Chapter 1

In their third year of marriage, Lynette Sterling and Zachary Wright reached a breaking point.

On their wedding anniversary, Lynette walked into the police station carrying forensic evidence. "I'm reporting my husband," she told the intake officer. "He forced himself on me."

Standing in the sterile light of the precinct, Zachary looked less like a suspect and more like the owner of the building. Dressed in a bespoke suit, his fingertips were faintly stained crimson. Even in custody, he exuded an air of absolute, terrifying control.

An officer approached, casting an uneasy glance at the man who was a legendary nightmare in the legal world. "Mr. Wright," the officer muttered, his posture subservient. "How would you like to handle this?"

Lynette's heart plummeted. They weren't asking how to process a criminal; they were asking the predator how he wanted to deal with his prey.

Zachary's brow arched, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. He reached out, hooking a possessive finger under Lynette's chin. "Nettie," he murmured, his voice a dark caress. "You really didn't hold back this time. You're trying so hard to destroy me."

His eyes darkened. "But why the bold lies? You weren't always this heartless. You used to do everything you could to match my freak in bed."

His arms snaked around her waist, locking her against his side. Lynette trashed, but she couldn't break free. Furious, she glared at the officers and demanded coldly, "This is false imprisonment! Are you just going to stand there?"

Zachary didn't flinch. Instead, he pulled back his collar, revealing a map of dark, ambiguous bruises on his neck. "Intimacy between husband and wife," he said smoothly. "What do you expect the police to do? You can fake a report, Nettie, but you can't fake these marks. Surely I couldn't have forced you to leave those marks, right?"

The officers shifted uncomfortably. Zachary pressed on. "Be good, Nettie. Stop throwing tantrums. Did I not satisfy you last night? You heartless little thing. You begged me last night, over and over again. Now you’re acting like it never happened."

He sighed with the weary patience of a saint. "Forget it. I won't hold it against you. I am your husband, after all."

To any observer, he looked like a man hopelessly in love. To the police, it was just another day of a dramatic wife acting out. They opened the door and ushered them out; their patience for Lynette long since evaporated.

After all, this wasn't the first time. In three years, Lynette had reported Zachary to the police 36 times. However, each attempt concluded with them being tactfully advised to return home, as the evidence remained inconclusive.

To Whistletown, Zachary's devotion to Lynette was legendary, and Lynette was the ungrateful woman who didn't know how lucky she was, given her "monthly tantrums".

As Zachary dragged her away, the light in Lynette's eyes finally died. She had given up all hope. This was the 36th time she had tried to leave, and it was another failure.

The cold wind bit at her skin. Zachary tenderly draped a coat over her shoulders. Behind them, the whispers of the precinct staff followed like a shroud.

"She's an orphan who lost everything. Marrying Mr. Wright was her salvation. Why is she always so dramatic?"

"Some women just love the attention."

Lynette heard it all. Tears silently tracked down her cheeks.

It had been three years. Every attempt at divorce had failed. Everyone said she was being dramatic, that she was making a scene. But no one ever asked her why.

Once, she and Zachary had been truly happy. He would have given her the moon and the stars if she had asked. When they ate watermelon, he always gave her the sweetest bite from the center.

Because she was afraid of the dark, he never left her side at night. He had even spent a fortune replacing every streetlight in Whistletown with the brightest ones, just so she wouldn't be scared walking home after dark.

At their wedding, Zachary's first love, Charmaine Freemont, suddenly returned after her divorce. Homeless and desperate, she asked Zachary to take her in. But he refused without hesitation. "I'm sorry. I have a wife," he told her.

Lynette thought she had married the right man, but reality slapped her hard.

The very next morning, Charmaine appeared at the police station, clothes disheveled. She claimed that Lynette's father, William Sterling, had assaulted her. A case was opened immediately.

William was arrested, and Sterling Group's stock collapsed. Consequently, Lynette's mother, Anna Barkley, suffered a stroke and was rushed to the ICU. The internet exploded with curses condemning William.

