Grace Parrish had a perfect marriage, and everyone envied that she had a perfect husband who loved her more than anything.

Yet, on the day she knew she was pregnant, she came to know that Antonio Kaufman, her so-called perfect husband, had already cheated on her for more than two years.

His mistress was Rowena Quinn, who had bullied Grace in college. The two even had twins.

Rowena kept provoking her, and Antonio lied to her again and again for secret trysts with Rowena.

To get back at Antonio, who had cheated on her, Grace had an abortion decisively and arranged for her fake death.

Before leaving, she gave him the abortion surgery form and the proof of Rowena provoking her as a gift, telling him that he could only open it in a few days.

***

"Help me stage an accident of a private jet crash so that I can leave Antonio," Grace said.

Hearing this request, her bestie, Sybil Bourn, was slack-jawed. She couldn't help but wonder if she had misheard.

She was as shocked as the first time she knew Antonio and Grace were getting married.

Grace came from a poor family in the village, whereas Antonio was the heir of the Kaufman family, a top-notch family in Boston. They were like two people from two different worlds, and the news of them getting married shocked everyone.

For a time, everyone in town was curious. Some chalked up his feelings for Grace to a mere novelty, some suspected that he had a beloved that he couldn't be with, and Grace was a stand-in, and some figured he married her because of some bet.

But after they got married for three years, Antonio proved to everyone that the only reason why he married Grace was that he loved her.

He loved her to the core.

Back then, he fell for her at first sight and then started to pursue her relentlessly.

He gave her gifts every day, donated billions of dollars to charities in her name, and built primary schools worldwide while naming them "Grace Primary School".

The reason was simple—he wanted everyone in the world to know her and thank her; if she met trouble in the future, no matter where she went, there'd be someone who helped her out.

To spend more time with her, he did part-time jobs with her, including waiting tables, handing out flyers, delivering packages, and so on. He had been papered since childhood and had never lifted a finger doing chores, yet he toughed it out for two entire years.

His slender hands, which had only been used to play the violin in the past, were calloused.

Finally, he won Grace's heart with his sincerity. However, given the huge gap in their family backgrounds, his parents firmly refused her to be their daughter-in-law.

To gain his parents' consent, he was whipped sixteen times severely, and his back was always covered in blood every time. It was scarred even now.

Realizing he still couldn't persuade them because of that, he gave up all inheritance and started from scratch because, in such a way, no one could stop him from being with Grace.

All his friends thought he had lost his mind. He had always been shrewd, yet for a woman, he willingly walked away from that huge sum of money.

His family finally gave in and agreed to his marriage with Grace.

After getting married, he changed all his staff to men.

He always told Grace about his whereabouts and even had a tracking system installed on his phone so that she could check on him at any time, though she had never asked him to do so.

The netizens all thought they were a great match, the proof of real love.

He and Grace harvested countless shipping fans and were even more popular than celebrities for a while.

Grace was the only one who knew that her so-called perfect husband had twins with another woman behind her back.

When she learned this, she was so heartbroken that she coughed up blood and passed out.

Upon knowing that, Antonio canceled the negotiation about a deal worth billions of dollars and rushed back to the country to take care of her two days in a row without sleeping a wink.

When she woke up, he was sitting by the bed with a worried look, holding the IV tube to warm the fluid inside.

"You're awake, Grace. I was worried sick, you know." He pressed his face against her, almost shedding tears.

Back then, he once had a gun pointed at his head by his business rival, but he didn't even blink. Yet, when he heard she vomit blood, he panicked so much that he could barely stand.

Looking at his eyes, filled with worry and anxiety, Grace felt that her heart was torn into pieces.

The affection in his eyes was genuine; she knew he loved her indeed. She couldn't help but wonder if he had gazed at Rowena just like this and had said the same beautiful sweet-nothings to Rowena.

Rowena was the other woman, his childhood sweetheart.

Back in their college days, after word got out that he was pursuing Grace, Rowena led her lackeys to pick up Grace and even went to the place where Grace worked to insult Grace. She messed up several of Grace's jobs and had some punks get fresh with Grace. Luckily, Antonio, who came to confess his feelings for Grace, ran into them just in time.

The Kaufman family and the Quinn family had been friends for generations, but he didn't give a damn and made the Quinn family bankrupt. He would have killed Rowena several times if it weren't for his mom to stop him.

