Chapter 1
“If Justin won’t marry me, I’ll marry his brother instead. Even if he’s in a vegetative state, I’ll still give you a great–grandchild.”}}
After the words fell, the ward was so quiet that only the ECG machine was beeping.”
Elizabeth Sutherland raised her head and her eyes behind her reading glasses wrinkled with a smile. “Francesca, have you thought it
“I’ll give the title of ‘Second Madam‘ to the real daughter of the Jamesons. But promised me back then, shouldn’t that double now?”
still have the child, just like you asked. The reward you
The older woman’s face instantly darkened. “What do you mean by this? You haven’t fulfilled what you agreed to and now you want an even higher reward?”
“Wasn’t your goal to give your eldest grandson an heir?”
I said with a mocking smile. “You were afraid I wouldn’t agree, so you tricked me into marrying Justin, planning to have me give birth and pass the child off as your eldest grandson’s.“}
“Well, now that I’m cutting out the middle step of adoption, don’t you think my reward should go up?“”
The older woman took a deep breath and murmured a religious chant to calm herself. After a long pause, she finally asked, “What do you
want?”
“I want the shares in the Sutherlands that belong to the eldest son. Cashed out.” I smiled faintly.
“And I want my identity erased. I want to disappear from Justin’s life completely and quietly.“}}
“You want Jackson’s shares, huh? You’ve got guts!”
Her face turned red with anger, thinking that I had already lost my mind. Still, she agreed quickly.
“Fine, but no backing out. Once your ID is wiped clean, you leave the country immediately and find Jackson. Within a year, I want to see my great–grandchild.”
I wasn’t surprised by the older woman’s decision.
A step–grandchild could never be as good as a biological one.
Just like me.D
How could a fake heiress like me be as good as the real heiress of the Jamesons as the wife of Justin, the current heir of the Sutherlands?}
“I understand you want money and power, but weren’t you always very fond of Justin? How can you bear to give him up now?“}
Elizabeth seemed wary of a trick and asked one more question before I left.
The name “Justin” was like a knife, fiercely stabbing the softest part of my heart.}
The hand I had on the doorknob stiffened. I didn’t turn back,
Five years ago, I was thrown down from the position of
The truth about the real and fake heiress was revealed immediately turned ruthless.
but my eyes turned
“I just don’t like him anymore,” I said.”
eldest daughter of the Jamesons, falling into the mud, covered in wounds.
overnight. The Jamesons discovered I wasn’t their biological daughter and
My adoptive mother cried and scolded me for taking her daughter’s eighteen years of life, even tearing apart the dresses I had worn one by one.
Overnight, the real estate, stocks and bank cards under my name all belonged to
the
“real heiress.”
She moved into my room) wore my custom–made dresses and appeared in my original social circle.
As for me, I was driven out of the Jamesons in front of everyone and sent back to my impoverished and debt–ridden biological family.
I went to a second–hand luxury store to sell all my luxury goods. The owner smiled at me and said, “So, this eldest lady was a fake.”
Because I refused to use my money to pay off my biological parents‘ gambling debts, they locked me in a pigsty in the countryside and starved me for three days.
At that time, it was Elizabeth who rescued me.
She said, “Come to the Sutherlands and give me a great–grandchild and I’ll help you break ties with your biological parents completely.” I agreed.
Anyway, I happened to like Justin.
Liked him down to my very bones.
He was the dream of every socialite.
Aloof, elegant, cold and quiet. Justin looked like moonlight falling on snow, standing beside anyone. It was so pure that it felt wrong even to get close.}
never thought of it as a deal. Marrying Justin Sutherland felt like winning the jackpot.”
I was recognized as a great beauty in the circle. From the age of eighteen, the wealthy second–generation heirs and powerful young men who pursued me could line up to the Norwyn seaside.§
Countless people willingly fell under my charm.
I thought Justin was the same.
In the five years after our marriage, I used every trick I knew to melt his frozen heart.
apter
I went downstairs wearing a red dress with the slit up to my thigh, pouring wine for him and acting coquettishly. He said blandly, “The wine is too strong,” and turned to have the servants take away the entire table of red wine.}]
I’d pretend to have nightmares and knock on his door in a silk nightgown. He’d open it, drape a blanket over my shoulders and say in a restrained voice, “Don’t catch a cold.“}
1 dropped my umbrella in the rain and stood soaking wet in front of his car. He finally opened the car door but didn’t even glance at me in the back seat. “Get in, I’ll take you home.“>
That man was disciplined and distant. He never once called me “wife.” He always called me “Miss Jameson.“}
I kept telling myself he was just cold on the outside and warm on the inside. After all, during my fertile days, he would always sleep with
- me.
