In my third year of marriage, Victor Lyon, the most prominent man in Sagedale's elite circle as well as my husband, goes viral on the Internet once again.

This time, it's because he has decided to throw a grand wedding to be with Carol Braun, the low-income student he has been sponsoring.

I don't kick up a fuss, nor do I throw a tantrum. In fact, I even have someone send them my wishes. Because of that, the rich wives of Sagedale's elite circle view me as a complete joke.

After the wedding, Victor explains to me, "Carol's grandpa is very ill. His death wish is to see her marry a good man. I was just acting with her the whole time, Lilian. Don't take it to heart."

I just smile and nod. "Yeah, I believe you."

In my previous life, I had demanded explanations from Victor hysterically. But in return, he screwed over my parents' company to the point that they were forced to jump off a building by debtors. I got my legs broken before I got thrown into a mental asylum that tortured me endlessly.

Thank goodness God took pity on me, for He gave me another chance in life.

This time, I no longer want Victor's love. I just want his wealth.

When he's busy going on a honeymoon with Carol, I secretly have his assets transferred under my name.

When Victor's attending prenatal checkups with Carol, I trick him into signing a share-transfer agreement.

Whenever he betrays me, I'll take some of his assets away. Once Victor betrays me three more times, he won't have anything under his name.

Victor Lyon was visibly taken aback by my reply. Then, he carefully scrutinized me with a look of suspicion, as if trying to detect a hint of mischief in my eyes.

Only after confirming that I wasn't joking did he smile with relief.

"That's more like it," he said, stepping forward and taking my hand. In an earnest tone, he continued, "You know Carol comes from a poor background. Plus, Mr. Braun Senior, her grandfather, is seriously ill, so I'm just trying to fulfill his wish."

I quietly withdrew my hand and nodded with a smile.

In my previous life, because I failed to understand his "good intentions", I caused a huge scene at the wedding.

To get back at me for Carol Braun, Victor did everything he could to ruin my father, Terrence Holcomb's, company. He even hired a bunch of thugs to drive Dad to jump to his death.

I tried to report it to the police. But on the way to the station, he caught me and brutally broke both my legs. Then, he admitted me into a mental hospital.

Every day, the nurses forced me to take large amounts of hallucinogenic drugs. Whenever I failed to comply, I was electrocuted, beaten, and gang-raped in turns.

Carol would occasionally visit me. Snuggled in Victor's arms, she would mock my misery without restraint.

It wasn't until three years later, on a cold winter night, that I finally died from the torment.

Thus, when I opened my eyes and confirmed that I had been reborn, the first thing I did was quickly transfer all my assets.

Love was overrated. It would never be as dependable as money. Only what I held in my own hands truly belonged to me.

Without prompting, Victor said, "Come to think of it, today's our third anniversary. I promise you that no one will disturb us this time."

I nodded and said softly, "Whatever you say."

Since I was being so understanding, Victor was naturally in a great mood. He even began making elaborate preparations in earnest, booking the best table at a restaurant and arranging a fireworks show.

Watching his back, I suddenly felt a bit dazed. For a moment, I almost thought that the man who had promised to protect me forever three years ago had returned.

But soon, reason prevailed.

I turned on my laptop and got to work.

In just 15 minutes, I received the confirmation. All the properties under Victor's name had been transferred to my overseas accounts. Those properties alone were worth several hundred million dollars.

After finishing all that, I picked up the long-cold coffee from the table and drank it in one go. The coffee was bitter, but it made me feel immensely satisfied.

As dusk fell, Victor and I arrived at the top floor of the Rotating Garden Restaurant in the city center. Sitting by the window, I could take in the entire city's night view with just a slight turn of my head.

I had to admit that he'd really put some thought into this.

After we were seated, he said to me mysteriously, "This is just the beginning. I've also prepared a special surprise for you."

I took a sip of red wine. Before I could respond, the phone in his pocket rang. It wasn't the usual serious, plain ringtone, but rather a playful, girlish one.

His expression changed instantly. Without a second thought, he answered it.

On the other end of the line, Carol's tearful voice came through.

"Victor, my grandfather's condition suddenly took a turn for the worse. I'm so scared. What should I do? Can you come and keep me company?"