Grace saw the nasty videos and the paternity reports with her own eyes. Or she wouldn't have believed Antonio had cheated on her and even had a one-year-old already.

She closed her eyes and turned her head away, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably, soaking the pillow.

Antonio didn't see her tears and presumed she was tired. "Grace, the doctor gave you a check-up. You're two months pregnant! We're gonna have our own baby!"

He was always cold and aloof when being with others, yet now, he was as overjoyed as a kid. "Our wedding anniversary will be in five days, and now you're pregnant. Could this get any better?"

Grace opened her eyes at once.

When she was little, her dad once kicked her into a river in winter, causing permanent damage to her health. Many doctors said she might not get pregnant this whole life.

This further made Antonio's parents more displeased with her.

They were Antonio's parents, so she always put up with them.

But Antonio wouldn't let anyone upset her, so he said to them coldly, "Grace is the love of my life. I'm the luckiest man on Earth being with her. If you make things difficult for her because she can't get pregnant, then I'll cut ties with you. From now on, you'll be strangers to me."

Grace stroked her abdomen gently. Unable to hold back any longer, she sobbed. Why did her baby choose to meet her now of all times?

Antonio held her in his arms, coaxing her gently, "Why are you crying? Who upset you? Tell me. I'll make things right for you."

Then she caught a faint, unfamiliar scent of perfume mingled with baby formula on him.

She pushed him away with great force and leaned over the bedside, puking.

Antonio figured it was morning sickness. He instinctively held up his hands and placed them next to her lips, not worrying she might puke on him at all.

He looked at her worriedly. Of course, he was overjoyed that she was pregnant, but he was there for Rowena back then when Rowena got pregnant and gave birth, and he knew exactly how much women would suffer in terms of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum recovery.

Grace gawked at him. She knew he was a complete neat freak, but there wasn't a hint of disgust on his face. He even hand-washed her clothes and shoes usually.

He had loved her for three years unconditionally, and vice versa. She couldn't even bear the thought of leaving him.

For a moment, she even wanted to abandon all her principles; she figured that as long as he promised not to see Rowena again, she'd forgive him.

Yet, in the next second, he received a text message and left hurriedly, saying something had come up at the office.

Half an hour later, Rowena sent her a photo. In the photo, Antonio was holding his twins, kissing one of them on the forehead.

The photo shattered all her hopes.

After leaving the hospital, she went to Sybil, asking Sybil to stage a fake jet crash.

She knew Antonio. He'd never say yes to a divorce, and the last thing he'd do was let her go. He'd go mad instead.

After Grace left Sybil's place, she went out of town to book an abortion.

Everyone in the Kaufman family was an influential figure. If she had an abortion in town, Antonio would know before she had surgery.

Before she was wheeled into the operating room, Rowena sent her a video clip.

It lasted for two and a half hours, in which Rowena was wearing sexy lingerie, whereas Antonio was wearing a sharp suit; on the table next to them, there were all kinds of stuff used to spice things up.

They had sex in every corner of the place, including the kitchen, the study, and the vestibule.

Grace had never seen that side of Antonio; he looked so obsessed and crazed.

Each scene broke her heart, yet she still finished watching it as if she was determined to torture herself.

"Ma'am, it's about time for your surgery. Are you sure you're up to it?" the doctor asked her worriedly.

Only then did she realize she had been crying so hard that her body was trembling.

Apart from being sad, another reason she was crying so hard was that she realized one thing. Even though she knew Antonio had cheated on her, she still couldn't stop loving him.

He was a living person, not a piece of clothing that could be dumped at will. The thought of leaving him tore her apart, and it hurt so much that she couldn't even breathe.

She wiped her tears away and decided to give him one last chance.

She called him. "Where are you, Antonio? I miss you. Can you come back?"

He sounded tense as if suppressing something. "Darling, I've got something important to do at work. Tonight..."

He groaned and suddenly spoke much faster, "I won't come back tonight."

With that, he hung up.

Stunned, Grace started to cry even harder. It was the first time he had ever hung up on her.

After a few minutes, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Wheel me in."

Late at night, she went home wearily. Sybil texted her, "Baby, everything's ready. It'll happen in two days."

She slumped to the bed. For the entire night, she always woke up crying right after she fell asleep; in the wee hours, she hugged her knees and sat in the darkness until dawn.

Antonio came back early the next morning.

