For five years, I had been humbly begging for his love, day after day.
I offered myself for the bed.
For the past five years, I had been as obedient as a concubine who followed his orders and had been content to be the sweetheart beside Nicholas Vanderbilt. Everyone knew that I loved him as much as my life.
Those who knew about it all showed disdain. "You are just a toy."
Sure enough, as Nicholas's first love came back, she asked me to leave him.
It was time for me to get out.
After all, I had been eating, drinking, and caring for free for five years, and I was tired of it.
And he was just my life-saving tool.
——
"Is today the day for a separation meal? Are you planning to make her leave?"
This one sentence, like thunder, drew the attention of everyone present to me.
It seemed that the smile on my face gradually cracked into ice chips.
As everyone knew, the lady of the Harrington Group volunteered to sleep with Nicholas.
Like a lowly slave girl, she had been begging for his love every day for five years.
The contemptuous looks and sarcastic words never stopped.
While I may not care about rumors and gossip, it didn't mean that I could tolerate others trying to sow discord in our relationship in front of Nicholas.
"Who do you want to get out?"
I stood up suddenly, slammed my palm on the table, and glared at the man in front of me fiercely.
All of these people presented here were Nicholas's cronies. They all thought highly of themselves and acted like they were the best in the world.
In order to establish a friendly relationship, I occasionally gave them gifts, one after another, hoping that they wouldn't speak ill of me in front of him so that I could peacefully get through these five years.
Now that they heard that Nicholas's first love was going to return back, all of them changed their expressions as if they were looking forward to a good show.
My face was grim, and my teeth were chattering.
"Host, please stay calm and don't lose your character."
The System in my brain was like a tape recorder, reminding me over and over again.
I ignored it.
Stay calm?
It was ridiculous.
Ever since I was tricked by the System, I had been unable to maintain a stable mood and wanted to explode and kill everyone every day.
2"Bella, he's just joking, so don't take it seriously."
Nicholas's tone was calm as he casually twirled the bracelet on his wrist with his fingertips.
Seeing this gesture, I couldn't help but think of something.
It was said that this bracelet was once enshrined in the grandest church in the plateau region. It was a gift from his ex-girlfriend during his coming-of-age ceremony as he turned 18.
Nicholas wore it for 12 years and regarded it as a treasure.
I remember one time when he left it on the living room table while taking a shower, and out of curiosity, I picked it up to have a closer look.
He scolded her on the spot, "Who allowed you to touch it?"
After that, he didn't treat me well for a whole week.
"Who are you kidding? You obviously only have Karen Sullivan in your heart, but you let Bella pester you for five years."
One sentence brought my thoughts back.
I glared at the fat man, Ivan Taylor. "Nicholas's relationship with her is already in the past. I am his legal wife."
No one could break us up, at least now.
"It seems like you are the one who was abandoned. What can a marriage licence represent anyway?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a beautiful figure appeared at the door.
It was Karen.
She actually came back early.
3"Bella Harrington, who do you think you are to be compared with me?"
Karen raised her hand and slapped me in the face.
Suddenly, I suffered pain, and the blood seeped out from the corners of my mouth.
Five years ago, the Vanderbilt Group was in crisis and faced bankruptcy. As Nicholas was in a state of panic, Karen decided to go abroad to pursue her dreams.
Their relationship fell apart after many years. Then, I took advantage of the opportunity and took her place, and I remain in her place until today.
I wiped the corner of my mouth with my fingertips, looked at the blood on my hands, and couldn't help but sneer.
No one could make me suffer except him.
"Don't do it."
A deep and resonant voice sounded from behind me as he firmly grasped my wrist.
I turned my head mechanically, looked into his eyes, and said word by word, "She was the first to do it."
"Who made you such a slut? Are you worthy of me for stealing my man?"
Karen fiddled with her long hair, a smug smile on her face.
At this moment, she was wearing delicate makeup, and her flaming red lips seemed to arouse people's attention.
She was wearing a light-pink dress, which showed off her curvy figure and slim waist.
What a charming beauty! She had such a beautiful face, so no wonder Nicholas could not forget her.
I glanced at him and mocked her, "How noble are you? You abandoned him in the past, and now do you want to be with him?"
With shamelessness, one could be invincible. I must have learned a lesson today.
Hearing that, Nicholas was furious and said with impatience, "Bella, you go back first."
He sat at the table, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it in one gulp.
I was stunned.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
The wine glass fell to the ground with a bang, and his eyes were sharp.
Damn it!
I clenched my fist, suddenly feeling a taste of blood spreading in my mouth.
"Okay, I'm leaving."
I had to endure!
I couldn't leave him yet, and I couldn't go away.
There were only seven days left before the five-year deadline. How could I fail at this moment?
4"Tsk, a counterfeit is just a counterfeit. Do you think by imitating my appearance, you can ascend to a worry-free life? You are nothing more than a clown."
Karen sat on the chair with her legs crossed, looking me up and down as if I were trash.
Suddenly, I turned around.
The blood in my body surged like a tide, and adrenaline surged to the limit.
