Chapter 3

Rosalyn's POV

"Please, Lysander." I looked up, tears blurring my vision.

"For the sake of our marriage, please let me go."

The room fell silent for a long time.

The expression on Lysander's face changed bit by bit.

He put down the bowl in his hand, then stood up and looked down at me, his eyes completely cold.

"Rosalyn, didn't you say you loved me, that you'd do anything for me? What's wrong? Now I'm just asking you to have a child for Tina, and you won't do it?"

I couldn't believe my ears, looking at him in despair.

"Lysander, do you have no humanity at all?"

"Humanity?"

Lysander laughed softly.

"Rosalyn, do you think everyone in this world is like you, treating love and marriage as their whole life?"

He bent down, leaning close to my face, his voice dropping lower.

"Two-thirds of the Montfort family assets are in Tina's name. That's something I couldn't get even after ten years of struggle. You know why? Because I'm just an adopted son. No matter how well I do, in this family, I'll always be an outsider."

He straightened up, looking down at me.

"Tina promised me that as long as you have two children for her, she'll give me complete control of the family trust fund. Rosalyn, as my wife, won't you even make this small sacrifice?"

I looked at his face and suddenly found myself unable to say anything.

Not because of fear, not because of anger, but because I felt sad.

A man, for money and power.

Could turn himself into this.

He used to be a warm person. I don't know when he became unrecognizable.

"So..." I closed my eyes, tears streaming down again.

"You married me from the very beginning just to help Tina solve her fertility problem, didn't you?"

Lysander looked at me coldly, without answering.

Just then, the door was pushed open.

Valentina stood in the doorway, wearing a dark green robe, her face showing displeasure.

"Lysander, what are you doing here? Don't tell me you still have feelings for this bitch?"

Lysander immediately turned and went to her side, reaching to put his arm around her waist, his tone gentle. "Tina, don't misunderstand. I was just checking if she was dead."

"Really?" Valentina turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Then prove it to me."

Lysander paused slightly. "Prove what?"

"Prove you have no feelings for her whatsoever."

Valentina's gaze moved past Lysander's shoulder to land on me, her lips curling into a challenging smile.

"Lysander, I want you to have sex with me right in front of her."

I thought I'd heard wrong.

Lysander's body stiffened for a moment.

I could see his hands clench slightly, his knuckles turning white.

But it was only for a moment.

The next second, his hand gripped the back of Valentina's head and he kissed her.

Valentina let out a moan.

Her hands climbed up his shoulders, her robe slipping off her shoulder, exposing large areas of skin.

Lysander's hand slid down from her waist, and the two of them kissed shamelessly right in front of me.

Watching this scene.

I felt like my heart was being ripped out and crushed.

I couldn't bear to watch anymore and pulled the blanket over my head.

I curled up under the covers, trembling.

"Lysander..." Valentina's voice was breathy and intimate.

"Let her know how much you love me."

Then I heard the sounds of them having sex, Valentina's seductive laughter, Lysander's low breathing.

Those sounds that once belonged only to me.

Now all belonged to another woman.

It was dark and stuffy under the blanket.

I curled up, covering my ears with both hands, burying my face in the pillow.

But those sounds still drilled into my ears, making me wish I was dead.

I don't know how long it lasted, but the sounds finally stopped.

And I spent the most unbearable moment of my life in that darkness.

"Good thing you know your place." Valentina's satisfied voice reached my ears.

"Once she gives birth to the second child, the Montfort family business will be yours."

The footsteps grew more distant until the door closed and the room became completely quiet.

I lay under the blanket for a long time. Only after making sure they were gone did I slowly pull the blanket down, finding the sheets already soaked with my tears.

I stared at the ceiling, my eyes dry and aching.

During that silent crying, I had exhausted all my humiliation and sorrow.

There was no longer any place for Lysander in my heart, only hatred and despair.

Over the next few days, I kept looking for a chance to escape.

After my suicide attempt, Mary became more alert. She took away all the knives in the room.

And she watched me finish eating every day before leaving.

The windows in the room had been nailed shut from the outside, and there were always two guards on duty in the hallway.

That day, I sat on the windowsill, numbly staring at the garden scenery.

Then I heard a tapping sound.

I went to the door and pushed it open a crack to look out. At the entrance to the hallway, the two guards were still standing there, and in the direction near the garden, Leon was squatting on the ground, patting a blue ball with his little hands.

My heart jumped. This was the first time I'd seen him in days.

I glanced at the guards. They stood expressionless, looking straight ahead.

They hadn't noticed my door was open a crack.

Nor had they noticed Leon at the other end of the hallway.

I felt this was my chance. Taking a deep breath, I quietly opened the door and stepped out.

"Leon." I called his name softly.

Leon looked up, and when he saw it was me, his expression changed instantly.

"What are you doing here? Get out of my house right now!"

My heart was stabbed again, but reason told me this child was no longer mine.

I couldn't have any more expectations of him.

I crouched down, trying to stay calm.

"Leon, don't you really want me to leave here?"

Leon nodded without hesitation. "Yes. If you leave, Daddy and Mommy won't fight anymore."

"Then can you help me leave here?"

I looked at him hopefully.

"I promise, after I leave, I'll never come back, and I'll never bully your Mommy again."

Leon blinked his big eyes, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How can I help?"

I pointed at the guards at both ends of the hallway and whispered to him.

"See those two men at the door? Can you help me get them to leave?"

Leon tilted his head and thought for a moment, then nodded and ran off with his ball.

I watched his figure disappear around the corner of the hallway, my heart beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of my chest.

This was my only chance to escape.

I went back to my room, changed into flat shoes, tied up my hair, then stood by the door, looking out through the crack.

After about two minutes, Leon's voice came from the hallway.

"Mister! Mister!" His voice was soft and sweet.

"There's an injured bird in the garden! It fell from a tree! Come help it quickly!"

The two guards looked at each other, and one of them crouched down and said to Leon.

"Leon, we can't leave here."

"But the bird will die!" Leon's voice became urgent, with a crying tone. "If you don't save it, I'll tell Mommy and have Mommy yell at you!"

One of the guards hesitated, then said to his colleague.

"I'll go take a look. I'll be right back. You stay here and guard." Then he followed Leon toward the garden.

Only one person was left in the hallway.

My fingers gripped the doorknob tightly, my palms sweaty.

The guard stood for a while, probably feeling bored, then took out his phone from his pocket and looked down at the screen.

His attention was no longer on the door.

This was the moment.

I took a deep breath, opened the door, and moved along the wall toward the end of the hallway.

Luckily, the remaining guard was quite focused on his phone and didn't notice me.

I successfully escaped the hallway and carefully walked toward the main entrance.

Just as I reached the entrance, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Leon, what are you doing?"