Chapter 2

I spent the whole day looking for Warren without eating a single thing, and now I felt dizzy and lightheaded from hunger.

Just then, my phone rang. I picked up, and someone asked, "Ms. Hatfield, are you really turning down our offer?

"Our professor thinks very highly of you and is genuinely interested in your research. He's willing to make an exception and bring you on board."

The call was from a research institute in Gorven, specializing in research on the human nervous system.

They'd reached out to me several times this past month, but I'd turned them down every time.

I couldn't leave, not with Warren needing someone by his side.

Actually, I sent my research to that institute in the first place, all because of Warren.

I wanted to heal his legs, so I sent the institute all the materials I had collected over the years of study.

Now that I had healed Warren, it proved that my research was indeed valuable.

I wanted to help more people who were suffering, giving them a chance at a new life.

Therefore, I said quietly, "Sure, let's do it."

Honestly, I should be grateful that Warren and I never made our marriage official.

After the wedding, Warren was furious about the whole bride swap and refused to register the marriage.

I knew he loved Nadia and wanted her as his wife, not me.

Since it was my family who tricked him first, I agreed to his condition.

We'd been married for six years, but only in name. I could leave whenever I wanted.

When I got back to the villa, all the lights were on.

I pushed the door open and walked in, only to find Warren and Nadia in the living room.

Warren saw me and frowned. "Why did you come back?"

My voice came out rough. "I've got to pack up my stuff before I go."

Only then did I notice the coffee table stacked with gifts and a massive three-tiered cake.

Oh, right. It was my birthday today. I almost forgot it.

Yet I knew that these weren't for me; Warren had prepared them for Nadia.

For the past six years, Warren had never spent a birthday with me. I had always celebrated alone at home.

Every year on this day, he'd go out with his assistant and not let me come along, coming back after midnight.

Now, seeing all those gifts laid out on the coffee table, it finally hit me what he'd been up to every year on my birthday.

Those weren't just any luxury items. There was a necklace that cost 200 thousand dollars, earrings for 150 thousand dollars, and a bracelet for 300 thousand dollars.

Every year, he went to auctions to buy these gifts for Nadia's birthday.

He never forgot Nadia's birthday, but not once did he ever get me anything, even though my birthday was on the exact same day.

I smiled coldly, realizing how silly I had been.

I went upstairs to my room, hearing Nadia's excited laughter from opening gifts and Warren's gentle chuckle.

My bedroom smelled like medicine, with jars and bottles everywhere, and acupuncture tools lying around.

All of this was for treating Warren's legs. Now, they were of no use, and I couldn't take them along.

There wasn't much I needed to pack; I didn't even want most of it. I could always buy new stuff in Gorven anyway.

As I carried my suitcase downstairs, I saw Nadia smearing cream on Warren's face.

Warren's eyes sparkled with amusement, fixed steadily on Nadia.

In six years of marriage, he hardly ever smiled.

I ignored their laughter and headed toward the front door by myself.

Unexpectedly, Warren came after me and walked me out.

He stood in the courtyard, his gaze slightly darkened. "You'd better walk away from the Dawson family without causing any drama. Nadia is my real wife. Don't even think about taking her place."

I could detect a hint of threat in Warren's tone as he continued, "I have your videos. If you upset Nadia or me, I'll release them."

I stood there, my legs feeling impossibly heavy.

The video he was talking about was a sex tape of me in bed.

Because of his crippled legs, Warren became insecure about his sexual abilities, an insecurity that gradually morphed into a perverse streak after marriage.

He loved tormenting me, using all kinds of toys to humiliate me in bed.

He once said, "I love seeing you lying there in agony. I can't satisfy you, but these toys will. If I ever catch you sneaking around with another man, there will be consequences."

Even in the dimly lit room, I could make out Warren's sinister gaze.

By our second year together, depression hit me hard.

Even though I was physically and mentally drained, I kept helping Warren with his legs.

And now, he was threatening me with that sex tape.

My voice came out choked, my eyes stinging with tears. "Don't worry, I won't bother you anymore."

I wouldn't cling to him because I didn't love him anymore.

I turned to leave, but Warren suddenly grabbed my hand.