Ten years of marriage. When my husband died unexpectedly, I cried until my heart felt like it was tearing apart. But when I went to the hospital morgue to claim his body, the staff refused to release him to me. "Ma'am, your marriage certificate is a forgery." I felt like I had been struck by lightning. Right then, an unfamiliar woman's voice came from behind me. "Hello, I am Liam Sterling's legal wife. I'm here to claim the remains." Staring at the official marriage certificate in her hand, I rushed forward, questioning her in a total breakdown. "What the hell is going on? I was with him for ten years! I gave him five children! How could my marriage certificate be fake?!" The woman looked at me with a mix of pity and contempt. "Liam is the sole heir to the Sterling empire. I am his wife from a strategic business alliance." "Your five children didn't die at birth. Liam took them from you the moment they were born and gave them to me to raise." Saying that, she stuffed a few hundred-dollar bills into my pocket. "Thanks for your hard work. Consider this your surrogacy fee." The sheer shock and fury sent me into sudden cardiac arrest, and I dropped dead right there in the hospital corridor. When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn. I was back on the exact day Liam tricked me with that fake marriage certificate. I took the fake document, tore it into pieces, and threw them right in his face. "Giving me a fake marriage certificate to brush me off? Do you think I'm an idiot?" "We're done!" ...... 1 I ignored his deathly pale face and turned toward the bedroom to pack my things and move back to my hometown. But he grabbed me from behind, holding me in a tight, suffocating hug. "Don't leave me!" His voice trembled with pathetic, desperate pleading. "I didn't mean to trick you... I'm just useless. I only got two DoorDash orders today, and I messed them up. After paying for the ruined food, I couldn't even afford the thirty-dollar filing fee at City Hall. So I just bought a fake one for now so we could celebrate..." I looked into his bloodshot eyes, my heart filled with nothing but cynical mockery. The acting skills of the ultra-rich were truly masterful. If his arranged wife, Chloe, hadn't told me everything in my past life, I would have died believing I had married a devoted, struggling delivery driver who loved me more than anything. I didn't expose his lie. Instead, I leaned into his excuse. "If you can't even afford a thirty-dollar filing fee, how are you going to give me a happy future?" "Liam, I want a stable life. You can't give me that." With that, I feigned bitter disappointment, broke free, ran into the bedroom, and locked the door. Only then did I pull out my phone and call my mom. "Mom, I'm quitting my job and moving back home. That blind date you mentioned last time? I'll go." On the other end of the line, my mom was absolutely thrilled. "You finally woke up, sweetie! There are several guys from good families in town who really like you. Once you're back, Mom will set up all the dates!" I hung up the phone and looked down at my young, firm body. There were no terrifying stretch marks on my stomach, no ugly C-section scars. In that moment, I finally broke down and sobbed uncontrollably. Thank God there was still time to change everything. Reborn with a second chance, I would rather die than be the breeding machine for that twisted couple ever again! After booking an Amtrak ticket home for the next morning, I headed to the high-end lounge where I worked to formally resign. Back then, desperate to buy a house and a car so Liam and I could start our life together, I threw away my dignity and worked as a bottle girl—because the money was fast. And how did he repay me? In my past life, when I drank so much with clients that I got stomach ulcers, he would just hold me and cry about how useless he was. He wouldn't even spend the money to buy me medicine. As soon as I walked into the club, my coworker Mia grabbed my arm, her voice buzzing with excitement. "Chloe, that crazy rich trust-fund kid is back looking for a good time! The VIP room is full of whales! This is a huge opportunity to rake in some serious tips!" "Don't you want to make extra cash to support your poor delivery boy boyfriend?" Before I could even tell her I was here to quit, she shoved me straight into the VIP suite. Liam was sitting in the center seat, radiating an aura of absolute elite arrogance. Any random watch on his wrist was worth more than I could earn in a lifetime. He was surrounded by a group of other wealthy heirs, all kissing up to him. Even though I already knew his true identity, my heart still gave an uncontrollable jolt. I quickly lowered my head and shrank back into the dim lighting near the door, terrified