Chapter 1

Wendy flipped through a couple of pages, then tore the thick rulebook to shreds right in front of the Foster family elders.

She tossed the pieces into the air, scattering them all over the floor.

“Seriously? Who still follows this kind of nonsense?”

Defiance blazed in her beautiful eyes.

As punishment, she was forced to kneel in the cold, gloomy Foster family chapel for three days and three nights.

In their second year of marriage, the Foster family forbade Wendy, as the wife of the eldest son, from going clubbing or traveling the world on a whim like she used to.

Wendy responded by driving her Ferrari straight through the heavy wrought-iron gates of the family estate, gates that had long stood as a symbol of the family's rigid rules.

The roar of the engine echoed across the sprawling property.

“You want me to stop going out and having fun? Over my dead body!”

That earned her two weeks of confinement, with every phone and communication device confiscated.

In their third year of marriage, the Foster family began pressuring her to have a baby.

Mrs. Foster Sr. finally issued an ultimatum.

Wendy was forcibly taken to the hospital for tests ahead of IVF treatment.

The cold medical instruments and the doctor's detached, matter-of-fact tone made her stomach churn.

The moment a nurse began preparing the medication, Wendy knocked the tray over, shoved past the bodyguards, and bolted out of the hospital.

She got straight into her car and drove to Foster Corporation's headquarters.

She'd had enough!

For three years, she'd tried to rein herself in. She'd learned to play the part of the perfect Mrs. Foster.

And what had she gotten in return?

Even more restrictions!

She was going to tell Felix that she couldn't put up with his family's ridiculous rules for another day.

If he couldn't put an end to this, then no matter how much she loved him, she would divorce him!

Wendy Walker had been born to live freely, not to wither away inside the prison that was the Foster family!

She stormed into the CEO's private elevator and headed straight for the top floor.

A secretary tried to stop her, but one furious glare sent the woman backing off.

The office door was slightly ajar.

Inside, several men were laughing and chatting.

Wendy placed her hand against the door, ready to push it open, when she suddenly heard her own name.

“Felix, I hear your wife's been raising hell again lately?”

The teasing voice belonged to one of Felix's childhood friends.

“Seriously, though, you'd be hard-pressed to find a woman in Harbour City prettier than Wendy Walker. That face, that figure? Absolutely incredible! Shame she's so wild. She's like a little mustang nobody can tame.

“But you're something else, man. She's not even your type. So why did you go to all that trouble to stage that whole heroic rescue and make her fall head over heels for you? You practically had her begging to marry you!”

Outside the door, Wendy felt as though she'd been struck by lightning.

Her blood ran cold.

That rescue had been staged?

Three years ago, at the equestrian club, her horse had suddenly gone wild and charged toward the fence.

Felix had appeared like a knight in shining armor, pulling her into his arms just in time.

Wendy had dated plenty of men without ever getting serious about any of them.

But that day, for the first time in her life, she'd genuinely fallen for someone.

Afterward, she'd looked into Felix and discovered that they couldn't have been more different.

She was fiery and passionate. He was cold and reserved.

She was bold and impulsive. He was disciplined and rigid.

She loved her freedom. He lived by the rules.

She knew they came from two completely different worlds.

But Wendy had always gone after what she wanted.

So she'd pursued him relentlessly, pulling out every trick she knew until she finally convinced him to marry her.

She'd always believed she'd won his heart through sheer determination.

That their meeting had been fate.

But now she was hearing that the whole thing had been an elaborate trap he'd set for her?

Why?!

Why would he do something like that?!

Just then, another man spoke, sounding almost sympathetic.

“Why else? Because of Grace, obviously.”

Grace.

Grace Jones, the woman who'd married Felix's good-for-nothing younger brother, Finn Foster.

“Grace is the one Felix really loves. But she doesn't come from a wealthy family, and you know how the Fosters are. Their rules are practically sacred. Mrs. Foster Sr. has made Grace's life miserable ever since she married into the family.

“Felix couldn't stand watching her suffer, so he decided to marry someone outrageous enough to draw all the attention away from her. That way, Grace could finally have some peace.

“And Wendy was the perfect choice. Gorgeous, from a powerful family, and most importantly, wild enough to stir up trouble wherever she goes.”

The man chuckled.

“But Felix really must be crazy about Grace. If I had a wife as gorgeous and feisty as Wendy, I'd be trying to get her pregnant every chance I got. But Felix? He secretly went and got a vasectomy! Made sure Wendy couldn't have his kids, all so she'd take even more heat from the family! Talk about devotion!”

Wendy stood frozen outside the office.

A bone-deep chill spread through her body, leaving her limbs numb.

A vasectomy?!

To protect Grace, Felix hadn't just tricked Wendy into marrying him so she could serve as a target.

He'd even gone so far as to make sure they couldn't have children, knowing she'd bear the full brunt of the Foster family's anger and pressure!

It was absurd.

Unbelievable.

Her heart felt as though an invisible hand had seized it and was squeezing so hard she could barely breathe.

She bit down on her lower lip until she tasted blood, barely noticing the pain.

Right now, all she wanted was to hear Felix's answer.

Even one word of denial would be enough.

A brief silence fell over the office.

Then Felix spoke.

His voice was as cool and composed as ever.

His answer was short, delivered with the same precision and restraint that defined everything he did.

But every word struck Wendy like a shard of ice, tearing through what little hope she had left.

“Grace is delicate. She can't handle that kind of treatment.”

He paused.

“Wendy can take it.”

Wendy can take it.

So all these years, he'd seen her struggling.

He'd seen her fighting back.

He'd known exactly how much she was suffering.

And he'd simply decided she could handle it?

Did that mean she deserved to be used?

That she deserved to be sacrificed as a shield for another woman?!

Wendy was trembling so badly she could barely contain herself.

She was on the verge of bursting into the office when Felix's phone rang.