He took off his coat and walked over to her only after the chill on him dissipated. Then he hugged her, turned on his tablet, and pointed at an island. "Darling, check out the island. I've just bought it; it's for our baby. Also, I've started construction on amusement parks in all cities in the country. They'll be named after our baby. After you give birth, I'll hold a party for a hundred days and invite everyone to celebrate with us!"

He said so happily; then he realized she hadn't said a word ever since he came back.

Suddenly, he heard her sob.

He held her shoulders gently so that he could see her face, and then he saw the tears on her face.

"What happened, Grace?" He had never seen her cry like this, and he panicked so much that even his voice was trembling.

As long as she was upset, he'd be in immense pain; seeing her cry was like the most painful thing for him, and he felt his heart being gripped by a strong hand, which was suffocating.

"I'm fine." Grace dodged his hands. "This is what pregnant women are like. We burst into tears for no reason."

"Really?" Hearing this, he was relieved. "I'll stay home all day to be with you, OK? What do you wanna eat? I'll fix them for you."

She said, "No need. I've gotta go to a class reunion at noon and visit my mentor in the evening. Don't let me keep you."

After saying this, she stood up. After she left, she wouldn't come back to the country ever again, and today's meeting with her friends would be the last time.

Antonio was worried about her going out alone and insisted on tagging along.

The second they stepped into the private room, everyone laughed.

"See? I told you Antonio would come with Grace today. He couldn't leave her for even just a second."

Antonio smiled, not mad at being teased at all. Then he gave everyone a gift he had prepared for them.

One of them exclaimed, "Gee! This is the latest set of jewelry Snowflake Jewelry has just launched, and it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars! Thanks, Grace. It's all thanks to you that we always receive such expensive gifts from Antonio."

Grace was very popular in college. Those present were all her close friends, and Antonio was willing to please them.

Once they were happy, Grace would be, too.

They all secretly exclaimed how love could change a person. Grace used to be cold and aloof, yet ever since she had been with Antonio, she never went anywhere without a warm smile.

"Grace, you're so lucky to marry someone who loves you so much."

Yet, instead of showing a sweet smile, Grace simply smiled politely.

As the room was filled with cheerful chatter, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Rowena showed up, glittering with jewels.

"How come no one told me there was gonna be a class reunion today? Weren't we in the same class?"

Upon Rowena's arrival, the atmosphere became depressing at once.

Yet, she seemed oblivious to their dull faces. She sat down with a smile, glancing at the gifts in their hands.

"Snowflake Jewelry? It's quite a famous brand. Maybe this is new to you, but I founded the brand."

It was her brand?

Everyone was suspicious. Back then, the Quinn family went bankrupt because of Antonio, and they hardly had a foothold in the country. How did she manage to establish such a luxury brand?

Meanwhile, Rowena continued, "Something bad happened to my family back then, but luckily, I met my husband soon after that. Two years ago, he spent billions of dollars and used his connections to establish a company for me. Oh, to be accurate, it's not just one company. He got me twenty-six companies in total."

While saying this, she glanced at Antonio either intentionally or unintentionally and then smiled at Grace provocatively.

Grace's heart sank.

Two years ago, Antonio was particularly busy during a period of time.

He told her he was busy expanding the overseas market; it turned out this was what he was doing.

A sharp pain suddenly shot from her heart, and she couldn't help but clutch her chest.

"What's wrong, Darling? Are you feeling unwell?" Antonio stood up worriedly at once. "I'll get the doctor here."

Rowena sneered, "Grace, you're the apple of Antonio's eye, and he dotes on you so much. How come you still seem you're gonna die at any second?"

Immediately, Antonio pulled a long face and slapped Rowena across the face hard. "Shut up and get out, or I'll make sure you don't get to speak ever again."

She clutched her cheek, snorted, and left unwillingly.

The second she stepped out, the room's atmosphere became lively again, but Grace's face was still ghastly pale.

Holding her hand, Antonio asked worriedly, "Where does it hurt, Darling? The doctor will be here soon."

She pushed him away. "I'm fine. I just need to go to the restroom. Don't follow me."

Once she walked out of the private room, Rowena blocked her way and scoffed, "Just because Antonio slapped me doesn't mean you mean much to him. I gave birth to twins for him, and he has already favored me. Believe it or not, as long as I tell him his kids have a fever, he'll come back to me at once."

When Grace returned to the private room, Antonio indeed looked extremely anxious. He walked over, pecked her forehead, and said, "Darling, something urgent at work came up, and I gotta go back. I've talked to the manager; today's meal is on me. Have fun with your friends."

