Chapter 2
It was the height of summer, sweltering hot, but Claire felt as if she'd been plunged into an ice cellar—a chill running through her entire body.
Was all of this just a lie?
Memories spun through Claire's mind like a carousel, flickering one after another.
The first time she met Charles was way out in the rural village.
As the eldest daughter in a dirt-poor mountain family, her father was ready to trade her away to a nearly fifty-year-old widower with a limp, all just to scrape together the money her brother needed to buy a bride of his own.
Charles stepped in and saved her.
He didn't even blink—he bought her out of that family for 200,000 dollars.
That night, as Charles came closer, Claire looked tense and wary, her whole body on edge.
"I'll find a way to pay you back," her voice barely steady.
"Don't don't touch me!"
She forced herself to say it, summoning every bit of courage she had.
Charles just gave her a resigned smile, like he knew there was nothing he could do.
"Relax, I won't touch you," he said.
He appeared in her world like a savior, just when she needed him most.
He helped her break free from the prison of her family.
He even paid her tuition so she could go back to college, finish her last year, and finally graduate.
Claire fell hopelessly in love with him, and there was no way out.
So when Charles poured his heart out to her on graduation day, Claire felt like the luckiest girl on earth.
She really believed she was the luckiest person alive.
Claire couldn't help but marvel at her own luck, truly believing that Charles loved her with all his heart.
He even broke ties with the Fulton Estate, just to secretly marry her.
But back then, she was so innocent—she never saw it coming.
All that happiness turned out to be nothing but an illusion.
He wove a prison of lies around her, all for the child she carried.
He trapped her in it, leaving her no way to break free.
He'd never loved her.
Once Claire realized the truth, she just couldn't bring herself to step into that room where all the lies would be laid bare.
She stumbled back to the old house, the rain pouring down on her.
But as soon as she walked in, a servant stopped her.
"Mrs. Fulton wants to see you in the study," the servant said.
Claire pushed open the door, only to see Eleanor standing with her back turned. Just as Claire was about to speak, Eleanor spun around and barked, her voice icy with rage.
"Kneel!"
Claire jolted in terror, her legs buckling as she collapsed to the floor.
"Speak honestly," Eleanor demanded, towering over her. "Whose child are you carrying?"
Claire was shaking uncontrollably. "It's really Charles's child"
With a sharp crack, Eleanor's whip came down hard on Claire's back, tearing through her skin—blood instantly soaking her clothes.
"I'm giving you one hour," Eleanor said coldly.
"For every minute you keep lying, you'll get another lash.
"I won't stop until you confess!"
Claire gritted her teeth. "I'm not lying!"
Crack! Crack! Crack! For the next hour, Claire took 66 lashes—one for every minute she refused to confess.
By the end, her belly was wracked with waves of dull, relentless pain.
Claire felt a cold dread—she might not be able to keep the baby.
Finally, she heard the sound of familiar footsteps outside the door.
It was Charles—he was back.
In agony, Claire scrambled out of the room, grabbing onto Charles's pant leg, pleading for help.
"Charles, the baby, the baby's not going to make it."
But in the next second, Charles pulled his leg away, his voice colder than ever.
"Claire, my mom's only after the truth."
It finally hit Claire.
Eleanor wasn't the only one who wanted the truth.
William, silent the whole time, wanted it just as much.
Charles just stood there, watching with icy indifference.
Not a single soul in this house believed her.
Claire let go of his leg, let out a bitter, mocking laugh, and squeezed her eyes shut.
Hot tears poured down her cheeks, and everything faded to black.
When Claire opened her eyes again, she was lying in bed.
The baby was gone.
Claire stared blankly for a full three minutes before she finally forced herself to open the drawer and pull out the divorce papers.
Back when she married Charles, Eleanor was dead set against it.
Once she found out they were already married and there was no turning back, she handed Claire a signed divorce agreement and 20 million dollars, telling her to walk away for good.
Back then, Claire had refused.