Chapter 1

“Let’s get divorced.”

The look on my face was perfectly calm. It was as though I was commenting on the weather instead of declaring the end of my marriage.

Tyler, who was sitting across from me, sipped his coffee leisurely. He didn’t even raise his head.

He scoffed, “What are you trying to do now? Threatening me with divorce?”

“When your father begged the Lane family for a meal back then, why weren’t you this stubborn?”

It felt like invisible hands had clamped around my throat, crushing me.

My chest tightened, my lungs screaming for air, and suddenly I could barely breathe.

Memories flashed through my mind, frame by frame.

My adoptive father was a bodyguard for the Lane family. Seven years ago, when Old Master Lane was attacked by enemies, it was my adoptive father who took a bullet for him.

In the hospital, Old Master Lane asked what he wanted.

He struggled to breathe, his breaths shallow and weak. “Please… make sure Quincy is taken care of… protect her for the rest of her life…”

At that time, Tyler had just broken up with his first love, Vivian. He married me out of gratitude.

On the day of our wedding, he declared to everyone, “Quincy is the lady of the Lane family. As long as I’m here, nobody can touch her!”

However, those promises crumbled the moment Vivian returned.

‘Tyler, you’ve almost crushed me to death…’

I forced down the sour lump in my throat and clenched my fists.

“I’m not acting! I’m really divorcing you!”

Hearing those words, he finally looked up at me. There was no warmth in his gaze, only thick impatience.

“Enough! You want to divorce over your adoptive father’s medical support being paused? That’s a trivial matter.”

“If you hadn’t been trying to defy Vivian’s rules, I wouldn’t have stopped it.”

“The treatment? I’ve already hired the best medical team in the world. Learn to behave next time. Stop acting like a lowborn liar, begging for money!”

Then, he turned around and walked away, completely ignoring me.

Tyler was certain I was just throwing a tantrum.

He thought that as long as he waved at me, I would bend over backwards like before, follow behind him and willingly play the role of his maid.

No, I did not even deserve to be called a maid.

Even a maid received a steady paycheck. I was at most a volunteer working for free.

I was supposed to be Mrs. Lane, the envy of high society, yet I did not even have the right to make my own decisions.

My outfits, jewelry, comings and goings, even marital intimacy, all had to be reported to that so-called personal housekeeper, Vivian, for approval.

Even if Tyler had brought the world’s top medical team for my father, what good was it?

Nothing could turn back the clock.

Last night, my adoptive father had a heart attack. I dropped to my knees, begging Vivian to transfer money to save him.

She deliberately made it difficult.

Twirling her hair, she looked at me with a provocative smirk,

“Quincy, he just had a heart episode. He’s not dead. Who are you crying for?”

“I visited him yesterday. He’s fine. You’re not going to lie just to pad your poor family’s finances, are you? Follow the rules. You need to write a 10,000-word application for my approval.”

Rage coursed through me, my body trembling uncontrollably. My father’s surgery could not wait another second!

I spun toward Tyler and fell to my knees, begging him to save my father’s life.

However, he did not even flinch.

“Vivian’s right. You’re still clinging to your old poor habits. Money can’t be wasted. It has to be spent wisely. Everything is for your own good!”

Vivian let out a sigh. “Tyler, deep down she’s still petty and weak. She’s not fit for our circle. Everyone says that she’s embarrassed you…”

I roared, “Shut your mouth!”

Her eyes turned red, filled with false innocence. “Tyler, I think she’s holding a grudge against me because I’ve reminded her so many times how a rich lady should behave, and that she shouldn’t act like before and break the rules.”

Tyler’s voice was sharp and impatient.

“Quincy, I warned you. Don’t make things difficult for Vivian. She’s just following my orders! Do as she says.”

Again…

No matter what I needed, he always brushed me off with that line.

“Vivian is right. Just listen to her!”

“Vivian grew up in the elite circles. She wouldn’t hurt you!”

“Listen to Vivian… Anything you need, go through her…”

It seemed like Vivian was a pearl in his eyes, and I was just a pile of dirt.

What glamorous, high-society Mrs. Lane am I? I was nothing but a puppet on strings.

I could not even protect my own child with Tyler!