Chapter 2

I forced a smile that was uglier than a cry, playing along with her words.

"Yes, Marcus... he's kind-hearted."

She didn't notice the strangeness in my voice, only looked at me with more sympathy.

My gaze fell on her neck, where a magnificent pink diamond necklace sparkled.

My breathing hitched for a second. I had seen this necklace before.

Three months ago, Marcus brought it home, all mysterious, and locked it in his safe.

Curious, I reached out to touch it, but he snapped at me fiercely.

"Don't touch it! It's for a big client, something worth tens of millions. If you break it, can you afford to pay?"

At the time, I just thought he was stressed from work and in a bad mood, and I softly comforted him.

Thinking back now, it was truly laughable.

Gritting my teeth against the pain from my waist wound, I searched the banquet hall for Marcus.

Instead, I saw several faces both familiar and strange.

Several of Marcus's uncles and relatives were in the center of the banquet hall, with plastered-on smiles, chatting with the celebrities and socialites around them.

Five years ago, when Marcus and I got married, he claimed his hometown was too far for relatives to travel, so we didn't even have a proper wedding reception.

But today, for his anniversary with Scarlett, he'd invited all of the Thorne relatives.

Scarlett saw me looking around and explained with a smile.

"Marcus went to pick up his parents; they'll be here any minute."

Hearing that, I froze for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Marcus's mother, Brenda, was suffering from end-stage kidney failure, and the doctor said only a kidney transplant could save her.

Without a moment's hesitation, I lay on the operating table and gave her one of my kidneys.

After being discharged, I dragged my ailing body to wash and cook for them, treating them with the devotion I would my own parents.

A month ago, Brenda held my hand, tears welling in her eyes, saying she was going to a nursing home out of state for rehabilitation therapy.

"Evelyn, that place is a closed facility; to prevent infection, phones aren't allowed. You just focus on recovering, don't worry about us."

Marcus's father, Arthur, chimed in from the side.

"Yes, you've sacrificed so much for this family; we can't burden you anymore."

Not only did I believe them, but to gather what they called the expensive therapy fees, I secretly went to the black market to sell my blood three times in one month, without Marcus knowing.

The last time, I almost bled to death on the street.

Brenda was casually using my kidney, taking the money I earned selling my blood, to attend her son's wedding anniversary with another woman.

Scarlett didn't notice the immense hatred beneath my pale face and enthusiastically supported me.

"Come, let me introduce you to Marcus's friends."

She led me to the center of the banquet hall. As soon as we approached, a well-groomed socialite began flattering Scarlett.

"Scarlett is truly blessed! Mr. Thorne isn't just young and accomplished, taking his company public, he's also spoiled you into becoming the happiest woman in the entire city."

Several socialites immediately agreed.

"Exactly! I heard that in the two years you've been married, Mr. Thorne hasn't even let you handwash a single piece of clothing."

Two years of marriage? So, in the third year of our marriage, he'd already started another life.

Clutching my bleeding lower back, I felt like I was about to collapse.

In the past month, Marcus would occasionally send texts.

"Evelyn, take good care of your wound, don't wander around."

"The company is in closed development for a new, crucial project. Wait for me to come back."

These caring words, now, felt like venomous snakes, coiling around my heart, squeezing the breath out of me.

He said his company was facing bankruptcy, that he could only eat crackers to stave off hunger every day, that the cash flow had broken, asking me to mortgage our only property to fill the hole.

I poured everything I had into it, taking on massive debts to support him.

It turned out I had never truly known the man I shared my bed with for five years.