Lynette tearfully begged Zachary, the undefeated legal titan, to defend her father and clear his name. Zachary held her tightly and promised, "Nettie, don't worry. He's your father. I'll handle it."

She believed him.

But on the day of the trial, Zachary stood on the opposite side of the courtroom as Charmaine's attorney. He submitted surveillance footage showing William entering Charmaine's hotel room. He stood right in front of Lynette and criticized William with the coldest, harshest words.

In the end, William was sentenced to five years in prison. Anna, who had just been discharged from the ICU, collapsed again. This time, she was on the brink of death.

That night, Lynette destroyed everything in their home. She smashed their belongings and burned every happy memory they had shared. Then, she tearfully confronted him. "Zachary, that was my father. He watched you grow up. You know what kind of man he is. Do you even understand what you've done?"

As Lynette teetered on the edge of collapse, Zachary remained unnervingly composed. He said coldly, "Nettie, the law exists to uphold justice. Whoever commits a crime must face the consequences. Your father is no exception. Don't ask why I refused to help him; ask instead why he chose to do something so vile. Besides, Charmaine was hurt because of me. Isn't it only right that I defend her?"

Each word rang with righteousness, as if stripped of any personal motive.

Lynette sobbed uncontrollably. She looked at him in despair and asked, "What about me? I'm your wife. Do you not care about me?"

Zachary frowned and pulled her into his arms. "Nettie, William's crime has nothing to do with you. You're still my wife. I'll take you to pick him up in five years when he's out."

Though Zachary held her close, Lynette felt only a chilling void. There wasn't a shred of warmth. Her home was gone. Her family was gone. And it was Zachary's hands that had torn it all apart.

Anna was unable to endure the blow and jumped to her death. Sterling Group went bankrupt, leaving Lynette with hundreds of billions of dollars in debt. The Sterling family's sudden downfall became the talk of the town. Whistletown's brightest jewel was now buried in dust.

Later, in order to divorce Zachary, Lynette personally leaked Wright Corporation's trade secrets to their competitors. The company suffered devastating losses, and shareholders demanded that legal action be taken against Lynette. Zachary shouldered all the pressure himself but still refused to divorce her.

For three years, Lynette tried every imaginable way to leave him. She fled overseas. But he contacted the embassy, reported his wife missing, and did everything he could to bring her back.

After that, he forced her to wear an electronic tracking bracelet. She smashed it with a hammer. He warned her that if she hurt herself, he would have William hurt the same way.

After Anna's death, William was Lynette's only family left, leaving William her only weakness.

She was left with no option but to yield, her sanity fraying at the edges. Yet to the outside world, Zachary's devotion appeared boundless.

He cleaned up after her messes and shouldered the Sterling family's crushing debts. So what right did Lynette have to protest, to cause a scene?

Just as Lynette's doubts began to consume her, Zachary brought Charmaine on as his secretary. That day, he spoke with solemn conviction. "Charmaine is divorced, and she's alone in Whistletown. After what happened before, she fell into depression. I owe her my care."

From that moment forward, Zachary and Charmaine were inseparable.

When Lynette had a high fever, Charmaine miraculously fell ill too. And Zachary left Lynette, saying, "Nettie, I'm righting your family's wrong."

When Lynette miscarried, Charmaine dragged him off on an overseas trip. No matter what he did, it was always for her.

The outside world saw a great attorney who adored his wife. But what Lynette saw was Zachary hurting her by choosing Charmaine over her again and again.

For three years, Lynette's body weakened as her mind unraveled. Every night, she would hurt herself. She had once told him, "If we don't divorce, I'll die."

For a fleeting moment, panic crossed Zachary's face. Yet he clung to her with unyielding resolve. "Nettie, I love you too much to ever let you go. You won't die—I won't allow it. Only death can part us, never divorce."

Lynette attempted to end her life countless times, but Zachary stationed watchful eyes around her day and night, denying her even the chance. As the scars on her arms multiplied, she began silently counting down the days, waiting for the day her frail body would surrender and grant her release.