I used to think that literacy and knowledge were linked, but it seemed that this was not the case.
Everyone said that to cultivate the mind, one must first cultivate virtue, and to maintain health, one must first control anger.
But if one encountered someone who deserved to be punished, one should neglect virtue and anger.
I kicked the stool away.
"Warning! Health points depleted to 70%."
The mechanical voice of the System sounded in my head.
"Health points depleted to 80%."
"Host, please calm down."
Calm down! She was mocking me like that, so I couldn't bear it anymore.
"Health points depleted to 85%."
"Please calm down!"
The System's speech speed became faster and sharper like an angry monkey making a shrill cry.
"Health points depleted to 90%."
At this moment, my mind was like a sea of blood and death, flashing red light.
I ignored the crazy beeping...
"You seduce my husband and to show off. You betrayed him and now you're trying to be with him again. You are shameless."
I kicked over Karen and the chair, and the red heel instantly broke in two.
Still not feeling satisfied, I simply took off my shoes and threw them at her as if I wanted to split her head open.
"Ah... you're crazy."
Karen turned pale and crawled forward with disheveled hair.
I sneered and dragged her back by her feet. "Weren't you very proud just now?
"Remember this, don't mess with me. I'm famous for my vengeance."
Humph! If she wanted to step on me to elevate her status, she had to see if she had the ability to do so.
"Nicholas, please save me."
Her eyes were filled with fear, tears, and snot were streaming, and her makeup was smudged.
He looked at me in disbelief, hesitating for a long time without saying anything.
Everyone else was stunned.
The whole world was quiet.
Ever since I was with Nicholas, I had been working hard to maintain the image of a lady. Let alone fighting, even if I heard someone speak loudly, I would be terrified.
5I was woken by the ringing of the telephone.
I glanced at the screen and couldn't help but smile. It was from my best grandma, Diane Harrington.
As soon as the phone was answered, a familiar voice came. "Bella, are you coming back for holiday?"
"Yeah."
We chatted endlessly.
Since I was a child, my parents sent me to live with my grandma in the countryside for care.
In fact, it was not that my family didn't have the money to hire a nanny to take care of me, but after my younger brother was born, all their energy and all their love were diverted to his side.
The night before I left, my mother, Susan Harrington, said, "Girls who are raised in a more independent manner tend to be stronger. They can handle things on their own instead of crying and running back home to seek their parents' help."
She was right, and I could definitely handle everything.
I was capable of fighting and had been a school bully since childhood.
Suddenly, I remembered the first time when the teacher called Diane in junior high school, she hunched over and kept saying, "Bella is so adorable and well-behaved like a kitten. How could she hit her classmates? Is she being bullied by others?"
No matter how much trouble I caused, she always felt that I was the little girl who was bullied.
I hung up the phone with a smile, only to find that my whole body was sore. As I turned over, I felt like my bones almost were broken.
This was the backlash after going crazy.
The smell of disinfectant spread to my nose, and I smiled bitterly. I was afraid that I would be stuck in bed for a few days.
6Looking at the man approaching, I put away the self-mockery on my face and stood up with difficulty.
With this movement, I had the illusion that my whole body was being eaten by millions of ants. The pain distorted my face, and I made faces for a long time before I could control my facial expression.
"You're here."
I held his palm with a smile on my face.
Nicholas liked women who had a poised, elegant, and refined demeanor.
But I was straightforward and had a hot temper.
In order to emulate him, I had learned ladylike behavior countless times in the past five years. After repeated observation and learning, I had finally developed into what I was.
No matter how hard I tried, the word "lady" seemed to be separated from me by an endless gap.
No matter how much I suppressed my nature, I would only end up learning a weird thing.
"How could you hit Karen?"
Nicholas shook off my hand and peppered me with angry questions.
The sudden action caught me off guard.
My head hit the wall hard, making me gasp and unable to speak for a moment due to the pain.
"Don't think that just because you've been with me for so long, you can act recklessly. You're not qualified yet."
My collar was tightly grasped by his big hand, my face turned red, and I felt like I was being pushed into the water and was about to suffocate.
"Let go... let go. It hurts." Beads of sweat the size of beans fell down one by one.
"Why are you pretending? Mr. Thompson said you were just in shock due to emotional excitement. To put it bluntly, you are just pretending to be sick."
The roar continued.
"Don't forget, I'm your wife."
I roared with force, veins bulging as I clenched onto the bedsheet tightly.
After sleeping in the same bed for so many days and nights, no matter how cold-hearted a person was, they would not just be physically active without being emotionally active.
After all, we once took the oath together at the church.
"So what? You're not even as good as one of her fingers."
I closed my eyes.
At this moment, I realized that all my efforts over the past five years were actually a joke.
He was not my safe haven, after all.
7Six days passed in a flash, and I was lying in bed like a dead fish.
The pain in my body intensified gradually as if I were being slowly roasted over a fire. The scorching flames turned my skin red and seeped into every fiber of my being.
Nicholas had never come back since he left last time.
