My husband was known as the untouchable, ascetic billionaire of New York's old-money elite. For three years of our secret marriage, he was cold, distant, and never spared me a second thought. Until a video of him passionately kissing his "first love" inside his car was leaked. That was when I realized he also had a side that couldn't control his passions. It just wasn't for me. Later, that first love came to my door to provoke me. During the scuffle, I fell down the stairs, resulting in a premature birth and severe hemorrhage. That night, rumors spread through elite circles that the untouchable heir had stepped down from his pedestal, standing in an endless blizzard, bowing with every step to a secluded monastery to beg for my safety. But I only handed him a divorce decree. Dark red blood seeped from his forehead, his voice trembling: "Don't divorce me, the child needs a father." I slowly pulled my hand from his grip: "There's no need. I can raise this child perfectly fine without a father." 01 Ten minutes before the video of Arthur Vance and Bianca Sterling passionately kissing in his car was exposed, I was holding a press conference. Announcing my temporary hiatus from acting. I had just won Best Actress last month. To suddenly step away at the peak of my career sent the room into an uproar. Countless microphones were shoved in my face. "Olivia, could you tell us why you're stepping away from the industry?" "Paparazzi caught you at an OB-GYN clinic recently. Are the pregnancy rumors true?" "Who is the father of the child?" I tilted my head, smiling for the cameras. Resting a hand on my slightly rounded stomach, I was just about to answer them one by one. Suddenly, someone gasped. "Look at the trending topics! Bianca Sterling's new romance is exposed!" My eyelid twitched. The room erupted into chaos. The interview was abruptly cut short as my manager, Jessica, pulled me backstage and shoved her phone into my hands. The trending topic was a video, only a few seconds long. A rainy night. The window of a Maybach rolled halfway down. Bianca, wearing a vintage silk slip dress, was nestled softly in a man's embrace, eagerly offering up her red lips. A hand, wrapped with a string of wooden prayer beads, was possessively resting on her slender waist. The atmosphere was intimate and deeply romantic. #SilkFairyAndAsceticBillionaireCarKiss# #BiancaAndArthurSoSweet# #HeIsUntouchableButBreaksHisVowsForHer# These hashtags completely crushed the news of my hiatus, rocketing to the top three spots on the entertainment charts. Jessica's face was livid. "This Bianca bitch. It wasn't enough for her to steal your endorsements and roles, now she has to steal your spotlight too." She lit a cigarette, speaking without thinking in her sheer rage. "Olivia, your husband is an elite billionaire too, right? Tell him to step up and warn Bianca. I highly doubt she'd dare to be this arrogant if he put her in her place." I kept my head down, remaining silent. It wasn't until the phone screen automatically went dark, reflecting my own pale, ghost-like face. Only then did I manage to force a sentence out of my dry throat. "My husband... is Arthur Vance." Drop. The cigarette slipped from Jessica's trembling fingers and hit the floor. 02 Very few people in the industry knew I was Arthur's wife. The Vance family firmly believed I was a shameless gold digger who had actively seduced Arthur, so they strictly locked down the news of our marriage. But that wasn't the truth. Three years ago, I attended a gala event. Afterward, an investor came over for a toast. Completely off guard, I drank a glass of champagne laced with a powerful aphrodisiac. As I was being dragged to a hotel room, I dug my nails into my palms, using every ounce of my strength to break free from the investor's grip. Stumbling and dizzy, I pushed open the ajar door of the room next door. "Help... help me." I curled up in the corner, soft whimpers escaping my lips. A man walked out of the bathroom, heavily intoxicated. He looked me up and down. Then, he suddenly pulled me into a fierce embrace. "Finally willing to come back to me?" His burning breath brushed against my ear. Before I could even speak, his lips crashed down on mine. ... The next morning, the room was bathed in bright daylight. I finally saw the man's face clearly—Arthur Vance. The heir to the Vance Empire, hailed as New York's ascetic billionaire. He was inherently cold, famously disciplined, and untouchable. Yet last night, he was practically feral. I grabbed my scattered clothes and fled as if my life depended on it. I thought it was just a one-night stand, a mistake that would never cross my path again. But that