Chapter 1

"What do you think you're doing, Colin?" my fiancée, Wendy Quinton, barked.

Her chest heaved, and her eyes blazed with anger. The next second, she ripped the ring off of Zachary Shaw's finger and threw it on the ground.

"How dare you make Zach wear your cheap wedding ring?" she snapped.

I stared at the ring as it spun across the floor. Then, I suddenly burst out laughing.

Right. Why would Zachary ever want a cheap alloy ring that cost less than a hundred dollars?

The ring was cheap and pathetic—just like our engagement. From the start, the whole thing had been nothing but a performance we put on to make her grandfather, Edward Quinton, happy.

"How do you have the audacity to ask me that?" I glanced at the bite marks on their bodies, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "We're supposed to register our marriage tomorrow, and you're lying in bed with another man in our marital home!"

I'd put up with her unreasonable demands time and again.

When she told me Zachary couldn't stand the thought of her getting married and demanded that we cancel the wedding, I let it slide.

When she said the master bedroom belonged to Zachary, and that I could only sleep in a cramped guest room, I didn't utter a single word of protest.

But now, she was nestled in Zachary's arms, looking down at me with undisguised disdain as she smugly informed me that she'd kept her virginity intact for me. She acted as though I should be eternally grateful and continue debasing myself for her.

She mistook my tolerance for cowardice, and that misconception fueled her arrogance.

Just as I turned to leave, a foul-smelling piece of clothing was flung at my head.

It was Wendy's top, stained with bodily fluids that hadn't fully dried.

"Hurry up and get it cleaned." Wendy frowned and waved me off impatiently. "This is made of cashmere. If you ruin it, you'll have to pay me back three times what it's worth."

My hand trembled as I tightened my grip around the top.

Things had been this way for three years.

Wendy had promised Edward that she'd only lose her virginity after marriage, so she'd never let Zachary take things all the way. As a result, he would take out his frustration on her clothes. He'd repeatedly stain her undergarments with fluids before making her toss them to me to wash.

Edward had supported me financially for ten years. I felt indebted to him, so I've always tried my best to put up with Wendy's behavior.

I'd turn a blind eye to their shameless displays of affection. No matter how disgusted I was, I still pretended to be a loving fiancé in front of Edward. But now that Edward was gone, I had no reason to compromise anymore.

Taking a deep breath, I reached for the lighter on the table. Then, I set fire to the foul-smelling garment in my hand.

As the fabric caught fire, a foul stench and the acrid smell of burning cloth filled the room.

Yet, my voice remained perfectly calm. "I'm not doing it."

Wendy froze. Two seconds later, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Have you lost your mind, Colin Fuller? Alright then—I'll call Grandpa right now! I'm going to tell him that you're trying to set our marital home on fire!"

She's always treated me like a spineless coward, but I wasn't that man anymore.

I tossed the burning garment onto our bed. Afterward, I bent down and grabbed the bucket of dirty water by my feet. The moment Wendy lunged at me, I dumped the entire bucket over her head.

As I watched them scramble around in dismay, I declared in the same calm voice, "I'm not your servant, Wendy—and I'm certainly not here to be part of your disgusting little games."

Zachary's expression darkened, and he clamped his hand around my neck. "Don't push your luck, Colin!"

I didn't resist. Instead, I glanced at Wendy, whose hair was still dripping wet, and said, "I'm not going to the city hall with you tomorrow."

"How dare you!" Wendy roared.

As she started to panic, she yelled, "Have you forgotten about the promise you made to me? If Grandpa notices that something is amiss tomorrow, I'll make your life a living hell!"

At the mention of Edward, I burst into laughter. While Zachary was distracted, I clenched my fist and punched him squarely in the face.

He released me with a pained grunt, and I stepped toward Wendy.

"All you ever do is mess around with Zachary. When have you ever bothered to ask how your grandfather was doing? Are you even aware that he's—"

"Shut up!" Zachary abruptly cut me off.

His eyes blazed with fury, but panic laced his voice. "How dare you curse Edward? He just has high blood pressure. I hired the best doctors, and they said he'd definitely recover!"

At the mention of Edward, Wendy's eyes turned bloodshot. Pointing at me, she shrieked, "Grandpa is your benefactor. How dare you curse him? Do you even have a conscience?"

"Get on your knees and apologize to Wendy right now!" Zachary chimed in. "Do you still want to marry her or not?"

When I refused to move, Wendy grew even more outraged.

She yanked open a drawer and pulled out a dagger. Pointing it directly at my mouth, she demanded in a trembling voice, "All I want is an apology! If you keep giving me that attitude, I'll cut out your tongue. That way, you won't be able to say anything ominous ever again!"

Zachary instantly stepped forward and forcibly pried my mouth open. The moment the tip of the blade came in contact with my tongue, the metallic taste of blood spread through my mouth.

Wendy froze. Then, breathing hard, she abruptly tossed the dagger away.

"Forget it. We still need to visit my grandfather after we register our marriage tomorrow. I'll let you off the hook for now, but I'll need to teach you a lesson no matter what!"

She picked up the dagger once again and smashed the hilt against my temple. My vision went black, and Zachary seized the opportunity to kick me in the lower back.

As I stumbled onto the floor, the back of my head slammed into the corner of a table. I was in so much pain that I could barely breathe.

As my consciousness began to fade, Zachary nudged my face with the tip of his shoe. "I hope you never wake up, Colin."

The next moment, Wendy's piercing scream tore through the air.

"Zach! H-How did the dagger end up in his chest?"