Victor froze. Instinctively, he looked up to gauge my reaction.

I set down my wine glass without a word and just looked back at him calmly.

After a brief silence, he made up his mind.

"Carol, don't be afraid. I'm coming over right now."

He had made his choice.

After hanging up, he put on an apologetic and troubled expression.

"Lilian, you heard what happened with Carol—"

"Go ahead," I interrupted, cutting off his explanation. "After all, it's a matter of life and death. It's only natural that a young woman like her can't handle it alone."

Victor was stunned.

He'd probably braced himself for me to pick a fight with him. Heck, maybe he'd even rehearsed the lecture he would give me about being understanding.

The only thing he hadn't expected was for me to be so calm, without showing the slightest ripple of emotion.

After a few seconds of hesitation, he still didn't think much of it. He leaned down and gave me a peck on the cheek.

"I knew you were the most reasonable person in the world. If you get hungry later, go ahead and order something. I've prepared a surprise for you—don't forget to watch it. After you've eaten, just let me know, and I'll have the driver take you home."

With that, he grabbed his coat and hurried off without looking back.

I picked up the napkin from the table and scrubbed the spot where he'd just kissed me.

Ugh, disgusting.

As for the fine food and the night view, they were innocent; I saw no reason to let them go to waste.

At 9:00 pm, a thunderous boom exploded in the air, and a riot of colors spread across half the sky.

I knew this was the surprise Victor had prepared for me.

But then, as the fireworks burst apart, the words they formed in the mid-air read, "Carol, I will spoil you for a lifetime."

The giant letters shimmered in dazzling colors across the night sky.

I had to admit, Victor had put a lot of thought into this. These fireworks must have cost at least 100 thousand dollars.

What a lavish spender he was.

Beside me, Victor's assistant, Gary Roth, turned pale. He secretly observed my reaction, afraid I might flip the table at any moment.

But I just rested my chin on my hands and quietly admired the fireworks outside the window.

How beautiful.

I remembered back when we first got together, Victor had prepared a fireworks show for me too. From the production of the fireworks to their final launch, he had personally overseen every step.

What a pity, though, that just like the fireworks before me now, the person he used to be had vanished into the night sky after a brief, brilliant display.

I thought I'd feel sad. But strangely, I was exceptionally calm at this moment. Or rather, the only emotion I felt was relief—relief that I'd been given the chance to do it all over again.

My phone buzzed at an inopportune moment.

It was a message from Victor.

"Lilian, Carol is overcome with grief right now, so I had them temporarily change the fireworks display just to cheer her up. You understand, don't you?"

I let out a disdainful laugh and shook my head. I couldn't even be bothered to reply.

After all…

I took out my phone and got down to work again.

Soon, the balance in my bank account skyrocketed.

Victor, busy at the hospital caring for the innocent and fragile Carol, knew nothing about any of this.

To cheer her up, he even spent a fortune hiring a bunch of celebrities and performers to sing and dance at the hospital, all under the guise of a charity event.

For an entire week, Victor hardly came home at all. We became strangers who occasionally ran into each other in our enormous villa.

Unlike my previous life, I didn't confront him. Instead, I offered polite pleasantries and never so much as mentioned Carol's name.

But the more low-key I acted, the more cocky Carol became.

These past few days, I saw her Instagram updates almost every single day. Every post was accompanied by photos of Victor bustling about, taking care of her.

And I liked and commented on every single one of them with concern or with blessings.

Everyone in our social circle were all very surprised. They all praised Victor for his skill in managing me and for being able to turn a woman so full of thorns into someone so docile.

Naturally, Victor was quite pleased with himself as well. But beneath his smugness, there was also a hint of something strange in the way he looked at me.

Perhaps I was too well-behaved, so much so that I no longer resembled my former self, who used to love and hate with such clarity.

He reassured himself that this must be the power of true love, believing I was being forbearing because I loved him so deeply.

And perhaps it was precisely because of my forbearance that he felt even more justified in his actions.

We spent two peaceful weeks together.

Until one morning, Victor woke me from my sleep.

"Lilian, get up and wash up. Carol says she needs your help with something."