Until half a month ago, when I overheard him talking to a maid.”
He said, “Don’t forget to add birth control to her soup.“”
“I sleep with her during ovulation because Grandma ordered it. I have no choice, but I could never have a child with her. My first child has to be with Lily.”
“Make her some beef stew. She had a tough childhood; her stomach was weak. I want to take care of her.”
Every word he said was like a knife cutting into my heart, one slice at a time.
I was standing by the staircase and nearly collapsed. Still, I bit my lip and stayed silent.}
At that moment, my sincere heart shattered into pieces.
I hadn’t expected Justin to love Lilian, too.
Ijhadn’t
After Lilian, the real heiress, returned, everyone in the family told me to “make way.“}
Make way for the house I had lived in for five years, make way for the hostess position at the family banquet, make way for the parents who had raised me for eighteen years.
Now, she even wanted my husband.
She was the “real heiress,” and everything she wanted could be reasonably snatched away. At the same time, I was just a fake who had fallen from a high place, not even qualified to cry.”
Initially, I could endure it.
I endured the pain of falling from the clouds into the dust, endured the contempt of others calling me a “fake heiress,” and endured the loneliness of every second of my marriage.
Sadly, I couldn’t endure Justin drugging me.
Nor could I endure him smiling and saying that his first child could only be Lilian’s.
That was the moment I stopped loving him.
Because someone like me, who was proud to the core, could never love a man who trampled on me like I was nothing.}
Besides Justin, almost everyone in the Sutherlands also felt it was unreasonable for me, not Lilian, to marry Justin.§
Justin’s mother, Agnes, had also mocked my background in front of me more than once. Their wishes were coming true, letting Lilian become Justin’s wife.
And I? I’d marry his older brother and become the eldest young madam.>
“Fine, you don’t love him anymore,” the old lady said. “Get the divorce done as soon as possible. I’ll arrange to cancel your household registration, get you a new passport and send you abroad.“}
It was already late when I got home with the divorce papers.
The door to Justin’s study was half–open. From inside the room came his low voice, carrying a hint of barely perceptible desire.
He was talking to someone, his voice lower than usual, his tone a tenderness I had never heard before.
I approached the half–closed door.
Through the crack, I saw Justin leaning back in his leather chair. The computer screen illuminated Lilian’s overly pure smiling face. And his right hand was slowly moving under his suit pants.}
My nails dug unconsciously into my palm, a dull ache spreading through my chest.
I had never seen Justin this out of control before.
“Lily, your voice is lovely.”
Suddenly, he whispered, with a suppressed tone and a little panting, “Can you talk more?”
I couldn’t bear it anymore and pushed the door open.
He didn’t even lift his eyelids, merely closing his laptop quickly. When he raised his eyes to meet mine, his gaze was as indifferent as
ever.
“Hubby, playing by yourself must be boring.” I leaned against the doorframe, forcing a smile. “Do you want me to join you?“}]
His expression remained blank. “Is there something you need?“}
My heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle.}
With Lilian, he was like a boy discovering love for the first time. With me? Just a monk who’d lost all earthly desires.”
Still smiling, I said, “I went to visit Grandma. She’s doing much better.”
His brows knit slightly. He’d clearly misunderstood and thought I was trying to pressure him. “Is it your ovulation period?”
He stood up, already loosening his tie. “Let’s get it over with.”
In the past, I’d have thrown myself into his arms, eager for any sliver of affection.}
Unfortunately, witnessing him act as if he were doing me a favour made me feel sick.
I took a step back and tried to keep my voice steady. “No need. Grandma asked me to give you a housing contract. She wants you to sign
it.”
He was clearly thrown off by my refusal. After a pause, he simply said, “Okay.“}]
I handed him the contract. As expected, he didn’t even glance at it before signing.”
As long as I said Elizabeth wanted something, he never questioned it.”
Back in the bedroom, I locked the door and tightly clutched the signed divorce agreement.”
The woman in the mirror still had exquisite makeup and a beautiful figure, far better than Lilian’s skinny frame.
Yet, Justin was utterly devoted to her sister.
Then I’ll wish you two a happy ending.