Charmaine's relentless taunts eventually shattered Lynette's restraint. In desperation, she arranged for Charmaine to be kidnapped. When Lynette refused to reveal where Charmaine was, Zachary struck her for the first time.

To appease Charmaine's fury, Zachary ordered men to brutalize William in prison until he was hospitalized. He warned Lynette to behave, to stop targeting Charmaine, and to abandon any thought of leaving.

To outsiders, this seemed destined to be their life forever. But Lynette knew her time was running out. Doctors had diagnosed her with somatic depression entwined with psychosis. Without urgent treatment, her mind would collapse completely.

Each night, while Zachary remained at Charmaine's side, Lynette hid in her room and hurt herself. She reopened the wounds on her wrists again and again.

In desperation, she lured Zachary, hoping to secure evidence of sexual assault so they could divorce. Her only hope for peace was in a life far removed from him.

Painful memories shook her to the core. Raising her eyes, she pleaded one final time. "Zachary, I'm begging you. Let's get divorced."

Chapter 2

Zachary suddenly halted, and Lynette collided with him. Pain shot through her nose, but she forced herself to endure, glaring up at him.

The cold wind tousled the loose strands of hair over his forehead, partially covering his eyes. Even so, she could tell he was angry.

In their three years of marriage, this was the second time he had shown her his temper. His gaze was glacial, his tone edged with impatience. "You want a divorce that badly?"

Lynette had asked for a divorce countless times before, only to be dismissed with his smile. But this time, he was finally listening, and he was asking seriously.

She nodded. "Yes. Since the day you stood against me in court, this marriage stopped working."

Zachary let out a cold laugh, mocking. "Fine. I'll grant you your wish."

He seized her roughly, shoving her into the car. Barely an hour later, the legalities were complete, and the documents were signed at the county clerk's office.

Before the staff could even speak, Zachary scoffed. "There's a 30-day waiting period before the divorce is finalized. That should be enough time for you to cool off. Drain the nonsense out of your head and think clearly. Lynette, when you push things too far, even I get tired of it."

Lynette laughed bitterly. She truly wanted a divorce, but Zachary thought she was just acting out.

He continued, his voice sharp. "I've been too gracious with you. You don't even know what's good for you anymore. Since that's the case, I'm done coddling you. Watching you behave like this is exhausting."

With arrogance still clinging to his stride, Zachary picked up his suit jacket and walked out. Without looking back, he added, "Tomorrow night is the company's IPO gala. Don't show up with that dead look on your face."

The moment he left, the staff looked at Lynette with sympathy.

Lynette stared at his retreating figure and muttered under her breath, "Zachary, this divorce is real."

…

The waiting period was 30 days. Lynette booked a flight for exactly 30 days later and quietly sold every property under her name.

Back then, Zachary had insisted she hold assets of her own, gifting her several estates. Now that she was leaving, she saw no reason to keep any of it.

After packing her things, Lynette dragged her suitcase toward the door, preparing to move out. Just as she reached the villa's entrance, Zachary came back.

She was surprised. He rarely came home anymore. He frequently stayed with Charmaine to look after her while she was sick.

Their eyes met. His gaze dropped to the suitcase in her hand, and his expression darkened. He kicked it aside.

"Lynette, you just love making a scene, don't you?"

She wanted to say she wasn't acting, that she truly meant to leave. But his stubbornness told her he would never believe it.

She was exhausted. She simply wanted to leave as soon as possible. But as she reached for her suitcase, Zachary's hand clamped around her wrist like a vice.

"Walk out that door, and you're abandoning William's appeal," he hissed, his voice like ice. "I'm the one who managed that case, Lynette. Do you honestly believe any firm in Whistletown would touch it without my blessing?"

Lynette froze. The man before her felt like a stranger. "Are you threatening me?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

Tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably. For three whole years, she had begged anyone she could to clear William's name, even kneeling before her attorneys.

The moment they learned who she was, they avoided her like the plague. Only later did she discover the truth—Zachary had blacklisted her, ensuring every major law firm in the industry closed its doors to her.

