Chapter 2

Julia took me in. For years, I've been the adopted daughter of the Bennett family. If it weren't for her, I would've ended up starving in some forgotten alley.

After I got back from visiting my family, Edward got more shameless.

He'd sit with me for two hours at my prenatal checkups, but spend an hour and a half of that chatting on the phone with another woman.

Sometimes, if he forgot to buy a gift for one of his lovers, he'd take something from my closet. Later, he'd try to smooth things over by buying me something pricier, as if that made up for it.

I snapped. I called a charity and donated all my jewelry. He didn't bat an eye. Instead, he made a big show of flying to Svenara and splurged on several new sets for me.

After that, he had Julia transferred to another hospital, forcing my mom to stand outside the one he owned all night. And after all that, he still claimed he loved me.

No matter how crazy I got, yelling at him, hitting him, he never talked back. He'd make things worse the next time.

He had endless ways to make me miserable, so he could watch me fall apart right in front of him.

This time, he grabbed my coat and walked out. When he faced the reporters, he put on that same playful smirk. "Thanks for coming all the way out here, guys.

"My wife's in one of her moods again. Sorry you all had to witness that."

I followed him out, wrapped in a blanket, and said with a frosty tone, "Yeah, I love throwing tantrums.

"I had a screaming match with the rice cooker at home. Can you believe it?"

The reporters' expressions shifted. After all, the last time Edward confronted me at a nightclub, I acted nothing like this.

Back then, Julia's condition was unstable, constantly relapsing.

I was really scared that Edward would lose his temper and force Julia out of the hospital again.

With a swarm of reporters snapping photos, I didn't care about saving face. I frantically tried to explain myself to him.

I told him I'd been tricked into coming. I hadn't done anything wrong or betrayed him.

After that, anyone could imagine how things went downhill for me. Even Edward's side chicks started looking down on me.

They messed with me and humiliated me, using my pride to patch up their own guilt for being the other woman.

Edward couldn't care less. He actually praised them for their wild ideas and guts, saying they were way more entertaining than I ever was.

This time, Edward paused for a moment, then pulled his usual stunt. "Claire, if you keep being disobedient, aren't you worried I'll make your sister pay the price?"

He leaned in close. His breath was warm against my ear, but I felt it chilling. "Keep this up, and no one's going to have a good time.

"It's been three years, and you still haven't learned how to be a real high-society wife?"

A high-society wife? Edward's idea of the perfect wife was someone who could act like everything was fine, no matter how wild her husband was out there living it up.

There were plenty of women like that in our circle. They actually took pride in keeping their husbands' side chicks and secret kids in line.

At parties, they would swap stories and brag about who handled it best. It really grossed me out.

Edward thought that the more I saw it, the sooner I would get used to it.

I used to think I'd go along with it, too. But when the Bailey family's lawyer showed up, wanting to acknowledge me as their own, I didn't hesitate and agreed on the spot.

Even though I knew my real father didn't care about me at all. He only sent someone to find me so he could marry me off to some useless deadbeat, tossing me from one hell straight into another.

When my mind was spinning, a Red Ferrari screeched to a stop. Behind it, a convoy of flashy, colorful luxury cars rolled up.

A woman jumped out, pulled off her sunglasses, and said, "Edward, I heard your wife is raising hell again?

"No big deal. I brought twenty of my crew with me.

"That's two more than her crowd. We'll make sure you come out on top."

It was Sophia Rivers, Emily's younger sister. She was also the one Edward always said was the wildest of his side chicks.

Edward's face instantly brightened, and he gave her a playful smack on the butt. "Baby, you're always looking out for me.

"Go ahead to Montlux Lair. I'll come find you once I've calmed my wife down."

Edward made it sound so easy. To him, I was someone he could smooth over with a few tricks.

He had the routine down pat: first, he used my poisoned, witless sister to intimidate me, then he sent me money, bought me gifts, and showered me with sweet words.

But this time, I didn't need his money or his love anymore. "Don't bother trying to win me over. Hand me the keys to the Ferrari. That's all I want."

Edward's eyes flickered, and he grinned at everyone. "Wow, that's a first. My wife's finally got some sense."

"Good girl, tonight when I get home I'll bring you something..." Before he could finish, I dragged him right out of Sophia's car.

He paused for a moment, his expression turning cold. "What drama are you pulling this time?"

I jabbed a finger at the Red Ferrari. "Get out. Drive your own ride. This ZW1006 is mine. Julia gave it to me."

Back when Edward was making a move on me, he drove a Red Ferrari. He'd make the two-hour round trip every single day to see me, never once complaining about the drive.

Then, one night, he crashed down a mountain while rushing to bring me cold medicine. He ended up in the hospital for over four months, and his car was totaled.

But he didn't utter a single complaint. He was always smiling and cheerful, and would burst into laughter whenever he saw me.

That was why Julia gave me the Red Ferrari. She picked out that color especially for the two of us.