Chapter 1

“Karina, security just told me some kids nearby punctured your tire.

“The weather alert says a massive storm’s about to hit, and it’ll be almost impossible to get a ride once it starts. Want me to drive you home?”

Her assistant, Jenny Marker, pushed open the door, looking indignant.

“Kids these days are awful.”

Karina Jackson’s pen paused.

Tonight was the Foster family dinner, and everyone was expected to be there. No exceptions.

After a moment of silence, she picked up her phone, opened her chat with Mark Foster, and sent him a voice message.

“Mark, I have a flat tire, and there’s a huge storm coming. Can you come pick me up?”

The second she sent it, a reply appeared on the screen.

‘Okay.’

Karina let out a quiet breath and locked her phone.

“Jenny, you can head home. I’m going pretty far, so I’ll just call a ride later.”

Jenny nodded, reminded her to be careful, then left.

Karina rubbed her sore temples and got to her feet, gazing out the window.

They’d been married for seven years, and Mark had never once listened to any of her voice messages.

No matter what she sent him, he always replied almost instantly with the same word.

Okay.

Her friends used to envy her for it.

They said her husband might seem cold, but at least he always responded to her.

Then one night, Karina came down with a dangerously high fever. She sent him a voice message asking him to come home and bring some medicine.

She waited all night.

He never came.

The next morning, a housekeeper found her unconscious in bed and rushed her to the hospital.

Only then did she wake up.

Afterward, Karina cautiously asked Mark if something had held him up on the way home.

He’d only looked at her coldly and said, “If you want something, just decide for yourself. You don’t need to message me about everything.”

That was when Karina finally realized what he thought.

Whenever she contacted him, he assumed she wanted money.

He’d even installed an auto-reply on his phone so he wouldn’t have to deal with her himself.

“Why can’t I go in? It’s not like I’m refusing to pay.

“This is a therapy office, isn’t it? Since when do you turn patients away?”

A young woman suddenly barged inside.

Her eyes were red, and she was visibly agitated.

Jenny couldn’t stop her.

“I’m sorry, miss, but we’re already closed for the day. Please come back tomorrow.”

“I don’t care. I need to see someone now!”

Serena Chandler yanked her arm out of Jenny’s grasp and dropped into the chair.

“I feel awful. If my depression gets worse and I die, it’ll be your fault.”

“Jenny, go home. I’ll handle this.”

Karina pushed aside her thoughts and walked toward Serena.

Jenny opened her mouth as if she wanted to argue, but in the end, she said nothing and stepped outside.

The woman in front of Karina was young, but there was an unsettling intensity in her eyes.

Karina had treated plenty of patients like her before.

She approached and asked gently, “What’s your name? And how can I help you?”

“My name is Serena Chandler. I have severe depression, and it’s ruined my entire life.”

Serena Chandler.

The name sounded strangely familiar.

But Karina’s professional instincts took over, and she didn’t dwell on it. She simply listened.

“My family was torn apart by an affair. That bitch even had a bastard who’s older than me.

“My whole childhood was nothing but fighting. I became more and more bitter and unstable until I started wishing everyone would just die.”

Serena’s expression darkened as her emotions began spiraling.

“Then I met my boyfriend. He put up with everything and tried to pull me out of it.

“But I’d been sick for too long. I kept hurting him over and over again.

“I didn’t know what else to do, so I went overseas for treatment. I thought I’d come back once I was better and marry him.

“But when I came back, he was already married!”

By the time she finished, Serena had completely lost control.

Her eyes blazing, she lunged forward and dug her nails hard into Karina’s arm. Within seconds, she’d broken the skin.

Karina frowned at the pain.

But instead of struggling, she gently lifted a hand and patted Serena on the back.

“I know you’re hurting. This isn’t your fault.

“He was the one who didn’t wait for you. That’s on him, not you.”

The words only enraged Serena.

She suddenly raised her hand and slapped Karina across the face.

“Who gave you the right to talk about him like that?”

Karina’s head snapped to the side, her cheek burning from the blow.

The next second, Serena’s expression crumpled. She stood there looking helpless and vulnerable.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just can’t control myself.

“The woman who stole my boyfriend is the daughter of the mistress who destroyed my family!

“She and her mother did this on purpose. They both deserve to die!