She grabbed his sleeve tightly. "You said you were gonna be with me today, right? Would you please stay?"

Her eyes were filled with both pleading and calmness. Meeting her gaze, for some reason, Antonio suddenly panicked a bit. His gut told him that if he left today, he'd lose something very important.

But Rowena told him his kids were sick. He was their father, and he must go and check on them.

After much struggling, he pried Grace's fingers off one by one. "Darling, I promise I'll be back tonight to be with you. OK?"

Grace took a deep breath. It turned out Rowena was right; Rowena and her kids now meant more to him.

Half an hour later, Rowena sent her a video.

Though she knew what it was about, she clicked on it with a trembling hand.

In the video, Rowena sobbed pitifully while saying, "I can't do one second without you. I missed you so much, and that's why I went there today. Seeing you and Grace so intimate drove me crazy, so I said those things to make me feel better. How could you slap me?"

Antonio smiled; obviously, he was enjoying this.

He brought an ice pack to cool down her swollen and red cheek and said, "Alright. Don't cry, OK? Tell me what you want. I'll make it up to you."

She said, "The kids' birthday is coming. Can the island you've just brought be their gift?"

He frowned. "No. That's for my baby with Grace."

She tugged at his sleeve. "Please, Daddy. The island is so beautiful; you've just promised to make it up to me."

He finally nodded.

Rowena flashed a provocative smile at the camera. Then she sent Grace a voice message, "See? It doesn't matter he has promised to give you the island. As long as I ask, he'll give me anything. You lost, Grace."

Grace held her phone, sitting in situ in a daze.

Once, she got injured when doing a part-time job, and Antonio did the same thing to ease her pain.

It turned out he'd do it for another woman, too.

Suddenly, she felt exhausted.

But it was fine; as long as she left Antonio, everything would be better.

She'd be free tomorrow.

In the afternoon, Grace went to visit her mentor back in college.

Before she left, her teacher took her to a nearby temple, wanting her to have an amulet.

When they arrived, the staff there called out Grace's name, though she had never met him before.

"You're probably wondering how I know your name, right?" the staff smiled. "A year ago, a gentleman named Antonio Kaufman donated 15 million dollars to us and got you an amulet. But he didn't take it away; he left it here, wanting us to keep it for him."

Grace's mentor smiled, "It seems Antonio loves you so much. I'm relieved to see you happy, Grace."

Grace lowered her head. Her attachment to those happy days with Antonio was mixed with the pain of his betrayal, stirring her heart which had barely calmed down.

The staff said to her, "It's great to see you here today. Now that you're here, you might as well take the amulet together with you."

She took the amulet and was about to leave when the staff called out to her again, saying, "Wait! Mr. Kaufman asked for three more amulets back then. Ms. Parrish, you can take them together with you as well."

Grace took the amulets over and almost wanted to burst out laughing when she saw the names on them.

It was the names of Rowena and her twins.

At night, Antonio came home, only to find Grace sleeping soundly already.

For years, they had always waited for the other to come home. They couldn't go to sleep without hugging each other at all.

For the first time, she didn't wait up.

A sense of uneasiness loomed over his heart. He hugged her, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "I missed you so much, Darling. Though it had just been a couple of hours, it felt like an eternity. If you leave me one day, I won't make it."

"Really?" Grace murmured.

"By the way, Darling, can I talk to you about something? It's about the island. Some purchase procedures are rather troublesome, so I got you another two. Is that OK?"

She closed her eyes. "Whatever."

Sensing the coldness and impatience in her tone, Antonio grew even uneasy. He asked cautiously, "Darling, did I upset you?"

"No. I'm tired. That's all." She took a deep breath. "It'll be our wedding anniversary in a few days, and I wanna take the private jet abroad tomorrow afternoon. I got you a gift abroad and want to pick it up myself."

He shook his head. "You're pregnant, and the flight will take at least fifteen hours. I don't want you to be exhausted. I'll go."

She said a bit coquettishly, "Come on, Antonio. I wanna pick the gift up myself. Please?"

Her cute tone melted Antonio's heart; he couldn't say no to her like this whatsoever. "Alright. Whatever you say."

The next morning, he went out after making breakfast, saying he had work to do in the company.

After he left, Grace began to pack up.

She opened the wardrobe, took out those clothes she had made for him, cut them into pieces, and tossed them into the trash can.

