Chapter 1

Joyce Campbell's husband, who had died in a car accident, came back to life. Yet, he stayed by his sister-in-law's side, wearing the identity of his twin brother, Julian Gray.

The day she learned the truth, Joyce, pregnant, went to confront him.

He was not home. Instead, she found out he had gone with his sister-in-law, Bianca Reed, for a prenatal checkup.

She rushed to the hospital and saw Nathan Gray holding Bianca's ultrasound printout. They traced the outline of the baby's features together with a look of tender warmth.

When Nathan spotted her, his expression shifted instantly, and he quickly pulled her into a corner.

"My brother died protecting me. That's the only reason I'm still alive. Before he died, the one person he couldn't let go of was Bianca. He said he still owed her 100 wishes and asked me to fulfil them for him.

"I was left with no other choice, Joyce. You understand that, don't you?"

Later that night, as if to make it up to her, he slipped into her room, cornered her, and kissed her until her knees went weak.

Necklaces, perfumes, and handbags—luxury items from around the globe piled up in front of her.

After that, Nathan told her to wait. Once Bianca safely gave birth, they would be together again.

So, Joyce gave in.

…

Less than a month later, a sharp pain tore through her abdomen. Bracing herself against the wall, she flagged down a car to take her to the hospital.

On the way, she saw Nathan across the street, shopping with Bianca at a baby store. They stood there, beaming over a tiny onesie. Nathan even leaned down to kiss Bianca's forehead.

At that moment, Joyce froze. Her heart felt as though it was splitting apart.

That night, she sent him a message with trembling hands. "Did you fall for her?"

Just because of that one text, Nathan drove through the night in the rain and came straight back to Joyce. He pressed her onto the bed and made love with desperate intensity.

"None of this is real, Joyce. Just hold on a little longer. There are only three wishes left."

But when Bianca called, he still left for her.

After that, Nathan sent Joyce letters—stacked three feet high—each one filled with his longing over the past few months.

Because of that, she believed him again.

Yet, for the final wish, Joyce received an invitation to Nathan and Bianca's wedding.

"Joyce, Julian always regretted not giving her a grand wedding. I owed him! When it's over, she'll be due soon. Then, we can go back to how we were."

Joyce's fingertips burned against the invitation. The sight of their names on it seemed to sear straight into her heart.

What did Nathan take her for? Through Joyce's entire pregnancy, he had been at Bianca's side, giving Joyce excuses again and again.

After the baby was born, could they really go back to how it was?

…

On the wedding day, Joyce had barely stepped outside when her mother-in-law, Miranda Hall, dragged her to the venue.

She stood and watched Nathan and Bianca exchange vows on stage, slip on rings for each other, and kiss. She witnessed every drop of their happiness.

As tears clung to Joyce's lashes, Bianca handed her a glass of wine. "Joyce, I'll toast you with juice instead. After Nathan died, it must have been hard for you to be all alone."

Joyce immediately turned to Nathan, but he avoided her gaze and said, "Your sister-in-law is offering you a toast. You should at least show some respect."

At that moment, her fractured heart finally gave way. She tipped the glass back, drained it in one go, and turned to leave.

But she had not taken two steps before someone cried out beside her, "Careful! Get out of the way!"

Joyce looked up, only to see that the chandelier overhead was falling. However, Nathan's first reaction was to push her aside and shield Bianca.

Joyce's mind went blank. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor, pain stabbing her leg so sharply she nearly blacked out.

She instinctively reached for him. "Nathan, help me, and our—"

He turned at the sound of her voice. But before he could move toward her, Bianca—who had been standing just fine a moment prior—was suddenly knocked to the ground.

She clutched her stomach with a cry. "Babe, my stomach hurts!"

One sentence, and Nathan turned away from Joyce without hesitation.

Watching his retreating figure, Joyce felt nothing but numbness. She had seen him abandon her countless times, yet why did it still hurt?

Thankfully, someone else brought her to the hospital.

Through the haze of consciousness, she heard Nathan's voice from across the hall. "My wife's condition is critical. Get every doctor in the hospital here right now! What are you waiting for here?"

Wife?

Tears slipped down Joyce's face before she began to laugh.

If Bianca were his wife, then what was she? His sister-in-law?

The nurse beside her suddenly cried out, "The patient is hemorrhaging badly. She's going to die if we don't act now! To woman next door only has a scratch. Why are there so many doctors with her? Page them over!"

