Chapter 1

Rosalyn Wright, the heir to a top-tier wealthy family, had been a lovesick fool for seven years. She finally decided to get a divorce.

The next day, Rosalyn called her father. "Dad, you were right back then. Forbidden love doesn't bring happiness. I'm ready to divorce and come home to take over the family business."

Her father paused for several seconds before responding. "Rosalyn, you cut ties with me to marry your foster brother Saul. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Rosalyn's heart ached faintly. A bitter smirk crossed her lips. "Because he got furious I broke his stuff. He doesn't love me. All these years, I was just fooling myself. Once the divorce process is done, I'll come home."

She hung up. Tears slid from the corners of her eyes.

In three years of marriage, Saul had only touched her once, during a drunken night of recklessness. After that, nothing.

Rosalyn had always thought the problem was hers. She even listened to someone's suggestion and got surgery to restore her virginity, just to please Saul.

That day, she held the surgery receipt in front of him, trampling her dignity. "Saul, if you want excitement, I can do it."

Rosalyn had sunk to rock bottom.

No matter how she tried to seduce him, using every trick she knew, he always pushed her away at the critical moment and retreated to his study.

A month ago, Rosalyn couldn't take it anymore. She felt like she was losing her mind. While Saul was out, she entered his study.

There, she found a hidden room with a bed. On it was a lifelike robot.

At first glance, its features resembled hers. But a prominent red mole on its chest told her it wasn't her.

It was Norene Smith, her best friend.

In that moment, Rosalyn nearly broke down. The husband she loved was in love with her friend.

She was just a stand-in.

Rosalyn slashed the robot in a frenzy and cried in their bedroom for a day and a night.

The next day, Saul returned and flew into a rage. The household staff stood in a line, silent.

Rosalyn stepped forward calmly. "I did it."

Saul's eyes held restrained anger. He didn't punish her directly but sent Margaret, the nanny who had raised her, to an asylum.

Rosalyn blocked their path, staring at Saul. "She's one of the few people I have left!"

His gaze was cold. "You touched the person I care about. I retaliated against someone you care about. It's fair."

Even the love letters she had written to Saul were burned one by one in front of her.

The usually gentle man lost his temper for the first time. "You can touch anyone or anything in this world, but not her."

Saul had once said those words to others, but back then, it was to protect Rosalyn.

Now, he was warning her to protect another woman.

Rosalyn collapsed to the floor, her eyes full of despair. "Even if it's just a robot?"

Saul's gaze was unwavering. "Yes."

She sobbed uncontrollably, demanding, "If you love her so much, why did you marry me?"

Saul's expression grew complicated. He grabbed his suit jacket from the sofa, ready to leave.

Rosalyn clutched his sleeve, stubborn. "Tell me why."

He paused, his eyes narrowing. "Three years ago, she left. You were the closest thing to her."

His words stabbed into Rosalyn's heart like a sharp knife.

Saul was the Wright family's adopted son. They had grown up together.

When Rosalyn was eighteen, she followed him around constantly. "Saul, I like you. Will you marry me one day?"

Everyone in their social circle said she had no shame chasing him.

She pursued him for four years, but Saul remained indifferent. Then, on the day the Wright family was set to move abroad, Saul texted her. "Rosalyn, let's get married!"

For that, Rosalyn refused to leave the country. She insisted on marrying Saul, even falling out with her family.

Friends and relatives tried to dissuade her.

They said Saul was just an adopted son with no power or wealth. She would suffer with him.

With the Wright family's status and her beauty, she could find someone better.

Rosalyn ignored them all. She rented out the biggest drone display in Willowhaven to confess her love, showing her determination.

Back then, she thought Saul was moved by her. Now she realized she was just a substitute.

She could accept that Saul didn't love her, but she couldn't be someone else's shadow. A month ago, she made him sign a divorce agreement.

He was in a rush to go abroad and didn't read the papers.

A familiar, cold voice snapped Rosalyn out of her thoughts. "Norene got divorced and came back to the country. She has nowhere to stay, so I told her to move in here."

Rosalyn wiped the tears from her face and turned to look at him.

Saul stood in a sharp suit, his striking features and captivating eyes drawing attention.

She took a deep breath and met his gaze. "What if I don't agree?"

His brows furrowed slightly, his tone icy and firm. "Rosalyn, I'm not asking for your permission."