The rules of the Lawson family prevented their heir from marrying women who were from an ordinary background.

But the eldest son of the Lawson family, James Lawson, just had to fall in love with a woman named Laura Jackson, who was a fish seller.

He gave up his right of inheritance just to be with her. He was punished by his family by being whipped 99 times. He was also forced to kneel for three whole days.

His shirt was covered in blood, but he still said to Laura with a smile, "It's alright, Laura. I just want to be with you."

In the end, the Lawson family finally allowed James and Laura to be together, but on one condition: James had to leave the Lawson family an heir.

After that, what James said to Laura the most was, "Just give me a little more time."

The first time he said that was when he wanted Laura to wait for him to get another woman pregnant.

After saying that to Laura, James slept with Jessica Rane 33 times. He only stopped when she was pregnant with his child.

The second time he said those words was when he found out Jessica's first child was a girl. The Lawson family needed a boy to be the heir.

Therefore, James slept with Jessica another 99 times and only stopped when she was pregnant again.

Just when Laura thought things would finally end, James and Jessica's daughter coughed up blood and started burning up with a fever right after her Sip & See.

Jessica pounced at Laura like crazy and was clawing at the latter's face as she cried, "I know you hate me, but why did you have to hurt my child?"

James's parents, John Lawson and Sophia Lawson, were both infuriated. "That's our grandchild, how dare you be so cruel to her?"

When Laura was stripped naked and thrown into the cold storage, which was -20℃, James was standing right outside.

Through the glass covered in frost, Laura saw how his hand trembled as he lit a cigarette, but the eyes that were filled with love before were now cold.

"I told you to give me a little more time." James extinguished his cigarette, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Why did you have to hurt my child?"

'Your child...' Laura repeated inwardly.

Her heart ached so much that she couldn't even stand up straight.

She suddenly remembered something.

James had made a promise in the rain on his knees. "Laura, you're the only person that I want to marry."

He used to touch her forehead with his and say, "Laura, I will only see the child that we have together as my child."

He used to kiss her on the cheeks after their intimate act and say, "Just give me a little more time, Laura. Soon, it'll be only the two of us."

But now, James stood by Jessica's side with their child in his arms and was looking at Laura as if he were looking at a ruthless stranger.

When the cold storage door was opened again, Laura was clenching her fists so hard that the nails were digging into her palms.

This time, she wasn't going to keep on waiting anymore.

Laura dialed the number of the Lawson family's old residence.

"I'm willing to leave James." Her voice was unusually calm. "But on one condition. I want you to send me to a place that he'll never be able to find me."

Sophia laughed on the other end of the line. "Why didn't you come to your senses sooner? Have you learnt your lesson after being locked in the cold storage for a night? Did you really think a fish seller is worthy of marrying into the Lawson family?"

"I'll have everything arranged in two weeks." John's voice was full of disdain. "When the time comes, you'll disappear from James's life for good."

After hanging up the call, Laura stood outside the villa with trembling hands.

Within the living room, James was holding his daughter and playing with her. Jessica was leaning against his shoulder with a gentle smile on her face.

The family of three seemed really happy.

Laura stood there and felt as if someone had stabbed a knife into her heart.

"Miss Jackson, you're back!" Jessica was the first to notice Laura. She immediately sat up straight, nervously.

James almost instantly passed the baby to a servant. "Take her upstairs."

The distant look in his eyes made Laura's heart ache.

He was afraid that Laura would hurt his child.

The man who had said that he would only see the child they had together as his child was now looking at Laura as if she were a murderer.

James only walked up to Laura after the baby was taken away. He reached out and wanted to check on. "You're back. Did you... get hurt in the cold storage?"

Laura looked at the man in front of her, who had been willing to take 99 whips for her, and her heart ached even more. She tilted her head to avoid his hand.