very afternoon, Arthur appeared at my front door. "Miss Olivia Hayes. I apologize, I had too much to drink last night." He asked for my bank account number and transferred five million dollars into it. "I can take responsibility for you. Consider this your dowry." On the day we signed the marriage papers, I asked him why he decided to marry me. He said the Vance family had strict morals. He took a girl's innocence, so it was only right that he took responsibility. I smiled slightly, thinking Arthur must be a decent man. Marrying him seemed like a good choice. Sadly, it wasn't until this very moment that I finally understood. Arthur married me because of guilt. Bianca and I looked strikingly similar. Drunk and heartbroken, he had mistaken me for her. That was the only reason that absurd night ever happened. 03 Pulling myself out of my memories, I blinked my stinging eyes. I picked up Jessica's dropped cigarette and threw it into the trash can, along with the pregnancy ultrasound report in my pocket. Jessica hastily tried to stop me. "What are you doing? Aren't you going to tell Arthur you're pregnant?" I didn't answer. My gaze shifted to the phone screen that had lit up again. Bianca was giving a live media interview. Still wearing that vintage silk dress, there was now a string of sandalwood prayer beads wrapped around her pale wrist. I recognized them. They were Arthur's. I had heard they were a relic left behind by his late mother, meant to be given to the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. I had half-jokingly asked him for them once, only to be ruthlessly rejected. Now, they were resting on Bianca's wrist. I curled my lips in a self-deprecating smirk. Bianca smiled sweetly at the cameras, intentionally playing with the wooden beads. A reporter asked the obvious question: "Miss Sterling, were those gifted by Mr. Vance?" "Yes, it was him." Bianca bit her lip, putting on the shy demeanor of a schoolgirl in love. "But Arthur and I are just friends right now." "Friends who kiss?" She nodded, her eyes welling with tears. "It's my fault for being young and impulsive back then. After an argument, I left to study acting in Europe without even saying goodbye. Please, media friends, help me persuade Arthur. Tell him not to be mad at me anymore... I mean, we already kissed..." Bianca's voice grew softer, her eyes turning red like a wronged little rabbit. Incredibly endearing. Naturally, fans and media alike began pleading on her behalf: "Mr. Vance, please forgive Bianca! You two are perfect for each other." Jessica was so furious she was cursing up a storm right next to my ear. "Damn it, she is shameless!" "Does she not know Arthur is already married?" Of course Bianca knew. The very first movie she shot after returning to the States was a co-starring role with me. One night after filming, she stopped me in the hotel hallway. "Mrs. Vance, are you enjoying married life?" I didn't understand and was about to ask her what she meant. She just gave me a meaningful smile and walked away. That was also the night Arthur—who was always cold, distant, and never cared about me—unexpectedly showed up at the set to see me. The soundproofing in the hotel was terrible, so I bit my lip tightly. Arthur ran his fingers through my hair, his voice hoarse and coaxing: "Wife, be good... open your mouth..." In our three years of secret marriage, it was the first time he had ever called me "wife." I was so dizzy with joy, thinking he was finally starting to accept me. But I didn't realize that Bianca was staying in the room right next to ours. He only came to me to make her jealous. Arthur never loved me. By the time I realized this, I was already three months pregnant. I had originally planned to tell Arthur he was going to be a father right after the press conference ended. But that video beat me to the punch, completely ripping the veil off this sham of a marriage. I used to think Arthur was just naturally cold. When he faced me, it seemed like he was utterly incapable of having emotions. Today I learned he too had moments of uncontrollable passion. Just not for me. Suddenly, these past three years felt like a massive joke. Tears forced their way out, ruining my pristine makeup. Through my blurred vision, a pair of polished leather shoes appeared. Arthur stood there, hands in his pockets, looking down at me from above. His voice didn't carry a single ripple of emotion: "Olivia, you know everything now." I knew the real reason he married me. And I knew the real reason he was so cold to me. I wiped my tears, stood up, and slapped him hard across the face. "Arthur Vance, you are a complete bastard." 