As the sole heir to the prestigious Mary family, Mary had broken two cardinal rules.

First, she should never have fallen for the man in her marriage of convenience.

Second, she should never have handed her heart to Kevin, time and again, only for him to trample it underfoot.

The first time, a sudden attack of acute gastroenteritis left her in too much pain to move. Enduring the agony, she called Kevin. His response was dismissive: "If you're sick, see a doctor. I'm busy."

The thirty-sixth time, she was in a car accident. Dazed and disoriented, she managed to dial his number. She'd barely gasped, "I've been in an accident," before he cut her off impatiently. "Mary, these pathetic cries for attention are beneath you." Then he hung up.

On the fifty-second occasion, she discovered she was pregnant. Elated, she went to tell him—only to overhear him confiding to a friend: "Mary and I? It's just a transaction. You know my heart only has room for Shirley."

Five years of marriage, reduced to a transaction. She'd thought that even in a marriage of convenience, if she poured enough of herself into it, some sincerity might reach him. In that moment, her last illusion shattered.

Without hesitation, Mary had her assistant book the earliest available appointment for a termination.

Her first act after the procedure was to go to the office and reclaim the Northgate Project—the billion-dollar deal she'd just handed over to Kevin.

She'd barely begun when he stormed in.

"Mary, you can't touch this project!"

He strode into her office, ignoring any pretense of courtesy.

Leaning back in her executive chair, Mary gave him a cool, dismissive glance. For the first time, she addressed him from a position of power. "Oh? And why is that? This project belonged to my family. I'd like to know why I'm suddenly forbidden from reclaiming what's mine."

Just then, his phone chimed. He frowned at the screen, his voice laced with threat. "If you insist on interfering, I'll make sure you regret it."

Before she could reply, he spun on his heel. The office door slammed shut with a violent bang, rattling the glass.

Mary couldn't help herself—she followed him.

His car eventually stopped outside a secluded villa in the suburbs. From a distance, she watched as a slender, pale-skinned woman emerged. She looked familiar, but Mary couldn't place her.

Then she saw her face clearly. Her hand flew to her mouth, teeth biting into her lip hard enough to draw blood, stifling a gasp.

It was Shirley—the woman the Kevin family had taken in and raised as their own.

The legendary Shirley—the woman who held his heart.

Eight years ago, he had cut ties with his family for her. He'd taken menial jobs—delivering takeout, hawking trinkets at flea markets—a staggering fall for a Kevin heir. But for reasons unknown, he'd returned to the family fold alone after just two years. Some said Shirley had died. Others whispered she'd betrayed him...

Since then, he had never mentioned her name. Mary never imagined she'd see her again, and certainly not like this.

The woman stood there, her clothes thin against the breeze that tangled her hair. Kevin hurried forward, shrugging off his jacket to drape it carefully over her shoulders. His tone held a gentle, chiding warmth. "Be good. Go rest. Don't worry about the project; I'll handle it."

That unique tenderness, so starkly different from the cold hostility he'd shown her moments ago, felt like a physical blow. She bit down on her lip until she tasted blood, her nails digging into her palms.

She had never known he could care for someone so deeply. She had never known one person could occupy his heart for so long.

So long that her own five years of effort had failed to make even a dent...

The wind stung her eyes. Mary looked up at the sky, blinking back tears with a forced smile.

She stumbled home in a daze, a heavy exhaustion pulling her toward sleep.

Perhaps she'd caught a chill that afternoon. A fever came in waves, pulling her deeper into confusion. In her delirium, she murmured, "Kevin... I feel awful... Water... please..."

Suddenly, warmth enveloped her hand. Strong arms hauled her upright, a comforting heat spreading across her back. A cup of hot water was pressed into her grasp. She gulped it down greedily, choking until tears welled in her eyes.

"Slow down. Feeling better?"

At the familiar voice, she struggled to lift her eyelids. It was Kevin.

She nodded, about to ask what he was doing there, when he spoke first.

"You've always wanted me to take you to a movie, right? How about tomorrow? I'll have someone book the tickets."

He sounded almost enthusiastic. Mary only frowned.

"Kevin, what do you really want? Besides the Northgate Project?"

"Mary!"

His temper flared. "You know Shirley's back, don't you? My people saw you near her villa! Don't even think about causing trouble for her! That project means nothing to you. Why are you suddenly so determined to fight for it? Is it really about the deal, or are you just using it as an excuse to target her?"

