The year my adoptive parents passed away, my brother noticed my feelings and responded with just two words: “Disgusting.” Soon after, his company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and he arranged for me to marry into the Sinclair family, giving me away to Rhett Sinclair, the simpleton of their family. Three years later, my brother’s business flourished, and he no longer needed the Sinclairs. With a wave of his hand, he had the entire Sinclair family thrown in prison. Standing before me, he extended his hand and said, “Come home with me.” I simply shook my head and replied, “You must be joking, Mr. Greer. My husband’s name is Sinclair. The Sinclairs are my family now.” My fingers gently traced the photo tucked in my wallet, as if the person in the picture was still by my side, as though he had never left. Tears slowly slid down my cheeks, and I quickly put the wallet away. I couldn’t let him see me cry—he would’ve been heartbroken. A voice, cutting through the moment, interrupted my thoughts. “Ms. Greer, you’ve suffered for three long years in the Sinclair household. Now that things are finally turning around, Mr. Greer is waiting for you. Please, come with me.” I wiped away the remnants of my tears and glanced at Harlan Greer’s assistant, who stood before me. I shook my head calmly. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to stay here.” This was the third time his assistant had tried to convince me, and once again, I refused. He was growing desperate, knowing he had to report back without success. “There’s not a soul left here. Staying like this isn’t doing you any good.” That’s right—no one was here anymore. Just last month, Rhett was here, his arms wrapped around my waist, begging me to feed him oranges. The Sinclairs were still here, laughing together in the garden like a scene out of a perfect family picture. The person in the photo was my husband, Rhett Sinclair. When the District Attorney’s Office arrived to arrest the entire Sinclair family, Rhett was terrified. In a panic, I shoved him into hiding, hoping to save him from their grasp. After the dust settled, he vanished without a trace. I didn’t know where he was, whether he was eating well or sleeping soundly. All I had left was this photo, the only thing that carried my love and worry for him. “I can’t leave. I have to stay and wait for Rhett. If I leave, how will he ever find me?” I turned and met the assistant’s eyes. “Tell Harlan Greer not to send anyone else to fetch me.” The assistant sighed deeply and dialed Harlan’s number. I knew Harlan was always busy—either negotiating deals or rubbing elbows at social events across the country. It took nearly the entire night before he finally answered the call. The assistant switched to speaker so I could hear. Harlan’s voice was hard to read, but I could tell he wasn’t in the best mood. “What is this? Have you stayed away so long that you’ve forgotten your own home?” I didn’t respond, instead turning my gaze to the night outside the window. Silence said more than words ever could. After a long pause, he spoke again, issuing a cold order. “If she wants to stay there, let her stay. She can rot there for all I care.” The moment he finished speaking, the call ended with a sharp beep. He hadn’t even bothered to say anything more to me. I figured he was busy, as always. Busy putting other companies out of business, sending those who crossed him to jail. Rhett was just one more name on that list. Everyone said the Sinclair family deserved their punishment. A lifetime in prison was too kind for the crimes they supposedly committed. But I knew better—it wasn’t the Sinclairs who had committed the crimes. I knew Harlan’s methods all too well. When he needed you, he’d throw away his pride. When he was done, he’d cast you aside without a second thought. The night wind chilled my skin, but I couldn’t rest easy knowing Rhett was out there somewhere, alone and lost. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I spent the entire day like a fool, clutching that photo and holding on to this house. I didn’t even know when I finally fell asleep. “Get up! Stop pretending to be dead!”
