Five years into our secret marriage, Lucas Sterling's ambitious first love returned. He allowed me to become a stepping stone for Bella Clark's rise. He watched as she made me practice lines in the pouring rain, rehearse dances barefoot in the snow, and even forced me to entertain investors in flimsy clothing. Once, Lucas had shielded me with his life, saying, "Ava, I'll protect you for the rest of my life." But later, at the celebration party, he made me stand aside and watch him passionately kiss Bella. He said, "Once Bella's career stabilizes in a few years, I'll announce that you are Mrs. Sterling." I smiled and didn't answer. I couldn't wait that long. I was dying. 1 On our fifth anniversary, Lucas took a phone call and left me without a word, staying out all night. The next day, I found out that his ambitious first love, Bella Clark, had returned. Bella had left Lucas without a word to pursue her career abroad. Since her return, she had moved into the Sterling mansion. Bella held Lucas's arm, dressed in a red haute couture gown, looking at me like she was inspecting a product. "So you're the dancer Lucas said I'd be managing?" Looking at Bella's red dress, I suddenly remembered the first gift Lucas gave me on my birthday. Lucas gave me a red dress. After I put it on, he stared at me intently, his gaze so fervent it made me shy, my fingers nervously twisting the red fabric. It turned out Bella was the one who liked red dresses. "After all these years, Lucas, your taste has declined." She frowned, her tone mocking. "That innocent act won't work on me. Until you win honors for me, I won't go easy on you." "Understood." I didn't want to stay in the same room with her, so I turned to the kitchen to get the porridge I had simmered for six hours for Lucas. I didn't want her to be my manager. But no one could change Lucas's decision. Even though I was his wife through an arranged marriage, the Sterling and Jiang families were top-tier elites in the city, second only to the Xie family. Though born into wealth, my mother taught me to be gentle and virtuous, never to argue. Suddenly, I was yanked back. Slap! A stinging pain spread across my face. I covered my cheek and looked at Bella. She looked at me as if it were only natural. "I didn't say you could leave. Who let you go?" The earring Lucas gave me was knocked to the floor, my earlobe burning with pain. I squatted to pick it up, but Bella stepped on my hand. I couldn't take it anymore and pushed her away. "Enough!" Bella stumbled, her hand hitting the corner of the dining table. She cried out in pain. Lucas immediately held her hand in distress, glaring at me angrily. "Bella just got off the plane and hasn't even eaten, yet she's thinking about guiding you! And you hurt her over a cheap earring!" I froze. He gave me that earring, saying that lovers who wore earrings would never be separated. Seeing my expression, Lucas walked over and hugged me like he used to, but his words chilled me to the bone. "Bella is different from you. She's so strong it hurts. She suffered a lot abroad. Now that she's back, I hope to help her achieve the glory she wants." "She made a lot of plans to help you succeed. Be good and listen to her, okay?" "If you insist on embarrassing Bella, I'll have to find a new Mrs. Sterling." Lucas knew Bella was asserting dominance, yet he chose to indulge her. He looked at the porridge on the table, his tone gentle. "Bella loves seafood porridge the most. Give it to her." Whenever Lucas worked late, I would wake up early to make him seafood porridge because he once said he didn't like porridge until he fell in love with seafood porridge. It turned out he didn't love the porridge; he loved Bella, who loved the porridge. Watching them leave, I sat frozen on the floor, a chill rising from the bottom of my heart. 2 Since bringing Bella back, Lucas treated her exceptionally well. Everything in the house was replaced with things Bella liked. The house was filled with fresh flowers just because she said she liked the scent. But Lucas forgot I was allergic to flowers. When I was rushed to the hospital for anaphylactic shock, I saw my parents guarding my bedside. My father asked, "If you're being mistreated, come home. Dad can support you!" I shook my head. I couldn't let go of Lucas, couldn't let go of the boy who once protected me with his life. When I first learned about the arranged marriage with the Sterling family, I was reluctant. I wanted to pursue my dance career rather than be trapped in marriage. So, I often avoided dinners with Lucas. Until one late night, after dance practice, I was stopped by a group of drunk men. They wouldn't let me leave and demanded I dance for them. Lucas suddenly appeared, kicked the leader to the ground, and pulled me away. I watched him run ahead, my heart pounding. We were soon caught. They pulled out knives. Lucas shielded me, taking a stab to his abdomen. The men fled at the sight of blood, leaving me crying and holding Lucas. "Do you want to die?!" Lucas said, "Ava Jiang, I'll protect you for the rest of my life." My father gave me a jade pendant, saying he hoped it would keep me safe and happy. I smiled and leaned into my father's arms, my speech slurred from my swollen face. "Of course, I'm the Jiang family's precious daughter." But the smile was bitter, my heart heavy. I didn't understand why, after five years, I still couldn't make Lucas love only me. I was tired. 