"You bastard..." I gasped out when I learned my first love was secretly entering an arranged marriage, I fled north that same night. But he found me, brought me back to his Hong Kong villa, and kept me there for three days. The pool, the balcony, the garage—everywhere bore traces of our obsession. I cried until my voice gave out, but he only grew more intense. Finally, gripping my waist with bloodshot eyes, he pleaded, "Isabelle, please don’t leave me." I pushed him away, weak but firm. "If you’ve chosen an arranged marriage, I won’t be your hidden mistress." Five relentless years later, Sebastian rose to power over North Harbor, divorced immediately, and knelt before me. "Isabelle, I had no choice back then. Now, I’ll never let you suffer again." For three years of marriage, he doted on me endlessly—racing across districts at midnight for wontons I craved, canceling meetings to kneel with me at my parents’ memorial. Everyone said Boss Sterling treasured his wife above all. Then, one night, I overheard his confidant joke, "Heard Amy’s pregnant again? You’re even more efficient there than in business!" Sebastian took a drag of his cigarette and laughed softly. "Isabelle is too proper in bed. Amy… she knows how to play." In the dim light, I stared blankly at the positive pregnancy test in my hand, then turned to schedule an abortion. ... The laughter was like a sharp blade piercing through my heart. I stood frozen, like a hollow puppet, until the waiter carefully asked, "Mrs. Sterling, you look very pale. Shall I call Boss Sterling for you?" I snapped back to reality, my voice dry. "Don't tell him I was here." I left the club in a daze, and that very night, I drafted the divorce agreement. The next day, as I pushed open Sebastian's study door with the documents, he was on the phone, his tone unusually gentle. Seeing me, he immediately put away his phone. "Isabelle?" He smiled and pulled me closer. "Why the sudden visit? Did you miss me?" Catching sight of the documents in my hand, his eyes held a hint of indulgence. "Do you want to buy jewelry again? Just take money from the account, no need to show it to me specifically." I looked at his usual gentle demeanor, about to speak. "No, it's for the divo…" The word "divorce" hadn't even left my lips when a subordinate suddenly burst in. "Boss Sterling! Ms. Thorne is downstairs, says you're not answering her calls, and wants you to come down immediately! Otherwise, she'll go find other men!" Sebastian's face changed drastically. He grabbed his jacket and headed out. "Isabelle, I have an urgent matter. You wait here for me!" He left in such a hurry that his shoulder bumped me, sending me stumbling. My side hit the corner of the mahogany desk hard. A sharp pain made my vision go black. I barely managed to stand, waiting in the study for three hours. Until my phone lit up with a post from his old friend: [Only Amy has the guts! Making Boss Sterling himself kneel to put on her shoes!] In the photo, Sebastian was indeed kneeling on one knee, carefully tying Amy’s high heel straps. Everything had an answer. I no longer needed to wait. I walked out and hailed a car directly to the private hospital. On the operating table, the doctor frowned at my medical record. "Mrs. Sterling, you're expecting twins. Are you really not going to reconsider?" I shook my head, touching my lower abdomen for the last time with reluctance. "They… came at the wrong time." The surgery quickly ended. When I opened my eyes again, the heavy tugging sensation in my lower abdomen was gone. I suppressed the sting in my nose and slowly walked out of the hospital. Just as I reached the entrance, I ran straight into Sebastian, who was rushing in. He grabbed my wrist. "Isabelle, why didn't you wait for me last night?" "I signed the document you left in the study and put it in the bedroom. The bodyguard said you came to the hospital. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" His brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes full of concern. But I no longer had the strength to feign anything, calmly pulling my hand away. "It's nothing, just treating a back injury." Only then did he remember bumping into me last night, his face filled with regret. He reached out to touch my waist. "I'm sorry, I was in such a hurry then…" Before he could finish, a seductive female voice cut in. "Boss Sterling, quite the mood you're in, pulling your wife around in broad daylight. Do you need me to sponsor something, send you two to get a room?" Amy, in a tight spaghetti-strap dress, showcased her graceful figure. Behind her followed a group of men in suits, exuding an extraordinary aura, surrounding her like a moon amongst stars. Sebastian's hand, hanging by his side, suddenly clenched. He asked coldly, "Amy, what are you doing here?" "What am I doing?" She raised her red lips, her finger lifting the chin of a handsome man next to her. "I'm here for my prenatal check-up, since the baby's father isn't around, I have to find someone to accompany me, don't I?" She glanced at me, her smile deepening. "Boss Sterling, you should worry less about me and spend more time with Mrs. Sterling, lest she blames me again." A sharp cramp in my lower abdomen grew stronger. I pushed Sebastian's hand away. "You two chat. I'm leaving." Sebastian chased after me. "Isabelle, don't