James furrowed his brows and explained, "Laura, after what happened last night, the more I protected you, the more severely they would punish you. Besides, we're leaving this place soon anyway. I don't want anything to go wrong. The child is innocent anyway. You didn't need to..."

"I said I didn't do it!" Laura's eyes suddenly turned red.

James seemed to have been stunned by her reaction. It took him a while to soften his tone. "Alright now. It doesn't matter anymore."

'It doesn't matter anymore?' Laura repeated inwardly.

Those words made Laura's heart ache.

It seemed that James still didn't believe her.

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting tense, Jessica walked over, whilst rubbing her belly, and pretended to be sincere. "Miss Jackson, I owe you an apology as well. I was just really worried about my daughter yesterday. You don't have a child yet, so you might not understand my feelings as a mother..."

She raised her hand and caressed her hair. The bracelet on her wrist shone under the light.

Laura's eyes widened as she grabbed Jessica's wrist. "Where did you get this bracelet?"

"Jessica likes it, so I gave it to her." James pulled Laura's hand away. "Just see it as you giving her an apology."

"My mother left me that bracelet!" Laura's voice was trembling. "How could you give it to someone else? You knew how important it is to me!"

She reached out to take the bracelet back, but Jessica suddenly stumbled backwards and fell onto the ground. The latter then held her belly and cried, "My stomach... it hurts..."

"Laura Jackson!" James immediately pushed Laura to one side. His eyes were colder than ever. "She's still pregnant with my child! Haven't you caused enough trouble already?"

James pushed Laura so hard that Laura fell and hit the back of her head against the coffee table. Blood immediately began pouring out of the wound.

But James didn't even take a look at her. He picked Jessica up and rushed out of the house.

"James..." Jessica leaned against James's chest and cried weakly, "Is the child going to be alright?"

"Don't worry. I'm here with you." His voice was unbelievably gentle. "Both you and our child are going to be alright."

When James rushed out of the villa with Jessica in his arms, Laura was still sitting weakly on the ground with blooding pouring out the the back of her head and trickling down her neck.

She looked at his receding figure. James seemed so desperate and in a panic. Not once did he turn around and look at her.

The pain Laura was experiencing was excruciating. That was when she suddenly remembered that James once cared just as much about her as well.

Back then, she was still a fish seller in the open market. Her hair was simply tied into a ponytail. She looked young and innocent. The other stall owners at the open market called her an angel.

When James first saw her, he stood by Laura's stall for a full two hours. After that, he took out a premium bank card and said, "Be my girlfriend, and you won't have to work for the rest of your life."

Laura might be poor, but she was proud. She was a little taken aback by James's words, but still gave the card back to him. "That won't be necessary, sir. I earn money through my own hard work, and I'm proud of that."

James stared at her for a while before handing her a business card. "The name's James Lawson. I'll be back tomorrow."

Laura didn't take his words seriously, but James did come back as promised the next day.

He arrived in a black Maybach and was wearing a clean suit. He really stood out in the open market.

He pursued her for three whole months, and during that time, he did things that he wouldn't normally do.

Laura refused all his roses, so he arranged for his men to import a lot of expensive seafood from overseas.

She avoided his luxury cars, so he would walk through the entire open market on foot.

When Laura said they were from different worlds, he would squat down next to her and help her work on the fish.

She stood at her stall for a whole three months. He refused to give up, no matter how many times Laura turned him down.

It wasn't that Laura wasn't moved; she just clearly knew how far apart they were in terms of background, so she didn't dare allow herself to develop any feelings for him.

That was until he shielded her from a competitor who tried to pour sulphuric acid on her, and it caused a massive burn on his back. Only then did she agree to date him.

Back then, the pain caused him to be soaked in cold sweat, but he was still smiling as he said to her, "Remember, Laura, you owe me your life. You'll have to repay this favor with the rest of your life."

Tears trickled down her cheeks and fell onto the palm of his hand.

After they started dating, James doted on her and spoiled her.

He would summon his private doctor in the middle of the night just because she accidentally cut her finger.

