdomen and thought about the results in her hand. A dull ache crept up her chest.

She was one month into her pregnancy.

She originally hoped this baby might soften the tension in their marriage.

But now? She did not see the point in telling Benjamin at all.

Quietly, Nissa slipped the test results back into her purse.

One month ago, Benjamin came home drunk and forced himself on her.

She was unlucky enough to get pregnant.

The doctor said her body was delicate, and if she chose to terminate the pregnancy, she would have little hope of having another one in the future.

Benjamin would never accept this baby. But Nissa could not bear to let it go.

Maybe it was time to leave.

Charlotte's eyes sparkled with mischief. She leaned in and said with a sweet smile, "Oh no, that won't do. The elders are all so eager to have a grandchild. If that's how you feel, maybe someone else should have the baby for you?"

Her words were loaded, and her gaze flirtatious as she looked at Benjamin with thinly veiled intent.

As expected, Benjamin looked back at her, his eyes burning with interest.

"Can you do it?" he asked.

Right in front of his wife, he was asking another woman to bear his child.

It was not just humiliating. It was cruel.

Charlotte tried to suppress her smile, lowering her eyes shyly. "Don't tease me like that. Your wife's right here."

Then, as if nothing had happened, she picked up her fork and served Benjamin more food, not pressing the topic further.

She was baiting him and not rejecting him, not accepting him, but keeping him hooked. She played the game well.

Benjamin glanced at Nissa when Charlotte called Nissa his wife. All he saw was her sitting there quietly, offering no reaction. She was her usual timid self.

And so he smirked.

Nissa knew exactly what that smirk meant. He thought their marriage was a joke.

Six months ago, Benjamin wanted to marry Charlotte, but his elite family looked down on Charlotte's modest background and firmly opposed the match.

Charlotte, proud and defiant, left the country after repeated rejections from Benjamin's mother.

Around that time, Benjamin's uncle fell on the street. No one dared to help, except Nissa, who rushed him to the hospital.

The uncle took a liking to her and arranged for her to meet Benjamin.

Benjamin, still bitter over losing Charlotte, impulsively married Nissa out of spite, to rebel against his family.

And it worked. His parents were furious but eventually gave up meddling in his love life altogether.

Nissa often felt like a thief who stole someone else's happiness.

She was never bold. She was painfully shy and soft-hearted.

If it were not for her younger sister's mounting medical bills, she would never have agreed to such a marriage.

Now, a new thought crossed her mind. What if she left?

She would be giving Benjamin and Charlotte what they wanted, and she could quietly protect her baby without anyone knowing.

Yes, she still cared for Benjamin. But deep down, she also knew that he loathed her.

Nissa lowered her eyes. She had to leave. There was no time to waste.

But what about her sister?

After lunch, Benjamin went ahead to get the car. Charlotte and Nissa waited outside the restaurant, standing near the entrance in awkward silence.

Nissa stared quietly at the tips of her shoes, her mind elsewhere, when Charlotte suddenly spoke.

"Did you know Benjamin only married you out of spite?"

Nissa looked up slowly, then hesitantly nodded.

Charlotte tilted her chin, the gentle, graceful mask she wore in front of Benjamin now completely gone, replaced by open arrogance.

She continued coldly, "Then you must also know that he turned against his entire family for me. He said he'd never marry anyone but me."

Again, Nissa nodded, calm and emotionless.

Her quiet acceptance only irritated Charlotte more.

When she left the country months ago, she never actually meant to end things. She expected Benjamin to chase after her, to beg her to stay.

Instead, he ended up marrying someone else. A mute, no less!

Charlotte was never able to let that go.

She gritted her teeth behind a tight smile. This woman was a dumb, dull, and spineless woman. Benjamin had no feelings for her.

While Charlotte was still scheming how to win him back, a sudden, sharp pain ripped through her stomach. Her expression twisted in agony, and she collapsed to her knees.

Nissa panicked, crouching to help her, trying to ask what was wrong in a flurry of choked, voiceless sounds.

"What did you do to her? Get away from her!"

A sudden force yanked Nissa backwards, throwing her aside.

Her head slammed into something hard, and pain exploded across her forehead. Warm blood instantly trickled down her face.

Dazed, she looked up, just in time to see Benjamin cradling Charlotte in his arms, worry etched deep into his normally impassive face.

Charlotte whimpered through tears, complaining about her stomach.

Without a word, Benjamin swept her off her feet and rushed her to the car, disappearing down the road in a blur of tires and panic.

Nissa sat frozen on the pavement, her fingers pressed against the gash on her forehead, watching the car speed away. Like trash, she was cast aside.

She stared blankly in the direction they had vanished. For the first time, she saw Benjamin show real emotion.

He was always cold, distant. But for Charlotte, he could panic. He cared.

A quiet, bitter smile curved her lips.

She called a cab and went to the hospital alone.

Thankfully, the doctor told her the injury was not serious and that she would be fine after a few days of rest. That was a relief.

When she left the ER, she bumped right into Benjamin coming back from the pharmacy with Charlotte's medication.

His eyes flicked to the bandage on her forehead. He frowned slightly.

"The doctor said it was acute gastroenteritis. It had nothing to do with you."

Nissa forced a small, strained smile. Of course, it had nothing to do with her.