he would notice me. Liam's voice carried a distinct tone of irritation. "The girl I have stashed away thinks I'm too poor. She says she's moving back to her hometown." The room erupted into roaring laughter. "Looks like Mr. Sterling's eye for women finally failed him! A gold-digger like that thinks she's worthy of bearing a Sterling heir?" "She actually thinks Mr. Sterling is poor? A woman that stupid is going to give birth to a brain-dead kid, isn't she?" Every vicious, mocking comment drilled directly into my ears. My body went freezing cold. My fingernails dug so hard into my palms they almost drew blood. Chloe sat nearby, covering her mouth with an elegant, perfectly manicured laugh. Every movement she made screamed "high-society heiress." "You have to throw her a bone, Liam." "Chloe graduated from a top university, she has a high IQ. The fact that she's willing to work as a bottle girl just to support you shows she's fiercely loyal. I think her genetics are excellent." "Hurry up and coax her back. We need to get started on having kids." "Let's aim for five. I like the idea of a house full of children." The blood roared in my ears, flowing backward as a surge of intense, venomous hatred erupted from my chest. In my past life, back-to-back pregnancies destroyed my body, leaving me with chronic postpartum illnesses. Through countless agonizing nights where the pain jolted me awake, I was so broken I nearly threw myself off a building. And to think, all that horrific suffering was simply because of one casual sentence from Chloe. My heart ached with a suffocating bitterness. Unable to bear it a second longer, I turned and bolted from the room. After telling the manager I was quitting, I sprinted all the way home. I immediately started packing my bags. I found the jar of 520 origami lucky stars Liam had folded for me. The cheap plastic ring. And the little dream house he had built out of cardboard. Every birthday, every anniversary, he would hold me tight, his eyes filled with fake guilt. "Chloe, I'm so poor. I'm so poor the only thing I have to give you is my true heart." "But I promise, once we get married, I'll work so hard. I'll buy you a real diamond ring, and a big, beautiful house." It turned out he wasn't poor at all. He just refused to spend a single cent on me. I laughed at my own stupidity. I took all these so-called "proofs of true love," burned them to ash in the sink, and flushed them down the toilet. When Liam got home and saw what I had done, his face darkened instantly. "Chloe, why did you burn all our tokens of love? Did you... find something out?" He stared at me suspiciously. "Where were you just now?" I smiled naturally, acting completely normal. "I've been here packing my bags the whole time, of course. I'm leaving tomorrow." Seeing my calm, open expression, Liam breathed a sigh of relief. He held up a plastic takeout container, moving close to me with a proud, fawning smile. "Chloe, look! Your husband was out hustling deliveries today and used the money to buy your favorite spicy fish." "Eat it while it's hot. Just leave a little bit of the cabbage for me." Was he seriously trying to pacify me with a fifteen-dollar bowl of takeout? A wave of intense self-mockery washed over me. So this was how cheap I was in his eyes. "Eat it yourself. I have to catch a train early tomorrow. I'm going to bed." Too exhausted to keep playing his twisted game, I turned to go to my room, but he grabbed my wrist. "Chloe, have you been influenced by the wrong people? When did you become such a gold-digger?" "From the very beginning, all I wanted was to have a baby with you. The reason I haven't bought you expensive things is because I'm trying to save every penny for our future child. You have to understand that." The mention of a child felt like a knife twisting in my heart. I squeezed my eyes shut. In my past life, I risked my life to birth five children. Before I could even catch a glimpse of them, Liam lied and told me they died at birth, while he secretly handed them over to his wife. My own flesh and blood were separated from me for my entire life. A bitter lump formed in my throat. I shoved him away with all my strength. "We are truly, permanently over." I went into my room and locked the door behind me. Liam stood outside, frantically pounding on the door. "We've been together for two years! You said you'd build a life with me, did you forget?!" "I love you so much, how can you just abandon me?! I'm begging you, please don't go..." Listening to his choked, desperate pleading, tears spilled from my eyes. He was the sole heir to a massive billionaire empire, yet he hid his identity, slumming it in a rundown studio apartment with me, playing a sick game of "poor man's romance." This was what