Chapter 1

It was our tenth anniversary, and I thought Joseph Lynch was finally going to propose to me.

However, I accidentally saw the texts on his phone and realized what a joke I had been these past ten years.

[It’s our first anniversary. Darling, I want you to spend time with me.]

That woman uttered such sweet and intimate words, which I rarely said to Joseph.

[I’ll give her some sleeping pills before I see you.]

I could not believe Joseph would say such a thing. My fingers trembled as I scrolled down their conversation.

[Don’t marry her. Marry me instead!] Then, she sent him a cute and attractive photo of her. She looked like a student.

[Let’s see how you behave tonight. I bought you some new lingerie. Be good and put them on. Wait for me next door.]

I was wearing some ill-fitting undies while sitting in bed. Right then, I was filled with bitterness. It turned out that Joseph had bought these undies for someone else.

Chapter 1

I valued the ten years I had spent with Joseph Lynch, but it all seemed like a joke. It had been a year since he started dating a woman named Selena Jones. Meanwhile, I was sitting in bed in some ill-fitting undergarments.

The sound of water ceased in the bathroom. After that, Joseph casually wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out.

“Oh, Yulia. You already put it on.” Joseph smiled and spoke naturally. But I did not miss the panic that flashed briefly in his eyes.

“Joe, we’ve been together for such a long time. Don’t you know my size?” I feigned calmness as I replied and suppressed my desire to cry.

“It’s our tenth anniversary today. I got too excited and bought you the wrong size.” Joseph leaned over with a gentle look and kissed me softly. “But everything looks nice on you.”

His kiss gradually deepened, and he easily slipped off my undergarments. “Yulia,” he muttered.

“Joe, I’m tired from all the fun today. I want to rest.” When I said that, I could see him breathe a sigh of relief. It broke my heart.

In the past, he would gently coax me into lovemaking again. But at this moment, he rejoiced at my refusal.

Another woman was waiting for him in the hotel room next-door.

Joseph got up to make me a glass of milk. Once it was done, he was considerate enough to blow it cold for me. “Don’t forget your milk, Yulia.”

Ever since my beloved grandmother died a few years back, I always had trouble sleeping. I gradually gained the habit of drinking a glass of milk before bed.

As long as Joseph was with me, he would never forget to make me a glass of milk.

However, I stared at the glass in his hand and felt pathetic. I was certain that he had added sleeping pills to it.

Chapter 2

“Joe, thank you for taking such great care of me.” I accepted the glass of milk and drank it all.

“It’s nothing. I want to care for you my entire life.” Joseph smiled sincerely. I kept my head lowered in an effort to hide the sadness in my eyes.

I made an excuse to wash up in the bathroom. Then, I vomited all the milk that I had drunk. But I purposely left the milk stains on my lips and staggered back to bed.

“Yulia?” After a long while, Joseph called out to me tentatively and wiped away the stains on my lips. I pretended to be sound asleep.

Before long, someone gently knocked on the door. I already knew who it was.

“What are you doing here?” Joseph sounded dissatisfied and rebuked the visitor softly.

“Didn’t you promise? I came to check on you.” I could sense that person entering the room.

“Don’t worry. Yulia’s very receptive toward sleeping pills. She dozes off soon after she takes them,” Joseph gently explained.

“Why do you know her so well?” Selena complained. She was full of jealousy.

“Hey, why are you mad? When her grandmother died, she started having trouble sleeping. She could only sleep soundly after she took sleeping pills. That’s why I know,” Joseph explained lovingly.

He spoke casually about my most painful experience just to pacify her. Heartbroken, I pinched my thigh under the blanket to ease my pain.

“It’s our first anniversary today. I’m so sad that you didn’t spend time with me.”

It was a quiet night, and soon, I could sense Joseph’s heavy breathing.

“Mm!” I could even hear Selena moaning.

Chapter 3

“Let’s go back to the room,” Joseph suggested hoarsely.

In the next second, someone approached me and quickly took off my clothes. I was hit by the cold.

“You bought these for me. Why is she wearing them?”

“Go back, Selena!” Joseph suddenly scolded her. I was shocked.

It seemed like Selena was gone as Joseph sat on the edge of my bed.

He helped me put on a pair of comfortable and fitting pajamas. Then, he tucked me in and kissed my forehead.

After that, he walked out and closed the door behind him. He would not be back the entire night.

I opened my eyes and told myself that his infidelity was not my fault. Yet, bitterness still gripped me. I cried, and my tears rolled down to my lips.

