Chapter 1

"Ms. Shaw, your resignation has already been signed off by Mr. Frey, but it seems he has no idea that it was from you. Do you want me to let him know?"

Lexi Shaw lowered her eyes and stared at the resignation letter in her hand. She gave a small shake of her head. "It's fine."

The HR staff member let out a sigh, trying to persuade her. "Ms. Shaw, Mr. Frey does care about you. Everyone in the company thought you two were bound to end up together. Don't you want to reconsider?"

Lexi gave a bitter smile. No one in the company knew that she and Jeremy Frey were already married—just secretly.

Three months ago, she'd been in a car accident that fractured her spine. She lay in the hospital, waiting for Jeremy to come and sign her surgical consent form. She called him over and over.

When he finally answered, all he said was, "It's just a car accident. Hang in there. I'll come after I finish celebrating Tricia's birthday."

Tricia Lowe was her best friend.

That was the moment Lexi knew Jeremy had cheated on her.

While she was barely clinging to life in the hospital, she ended up signing her own surgery form. And just as she was about to be wheeled into the OR, Jeremy showed up, holding Tricia in his arms. All because she'd gotten a tiny cut on her finger.

Jeremy pulled away Lexi's lead surgeon, and as a result, she lost too much blood and had to stay in the ICU for a week.

That was the moment everything became crystal clear. Trash like him wasn't worth clinging to.

Now that her body had mostly healed, it was time to walk away.

Snapping back to the present, Lexi replied flatly, "People change. I was with him through the hardest three years of his life. That's enough."

The one Jeremy had loved all along was her best friend, Tricia.

But three years ago, on the night someone drugged Jeremy, he ended up sleeping with her. He agreed to marry her, but only in secret.

Now that his first love was back from overseas, she was willing to step aside. But before she left, she planned to prepare three parting gifts for their divorce.

...

Lexi stepped into the office with divorce papers in hand.

Jeremy was trimming a bouquet of lilies in his office.

He was never the romantic type. In fact, on Valentine's Day, he used to scoff at men who gave flowers.

"Flowers are useless. They wither in a few days. What's the point?"

In three years of marriage, he had never once given her flowers.

Tricia adored lilies. So clearly, the bouquet was for her.

After a while, Jeremy finally looked up and noticed her. He stood and asked gently, "You're back at work already? How's your recovery?

"Lexi, I'm sorry about the other night. Tricia's not like you. She's been pampered since she was little and can't handle even the slightest injury. And there was only one doctor around that night.

"But I knew you'd be fine. You've been through worse, growing up with so little, so a minor surgery shouldn't be a big deal for you."

Lexi smiled coldly to herself.

He had no idea she was the sole heir of one of the country's wealthiest families. The hardest part of her life had been these last three years with him. She'd even gone against her family to marry him.

Jeremy, seeing her silent, assumed she wasn't mad. She was always so patient, such a good fit to keep around.

He brought the bouquet over to her, grinning. "Lexi, don't you think these flowers are beautiful?"

As the bouquet got closer, she coughed due to her allergy to pollen.

He shoved her aside without hesitation, and she crashed into the sharp edge of the desk, tearing open the barely healed wound. Her clothes began to soak through with blood.

Dizzy from the pain, she watched as Jeremy focused only on the lilies, scolding, "Lexi, these were hand-cultivated and specially flown in. You nearly ruined them!"

Staring at the man who clearly didn't care, she let out a bitter laugh. She had been blind for the past three years, loving someone like this.

She'd been allergic to pollen for years, but he never noticed. She'd just been discharged yesterday. If he cared even a little, he would've known she hadn't fully recovered.

Gritting her teeth through the pain, she pulled out the divorce papers. "Mr. Frey, I have a document here that requires your signature."

He raised an eyebrow, finally giving her his full attention. He noticed something different this time. Whenever it was just the two of them, she never called him "Mr. Frey".

"You just got out of the hospital. You should be resting."

Even as he said that, he still reached for the document. Just before he touched it, his phone rang.

Lexi saw the name on the screen—"Baby Trish". Meanwhile, her contact name in his phone was cold and formal. The difference between love and indifference was painfully clear.

After taking the call, he grabbed the bouquet and headed toward the door. "I'm not coming home for dinner tonight. You should go back by yourself after work."

She blocked his way, flipped to the last page of the divorce papers, and shoved a pen into his hand. "Sign this first."