Hurried footsteps followed, then a hesitant voice. "He said that if his wife doesn't wake up, not a single doctor is to leave. Otherwise, we'll pay for it."

Joyce heard no more than that. In her final moment of consciousness, she only knew that between her and Joyce, Nathan had chosen to abandon her again.

When she came to, she met Nathan's gaze, which held a complicated look. "Joyce, it was an emergency. Bianca's pregnant, so I could only ask you to bear with it. Tell me what you want, and I'll buy it for you."

Joyce gave a weak smile and said nothing. Once the damage was done, what use were explanations?

Before he could say more, Bianca called. He left again without another word.

Alone, Joyce touched her now-flat belly and coughed. Halfway through, her breath caught.

Maybe this child should never have existed in the first place. Maybe it was better this way.

When the nurse handed her her proof of miscarriage, laughter drifted from the room across the hall. Through the crack in the door, Joyce saw Nathan with his ear pressed to Bianca's stomach.

"Babe, the baby's so restless. What will we do once it's born? It's just a pity about Nathan. He died so young and never even left a child for Joyce."

He had. Nathan had simply killed it with his own hands.

"Don't say things like that. She's her, and you're you. You still have me."

Joyce turned away before she could hear the rest. She picked up her phone and dialed a number she had once blocked.

"I lost. Take me away!"

"You were so proud when you married into that family back then. Are you regretting it already?" A cold laugh came down the line.

Then, after her long silence, the voice softened. "If you want to live, you'll have to give up the name of Joyce Campbell and cut ties with the Gray family.

"Ten days from now, stage an accident. I'll be back in the country with your death certificate to take you with me."

Chapter 2

After that day, Joyce never saw Nathan again.

It was not until she was discharged from the hospital and had just returned home that she walked into the living room and saw a brazier burning. Bianca was tossing things into the flame one after another.

When Joyce stepped closer, she finally saw what the items were—photographs of her and Nathan travelling the world, taken by a renowned overseas photographer they had personally hired.

Other than that, there were countless sets of the couple's matching outfits—black for him, red for her, and green because both Joyce and Nathan liked it. Next to them were stacks upon stacks of love letters that Nathan had placed into a custom safe himself back then. He said it was their most precious memory.

Now, all of them were being thrown carelessly into the fire.

Joyce's vision blurred as she watched.

And Nathan stood quietly by, letting Bianca do as she pleased. If he did not care, why should she keep defending it?

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Just when she was about to walk away, Bianca pulled out a baby's onesie and held it up.

"Babe, what about this for our baby? Would the design seem outdated?"

Joyce's fingers tightened.

On their first anniversary, she had been devastated over not being able to conceive. Nathan had taken months of sick leave just to be with her, buying medicine and trying every method they could think of.

During that time, her entire body was covered in love bites. They had exhausted themselves day and night, but she still had not gotten pregnant.

In the end, to comfort her, he had this onesie custom-made, saying it was for their future baby.

Now, the baby had finally come, yet she had failed to keep it.

Her nose stung, and she unconsciously took a step forward.

Bianca was startled, stumbling onto the ground. "Joyce! You scared me half to death!"

Seeing Joyce staring at the clothes in the fire without saying anything, Bianca explained, "I'm still pregnant, and Miranda said these things are bad luck. That's why…"

Joyce said nothing. She reached into the flames and pulled the clothes out.

Bianca panicked and darted behind Nathan. "Joyce, I'm only thinking about the baby in my belly. Please, can't you understand? Nathan's already gone now. Keeping these things would only bring you grief. And they might even be a bad omen for my baby!"

Joyce turned to Nathan and asked, " Is this what you think, too?"

Nathan frowned slightly. After a few seconds, he said, "Joyce, I know this hurts, but Nathan is dead. How can a dead man's belongings compare to Bianca and her baby? Please, for my sake, burn them."

Joyce's mind felt oddly blank. For some reason, she thought of how Nathan had once spun her around the whole Gray residence after she said yes to his proposal. He even bragged to stray dogs about her, saying she was finally his.

Maybe it was time to let go.

"Okay." Joyce nodded, tossing the clothes back into the fire. "The Gray family and you—I don't want either anymore."

Nathan furrowed his brows, as though he had not heard her clearly.

