Chapter 3

After she finished speaking, Owen and Debra stared at Edward in shock.

Edward's face went pale, then dark. He clenched his jaw, his expression turning grim.

Cecilia felt nothing inside.

For five years, Debra had watched over her, pushing her to take care of her body, yet she still hadn't gotten pregnant.

Debra hadn't been without resentment.

Back then, Cecilia always thought she and Edward still had a chance, so she never told his family about what went on between them.

Instead, she swallowed the blame in silence and drank bitter herbal medicine alone for five years.

But now, there was no reason to keep up the act.

After the initial shock, Debra quickly put it together. Edward had been openly parading women around all these years, so that shouldn't be the problem. The only explanation was that the two of them had never been intimate at all.

Owen's face darkened instantly. He said coldly, "Edward, come to the study after dinner."

Edward almost laughed out of anger.

He never expected Cecilia to bring up something so private in front of his family.

He shot her a look that could have drawn blood, then followed his father upstairs to the study.

Cecilia acted like she didn't even notice.

Debra hadn't expected her son to be such a disappointment. She sighed and took Cecilia's hands in hers, her voice full of guilt.

"Cecilia, I'm so sorry you've had to put up with this. Don't worry, I'll have a serious talk with him. Edward won't treat you like this anymore."

The Percy family was an old-money household with traditional values. His parents were reasonable people, but when it came to having children, Cecilia had quietly suffered through so much over the years.

"I'm fine." Cecilia just gave a small smile, her expression calm as ever.

But... the future? There was no future between her and Edward anymore.

In the study.

Owen's face was stern. He laid into Edward without holding back: "You were the one who wanted to marry Cecilia. You used to treat her like she was everything to you. How did it come to this? What is going on in your head?!"

Edward's eyes shifted with dark, unreadable emotions, but his expression stayed as cold as ever.

He had married Cecilia to get back at her. As for having children — he would never have a child with someone who had caused Julia's death. Never.

Owen knew his son too well. He saw right through him almost immediately.

He frowned, his eyes full of disapproval.

"Julia's death was an accident. What Jessica said had no proof. Edward, if you keep living in the past, you're going to end up with nothing but regret."

He knew his son.

If things went too far and they missed their chance, Edward would spend the rest of his life regretting it.

When Edward walked out of the study, his lips were pressed into a tight line, but behind his dark eyes, emotions churned violently — and the most obvious one was undisguised contempt.

Proof? Would Jessica ever lie?

Just then, his phone rang.

"Edward, Jessica got hurt. She's at the hospital right now. Can you come...?"

Before the words were even finished, Edward's expression shifted. He grabbed his keys and headed downstairs.

Cecilia watched the urgency on his face and felt no surprise at all.

Thinking back, it was the same when Edward was chasing her all those years ago. One call from Julia or Jessica was all it took — he'd come running and leave just as fast.

Some things never changed.

Just then, a WhatsApp message came in from Charles.

He had shared two photos.

In the pictures, exquisite wedding rings gleamed brilliantly, catching the light with a soft, lustrous glow. Each one was clearly worth a fortune.

Cecilia was a little surprised. Did he send these to the wrong person?

Then a voice message came through.

Charles's voice was low and smooth: "Which one do you like?"

Cecilia froze.

Their marriage was purely a business arrangement — he would help her leave the Percy family and get out of this marriage, and in return, she would become Mrs. Windsor in name. Simple as that.

Rumor had it that Charles had once deeply loved someone. But before they could get married, something happened.

She had always assumed this was just a convenient arrangement for both of them.

She hadn't expected Charles to actually put thought into something like this.

"This one." Cecilia picked one of the two.

"About tomorrow night's dinner party, will you..."

She paused, wanting to ask him about the event.

But no reply came. Cecilia eventually didn't send the message either.

She stared at their chat window.

They had only met once, yet they were going to be married.

Even now, she had no idea why Charles had come to her with this proposal in the first place.

Without thinking, she tapped on his profile picture.

It was a cute hand-drawn black-and-white cat.

It felt oddly familiar to Cecilia, but she couldn't quite place where she'd seen it before. More than anything, she found it surprising.

A man like Charles — where did he get that kind of playful side?

That evening.

At Debra's insistence, Cecilia had no choice but to spend the night at the Percy Mansion.

She drifted off to sleep.

When Edward pushed open the bedroom door, he found Cecilia fast asleep.

She was wearing a robe, one pale ankle peeking out. Without her usual cold, guarded look, she seemed soft and almost gentle.

Something shifted in Edward's eyes.

He ran his thumb across her lips. Owen's words came back to him, and his already cool expression grew tighter.

Regret for the rest of his life? She wasn't worth that.

But the anger rising inside him tangled with the alcohol in his system. He grabbed her wrist and leaned down...

His grip was too rough. The pain jolted Cecilia awake in an instant.

Edward's lips were just about to come down.

Cecilia frowned and turned her head away.

"What do you think you're doing?" Her voice was cold.

Edward narrowed his eyes. A mocking smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Didn't you bring up the whole thing in front of my parents because you want a baby? I'm giving you what you want."

He tightened his hold on her wrist and pressed closer.

The scent on him — Jessica's perfume — made Cecilia's stomach turn.

As she struggled, Edward grew rougher, his eyes filled with contempt and disgust.

Cecilia managed to shove him away.

Without a word, she slapped him across the face. Her voice was ice cold: "You've already been with another woman tonight. I don't know how you're not disgusted with yourself, but I want nothing to do with you."

In the lamplight, her striking features were flushed, her skin almost luminous, her eyes bright and sharp.

Her calm expression made the disgust in them all the more obvious.

In that moment, Cecilia was truly done with this man she had loved for so many years.

She spoke slowly and clearly: "Edward, this is pointless. Let's get a divorce."

Staying in a marriage where they couldn't stand each other was only hurting them both.

He loved Jessica, didn't he? She was more than happy to step aside.

Hearing the word "divorce," Edward felt an irrational surge of anger.

How dare she talk about divorce. She still owed Jessica. She hadn't paid for what she'd done.

"Drop the act." His voice was sharp and cold. "Cecilia, you think I don't know what you're up to? Divorce? You have no right to ask for a divorce. You're staying in this family for the rest of your life to make up for what you did."

He slammed the door on his way out.

Cecilia watched him go. Right at that moment, a message came in from her best friend, Vivian Cooper.

"Cecilia, Charles is a mob boss who kills without blinking. Do you actually think he's going to hand over that plot of land in Westside District?"