Chapter 2

I was with Ethan for seven years.

When he turned thirty, when his company went public and he was worth billions, the person he chose to marry wasn't me.

He held Charlotte's hand.

They chatted pleasantly.

The woman wore a white dress, gentle and lovely, delicate as a flower.

Of course.

A man like Ethan should naturally like someone like Charlotte.

Charlotte was his biggest investor's daughter.

Now he needed capital to consolidate his empire.

A marriage alliance was the best choice.

I should have known.

I stumbled back to the apartment in a daze, but in my mind was the night we got our marriage certificate at nineteen.

He held me and said, "Sophia, I, Ethan Sterling, will never let you down in this lifetime."

The night I discovered him with Charlotte, I said I wanted to leave.

For the first time in his life he lost his temper with me, his suppressed anger barely contained.

"Sophia, you need to be understanding."

But I'm your wife!

I couldn't suppress the sourness in my eyes, stubbornly refusing to look at him.

We remained at an impasse for a while.

Finally he softened his voice, trying to reason with me. "She and I are just business partners. I only love you. After all these years, don't you know that?"

I said nothing.

He continued. "I'll make you company vice president with the same stake as me. You won't have to bow to anyone."

I looked deeply at his features.

They were no different from before, yet I couldn't find a trace of familiarity.

Was he still my Ethan?

"Can I make one request?"

He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking I'd compromised, and quickly asked what I wanted.

"Let Jason go."

He froze, instinctively saying, "No."

I laughed coldly and pointed to the door, telling him to leave.

"I'll agree to anything you ask, except this. Sophia, don't make this difficult for me."

Making it difficult - as if I were being unreasonable.

When Ethan conquered half his business empire, my father died in that merger war.

I held his cold body, crying until no more tears came.

He, usually calm and composed, also reddened his eyes.

I said I no longer had a father.

He pulled me into his arms, lips trembling, saying "don't be afraid" over and over.

My family poured out all our wealth and exhausted all our connections for Ethan.

Jason was sent to prison by him on charges of "corporate espionage," while I was placated with a vice president position.

Jason fought alongside him in the business world, but in the end, Ethan couldn't tolerate him.

Since my father's death, they'd gradually developed conflicts and began competing openly and covertly.

Ethan worried Jason's prestige would exceed his own.

The first thing he did after going public was fabricate evidence and send him to prison with a heavy sentence.

I didn't blame him.

But he shouldn't have used such charges to tarnish Jason's name.

I looked at him pleadingly, crushing my former pride.

What did it matter - spending a lifetime at the company, competing with many women for one man's favor, becoming what I once despised most?

Compared to Jason's life, what did it matter?

I traded my compliance for his promise - to let Jason serve his sentence under house arrest, leave the business world, and never step foot in this circle again.

Seeing me like this for the first time, he contemplated for a long while before finally saying softly, "Alright."

After many days, a weight finally lifted from my heart.

I sincerely thanked him.

As long as someone's alive, there's still hope.