3 When I returned to the Sterling mansion, Lucas looked at my pale face, stunned. "Why do you look so haggard?" He tried to hug me, but I instinctively pulled away. The unfamiliar scent on him made me uncomfortable. Lucas looked at me with a half-smile. "Unhappy?" He brought a glass of hot milk to my lips. Whenever we argued, he would heat milk for me. Drinking it meant I was no longer angry. Seeing the milk used to dissipate most of my unhappiness, but now, I still couldn't calm the depression in my heart. "It's just an allergy, you won't die. So delicate," Bella sneered. "To get you that contract, I drank with them all night." Bella snatched the milk and drank it. "Don't spoil her. If she gets used to it, who will spoil her in the entertainment industry?" I looked at Lucas, but he showed no displeasure. Instead, he looked at Bella approvingly. "Mm, you're right." The pain in my chest worsened. I wondered if emotional pain could really hurt this much. I didn't respond to Bella, which made her feel slighted. Her gaze fell on my jade pendant. She snatched it. "Nice pendant. Did Lucas give it to you? Confiscated." The pain in my chest intensified, leaving me speechless. But that pendant was from my father. I couldn't let Bella take it. I lunged forward. Just as I was about to touch the pendant, Bella dropped it. It smashed into pieces on the floor. Enraged, I pinned Bella to the ground. In the struggle, Bella cried out in pain. Lucas pushed me away. I fell onto the shards, cutting my legs and hands. I gathered the pieces, tears falling on them. My father's gift was broken. Lucas didn't even look at me. He carried Bella away, coldly instructing the bodyguard, "Make her kneel there. She's not to get up without my permission." I was forced to kneel on the shards, sharp pain shooting through my knees. I struggled to get up. I couldn't kneel like this; my legs were for dancing, I couldn't let them be ruined! But I was too weak to resist. Kneeling there in despair, the pain in my heart only grew stronger. 4 The hospital put a Band-Aid on Bella and said she was fine. But after kneeling for so long, I struggled to even stand. Lucas looked at me, a trace of emotion in his eyes, but his tone remained cold. "Ava, I hope you'll be obedient in the future. Don't disappoint me again." "You need to know that the position of Mrs. Sterling was meant for Bella. You can't be willful just because you hold the title." Hearing this felt like being doused in ice water. My heart went cold. I pushed Lucas away and walked out. I didn't want to see him or Bella. I wanted to go home, to the Jiang family who truly loved me, to my parents. But the moment I stepped out the door, I collapsed, a sharp pain in my heart making it impossible to breathe. Before losing consciousness, I saw Lucas running over anxiously, just like when he protected me years ago, his eyes full of love. When I woke up, I was in the hospital. Lucas was gone. My repaired jade pendant lay on the bedside table. The doctor stood beside me. "Where is your family? I need to discuss your condition with them." I paused, sensing something. "Just tell me directly." The doctor hesitated for a moment. "You have severe heart failure... If you rest well, you might live 3-5 years. But if you don't take care, maybe six months at most." I clutched the pendant and smiled at the doctor, saying I understood. The moment I lowered my head, tears filled my eyes. So the recent chest pains weren't because of Lucas; they were because I was dying. I couldn't describe the feeling, but I felt regret. Regret that I hadn't been filial to my parents, regret that I hadn't achieved the highest honors in dance, regret that I hadn't made Lucas truly love me... When I returned to the Sterling home, Lucas hugged me gently. "Ava, why did you faint suddenly?" I shook my head. "Maybe I've been too tired lately." Bella crossed her arms, looking at me with disdain. "Tired? What a pampered princess. The selection is coming up. Do you want to win or not? Go outside and practice your lines." Lucas hesitated. "Maybe let Ava rest for a few more days?" Bella immediately turned to leave in a huff. "Fine! You feel sorry for her! Then why hand her over to me? I came back for glory! Not to watch a drama queen act weak!" Lucas quickly coaxed her. "Okay, okay, we'll listen to you." I was locked outside to practice lines. Even when it started pouring rain, Bella wouldn't let me in. She said, "Aren't there scenes in the rain? Don't stop!" The autumn rain was fierce. I was soaked, the cold seeping into my bones. My heart hurt more and more, and I fainted on the ground.
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