Chapter 1
At the company's opening ceremony at the beginning of the year, everyone asked why the beaded bracelet that my husband often wore was missing.
The next moment, both he and Harlow Mosley blushed at the same time.
A low vibration sounded, and beads tumbled one by one from between Harlow's legs.
Then the second bead, and the third bead followed.
Harlow immediately flushed with embarrassment.
Garrett Pate's eyes grew darker, as if he still wasn't finished playing.
At that moment, I felt completely hopeless.
Everyone said that Garrett, such an outstanding young man, would surely marry an extraordinary woman.
Yet he had chosen me, a cripple, as his wife.
I once believed it was love.
Now I finally understood that it was all a lie.
That night, I overheard the conversation between Garrett and his secretary.
"Mr. Pate, when Miss Mosley's medical accident killed Alisha's father years ago, and when she drunkenly drove into Alisha, leaving her disabled—why are you doing this now?"
Garrett was completely unconcerned.
"Alisha's father died. It was just a medical accident.
"As for Alisha, even if she hadn't become disabled back then, I would have found someone to deal with her. Now I keep her close, so in a way, she benefited from the misfortune."
It turned out that the person behind all my years of suffering was the one by my side.
So, I made up my mind to do two things.
The first was to file for divorce.
The second was to play along with their act and avenge my father and me.
After the ground-breaking ceremony, Garrett Pate did not return home
For all these years, it was the first time he hadn't called to explain where he was.
Once, I might have been anxious. But now that I had seen his true face, I no longer cared.
After learning the truth, I had planted a listening device in Garrett's phone.
That night, his cold voice came through.
"Harlow has waited for me all these years without marrying. I can't let her wait anymore. This year, I have to marry her.
"As for Alisha, I've already treated her well enough. For a cripple to marry into the Pate family—it's fortune beyond her destiny."
Hearing this, my breath caught painfully in my chest.
He had killed my father, crippled me—and this, he said, was my blessing?
The secretary hesitated, then said, "Alisha still holds a grudge about the accident. If you now announce you'll marry Harlow, I fear she might go mad."
Garrett scoffed.
"Outside, Harlow will be the rightful wife. As for Alisha, send her abroad to be watched. If she refuses to behave, feed her sedatives. She's crippled. What storm could she possibly raise?"
An hour after I ended the recording, I was heading downstairs to calm myself—just as Garrett came home.
Remembering what I overheard earlier, I couldn't help feeling afraid.
I didn't notice the step ahead and fell down with the wheelchair.
Luckily, I only scraped my forehead and hand; this pain was nothing compared to the agony of discovering the truth.
Hearing the commotion, Garrett rushed up the stairs, saw me stranded on the floor, and hurried over to pick me up.
He couldn't hide the pain in his expression.
"Alisha, are you hurt?"
He turned to the servants with fury.
"Are you all useless? How could you let this happen?"
He set me gently on the sofa, fetched the medicine box, and tended my wounds with tender care.
His expression was so full of concern, so convincing that I almost couldn't tell it was all false.
Seeing my silence, Garrett thought I was upset about his absence all night.
He softly kissed my forehead and said, "I drank too much with my friends last night and forgot to call you. I promise this will never happen again, all right?"
After speaking, he held me in his arms once again, so tender and affectionate.
Every word and gesture, every gentle glance, seemed to express his love for me.
Yet deep down, I knew clearly that it was all just an illusion.
I was dazed for a moment, then got up from his embrace, forcing down the hatred in my heart as I spoke.
"I heard that Harlow returned from studying abroad. After all these years, I can't help but feel we misunderstood her about what happened to Dad."
Garrett looked surprised as he saw the relief on my face.
I continued, "I don't intend to sue her anymore. Let's invite her to our home for a meal someday."
Garrett couldn't hide his joy and quickly took my hand.
"Alisha, I'm glad you think this way. Even though we grew up together, I promise to keep my distance from her and never give you a reason to doubt me!"
I had expected this reaction from him, so I just smiled and agreed with what he said.
But he still seemed unsatisfied and made another request.