Chapter 1

I was momentarily stunned at the system's sudden reappearance. After all, it had disappeared for years.

I looked at my wife, Summer Campbell's emotionless face. I then looked at Noelle Wilkins and my sister, Rachel Sharpe, who were ordering the maids to prepare a meal for my half-brother, Jordan Sharpe.

My heart throbbed painfully. They were the ones who told me that they had gotten into a car accident when they were on the way to celebrate my birthday. I had nearly jumped out of my skin in fear when I heard the news. I didn't hesitate for even a second, using a shortcut to look for them.

I didn't expect to be surrounded and abducted when I was on the way there. My life became a living hell from that day on.

I endured unspeakable hardship when I was waiting for them to rescue me. I couldn't believe that they were telling me that all the suffering I went through was because they wanted to teach me a lesson on Jordan's behalf.

"I want to leave," I answered the system in my heart.

[Roger that! Countdown to departure: Eight hours. Due to the abrupt circumstances, you must ensure that all three villains are present when you escape this world.]

Summer lifted her hand to wipe my tears when she saw me smiling through my tears. Her voice was as gentle as always when she said, "We don't have to get a divorce if you don't want to. Jordan has been thinking about you all these years. You can't hurt him again. He's also willing to name you as the father of the child."

Summer and I had been expecting a child once. But Jordan gave her the wrong medicine when she was six months along, accidentally causing her to suffer a miscarriage.

When I found out what happened, I sought Jordan out like a madman to settle the score. I had only slapped him once when Summer stopped me and locked me in the house. I was abducted to the small mountain village not long after that.

I felt as if there was cotton stuck in my throat. It ached painfully when I asked, "So, you decided to punish me just because I slapped Jordan once?"

"That's right!" Summer exclaimed, feeling no need to hide the truth. "Jordan was just trying to help. Besides, you were the one who was responsible for my medicine at the time. Our child would still be alive if you didn't forget to remind him.

"I promise that I won't send you away as long as you get along with Jordan from now on."

"Why are you telling me the truth now when you already lied to me?" I asked angrily, clenching my fists.

Rachel sighed but didn't say a single word.

"You and Jordan are brothers, after all," Noelle said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You'll only treat him well like us after you've learned your lesson."

Treat him well?

Unable to hold back my wrath anymore, I swept the tea set off the table to the floor. I then rolled my sleeves up to reveal the gruesome scars on my arms. My voice cracked when I shouted, "I was tortured by the people you hired every day. Even my legs—"

"That's enough!" Summer snapped, not even bothering to hide the disdain in her eyes. "Those drawn-on scars look so real. It seems that you haven't learned your lesson yet."

Both Rachel and Noelle also looked at me in disappointment. Summer had a look of disdain on her face as she grabbed my arm and shoved me into a storage room.

"I'll personally send you back to the mountain if you still haven't learned to behave when Jordan gets back," she said cruelly before slamming the door shut.

Her threat immediately caused my stress levels to spike. I couldn't help but feel as if I was going to get chained up and beaten in the next second.

"I'm willing to get a divorce!" I shouted hoarsely as I frantically hammered my fists on the door. "I don't want to go back to the mountain!"