he called love. But I didn't want it anymore. This time, I was only going to live for myself. Deep in the night, I woke up suddenly from a nightmare and went out to the kitchen for a glass of water. To my surprise, I heard someone talking on the phone in the living room. Liam looked deeply annoyed, blowing out a ring of cigarette smoke. "She still wants to leave. I think she's actually serious this time." Over the phone speaker, Chloe's voice dripped with disdain. "She's just a breeding machine. Is she really worth getting this stressed over?" "If she wants to leave, let her leave. We'll just pick out a new one." Liam was silent for a long time before forcing out a sentence. "Chloe is different." My fingers paused on the doorknob. A tiny, pathetic, secret hope flickered in the very bottom of my heart. But the next second, his cold, ruthless voice shattered it completely. "She's young, she's pretty, and I don't have to spend a single dime on her." It felt like an invisible hand had crushed my heart. The pain was so intense I could barely breathe. Liam added, his tone laced with twisted amusement. "You don't get it. Watching her willingly degrade herself for me, working until her eyes are bloodshot just to pay our rent... it's actually pretty entertaining." "It's hard to find a woman this stupid and easy to manipulate these days." My chest seized. All those years, drinking until my stomach bled to earn money to support him, acting like I was perfectly fine. I did it because I was terrified he would blame himself. I didn't want him to worry. But it turned out he knew everything. And he treated my absolute devotion like a hilarious joke to share with his wife. I clamped my hand over my mouth, crying silently in the dark. Over the phone, Chloe sounded serious. "Those kinds of women are the most troublesome." "She doesn't want money, she wants true love. If you're really planning to play poor to get her to have your kids, you're going to have to keep the act up for the rest of her life." A dark, vicious glint flashed in Liam's eyes. "She can't escape my grasp." "Who would dare marry a woman that Liam Sterling has already used up and thrown away?" A freezing chill swept over my entire body. I tried to quietly retreat back to my room. But unexpectedly, Liam hung up the phone and strode purposefully toward the hallway. "Chloe, I found you." He smiled, looking as gentle as ever. But all the hair on my arms stood on end. In a panic, I slammed the door and scrambled to lock it. But a large hand gripped the edge of the door, forcing it open. He lunged in and grabbed my wrists. I dropped all pretenses. I raised my hand and slapped him as hard as I could, screaming with bloodshot eyes. "Your wife can't get pregnant, so you decided to use me?! Let me tell you right now, it's never going to happen! Go find someone else!" "Let go of me!" "Chloe, stop throwing a tantrum." Liam pulled me forcefully into his chest, his tone a sickening mix of doting and exasperation. "Chloe and I have no feelings for each other. It's just a business marriage. In my heart, you are my real wife." "The only reason I didn't give you money is because I wanted us to share the purest, most innocent kind of love." "Do you have any idea how many women are fighting tooth and nail to get into my bed? But you're the only one I want to have children with." "My little princess, are you still not satisfied?" Satisfied? He played poor for two years, making me suffer through absolute hell. And in his eyes, I was supposed to consider it a blessing. I almost laughed out of pure fury. A wave of bitter nausea washed over me. I took a deep breath, enunciating every single word. "But I think you're dirty." Liam's expression changed instantly. He gripped my wrist so hard I thought the bones would shatter. "What did you say?!" Enduring the agonizing pain, I stared back at him with absolute defiance. He raised his hand to hit me, but couldn't seem to bring it down. "I lowered my pride to coax you, and you're still being this ungrateful?!" "I can give you absolutely anything you want except the official title! Are you still not satisfied?!" But the only thing I wanted was the title of Mrs. Sterling. Liam's face darkened. He pulled a pill from his pocket and forced it into my mouth. "What are you doing?!" I was forced to swallow the pill, physiological tears springing to my eyes as I choked. Liam scooped me up into his arms and kissed my cheek. I tried to struggle, but my entire body went completely limp. "Don't be afraid, Chloe. I'm not going to hurt you." "I just can't let you leave me." Before I could even scream, I slipped into unconsciousness. When I woke up, I found myself imprisoned in a massive luxury villa. I tried to sit up, but my body ached and I had no