Then she sent all the jewelry he had given her to the maids.

In the past three years, Antonio and she had saved sixteen photo albums, and they agreed to look at them together when they were old. But she decisively tossed them into the fireplace.

Antonio forgot some important files and came back.

The second he saw the burning photos in the flames, his mind went blank. Ignoring everything else, he reached out and salvaged the last half of one of the albums.

"Darling..." He looked at Grace, his voice trembling. "Why did you burn the photos?"

She smiled, "No particular reasons. I just suddenly felt that they were so ugly, and I wanna get rid of them."

She walked over to him and took his burned hand, saying, "The road ahead is long, and we can always take more photos. Why did you do that? See? You hurt your hand. I'll go get the doctor here to take care of it."

Seeing the worry in her eyes, Antonio gradually calmed down and was no longer that panicked. He said, playing cute, "I'll be fine if you blow on it, Darling."

If his subordinates were to see him like this, they'd find him crazy.

Grace said with a smile, "You're a grown-up already. Shame on you."

She walked over while subtly covering the shredded clothes in the trash can.

Antonio took the files, pecked her forehead, and said, "I'm going to work now. I'll be back at noon."

No longer after he left, Rowena sent Grace a message, "Antonio is at the Pearl Hotel. Come here. I've prepared a great show for you today."

Grace read the message in silence. It wasn't until now that she realized that going to work was just Antonio's excuse for going to see Rowena.

She knew she'd be devastated by what she saw there, but she headed out anyway.

Today was the twins' birthday.

Antonio, together with his parents and friends, was celebrating for them.

The birthday party was held at the Pearl Hotel. As the waiters and waitresses addressed Rowena as "Mrs. Kaufman", Antonio didn't correct them at all. Instead, he exchanged a smile with Rowena, his eyes glimmering tenderly.

The way Antonio's parents smiled at Rowena was something Grace had never seen before. Antonio's mom said, "If it weren't for Rowena, we still wouldn't have any grandkids by now. Antonio, promise us you'll treat Rowena well."

With a smile, Antonio nodded. "I've always treated her well, OK? She has whatever Grace has. I always prepare all the gifts in twos, including clothes, jewelry, and rare treasures."

Grace thought she'd calmly accept whatever she would see, but at this precise moment, she was stupefied. Every moment she shared with Antonio in the past suddenly became a sharp knife, stabbing her heart mercilessly.

It turned out everyone knew.

From a long time ago, what she thought of as unique love had gone.

Rowena had whatever she had.

And Rowena also had something she didn't have.

Grace hid behind a pillar outside the banquet hall, and she overheard Antonio chatting with his cousin, Rita Kaufman.

Rita frowned. "Antonio, are you really gonna keep the status quo forever? There's no secret in this world. No matter how well you hide it, Grace will find out someday."

Antonio smiled, "I love Grace. But since Rowena has given birth to my kids, I won't leave Rowena behind either. I don't see anything wrong with maintaining the status quo."

"What if Grace finds out? What are you gonna do then?" Rita mumbled. "You cheated on her. This is so unfair to her."

"She's not gonna find out. It's been two years, and she still doesn't have a clue," Antonio said confidently. "I know; it's been unfair to her. I'll be even nicer to her to make it up to her."

Rita rolled her eyes at him with disdain. "You really think love can be compensated with material things? Just a reminder, Lincoln is coming back to the country soon. You know how prim he is. He hates those who screw around the most. You better make sure he doesn't find out about your affair, or he'll definitely tell Grace."

Grace slowly slid down along the pillar and slumped to the ground.

She was hurt so badly that she couldn't feel heartache anymore; right now, she simply felt sick.

She stumbled out of the hotel.

Yet, she had been devastated by so many things that had happened recently, and it was too much for her. Her vision went black, and she collapsed.

When she opened her eyes, she was in an unfamiliar room. A man in a suit wearing frameless glasses was sitting on the couch next to the bed.

He was flipping through a thick stack of files. Though he was expressionless, his striking features gave off an inexplicable pressure.

Grace sat up in a daze, and it took her a few seconds before recognizing him.

It was Antonio's uncle, Lincoln Kaufman.

Lincoln had been abroad doing business all year round, and though it had been years, Grace had only seen him a handful of times. She didn't know much about him, only that Antonio was a bit terrified of him, though he was only three years older than Antonio. Antonio was unruly when he was little, and his parents couldn't bear to discipline him; it was always Lincoln who did the work.