I woke up to the sharp, cutting voice of a woman. Blinking my eyes open, I saw Lila Greer standing before me, her presence so different from my disheveled state. She was dressed in the height of fashion, her lips painted in bright red lipstick, exuding the air of a high-society debutante. Watching me struggle to sit up, she looked down at me with a sneer. “Three years, and this is what you’ve become? If anyone knew you were the eldest daughter of the Greer family, wouldn’t they just die of shame?” She continued, “Harlan specifically told me to bring you home. If you still care about him, you’ll divorce that simpleton and stop wasting your life waiting for him to get out of prison.” “I’m not getting divorced,” I said, laughing coldly. “You haven’t changed a bit, still just as sharp-tongued as ever.” Lila was my younger sister, though unlike me and Harlan, she wasn’t raised with us. She was kidnapped at the age of eight by traffickers. By the time she was found and brought home, our parents had already passed away. Because of this, Lila never had the poised grace of other high-society women. Instead, she carried a bitterness that showed in her every word, always ready to kick someone when they were down. A flicker of something malicious crossed her face but quickly disappeared as she regained her composure. “So what? Do you really think saying something like that would make me angry?” “And don’t think that refusing to divorce him means Harlan can’t do anything about it. He saw this coming, you know. He sent me not just to bring you home but to give you something.” A sinking feeling settled in my stomach as I watched her pull a piece of paper from her designer bag and toss it in front of me with a mocking smile. “You let your own brother force you to marry a simpleton, and now that simpleton is rotting in prison, yet here you are, still waiting.” “Violet, you’re such a fool.” I didn’t listen to the rest of her taunts. My eyes locked onto the paper. My blood ran cold. My ears rang. It was a divorce certificate. My name was on it, my signature at the bottom. But I had never signed it. Harlan had forged my signature, legally severing my only tie to Rhett. Even the bond I had with him was now gone, stolen from me. “No… How could he…?” I gripped the paper, trembling. My stomach churned violently. Darkness crept into my vision as the shock hit me, and my weak body couldn’t take the strain. The world spun, and I collapsed onto the ground. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was Lila’s panicked face. She was terrified—if I died, she’d have to answer to Harlan. I don’t know how long passed before paramedics rushed in and took me away on a stretcher. That’s when I finally let go, falling into a long, deep dream. In that dream, I was taken back to the winter I was 22. My adoptive parents had died in a car accident, the family business faced a dire crisis, and Harlan looked at me like a pawn, a mere tool. Then, he made the decision that changed everything—he married me off to Rhett Sinclair, the simpleton no one in their right mind wanted, in exchange for the Sinclair family’s help. Lila had just returned to the family then, screaming and crying about how she had struggled for twenty years. But when it came down to it, Harlan had to choose between his blood sister and me, his adopted one. By the time I knew what was happening, my in-laws were already waiting at the door to take me away.
That night, I ran to Harlan, sobbing. “Why, Harlan? We grew up together. How could you ignore all those years of love between us?” “You know I’m being thrown to the wolves, and you’re willing to sacrifice me to satisfy your ambition? I’m your sister!” He stood in the dark, his expression unreadable. “Violet, just give me some time. When the moment is right, I’ll come back for you.” Just then, Lila rushed out, fanning the flames. “Violet, our family took care of you all these years. You’re always talking about repaying our parents, aren’t you? This is the perfect opportunity, and now you want to refuse?” “Unless… there’s someone else you love?” Her words silenced me. There’s nothing more humiliating than having your deepest feelings laid bare. Instinctively, I glanced at Harlan. When I met his gaze, my face went pale. He frowned, turned away, and muttered, “Disgusting.” Seeing that look on his face, everything suddenly became clear. As time ticked away, he had me bound and thrown into a car, forcing me into the marriage. Before the window closed, the last words he said were: “Violet, once you’re married, there’s no need to come back. Our parents only adopted you because they missed my sister. Now that she’s returned, it’s time for you to step aside.” He had made it clear that I was no longer part of his life. I cried like I had never cried before. All those dreams