“My boyfriend didn’t marry her because he loves her! He only did it because he was afraid that bitch would keep digging into the past and hurt me and my mom!”

Serena looked at Karina desperately.

“Dr. Jackson, I don’t want to be the other woman. Tell me, how can I make his wife leave him on her own?”

Karina lowered her eyes as a dull ache spread through her chest.

Years ago, her mother had helped a man escape poverty.

He kept his promise and married her mother.

But in the end, he’d chosen money and left her for a wealthy woman instead.

Her mother had died without ever getting the justice she deserved.

Afraid the truth would hurt Karina, she’d taken the man’s identity to her grave.

One of the reasons Karina had married Mark in the first place was because she’d hoped he could help her uncover the truth.

She hadn’t wanted revenge.

She’d only wanted an apology for her mother.

But even after her mother was buried, Mark had never given her an answer.

At that moment, Karina found herself envying Serena.

At least Serena had someone willing to protect her so fiercely.

“Ms. Chandler, things may not be exactly the way you think they are. It’s possible his wife never knew the truth at all.

“At the end of the day, the choice was always his. His indecision is what caused all this pain.”

Serena’s lips slowly curved into an unsettling smile.

She stared straight at Karina, hostility flashing in her eyes.

“Dr. Jackson, what if you were the woman who came between us?

“Would you leave him?”

Karina’s brows drew together.

A wave of unease swept through her, and she was just about to answer when Serena suddenly shot to her feet and shoved her with all her strength.

“That mistress and her daughter all deserve to die!”

Karina stumbled backward and fell hard.

Afraid Serena might completely lose control and do something drastic, she ignored the pain shooting through her body and immediately reached for her, trying to restrain her.

Just then, the office door flew open.

Mark strode inside with a frown.

The moment Serena saw him, she violently shook off Karina’s hand.

Then she suddenly went limp, putting on a wounded expression.

“Mark, it hurts.”

The sudden force sent Karina stumbling backward again.

The back of her hand slammed into the corner of the desk.

A sharp pain tore through her.

Warm blood began dripping between her fingers.

Mark walked right past her without so much as slowing down, his cold gaze fixed entirely on Serena.

“Calm down. I’m here.”

They’d been married for seven years.

This was the first time Karina had ever seen her husband look genuinely worried about anyone outside his own family.

“Aunt Serena, are you okay?”

Her son, Jack Foster, came running over and grabbed Serena’s hand anxiously.

Then he turned to Karina with an unhappy expression.

“Mom, didn’t I tell you to be gentle with Aunt Serena?”

“What if something happened to her?”

Karina froze.

For a long moment, she couldn’t even process what she was seeing.

Pain spread through her chest, sharp and relentless.

So the Aunt Serena her son had been constantly asking to see wasn’t his tutor after all.

And the daughter of that mistress was Serena Chandler.

Serena nestled smugly against Mark, shooting Karina a provocative smile.

“Mark, I was actually looking for you. I just thought I’d ask Ms. Jackson about my condition while I was here.

“I didn’t expect a therapist to be so aggressive. She deliberately said things she knew would trigger me.”

Mark’s brows pulled into a deep frown, and his voice turned colder.

“Don’t come here again. The therapist I arranged for you is already waiting at home.

“Dad, let’s go. I was worried sick because I hadn’t seen Aunt Serena in so long.”

Jack bounced eagerly beside them.

“I want Aunt Serena to sleep with me tonight. She’s the sweetest person ever.”

He lifted his arms, asking Serena to pick him up.

Smiling, Serena bent down and gathered him into her arms.

“Of course. As long as your dad says yes, I’ll come keep you company every day.”

The three of them walked out together.

From beginning to end, not one of them spared Karina another glance.

Blood was still dripping from her hand.

But the pain was nothing compared to the ache in her chest.

So she had been the outsider all along.

Had Mark kept the truth from her because he believed her mother had been the mistress?

Had he married Karina because he was afraid she would hurt Serena?

“Karina!”

Jenny’s alarmed voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Your hand is bleeding so much. Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Karina calmly wiped the blood from her hand.

Her voice was completely flat.

“I’m fine. Go home.”

Once the office was quiet again, Karina picked up her phone and sent another voice message.

“Mark Foster, I want a divorce.”

The message went through.

A second later, the same familiar automated reply appeared on the screen.

‘Okay.’