When the private photos of Lary Croft landed in my hands, I knew he had cheated again. This time, it was with his personal secretary, a woman who bore a striking resemblance to me. I numbly went through the usual motions, offering her money to disappear. But this time, she looked at me, her eyes red with defiance. "Ms. Thorne," she said, her voice trembling, "do you believe me when I say that if I leave, Mr. Croft and your mother will lose their minds?" She made a bet with me, then intentionally left behind a resignation letter full of feigned humiliation and vanished. At first, I didn't take her words to heart. Every one of Lary’s mistresses had said something similar, some final act of defiance before they took the money and ran. But this time, when my mother heard the news, her hair turned white overnight. And Lary, my husband of seven years, handed me a divorce agreement. "Ivy was my mother-in-law's illegitimate daughter, raised outside the family," he said, his voice flat. "And we have a five-year-old child together. I've been with her longer than I've been with you." "She is our life." My world tilted. It was then I realized the woman's words were true. Without her, my mother and my husband really would go insane. 1 "Either you tell us where Ivy is, or we sever our mother-daughter relationship." "Get out of the Thorne family home right now." My mother's hoarse voice made my heart skip a beat. I stared at them, my head reeling. For the first time, the world felt utterly absurd. "I really don't know anything." My voice was a faint, powerless whisper. It only filled my mother's eyes with profound disappointment. Lary threw Ivy's resignation letter at my feet. It was filled with accusations against me and professions of her heartbreak at leaving them. "I don't care how you treat other people." "But why did you have to touch Ivy? She and the child have vanished without a trace. Are you telling me you have nothing to do with it?!" Lary's voice grew louder with each word. He had been searching for her all night, his eyes shot through with red. The man who was always so composed was now a mess of raw panic. I closed my eyes, the simple act of breathing sending a sharp pain through my lungs. "Ivy took my money. She left voluntarily. I don't know where she is." Seeing my detached demeanor, Lary's patience finally snapped. He turned to my mother. "Mother, she's not going to tell the truth. Who knows what she's done to Ivy..." "And don't forget about Lary Junior. The child is missing too. He's your only biological grandchild." At his words, my mother slowly rose to her feet. Her bodyguards moved as one, surrounding me. "Lily," she said, her voice cold and even, "you and Ivy are both my children. If you confess now, I promise I won't punish you." "I'm giving you one last chance. Just tell me where Ivy is, and I will forgive you. You will still be the eldest daughter of the Thorne family." The woman before me blurred with the memory of the mother I once knew. But the warmth in her eyes was gone, replaced by ice. My lips trembled. I tried to speak, but only a choked sob escaped. My mother's patience wore thin. She waved her hand, and the bodyguards seized my shoulders. "Break her fingers first." A sharp crack echoed in the silent room. The agony of a broken bone shot up my arm, and the blood drained from my face. I stared at my mother in disbelief. The last flicker of hope in my heart died. I bit down on my lip, sweat dripping onto the floor. One finger wasn't enough, so they broke a second, then a third... Just as my vision started to go black, Lary's phone rang, a shrill, urgent sound. "Mr. Croft, we've found Ms. Shaw." The words were my salvation. I was tossed aside, a broken doll on the floor. All ten of my fingers were twisted at unnatural angles, swollen and black. My mother and Lary heaved a collective sigh of relief. The smiles returned to their faces, but they didn't spare me another glance. As he was leaving, Lary paused. He looked back at me, crumpled on the ground. "Sign the divorce papers today. I don't want my child to be illegitimate too." The door slammed shut, the gust of wind it created sending the divorce agreement fluttering to the floor. Lary had already signed his name. The date beneath his signature was from seven years ago. The day after our wedding, he had already prepared for our divorce. I gasped for air, my phone screen lighting up the darkness. A flood of messages. A cold notification from my mother. A social media update from Lary, celebrating the return of his beloved. And one other message, from a stranger who had texted me without fail for seven years. "Lily, I'm coming home soon. If you're willing, the offer I made seven years ago still stands..." 2 I sat there all night, motionless, until the first light of dawn broke through the windows. Then, I signed my name on the document. The marriage I had carefully protected for seven years had left me with nothing. I took the divorce papers to Lary's company. As I stepped inside, several employees rushed out of the break room, their faces flushed. They bumped into me, their eyes full of a pity they couldn't voice. Before I could react, a high-pitched moan echoed through the main office. Everyone immediately lowered their heads, pretending not to hear. My heart sank. I took a step forward, but my assistant quickly blocked my path. "Mrs. Croft, maybe you shouldn't go in." A crowd of employees had gathered, their stares burning into my skin. "Is this a first for Mr. Croft? In broad daylight, right here in the office..." "Ivy Shaw quit suddenly yesterday. He was going crazy looking for her. Now that he's got her back, I guess he just couldn't hold it in." "I can't believe Mrs. Croft is still with him. She has the patience of a saint." "Well, she's hopelessly in love with him, isn't she?" My gaze fell on the office window. The blinds, usually open, were drawn shut. The sounds of their passion were unabashed. Through the slats, I could