According to Antonio, Lincoln was "rigid and serious", and he was "a creature of rules".

"You're awake." Lincoln closed the file in his hand. "The doctor said you had just had an abortion and had experienced great mood swings, which is why you passed out."

He walked over to her slowly. "Antonio doesn't know about the abortion, right? Or he would have gone mad already. And he wouldn't have let you pass out alone on the roadside."

After a long time of silence, Grace said, "Thanks for today, but please keep this between us."

He didn't nod or say yes, so she said with a pleading tone, "Please."

Lincoln was stunned. Knowing that something between Antonio and Grace must have gone wrong, he figured that he ought to tell Antonio about this.

Yet, for some reason, he wavered and chose to nod.

Then he had someone send Grace home.

Shortly after she came back, Antonio was back, too.

"Darling, what do you wanna have for lunch? I'll cook." Worried that the chef might not be attentive enough or that the food might not be to Grace's liking, he always prepared the meals for her over the years regardless of how busy he was.

Then he took out a set of jewelry. "The jewelry I have custom-made for you is here. Darling, see if you like it."

Grace glanced at the jewelry and found it identical to the set he gave Rowena today.

She couldn't help but laugh. All these years, she had thought she was the only one Antonio loved. Yet, she was so wrong. His love was so cheap.

"No need. I wanna go take a look at Tree Hollow."

Tree Hollow was a manor Antonio had built for her five years ago; they shared a lot of precious memories there.

Antonio had confessed his feelings for her nineteen-seven times, and the first time she said yes was at Tree Hollow.

They held hands and kissed each other for the first time there.

It was also the place where Antonio proposed to her, promising he'd love no one but her this entire life.

But Tree Hollow was in the suburbs, so after they got married, they seldom went over there.

It was noon, and she'd leave in the private jet at 3:00 p.m. She wanted to go take one last look before she left for good.

Antonio was stunned, panicking a bit. Rowena had insisted on living there, so he had given her the keys. She took the kids there today to have fun.

"OK. Let's go over after lunch," he said to Grace and then went into the kitchen, texting Rowena to tell her to leave.

Grace and Antonio went to Tree Hollow at 1 p.m.

The second Grace entered the entrance, she felt something off.

The roses in the garden had been replaced by lilies, the light green curtains were now pink, and there were even toys for kids in the living room.

Obviously, someone else had lived here.

But she acted as if she hadn't noticed anything and went straight upstairs. There were a couple of their photo albums in the bedroom, and she'd take them away and burn them.

Their existence sickened her.

Yet, the second she opened one of the photo albums, she froze.

It was the photos of Antonio, Rowena, and their twins in the album. They went to the lavender fields, enjoyed the view on a hot air balloon, and so on... Those were all the places Antonio had taken her, and each of them held unforgettable memories.

It wasn't until now that she realized he had taken Rowena and their twins to those places, too. What was she doing back then? Probably still fantasizing about a happy life together with him. He ruined the last part of the memories that were exclusive to them.

Noticing her ghastly pale face, Antonio walked over. "What's wrong, Darling?"

She closed the album and smiled, "Nothing. I wanna go home."

As she was about to go downstairs, his phone suddenly rang, and he became visibly flustered. "Darling, I need to use the bathroom. Can you wait for me downstairs?"

Grace nodded and left.

She came back several minutes later. Outside the bathroom door, she heard Antonio's anxious voice.

"Didn't I tell you to leave with the kids? Why are you still here?"

Rowena's slutty voice rang out. "I wanna play an exciting game with you. Remember? We had sex in your bed with Grace when your wedding photo was above our heads. And now, she's downstairs. Doesn't this turn you on even more?"

Antonio's breathing became heavier. "You feisty little minx."

The sound of water rang out, mixed with some other nasty sounds.

Standing outside the door, Grace felt nothing. Only one thought occupied her mind—since when did Antonio become like this?

He was like a poppy in the mud, which was captivating yet stinky.

Maybe it was just who he was; she only came to see his true colors till now.

Suddenly, she remembered the day when Antonio first took her to meet his friends.

His friends were all trust fund kids, either rich or noble. Though they gave them their blessings, they in fact mocked Antonio for being a fool. Unlike him, they'd never stay with one person for the rest of their lives; with their money and power, they could support ten women at the same time easily.

Back then, Antonio said to her, "I'm not like them. You're the only one I love."

