Chapter 1
When Alexander Foster thrust into her, Emily Ward cried out in pain.
The man's ice-blue eyes flashed with mockery. "Since when did you become so sensitive?"
Emily felt an ache in her chest that had nothing to do with his words.
She wanted to tell him this wasn't her being dramatic—it was genuine pain.
The medical report she'd received that morning lay in the nightstand drawer.
Breast cancer. Stage four.
"Alexander, I'm dying." Emily grabbed his arm, staring deeply into his breathtakingly handsome face, searching for even a hint of concern.
But he merely curved his lips with casual indifference. "What's this about? Just because I attended Sophie's birthday, you're throwing a tantrum?"
Hearing that, Emily's heart crumbled piece by piece.
When he no longer loved her, everything she did seemed to him like trouble.
She closed her eyes gently, a cold smile forming on her lips. "You're my husband, but you missed my medical check-up to celebrate another woman's birthday. Don't I have the right to be upset?"
Emily spoke with conviction. She rarely positioned herself as his legitimate wife, knowing Alexander considered their marriage shameful, something he preferred not to mention.
Before, Emily loved him enough to accommodate his coldness.
But now, she was dying.
When she was facing death, why couldn't she finally live once on her own terms?
The man who moments ago had been passionate immediately withdrew, his entire being radiating icy hostility.
"Emily, you've crossed the line." With those words, Alexander left without looking back.
Emily sat up, a wave of nausea hitting her. She stumbled to the bathroom, retching violently.
Looking at her haggard face in the mirror, she thought to herself, 'Enough. Free yourself, and free him too!'
That night, Emily contacted a lawyer and drafted divorce papers.
She wanted nothing—not the house, car, or any assets—just a quick end to her marriage with Alexander.
Holding that thin piece of paper, Emily felt a sense of relief.
Somehow, the marriage she once yearned for had become a burden.
When she brought the divorce agreement to the Foster Group, Alexander's assistant, James blocked her outside the office.
"Ms. Ward, if I'm not mistaken, the legal department isn't on this floor."
Alexander had never mentioned their marriage to anyone at the company. To the world, the CEO of the Foster Group remained single, with rumors linking him to Sophie Laurent, the pharmaceutical Ph.D. who had recently returned from abroad.
Consequently, James always treated Emily coldly, seeing her as nothing more than a junior legal counsel trying to climb the social ladder.
Emily had no energy left to argue with strangers. She handed over the envelope containing the divorce papers, her expression blank.
"Please give this to Mr. Foster." With that, Emily turned and left.
James frowned. Normally, he wouldn't have obliged Emily's request. But today she looked pale and unsteady, visibly weak.
After a moment's hesitation, he knocked on the office door.
Alexander's voice came through, tinged with irritation and coldness. "Come in."
James entered, his tone cautious. "Mr. Foster, Ms. Ward asked me to deliver this document to you."
Alexander barely glanced at the file, showing no intention of opening it. "You know what to do with anything she sends."
James sighed silently. This was another reason he looked down on Emily.
Despite being clearly capable, she pursued Alexander, who had had someone else in his heart. It was frustrating to watch.
After placing the document in a cabinet to gather dust, James turned to leave, but Alexander called him back. "Wait. I have an assignment for Emily. Make sure she handles it personally."
"What?" Emily could hardly believe her ears.
James repeated, "Ms..Laurent from the Pharmaceutical Research Institute is facing a defamation lawsuit. Mr. Foster wants you to personally take the case and win it for Ms. Laurent!"
Everyone in the legal department knew about this case.
As a brilliant young pharmaceutical doctor, Sophie had attracted haters since returning to the country.
An anonymous account was spreading rumors that Sophie was a homewrecker who had inserted herself into Alexander's marriage.
Such baseless gossip would normally be ignored.
However, the anonymous account somehow posted a photo from a Foster family dinner.
Though everyone's faces were blurred, eagle-eyed netizens noticed that the woman sitting beside Alexander wasn't Sophie.
The hashtag #Sophie Laurent Is A Homewrecker# quickly topped the trending charts.
Sophie fought back, suing the anonymous account for defamation.
The legal team had been speculating when Alexander would step in to resolve the situation for Sophie. No one expected the case would land on Emily's desk.
Emily trembled with anger.
No one knew better than the actual wife whether Sophie was a homewrecker!
Those sleepless nights, those explicit photos, those intimate voice messages—all sent by the supposedly virtuous Sophie!
No one knew better than Sophie how Emily developed breast cancer.
And now, Alexander wanted his wife to help his mistress win a defamation case? Did he even consider Emily a human being?
"Ms. Ward? Did you hear me?" James added.
Emily snapped back to reality and refused without hesitation. "I won't take this case."
James wasn't surprised by her reaction. In his view, Alexander was subtly reminding Emily to know her place. Why else would he assign this to Emily when there were more qualified people in the legal department?
"Ms. Ward, remember that you're still an employee of the Foster Group. You don't have the luxury of refusing assignments."
Emily gave a bitter smile, removed her ID badge from around her neck, and tossed it onto the desk. "Then I quit."
She left the Foster Group without taking anything, walking out empty-handed.
"Ding!"
Her phone's reminder app chimed with a notification showing only a date, no additional text. Emily's expression immediately changed.
She hurried to the street, hailed a taxi, and gave an address. "Wilton Detention Center."
Alexander watched the entire scene from the 17th floor, his handsome face darkening.
"Mr. Foster, Ms. Ward said..." James entered nervously, his voice shaking, but Alexander cut him off.
"Make her come back, or I'll make sure Dawn Children's Home disappears."