For the first time ever, Samuel actually invited me inside.

A shocking first in our three years together.


Ironically, this villa was part of my dowry—a wedding gift from my parents three years ago.

Yet I could count on my fingers the nights I'd actually been allowed to sleep here.

Samuel had forbidden me from the master bedroom from day one.


His favorite humiliation tactic: bringing his women to the master bedroom of the house my parents had gifted us.

My biometrics had been purged from the security system months ago. The guard had to escort me through multiple checkpoints just to enter my own home.


"Ma'am," the guard whispered, "please talk some sense into him. He's been pushing himself too hard…"

I stepped into the foyer, feeling strangely disoriented.

Three years ago, my parents had leveraged their wealth to save Samuel's failing company, with my hand in marriage as part of the deal.

Samuel never forgave me for this forced arrangement.

After my parents died suddenly in a crash, his cruelty escalated to new heights.

"You're nothing but a pathetic orphan living off my success," he'd sneer. "This is exactly what you begged for, so stop complaining."

I never imagined such poison could come from the man I once adored.

I'd given up hope for happiness long ago.

I'd even begged Samuel to release me from our marriage.

He refused with cold satisfaction.

"We signed a three-year contract," he'd remind me, veins bulging at his temples. "Unless you want to dishonor your parents' memory."

His eyes would gleam with vindictive pleasure. Keeping me trapped was his revenge—a daily punishment for forcing him into this marriage.

With my parents gone, I lost both my emotional support and control of my family's company. Samuel seized everything.

I had no choice but to endure until our contract expired.

The storm matched my mood. Rumor had it that Samuel was negotiating a major government contract.

Perhaps he feared bad publicity if his soaked, injured wife was spotted outside their home during negotiations.

The grand foyer lay in darkness. It had been months since I'd last stepped inside.

Yet I knew every inch of this place—I had personally designed the interior as a labor of love.

Even blind, I could navigate these rooms perfectly.

My hand found the sofa's edge, but instead of fabric, I touched warm skin.

"Oh, Sam! You lost the bet! Your wife found her way to the sofa without bumping into anything!"

A woman's laughter rang out like breaking glass as the lights suddenly blazed to life.

Blinded momentarily, I lowered my hand to find Rachel sprawled across Samuel's lap, wearing nothing but lingerie, her arm casually draped over the sofa.

They'd been betting on my entrance like I was some circus act.

"So, do I get my prize for guessing right?" Rachel purred, stroking his chest.

Samuel's lips curved into that half-smile I once found charming.

"How about fifteen percent of Hayes Corporation shares?"

My family's company shares!

After my parents' death, I inherited majority control of Hayes Corp. But Samuel systematically sabotaged the company's finances.

With the company on the brink of collapse, I had no choice but to sign over portions of my inheritance.

And now he was casually gifting my birthright to his mistress.

"What's the matter, princess? Object to how I spend my assets?"

Samuel pushed Rachel aside and stalked toward me.

His shirt—which I had meticulously ironed that morning—hung wrinkled and half-unbuttoned.

I glanced away, my eyes landing on the plastic bag of condoms on the coffee table.

"I thought you were in such a rush," I said coldly. "Yet half an hour later, and you haven't even opened the package."