She had mistaken the industry's silence for a fear of offending him. Now the truth finally dawned on her. Zachary had been the one cutting off her every escape route.

Her fists clenched, her eyes burning red with fury. "Zachary, when the Wright family faced bankruptcy, my dad helped you despite everyone's opposition. And this is how you repay him? You condemned him without question, and now you won't even leave him a way out."

Her voice broke into a cry.

"Will you only be satisfied once you drive my entire family to death?"

For a moment, Zachary's chest tightened. He stepped forward to steady her, but she shoved him away violently.

"Don't touch me! You disgust me."

His face darkened instantly. "You're right. I did all of it. Nettie, you're 28 now, not 18. Stop being so naive. Without my approval, no attorney in Whistletown will take your case. As long as you promise to stop causing trouble, I'll handle William's appeal."

Lynette sobbed. He had spoken those same words three years ago—right before betraying her in court. Now, he had sealed off every path of escape.

They knew each other too well. Each knew the other's fatal weakness.

Seeing her in such pain, Zachary couldn't help but wipe away her tears. "Nettie, I promise. As long as you stay obediently by my side, I'll take care of William's appeal."

Chapter 3

Zachary had struck Lynette's weakest point.

Lynette told herself she would trust him one last time—this would be the final chance she ever gave him.

He helped her carry her belongings back inside, and together they returned to the uneasy calm before the storm.

Lynette also agreed to attend the company's IPO gala the following night. But Zachary didn't send anyone to pick her up, claiming he was busy.

Meanwhile, Charmaine posted an update on her social media account. She posted a photo of a Mont Blanc tart from the east side of the city. The caption read, "I casually mentioned I was craving a Mont Blanc tart, and Mr. Attorney drove all day just to get them for me. Who wouldn't want to marry a man like that?"

It wasn't the first time Charmaine had posted something suggestive. In the beginning, Lynette would take screenshots and confront Zachary. But he always brushed it off.

"Charmaine is sick. She only has a few small requests. What's wrong with me fulfilling them?"

When Lynette reminded him they were married, Zachary would counter sharply. "Nettie, have I slept with Charmaine? You're always questioning me. It's exhausting. Everything I'm doing is for you anyway, to make up for your father's sins."

Eventually, Lynette stopped arguing. Charmaine grew bolder. Once, those posts had pierced Lynette's heart because she still loved Zachary. But she no longer did. Looking at them only made her laugh.

She blocked Charmaine's account and took a cab to the gala alone.

…

Glasses clinked as people toasted one another, laughter spilling over, the whole hall alive with celebration. Lights illuminated Zachary and Charmaine, casting them as a perfect pair. Even Zachary's friends laughed as they called Charmaine "Mrs. Wright".

In the past, Zachary would have shut down such talk immediately, dismissing it as baseless nonsense from a closed chapter of his life. But at some point, he stopped correcting them, letting them stand.

Guests smiled and flattered Charmaine.

"Mrs. Wright, this is such an important event, and Zach brought you. Clearly, you mean a lot to him."

"Yeah. I heard at auctions that Zach always gets gifts for Mrs. Wright. He doesn't show that thoughtful side to just anyone."

Zachary smiled. "Charmaine deserves it. Without her support all these years, the company wouldn't have gone public so quickly."

Charmaine's face glowed. "Back then, I had nowhere to go, and Zachary gave me a place to stay. I'm just doing my best to help him."

Even in a setting like this, Charmaine never addressed him formally as Mr. Wright. And Zachary, who was always strict about separating business from personal, didn't reprimand her once.

From across the room, Lynette watched and let out a cold laugh. She shouldn't have come.

Someone spotted her and exclaimed in surprise, "Lynette, what are you doing here?"

The laughter died instantly. Zachary's expression stiffened.

Lynette offered a frosty smile, leaning into her role as the uninvited guest. She drew herself up to her full height and spoke calmly. "Considering this is the Wright Corporation's IPO celebration, and I am, after all, Mrs. Wright, I fail to see why my attendance is a surprise."

