Chapter 2

A voice came, "Crying, huh? Did you finally find out your two-faced husband was hooking up with his adopted sister? I told you about it before, but you just didn't believe me."

When Abby realized who was standing in front of her, her expression hardened. "Let go of me."

Seeing Abby fight back, Liam Reid's eyes flashed dangerously.

He said, "Why? If it's fine for a brother and an adopted sister, why can't a sister and stepbrother do the same?

"You looked pretty pleased the day the Reid family took me back, didn't you? I warned you. Don't ever let me see you again, or I won't let you off. Come with me, Abby."

The tension thickened in the air. Liam had seen it all coming, and there was a mocking curve to his lips.

He was just about to let go when Abby replied, "Okay."

Liam was caught off guard. For a moment, he wasn't even sure if she meant it, but he quickly took control. "You said it yourself. I'll take care of the divorce. When it's over, I'll come get you."

With that, he turned and bolted, afraid Abby might change her mind. But she grabbed his arm.

She said, "It's not just the divorce. I want you to have my identity and records erased for good. Liam, if you can do that, I'll go with you."

Liam stared at her hand gripping his arm, momentarily stunned. It took him a long moment to regain his composure.

He promised, "Okay. Wait for my call."

Abby stood there in a daze, watching Liam's figure disappear into the distance. For a long time, she just stood frozen, empty and numb, before finally trudging back home like a ghost.

The shock and cold wind must've gotten to her, and Abby spiked a high fever by midnight.

By the time she opened her eyes again, she was already in a hospital bed.

As soon as she moved, a hand pressed gently to her forehead. "You're awake? Are you still feeling unwell?"

Luke looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, worry written all over his face.

Abby couldn't help but smirk, thinking he looked more like an actor doing a tragic role than any college professor.

She weakly brushed his hand away. Just looking at him made her stomach churn.

She snapped, "Just stay away from me. Divorce me, Luke."

As soon as she finished speaking, Abby was wracked by a fit of coughing. Luke's face turned grim as he gently patted her back, trying to steady her.

When she finally regained her breath, Luke spoke up, "Abby, I told you. I don't want to hear that word ever again.

"I've punished Flora. She understands what she did was wrong. You need to stop holding onto this."

Abby already knew he wouldn't agree. After all, he hadn't gotten his hands on that one billion dollars yet.

She stopped pressing him and instead found herself genuinely curious about what exactly he meant by punishing Flora.

She wanted to know what kind of punishment he could give to the girl he basically raised to be his bride, the one he vowed to protect for life and couldn't even let go of on his wedding day.

Abby asked, "You said you punished Flora. So, what exactly did you do to her?"

Luke seemed caught off guard by her question. He pressed his lips together before answering.

He replied, dead serious, "She's been trying to lose weight lately, so I made her eat ten slices of high-calorie cake. She's still mad at me about it."

Abby let out a laugh at that, but it was so bitter that it made her heart ache.

So that was what he called punishment?

Because of what Flora did, Abby was left with scars on her mind, yet to Luke, punishment meant nothing more than forcing Flora to eat a few slices of cake.

And anytime Abby pressed a bit more or tried to defend herself, Luke would say she was being dramatic and making a scene.

Right then, it hit Abby that she was the other woman.

Just thinking about it made her chest tighten, like there was a lump in her throat she couldn't swallow.

Two years of marriage, and in the end, she was the other woman.

She kept trying to swallow her sobs, fighting to keep herself together, but the tears just wouldn't listen and slid down her cheeks anyway.

Seeing Abby like that, a wave of concern and pain swept across Luke's eyes.

He rushed to say, "Abby, I've taken the key to the master bedroom away from her. From now on..."

Before he could finish, his phone started ringing.

He glanced at the caller ID, mumbled an apology, and got up to take the call by the window.

But Abby still caught sight of the name "Flora" on his screen.

Even with Luke standing all the way by the window, Abby could clearly hear Flora's voice excitedly calling out.

She said, "Luke, I'm giving you one chance to make it up to me. I'll be waiting for you at the star observation platform."

Before Abby could hear Luke's reply, her own phone started ringing.

When she saw the unfamiliar number, she had a feeling about who it might be.

Sure enough, the moment she picked up, a familiar voice came through.

Liam said, "The process to erase your identity and records will be complete in a week. Once that's done, your marriage to Luke will officially end. I'll be waiting for you in Bryland."

Abby hadn't expected it to happen so fast. Her mind was spinning, and she just mumbled, "Okay."

She was about to ask for more details, but Luke had already finished his conversation and walked back over.

"Who was that?" he asked.

There was no way Abby was going to let him know her plan. She ended the call and replied coolly, "Just a telemarketer."

Luke didn't ask anything more. He gently pressed his hand to her forehead again, checking her temperature.

"Let me grab the thermometer and check if your fever's gone down," he said softly.

With that, he snatched his coat from the back of the chair and hurried out the door.

As soon as he left, Abby dragged her feverish self out of bed and shuffled over to the window.

A few minutes later, she watched that familiar silhouette slip out the hospital doors.

Her phone buzzed with a text, [Abby, school called an emergency meeting. I'll come back right after it finishes.]

A bitter, self-mocking smile tugged at Abby's pale lips.

At that moment, she finally saw Luke's true answer and found her own, too.

Luke was never her savior. She'd have to claw her way out of the abyss on her own.

In a week, she would make sure the name Abby Becker was wiped from Luke's world for good.