Chapter 1

On the day I found out I was pregnant, I went to find my husband, Julian Vance, in the pouring rain to share the happy news, only to hear with my own ears—our seven years of marriage were nothing but a substitute game.

The one he loved was my half-sister.

Home was a cage, and even more, an abyss.

When he kicked me down, I collapsed onto the floor, blood trickling down my thighs. Yet, he held another woman in his arms and walked away without once looking back.

At that moment, I finally understood that some people aren't worth waiting a lifetime for.

I turned and left, leaving behind nothing but a set of divorce papers.

Later, I carved out a path of my own in New York's corporate world, becoming a legend in the industry.

Meanwhile, the man who had once discarded me like trash knelt before me with bloodshot eyes: "Sylvia, please give me another chance."

I looked down at him, letting out a soft chuckle. "And who are you?"

Sylvia's POV

On the day I found out I was pregnant, I braved the pouring rain to go to the private club Julian was at.

After six years of marriage, we finally had a baby. I couldn't wait to tell him the happy news myself.

Walking up to the private room, I wiped my soaking wet hair and pulled out the pregnancy report I had protected so carefully against my chest.

The door to the private room was slightly ajar, and familiar laughter and chatter drifted out from inside.

Julian sat right in the center, his long legs crossed. His sharp, chiseled face was hidden in the shadows, making his expression hard to read.

"Julian, you're amazing. In the blink of an eye, you've been with Sylvia for almost seven years, and you've been married for over six!"

"Exactly! When you two first got together, none of us expected you to last this long."

My lips curved up in an unconscious smile.

Julian and I had a whirlwind marriage.

He pursued me for three months, and less than half a year after we started dating, we got registered.

I didn't expect that almost seven years would slip by so fast.

To the outside world, Julian was swift, decisive, and unapproachable.

But to me, he had always held me in the palm of his hand, never willing to utter even a single harsh word.

"Julian, if Sylvia knew you're only with her because she's a stand-in for Chloe, how would she react?"

My hand, which was wiping my hair, froze.

"Better not let her find out! She's so devoted to you. If she finds out Julian doesn't love her at all, she'd probably break down and kill herself."

"Who told her to look so much like Chloe? When Chloe first went abroad, Julian was so heartbroken that he drowned his sorrows in alcohol every day. The rest of us were worried sick. If he hadn't discovered later on that Chloe had a sister, Sylvia, who looked seventy percent like her, Julian probably still wouldn't have moved on!"

My mind felt like it had been struck by a sudden bolt of thunder. My feet felt rooted to the spot, nailed down.

Chloe Hayes, my half-sister.

The mere mention of this name brought back memories of that painful, unbearable youth.

My father, Charles Hayes, and my mother, Eleanor Ward, were childhood sweethearts who founded Hayes Enterprise together.

When I was little, Charles would carry me on his shoulders through amusement parks, and he would run across half the city just to buy my favorite chestnut cake.

I once believed I was the happiest child in the world.

When I was twelve, my mother passed away from exhaustion after years of overwork.

Less than a month after my mother passed, Charles brought Regina Cole and Chloe Hayes into our home.

Chloe was only a year younger than me.

Charles said, "From now on, Regina will be your mother, and Chloe will be your sister."

In front of Charles, Regina would dote on me and ask after my well-being, acting like a wonderful mother.

But the moment Charles left the house, her claws would come out.

She specifically targeted areas covered by clothes, pinching me black and blue.

When Charles asked why Sylvia wouldn't come out of her room, Regina would say with red eyes, "Sylvia is hostile toward me. It's okay, I'll take it slow."

Chloe was even more arrogant.

She dug up my mother's keepsakes that I had carefully collected and threw them into the trash can right in front of me.

When I went to retrieve them, she would step on my hand.

When she scraped her own arm and bled, she would claim that I pushed her down.

Charles also gradually stopped being the gentle, kind father he once was. He began to detest me, even hitting and scolding me.

Those years were completely dark for me.

Scoldings, frame-ups, and beatings became a regular occurrence.

After I went to college, I barely ever returned to the Hayes house.

I thought I had finally escaped that nightmare.

But I never expected that the lover I thought I would spend the rest of my life with actually loved my arrogant and domineering step-sister.

And I was merely a stand-in.

I bit my lip hard until it bled. It wasn't a dream after all.

The conversation inside the private room continued.

"Chloe is returning to the country tomorrow. Julian, what do you plan to do?"

"What else can he do? Divorce Sylvia, of course. Julian has waited for Chloe for so many years, and she's finally coming back."

"But what about Sylvia? Without her, Julian wouldn't have had such a comfortable life these past few years. If nothing else, Sylvia has been incredibly good to Julian, pouring her heart out for him."

