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.

Madison was so scared that tears welled up in her eyes. She looked at the cold-blooded man next to her and said word by word, "William, I have a heart condition ... and I'm afraid of heights."

William seemed not to hear her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, his voice low and dangerous as he spoke into her ear, "How come you didn't mention she had a heart condition when you tricked Madison into skydiving? McKenzie, do I look that easy to fool?"

Madison's heart pounded wildly, fear gripping her so tightly she could barely breathe. She struggled to compose herself, her eyes rimmed with red. "I didn't. If I told you I was the real Madison, would you believe me?"

William's expression turned glacial, a hint of cruel amusement in his eyes. "So afraid of death, but don't worry. I'm an expert in this field. With me, even if you want to die, you won't be able to."

Madison shut her eyes, her face pale. She had already dialed for an ambulance in advance. The moment she plummeted, darkness swallowed her vision and her heart felt like it had stopped beating. The last thing she heard was William's panicked, fearful voice.

Just before losing consciousness, she thought he must have misheard something. William hated her more than anything. Why would he care about her?

When she woke up, William stood over her with his arms crossed, looking down at her with a smirk. "Oh, you're finally awake. Why didn't you die and save us all the trouble?"

Madison wearily closed her eyes again, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Didn't work out that way. Guess I've disappointed you."

Her feeble yet calm words instantly ignited William's fury. "Still putting on an act, huh?" He sneered, gritting his teeth. "Madison also had a heart condition. How terrified do you think she was when you made her skydive?"

Madison slowly opened her eyes to meet his gaze. "Is that what she told you?" she asked softly.

William's eyes blazed with rage, his voice dripping with venom. "McKenzie, don't start getting scared too early. This is just the beginning. It won't end just because you're pretending to be weak."

So, when she was over the worst of her illness, he took Madison to a street race. In the car, Madison's face was ashen, her hands shaking uncontrollably. William watched her with a cruel glint in his eyes.

The racetrack was deliberately set up on the edge of a cliff, with walls strategically placed to block the view, creating an atmosphere of sheer terror. Yet, the other racers seemed excited, exhilarated by the danger.

Madison was forced into the car. As she tried to get out, William locked the doors, preventing her escape. "You're always saying I want you dead, aren't you? Well, get a good look. This is what death looks like!"

William reveled in the thrill of brushing past the edge of death, but she didn't. Pain gripped her heart and his so-called 'friends' deliberately set traps for her, causing the car to veer off the cliff multiple times. When she finally stumbled out of the car, her legs were like jelly. She collapsed onto the ground, grateful that she'd brought her emergency heart medication with her. Without it, she might have died in the car.

However, William was in high spirits. He extended a hand toward her, smirking with a mocking tone. "Didn't you always want to be a part of my world? Well, this is it. How does it feel?"

Madison didn't take his hand. Instead, she forced herself to stand and walk away on her own. William's face darkened, sensing that she was deliberately snubbing him.

He drove ahead lazily, glancing at her through the window. Seeing how slow she was, he swerved the car dangerously close to her, taunting her with laughter. "Pathetic! Even a turtle is faster than you!"

In the end, it was Ariana Lane who came to pick her up. The moment Madison got into the car, her mother said coldly, "Don't be angry with him. Young people like to have fun. Besides, it's your fault for deceiving her in the first place."

Madison looked at Ariana's icy face, a bitter smile twisting her lips. "Mom, was it really me who lied?"

Ariana's face instantly contorted with rage and she slapped Madison hard across the face. "Shut up! You've really grown some nerve to talk to me like that."

Madison's cheek flushed crimson, the pain stinging her skin. She was stunned, raising her hand to cover the burning sensation. "Mom," she whispered, her voice barely audible, "am I really your daughter?"

The question had haunted her since childhood. Why was her mother so loving and gentle towards her elder sister yet so cold and indifferent towards her?

Her mother's only response was a chilling laugh. "Otherwise, do you think I would have raised a useless thing like you all these years? Don't think that just because you're William's wife, you can start acting arrogant. That position was something your sister gave up for you."

She continued coldly, "Now, that your sister is back, you better start packing your things and move out in the next few days. It'd be embarrassing if you had to be thrown out."

When Madison returned home, she found an unexpected guest – McKenzie. And next to her, William's eyes were filled with her figure.