Now she realized essentially, he was just like them; they were all jerks. It was just that it took him longer to reveal his true colors.

She sneered and walked downstairs on tiptoe.

She came from a small village, and her mom was trafficked there. Her mom gave birth to her and not a baby boy, and because of that, she and her mom would be punished every day.

At thirteen, she escaped. The first thing she did after that was send him to prison.

He cursed her, and though her mom was set free because of her, her mom wasn't grateful.

The reason was simple; she represented the humiliating part of her mom's life, something her mom wanted to get rid of forever.

Growing up in such a twisted family, she learned to always keep her guard, maintaining her distance from everyone.

When she was eighteen, Antonio came into her world. He was like an eternal flame, melting the wall in her heart persistently while soothing away all the suffering she had ever endured tenderly.

He loved her deeply and unconditionally, and he gave her the power to love again.

But it was also he who hurt her the most when she was the happiest.

The scar he left in her heart would never heal.

After several minutes, Antonio walked out of the manor.

Staring at him in silence for a few seconds, Grace suddenly raised her hand to show him the bracelet on her wrist. "Antonio, you made this for me. But I noticed today that it's fading. Will your love for me fade, too?"

"That's not gonna happen." He looked earnest as he held her hand and kissed it with utmost devotion. "I'll only love you more and more."

She chuckled, though only she knew why.

He loved her, yet he tricked her and played her.

At first, she wanted to leave quietly, but she now had a change of mind.

She would get back at him for cheating on her and playing with her feelings for two entire years.

She would get back at him for breaking his promises and leaving her to suffer.

She would get back at him for loving her and then leaving her a scar that would never heal.

With such a thought, she hugged him. "I love you too, Antonio. Promise me you'll wait for me and our baby to come back. Then we'll celebrate our third wedding anniversary together."

Taking out a file bag, she placed it on his hand and said seriously, "By the way, this is my gift for you. Remember; you can only open it after two days."

Inside the bag were the abortion surgery form and the screenshot of the video Rowena had sent her.

In the afternoon, when Antonio learned about her jet crash, he'd open this file bag for sure. Then he'd know it was his infidelity that broke her heart, cost him his long-awaited baby, and caused the death of her, his beloved wife.

She wanted to see him suffer in pain and remorse every day for the rest of his life.

"OK. I'll wait for you to come back." Antonio's eyes sparkled with hope. "I'll take you to the airport now, Darling."

Grace shook her head.

He had been with her for so long; for the last part before her departure, she didn't need his company anymore.

"No need. I know you're busy; someone will probably be looking for you soon."

Antonio was stunned. Perhaps it was all in his head; somehow, he sensed a hint of mockery in her tone.

All of a sudden, he felt uneasy.

In the next second, his phone rang; Rowena texted him, "Daddy, you didn't have enough fun, right? Why don't we continue after you send Grace off?"

She then sent him a photo of her wearing Grace's bra.

Immediately, Antonio's breathing became rapid, the uneasiness in his heart replaced by lust.

In fact, the reason why he had sex with Rowena the first time was that he got drunk by his parents. After he knew what he had done, he was so disgusted by himself that he wanted to die.

But Rowena clung to his thigh and begged him humbly, "You made my family bankrupt, but I still love you so much. Without you, I'll die, Antonio. I'll do anything to please you."

And she meant it—to please him, she really went all out, including being his sex toy. The tactics she used in bed indeed opened his eyes.

She even put on Grace's clothes, saying to him, "You can think of me as her and do to me anything you can't bear to do to her."

Her words successfully ignited the desires in his heart.

He harbored many lewd fantasies about Grace. But every time he was with her, he was disgusted by them. Grace was his muse, and his love for her was sacred.

But he had no such feelings for Rowena. He could do whatever he wanted to her at will.

He said to Grace, "Then... OK. Be careful on the way to the airport, Darling."

Before leaving, Grace glanced at him one last time, only to see his back.

She murmured softly, "Bye, Antonio... Goodbye for good."

Several hours passed. When Rowena was pleasing Antonio on the big bed at Tree Hollow, his assistant called him.

"You better have something important." Antonio obviously sounded annoyed as he was interrupted.

His assistant's voice trembled. "Mr. Kaufman, bad news. Mrs. Kaufman's jet ... crashed over the ocean right after it left the country's airspace."

Antonio's pupils shrank immediately, and his body froze.

"What ... did you say?"