But just as he was about to ask, Bianca collapsed into his arms. "Babe, I think my stomach hurts again because of that scare earlier…"

This was when Edward Gray walked in. He grabbed Joyce by the head and unleashed a storm of curses, even raising his hand against her.

"You jinx! You already caused my grandson to die. Now, you want to harm my great-grandchild? If you don't apologize to Bianca today, I'm not letting you go!"

Shoved to the floor, Joyce steadied herself against the wall and helped herself up. "I did nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?"

The words barely left her mouth when she was hit again with a ruler, knocking her down again.

"Fine. You've got backbone. Then I'll beat you until you change your mind!"

Strike after strike, blood welled on her back.

Nathan watched coldly, his frown deepening. Just as he wanted to intervene, Bianca moved first.

She stepped forward and said softly, "Grandpa, Joyce didn't do it on purpose. Why not have her turn her marital bedroom into a nursery instead? I can take that as an apology."

The words were light, but Joyce's face was drained of color. She felt as if her heart had been shredded into pieces. She had just lost her baby, and now, they wanted her to turn her marital bedroom into a nursery for Bianca.

She let out a laugh before collapsing to the floor.

Nathan could not stand the sight anymore and came over to help her up, but Joyce pushed his hand away.

"Joyce, I'm sorry. I know you've been wronged. The C-section is scheduled for next week. Once the baby is born, I'll be back to your side," he whispered.

So, he knew she had been wronged, after all.

Joyce laughed bitterly. Once, she had been foolish enough to believe whatever he said. Now, she refused to be that gullible again.

…

After they left, Joyce went back to her marital bedroom. She gathered everything Bianca had not cleared out yet—the stuffed toy they had fought over when they met, the rose garland Nathan had given her in the heat of their love, and the little figurines they had bought after their marriage.

She watched every trace of their past turn to ash before picking up a brush and painting over the walls.

Outside the room, Nathan was playing with a rattle, teasing the belly in Bianca's belly. Laughter filled the air.

Joyce listened, and her heart remained cold without the slightest ripple.

Chapter 3

Joyce cleaned up the wall and cleared the last scraps of trash. When she returned, Edward's tone was just as sharp as before.

"What are you walking around with that gloomy face for? I'll let it slide today, but don't you dare show up like that for tomorrow's charity gala. If you bring shame to the Gray family, I won't let it pass so easily."

Joyce listened quietly, not talking back for once. After several years of marriage, it was time to end it tomorrow.

…

The next day, when Joyce arrived at the gala, Nathan and Bianca were already there. Hand in hand, they were surrounded by the crowd. Every small movement of theirs was sweet and intimate.

Reporters pressed them again and again for the secret to their enduring love.

Nathan did not answer. Instead, when the flashes of the cameras grew too harsh for Bianca, he lifted a hand and called off all interviews as he stepped in front of her.

"My wife is due soon, so she can't be overexerted. Thank you for understanding." His voice was warm, but anyone could hear the bias in his tone.

Bianca leaned against him, her face full of bliss. "He's impossible, always wanting to stick with me 24 hours a day. Last time, when my sister-in-law was in the hospital, I had to talk him into visiting her.

"I have him for company. It's my sister-in-law who's alone right now. Instead of swarming me, why not go keep her company?"

The words finally drew the media's attention to Joyce. They closed in on her, asking her about her late husband.

On stage, Nathan did not react, shielding Bianca without giving her even the slightest glance.

Joyce drew a deep breath. "The dead can't come back, and I've already accepted that. Thank you for your concern. I'll move on in time."

That was when Nathan's expression shifted at her words.

…

On her way back from the restroom, Nathan blocked Joyce at the door.

"What do you mean, the dead can't come back? Joyce, I told you I'll come back once Bianca has the baby. Can't you at least try to understand?"

She looked at him in silence. Her tears had long since dried, and her eyes felt parched.

Joyce pushed him away. "Have some respect, Julian."

He froze, then his expression surged with emotions as he pressed her into the corner. "Joyce, I didn't have a choice. Do you have to be this stubborn with me? Do you have any idea—"

Before he could finish, his phone rang. It was Bianca. "Babe, where are you? Another batch of reporters just showed up. I'm scared."

One sentence, and Nathan dropped everything to rush back to Bianca.

…

When the event ended, Bianca came over with Nathan, her hand in his.