misunderstand. I didn't know she would be here today…" I interrupted him. "I'm tired. I want to go home." Seeing my pale face, he helped me into his black SUV. On the way, he kept trying to soothe me until his phone vibrated. A message lit up the screen: [Sebastian, I'm registering the baby's birth. If you're not here in ten minutes, I'll pick the most handsome of these men to be our son's father!] Sebastian slammed on the brakes, his lips pressed into a tight line. After a long moment, he said hoarsely, "Isabelle, I have an urgent business matter. Get out of the car first, I'll have the driver pick you up." Before I could react, he had already pushed open the car door. The SUV roared and sped away, splashing me with mud. I stood in the cold drizzle, watching the taillights disappear at the end of the mountain road, my blood running cold. It was completely dark when I finally hitched a ride back to the hilltop villa in a delivery van. Soaking wet, I opened the door to a pitch-black living room. That night, Sebastian didn't come home. He only reappeared early the next morning, his eyes bloodshot, yet his expression seemed lighter. "Isabelle, I was negotiating a big deal last night. It ended too late, so I just slept at the club, afraid of waking you." I looked at the lipstick stain on his suit collar, lowered my head, and said nothing. Sebastian's expression flickered with panic. He quickly pulled out a velvet box. Inside was a beautifully translucent jade bangle, with excellent clarity. "Don't be angry anymore. Grandpa's seventieth birthday is in a couple of days. He's always doted on you the most. Come with me, okay?" I wanted to refuse, but the words caught in my throat. Back then, no one in the Sterling family thought much of me, the daughter of a small-town carpenter from the borderlands. Only Grandpa would smile warmly and call me "little Isabelle" every time he saw me. Consider it… a farewell to the old man. The birthday banquet was held at the Sterling family's ancestral home. As soon as we arrived, we saw Amy in a vibrant red dress, standing in the center of the hall. Sebastian's face instantly darkened. He stepped in front of me. "Who allowed you to come?" "I was once Grandpa's granddaughter-in-law, after all. Can't I come to offer birthday wishes?" Amy pouted, her gaze suddenly fixed on my wrist. She abruptly rolled up her own sleeve. On her wrist was a matching diamond-studded jade bracelet. Her face changed drastically. She fiercely tore off the bracelet and threw it at Sebastian. "Sebastian, you're trying to fob me off with scraps that belong to your wife? You're really something!" She turned to leave in her high heels. Sebastian instinctively moved to follow but stopped himself, turning to grab my hand. "Isabelle, that bracelet was an old item she used to offset her family's debts. I just casually…" "Casually what?" I smiled. "Casually gave it back to her? Next time, will you even casually give yourself back?" A flicker of panic crossed Sebastian's eyes. He was about to explain when a sudden scream erupted in the hall: "Watch out! Gunman!" The crowd instantly scattered! A person dressed like a waiter pulled out a handgun from under a tray, and the barrel was pointed directly at Amy! Sebastian, almost instinctively, shoved me backwards, then lunged towards Amy like a leopard! "Bang!" The moment the gunshot cracked, he wrapped his arms around Amy and rolled behind the curtains. The bullet struck where Amy had just been standing, sending sparks flying. I was pushed back, stumbling, and knocked over a champagne tower. Cold wine mixed with shattered glass splattered all over me, soaking my dress, which clung to my body, leaving me utterly disheveled. But Sebastian, from start to finish, never once looked back at me. He gripped Amy's shoulders, his voice laced with suppressed anger. "Are you an idiot? Standing there like a target?!" Amy, her eyes red, pounded his chest. "I wish I'd died! …Anyway, you don't care, so don't pretend… Ah!" She suddenly cried out in pain, bending over and clutching her ankle. A flying bullet fragment had grazed her calf, and blood was seeping out. Sebastian's brows furrowed tightly. He scooped her up in his arms and strode quickly towards a lounge. I was completely forgotten, left standing where I was. That ridiculous spark of hope in my heart shattered completely. I wiped the wine from my face, dragging my damp, cold dress, and walked towards the side room. A maid brought me clean clothes and a cup of hot tea. "Thank you," I said hoarsely. "Please tell Grandpa that Isabelle isn't feeling well and can't join his birthday celebration... I'm sorry." With that, I took off the jade bangle and tossed it into the trash can. Then I opened the door, ready to leave, but was suddenly blocked. Amy's calf was bandaged, but her face showed no trace of panic, only blatant triumph. "Isabelle Lin, trying to leave already?" She blocked the doorway, lowering her voice. "Let me tell you something, that gunman, he was someone I arranged." She leaned closer, satisfied to see my expression instantly freeze. "Sebastian acts like he cherishes you, but when it truly comes down to life and death, his body reacts faster than his brain. He only cares about me." "Instinct can't be faked. Being Mrs. Sterling, you're quite boring, aren't you?" She