Chapter 1
My husband Sanford Poole, who had once loved me deeply, changed overnight, as if he had become an entirely different person.
Not only did he squander my grandmother's life-saving money to shower his female secretary with extravagant gifts, but he also forced me to abort the child I had struggled so hard to conceive.
He even stood by indifferently as kidnappers threw me into the sea.
All because he claimed he could see mysterious bullet comments.
Those comments said I was just acting.
And he believed them.
It wasn't until later, when he saw my rotting corpse being fished out of the water, that Sanford completely broke down.
He finally realized that the so-called bullet comments were nothing more than a scheme devised by that secretary from Khario.
Today, I'd whipped up a full spread of delicious dishes, excited to share the good news of my pregnancy with my husband, Sanford.
But the second he walked through the door, his brows were knitted tight, and he eyed me like I was a suspect in an interrogation room.
My happy mood evaporated in a flash.
Before I could get a word out, Sanford shot an impatient glance at the table full of food and grumbled under his breath.
"It's the same damn thing every day. If you're not tired of it, I sure am!"
With that, he flipped the entire table.
The meal I'd spent all afternoon slaving over crashed to the floor in a chaotic mess of clatters and splatters.
Flying shards of glass sliced into my calf.
I yelped in pain without thinking.
But Sanford seized my wrist and shoved me down against the table.
His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at me, rage boiling over in them.
"Is this your idea of putting in effort? You can't even bother to try for me!"
He jabbed a finger at the stomach-friendly dishes scattered across the floor and sneered.
"You keep making this stuff every day—is it really for my health, or just because it's quick and easy for you?"
I broke into a cold sweat, staring back at him in sheer panic.
I couldn't pinpoint when it had started, but my husband had turned into a completely different man.
He'd snap at me out of the blue, or just give me these icy stares for no apparent reason.
He'd even cooked up this wild accusation that I was cheating on him, with zero evidence.
Just like now.
His grip on my wrist tightened as he leaned in close, grilling me.
"Your head's all wrapped up in that guy on the side, isn't it?"
I opened my mouth to explain.
But he wasn't having any of it—he flung my hand away and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
I stood there in a daze, staring at the wreckage of food on the floor.
Suddenly, a soft "ding" chimed from Sanford's nearby computer.
His WhatsApp was still logged in on the desktop.
A message popped up from a contact labeled "Sweetie".
[Sanford, dinner's ready. When are you heading over?]
Sanford fired back right away: [On my way, babe. Thanks for the hard work.]
Every word stabbed right through me.
Juana Fletcher—Sanford's personal secretary.
Had he callously wrecked the meal I'd made just to go chow down on whatever Juana had cooked up for him?
I steadied myself on wobbly legs.
Just as tears started welling up, my phone rang.
"Hello, is this Ruth? Your grandmother's had a sudden brain hemorrhage and needs emergency surgery..."
My phone slipped right out of my hand.
I didn't have time for anything else—I snatched up my car keys in a frenzy and sped off toward the hospital.
I ran countless red lights on the way.
But the more panicked I got, the more everything spiraled out of control.
Another car rear-ended me.
I was furious. I pounded the steering wheel, flung the door open, and jumped out.
But I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw two familiar figures.
Juana looked completely rumpled, fixing her collar and holding her chest as she whined playfully.
"It's your fault for being so eager and wanting to fool around in the car. See? Now we've been in an accident!"
Sanford wrapped his arm around her, gave her a quick kiss, his voice a mix of indulgence and resignation.
"I'm sorry, alright? Don't be upset, my little princess..."
He trailed off mid-sentence.
That was when they both spotted me getting out.
A wave of ice-cold rage washed over me. My nails bit into my palms—I wanted to charge at them and tear their faces apart.
But Grandma was waiting for me.
I hailed a passing taxi and turned to hop in.
Suddenly, Sanford grabbed my arm.
He stank of thick women's perfume, his neck littered with fresh red marks, frowning down at me.
"Let me explain..."
I jerked my arm free and shot back coldly, "I don't have time for your bullshit right now. I'm heading to the hospital to see Grandma. If you've got any decency left, come with me."
Grandma had always treated Sanford like family.
And he'd doted on her as if she were his own.
His face drained of color, his voice thick with concern.
"Jenifer? What happened to her?"
But a second later, his look hardened, the worry morphing into a sneer.
"Do you take me for an idiot, Ruth?"
He shoved me hard to the ground, looming over me.
Juana sashayed over slowly, hips swaying, and let out a mocking chuckle.