I once had? Crushed. He despised me, and this was his way of cutting me off completely. I stared at him, the sorrow inside me overwhelming. “Then, I’ll pretend you’re dead to me.” And with that, I married Rhett Sinclair—a man with the face of an angel but the mind of a five-year-old. Life as his wife wasn’t as terrible as I had feared. In fact, it was surprisingly happy. Despite his condition, Rhett was kind-hearted, and most of all, he loved me deeply. “Pretty lady, are you really my wife? Mama said a husband has to protect his wife! Pretty lady, I’ll protect you forever!” He said those words with such sincerity, handing me his treasured candy as if it were the most precious thing in the world. At that moment, it felt like light had pierced the darkness I’d been drowning in. Over the next three years, just as he promised, the entire Sinclair family treated me well—especially Rhett. We watched flowers bloom, and sunrises together, sharing meaningful moments. Rhett never let me suffer, not for a second. In fact, he took better care of me than my own parents, better than Harlan had ever done. He would always follow behind me, proudly telling everyone how lucky he was to have me as his wife. With time, I fell for him. Deeper and deeper. But Harlan destroyed it all. He already had everything he wanted, yet he couldn’t let go of anyone who had wronged him. He obliterated the happiness I had found, leaving nothing but ashes. And so, I hated him. I refused to go back with him. To me, Harlan Greer had died three years ago. That dream collapsed the moment he reappeared in my life. When I woke up, I was in the hospital. The man from my nightmare was now sitting at my bedside, his gaze soft, almost gentle. I turned my head, refusing to look at him. He tried to act kind, but I knew what he really wanted. “Violet, if you can’t make the decision yourself, then I’ll make it for you. I’ll divorce you from Rhett. You won’t have to lower yourself to be married to a simpleton. He’s in prison anyway, so…” “Harlan Greer.” I cut him off, my voice laced with venom. “My brother abandoned me three years ago. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have a brother anymore.” “And as for your home? It hasn’t been mine for a long time. The only home I have left is the one I made with my husband.” His face hardened, his anger rising. “Violet Greer, are you seriously that in love with a simpleton?”
“Yes, I love him very much,” I replied truthfully. Harlan’s anger only grew. I could feel the heat in the air from his furious breath. Meanwhile, my fingers instinctively reached for the photo in my wallet, a habit I had developed after Rhett’s sudden disappearance, as if holding onto it could keep him close. Harlan caught this small gesture. Without warning, he snatched the wallet from me, pulled out the photo, and stared at it with a cold, dark expression. “Violet, I had no idea you loved him this much. Maybe I made a mistake sending you to him in the first place.” As he spoke, he pulled out a lighter from his pocket. Right in front of me, he set the photo ablaze, watching as it slowly turned to ash. The entire time, his gaze was fixed on me, waiting for a reaction. But I gave him none. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about the photo, but I knew that showing any kind of distress would only give him the satisfaction he craved. If Rhett were still here, he would never want me to get upset over something like this. He hated seeing me angry or sad. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to swallow the rising sorrow. When I opened them again, the ashes of the photo were scattered by the wind. Seeing that I was unmoved, Harlan’s frustration was evident. He leaned in closer and left me with a cryptic remark. “If you love him that much, then I’ll take you to see him.” What? He knew where Rhett was? I grabbed Harlan’s arm, my voice shaking with urgency. “What did you do to him?!” Though his words filled me with hope, they also brought an overwhelming sense of dread. If Harlan knew where Rhett was, it could only mean that Rhett had been taken and hidden away. God only knew what kind of suffering he had been enduring. Harlan, seeing the anguish in my face, remained unnervingly calm. He pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. “That’s why you need to behave, Violet,” he said slowly. “Otherwise, I can’t promise my men will keep their hands off him. For now, they’re just watching over him. But if I wake up on the wrong side of the bed one day, well… let’s just say that simpleton might not have it so easy anymore.” “Harlan Greer, you’re doing this on purpose!” I screamed, balling my fists in rage, wishing I could tear him apart right then and there. He tilted his head slightly, cracking his knuckles as he spoke with a chilling