scoffed. "A wild chicken might fly onto a branch, but it won't become a phoenix. There's no room for you in his heart anymore." "But then again, it's no surprise. Three years of marriage, and in bed, you're like a block of wood. Touch you once and you tremble and cry. What man could stand that?" I felt like I'd been stripped naked and thrown into the snow, cold from my fingertips to my core. I have a weak constitution, and Sebastian's movements were rough. At night, the pain brought tears, completely beyond my control… did he even tell her that? When they were messing around in bed, did they also use me as a topic to spice things up? The extreme humiliation made me raise my hand and slap her hard! Amy's face snapped to the side, and a red imprint immediately appeared. She shrieked, "You dare hit me?!" "You eagerly threw yourself into being a mistress. What's wrong with hitting you?" The word "mistress" stung, and her eyes hardened. She suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Bitch, you…" Footsteps sounded from the stairs. Amy's eyes changed. She suddenly grabbed my hand, pushed it against her own chest, and shrieked as she fell backward. "Amy!" The bottle of medicine in Sebastian's hand clattered to the floor. He rushed down the stairs to help her up, then looked at me, his brows tightly furrowed. "Isabelle, why did you push her?" He paused, then seemed to understand. "Because I saved her? That was an emergency; I would have saved anyone. Don't be unreasonable." My eyes welled up, but I smiled. "Sebastian, I'll only say this once: I didn't push her. If you don't believe me, then divorce." His movements froze. He released Amy's hand, his eyes showing disappointment. "You pushed her, you pushed her. I won't do anything to you. Is it interesting to threaten me with divorce?" Just then, Amy moaned. Sebastian immediately turned. "Bodyguards! Send Mrs. Sterling back to the hilltop villa. She's not allowed to leave the mountain without my orders!" I stared at him in disbelief. Before I could speak, two burly men grabbed my arms and dragged me away. I was virtually held captive in the hilltop villa. For seven whole days, apart from the maid who brought food, no one spoke to me. Until my phone vibrated. An unknown number sent several photos. A dim private room, two almost naked bodies in various positions, one clearly showing Amy's slightly swollen abdomen. A live erotic painting. Below it was a message: [Isabelle Lin, learn a lesson. Your man can't even resist me while I'm pregnant. He said you're like a dead fish, and he wasn't wrong.] [He ruined my family, then brought me back to sleep with me. Do you think he hates me, or loves me to madness?] The phone dropped to the floor. I rushed into the bathroom, throwing up until I was dizzy. With trembling hands, I blocked the number and stared at the calendar on the wall. Three more days. In three days, the divorce agreement would take effect, and I could finally leave this prison forever. The next day, as I was packing, Sebastian kicked open the door and slammed his phone on the table. "Isabelle! What have you done!" On the screen, those indecent photos were wildly circulating online, with a stinging headline: [Boss Sterling forcibly occupies bankrupt ex-wife, driven mad by hatred]. Sebastian's eyes were bloodshot. "You took these photos? And posted them online? Do you know how much trouble this has caused me?!" "Several of my businesses have been investigated! Amy's backer has already vowed to pursue this to the end!" "How could you be so foolish? I truly regret…" "Regret marrying me?" I finished his sentence for him, my voice hoarse from laughter. "'Isabelle is too well-behaved, too restrained in bed. Amy, having been in the pleasure quarters, can handle any kind of play. She's got spice.' …How many times have you slept with her behind my back all these years?" "Keeping me in the dark, watching me foolishly love you, while you forcibly took advantage of your ex-wife. Were you particularly proud, Sebastian Sterling?!" His face stiffened. A subordinate urgently knocked on the door. "Boss Sterling! People from Amy's side are here. They say they've traced the photo source to Mrs. Sterling's phone!" Sebastian's eyes instantly turned cold. He ordered outside the door, "Notify the security team! Take Mrs. Sterling to the basement for reflection!" As I was being led away by two subordinates, he lowered his voice. "Isabelle, this is your own doing. Don't ever touch Amy again." Three days in the basement felt like hell. The day I was released, I thought the nightmare was finally over. But as I stepped out of the villa gate, I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I found myself thrown onto a poker table in a casino lobby, completely naked. The sound of camera shutters and whistles around me was deafening. I screamed and rushed back to the villa, but the online trending topics had already exploded: [Mrs. Sterling suspected of mental breakdown, publicly seeking affection in casino]. I knew Amy did it. And I knew Sebastian had implicitly allowed it. I trembled as I booked a flight and asked my lawyer to retrieve the signed divorce agreement. As I was packing, a bodyguard came over with a phone. "Mrs. Sterling, Boss Sterling is looking for you."
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