He frowned. He was usually cautious with paperwork, always reading contracts before signing. He was just about to read it over when Tricia called again.

Even though he had lowered the volume, her flirty tone still came through the receiver.

"Jeremy, I've been waiting forever. Come on. Hurry up…"

That usually cautious man didn't even glance at the document and just signed his name. "Are you happy now? Can I go?"

Lexi looked at his signature and nodded. "Yes."

This time, she was letting him go and giving him the freedom he wanted.

Before leaving, he added, "The office hasn't been cleaned in months while you were gone. Since you're here, you might as well tidy up."

After that, he shut the door hard behind him.

Jeremy had a serious cleanliness obsession and a strong sense of control. He hated anyone touching his things, so Lexi had always been the one to clean his office herself.

She walked to the desk and saw that the framed photo had been replaced with Tricia's. Her own photo had been tossed in the trash like garbage.

Her lips curled. She let out a soft, mocking laugh.

Tricia was her best friend, and she was also the woman Jeremy had always loved most. Despite her own feelings for him, Lexi had suppressed them out of respect for her friend.

Back in college, Tricia suddenly hooked up with some foreign billionaire and moved overseas overnight. That night, Jeremy got drunk at a bar, was drugged, and ended up spending the night with Lexi.

The memories rushed back, and her eyes grew misty. She opened a drawer and pulled out the last remaining photo of them, along with one final love letter.

Lexi had had a crush on him for four years and had written him 99 love letters in total. Ever since Tricia returned six months ago, every time he chose Tricia over her, she burned one.

The incident at the hospital marked the 99th time. It was time for the last letter to be burned, meaning her time with him was coming to an end.

She left the office with everything she had packed up in her hands. On the way, she made a call to Jeremy's biggest rival.

"Henry, didn't you say you liked me? Just give me a month. Once I get the divorce over with, let's get married."

Chapter 2

At the Garner Group shareholders' meeting, Henry Garner only responded after confirming multiple times that it was Lexi who had called.

"Lexi, you used every trick in the book to push me away and protect Jeremy three years ago. You blocked me and even forced me out of Tenby, but you're telling me you've changed your mind now?"

He sneered. "What's wrong? You took a fall, didn't you?"

No one at the meeting dared make a sound.

In Juville, the Garner family and the Shaw family were the top two powerhouses. Everyone thought Lexi and Henry would end up together as they'd known each other since they were young.

Seven years ago, Lexi left for school in Tenby by herself. Henry followed, expanding his business empire there. But three years ago, something happened, and he was forced back to Juville. Rumor had it he'd had his heart broken.

Hearing the sarcasm in Henry's voice, Lexi replied coolly, "Yeah, I couldn't tell the difference between a man and a dog."

Henry snorted coldly on the other end.

Thinking he wasn't interested, Lexi didn't push. "Forget it. Just pretend I never said anything. I'm hanging up."

Just as she was about to end the call, he said sharply, "Don't you dare, Lexi! Add me back on everything, and send me your address. I'm coming to Tenby to get you myself in a month. This time, you don't get to back out."

Hearing how domineering he was, she let out a soft laugh. "Alright."

Back home, in the study, she locked away her resignation letter and divorce papers in the safe. Then, she pulled out a glass jar filled with ashes, just enough to hold the remains of all 99 burned love letters.

She burned their photos, too. She was going to wipe clean everything in this house that had anything to do with him. The flames flickered in her eyes, slowly dying out, just like their love.

The more ashes there were, the deeper the disappointment. Once the jar was full, it meant she'd had enough.

When Jeremy came home, he found Lexi in the study. The air reeked of smoke. He frowned and asked, "What are you burning?"

She shifted slightly to block his view and said calmly, "Just some scrap paper."

His frown deepened. He caught a glimpse of what looked like torn-up photos and moved forward to check. Before he could get close, a woman's delicate sobbing came from the doorway.

He immediately turned and rushed out.

Lexi put everything away and followed to see what was going on. The moment she stepped out, she saw Jeremy gently kissing Tricia's fingertip. The concern in his eyes was impossible to ignore.

"Lexi, I'm sorry for dropping by so late. But your photo's hanging in a dangerous spot. It's easy to get others scratched."

Lexi let out a cold laugh. That wedding photo had been there forever and never hurt anyone. But on the very first day Tricia showed up, she somehow got scratched.

It wasn't the photo that was the problem—it was the person in it.

Before she could respond, Jeremy said, "That photo is indeed in the way. Lexi, have someone take it down and put it in storage."