"Joyce, we have something to do, and we've already called a driver for you. Can you head home on your own?"

Before Nathan could say a word, Joyce answered, "Sure!"

Her reply caught him off guard. "If you feel lonely, we could drop you off on the way, too. It's no trouble!"

However, Bianca immediately clung to his arm. "But you promised to take me to that new high-end club tonight."

Joyce swallowed down the wave of revulsion rising in her throat. "There's no need to trouble yourselves."

Chapter 4

Joyce had been standing in the cold for two hours, but the driver never came.

When she pulled out her phone, the first thing she saw on the screen was a new post from Bianca's social media.

"It's a cold night, but my husband's giving me a foot bath." The attached photo showed Nathan with his head lowered, massaging her calves.

Joyce's fingers clenched around her phone.

It was less than an hour's drive home, yet she walked it through the night, arriving only at dawn.

When she finally pushed open the door, disheveled, she saw Nathan at the dining table. Spoon in hand, he was feeding Bianca oatmeal.

"Joyce!" Bianca blinked with surprise. "Where were you last night? The driver said he couldn't find you anywhere."

"Really? I wanted to ask where the hell he was last night."

Joyce tossed her heels aside and turned for the stairs, only to be stopped by the butler. "Mr. Gray Senior wants everyone in the memorial hall."

…

Joyce had only been in the Gray family's memorial hall twice before.

The first time was when Nathan defied his family's arrangements to marry her. He was punished and made to seclude himself there for three days and nights. It was only when Edward relented that Joyce was allowed in to see him.

The second time was on their wedding night. In front of all the family elders, he wrote down her name on the family tree with his own hands. His hand was still trembling when he held hers.

This was the third time. Seeing the crowd in the memorial hall, unease pooled in her stomach.

As he passed by her, Nathan's gaze sharpened. "Those reporters yesterday were your doing, weren't they? All of that was just to force me back to your side!"

What reporters?

Joyce's brows furrowed as her unease thickened.

She did not have to wait long. The moment she entered, a stack of photos was thrown at her face.

"Look at what you've done!" Edward snarled in fury. "You've brought disgrace to the Gray family!"

Her eyes dropped to the photos. It was shots of Nathan pinning her at the restroom door.

She looked up to explain, but Bianca's slap reached her first.

"Joyce! I treated you like a sister, yet you wanted to steal my husband! Have you got no shame?" Bianca's chest heaved from anger as tears welled in her eyes.

The accusation of Joyce being a homewrecker was set in stone.

Joyce instinctively wanted to strike back, her hands raised high. But she caught sight of Bianca's rounded belly and hesitated.

In that heartbeat of delay, Nathan seized her wrist. "You want to hit her? Look at yourself! I never knew you were this vile!"

Disgust filled his eyes as he flung her to the floor.

The injustice burned in her throat. What did she do wrong? Why was everyone accusing her?

"You! Tell them!" Joyce glared at Nathan as she pointed at the crowd. "Who are you? Who is your wife? Tell everyone the truth!"

Nathan's brows furrowed further with each question. A moment after, his lips parted.

"I am who I am. Bianca is my only wife." He drew Bianca close. "No matter how hard you try to seduce me, I will only love her!"

The words stunned Joyce. Her heart dropped, air catching in her lungs as pins and needles crept into her hands and feet.

The noise in the room dimmed to a blur. She could only see him whispering to comfort Bianca in his arms.

Blow after blow of the whip was what snapped her back to reality.

"Joyce Campbell, we've been more than merciful!" Edward said with finality. "Now, get out—"

"No!" Nathan, who had been watching at the side the entire time, interjected. "She hasn't apologized to Bianca yet!"

Joyce's head turned slowly toward him. "Give it up. I will never apologize."

"Never?" His jaw tightened. "Then, you'll kneel outside her door until you do.

Joyce's arms trembled as she pushed herself up. She could not even speak due to the pain.

She was already shattered. She just wanted to leave.

It was almost time. He would come for her soon.

The next second, Bianca spoke as she dabbed at the corners of her eyes. "Even if she did something wrong, she's already cut ties with the Campbell family. She won't survive if we throw her out now. Why not send her to guard that old warehouse on the outskirts? She'll have food and shelter for life."

Nathan paused. "You're always too kind. I agree!"

The smile on Joyce's lips froze, and the chill seeped into her bones.