see clothes scattered on the floor. I slowly lowered my head, my eyes dry and aching. In our world of corporate marriages, there was an unwritten rule. Even after marriage, you could have your own life, your own affairs, as long as you didn't interfere with each other. I thought Lary was different. But six months into our marriage, he changed. I had fought, I had screamed, I had threatened suicide. It all ended in mutual destruction. "Lily Thorne, not everyone's heart stays the same forever." "We're still husband and wife. You're free to pursue your own happiness too." Lary's words from long ago echoed in my ears. I looked at the closed office door, took a deep breath, and pushed it open. The onlookers scattered. The office was a mess. The framed photo of us that used to sit on his desk was now shattered on the floor. The lust hadn't yet faded from Lary's eyes. When he saw me, there was no panic. He kissed the corner of Ivy's lips, his eyes mocking me. "Didn't you know someone was in the office? Or do you have a habit of eavesdropping?" His aggressive questioning made my stomach churn. A wave of nausea rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down. Seeing my silence, Lary grew impatient. He gently pushed Ivy away and straightened his disheveled clothes. The angry red scratches on his chest were glaring. I looked away, my voice hoarse. "We need to talk." "Sister, am I in your way?" Ivy suddenly interjected. She smiled at me, deliberately revealing the dark marks on her neck. As expected, Lary's expression soured at her words. "Besides the divorce, we have nothing to talk about. Ivy is your sister. Why do you have to be so hostile towards her?" He rarely protected anyone so fiercely. Now, he was shielding Ivy behind him, his eyes wary. I sighed and placed the signed divorce agreement on the desk in front of him. When he saw my signature, his eyes widened in surprise. He snatched the document, scanned it carefully, and then let out a cold snort. "Good. You know what's best for you. Even after the divorce, we can still be family." "Don't touch Ivy again. You don't want Mom to disown you, do you?" With that, he took Ivy and left, as if my very presence was something he couldn't stand. 3 I returned home, exhausted. My eyes fell on the unread message on my phone. My fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long time before I finally typed a reply. "I'm willing." I had always known who the sender was. Before I married Lary, there was another boy who had followed me, a silent shadow. The day I got married, he left the country. For seven years, the only contact had been birthday and New Year's greetings. I had stubbornly held onto a failing marriage for seven years, blind to the one who was waiting for me. Suppressing the bitterness in my heart, I contacted a lawyer to start the process of dividing our assets. Not long after, the door was thrown open. My mother stumbled in, her face a mask of frantic anxiety. Before I could react, a heavy slap landed across my face. My mother collapsed beside me, sobbing. "Lily Thorne, you are a monster! Why can't you change? Why can't you just leave Ivy alone!" My ears were ringing. My lip was split, and blood dripped onto the floor. Lary grabbed me by the throat, his hoarse roars making my head spin. "Was it you? Did you send people to kidnap Ivy and Lary Junior? I just took my eyes off her for a second, and she was gone!" "What will it take for you to leave them alone?!" My mother held out a small box, her hands trembling. Inside was a severed finger. A child's finger. It looked like it had just been cut. "Lily, Lary Junior is my only grandson. He's been raised in secret all his life, bearing the shame of being illegitimate." "Why can't you even spare a child?" The lines on my mother's face had deepened. She looked utterly exhausted. "I can't let you continue down this path." Once again, they didn't listen to a word I said. Once again, they had already decided I was the mastermind behind the kidnapping. My mother called the police. Without a second thought, she had me sent to a detention center. To break me, she had them use "enhanced interrogation techniques." The electric baton slammed into my body. I convulsed, my eyes rolling back in my head. My mother and Lary watched without a flicker of sympathy. My screams turned to whimpers, and finally to silence, my breath coming in shallow gasps. Then, a message came from the kidnappers. A video. Ivy and Lary Junior, blindfolded and tied to chairs. They were covered in blood. The child looked lifeless. The sight made my mother nearly faint. Lary's face was ashen. He snarled at the kidnapper on the screen. "How much do you want? We'll give you anything. Just don't hurt my son—" The kidnapper laughed. "You want to save your son? Fine. A life for a life." "Break Ms. Thorne's legs and bring her here in exchange." My mother and Lary froze. They both turned to look at me. I could no longer speak, only manage a weak, broken plea. "Mom... it wasn't me..." A flicker of hesitation crossed my mother's eyes. But then, Ivy's desperate cries came from the video. "Mom! Lary! Come save Lary Junior! He's not going to make it!" "Sister, I'm begging you, he's just a child!" The hesitation in their eyes vanished, replaced by grim resolve. Lary picked up a nearby chair and advanced on me. My heart plummeted. I looked at him, my eyes pleading. "Lary, you can't do this to me." He gritted his teeth and brought the chair down on my knees with all his might. Again and again. My legs were shattered. I collapsed to the floor, a useless heap. Lary pulled me into a tight embrace, his voice trembling. "Lily, forgive me. I can't live without Ivy. When you come back safely, I will spend the rest of my life atoning for this." My mother wiped her tears and looked at the kidnapper on the screen. "We're bringing her to you now. You must let my daughter and grandson go, unharmed!"
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