Chapter 2

Even though the voice was faint, I heard it clearly.

The call then abruptly ended.

My fingers turned white as I gripped my phone tightly, but it couldn't stop the desolation I was feeling.

Rudolf and that woman were in each other's arms right now!

I didn't have to see it to picture it in my mind. I didn't even have the bravery to imagine it any further!

Just then, the private investigator I hired sent me the photos. My hands trembled as I scrolled through them. There were countless shots of Rudolf with that woman and their child, as if they were a loving family.

I had been holding myself together until now, but my mind finally crumbled. I screamed in agony as I sobbed. The pain was so immense that I felt like my heart was crushed; I was barely breathing. It consumed my entire being, sending me collapsing to the floor.

I curled and trembled.

Soon, I couldn't make any sound anymore. Only ragged gasps scraped through my throat, as if I were on the verge of dying.

For a moment, I thought maybe Rudolf had done this just to give the Gray family an heir.

But that didn't seem like it.

It was clear that there was love between him and that woman—and he was the one who had pursued it.

I lifted my head to stare at the wedding photo on the wall. My gaze shifted from pain to hollowness, from disappointment to despair.

In the end, ten years of marriage were over. We had no children to keep us together, and the Gray family was a powerful household. As the president of Gray Group, how could Rudolf avoid having an heir?

Even if he refused, the elders in his family would pressure him.

Maybe this was something that was bound to happen sooner or later.

But the wound in my heart was deep. We grew up together, after all. Everyone said the two of us were meant to be together forever.

When he was six, he got into a fight. I helped treat his wounds and took the blame. I was scolded, but I didn't defend myself.

When he was sixteen, he fell down the stairs and was badly injured. I rushed into the ward, sobbing and threatening to die with him.

When he was eighteen and his enemies were after him, I stepped in and took the slash that was meant for him, leaving a scar across my chest.

When he was twenty, he secretly delivered food to earn money for my engagement ring, keeping his family in the dark.

He said to me, "Lia, marry me. I'll love you for the rest of my life."

Years of feelings had moved me, and my heart beat only for him. So, I agreed to marry.

But after my injury left me unable to have children, the elders in the Gray family began to look at me with disdain. Rudolf stood his ground and stood outside the family gates in protest for three days and three nights, begging them to let him marry me.

"I love her. I'm marrying her. If you don't agree, I'll give up my right to inherit the Gray family's fortune."

It was only after seeing his determination that they finally gave in.

The entirety of South City had witnessed our love.

On our wedding day, he swore on God, "Lia, I'll never betray you, and I'll never hurt you."

And yet, in the end, he did both.

Suddenly, I felt so, so tired…

I lay on the floor the whole night, my mind never stopped resting.

When morning came, I made my decision.

I called my father, Midas Medina.

"Dad, Medina Group is expanding its business in Lumiere City lately, right? I want to go there for a while, to learn and see how things work."

My father sounded puzzled, his tone turning stern. "Lia, did you and Rudolf fight? Why else would you want to go so far away to Lumiere City?"

He was sharp, already sensing something was wrong.

But I couldn't tell him the truth yet.

"I'll explain after I get there."

The Medinas and the Grays had been close for generations, with business ties strengthened by our marriage. I didn't want the Medinas to suffer because of me.

"…Alright." He didn't press further and agreed.

After hanging up, I deleted every photo of Rudolf and me from my phone. I had already seen the purest form of love. I could no longer accept anything tainted.

I could give up everything for love…

But I would never stand for my lover's unfaithfulness.