Chapter 5

Joyce knelt by the door the entire night, her head heavy and fogged.

Maybe it was Bianca's words, but she found herself thinking back to when she severed ties with her father.

Her mother had died in childbirth before even holding her once. And because she was a girl, her father had never shown her any favor.

She endured 20 full years of mistreatment until Joyce's father, eager to pave the way for his useless illegitimate son, sent her to a powerful official's bed.

She had been so desperate that she was ready to bite off her own tongue to commit suicide when Nathan appeared and pulled her back from the edge.

Because of that, for the first time in her life, she confronted her father. When it ended with him raising a hand to strike her, Nathan had dragged her behind him, taking the slap meant for her head-on.

When she was thrown out and left to wander the streets, she had sat on the curb outside a convenience store, sobbing uncontrollably. And still, it had been Nathan who had wiped her tears away with aching tenderness, gathering her into his arms.

"Joyce, marry me! I'll give you a home to shelter you from the wind and rain. From now on, I'm your family and backing."

Back then, she had been so moved that she cried in his arms for another two hours.

From inside the room came the sound of intimate kisses, snapping Joyce into awareness. Nathan opened the door, bare-chested, and crouched before her with his phone in hand.

One glance, and she saw screens full of curses, accusing her of being the other woman.

"Joyce, is this what you want?" he asked. "To be like a rat crossing the street, everyone sweeping at you with a broom? Just give in, and I'll pull the stories. We can go back to the way we were."

Joyce's eyes flicked to the marks on his neck before she turned away without a word.

That movement stripped away what little patience Nathan had, and he straightened. "The place I'm sending you to has been arranged. Three days from now, I'll take you there myself."

Just then, Bianca emerged, swaying his arm with a whine. "I've known Joyce for so many years, and part of me can't bear to see her go. The servants here don't suit me, so why not let her serve me until she leaves?"

Nathan yet again yielded to her request.

To keep Joyce from running, he confiscated her phone and bank cards, even fastened shackles to her wrists and ankles.

A stinging flared at the bridge of her nose. She was no different from a prisoner now.

"Joyce, the baby and I are hungry. Be a dear and bring the breakfast from the kitchen," Bianca called from the dining table.

Before Joyce could set the bowls down, Bianca was already pouting. "Plain oatmeal again? Joyce, make me some bacon and eggs instead."

Joyce did not answer, only returning to the kitchen.

It had been a long time since she had cooked. After they married, Nathan forbade her from entering the kitchen for fear she might hurt herself. So, most of her meals had been prepared by his own hands.

But now, all of that had been given to someone else.

Dragging the weight of her chains, Joyce set the plate in front of Bianca.

"I want it scrambled. Make me another."

Hearing that, Joyce drew a long breath and went back to the kitchen.

"It's too salty. Make me another."

"This one's too bland. Make me another."

"There's way too much grease. Make me another."

By the time Joyce brought out the tenth plate, every shred of patience had been drained from her. She set it down hard, her face like ice.

Catching the shift in attitude, Bianca leaned back in her chair and mocked, "You've changed. All that online fame's gone to your head, huh? I ask you to make me a meal, and you act like it's torture. What if I said I want you to make me another one?"

She lifted the bowl and deliberately smashed it at Joyce's feet. She jerked back with a sharp cry.

The sound brought the golden retriever in from its kennel outside. It planted itself in front of Joyce, baring its teeth at Bianca with two low, warning growls.

Those growls were enough to send Bianca stumbling backward into her chair, bursting into tears.

"Bianca!" Nathan stormed in, shoving Joyce into the corner of a table.

Pain flared. She looked up just in time to see him pull Bianca into his arms.

"Joyce! I really underestimated you! You even stoop to harming an unborn child. You're sick enough to release a dog on her!" Nathan's face darkened by the second. "Take that beast and teach it a lesson!"

"What are you doing?" Fear surged through Joyce. She shielded the dog with her body, only to be wrenched away.

She could only watch as the bodyguards swung down iron batons again and again on the dog.

"It's all my fault. I'm begging you to stop. I have nothing else left! Please…" Her voice broke apart into sobs.

Nathan had gifted it to her back when she had not yet been pregnant. They had raised the dog like their own child.

For a moment, Nathan froze. Then, with a glance, he signaled the men to stop. "Joyce, because you begged me, I'll spare this animal. But if there's a next time, it won't be so simple."