Chapter 1

The notification chimed, sharp and cold.

Evelyn Sinclair glanced at her phone, her breath hitching as she read the message.

[Please report to the hospital immediately for blood donation.]

The sender? Hubby.

Ding!

Another alert. A bank transfer—1,000,000 dollars.

Her fingers trembled as she scrolled through their message history.

[Don’t forget the hospital.]

[Fund Transfer: $1,000,000]

[Go to the hospital now.]

[Fund Transfer: $1,000,000]

[Hospital. Immediately.]

[Fund Transfer: $1,000,000]

Three years of marriage. Three years of silence, except for these demands.

Nathan Blackwood, her husband, only spoke to her when he needed her blood—sold to Vanessa Holloway, the woman he truly loved.

This month alone, Evelyn had given blood four times. Her body ached, her vision blurred. Yesterday, she had waited outside his office in the pouring rain for over an hour, desperate for even a glance. Today, feverish and weak, she had stayed home.

He hadn’t noticed.

She coughed, her throat raw. Before she could reply, another message lit up her screen—this time from an unknown number.

[You may be Mrs. Blackwood, but you’re nothing but a placeholder. Nathan hasn’t looked at you once in three years. He spent last night in my bed. If I were you, I’d disappear. You’re the real homewrecker here.]

Evelyn’s chest tightened.

A homewrecker?

She had given up everything—her family, her pride—for this marriage. And yet, she was the villain?

A photo followed. Nathan, asleep, his sculpted features serene. Beside him, Vanessa Holloway, smirking against his shoulder.

The image shattered her.

Her phone rang—Margaret Blackwood, Nathan’s mother.

"Evelyn, have you forgotten what day it is? The maids are off. Get here and cook dinner."

Evelyn hung up without a word.

For three years, she had endured it all—the disdain at work, the cruelty at home. She had cooked, cleaned, and bled for a man who treated her like a stranger.

But no more.

Her fingers moved before her mind could stop them.

[Let’s get a divorce.]

Nathan called instantly. His voice was ice.

"Evelyn, stop this nonsense. Name your price. Vanessa’s condition is critical—"

She cut him off, her voice hoarse but steady.

"Nathan Blackwood. City Hall. One hour. Or watch her die."

She ended the call.

Ding.

[Fund Transfer: $1,000,000]

Evelyn laughed, tears streaming down her face.

How absurd.

How utterly, devastatingly ridiculous.