"That's true, but Julian can't just drag things out because of that, can he? He doesn't love her anyway."

He doesn't love me?

My tears began to flow uncontrollably. My body shook, and I could barely stand.

The pregnancy report had already been crumpled in my grip. I had to hold onto the doorframe to keep from collapsing.

Julian and I met during a business negotiation.

At the time, I was the financial advisor for Party B, and he was the decision-maker for Party A.

After the meeting, he stopped me. Using work as an excuse, he asked for my contact information and began pursuing me.

Julian's pursuit of me was grand and public.

He had fireworks set off across the entire city for me, sent 999 roses every single day, and chartered a luxury yacht to propose his love to me.

After we got together, he pampered me to no end.

Mr. Vance, worth hundreds of billions, would stand in the kitchen every morning to make sweet corn soup for me.

Every time after we made love, no matter how tired he was, he would patiently carry me to the bathroom to wash up, only going to rest himself after I fell fast asleep in his arms.

Just to buy me a limited-edition handbag, he took a private jet across half the globe.

Seven years of companionship and care... was it all a lie?

I couldn't believe it, nor did I want to.

"Yeah, Julian, say something!"

"After all these years, you didn't actually fall in love with Sylvia, did you?"

My heart seemed to stop beating. I held my breath, staring intently at Julian.

Holding his wine glass, the man replied casually,

"No. The one I've always loved is Chloe."

It felt as if something inside me came crashing down.

I stumbled backward a few steps, my back hitting the wall of the corridor.

I didn't even know when tears had completely blurred my face.

"A lie... it was all a lie..."

I looked down at the crumpled, ruined report in my hand. In the end, all my love had been given to the wrong person.

I turned and left the club, walking straight into the rain.

I caught a cab to Vance Manor.

Mrs. Vance, Victoria, saw me walk in and hurried over.

"Sylvia? Why are you soaking wet? Where's Julian?"

She took a towel from the maid and personally wiped my hair.

Victoria had always loved me.

Not only was I a top student in the finance department, but my character and temperament also perfectly suited Victoria's liking.

When Julian and I first got together, his foundation in the group was still unstable.

I was the one who accompanied him through strategic analyses and managed financial risks, helping him establish a firm foothold in the company.

After our marriage, I stepped away from the company, focusing entirely on Julian and taking care of his life with undivided devotion.

Victoria had said to the people around her more than once that marrying me was Julian's greatest stroke of luck.

"Victoria," I said as I knelt straight down. "I want to separate from him."

Victoria quickly helped me up.

"What? Why? Did he make you angry? I'll call him right now and make him come over to apologize!"

As she spoke, she reached for her phone.

I grabbed her wrist.

"Victoria, no."

I looked into Victoria's eyes, not flinching.

"The person he loves isn't me."

Victoria froze.

After a long silence, Victoria let out a long sigh.

"Sylvia, so you found out."

Looking at her reaction, my throat felt choked.

So, even my mother-in-law knew.

Victoria's expression seemed to age several years in an instant.

"Yes, when he brought you home back then, I understood the moment I laid eyes on you."

"I've met Chloe. She's not the type to settle down. When she dumped Julian and went abroad, I actually felt a sense of relief."

"But because of her, Julian lost his soul. He didn't come home for months and lost a lot of weight."

"Only after he brought you back did he regain his spirit."

Victoria's gaze toward me was complicated.

"Child, don't be hasty. I can tell that Julian has you in his heart. His kindness to you isn't entirely an act. Give him a little more time, and he'll figure it out."

I lowered my eyes and shook my head.

"Mom, I've been with him for almost seven years, and the person in his heart is still Chloe."

"I don't want to wait anymore."

Victoria shed tears.

She didn't persuade me further and motioned for the butler, Silas, to come over.

Silas walked forward holding a small chest. Inside were several property deeds and a certificate of deposit.

Victoria pushed the chest in front of me.

"Take these."

I shook my head again.

"Mom, I didn't come to you for money. I came because I promised you back then that I would spend my life with him. I can't do that now, but I couldn't just leave without telling you."

Victoria held my hand tightly.

"Child, this isn't about money. You've been by Julian's side all these years, and you helped clean up all those messes in the company before your marriage. He wouldn't be where he is today without you. This is what you deserve, and it's what the Vance family owes you. Take it."

I didn't refuse again.

"If Julian realizes his mistakes in the future, could you give him another chance?"

I shook my head gently once more.

Victoria closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.

"Alright. He brought this on himself; he can't blame anyone else."

Walking out of the manor, I dialed a number.

It was Julian's biggest rival, Arthur Sinclair.

"Does your offer for me to join your company still stand?"