So he thought she might have hurt Charlotte? Out of jealousy?

She tried to explain with gestures, to tell him she was not jealous. Maybe a little envious, from a distance, but that was all.

Benjamin, however, did not care to decipher her signing.

"I'll buy you a bag or something," he said dismissively, "let's just put this behind us."

And with that, he turned and walked away with the medicine, never looking back.

Still, she followed him. She needed to clear the air. She needed him to understand.

She caught up outside the hospital room, only to find the door ajar.

Inside, Benjamin sat by the bed. Charlotte gazed at him with soft, longing eyes and then, slowly, leaned forward and kissed him.

Benjamin did not push her away.

Some time went by before Charlotte finally pulled back, her eyes darting subtly toward the door.

Startled, Nissa quickly shrank back from the crack in the door, heart pounding.

She clutched her chest, trying to ease the tight, aching feeling blooming there.

'It's okay,' she told herself, 'none of this matters.'

After all, she had already made up her mind to leave.

Even if Benjamin and Charlotte rekindled their love, it had nothing to do with her anymore.

Nissa returned home alone.

She began packing her things. She did not bring much with her when she married into the Jules family, and she did not have much since. Everything she owned fit neatly into a single 20-inch suitcase.

Standing in the vast, empty living room with her suitcase at her side, she absentmindedly touched her lower abdomen.

For some reason, a wave of loneliness washed over her.

This place was never her home. She was always just a temporary guest, someone who was destined to leave.

Her only worry now was her sister, who was still in the hospital. Without Benjamin's money, her sister wouldn't even last a day.

The front door suddenly burst open.

Startled, Nissa hurriedly tucked her phone away.

Benjamin stormed in, his face dark.

His eyes landed on the suitcase by her feet, and without a word, he strode up and grabbed her wrist. "What now? Planning to run away after what you did?"

Nissa was stunned. She had no idea what he was talking about. What did she supposedly do wrong this time?

Still, the thought of leaving made her heart beat faster with guilt.

She quickly took out her phone and typed, "I was just bored, so I packed up some old clothes to donate."

Benjamin did not question her story, but it only made him angrier.

"Charlotte ended up in the hospital with acute gastroenteritis because of the spicy chicken you gave her at lunch," he snapped, "she's still lying in bed, and here you are, playing housekeeper?"

His voice turned colder. "If you're the one who caused it, then you're going to take care of her until she's discharged."

Nissa stared at him, speechless.

Why was she to blame for Charlotte's hospitalization? When did she ever serve Charlotte spicy chicken?

She frantically tried to explain, but Benjamin gave her no chance to defend herself. He dragged her out the door and shoved her into the car.

All the way there, Nissa kept holding up her phone, trying to show him the truth. But Benjamin did not even care to look.

And then it hit her that the truth didn't matter.

Benjamin just needed to remind her of her place, to show her that in his world, she was nothing more than a disposable caretaker.

Nissa laughed bitterly to herself.

To make his wife wait hand and foot on his ex-girlfriend? Benjamin truly knew how to be cruel.

When they arrived at the hospital, Benjamin went to park the car while Nissa was told to go up to the room alone.

Charlotte was expecting her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said sweetly, "I told Benjamin you didn't need to come. But he insisted, saying he couldn't stop worrying about me."

Every word was like a blade to her heart.

Nissa forced a tight smile, turned away, and walked over to pour her a glass of warm water.

The water's temperature in the thermos was boiling. As she passed it to Charlotte, she tried to warn her through soft, muffled sounds.

But Charlotte's hand slipped, spilling the hot water all across her hand.

She shrieked.

Nissa jumped back, horrified, rushing to help her up and guide her to the bathroom to run cold water.

Just then, the door slammed open.

Benjamin stormed in, eyes blazing.

He rushed to Charlotte's side, saw the blistering skin on her hand, and turned on Nissa with barely controlled fury.

"What the hell happened?"

Nissa tried to sign, but before she could move her hands, Charlotte sobbed out, "I just asked her to get me some water, but then she got angry and dumped boiling water on me. It hurts, Benjamin, it hurts so much."

Nissa's eyes widened in shock.

That was not what happened!

She shook her head desperately, mouthing silent pleas. However, the more she panicked, the harder it was for her to communicate clearly.

Benjamin's face had already turned cold.

His dark eyes locked onto Nissa.

In an instant, his hand landed hard across her cheek.

The blow was so forceful that she stumbled, the sharp sting instantly blossoming into burning pain.

Her pale face swelled rapidly, an angry red imprint already visible.

But Benjamin was not finished. He grabbed her by the back of the neck and shoved her down to her knees in front of Charlotte.

"Apologize to her. Now!" he ordered.

Nissa's eyes filled with tears. Her lips trembled. She let out a broken whimper, trying again to explain, to tell him it was not true.

The more she struggled, the more Benjamin's rage grew.

"If you can't speak," he said coldly, pressing down harder on her neck, "then bow down with your head. You can't be too dumb to understand that much."

Nissa tried to lift her head in defiance, but his grip tightened, forcing her back down.

Her teeth sank into her lower lip so hard she tasted blood. At the same time, her heart was torn.

To her, kneeling before God or her parents was no issue. That was completely normal.

However, this very day, she was forced to kneel and bow to her husband's ex-lover. The very act itself was killing her internally.