Chapter 1

Henry brought a woman home and ordered me to cook for them.

The woman giggled, nestling in his arms. "Honey, who is she?"

"Her? The housekeeper," Henry replied dismissively, looking at me.

I clutched my stomach and limped into the kitchen. Henry, this will be the last meal I cook for you.

After three years of marriage, Henry and I had become bitter enemies. He had someone else in his heart. I was drugged and sent to his bed, and by cruel coincidence, his true love Zoe saw us.

The shock sent Zoe running out, where she was hit by a car and died.

Later, when I became pregnant, Henry proposed with bloodshot eyes. On our wedding day, he gripped my throat and hissed, "Aria, you'll spend your whole life atoning for this!"

I became Mrs. Grant in name only.

In our first month of marriage, Henry crushed my family's company, forcing my parents to move to low-income housing.

In the second month, I lost my first child. Henry felt a twinge of guilt but quickly found another woman to vent his frustrations, complaining about my weak body.

This is our third year, and I've been diagnosed with lymphoma.

Years of emotional suppression and stress had taken their toll. By the time the illness found me, it was already in the late stages.

Looking at the diagnosis report, I felt relieved. Death would finally bring peace, wouldn't it?

Coming out of the kitchen, Henry glanced at the three dishes and soup on the table with disdain. "Is this even edible?"

I remained silent, taking a bite of each dish to show him it was fine.

But a sudden wave of nausea made me cover my mouth and rush to the bathroom, throwing up everything.

The pain was excruciating, and my nose started to itch. Seeing the blood in the toilet, I felt dizzy.

By the time I cleaned up and came out, they had already gone upstairs.

This was Henry's new girlfriend for the month, bearing a striking resemblance to Zoe.

Who would have thought that it was Zoe's family who drugged me that night?

The intended target wasn't Henry, but Zoe's brother. Somehow, they entered the wrong room, though Henry never believed me.

Taking a deep breath, I went upstairs. Laughter echoed from the master bedroom. Not wanting to disturb them, but running out of time, I had no choice but to knock.

A furious shout came from inside: "Get lost!"

I flinched but persisted.

Henry finally snapped, flinging the door open with a menacing look in his eyes.

Behind him on the king-sized bed, the woman wore only revealing lingerie, looking seductive.

"Aria, do you have a death wish?" Henry snarled.

I couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Would you be sad if I died?"

"You'd be better off dead! If there's nothing else, get out of here!"

I blocked the door. "There is something. Once you sign this, I'll leave."

I handed him the divorce papers I had prepared. He barely glanced at them before throwing them back at me. The sharp edge of the paper cut my eyebrow, making me wince in pain.

"Want a divorce? Keep dreaming! You haven't finished atoning for your sins!"

"Since you won't leave, come in and watch!" He yanked me inside.

Right in front of me, he tore off the woman's last shred of modesty and started kissing her passionately.

I turned away, feeling my insides churning violently.

Unable to hold back any longer, I doubled over and vomited again.

Henry's brow furrowed, his actions coming to an abrupt halt. Before he could explode in anger, I covered my mouth and ran out.

The salty, metallic taste in my mouth was becoming hard to disguise. If he had been more attentive, he would have noticed the blood seeping through my fingers.

A loud crash from behind made me quicken my pace. Back in my room, I cleaned myself up, took my medication, and lay down. I messaged the doctor, asking to increase the dosage—I was losing control.

Just as I sent it, the door was kicked open. Henry stormed in, yanking off my covers and pinning me down.

"You started this fire, now you put it out!" he growled, pressing me hard against the bed.

I gasped in pain. "Henry, you're disgusting!"

"Disgusting? I'll show you what's really disgusting!"