Chapter 1
Vincent Sinclair, the wealthy heir, married Elena Vance against all advice. She came from a simple background; he came from money.
He spent years being impossibly good to her.
For a collection she liked, he'd spare no expense.
A passing glance at a purse meant she'd soon own it in every color.
He showered her with everything, seemingly willing to lay down his life for her happiness.
But this perfect husband was hiding a single, crucial secret from the woman he claimed to cherish above all.
When she discovered the box that he had hidden away in the study for years , Elena was completely stunned .
The hotel receipts inside the box were filled with Vincent's name.
Stacks upon stacks, Elena couldn't count them all.
The first receipt was from their third wedding anniversary.
Vincent promised her that they would travel abroad together, but before boarding the plane, he said that his mother had fallen seriously ill and had to leave in a hurry.
He returned three days later, bringing Elena a limited edition bag.
But the receipt address was for a hot spring resort in a neighboring city.
...
The seventh receipt was from the day her father passed away.
Mr. Vance wanted to see Vincent and refused to breathe his last, stretching out his hand to look out of the ward.
He wanted to see Vincent one last time before he died, but Vincent never answered his phone.
Five days later he returned, saying he had been holding an emergency meeting at the branch office, and compensated Elena with a set of jewelry worth over one million dollars.
But the receipt address was for a star-rated hotel in Australia.
The sixteenth receipt is from the day she gave birth to Victor Sinclair.
She went into the delivery room alone, and even when she was bleeding heavily, no one signed the consent form, and she almost died in the operating room.
The next day he said he flew back on the fastest flight overnight and transferred 50 million to her card, with the note "voluntary donation".
And the address on this receipt was within this city.
He was clearly so close to her.
...
One sheet after another, Elena's face grew paler and paler.
She dialed Vincent's personal assistant's number and asked for Vincent's official schedule during the past few years.
Every time Vincent left her, his schedule was completely blank.
Each of these receipts was filled with Vincent's lies.
It turns out that his business trip and his emergency meeting were all lies to her!
In recent years, Vincent has always said that he was too busy at the company and had less and less time to go home.
She wasn't without her grievances, but even her five-and-a-half-year-old son, Victor, advised her, "Mom, Dad works hard for this family. You should be understanding and not make unreasonable demands."
Elena's dissatisfaction instantly turned into guilt.
Like this time, Elena was supposed to attend Victor's parent-teacher conference.
But in the morning, she accidentally fell down on the stairs and felt dizzy.
Vincent therefore canceled his company meeting and went to the kindergarten.
Elena felt guilty, thinking she couldn't do anything. After resting for a while, she decided to clean up the entire villa.
That's why she discovered these receipts.
Elena's hands trembled uncontrollably.
She dared not think too deeply about what these receipts actually represented.
She struggled to her feet, intending to go to the kindergarten to find out the truth for herself.
But when she get to the kindergarten gate, she saw a banner that said "Parent-Child Sports Meet".
Wasn't this a parents' meeting?
Elena rushed in and immediately saw Vincent leading Victor in a game.
And with his other hand, Vincent held Rosalind Rhodes.
Rosalind was Vincent's first love; their relationship lasted three months but ended due to his parents' opposition.
She saw that Victor jumped into Rosalind's arms, acting coquettishly and calling out, "Auntie Rosalind, can you be my mom? My mom is so clumsy, she's not as good as you at all!"
Elena trembled all over.
"Dad keeps all the receipts from when you were together as souvenirs. Dad likes Aunt Rosalind , and I like you too!"
Victor nuzzled her affectionately, then looked at Vincent.
"Dad, when you lie to Mom about going on a business trip to see Aunt Rosalind , can you take me with you?"
"I don't want to be with my mom. She's such an embarrassment. She doesn't know anything and all she does is housework, which is clearly the job of a nanny!"
Elena finally saw the cruel truth.
Vincent really cheated on her.
And her son helped him deceive her.
A few meters away, Vincent didn't object, but simply patted his son's head. "Next time, Dad will find an opportunity to take you with us."
"Dad, didn't you say you'd reward me with a toy if I lied to Mom just once?"
"I deliberately put a few marbles on the stairs today, mom stepped on them and fell flat on her face."
Victor proudly extended his hand to claim credit. "So, what's my reward?"
The color drained completely from Elena's face.
In order to create a date opportunity for Vincent and Rosalind, he didn't hesitate to let her fall and get injured.
Looking at her swollen ankle, she felt as if her heart had fallen from a great height and shattered.
Her son, for whom she suffered a difficult and painful childbirth after ten months of pregnancy, actually despised her like this.
“Victor is great. Dad will take you to choose whatever you like later, and we'll also buy some things that your Aunt Rosalind likes.”
Every word from Vincent and Victor was like a nail, piercing Elena 's heart and leaving it riddled with holes.
The kindergarten teacher noticed her out of place. "Ma'am, whose parent are you?"
Elena hurriedly wiped away her tears, waved her hand, and turned to leave...
That wasn't her child; Victor was the one who loved her the most.
He would cry and scream in distress when she was sick, and he would hug and comfort her when she was unhappy.
When he was learning to speak, the first word he learned was "Mom".
How could he possibly say that she was not presentable, or that she was stupid and lazy?
She walked back aimlessly, her steps unsteady.
The phone rang abruptly. "Elena, come back quickly! Your mother has a terrible headache and has suddenly fainted. It looks like she's had a stroke!"
Elena's heart clenched instantly, and she rushed back without thinking of anything else.
When she got home, her mother was already lying on the ground convulsing.
A neighbor chimed in, "This is how it is now, the roads are completely jammed, and the ambulance still hasn't arrived. Doesn't your husband have investments in several hospitals? Hurry up and contact them to see if they can send a few doctors to save your mother!"
Elena hurriedly took out her phone and dialed Vincent's number.
After a series of busy signals, Vincent did not answer.
She called again, but still didn't answer.
When she dialed for the twentieth time, the call finally went through. "Vincent..."
Before she could finish her tearful plea for help, he interrupted her, saying, "I'm busy right now, don't call me anymore."
Victor's voice came through, "Mom, why are you so clingy ? If Dad didn't answer the phone, it means something happened. Can't you live without Dad?"
The busy signal cut off Elena's hope of getting help.
When the ambulance finally arrived and took Vance's mother to the hospital, the doctor regretfully told Elena, "The golden rescue time has been missed, and it is uncertain whether the patient will wake up. Even if she does wake up, she will most likely be paralyzed on one side."
Elena could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, losing all her strength.
"Let's go pay the fees and complete the formalities first."
Elena covered her face and nodded through her tears.
With the doctor's help, she struggled to her feet and staggered outside.
But she saw Vincent at the corner on the first floor.
He and Victor each supported Rosalind on one side, their eyes showing the same worry.
"Vincnet, I told you not to be so nervous. I just twisted my ankle, and I'll probably be fine tomorrow."
Victor spoke without hesitation, "You’re injured. Dad is worried about you and I am worried about you too. We need to have a doctor examine you before we can feel at ease!"
Elena watched the cozy trio, her heart contracting with a pain so intense that it made her smile—a bitter, awful smile.
Her happy family was just a fiction. She was the sole misfit.
Her longtime husband, her little boy… their care was directed elsewhere. She had been blind.
What place was there for her now?
She picked up the phone.
When her lawyer answered, she didn't hesitate. “Prepare a divorce agreement. I’m leaving Vincent."