Chapter 1
I took my boyfriend, Vincent Bryson, from someone else.
I made him stay by my side for three years, and he hated me to the core.
The day I finally decided to let him go, he got into a car accident. When he woke up, he was a completely different person.
He went from being cold and resentful to suddenly clinging to me like never before.
I was uneasy but grateful, thinking maybe fate was finally on my side.
That was until I accidentally caught him chatting with his friend.
"Vincent, didn't you get your memory back a long time ago? Why haven't you told Jocelyn? Don't tell me you've actually fallen for her," his friend teased.
Vincent lounged with a cigarette hanging from his lips.
He said, "Me? Fall for a manipulative woman like her? No way.
"I'm just playing with her. As soon as I get the Nova project, I'll dump her without hesitation."
After we broke up, Vincent only felt unsettled at first.
But the moment he saw me letting another guy get close, something in him snapped. Hurt and jealousy flooded his eyes, and he started digging up every old grudge like he'd lost his mind.
He yelled, "Jocelyn! How could you let him touch you?
"Weren't you supposed to love only me?"
*****
For ten years, I skulked in the shadows like a little rat, quietly obsessing over Vincent.
When I learned he was about to leave the country with his girlfriend, panic set in.
I went all in, pulling every string, using every dirty trick I could think of, to tear him away from her.
Even if all I ever got from him was his endless hatred and cold indifference, I still found a pathetic sense of satisfaction in it.
The day I locked him up in Stone Manor, he spat out that I was shameless, calculating, and nothing but a truly rotten woman.
He said, "Jocelyn, I'd rather die than ever fall in love with you.
"A despicable, shameless woman like you belongs in hell."
I didn't deny it.
I just looked at Vincent's stern, handsome face.
I said, "Tessa's not right for you. She's too calculating. You two were never going to last.
"You and I are perfect for each other. I can give you everything you want, unconditionally."
Tessa Bowen was his ex-girlfriend, and I paid her to leave. When the Bryson family found out Vincent was under my control, they didn't even dare ask about him. But in the business world, they were racking their brains to use my name for their own gain.
Vincent shattered all the ceramics on the table. His eyes were red with rage, and his shoulders trembled with anger.
He said, "Who are you to say that?
"Jocelyn, I hate you! You're so brazen and shameless."
Shards of ceramic flew up, slicing a bloody scratch across my face.
I wiped the blood from my cheek and smiled breezily, as if nothing could touch me.
I said, "Is it really love if it can be bought with money?
"Vincent, no one on this earth will ever love you more than I do."
As soon as the words left my mouth, he broke free from the bodyguards like a rabid dog. He lunged at me, slamming me down and pinning me beneath him, his teeth gritted in rage.
He spat, "Who the hell would ever want your love? All you know is throwing money around to buy affection. What gives you the right to talk about love?
"Jocelyn, you and your so-called love just make me sick.
"The thing I regret most in my life is meeting you..."
I felt like my heart had been split open, and every breath hurt like hell.
But all I could do was manage a bitter smile.
I said, "It doesn't matter, as long as you're here with me.
"As for love... we can make it happen through intimate physicality."
A streak of red spread from his neck to his face. Vincent was so agitated that the cuffs had cut into his wrists and ankles, drawing blood.
I called the doctor over.
After a shot of sedative, he drifted off in my arms.
Right before he lost consciousness, his eyes were seething with hatred, every word squeezed out between clenched teeth.
He said, "Jocelyn... I'll never love you. Sooner or later, I'll kill you."
I forced Vincent to stay by my side for three years.
Except for his freedom, I gave him everything I had, pathetically hoping he'd show me a little pity.
But after three years, no matter what I did, no matter how I tried to please him, the contempt and disgust in Vincent's eyes never went away.
He always looked at me like I was his enemy.
He treated my feelings like they were just garbage.
On his birthday, I cooked for him myself and decorated the whole place.
When he walked in, there was a clear hint of surprise in his eyes.
But as soon as the housekeeper accidentally mentioned that I was the one who planned everything, the smile on his face instantly froze, replaced by a look of disgust.
His voice turned cold and harsh as he said, "Jocelyn, stop disgusting me.
"I feel dirty just touching anything you give me."
He suddenly stood up, but I grabbed his wrist.
I said, "Eat before you leave. It's your birthday."
Vincent looked down, disgust in his eyes. He yanked his hand away and wiped it off with a tissue, like my touch was something he couldn't stand.
He said, "Jocelyn, having dinner with you on my birthday... leaves me sickened. Can you even understand that?"
Sickened?