When she said she liked a certain brand of cake, he would just buy the entire store.

When her stomach ached during her period, he would stay up all night to rub her aching belly.

There was once when Laura accidentally fell over and scraped her knee, and he was so upset that his eyes turned red. His hands were trembling while he carried her to the hospital.

The doctor didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he told James that it was just a scratch and nothing serious, but James insisted on giving Laura a CT scan just in case she had a bone fracture.

But now...

Laura lowered her head and looked at the pool of blood on the floor. She suddenly laughed.

But as she laughed, tears began trickling down her cheeks.

She went to the hospital alone.

After the wound was treated, she still felt dizzy and could barely stand. As soon as she walked out of the consultation room, someone grabbed her wrist forcefully.

"Laura!" The anger was evident in James's voice. "Jessica nearly had a miscarriage, and you still won't give up? Are you planning on making a scene at the hospital?"

Laura turned around and saw James's furrowed brows and his cold eyes.

He was dressed in a suit and tie, as aloof and aristocratic as ever. The only difference was that there was a scent of Jessica's perfume on him.

Laura's voice was so quiet that one could hardly hear her. "I didn't come to the hospital... because of her..."

She slowly raised her hand and pointed at her bandaged head. "I'm hurt as well."

James was taken aback. Only then did he see Laura's pale face and the bandage on her head.

"You said we'd leave this place together after she gives birth to the child, but do you even still care about me now?" Laura looked at James with red eyes.

James furrowed his brows even more. He reached out to touch her wound. "What happened?"

"You did this," Laura said calmly. "I bumped into a corner of the coffee table."

James's eyes widened. Only then did he remember what happened.

His anger dissipated almost instantly.

He then pulled Laura into his arms. "I'm sorry, Laura. I didn't mean it. I was just worried about the child that Jessica was carrying. If anything happens to her, then it would cause more delays to our plan..."

Laura didn't respond. She just allowed James to hug her. Her eyes were empty.

James had said those words way too many times.

"I know." Laura pushed James away. "You should go take care of her."

She turned on her heels and was about to leave, but James grabbed her wrist.

"You've got to believe me, Laura. You're the only one I love, no matter what. Everything I'm doing right now is for us to leave this place as soon as possible."

He touched her bandage gently. "I'll tell the servants to take care of you. Your wound should be kept dry."

With that said, he released Laura and turned to walk into Jessica's ward.

Laura stood where she was as she looked at James's receding figure.

She suddenly laughed, and tears trickled down her cheeks.

"I don't believe you anymore, James. Your words mean nothing to me now," she said gently.

For the next couple of days, Laura would receive provocative photos from Jessica almost every day.

In the photos, James was playing with his daughter, and he had a gentle look in his eyes. As for Jessica, she would lean against his shoulder with a sweet smile on her face.

Laura flicked through the photos with trembling fingers.

There were photos of James sitting by Jessica's bed in the middle of the night, of James feeding her, and of James carrying their child with the gentlest look ever in his eyes.

Every single photo made Laura's heart ache.

But as time progressed, Laura suddenly realized that her heart didn't ache anymore.

Perhaps, she was completely disappointed with James the moment she was locked in that cold storage.

Just when she was about to blacklist Jessica, her phone vibrated again.

It was another photo.

Jessica was playing with the bracelet that Laura's mother had left her.

"Do you want the bracelet that your mom left you? Come alone if you want it back."

Laura immediately stood up. The sudden movement caused her to almost black out, but she didn't really care. She grabbed her coat and rushed out of the room.

Inside the VIP ward, Jessica was carrying the baby in her hands and was humming a song. "Who's Daddy's most beloved baby? Daddy's going to come see us every day..."

When she raised her head and saw Laura, the smile on her face became wider. "Laura, you're here. There's something I want to tell you. During the days that I've been hospitalized, James didn't even go to work. He just stayed here with my daughter and me."

