The news reports showed William at the airport. He dressed in all black and his striking features were as eye-catching as ever. It wasn't just his appearance that drew attention, but the woman in his arms.

A swarm of reporters surrounded him, cameras flashing nonstop. "Mr. Loughlin, today marks your sixth wedding anniversary. Rumors say you took your wife on an overseas trip. Is that true?"

"That's right, Mr. Loughlin. People have also been speculating about why you and your wife haven't had children after six years of marriage. Do you have any plans for that?"

"Is the woman in your arms your wife or someone else?"

Just as a reporter tried to capture a more precise shot of the woman, William swiftly blocked the camera. His expression remained calm, a faint smile playing at his lips. "My wife has a cold and is not feeling well, so it's not convenient for her to meet people. As for the children you mentioned, they will be here this year."

His casual comment caused the audience around him to laugh. Still, Madison, who was watching him on TV, could not do so. William was her husband and the person he desperately protected in his arms was her twin sister.

She recalled how she had sent William a message just a few days ago, but none he never replied to. When she called him, he declined the call outright. It wasn't until today that he finally responded, claiming he had been busy with work.

Madison had believed him without hesitation. After all, he was always busy. Forgetting their anniversary was nothing unusual.

Now, staring at the screen and watching the two of them so intimately close, Madison felt as if she had been slapped several times in the face. Now, her face burned with pain.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that William hadn't been working these past few days. He had been with McKenzie and even openly brought her back. Dizziness overtook her as an overwhelming sense of helplessness surged through her chest. Six years had passed, yet here they were again.

A maid approached her. "Madam, Mr. Loughlin has landed. He should be home soon. Should I reheat these dishes for him?"

Just as Madison was about to answer, her phone buzzed with an incoming video call. The caller was McKenzie. She hesitated before tapping the screen.

Her heart clenched the moment the call connected. Her breathing became labored as a piercing ache shot through her chest. McKenzie was wearing revealing lingerie on the screen, straddling William's lap. They were locked in a passionate embrace, their lips intertwined.

The intimate noises filled the room, making the maid gasp in horror. "Madam, isn't that … Mr. Loughlin?"

Madison did not respond. Her mind had gone completely blank. So, this day had finally come.

Six years ago, McKenzie was supposed to marry William. However, after getting caught in a gambling scandal and being arrested, she fled abroad. Back then, she had called Madison, begging her to take her place in the marriage.

Madison didn't understand why McKenzie had to be so extreme. She could have just told William, but McKenzie refused. "Madison, men can't be trusted. He won't wait for me to come back. You're my only sister and only you can help me!"

When Madison refused, McKenzie threatened to take her own life. "If you don't agree, I'll kill myself!"

Madison eventually gave in, but she never imagined that McKenzie would fake her death, leaving behind a suicide note that framed her as her sister's murderer.

Because of that, William saw her as a ruthless killer. He hated her with every fiber of his being. Madison had tried to explain countless times, but William never believed her. No one did.

Now, watching the video of the two so deeply in love, Madison felt her heart turn ice cold. McKenzie was back. That meant it was time for her to leave. That night, she didn't sleep a wink.

By the time William returned in the morning, they had crossed paths in the hallway. A strong perfume scent wafted from him. It was McKenzie's favorite fragrance. Even though she tried to control herself, her eyes still turned red. She stepped forward, blocking his way. "Where were you last night?"

William raised a brow indifferently. "Working, of course. Where else would I be?"

Madison lowered her sight. Her heart twisted terribly as she stared at his lifeless, icy face. She then realized that he didn't even attempt to give a reasonable explanation.

William suddenly let out a chuckle, his gaze sweeping over her. "We're going to my parent's house later. Do you really want my mother to see you like this?"

Madison froze. "Your parent?"

William's eyes were full of impatience as he sneered, "What? Every wedding anniversary, my mom would ask us to go to her house. It was something you snatched with your own hands. Don't tell me you've forgotten?"

His words struck her heart like a dagger. She forced a weak smile, her voice barely a whisper. "I understand."

Without another glance, William turned and walked away. As she watched his retreating figure, a dull ache spread through her chest. She would soon return to her original place, altogether leaving this place that didn't belong to her.

By the time Madison arrived at the banquet, she had taken some cold medicine. She was running a fever, her head pounding, yet she forced a smile to deal with the Loughlins.

Bella seemed to notice something was off and looked at her with concern. Madison offered her a reassuring smile, silently indicating that she was okay.

As expected, the conversation at the table inevitably turned to children. Edward, his expression stern and authoritative, glanced at William and Madison. "You two should hurry up. At your age, most couples already have children four or five years old."

William glanced at her sarcastically. "That would require her actually to be able to have one. Anyone who didn't know better would think I married a barren woman."

Madison said nothing about this. She once had a child, who was conceived when William was drunk, but later she miscarried. To this day, her heart still aches.

Bella protectively held Madison's arm, glaring at Edward. "You're old enough, yet you're still learning to pressure them about having kids. Have you no shame?"

Her words silenced Edward. Bella then turned her ire to William. "And you. It's fine if you don't want to talk about it, but must you humiliate McKenzie like this? If it weren't for her good temper, she would have left you ages ago."

Hearing the name "McKenzie," Madison felt a moment of disorientation. After all, that was the name of her twin sister and the name was recorded on the marriage certificate.

When they were children, their mother had mixed up their information since they were twins. To outsiders, McKenzie was the younger sister and Madison was the elder. Later, they didn't change it back. When she married William, they went along with it.

Madison was her real name, but no one outside her family knew her actual name.

William took a drag from his cigarette, his expression indifferent. He found it laughable. "In this world, it's always me rejecting others. Who would dare reject me?"

