Chapter 1

The clerk continued, "Moreover, Mr. Merrick remarried a year later. The name of his spouse, as listed on the marriage certificate, is Annalise Prescott."

Tamara stood there as if her soul had left her body, her eyes vacant and her arms trembling slightly.

Everyone knew that Tamara Winslow and Braxton Merrick had known each other since childhood and had watched one another mature into adulthood.

He protected her, spoiled her, and treated her like a princess whom everyone envied.

Annalise Prescott, on the other hand, was the orphaned daughter of his arch-nemesis' family.

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

Tamara forced herself to her feet, waving her hand dismissively.

She wandered through the streets in a daze. On the large screen in the central square, an interview with Braxton was playing.

He was dressed in a beige suit, his long legs crossed. The interview suddenly came to a stop when he glanced at his watch and said, "I'm sorry, we'll need to end the interview here. I need to go home and have dinner with my wife."

He flashed a smile at the camera, and the live broadcast ended abruptly.

The crowd let out murmurs of admiration, praising him for doting on his wife and for his devotion to her.

Tamara merely rubbed the wedding ring on her ring finger, finding it all utterly ironic. She wondered who the "wife" he was referring to really was.

Her thoughts drifted back in time, and she seemed able to picture her knight in shining armor, who would wake up an hour earlier each day and take a detour just to pick her up for school.

He'd always grab every opportunity to be by her side, whether it was hosting galas, playing a piano duet, or attending sports meets. Each time, he'd be declaring to the world that she belonged to him.

So, after graduation, Braxton proposed. He'd always said, "If anyone else looks at you for a second too long, I'll lose my mind."

That same year, she returned to the old family home with her parents for the New Year holiday. Heavy snow blocked the roads, yet he trekked several miles and showed up at her door at midnight. As fireworks lit up the sky, he promised that they'd always be together.

The following spring, they held their wedding.

Tamara asked, "Have you really thought this through? I'll expect you to love and honor me for the rest of your life."

He eagerly slipped the ring onto her finger. "Then I'm greedier than that. I want only you, not just in this lifetime, but in the next one and the one after that as well."

After their wedding, their relationship remained as sweet as ever. That was, until the day his arch-nemesis' family tragically died in a car crash, and he suddenly had to attend the funeral.

That day, Tamara rushed over right after getting off her flight. The moment she stepped inside the funeral home, she saw Annalise, dressed in a black dress, nestled in Braxton's arms while he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Tamara's suitcase hit the floor with a loud thud.

Braxton chased after her, anxiously explaining, "She's the only Prescott left. It was only a consoling kiss, as if I were her brother…"

Tamara got into the car and left, but he ran after her. Suddenly, a car grazed past him and knocked him to the ground—yet even when he was sprawled on the ground, he continued to crawl forward after her.

And so, her heart softened.

After the funeral, Annalise vanished from the face of the earth. Some said she went abroad to study.

One day, a work-related matter came up that required Tamara to travel to Yutran on business.

Under the shade of the trees, where pigeons fluttered overhead, she saw Braxton and Annalise feeding each other ice cream. That was when she suddenly remembered that Braxton had recently purchased property abroad, and his overseas trips had also increased in frequency.

She walked over, scattering the pigeons into flight.

On the return flight, Braxton switched seats to sit beside her.

"At first, it was really just a coincidence that I ran into her. I fly there mainly for work, and only incidentally look out for her a little. After all, she did agree to allow us to acquire Prescott Group without any terms.

"Tamara, I just feel bad for her. That's all."

Tamara stared out the window, choosing to trust him one more time. But that time, she added, "Fine. From now on, I'll handle her matters."

Braxton readily agreed, but she still felt uneasy.

That was when she received the diagnosis from the doctor.

"Prolonged anxiety has caused you to develop alexithymia, making it gradually harder for you to experience emotions like everyone else."

But a knife to the heart, no matter how numb one was, still hurt.

…

"Tamara!"

Braxton's car pulled up. As Tamara approached, Annalise intentionally got out and moved to the back seat.

Braxton hurriedly explained, "Annalise just graduated and came back to Sillidia, so we're throwing a welcome home dinner for her. Come with us."

Tamara looked him straight in the eyes. "Don't you have anything else you want to explain to me?"

He froze for a moment, clearly looking uncomfortable. "I really didn't know about her joining Merrick Group. She hid her identity during the interview, and she excelled in every aspect. By the time I found out, HR had already made the decision.

"Please don't overthink it, Tamara."

Tamara clenched her fists, forcibly suppressing the storm of emotions rising inside her. A thousand questions and accusations suddenly dissipated into nothing in that moment. She no longer wanted to expose his endless lies.

With Braxton's backing, Annalise Prescott, the former heiress, was still the center of attention.

Amid the bustling voices, Tamara felt a little suffocated, so she headed to the restroom. When she came out, she found Braxton leaning against a wall in the hallway.

Michael Kitler, his friend, offered him a cigarette, but he refused with a frown.

"We're preparing for a baby recently, so I've cut out cigarettes and alcohol. They're bad for Tamara," he explained.

"As expected. Very impressive," Michael said, giving him a thumbs up. "But when the baby's born and it's time to fill out the birth certificate, your marital status will be revealed. With Tamara's personality, she'll definitely make sure you'll never be able to find her again in this lifetime."

A flicker of something passed through Braxton's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Then I just won't let her find out. I'll have everything sorted out nicely by then."

Michael glanced toward the private room they were using. "It's been a few years, but that little lady has only gotten much wilder. You'd better keep an eye on her. Don't let her stir things up in front of Tamara."

The corner of Braxton's lips curved up slightly.

"That's exactly what makes her different from Tamara. I like it when she makes a fuss. With or without the marriage certificate, Tamara will always be by my side. But Annalise is different. I need that certificate to keep her tied to me."

Tamara gripped the doorframe so hard that she didn't even notice that her fingernail had broken. Droplets of blood fell into the small pools of water already on the floor, spreading and blooming into dark patches.

Pain should've shot from her finger to her heart, but her heart no longer felt pain—only endless bitterness remained.

She moved to another place and drank until she was completely wasted.

In her haze, she vaguely heard someone ask where she wanted to go.

"Can you get me a plane ticket? I want to go somewhere no one can find me," she replied.

The person paused for a moment. "I don't have plane tickets, but how about a ticket for a boat?"