Chapter 1

Lilian's POV

The phone fell onto the floor with a crisp clatter.

The video on it was still playing.

"Jake, what if Lilian found out you lied to her? After all, you never got poisoned. You even planned the abduction yourself, and that took away her innocence and left her unable to have children."

With one last push, Jake Langford turned around and planted a kiss on Michelle Langford's forehead. Then, he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom.

"It doesn't matter," he said.

Michelle chuckled coyly. "You're right. Because of that incident, Lilian has always thought of you as her savior, hasn't she?"

Jake's voice was low and seductive. "And you are my personal idol. Would you like to be pampered one more time?"

Suggestive sounds could be heard again, this time from the bathroom.

My whole body felt limp, and I leaned against a wall for support.

Six months ago, my fiance walked right out of our wedding. I became the joke of the whole social circle.

However, Jake suddenly proposed to me. "Lily, I've always had feelings for you. Will you marry me?"

I never thought that a wealthy heir from Sephgard, who had countless admirers, would propose to me.

At that moment, as if I had found a lifeline, I nodded without hesitation.

Jake and I quickly settled on a wedding date, but before the banquet even began, I was abducted.

To save me, Jake was forced to drink poisoned wine.

Ever since then, I had been caught in a cycle of sorrow and regret.

But every time I saw the gloomy look on Jake's face, I would instantly be overcome with regret.

Videos continued playing one after another on the phone. When the phone automatically turned off, the door opened.

Seeing me on the floor, Jake urgently rushed up to me. "Lily, what happened?"

The strong smell of roses lingering in his hair penetrated my nostrils. His adopted sister, Michelle, loved roses.

I shook my head. Then, I picked up the phone on the floor and handed it to him.

Jake froze, his expression darkening. After making sure that it was turned off, he gradually relaxed. "Where did you find this? It's my backup phone."

I clenched my fists tightly, suppressing my emotions that were on the verge of eruption. I said calmly, "It fell out when I was doing the laundry."

The phone was placed in an exquisite box, and I had assumed it was a surprise he had prepared for my birthday.

However, I couldn't unlock it, even after trying every password I could think of.

That was, until I keyed in Michelle's birthday…

Jake carried me onto the bed. Then, he fastened a bracelet around my wrist. "Happy birthday, Lily."

My gaze fell upon his pants pocket. Something pink was peeking out of it.

It was an open condom wrapper.

Once, when Michelle dragged me to an adult store, she bought a few and even gifted one to me.

Back then, she had a mysterious smile on her face when she said, "Lilian, trust me. Jake will love it."

And now, I finally realized why she had seemed so sure about it.

A notification sounded.

In our family group chat, Michelle had sent a photo and tagged everyone in her message that read, "Jake, thank you for the jewelry. You're the best!"

Jake tapped at his phone, the corners of his lips subconsciously turning up.

An empty box with a "free gift" label sat in an inconspicuous corner of the photo.

Lowering my head, I stroked the bracelet on my wrist, which was still warm from Jake's touch. I said with a chuckle, "Thank you, honey."

Then, I casually asked, "Where's the packaging?"

Jake was typing when his fingers froze. Then, he reached out and pinched my cheek.

"I was worried that a certain someone would get jealous, so as soon as I was done with the ‘treatment', I hurriedly went to get a gift and rushed home. I totally forgot about the packaging.

"Come on, this is the last time. It'll all be over soon. I can't even be bothered to look at her."

He hugged me tightly. "Lily, don't hate me for this."

Noticing that I still hadn't said a word, he sighed. "I'm going to take a shower."

My nails dug into my flesh as I watched him take the phone into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Michelle, who had been active in the family group chat, went silent.

When I heard the shower start running, I dialed a number. "Marry me. I'll agree to all the terms you mentioned last time."

The moment I hung up, I realized Jake was standing behind me.