Laura clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into the palms of her hands. She didn't want to hear anything that Jessica was saying. "Where's my bracelet?"

Jessica slowly picked the bracelet up from the side of her pillow and waved it gently. "You mean this bracelet?"

She curved her lips into a cruel smile. "How about this? I'll give you this bracelet back if you get on your knees and beg me."

Laura trembled in anger. "Don't go too far."

"So what if I did?" Jessica's eyes were full of disdain. "You're just a fish seller, Laura, and I am the heiress of the Rane Group and the future daughter-in-law of the Lawson family! Do you think you're worthy to be my equal? Get on your knees and beg me to give you this bracelet back! It's the least you can do!"

She pretended to throw the bracelet away. "I'm going to count to three. If you don't get on your knees, then I'll throw this out the window! One... Two..."

Laura bit her lip, her eyes turned red as she went to her knees.

She begged Jessica to give her the bracelet back.

Jessica laughed. "The way you look right now is so pitiful."

She stood up and looked down at Laura. "However, there's no way that I'll give you this bracelet back."

With that said, she raised her hand and threw the bracelet out the window.

Laura's whole body was trembling. She was just about to go after the bracelet when the ward door was suddenly pushed open.

James and his parents were standing at the door, all with dark looks on their faces.

"What are you doing?" John asked in a sharp voice.

Jessica's face changed instantly as she cried in James's arms, "James! I don't know what's got into her. She suddenly barged into the ward and started beating and strangling the baby..."

She unbuttoned the baby's clothes and a couple of bruises could be clearly seen.

Laura couldn't believe what she was seeing. "It wasn't me!"

She shook her head in horror as John walked towards her angrily.

Slap!

John had slapped her and it made her feel like the whole world was spinning. Her head was ringing and there was blood at the corner of her mouth.

"How can you be so ruthless as to hurt a baby?" John's voice sounded like it was from a distance.

Sophia said coldly, "Looks like you haven't learnt your lesson the last time. Someone, get this bitch out of here and whip her 20 times!"

James clenched his fists and took a step forward. "Mom..."

"Are you still going to protect her?" Sophia interrupted. "Who she hurt was your own daughter! Even if you're going to abandon her at the old residence and leave with Laura, she's still your own flesh and blood!"

Laura was trembling all over. She instinctively looked at James.

He was still standing there. He was clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

He looked at her and there was an obvious struggle in his eyes. He looked as if he was in pain at first, but then he gradually calmed down.

He slowly turned his head away.

Laura looked at James in a daze. She felt as if someone had ripped her heart in pieces.

But the next second, her lips slowly curved into a smile and she laughed.

She was laughing at herself for being such a fool and actually believed that James was going to take her away.

She was also laughing at herself for actually believing that James would put his promises to her before his own flesh and blood, and hoping that he was still choosing her at such a critical moment.

Laura was dragged to the open corridor of the hospital. The bodyguards pinned her down on her knees.

When the first whip landed on her, the pain caused her to almost black out. She remembered when the Lawson family did all they could to separate her and James.

She broke up with James with red eyes. It was raining heavily that night, but James stood outside her house for an entire night. The next day, he started burning up with a fever and nearly had pneumonia.

When she went to check on him, he was in a daze, but he still grabbed her hand and said, "Keep this in mind, Laura. You're the only person I love, even if the whole world is against us."

When the second whip landed on Laura, she bit her lip. She could taste the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.

She remembered the day when James went on the next flight home just because she sent him a message saying she missed him.

Laura was whipped time after time. Every whip made her heart ache way more than the actual pain on her back.

When the 15th whip landed, she seemed to have heard James asking her what happened and wanted to check on her.

By the 19th whip, the pain caused Laura to almost lose consciousness.

She felt as if someone was calling her name, but she couldn't tell if she was hearing things or if someone was actually calling her name.

By the 20th whip, Laura blacked out and lost consciousness.