Chapter 2

Mercy froze.

Had Fiona not brought it up, she might have forgotten that four years ago, she used the excuse of going abroad to find a fling.

"It has nothing to do with me. Joshua has another lover and child."

Fiona barely had time to curse before the hospital room door suddenly opened, and Mercy ended the call.

"You're finally awake!"

Mercy watched Joshua enter the room.

She had never seen the suit he was wearing today. It wasn't one she bought for him.

The tailored charcoal-gray suit looked expensive and complemented his polished, gentlemanly appearance.

Mercy and Joshua grew up together. Their families arranged their marriage before she was even born, and for as long as she could remember, she believed he was a gentleman.

Even now, his face was filled with concern for her and delight at seeing her awake.

Had Mercy not witnessed his other family with her own eyes, she might still have believed her husband loved her faithfully and wholeheartedly.

She sneered inwardly.

Joshua deserved an Oscar for that performance.

"Mercy, guess who's here to see you?"

Only then did Mercy realize that throughout their four years of marriage, Joshua had always called her Mercy.

There had never been a pet name, an affectionate nickname, or even a simple "honey."

It was always just "Mercy."

"Wendy, Yuna, come in."

Mercy watched as Wendy entered, holding Yuna's hand.

Wendy wore a royal-blue floral dress from Chanel's latest spring couture collection. Mercy had once told Joshua how much she liked that particular design.

Wendy's long, straight black hair made her look gentle and demure, while her large, luminous eyes seemed almost expressive enough to speak.

With her refined, well-bred appearance, who would have guessed that she was secretly having an affair with her adoptive brother, a married man?

Then Mercy looked at Yuna, who wore a limited-edition pink Disney princess dress.

Mercy had never paid much attention to Yuna's features before.

Now that she looked closely, the girl truly resembled Mason very little.

"Hi, Aunt Mercy. I brought you a peach."

Yuna held out the peach she had carried into the room.

Mercy didn't take it.

She was allergic to peaches.

"Mercy, look how thoughtful and well-mannered Yuna is."

Joshua took the peach from her, cut it into pieces with a fruit knife, and arranged them neatly on a plate with cocktail forks.

Mercy watched him in silence.

Joshua handled the fruit with practiced ease.

"My brother used to prepare fruit for us all the time at home. Mercy, you're so lucky to be married to him!"

As Mercy listened to Wendy, she thought back over the past four years. She was always the one who prepared the fruit at home. Joshua had never once lifted a finger.

She used to think such trivial chores were beneath him.

Now she understood that Joshua knew perfectly well how to do them.

He simply never did them for her.

Beneath the blanket, Mercy quietly clenched her hand.

As Wendy fed Yuna a piece of peach, Mercy noticed her deliberately exposing her wrist.

Wrapped around it was an antique red-and-blue cloisonné bracelet set with gemstones and diamonds. It was the final lot at the Hercules Auction and the only one of its kind in existence. It had sold for five hundred and forty thousand dollars.

Mercy arched a brow.

With Wendy's income, there was no way she could afford a piece like that.

Combined with the way she was clearly showing it off, Mercy had little doubt that Joshua bought it for her.

The atmosphere in the hospital room remained cheerful.

Joshua, Wendy, and Yuna chatted and laughed together, making Mercy seem like the outsider.

"Mercy, there's something I'd like to discuss with you..."

Joshua claimed he wanted to discuss it with her, yet he exchanged a meaningful glance with Wendy.

"Yuna is Mason's only daughter. You know how close Mason and I are. She's old enough to start preparing for primary school now, and the standard of education in Ashford is among the highest in the country. I want her to receive a better education here..."

Joshua cleared his throat.

"So, while you were unconscious, I changed Wendy's and Yuna's registered address to ours."

Even though Mercy had already braced herself, his actions still cut deeply.

"You call this a discussion?"

"Mercy..."

"I don't agree."

The moment Mercy said those words, the air in the hospital room seemed to freeze.

From the corner of her eye, Mercy saw Wendy signal to Yuna.

"Waaah..."

Yuna immediately burst into tears, which streamed endlessly down her cheeks.

"So... I can't go to the best school anymore? Uncle Joshua... I've already lost my daddy. Now... are you abandoning me too?"

Joshua had felt a trace of guilt for changing their registered address without Mercy's consent. But the moment Yuna burst into tears, he immediately scooped her into his arms.