They had been together for a year. They first got together on my ninth-year anniversary with Joseph.

In fact, Joseph had been missing for a week a day before that. My friends told me that he was going to propose. Being in love, I was full of joy.

When I went shopping at a jewelry shop, a salesperson approached me. We were familiar with each other, so she congratulated me on my upcoming marriage.

“Mr. Lynch booked a pair of expensive rings with us. Has he proposed? Congratulations!” My heart raced as this confirmed my thoughts. I wondered if we were finally getting married.

“They’re in a style that you generally don’t like, though. They’re too flashy. But it’s for your wedding after all, so it’s okay to be a little flashy.”

I did not take the salesperson’s words to heart.

However, I could not get in touch with Joseph during our ninth anniversary. Eventually, he came home late at night in exhaustion.

He casually gave me an expensive makeup set to get it over with. He was so tired that he was not even in the mood to open the gift I had painstakingly prepared for him.

I just felt sorry for him and assumed that I would get that ring one day.

After a year of waiting, I realized all too late that the ring had long found an owner.

Chapter 4

I snuggled up in bed and flipped through all the photos I had with Joseph. They were all happy group photos.

I did not understand why he would stop loving me for no reason.

I cried until I had difficulty breathing and my eyes ran out of tears. I kept recalling the happy times we had together. But my excruciating pain reminded me that it was all in the past.

Soon after, I got up and changed my clothes. I did not want to stay there anymore.

My suite was on the top floor, so I could see the brightest star through the roof. There were only two such suites on the whole floor.

When leaving, I had to pass by another suite.

“Joe, do I look good?” They were probably leaning close to the door. Hence, I could hear their voices vaguely.

“Look in the mirror,” Joseph said.

I was rooted to the spot, and I felt numb all over. My fingers kept trembling as my mind urged me to open that door.

However, I was too timid to do so.

In the end, I wandered alone outside on that silent winter night. Even though I fell, I felt no pain.

I reached home at dawn. My mother, Catherine Levine, was already waiting for me at the door.

“Hey, why didn’t you answer my calls? I’ve been waiting for you all morning!” I got used to her rebukes long ago, so I silently opened the door.

“I’m talking to you! Are you listening?!”

“Yes, I am,” I replied coldly and returned to my room to pack up my things. I did not have many items to bring with me, so I casually stuffed a few clothes into my luggage.

“Where are you going? Where are you going?!” Catherine roared angrily, but I was too tired to interact with her.

“Joseph is cheating on me. I’m getting out of here,” I explained calmly.

Chapter 5

Catherine gave me a hard slap and glared at me. “You’re such a letdown! You’ve been through so many hardships with him over the years. Now that he’s rich, you’re leaving him?!”

I was twenty-six years old. Joseph was still a nobody when I started dating him.

I stayed by his side as he started his business and attended social gatherings to get orders. Back then, I drank so much wine that I suffered from internal bleeding in my stomach.

“Yulia, don’t push yourself like that. I’m begging you.” At that time, Joseph got down on his knees beside my hospital bed and cried. However, he was under more pressure than me.

“Joe, things will get better for us.”

When life was at its most difficult, Joseph carved us a pair of rings. We hugged each other under the fireworks as if we could see a lifetime of happiness ahead.

As for that ring, I wore it for many years. Unfortunately, it was full of blemishes despite my efforts to take care of it.

I ignored Catherine, and she finally calmed down. “Fine, you can leave. But ask him for money. I’m sure he won’t care about it since he’s doing so well now. Your younger brother’s getting married. He’s going to buy a house in the city center. See—”

“Madam, you can ask me for money, but don’t make things difficult for Yulia.” Suddenly, Joseph walked over with an unpleasant expression.

He became livid when he saw the state of my face.

“The money in this card will be enough for him to buy a house. If you people fault with Yulia again, I won’t go easy on you!”

Fearful and in shock, Catherine quickly accepted the card. “Sure, I won’t come by again. I won’t meddle in her business no matter what.”

“Yulia is so delicate that I could never bear to lay a hand on her. If you do this again—”

“Don’t worry. I’ll never come here again!” Catherine wore a flattering smile and left with the card.

Chapter 6

“I’m sorry that you got hurt because of me.” Joseph seemed to sympathize with me. He held my hand and led me back to my room. But he was stunned to see my half-packed luggage.

“Yulia, what are you doing?” He looked at me nervously.

“Oh, my favorite artist is going to hold an exhibition in Jade City. I’d like to go there and learn something,” I said calmly. The exhibition was real, but I had no plans to go there.