Awkward glances were exchanged as guests scrambled to smooth things over. "Lynette, we were just joking earlier. Don't take it to heart."

Her reply was flat. "It wasn't funny at all."

Zachary stepped closer, lowering his voice. "This is the company's IPO gala. Do you really have to cause a scene here?"

Once again, she was "causing a scene". In his eyes, she always was. He had never once taken her pain seriously.

Lynette met his dark gaze. She couldn't understand. If he truly believed she was nothing but trouble, why did he refuse to divorce her? Everyone said he loved her, but she couldn't feel it at all.

William's appeal still depended on him, so she didn't want to argue. She took a deep breath and said, "It's stuffy inside. I'm going out for some air."

As she turned to leave, Zachary reached for her wrist, but his hand closed on nothing.

He froze. When had Lynette grown this thin?

Chapter 4

After leaving the banquet hall, Lynette sank into a gazebo. She mindlessly pressed her nails into the flesh of her wrist, seeking a release from the internal pressure. It was a familiar, terrifying spiral—her illness was resurfacing.

She told herself she didn't care, but every time something like this happened, her condition only worsened.

Lynette rummaged through her bag and pulled out her antidepressants and psychotropics. Before she could take her medications, Charmaine snatched them away, sneering, "No wonder Zachary calls you a lunatic every time he sleeps with me—you really drive him mad. Turns out, you really are crazy."

Lynette's stomach churned. So, they had been sleeping together. The vulnerability she once shared with Zachary had become a weapon, twisted into mockery and betrayal.

Charmaine smirked at her shock. "Oh, you didn't know? Do you know how he helped me recover? In bed. Every time I had an episode, he slept with me. Over the last three years, we've probably been together more times than he's even looked at you.

"Lynette, I was the one Zachary loved back then, and I'm the one he still loves now. What right do you have to cling to the title of Mrs. Wright?"

Lynette's mind reeled with Zachary's past promises—his vows never to cheat, to love only her. Promises spoken by him, but believed only by her.

She wanted to slap Charmaine, but her frail body betrayed her. All she could do was glare and warn, "Charmaine, don't push me."

Charmaine laughed, unafraid. "Push you? This isn't the first time. You stopped being the formidable Sterling heiress long ago. Now you're just the daughter of a convict.

"Oh, and I almost forgot—back then, I drugged your father and stole his sperm. I was Zachary's first love. If I hadn't gone abroad to marry someone else, he never would've settled for you. As long as I'm alive, he'll protect me.

"Who would've thought he'd even send his own father-in-law to prison for my sake? Lynette, look at yourself. What makes you think you can fight me?"

Lynette broke down, tears streaming. The Sterlings and Wrights had been close for generations. She had loved Zachary in secret since childhood, planning to confess at 18.

But on her 18th birthday, Zachary confessed to Charmaine instead. Just as Lynette was about to give up, Charmaine left him to marry abroad.

During Zachary's darkest days, Lynette stayed by his side, believing her sincerity had moved him. She never imagined she was only his second choice.

Lynette couldn't take it anymore. Rising to her feet, she raised her hand to strike. But before she could, Zachary rushed in, slamming her to the ground. "Lynette, you're trying to hurt Charmaine again! Wasn't it enough that your father humiliated her back then? You keep targeting her. Will you only be satisfied once your whole family drives her to death?"

Her head whipped to the side from the blow. Everyone around them saw her humiliation. For someone who had always cared about appearances, this was the first time she looked truly deranged in public.

Her face twisted as she roared, "I'm hurting her? Zachary, are you blind? My mom is dead, my dad is in prison, and I've been driven insane by all of you. Meanwhile, she's standing here perfectly fine. Tell me, who is hurting whom?"

The truth was plain, yet Zachary never asked, never listened. He only blamed her.

His voice was cold, merciless as he loomed over her. "You all brought it onto yourselves."

The tears came with such force that she could barely breathe.