"Don't cry, Yuna. How could I ever abandon you?"

As he comforted Yuna, Joshua shot Mercy a reproachful look.

"Mercy, I never thought you'd be this unreasonable... Look how hard Yuna's crying. She's just a little girl. Don't you feel bad for her?"

Before Mercy could say a word, Wendy stood up.

"Joshua, don't make things difficult for Mercy. This is all Yuna's and my fault. Yuna, apologize to Aunt Mercy right now."

Yuna cried even harder after getting scolded by Wendy.

Joshua let out a weary sigh. His eyes were filled with disappointment as he looked at Mercy.

"Mercy, the paperwork's already been filed. The matter's settled... I'll walk Wendy and Yuna out."

Once Joshua left with Wendy and Yuna, the hospital room finally fell silent again.

Mercy brushed a hand across her cheek and felt the wetness on her fingertips.

She hadn't even realized she was crying.

She clenched her jaw.

A man like that wasn't worth her tears.

She took out her phone and messaged Alex Grant to ask how the divorce agreement was coming along.

Because the Park family owned extensive assets, there was a great deal of property to divide in the divorce.

Alex told her it would take a few more days.

But Mercy couldn't wait that long.

She called him directly.

"I want Joshua to walk away with nothing."

Five days later, Fiona arrived at the hospital with the completed divorce agreement.

She was Mercy's best friend and flew back as soon as she heard the news.

"Now that's exactly the kind of care package I wanted."

Mercy smiled as she accepted the thick stack of divorce papers from Fiona.

"I never would've guessed Joshua could be such a complete bastard."

After hearing how Joshua changed Wendy's and Yuna's registered address without Mercy's consent, Fiona spent the next forty minutes unleashing a nonstop stream of colorful profanity.

"I mean, Mercy, when did you turn into a saint? How are you not raising hell over this?"

Mercy shrugged.

"I'm divorcing Joshua anyway. He can change their registered address to wherever he wants."

"So, what do you want in return?" Fiona asked.

"The bracelet Joshua bought for Wendy."

Only then did Fiona notice the jewelry on Mercy's wrist.

"Wait... isn't that the antique bracelet from the Hercules Auction? It cost over half a million dollars! Joshua never bought anything like that for you, but he had no problem splurging on that bitch. What an asshole!"

Fiona couldn't help launching into another round of furious cursing.

"But how are you planning to get the bracelet? Even if Joshua agrees to take it back, there's no way his precious adopted sister will hand it over without a fight."

A faint smile curved Mercy's lips.

That was exactly why she wanted the bracelet.

The thought of Joshua getting into a huge fight with Wendy just to take it back, and Wendy having no choice but to hand it over in the end, filled Mercy with satisfaction.

"Joshua's new company still depends on my father's support..."

It only meant Wendy would never be more than the other woman.

Besides, she was still Joshua's adopted sister in the eyes of everyone else.

The very night Joshua told Mercy about changing the registered address, he came to apologize with a box of her favorite strawberries.

Whenever they argued in the past, Joshua would always buy her strawberries as a peace offering.

Back then, Mercy believed he apologized because he loved her.

She looked back now and felt like a complete fool.

How had she never realized that every time Joshua made up with her, he would ask her to get business opportunities from her father?

Joshua never loved her.

He loved the connections and advantages she brought to his business.

Just like this time, Joshua agreed to take back the bracelet he'd already given Wendy because his new company still needed her family's support.

"You've got the divorce agreement now, but Mr. Grant said it'll be nearly impossible to make Joshua walk away with nothing. Even if you take him to court, there's almost no chance he'll lose every cent... So, what's your plan?"

Mercy's fingers brushed lightly over the cold words printed on the cover:

Divorce Agreement.

"That's why I'm going to give Joshua a gift..."

She paused, a faint smile touching her lips.

"At exactly the right moment."

"He's been keeping another woman and a kid behind your back, and you're still waiting for the perfect moment?"

Fiona was practically spitting in Mercy's face.

Fiona was right.

But Mercy really was waiting for the perfect opportunity to destroy Joshua's reputation once and for all.

"Joshua's been worried that his new company wouldn't make it to an IPO..."

Fiona's eyes immediately lit up.

"You're planning to stop the listing?"

"No."

Mercy shook her head without hesitation, a small smile spreading across her face.

"I'm going to do everything I can to help him take it public."