04 I booked an abortion for a week later. Aside from Jessica, I didn't tell a single soul. Not even Arthur. Yet, on the day of the surgery, I was blocked by him in the hallway of the clinic. Arthur stared at me intently for a few seconds. His gaze slowly shifted down to my stomach. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" he asked coldly. I found it hilarious. "Why should I tell you?" "I am the child's father." Still that same indifferent tone. No emotion, just stating a fact. A sudden surge of anger hit me, and I snapped back: "Does a cheating husband even deserve to be a father?" That sentence successfully infuriated Arthur. He warned darkly: "Olivia, stop throwing a tantrum." How was I throwing a tantrum? The private hospital had intense security, so there were no bystanders, but our argument still drew the attention of the nurses. Not wanting to cause a scene, I pulled my mask up higher. The next second, my name was called. It was my turn. I pushed past Arthur and walked into the consultation room. I had barely taken two steps when my body suddenly felt light. I was scooped up into his arms. "Have you made enough of a scene?" Arthur looked down at me. "If you're mad at me, take it out on me. The child is innocent." He was holding me with immense strength. I couldn't break free. Frustrated and desperate, I pounded on his chest. "Arthur, are you sick in the head?! If you want a child, divorce me and go have one with Bianca! What right do you have to interfere with my decision... Ah!" Arthur suddenly let go, tossing me into the back seat of the Maybach. Remembering that in that video, he and Bianca had kissed in this exact spot, my stomach violently churned with nausea. Ignoring my pale, disgusted expression, he gripped my chin and crashed his lips onto mine. A faint metallic taste of blood filled the air. Arthur had bitten my lip. For the first time, he lost control of his emotions because of me. He sneered, "Divorce? Olivia, don't even dream about it." I frowned, looking up at him. I completely failed to understand his thought process. He clearly didn't love me. Why was he still trying to trap me? 05 We sat in a tense, silent standoff. Neither of us spoke. It was early autumn. A cold rain began to fall unexpectedly. Arthur glanced out the window, a flicker of worry passing through his eyes. I followed his gaze and, sure enough, saw a figure in a vintage silk dress standing under a tree not far away. It was Bianca. She had come too. A bitter smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. It seemed Arthur truly, deeply loved Bianca. Loved her so much that even when coming to the hospital to confront me, he couldn't bear to be apart from her. Through the misty rain, Bianca stared at me stubbornly, her eyes practically dripping with poison. But when she looked at Arthur, she instantly reverted to a pitiful, helpless look, even perfectly timing a delicate sneeze. And Arthur's heart immediately ached for her. Just as he was about to step out of the car, I deliberately called out to him. "It's me or Bianca. You can only choose one." "If you truly don't want a divorce, then make her hold a press conference right now. Have her publicly apologize to me and admit to intruding on our marriage." The air went dead silent. Arthur delayed his response, and Bianca stared at him nervously. After three years apart, she knew Arthur still harbored feelings for her, but she wasn't entirely sure of my place in his heart. She was terrified. Terrified he would agree to my demands. Terrified he wouldn't want her anymore. I rushed Arthur. "Have you decided?" Bianca panicked. Like a rabbit baring its fangs, she glared at me with pure hatred. "Why should I apologize to you? Haven't you heard the saying: The one who isn't loved is the real third wheel." "So what if you married Arthur? In the last three years, he hasn't forgotten me for a single day." As if to prove her point, she raised her hand and waved it in front of me, showing off that string of prayer beads. "You've never even worn his family heirloom once. You are truly a failure of a Mrs. Vance." Her mockery was piercing. In the past, I probably would have fainted from anger. But now, I just looked at her calmly, my fingers quietly tightening inside my pocket. I wanted her to keep talking. The more she said, the better. Bianca noticed my subtle movement and pointed at me, screaming: "Arthur, she's recording! She's recording us!" Arthur looked up at me, and I met his gaze. We stared at each other, leaving only silence between us. He hesitated for a long time. Finally, he held his hand out to me. "The phone. Give it to me."
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