Out of his line of sight, Tricia shot Lexi a smug little smile, like she was staking her claim.

Even if Lexi didn't love Jeremy anymore, she wasn't about to make life easy for Tricia. "The storage room's already packed. There's no space left."

Jeremy's expression started to turn gloomy.

Tricia, meanwhile, clutched her barely scratched finger and whined, "It really hurts…"

Jeremy said in the next second, "Then burn it."

Chapter 3

Lexi was taken aback, but it didn't come as a surprise.

Jeremy had always liked Tricia. It wasn't unexpected that he'd go this far for her.

If this had been her old self, she would've taken it to heart. But now, she simply said calmly, "Sure."

She was leaving soon anyway. Sooner or later, the photos would've been burned.

Jeremy froze for a moment. He'd only said that out of frustration, upset that she wasn't giving him a way out. Wasn't she always the one who cherished those things most? Why did she agree so easily this time?

Lexi called a maid to take down the framed photo from the wall and had it burned in the garden.

Tricia had just returned from abroad and wasn't used to living alone, so Jeremy had invited her to stay at their house for a while.

Lexi just agreed steadily. She even had the guest room next to Jeremy's prepared for Tricia, while she moved her own things to a room downstairs.

As she was packing, Jeremy's voice came from behind her. "Lexi, don't throw a tantrum. I know you're jealous, but Tricia is just staying with us for a short while.

"You don't like sleeping alone. Do you think you'll get used to being downstairs by yourself?

"It was my mistake that I didn't think it through and asked you to burn the photo. If it upsets you, I'll make time to retake them with you later."

He walked over and was about to hug her from behind when she dodged him.

She turned to look at him.

Truth be told, he had treated her pretty well these past three years—so well that she'd started to believe they could go on like this forever. But the second Tricia appeared, he changed and always prioritized her without hesitation.

Lexi did love him, but she wanted to be the only one, not someone on the receiving end of his leftovers. "I'm not throwing a tantrum. You've been working late a lot lately. Sleeping alone might actually help me get better rest."

Jeremy wasn't exactly known for his patience. He'd already softened his tone this much, and yet she was still acting indifferent. His face fell.

"Whatever," he said coldly. "By the way, what was that document you asked me to sign this afternoon?"

She replied, "That's the third anniversary gift I prepared for you. You'll find out what it is when the time comes."

His expression softened slightly after that. He knew she minded Tricia being around. But Tricia had just come back from overseas, and he was just helping out as a friend.

Once Tricia's apartment renovation was done in a few months, everything would go back to normal, and he'd settle down with her again.

"Alright. It's getting late. You should go get some rest."

He thought she would hug him before she left, but instead, she walked past him without a second glance. He felt like she had changed somehow, but he couldn't put his finger on what exactly was different.

At midnight, Lexi was already asleep when she was yanked out of bed and dragged upstairs by Jeremy. He threw her against the wall so hard it knocked the breath out of her, pain shooting through her as her vision darkened.

His cold, condemning voice echoed above her. "Lexi, I know you're jealous of Tricia, but that doesn't give you the right to drug her!"

Her head spun as she looked up to see Tricia lying in bed with flushed cheeks, panting heavily, and clinging to Jeremy.

"I didn't! I didn't do it!"

Just as she tried to explain, Tricia began sobbing. "Lexi, I only drank the milk you gave me earlier and didn't have anything else."

Something clicked in Lexi's head, and she snapped to attention, staring fixedly at Tricia.

"You asked for that milk, and I drank it too. Why am I fine then? And what would I gain by drugging you? Tricia, if you're going to frame someone, at least put in some effort!"

She hadn't done it, and she wasn't going to admit to something she didn't do.

Right after she spoke, Tricia cried even harder. "Fine. Whatever you say must be the truth. If you say I staged it all myself, then there's nothing more for me to say."

Lexi's face turned pale with rage. It was like punching a pillow.

Jeremy started yelling at her again, "Enough, Lexi! This isn't the first time you've pulled something like this. You know exactly what you did three years ago. Someone with a record like yours doesn't deserve my trust!"

Just like that, he'd sentenced her.

Lexi stared at him and said through gritted teeth, "Let me say it again. I did not drug you three years ago."

Back then, she'd heard he was out drinking and went to find him because she was worried. In the end, he had been drugged, and since she did have feelings for him, the two ended up spending a reckless night together.