strength. Liam was sitting on the sofa. Seeing I was awake, he slowly brought over a bowl of chicken soup. He scooped up a spoonful, carefully blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to my lips. "Be a good girl and lie still. I'll have the family doctor come in to give you a full checkup later." "I'll be here every night. You need to get pregnant quickly; my parents are anxious for a grandchild." I glared at him with bloodshot eyes, and in a fit of rage, slapped the bowl of soup out of his hands. The greasy, scalding broth splashed all over his ten-million-dollar Patek Philippe watch. But he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he grabbed my hand, checking it anxiously. "Did you burn yourself? If you get hurt, my heart will break." I ripped my hand out of his grasp and used every last ounce of strength I had to slap him hard across the face. "Let me out! This is illegal imprisonment!" Liam's head was knocked to the side. But he just smiled faintly, stood up, and tucked the blankets securely around me. "Chloe, you're so foolish it's almost cute." "I've already confiscated your phone. Since you don't want to eat, just rest." "Stop being angry. Save your energy for tonight when we make a baby." He ordered the nanny to take good care of me, then turned and left. I lay weakly on the bed, staring blankly out the window. Trying to figure out how to contact the outside world. Just then, the door opened again. It was Chloe. She was wearing a Chanel tweed suit, walking in with perfect elegance. "I am Liam's wife. He asked me to come and talk some sense into you." Acting as if I had grabbed a lifeline, I clung to her hand and begged. "Mrs. Sterling, I really don't love Liam anymore. Please, just find someone else." Chloe pulled her hand away, the emotion in her eyes complicated. "It makes no difference to me who has his child." "But Liam has his heart set on you. My hands are tied." "Miss, I can tell Liam is serious about you. Otherwise, a billionaire heir like him would never have lived in a ratty apartment and delivered food just to be near you." "Besides, he and I have no real feelings for each other. If you can complete the task of carrying on the family line for me, not only will I make sure your life is easy, but I will genuinely thank you." Realizing she had no intention of helping me, despair washed over me. But I decided to try one last thing. I put on a defeated expression, acting as if she had convinced me. I spoke softly. "Then let me think about it for a bit." "Mrs. Sterling, I'm starving. I'm not used to the food the nanny cooks. I want to make something myself." A flash of suspicion crossed Chloe's face. I quickly added, "You can stand right next to me and watch. My stomach is just in so much pain from hunger." She finally gave a reluctant nod and led me to the massive kitchen. Taking advantage of a moment when she looked down to check a text message, I grabbed a jug of cooking oil, poured it all over the floor and the stove, and sparked the burner. The kitchen was instantly engulfed in a roaring inferno. Her face drained of color. She turned to run, but I grabbed her arm in a death grip. I snatched her phone and dialed Liam's number. "The villa is on fire! Come quick!" The moment I finished, I chucked the phone straight into the flames. The fire spread with terrifying speed. In minutes, the entire villa was a blazing sea of fire. Chloe and I were choking on the thick, toxic smoke. Just a few minutes later, completely disregarding his own safety, Liam charged into the inferno. "Chloe! Chloe!" His eyes were frantic with panic. But when he saw his wife, Chloe, passed out on the floor next to me, he froze. He hesitated for exactly two seconds. Then, he decisively scooped his wife into his arms. "She's the heiress to the Sterling family. I can't let anything happen to her." "Hold on just a little longer! I'll be right back to save you!" Watching his back as he left without a second thought, I smiled. I shoved open a window and threw myself out, landing in the thick decorative bushes in the backyard. Thankfully, it was on the first floor. I only suffered a few scrapes. While all the security guards and staff were panicking and trying to put out the fire, I sprinted out the back gate. I flagged down a passing taxi and headed straight for the Amtrak station. Liam Sterling, I hope I never see you again. Just as Liam loaded his wife into the ambulance, he turned around to charge back into the burning house to save me. But the firefighters immediately blocked his path, their faces grim. "Mr. Sterling, the fire is too intense. Anyone left inside is likely already..."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "391166", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel