Chapter 3

Back then, Adam had cut ties with the Graham family just to be with Renee.

She couldn't bear to see him lose his mother, so no matter how badly the cruel Irene treated her, she put up with it all just so Adam could be happy. Looking back now, every bit of suffering had been the price of loving too blindly.

"You—"

Irene was so angry she could barely speak.

But before she could finish her sentence, Renee calmly interrupted: "I'm planning to divorce Adam. But I want three billion in compensation."

For a second, Irene's eyes lit up with excitement. But when she heard the amount, she shot up from the couch in outrage. "Three billion? Even if you were made of solid gold, you wouldn't be worth that much! Who do you think you are?!"

Renee stayed seated, her voice cool and even as she said, "Fine. Then, we don't have to get divorced. Sooner or later, Adam's going to find out I can't have children anyway."

That shut Irene up. She knew exactly how much her son adored Renee. If he ever found out the truth, their bond as mother and son might never heal.

After a few tense seconds, Irene bit back her anger and said, "Three billion is out of the question. I'll give you one billion. That's my limit."

"Deal," Renee agreed without hesitation.

Having expected Irene to haggle, she had asked for more on purpose.

"Are you really going through with the divorce?" Irene asked, still looking suspicious.

"Once I get the money, I'll sign the papers within a month," Renee promised.

Irene was fuming but held it in. "Fine. I'll have the lawyers draft the papers."

She grabbed her purse and headed for the door, but not without a final warning: "If you're lying to me, Renee… You know exactly what I'm capable of."

And with that, she stormed out.

This was the first time Renee had ever stood up to her mother-in-law. In the past, even a small mistake would have led to Irene running straight to Adam, crying and trying to stir up trouble between the couple. But this time, even after being slapped across the face, Irene didn't breathe a word to her son.

And the reason? It was because she was thrilled! She was delighted that Renee had finally agreed to walk away from her son.

Forty minutes later, Adam came out of the kitchen carrying a few plates of food.

"Dinner's ready," he called.

When he didn't see his mother in the living room, he figured she had already left. He didn't even ask why.

In the dining room, the table was beautifully set with various dishes. Still wearing an apron, Adam looked every bit the ideal husband. If one could ignore his cheating, he really did come across as the perfect man. But all of that was just a cover-up for the guilt he carried inside.

The last time Adam cooked for his wife was almost a year ago.

"Renee, this is your favorite mushroom soup. Let me get you a bowl."

Adam was about to serve her when his phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He set the bowl down in front of her and pulled out his phone. When he saw the caller ID, something flickered in his eyes.

"I'm gonna take this real quick."

He used to answer calls right in front of her, never hiding anything.

Renee could guess who it was—probably Kayla.

"Go ahead," she said, picking up her cutlery like nothing was wrong.

Adam stepped out of the dining room and answered the call. Renee couldn't hear what he said, but when he came back, he was already taking off his apron, looking anxious.

"Renee, a friend of mine got into a car accident. I need to go check on him."

"Who?" she asked, her eyes wide and innocent. "I know all your friends. I'll go with you."

Adam froze for half a second. "Didn't you say you were tired? Stay here and rest. I'll be back soon."

"Alright," she said softly.

She already knew the truth but didn't feel like pushing it.

Sensing her disappointment, Adam walked over and kissed her on the cheek. "Sorry, we'll have dinner together next time."

And then, he rushed out the door.

Renee sat still, listening to the sound of his footsteps getting farther and farther away. It felt like her happiness was leaving with him, slipping through the cracks until all that remained was silence and the hollow ache of betrayal.

The villa felt too big, too empty. The air felt thinner, like she couldn't breathe. She needed to get away from it all.

Having lost her appetite, she quietly went upstairs to their bedroom, where she pulled out a stack of photo albums. There were about seven, maybe eight of them. Inside were hundreds of pictures capturing five years of love and memories.

She flipped through them slowly, and somewhere between the pages, sleep pulled her under. When she woke up, she didn't know how much time had passed. She curled up on the bed, clutching her stomach in pain.

The years of late-night drinking and corporate dinners with Adam had left her with chronic stomach issues. She hadn't eaten properly today, thanks to him, and now the pain was back, sharp and relentless.

Sweat poured down her face as she forced herself upright, then stumbled to the medicine cabinet. But when she opened it, there was no medication left.

Barely able to think, Renee grabbed her phone and called Adam. The line rang, and then someone picked up.

"Adam, I…" she called out weakly, ready to ask for help.

But a sweet voice came through the other end: "Ms. Whitley? Adam's in the shower right now. He can't come to the phone. But if there's something urgent, you can tell me and I'll let him kno—"

Renee hung up without another word. She didn't want to hear Kayla's voice.

So, Adam's so-called "emergency" was just him spending the night with Kayla.

Of course it was.

Wondering when her husband's heart started to change, Renee's heart ached, but her stomach hurt even worse. The pain was one she had never felt before.

She glanced at her phone and saw that it was one in the morning. At this hour, Martha would already be asleep. Even if she were awake, she couldn't drive.

Left with no choice, Renee forced herself to her feet despite the pain, headed downstairs, and got into the car, intending to drive herself to the hospital. As the villa was far away from the city, waiting for an ambulance would take too long.

Renee's car moved steadily forward along the quiet road, but her vision was blurring fast, her face pale with pain.

At an intersection, a car suddenly sped toward her, leaving her with no time to react.

Bam!

The impact jolted the airbags open, tossing Renee around so badly she felt dizzy and disoriented. Relying on what little strength she had left, she managed to open the car door and stumble out.

Everything was hazy, and her vision was going dark around the edges. Through the blur, she saw a man in a deep red shirt standing near the other car. She staggered toward him and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Help… me…"

Then, she collapsed straight into his arms.

"Holy shit! What the hell happened? Is that Sadako?" another man exclaimed.

Luke Sanders, the man who spoke, had just stepped out of the front passenger's side. He froze, staring at the woman slumped against his boss, Jasper Zeller. With her long, white silk dress, her dark hair falling loosely over her shoulders, and streaks of blood staining her face, she looked like something straight out of a horror movie.

Jasper looked down at the woman in his arms. Even with blood across her cheek, he recognized her instantly.

"It's her?"

Luke blinked in confusion. "Who?"

Jasper glanced at him. "Sadako."

Without another word, he scooped Renee up and carried her to the car. He climbed into the driver's seat and reversed the damaged vehicle away from the crash scene.

Before leaving, he called out, "Stay here and deal with this."