Chapter 1

By the time Bradley Chapman finished giving his statement and walked out of the police station, Lilian Johnson's car was long gone.

His face was swollen on one side as he turned to her assistant.

"Where is Lilian?"

The assistant frowned, her voice edged with impatience. "Ms. Johnson is busy."

"What could possibly be more important than her own husband getting beaten and dragged into a police station?"

The assistant hesitated for a moment before finally explaining, "Ms. Johnson has to accompany Mr. Brooks."

At those words, Bradley lowered his eyes and let out a bitter, humorless laugh.

Mr. Brooks?

So, Matthias Brooks was the man everyone considered the head of the Johnson family, while Bradley Chapman was nothing more than a nobody?

At that moment, Bradley deeply regretted the choice he had made five years ago.

Five years earlier, he and Lilian had been young and in love. They had relied on each other, growing closer through every hardship.

Bradley was an orphan, while Lilian had grown up in a single-parent household.

Neither of them had a complete family, and the other children in their neighborhood had never welcomed them. With no one else to turn to, Bradley and Lilian became each other's only companions.

That companionship lasted for ten years, slowly growing from mutual dependence into love.

Then, five years ago, the richest man in Alderwood City died in a car accident. Not long afterward, Lilian's father suddenly took her hand and told her, "Lilian, you are Carol Johnson's only daughter. You need to come home."

Just like that, Lilian's life changed overnight. She became the sole heir to the Johnson Group, the long-lost daughter of the powerful Johnson family.

However, the Johnson family had only agreed to welcome her back on one condition: she had to marry Matthias, the son of the Brooks Group's owner, to strengthen the alliance between the two companies.

For Bradley's sake, Lilian refused. She stood outside the Johnson family estate in the pouring rain for three days, determined to reject the ridiculous arrangement. By the time she was taken inside, she had developed severe pneumonia.

She had told Bradley, "Bradley, you are the only man I will ever marry. Please trust me. My body and my heart belong to you alone."

Lilian kept her back straight as she silently endured her family's punishment. One hundred lashes tore across her body, each strike leaving another wound. She bore them all without a word until her clothes were stained with blood and her body was covered in wounds.

In the end, Carol's heart softened toward her only daughter, and she agreed to let Lilian marry Bradley. However, she imposed one condition: there would be no public wedding. Their marriage had to remain a secret.

In public, Matthias would still be Lilian's fiancé. To the outside world, Bradley was nothing more than an ex-boyfriend she had broken up with long ago.

Only after Lilian took control of the company would Bradley's name be allowed to appear beside hers.

"Bradley, wait for me. Once I have everything under control, I promise I will make it up to you."

That woman had been willing to sacrifice so much for him. Lilian's unwavering love had moved Bradley deeply.

Overcome by the sincerity of her devotion, he had given her a firm nod.

However, after they got married, he felt as though he had become a rat hiding in a sewer. Even holding Lilian's hand had become an impossible luxury.

As the Johnson Group continued promoting the story of Lilian and Matthias as a once-in-a-lifetime romance, more and more people began to adore them.

Once, Bradley had taken the time to prepare lunch for Lilian himself and brought it all the way to her office. However, the moment he appeared outside the building, people mistook him for a pathetic ex-boyfriend who refused to leave the wealthy heiress alone. Before he could even explain himself, they surrounded him and beat him mercilessly.

Online, the insults, accusations, and vicious attacks came one after another.

Lilian merely remained silent.

The sentence she repeated most often was, "Just wait a little longer, Bradley. Once I take control of the company, I will make our marriage public. I will make up for every humiliation you have suffered. All right?"

He had waited for five years.

Bradley had always believed that as long as Lilian still loved him, he could endure everything, even if he had no power, influence, or money.

He believed that if he held on long enough, the day would eventually come when they could finally be together in the open.

Then, not long ago, he accidentally discovered a wedding invitation inside Lilian's desk drawer.

[Bride: Lilian Johnson.]

[Groom: Matthias Brooks.]

Beneath the wedding invitation was a document confirming the transfer of her inheritance and ownership shares.

That was when Bradley realized the truth.

Lilian had already gained control of the Johnson Group, yet she and Matthias were still getting married. The man she truly wanted to marry was Matthias.

The hope Bradley had held on to so tightly quietly snapped.

After leaving Lilian's office in a daze, Bradley found himself standing on the sidewalk beneath a massive digital billboard. He lifted his head and watched a replay of an interview featuring Lilian and Matthias.

Matthias looked handsome and refined, while Lilian radiated elegance and grace. Standing side by side, they looked like the perfect couple, as though they had been made for each other.

Bradley could only stand in the shadows, watching them from a distance with a painful sense of inferiority. Their effortless chemistry made him feel even more out of place.

How ridiculous.

A passerby accidentally knocked Bradley's sunglasses off his face. Someone recognized him.

It was the same man who had recently shown up at Lilian's company and been filmed harassing her, the heiress of the Johnson Group.

"Hey, why does this guy look so familiar? Isn't he that ex-boyfriend who was exposed for refusing to leave the Johnson family's heiress alone?"

"Why does he still have the nerve to show his face around here? I heard he was the one who broke up with Lilian in the first place. Then, after the Johnson family took her back, he shamelessly came crawling after her.

“What a disgrace! Does he really think he can marry into a family like the Johnsons just because he’s kinda good-looking?"

The moment the words left their mouth, a fist suddenly slammed into Bradley's face.

He staggered backward several steps, his eyes turning red. He hurried to explain, "No! I'm Lilian's real husband!"

"Pretty boy, have you gone crazy over money? Who do you think you are? You think someone like you deserves to set foot in the Johnson family's home?"

The men, convinced they were standing up for justice, tackled Bradley to the ground. They straddled him and began throwing punches at him without mercy.

The pavement was cold beneath his body, and every inch of him ached. As the crowd surged forward, several people kicked him hard in the head.

His vision spun. His head throbbed, and blood burst from his nose.

"Pretty boy, say that again! I dare you. I’ll smash your mouth in!"

Bradley remembered the wedding invitation and inheritance document in Lilian's drawer. The groom really was not him.

A sudden, bitter smile crossed his face. He stopped struggling and lay motionless on the ground, numb to the beating as blood continued to run down his face.

"Yes. I'm not Lilian's husband!"

An hour later, the commotion had grown so loud that the police arrived and took several of the men back to the station.

The moment Bradley was brought inside, the officer on duty recognized him. He immediately frowned, his face filled with irritation.

"Not this guy again. He’s so desperate to marry into a wealthy family that he has completely lost his dignity. He gets beaten up for being some rich woman's kept man every few days, and he still refuses to learn his lesson. Honestly, he’s unbelievable."