calmness. “Exactly, Violet. So, you’d better start listening to me. Right now, I’m giving him a little lesson. But if you don’t fall in line, next time won’t be so gentle.” “I’ll be honest with you—I’ve gotten to where I am by stepping over a lot of bodies. So, what’s one more death to me?” “You’re insane!” I yelled, my voice breaking under the weight of my emotions. His twisted satisfaction only deepened as he left me with one last thing to think about. “I’ll let you sleep on it.” Once he left, I collapsed onto the floor, drenched in sweat. My body was trembling, and the room felt like it was closing in on me. After that, I had no choice but to agree to return home. But it wasn’t my home. I was a prisoner in the Greer Mansion. Harlan had guards stationed outside my door, day and night, making sure I couldn’t escape. I didn’t resist. I simply watched the geese outside my window, flying in pairs across the sky, their movements lively and free—everything I wasn’t. Sometimes Lila would come by to mock me, but I barely listened. And Harlan? He often came home early, especially on days like this one, when he brought me a skewer of candy apples, hoping to stir some kind of reaction. “Violet, you used to love these. Try one. See if it still tastes like when we were kids.” I shook my head. I remembered the third month after I married into the Sinclair family, still lost in the pain of betrayal. Every time I cried, there was always a man following me around. I found him annoying and ignored him. But Rhett didn’t seem to care whether I paid attention to him or not. He just kept bringing me sweet treats every day—sometimes it was cotton candy, sometimes little sugar figures. “I don’t know why you’re crying,” he would say, “but I asked around, and everyone told me you love sweets. So I brought these for you, hoping they’ll make you smile.” “I don’t understand all that scheming, but I do know one thing—anyone who makes my wife cry is a bad person. They need a good beating.” His goofy, innocent words made me laugh, and somehow, my tears stopped. But now that Rhett was gone, sweets just didn’t taste the same anymore. The candy apples Harlan brought me were nothing compared to the treats Rhett used to give me. And without warning, I felt a wave of nausea. Before I could stop myself, I vomited right there on the floor. Harlan panicked, immediately calling for the guards to help. They rushed me to his private clinic. The doctor ran a few simple tests. What he said next shocked everyone in the room. “Mr. Greer, congratulations. Ms. Greer is pregnant. And judging by the ultrasound, the baby is almost full-term.” I placed my hand on my stomach, and amidst all the suppressed pain, I found a small sliver of joy. I was pregnant? I was carrying Rhett’s child… That meant, when Rhett came back, he would see the baby I had for him, and we could finally reunite as a family—the three of us. I was lost in the warmth of the thought, basking in the hope of our future, until Harlan’s sudden outburst pulled me back to reality. In a fit of rage, he swept all the medical instruments off the table, sending them crashing to the ground, before grabbing the doctor by the collar. “Check again! You must’ve made a mistake. That simpleton has the mind of a child—how could he have done something like that?” The doctor remained silent. Harlan knew the truth, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Rhett might have been slow, but he was still a man, and he was fully capable of fathering a child. Harlan stood there for two minutes, letting the room’s heavy silence settle. Eventually, he let the doctor go, who quickly fled the room. Now, it was just the two of us. I stood up slowly, hands protectively cradling my stomach, and headed toward the door. But I had only taken a couple of steps when Harlan’s voice, cold and distant, echoed behind me. “Violet, get rid of the baby.” I froze, whipping around to face him. “What did you just say?” He was standing there, his expression unreadable, slowly walking closer to me. When he got near, he tried to sound gentle, as if he was concerned for my well-being. “This child’s father is a simpleton, Violet. If you have this baby, it will only grow up to be a simpleton too. You don’t want that for your child, do you?” I felt panic rising in my chest, and I took a few steps back, retreating as far as I could. But something had changed. Knowing I was a mother now gave me strength, a courage I hadn’t felt before. I raised my head and forced myself to meet his eyes. “Even if the child is a simpleton, as long as it’s Rhett’s, I’m keeping it.” Harlan’s lips curled into a bitter smile, one filled with mockery. He glanced toward the doorway where the doctor had fled, and then gave the order. “Get rid of it.”
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