After a night of passion, Callan dropped a bombshell. "She's returned. I think we should divorce." Lacey felt devastated, realizing that her three years of devotion had been nothing but futile self-deception. She had believed Callan craved her body, so she strived to meet his every desire in an attempt to overshadow the person he truly yearned for. Despite her efforts, their relationship ended in divorce. Concealing her turmoil, Lacey left decisively. However, Callan halted her and asked with red-rimmed eyes, "Who is this man you call out for in your dreams every night?"
In the master bedroom of the Owen family's villa, two figures were entwined passionately.
As Callan Owen let out a deep growl, he and his wife, Lacey Owen, both collapsed onto the pristine bed.
Afterwards, he planted a tender kiss on her forehead before heading to the bathroom.
Lacey slowly opened her eyes, her gaze full of desire following the man.
Callan had been insatiable that day, making love to her on the sofa, in the bathroom, and finally on the bed.
Lacey thought about their undeniable chemistry in bed and felt her cheeks warm up.
Suddenly, the phone beside the bed rang.
With a slight frown, Lacey reached for it, unlocked the screen, and checked the message.
The message contained a photo of a couple dining together.
But Lacey's expression turned to stone when she recognized the people in the photo.
The man was her husband, Callan!
And the woman with him...
Her phone beeped again with a new message from the same sender.
"Lacey, after three years with Callan, it's time for you to return him to me, right?"
Lacey's hands shook uncontrollably.
It had been three years, and now the woman returned.
Staring at the image of her husband cozying up to another woman made her heart sink. Despite it being summer, a cold chill enveloped her.
The sender was Sylvia Barnes, Callan's former fiancee and the woman he truly loved.
Lacey's union with Callan was nothing more than a contract.
Three years prior, her adoptive mother suffered a heart attack and desperately needed surgery. Lacey's path crossed with Nadia Owen, Callan's grandmother, near the hospital, which led to their acquaintance.
Nadia's intervention enabled her foster mother to undergo the necessary surgery. Consequently, Lacey married Callan, who was in a deep coma following an accident and was at risk of permanent paralysis.
By some miracle, Callan recovered after three years, during which Lacey cared for him devotedly.
Over those years, she grew to love him, witnessing his struggles and resilience daily.
As for Sylvia, she had abandoned Callan at his lowest, opting to pursue her career abroad.
Lacey had convinced herself that Callan and Sylvia were a closed chapter. Yet, to her dismay, Callan met with Sylvia for dinner the moment she returned from overseas.
Was he really so eager to reconnect with her?
Lacey's heart sank as she stared at the photograph.
Over the last three years, Sylvia's name had been a constant echo, revealing how deeply Callan cherished her.
Lacey had been in denial, but the truth was clear now.
Despite being his wife for three years, she couldn't outshine the memories of Sylvia, who still held a place in his heart.
The sound of running water stopped. Callan emerged in a bathrobe and approached Lacey, who sat frozen on the bed.
"What's on your mind?"
Lacey hastily hid her phone and shook her head in response.
Callan embraced her, his head leaning in, his breath warm and damp on her ear.
Just moments ago, their connection felt right. But now, the image from the photo made her feel repulsed.
Struggling to maintain composure, she pushed Callan back and questioned, "Callan, can a couple be happy if one harbors feelings for someone else?"
The desire in his expression vanished.
His gaze intensified, filled with confusion. He scrutinized her before responding. "What are you implying?"
One harbors feelings for someone else? Was Lacey suggesting she was unhappy because she had feelings for another?
Taking a deep breath, Lacey confronted him with a steady gaze. "Have you seen Sylvia recently?"
Callan's reaction was a mix of surprise and complexity.
After a pause, he admitted, "Yes. She's returned. I think we should divorce."
Lacey felt a pang of heartache.
Though she braced herself for such a moment, the reality of his words was unbearable, mixing bitterness and sorrow.
Inhaling deeply, she replied with firmness, "Alright."
Callan detected a hint of resignation in her tone.
Was she so ready to let go?
Could it be because of that man?
With a surge of frustration, Callan's hand tightened into a fist.
He asked her sternly, "Lacey, did our marriage mean anything to you?"
"What's the point of discussing this now?" Lacey, struggling with her emotions, didn't catch the shift in Callan's expression.
With the return of his old flame, Callan's decision to leave her for another was clear. Did her feelings even matter now?
Lacey silently dressed and started to pack her belongings, fighting back tears.
Observing her actions, Callan's expression turned sour. "Are you in such a hurry to go?"
Perhaps she was anxious to be with the man she loved.
Lacey stopped momentarily.
She longed to show him the message from Sylvia, to expose the truth, yet she restrained herself.
Facing him, she retorted with a mocking laugh, "Look who's talking."
With those words, she grabbed her suitcase and left the room, swallowing her sadness and disgrace.
As she neared the door, Callan's voice halted her. "Lacey, does Christopher Hewitt mean that much to you?"
The mention of Christopher after so long made her heart jolt.
Lacey felt overwhelmed, flooded with memories she wished to forget.
Christopher had saved her once but then vanished. His fate was unknown. How could she simply move on from him?
Overcome with grief, Lacey found herself unable to speak.
Callan interpreted her silence as confirmation. Mocking his own folly, he muttered, "You're free now, Lacey."
Turning to face him one last time, Lacey realized those were the words he should hear from her.
She had shared three years of her life with Callan. With the divorce, he was now free to pursue the woman he truly loved.
Struggling with her emotions, Lacey replied, "The same goes for you."
With those words, she turned and walked away.
Callan watched her leave, his fists clenching and unclenching in a mix of emotions.
His gaze hardened, and he let go of his tension, heading towards his study.
As Lacey descended the stairs, she couldn't help but glance back.
The hallway was deserted, leaving her feeling profoundly let down.
A bitter laugh escaped her. What was she hoping for?
Gripping her suitcase firmly, she was about to exit when a disdainful voice called out, "Lacey, you're leaving, I see?"
Lacey glanced over her shoulder.
It was Dolores Owen, Callan's mother.
With a scornful look, Dolores remarked, "Of course, now that Sylvia is here, what chance do you stand?"
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
Eliza Greer was abandoned by her mother, raised in an orphanage, and sold to the Burns family at 19. Even though she marries Mason Burns, the other people in the Burns family look down on her for her poor identity and want to try every way to bully her. Unexpectedly, they all failed. Eliza's hidden identities are gradually revealed in one incident after another, which astonishes everyone.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Rejected by her mate, who had been her long-time crush, Jasmine felt utterly humiliated. Seeking solace, she headed to a party to drown her sorrows. But things took a turn for the worse when her friends issued a cruel dare: kiss a stranger or beg her mate for forgiveness. With no other choice, Jasmine approached a stranger and kissed him, thinking that would be the end of it. However, the stranger unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You're mine!" He growled, his words sending shivers down her spine. And then, he offered her a solution that would change everything...
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"