Chapter 1

I slumped down in the corner. Behind the wall that stood between my husband, Gerald Brown, and me, tears streamed down my face.

The pain in my chest made breathing difficult. To survive, I turned and fled to the guest bedroom.

The tiny guest room had no heating, yet Gerald had forced me to live there throughout the entirety of winter.

I frantically poured pills from the bottle and shoved them into my mouth. Fortunately, Gerald had only substituted my original pills with weaker heart medication. Otherwise, I would not have survived the night.

I had just returned from the hospital. My injuries still throbbed with dull pain.

Tears welled up when my fingers brushed against my flat stomach.

I still remembered the vicious oath he had sworn when he defied all gossip to marry me. “Hailey, you’re the only one for me. If I ever betray you, may I die a wretched death.”

Yet he brought his first love into our home.

The cold wind stung, but not as much as this heart-wrenching pain.

For a moment, I lost my strength and collapsed to the floor. Hearing the noise, my maid, Penny, rushed upstairs to help me up.

“Ms. Hailey, is your heart acting up again? I’ll call Mr. Brown at once!”

I shook my head firmly and forced myself to stand.

“It’s fine. I’ll go find him myself.”

The last time my heart condition flared up, Penny went to get Gerald for me.

She accidentally interrupted his intimate moment with Aileen Smith, the secretary from Gerald’s rival company. Aileen then slapped her repeatedly before sending her back.

Penny was also banished from the main house, and that was because of me. She endured the cold with me in the guest room while suffering frequent humiliation from Aileen.

I already owed her too much. I could not let her suffer more on my account.

I looked at the medicine in my hand and felt a numbness spread through my chest.

Would seeking his help even matter?

I smiled bitterly. Gerald had long since replaced the medicine with far less effective substitutes.

No amount of this medicine could stop the pain. It only barely kept me alive.

A cold draft crept through the door gap. The moment I stood up, dizziness overwhelmed me. Penny screamed in panic beside me.

“Ms. Hailey! Are you okay?

“Help! Somebody, help!”

In my daze, I heard someone kick the door open.

Gerald appeared. His face flashed with panic when he saw me. Aileen stood nearby. Her frown deepened as if she were fighting back tears.

“Hailey, what’s wrong? Are you feeling sick after returning from the hospital? Or are you upset because Gerrie transferred all his assets to me?”