Growing more agitated, he reached out and gripped her jaw. Pain brought tears to her eyes. She summoned all her strength to shove him away.

"Kevin!"

She let out a cold, bitter laugh.

"So it's fine for you to keep your precious mistress tucked away, but I can't come and see for myself? Besides, the Northgate Project belongs to my family. I gave it to you on a whim, and I can take it back whenever I please. Get out! Get out of my house right now!"

Her finger trembled as she pointed toward the door. The man watched her outburst impassively before finally turning and walking out without a backward glance.

Mary snatched up a pillow and hurled it at the closing door. Half an hour later, she dialed a number she hadn't called in years.

"Shen Yuheng? That proposal you made five years ago... I accept. You've got yourself a deal."

If Kevin could keep a mistress, then she could keep a lover. Two could play at that game.

Her most trusted senior executives had worked through the night to finalize the acquisition. Just before dawn, Mary’s phone rang.

“Ms Mary, the deal is almost closed. We’re only waiting for your green light.”

She rushed to the office to handle the final details. But as she parked in the company’s underground garage, several hulking men grabbed her, threw a hood over her head, and dragged her away.

When she came to, she was bound, a timed explosive strapped to her chest. The alarm blared, pounding in her skull. Weakly, she lifted her head, straining to see who wanted her dead.

*Boom—!!!*

A familiar face swam into view. It was Kevin—he was the one who had taken her. All of this, for Shirley.

Her legs gave way, and she crumpled to the floor. Her lips trembled; it took a long moment before she could force out a faint, broken sound:

“Kevin… why?”

He showed not an ounce of pity. His face remained impassive, as though the woman before him were a stranger. Pinching the bridge of his nose wearily, he spoke, his voice icy and sharp:

“I warned you not to touch the Riverside project. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Because of you, Shirley slit her wrists this morning. She’s still in critical care. All she wants is to reclaim her place in the Kevin family. Why won’t you just let her be?”

His face twisted with rage. He clenched his fist and smashed it through the table in front of him. Blood splattered. Then he let out a sudden, cold laugh.

“Five years ago, because of that absurd arranged marriage, my parents threatened to cut ties with me to force Shirley out of the family. Shirley is kind-hearted—she couldn’t bear to see me suffer. She even threatened to take her own life to make me agree to marry you. In the end, they set one condition: only if Shirley could pass every single trial they set for her could she return to the family in five years.”

This man, always so strong, now had red-rimmed eyes.

“She was only one step away! Securing the Riverside deal for the family. Just this last step, and she could come home. Mary! I’m giving you one final chance. Hand over the project, or else…”

He grew more agitated as he spoke, but Mary suddenly laughed.

“Or else what, Kevin? Are you going to offer my life to atone for Shirley?”

“I’m not joking. The bomb on you is a thought away from detonating. I’ll count to three. If you still refuse to give up the project, you can use your life to apologize to Shirley.”

Kevin turned deadly serious. He clutched the remote detonator, every muscle in his neck corded with tension, his expression that of a roaring lion.

“Three!”

“Two!”

“…”

Watching his desperate, life-or-death stare, Mary suddenly felt it was all so pointless. She tugged at the corner of her mouth, managing a weak, bitter smile.

“Heh… Fine. I agree.”

Leaning against the wall in the corner, she felt utterly drained. So he would go this far for Shirley. He didn’t care about her feelings, her safety.

His lack of love for her was now a settled fact. Why had she clung so desperately?

She lifted the corner of her mouth, trying not to look utterly defeated.

“But… I have one condition. Let’s get a divorce. Of course, you’ve made more mistakes than I have, so I want a larger share of the assets.”

Kevin’s expression flickered with shock. No matter how much she’d suffered before, Mary had never mentioned divorce. This time…

But then he thought—she was always a scheming woman. Perhaps this was just another one of her tricks. He snorted coldly. “You’d better mean it.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kevin had someone draft a divorce agreement on the spot. Without hesitation, he signed his name with a forceful, decisive stroke.

Holding the signed papers, a chill spread through Mary’s heart. Five years of her life, thrown away on someone who never cared. Her knuckles trembled as she finally made the call.

“Drop the Riverside deal. Stand down.”

Before she could catch her breath, her phone vibrated violently again. The name flashing on the screen made her fingers pause for a long moment before she finally answered.

