Chapter 1

"Ethan! You married such an ugly woman, made our entire family a laughingstock, and now you're throwing your life away for her! How long are you going to keep this up?"

The hospital room door wasn't fully closed. My mother-in-law's voice was sharp and piercing.

My hand froze on the door handle. I heard a few seconds of silence inside, then his calm, emotionless voice.

"Mom, you know what I want."

"I knew it. You're still doing all this for Serena."

My mother-in-law's voice trembled with rage. "No matter how much you love her, it's useless. Using Elara Winters to provoke us won't work either."

My whole body went cold.

Three years. I thought he was the only one who didn't find me ugly when everyone else did. I thought his life-risking rescue was love.

Turns out I was just a pawn he used to defy his family.

Turns out every time he looked at me, he was looking through me at another woman.

I steadied myself against the wall and slowly backed away to my own hospital room.

If that's how it is, this marriage isn't worth keeping.