But ever since then, he always thought she was the one who drugged him. That incident had become a wall between them that neither could climb over.

"Jeremy, I don't feel good… Please help me…" Tricia clung to him, rubbing herself against him, her shirt nearly falling off.

Jeremy frowned and pushed her away before she suddenly grabbed a knife from the drawer and slashed her arm.

"I know this is hard on both of you. I'll take care of it myself. You don't have to worry about me. Just leave."

Blood trickled down her pale arm, staining the sheets bright red.

He clenched his fists, yanked the knife out of her hand, and said, "I'll help you."

Chapter 4

Lexi stared at Jeremy in shock, unable to believe what she'd just heard come out of his mouth.

But instead of looking guilty, Jeremy stood there like he was above it all. "Lexi, I'm so disappointed in you. You're the one who drugged her, so whatever comes out of it, you have no one to blame but yourself."

Tricia clung to Jeremy, throwing a smug look at Lexi.

Lexi's body trembled as she stood. She said in a cold voice laced with sarcasm, "Jeremy, are you blind? Do you think I drugged her so that I could use my own husband as the cure? There are a thousand ways to handle something like this, but you—"

Before she could finish, Tricia started up again, dragging her nails across her barely healed cut.

"Jeremy, just go. Don't worry about me. Let me suffer alone. And don't blame Lexi. She just loves you too much... That's why she did something so foolish."

Even though Lexi had already decided to give up on Jeremy, she wasn't about to let Tricia walk all over her like this.

"Tricia, do you have no shame? You showed up at my house, hung all over my husband, and then tried to lecture me. Did a dog chew up whatever manners you were raised with?"

Just as she finished, Jeremy stood up and slapped her hard across the face. "Lexi, Tricia hasn't said a single bad word about you, but you keep attacking her. You don't deserve anyone's sympathy! If you like drugging people so much, then you can stay right here and listen to what you caused!"

Before she could react, Jeremy dragged her to the doorway and tied her wrists to the doorknob with his necktie.

Right before walking back inside, he said coldly, "You brought this on yourself. Don't blame anyone else."

She was left tied outside the room the entire night.

The sounds of a man grunting and a woman moaning echoed nonstop.

At first, Lexi cried. Then, when the tears dried up, only hatred remained.

Every time she heard another sound from inside that room, she reminded herself that this was the price of loving the wrong person.

Eventually, pain twisted in her stomach, and cold sweat broke out all over her body. She wanted to cry for help, but the pain dulled her voice. Compared to the noises coming from inside, her voice didn't stand a chance.

The moaning didn't stop until dawn, when Jeremy finally opened the door.

"Do you understand what you did wrong?"

Those were the first words out of his mouth.

But when he looked down, she was already unconscious. A flash of panic crossed his face as he bent down to check on her and found that her body was burning up.

He lifted her in his arms, ready to take her to the hospital, but then Tricia's voice called from the bedroom.

"Jeremy, you were too rough last night. That area's kind of swollen now. It's not exactly something I can ask for help with… Can you come give me a hand?

"Lexi used to get fevers all the time in college. Just grab her some medicine, and she'll be fine. The maids can take her to the hospital.

"And you know I have a special status. If word gets out that a maid helped me with something private, my reputation will be ruined..."

Even in her haze, Lexi watched with her own eyes as Jeremy handed her over to a maid.

...

When she woke up again, she was already at the hospital.

The doctor said, "Ms. Shaw, you're three months pregnant. But the fetus is unstable, so you'll need to—"

"I don't want the baby. Schedule the procedure."

The doctor paused, assuming she was worried the baby wasn't healthy. "Ms. Shaw, it's just an unstable pregnancy. There's no need to terminate—"

Lexi cut him off coldly, "My husband cheated on me. We're divorced. There's no reason for this baby to exist. Please schedule an abortion today. Thank you."

The doctor kept the rest of his advice to himself and sighed. "Sure. I'll get it arranged as soon as possible."

Once the doctor left, she pulled out her phone and sent Henry a message.

"A month is too long. Make it three days. Pick me up in three days."

Chapter 5

Henry replied instantly, "Alright. I'll pick you up in three days."

Seeing his message, Lexi finally felt a bit more at ease. Due to her weak body, she stayed in the hospital for three more days after the abortion to recover.

It wasn't until the day she was discharged that Jeremy finally showed up.

"Lexi, I'm sorry. Tricia's been on her period these past few days and has really bad cramps. It's so bad that she can't even walk. Every time I try to leave, she gets anxious."