“Mary,” Shen Yuheng’s voice came through, slightly hoarse and slurred from drink, carrying a suppressed, stubborn edge. “Am I always just going to be your secret lover?”

Mary lowered her gaze, looking at the pale lines on her palm from clenching too hard. After a few seconds of silence, her reply was clear and firm:

“I’m making it official. One month from now. Meet me at City Hall.”

Before the other side could react, Mary hung up.

Kevin had only caught the part about her giving up the Northgate Project; the rest had been static. He ordered Mary released, then raced desperately toward Shirley. As the car’s engine roared and sped away, the last shred of reluctance in Mary’s heart crumbled to dust.

She didn’t return to the family home that day. Instead, she wandered the streets for hours before finally trudging back to her father’s house.

Seeing his daughter’s haggard appearance, Albert’s heart ached. He pulled her into a tight hug.

“Mary, whatever it is, tell your father. I’ll make it right. Did that Kevin boy bully you again?”

Mary forced a light laugh, nuzzling against his shoulder like she used to as a girl. “For the last time, Dad. I’m divorcing him. We’ll get the papers in a month.”

Albert stiffened. After a long moment, he pinched her cheek gently. “Should’ve done it sooner. Good riddance to bad rubbish. You deserve better.”

After a few more comforting words, he made her a cup of warm milk and sent her off to bed early.

That night, sleep never came.

It was the sound of muffled sobs from downstairs that finally pulled her from her thoughts.

Mary dressed and went down. A woman dripping with jewels was kneeling dramatically on the doorstep of the family villa.

Seeing Mary, the woman immediately prostrated herself, her voice a pitiful whine. “Mary, please… please come home. Don’t be stubborn with Kevin like this. There’s really nothing between me and him, I swear…”

Mary’s gaze swept over her, icy, then abruptly fixed on the ring necklace hanging from her throat. It was the first birthday gift Mary had ever given Kevin. He’d never worn it. Not once. And now it was here, on another woman.

She strode forward, yanked the necklace free with a sharp tug, then brushed her hands together as if she’d touched something filthy.

“What you and Kevin have or don’t have is none of my business. But this necklace? I paid for it. Five million. On you—it’s just a waste of something precious.”

“Mary!”

Shirley’s hands clenched, nails digging deep into her palms, her face contorting with fury. She let out a sharp, grating laugh, shoulders shaking violently as if she’d heard the world’s greatest joke. “A waste? Mary, do you really think a five-million chain could ever hold Kevin? Today he chose me over you. Tomorrow, he’ll hand me everything you’ve ever owned as a bonus! You’re just an old toy he can discard anytime. How dare you stand there and talk to me about what’s ‘worthy’?”

She took a step closer, eyes venomous, voice a low, mocking hiss. “Just wait. It won’t be long. This necklace, the title of Mrs. Kevin, everything you have… it will all be mine. A fool like you, who only knows how to throw money around, is no match for me.”

Shirley’s twisted expression and relentless advance filled Mary with disgust. She couldn’t take it anymore. Summoning all her strength, she shoved Shirley away.

A sly glint flashed in Shirley’s eyes. She let herself fall dramatically to the ground with a jarring thud.

“Shirley!!!”

A frantic voice rang out from behind. Kevin rushed forward, his presence suddenly filling the entryway with a palpable, threatening energy. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m… I’m fine, Kevin. But the baby…” A fragile, heartbreaking smile. “The baby isn’t. It’s so unfair. I wanted to tell you… but I suppose some women just aren’t meant to be mothers. Your mothers. Please, don’t be angry with Mary. This is my fault. I never should have come back.”

With every word Shirley uttered, the hatred in Kevin’s eyes as he looked at Mary intensified. Trembling, he gathered Shirley into his arms. The panic in his eyes was something Mary had never seen before. His voice shook as he yelled toward the door, “Someone! Get a doctor! Get a doctor now!”

He was trembling. He was… afraid. So, Kevin had a weakness after all. So… he could feel fear, too.

After years of his indifferent gaze, seeing the raw love and fear in his eyes for someone else was a blinding, physical pain.

The metal of the necklace bit into her palm as she clenched her fist. Watching Kevin’s frantic retreat, she drew her arm back and hurled it with all her strength into the pond outside. Kevin was tainted. The necklace was tainted.

She didn’t like dirty things.