Chapter 1

The day Layla Lane agreed to remarry him, Charles Sterling was so moved that he swore on the spot. "Layla, I promise I'll never let you down again. I'll make you the happiest woman in the world."

And he really did. After they got back together, gifts of jewelry poured into her bedroom, and the villa was overflowing with her favorite red roses.

Every move she made pulled at his heartstrings.

As Layla finally let go of her past and agreed to have a child with him, Olivia Grant, the mistress who once tore them apart, showed up again, in a mess and looking utterly defeated.

At the party, Olivia served drinks to the guests in the most humiliating way.

The overbearing attitude and arrogance she used to flaunt had vanished, replaced by a humble and timid demeanor. She was like a completely different person.

Someone recognized her and said, "Hey, isn't that Ms. Grant? Am I seeing things? Why is Ms. Grant here, acting as a hostess?"

Olivia shook her head and mumbled, "I'm selling drinks, not entertaining guests."

The man yanked Olivia onto the sofa and smacked her across the face in disdain, sneering, "Remember a few years ago when I confessed to you, and you slapped me, saying I was out of your league? Well, look at you now."

Then he started ripping her clothes off. "Tonight, I'll finally try you."

Olivia screamed and lunged into Charles's arms, begging him, "Charles, please save me."

Her clothes were barely hanging on, exposing large swathes of delicate skin as she shivered in Charles's arms.

Hardly anyone knew that two families feuding for a hundred years could end up with a pair of lovers.

The man stood up and mocked her, "Olivia, Mr. Sterling is the one who bankrupted your family. He despises your family more than anyone. And you're begging him for help? Are you crazy?"

With a loud crash, a wine bottle exploded on his head.

Charles took off his jacket and draped it over Olivia, then scooped her up in his arms and headed for the door.

Layla suddenly stood up. "Charles, is this really what you want?"

Charles froze, then turned to her. "Honey, I love you. Please don't force me to choose. I'll explain everything when we get home."

As she watched him walk away, tears rolled down Layla's cheeks.

She forced herself to look up, thinking, 'So, it was never going to work out after all.'

Everyone was staring at her, some with contempt, some with pity, and some taking pleasure in her misery.

"She's some poor girl. She should count her lucky stars that Mr. Sterling married her, and now she actually thinks she's a high-society lady?"

"Honestly, Olivia and Mr. Sterling make a good couple. They're both born into money, way better than this girl who's totally out of her depth."

"Men like Mr. Sterling can have any woman they want. No one would blame him. Does she really think she's his true love?"

Layla bit back the ache in her chest and rushed out of the club, desperate to get away.

Layla was a scholarship student, barely scraping by.

At first, Layla thought it was the luck of her life to meet Charles, the head of a wealthy tycoon family, and be able to marry him.

But it turned out to be her biggest nightmare.

Not long after their wedding, Layla discovered that Charles's heart belonged to someone else.

He only married her to rebel against his family and protect his muse, Olivia.

The Sterling family's enemies made Layla their main target.

After several years of marriage, she had dozens of accidents one after another. Car crashes that broke her legs and food poisoning were just the norm.

Crushed by grief and trying to stay alive, Layla filed for divorce.

But after the divorce, Charles was filled with regret. He claimed he'd truly fallen for Layla and wished he'd never let her go.

To win her back, he ruined Olivia's family, gave Layla half of everything he owned, and went so far as to donate a kidney to Layla's father.

Layla believed that this time, Charles truly loved her.

But in the end, as soon as Olivia appeared, every promise Charles made to Layla was shattered.

Layla waited all night, but Charles never came home.

Instead, Layla's feed was flooded with photos, showing Charles holding Olivia as they walked into a hotel, caught by more than a few people.

Charles didn't come home until almost noon.

When he saw Layla's exhausted face, he got flustered. "Honey, did you stay up all night? It's all my fault. After I dropped Olivia off, it got so late that I ended up staying at a hotel."

"Took her home?" Layla looked up, forcing back the tears, and showed him the photos from her feed. "Is this what you call taking her home?"

Charles stammered, his voice low. "I-I was afraid you'd get the wrong idea, Honey. Nothing happened between us. I got her settled into an apartment."

Layla felt her heart turn cold. "Are you seriously going to let her stay here?"

Charles paused, then said with conviction, "Yes, Layla. I only destroyed her family because of you, so now we both owe her."

Upon hearing this absurd remark, Layla finally snapped, "Because of me? Or is it because your families have been rivals for years, always trying to swallow each other up?

"If it wasn't for that feud, would your family have ever stood in your way? Would you have ever used me, the scholarship girl your family kept around?"

Charles rubbed his nose in frustration, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Layla, are you never going to let this go?

"No matter what I do for you, are you going to hold this over my head for the rest of my life?"

"Threaten you?" Layla let out a sudden laugh, her legs feeling weak as she stepped back. "Say it. What am I supposedly holding over you? And what exactly do I owe her?"

Olivia was the one who killed Layla's mother in a drunk driving accident. If anyone owed anyone, it was Olivia who owed Layla.

Yet somehow, in Charles's eyes, Layla was the one who owed Olivia. It was absolutely absurd.

Charles couldn't hide his impatience anymore, clutching his vest with one hand. "I got her settled into the apartment, and you're bringing up how I used you right now.

"Aren't you trying to guilt me into not letting her stay? If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have ruined her so badly that she ended up selling drinks in a bar. She's been through hell. It's on us."

Layla's heart grew colder, inch by inch. She clutched her chest, but the ache in her heart wouldn't go away.

Layla managed to ask, "So you're really not going to let her leave?"

Charles nodded without a second thought. "Yes, Layla. Try to be a little kinder, don't push her to the brink, okay?"

"Fine," Layla let out a faint laugh. "Then let's get divorced."