I knew he was in the hospital.
Half an hour ago, Nicholas walked in from the door carrying a fruit basket. He was wearing a blue suit that I carefully picked for him on Valentine's Day.
I looked out the window, motionless.
If Nicholas didn't have me in his heart, no matter how hard I tried, I would be discarded like a dirty rag.
As my mind was free, the door was suddenly pushed open.
I saw Nicholas rushing in, pulling me off the bed without saying a word, and dragging me out.
I stumbled and could barely keep my footing.
"What are you doing? Can't you see that her face is too pale?"
At this time, Oscar Thompson was full of anger.
"She's pretending."
"What the hell? You try pretending for me."
Oscar was so furious that he looked like he wanted to slap him.
I was slightly surprised.
It turned out that my archenemy worked in this hospital.
He used to always have conflicts with me, so I didn't expect him to stand up for me.
"Karen has been crying non-stop, you should go and apologize to her."
Nicholas pressed his lips.
"No."
I grabbed the door frame and refused to move an inch.
Why should I apologize?
She was immoral and spoke ill of me. It served her right to be slapped.
Nicholas stared at me for a long while with his blue eyes.
He suddenly took out his cell phone from his pocket. "Tyler, throw out all of Bella's things, change the front door key, and send a divorce lawyer's letter."
My face turned pale instantly, and I was like a ghost that had just crawled out of hell.
"No, no..."
I rushed to him like a cheetah on break free, shaking my head desperately.
Nicholas held the phone in his hand, his voice as cold as ice. "Are you willing to apologize?"
"Yes, I am."
I couldn't get a divorce yet, and I couldn't leave home.
I must stay there for five years. Otherwise, the System would determine that the mission had failed and killed me directly.
Nicholas was actually a person who would not give up until he achieved his goal. I realized this very early on.
I just thought I had some place in his heart, but I didn't expect it to be worthless.
While I surfed the Internet, a netizen said, "Men with thin lips are the most heartless."
Before this, I scoffed at it.
And now, I understood that a man's lips could bring extreme pleasure and also plunge one into hell.
8"I feel so bad..."
As soon as I entered the room, I saw Karen lying in Nicholas' arms in a hospital gown, her face full of grievance.
"Why are you becoming more and more delicate?" His voice was so gentle that I never heard it.
"It was you who asked me to come back. I obediently returned with joy in my heart to see you, but ended up being violently beaten. Can my mood be good?"
Finishing speaking, she looked at me with an expression filled with poison.
Did he ask her to return back?
I felt like I was struck by lightning and stared blankly at him.
My fingertips couldn't help but touch the bracelet on my wrist. It was the gift Nicholas gave me on my birthday last week.
That night, as we intertwined on the bed, in the depths of our passion, he hoarsely whispered, "Bella, our bodies fit so perfectly, so we are destined for each other."
His love words that night were as vivid as the broad river.
"Bella, apologize."
"I'm sorry."
My expression was calm, but my heart felt like it was being cut bit by bit by an executioner with a rusty, blunt knife, and my eyes were filled with anger.
"You have to kneel down to show your sincerity when you apologize."
Her bloodthirsty sound echoed in the house.
"Don't go too far."
Suddenly, I raised my head. My hair stuck to my face, and sweat dripped down.
My body seemed to have just been pulled out of the water, and there were water stains all over the ground.
At that moment, compared to the refined appearance of Karen, I looked extremely disheveled and felt like a miserable wet dog.
"Nicholas, am I going too far?"
"Not too much."
His voice was like the snow in the Arctic, icy and bone-chilling.
Exerting all my strength, I took a step forward and grabbed onto his collar, and my eyes were filled with fury like a brewing storm.
"What am I in your heart?"
"I thought you should be self-aware."
Nicholas pushed me away, his eyes calm, as if he was talking about a trivial matter.
I stumbled back, tears welling up in my eyes.
"Do you need me to teach you how to kneel?"
There was a hint of triumph in Karen's sarcastic voice.
I bit my lip, inserted my fingertips into my palms, clenched and unclenched, unclenched and clenched again, over and over again. The bright blood emitted a dazzling light under the illumination of the crystal lamp.
My vision gradually became blurred. I pinched my thigh hard, and then the severe pain made me sober up a little.
"Bella, if you listen to me, you can still be my wife in name only and maintain the interests of the Harrington family and the Vanderbilt family. After all, you are homeless, so who else can you rely on besides me?"
He pretended to take out his cell phone.
I held his hand, tilted my head 45 degrees, and tears flew like rain.
"Do we have to get a divorce?"
As I spoke, tears welled up in my eyes, and I looked through him at the clock on the wall.
Time passed by little by little, and every second was my salvation.
"Do this, and you will continue to be a spendthrift Mrs. Vanderbilt."
Nicholas took a few steps back and looked down at me condescendingly.
The sound of the ticking clock faded away, and as the last note came down, the 12 o'clock bell sounded slowly like beautiful music.
At that moment, I laughed.
"Okay, as you wish, let's get a divorce."