Bella shook her head. "One day, you'll regret it when she finally leaves you."

William's brows were full of disdain. With McKenzie's eagerness to marry him, would she willingly leave him? Only his mother was pitifully foolish, knowing nothing. He knew it clearly but didn't say much. He just said impatiently, "Alright, Mom, I don't want to hear it."

That night, Madison stayed at the Loughlins' manor. She barely slept and got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. On her way, she overheard voices coming from the balcony.

Edward was frowning. "It's been over two years since the last miscarriage. Be honest with me, William. Is McKenzie unable to conceive?"

William chuckled lazily while leaning against the railing. "Who knows?"

Edward clenched his teeth in anger when he heard this and smacked William hard on the back. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't deliberately given her that drug back then, she wouldn't have miscarried."

Madison had been about to step forward, but those words made her blood run cold and she stood there frozen as if struck by lightning.

Six years ago, she had carried William's child. It happened when he was drunk and mistook her for someone else. It was just an accident, but she was full of thoughts about being a mother. In those days, William was so good to her that she even thought she could be happy.

Unfortunately, she miscarried. She had always thought it was because her body was unfit. Still, she never expected that it was William who didn't want her to have his child and deliberately caused the miscarriage.

Madison's heart suffocated. She recalled that after the miscarriage, she was full of guilt for the child and William. She kept apologizing to the Loughlins, but now it felt like a slap in the face. Had William been laughing at her behind her back even then, just like he was now?

Oblivious to her presence, William smirked with contempt. "As if she's worthy of carrying my child. She doesn't deserve it."

Madison felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart. Tears streamed down her face, but inside, everything had gone quiet.

"Not worthy…" So that was it. That was why he had intentionally caused her miscarriage. So, her years of careful companionship were only worth these two words?

At that moment, Madison realized something terrifying. Her heart felt nothing anymore and she would never love him again.

William suddenly sensed a gaze on him. His sharp eyes scanned the area, but there was no one there.

Madison didn't utter a single word to the Loughlins until she left the family manor. William sneered, "My mom was talking to you and you just ignored her? What, are you mute now?"

She didn't respond, not even sparing him a glance. Her heart ached as if pierced by needles. She fell sick when she returned home, so sick that she was bedridden for four days.

By the time she woke up, she was in a hospital room. Bella sat by her bedside, concern written all over her face. She had even brought homemade soup, but Madison was terrified that her mother-in-law also knew the truth.

For several days, William would bang the pot of stew Bella had made onto the table, looking down at her condescendingly. "McKenzie, get your ass up! My mom was kind enough to make you something. You should be grateful, not acting like you have the right to pick and choose."

No matter what he said, Madison remained silent. William scoffed, "Fine. Don't eat if you dare. It's just a fever; don't think for a second that I actually enjoy taking care of you."

She would rather starve than eat anything prepared by the Loughlins. In the end, she passed out and had to be put on an IV drip. It took her a full seven days to recover and return to the villa.

She had lost a lot of weight and was more silent than ever. After a few days, William couldn't stand it anymore. He tossed his car keys and said, "My mom wants us to take my cousin out. You're coming too."

Madison could never refuse Bella, so she went along. But when she arrived, she realized the cousin had just returned from abroad and loved extreme sports.

On the Ferris wheel, William gently coaxed his twelve-year-old cousin, his eyes provocatively looking at her. "Are you going to faint again? Don't leave Yancy with a bad impression!"

Madison had said she was afraid of heights and didn't want to go up, but William dragged her up without a word of protest. Her face was pale and she was desperately trying to hold back her fear.

William wasn't done yet. He wanted to go on the pirate ship, too. Madison reached her breaking point and rushed to the bathroom to throw up. Yancy pinched her nose and looked at her with disgust. "Aunt, stay away from me. It stinks."

William looked at her with pure contempt. "Disgusting." Yet they didn't stop. As if they had planned it together, they kept pushing her to her limits. By the end of the day, Madison felt like she had lost half her life.

As she lay pale in bed the following day, William forcibly dragged her up. "Yancy wants you to take her skydiving. A ten-thousand-meter jump. You're not scared, are you?"

For years, he had maintained an image of a loving husband in public. Still, in private, he was dedicated to tormenting her. Humiliation had become routine. Even the wedding video played on their anniversary was meant to remind her that all of this was for another woman.

William once said that the reason he kept her around was because of that letter. "William, I've been weak and sick since I was a child because of malnutrition. McKenzie is my only older sister. She's always had a secret crush on you. After I die, I hope you'll take good care of her. It's my only wish."

William didn't do as McKenzie asked. Instead, he tormented her like crazy. "McKenzie, don't think I'll really take care of you as you wish. Speaking of which, you're really a jinx. You took away so many nutrients in the womb, causing Madison to be weak and sick. Now you've even killed her. How dare you pretend to be sick and seek sympathy? You like to act, don't you? I'll make you really sick.

What he didn't know was that she was Madison. The weak, sick one. The one who had been deprived of nutrition in the womb. The one her mother had always seen as useless. Yet, she couldn't say a word.

Now, William's gaze was cold and sharp. Madison, pale as a sheet, remained expressionless. She looked at him and spoke softly. "William, do you want me dead that badly? Don't worry, I won't live long. I won't last much longer."

William's eyes were contemptuous. "Acting pitiful again? Do you think I'm as easily fooled as my mom? Too bad. You'd better hurry up and die. The sooner you make room, the better. After all, my chicks are waiting for your spot."

Madison pursed her pale lips and didn't say another word because no matter what she said, she was pretending in his eyes.

What she never expected was that they were actually going skydiving. Her pupils trembled. Dizziness swept over her. She had a serious heart condition. She was also terrified of heights, of wind and of the cold.