“How many days will you be gone?” Joseph relaxed and asked with concern.

“At least three days. This is a rare opportunity, so I want to stay there for a few days.” I looked at Joseph calmly. It turned out that once I felt the greatest pain, I would become numb to it.

Joseph applied some ointment on my face, and I caught a glimpse of a love bite on the back of his neck. It looked like he had no intention of hiding it.

“I had some urgent affairs at the company last night, Yulia. I couldn’t wake you up since you were sound asleep.” He placed an ice pack on my swollen face and explained gently.

What a liar! I subconsciously clenched my fists and stabbed my fingernails into my palm. The pain temporarily helped me to keep my sanity, and I did not expose him.

“You changed your ring, Joseph Lynch?” I stared at his finger absent-mindedly. It had been a long time since I addressed him by his full name.

He once cared very much about that ring we had. We went traveling during one winter and ran into heavy snow on our way back. As a result, he lost his ring.

He hid it from me and searched everywhere for it in the blizzard. After an entire night of looking, he finally found it.

Upon returning, he held the ring and hugged me as he cried pitifully. “Yulia, I nearly lost the ring. Luckily, I found it.”

However, it had been a long time since I last saw him wear that ring. I looked down and smiled, but my eyes were already teary. “It’s okay to put on another ring. The previous one doesn’t match you anymore.”

Chapter 7

“No, you’ve gotten it wrong, Yulia! I’ve had to attend various important occasions lately, so I’ve needed something else to match my look. I didn’t forget about our rings.” Joseph was still trying to defend himself.

I once asked him to put on another ring when his business started growing. Our ring did not really match his outfit.

However, he insisted on wearing it. He wanted to tell everyone that I was his beloved woman and future wife.

Unfortunately, it did not take long for him to stop bringing me into his social circle. He also spoke ambiguously when it came to his relationship status.

I was fine with it because I trusted him. But after my recent discovery, I found my life with him a joke.

“Yulia, stop crying. I don’t want this ring; I want ours.” Joseph took off his ring and threw it into the trash can. Getting flustered, he tried searching for his old ring.

After a long while, he sat before me in disappointment as if he had made a mistake.

I looked at him coldly, but I could not bring myself to scold or comfort him. “Joe, stop looking for it.”

He could probably tell that something was off with my tone. He hugged me tightly and spoke in a shaky voice. “Let’s get a pair of customized rings, okay? I’ll order them.”

I was no longer interested in such things. “Sure.” I feigned happiness and replied.

“Yulia, did something happen? Did your mother make you sad today? Don’t be scared. I’ll always be with you, love you, and adore you,” Joseph promised as if he truly yearned to make me happy. However, reality had torn his lies apart.

“Mm, okay.” I got up and continued packing my luggage. I could sense him watching me. Anyway, I only took a few clothes with me.

“Aren’t you going to bring the doll?” Joseph asked before he handed me a shabby doll. He made it for me when we first got together, and I had kept it for ten years. Although my eyes were still teary, I smiled gently. “No. I’ll be back in a few days.”

Chapter 8

I left with my small luggage. Before I started searching for a suitable house, I needed to confirm one thing.

So, I went to the hospital. As I waited for my turn, I suddenly thought about checking the surveillance system at home.

Joseph and I had rescued a stray cat and brought it home a few years ago. We set up a surveillance system in the house because we were worried about it.

I lost my cat a year ago, but we did not remove the surveillance system. The footage showed Joseph opening the door for Selena. It looked like he could not wait to see her.

Right then, tears blurred my vision again. I was heartbroken.

“Don’t bring the cat into the house. Yulia will find out.” Joseph blocked Selena at the door and sounded serious. He would not take no for an answer.

“Didn’t you tell me you had a white cat before? My cat is white too. I thought you’d like it.” Selena sounded hurt and on the verge of tears.

“I just like the cat I had with Yulia. Leave yours in the yard, and don’t bring it into the house!” Joseph frowned with disgust.

Hence, Selena left her cat outside. After entering the house, she sized up the place with curiosity and jealousy.

“Take off your clothes here.” Joseph sat on the couch and said coldly.

“Aren’t we going into the room?” Selena asked cautiously.

“That room belongs to me and Yulia.” Joseph was growing impatient. “Selena, we’ve been together for such a long time. I thought you were supposed to be quite obedient.”

Selena quickly took off her clothes and threw herself into his arms. My hands could not stop shaking.

Suddenly, I heard a gentle and pleasant voice. “Miss, why are you watching such a video in the hospital?” the person teased.