Lexi had her back to him as she packed her things. She hummed noncommittally in reply.

Jeremy could tell her tone was distant and went over to hug her from behind, promising, "It was out of line for you to drug her last time. I've been reflecting on my own behavior, too. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that… But don't worry. It won't happen again.

"I know you hate Tricia because you're in love with me, but there's really nothing going on between us. We're just friends. And don't forget that you're still my wife. What are you so afraid of?"

If he could see Lexi's face right now, he'd see just how disgusted she looked.

They had already slept together, and that was still "nothing"? Did Tricia have to show up with a baby bump before it counted?

But honestly, none of it mattered to Lexi anymore. She'd be gone in a few days anyway, so there was no point in wasting energy arguing over this crap.

"What's done is done. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Aren't you here to take me home? Let's go."

Jeremy was a little frustrated that she didn't even crack a smile at him. But it didn't matter. Once Tricia left, he'd give her a nice surprise.

Then, they could start fresh again. He wouldn't bring up anything she'd done in the past.

Everything that had happened over these past few days made it clearer than ever that he only saw Tricia as a friend. Lexi was the one he truly loved.

He helped carry her bag as they left the hospital. They happened to run into her doctor in the hallway.

"Ms. Shaw, is this your husband? Didn't you say..."

Worried the doctor might mention the abortion, Lexi quickly cut in, "Thank you for everything these past few days. I'm feeling much better now, so I'll go ahead and free up the bed."

She grabbed Jeremy's arm and walked away before the doctor could say another word.

The moment she stepped through the door at home, Tricia's mocking voice greeted her. "It's been three years, Lexi, but you're still as pathetic as ever."

Lexi shot her a cold look in warning and turned to head upstairs to pack. But what Tricia said next made her stop.

"I was the one who drugged him three years ago, and I was also the one who told you to go to that bar and find him. I knew Jeremy loved me, but there was no guarantee he wouldn't fall for someone else after I left. Since I'd always known you liked him, I just used a little trick.

"Jeremy is a responsible man. He slept with you, so of course, he'd marry you. But because of the drug incident, you lost any chance of ever getting his real love."

As she spoke, Tricia walked right up to Lexi, deliberately letting her strap slip off her shoulder, revealing the fresh hickey on her chest.

"You looked after Jeremy for three years, and I do appreciate that. But now that I'm back, it's time for you to leave. You've got no one here in Tenby, and you can't afford to mess with me. So I'm telling you now to pack your things and get out."

Lexi's whole body trembled with rage. So, all of this had been Tricia's setup from the start.

She slapped Tricia across the face, her eyes cold and sharp. "As long as I'm still in this house, you're the mistress. If you push me too far, no one's walking away clean."

Tricia was stunned. Her head was spinning, and her eyes were full of fury. She was just about to slap Lexi back when she saw Jeremy walk through the door.

Instantly, her eyes filled with tears. "Lexi, Jeremy and I are really just friends. That night was a total misunderstanding. Please don't tell anyone."

One second she was apologizing, the next she was on her knees, banging her head on the floor and begging for forgiveness.

Before Lexi could even respond, Jeremy rushed in and shoved her hard. She was still recovering from the abortion, and her body was weak. That push knocked her straight to the ground.

Jeremy helped Tricia up and glared at Lexi furiously. "Lexi, what is wrong with you? I explained everything. Why can't you just let it go? If word gets out about what happened that night, how is Tricia supposed to live with herself?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. She bit her lip and asked, "Jeremy, do you even care what really happened? Are you just going to believe everything she says without question?"

His fists clenched tightly at his sides. Seeing her so broken stirred something in him. But in the end, he still chose to stand by Tricia.

"I believe what I saw with my own eyes. Apologize to Tricia and promise you'll never lay a hand on her again."

Lexi let out a mocking laugh. She stood her ground. "I didn't do anything wrong. I'm not apologizing. The ones in the wrong are you two."

Whatever guilt Jeremy might've felt vanished in that instant. He stared down at her coldly. "You're apologizing, Lexi—whether you want to or not."

He called for the bodyguards. A few of them came in and grabbed her by the arms.

"If you don't say sorry, I'll have no choice but to punish you. You won't survive 99 lashes." He thought that would make her cave.

But Lexi held her head high. "I did hit her, and that's because she deserved it, but I didn't threaten her. Jeremy, if you lay a finger on me today, I swear you'll regret it."