She remembered being young, once fighting another rich girl. Their parents were called in. Even though the other girl had been beaten worse, Zachary had stood firmly by Lynette's side, insisting the other girl deserved it.

Zachary had always been biased. But when the choice was between Lynette and Charmaine, he never hesitated—Charmaine always won.

Now Lynette was the one broken, beaten, and scorned. Yet Zachary refused to see it.

At the end of it all, love wasn't defined by passion or promises, but by the quiet verdict of one's own conscience.

Chapter 5

As Zachary lifted Charmaine into his arms to leave, his foot struck an empty bottle on the ground.

It was Lynette's bottle of antidepressants.

Charmaine's face stiffened. She reached out to snatch it back, but Zachary was quicker. He picked up the bottle and examined it. "Depression? Another one of your tricks?"

Lynette's eyes burned painfully. Even with the truth staring him in the face, he refused to believe her.

Zachary sneered. "Lynette, I treat you like a queen every day. You don't lift a finger at home. When we go out, I don't even let you carry your own things. Haven't I been good enough to you? What do you have to be depressed about? I honestly don't understand what kind of act you're trying to pull."

Every contemptuous word cut into Lynette's heart—not enough to kill her, but sharp enough to make her wish it would.

With a flick of his wrist, Zachary tossed the bottle aside. "Don't pull this stunt again. It's getting old."

He turned to leave with Charmaine, but a sudden surge of adrenaline propelled Lynette forward. She lunged, her fingers locking onto Charmaine with a tight grip. "She can't leave! She just admitted my dad's downfall was her plan. There are cameras here. You can check them.

"Zachary, say whatever you want about me, I don't care. But my dad's case must be settled!"

Charmaine's heart jolted. In her eagerness to provoke Lynette, she had forgotten about the cameras.

Just as she was panicking, Zachary said coldly, "Hah! There's no need to check. I don't believe you."

Lynette stared at him in disbelief. Once, he had vowed never to doubt her. Now, only a few years later, he had abandoned that promise entirely.

If he had only looked down, he would have seen the blood on her arms. If he had checked the surveillance, he would have uncovered the truth.

The bitter reality was that Zachary wouldn't spare even a fraction of his energy for Lynette. In Whistletown, Zachary had absolute power. If he set his mind to a task, no one dared to stand in his way.

Lynette was dragged home and locked away. Zachary claimed he needed to "cure her madness". He locked her in the absolute darkness of the basement, leaving her to face the one that had terrified her since she was a small child.

He decreed that until she admitted her mistake, she would not eat. Each day, bodyguards came to ask the same question—had she realized she was wrong?

On the first day, Lynette huddled in the corner, quietly clutching herself.

On the second day, rats were released into the basement to force her to submit. She screamed in terror, but still refused to yield.

By the third day, with the blood caked and dry, the light in her eyes went out. Looking into the infinite black, she said with chilling resignation, "I did nothing wrong. Just kill me and be done with it."

At that point, she wanted nothing more than to die.

On the seventh day, she was finally released. Zachary saw her lifeless state and panic seized him. He struck a bodyguard in fury. "If she dies, I'll bury all of you with her!"

Amid the shouting, Lynette's eyes fluttered open. Confusion clouded her thoughts. If he no longer loved her, wouldn't it be better if she were dead?

This was all Zachary's fault. He was the reason she was here. So why was he now pretending to be a good person?

When she woke again, she was in the hospital. Zachary sat at her bedside, attentive and gentle, just as it had been years ago. For a moment, it felt as though time had reset.

But Lynette knew the truth—some things, once shattered, could never be mended. The cracks would always remain.

For three days, Zachary stayed by her side. When she finally opened her eyes, he exhaled in relief. "Nettie, this is all my fault. I didn't realize your body was this weak. I—"

Lynette didn't want to hear it. She cut him off, her voice calm and detached. "My dad's second appeal is in a week. Are you still taking his case?"

His words of concern died in his throat. Something in her had changed. The old Lynette had hated him, but love had still lingered in her eyes.

Now, that love was gone.