As surprised as I was, I didn't ask any questions.

After a quick tidy-up, I went out with him.

When we arrived, I spotted Carol wearing a wedding dress right away. That wedding dress was all too familiar to me, for it was the very dress that Victor had specially commissioned from a top Italdor designer for our wedding.

There was only one of its kind in the whole world. But now, it no longer belonged to me.

Our eyes met. Carol lowered her head and revealed a shy smile. Then, she lifted her gown and gracefully made her way to Victor's side.

"Lilian, Victor said that you completely understand our situation and are willing to help us put on this act for the sake of appearances. Don't worry—there's nothing going on between him and me. We're just doing this to fulfill my grandfather's dying wish."

She paused. Biting her lip sadly, she looked so fragile and pitiful.

"After all, you've always been the one Victor loved the most."

Victor suddenly tightened his grip on my hand, a flicker of pain flashing across his face.

What a wonderful performance from a pair of star-crossed lovers.

I couldn't help but feel speechless.

Were these two treating me like part of their little drama?

Just as I was about to turn and leave, Carol suddenly grabbed my hand.

"Lilian, this is your wedding dress. So, even though I'm the one wearing it now, I still want to ask for your permission. Would you be willing to give this dress to me?"

I caught the sly glint in Carol's eyes and instantly understood what she really meant. This wasn't about giving up a wedding dress. No, it was about giving up the position of Mrs. Lyon.

Before I could respond, Victor chimed in, "Of course she'd be willing. That dress has just been collecting dust at home anyway. Besides, who knows if she could even fit into it now? Lending it to you is practically doing a good deed. You'll be happy about it too, won't you, Lilian?"

He looked at me, full of certainty.

I let out a soft laugh. Then, I stepped forward and helped adjust the strap on Carol's shoulder.

"Of course I don't mind. After all, it is Mr. Braun Senior's dying wish. By the way, the wedding is set for next Monday, right? Don't worry, I'll definitely be there on time. I'll even give you a big wedding gift. Besides, watching your own husband marry another woman isn't exactly a common experience."

Carol's smile froze on her face. She clearly hadn't expected me to be so nonchalant.

Ignoring her shock, I gently tugged at the strap I was holding and said with a smile, "But Carol, you haven't been eating well lately, have you? Look, there's such a big empty gap at your chest—your pasties are showing."

Carol's expression stiffened. Instinctively, she raised her hand to pull the front of her dress higher.

I immediately grabbed her hand. "Let me help you with that."

Since the man who gave me this wedding dress had long since had a change of heart, there was no longer any reason for this dress to exist.

I gave it a hard yank. With a loud rip, the front of Carol's wedding dress tore open, revealing a large expanse of fair skin and the dense cluster of hickeys across her chest.

Carol gasped, clutching her chest as she stumbled back, her eyes reddening.

"My wedding dress! Lilian, what are you doing? Even if you're not willing, there's no need to tear it in public and humiliate me like this! Fine, I'll just give it back to you if it's such a big deal to you."

Victor was furious. He rushed over and shoved me hard to the ground, then stood protectively in front of Carol.

"Lilian Holcomb, have you lost your mind? Why are you picking on Carol? It's just a stupid wedding dress—it would've gone to waste sitting at home anyway. What's the harm in letting Carol wear it? How can you be so vicious?"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. In the end, he once again used my family as leverage.

"Since you're being so unreasonable, I don't see any need to continue the collaboration on the family company's project. Go think about what you've done. I'm taking Carol to the hospital now. If she ends up upset about this, you're dead."

With that, he scooped up the aggrieved Carol in his arms and turned to leave.

Carol looked up at me and flashed a provocative, triumphant smile. However, I didn't care in the slightest, nor was I the least bit bothered by Victor's threats.

After all, whether the collaboration continued was no longer his decision to make. Besides, he didn't even have the funds to back up that project anymore.

I took out my phone and called my lawyer, Austin Clay.

"Mr. Clay, you can execute that agreement now."

"Very well, Ms. Holcomb."

I lowered my phone and slowly let out a breath.

With that, all of Victor's assets were completely wiped clean, and the power to call the shots had firmly fallen into my hands.