Chapter 1

Kate Barker tossed two marriage certificates in front of me.

"Martin and I got married abroad. The only thing left is the wedding. Haven't you harassed me enough over the last three years?"

Seeing the names on the certificates stung my eyes.

Kate and I had a wedding, but we never actually signed the papers to make it legal. She smirked at my stunned expression, looking totally smug and in control.

"I've already had Martin move in. To be honest with you, the only reason I married him is that I'm pregnant with his child.

"If you have any self-respect, you'll explain everything to my mom. And if you continue to pester me, I won't hesitate to break your other leg," she spat as her gaze swept over my right leg.

My broken leg had been left untreated for seven days now. It had gone from agonizing pain to being completely numb.

Shutting my eyes, I rasped, "Okay."

She clearly hadn't expected me to agree so readily. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

"I'll move into the guest room. Since he's the baby's biological father, it makes more sense for him to have the master bedroom and take care of you."

I meant every word.

A week ago, she had gone around announcing her pregnancy to everyone and made sure they all knew the baby wasn't mine.

I turned into the butt of everyone's jokes. Even after three years, I still hadn't won her heart.

"Don't worry. I'll explain everything to your mom, and I won't bother you anymore."

Kate furrowed her brow, her eyes filled with doubt, though it quickly disappeared right after.

"You'd better not be trying to pull something. I told the household staff to take some time off, so there's no need for you to move into the guest room."

She paused, a smirk playing on her lips.

"I need someone to wait on me because of the baby. From now on, you'll be at my beck and call."

Kate spoke matter-of-factly. She then waited for my reaction with a cruel glint of amusement in her eyes.

I opened my mouth, but in the end, I merely gave a slight nod.

Having lost interest, Kate glanced at my right leg before calling the family doctor over.

When the medical staff saw the state of my leg, they looked horrified. The wound had been untreated for so long that it had already begun to fester.

The people Kate had sent had put me through unimaginable torture. They had even hammered nails into my bones.

Even the family doctor looked shaken.

"I highly recommend taking Mr. Cross to a major hospital for this. If it's as bad as it looks, his leg might need to be amputated."

My hands clenched into fists at my sides. But Kate, standing beside me, couldn't have cared less.

"What a joke. A grown man gets a little hurt, and suddenly he needs an amputation? He might as well be dead."

With a scoff, she walked back to the bedroom.

"And don't think looking like that is going to make me feel sorry for you. Even if you dropped dead right now, I still wouldn't forgive you."

She didn't close the door all the way. Martin Galvan was already inside, and it wasn't long before I heard their laughter followed by the unmistakable sounds of them making out.