To spare him pressure from his parents, I agreed to keep our marriage secret and had the baby quietly.
Afterward, I entrusted Lily to my parents’ care and worked myself to the bone, determined to be worthy of Daniel’s status.
All-nighters became routine. To secure a contract, I endured harassment from clients, drank until I vomited blood—anything to win the deal.
But I thought it was worth it.
I wanted to prove I wasn’t just a pretty face, but a partner with real strength, someone who could fight by his side and silence his family’s doubts.
I succeeded.
In just three years, I rose from an entry-level employee to Vice President of Sales at the Walker Group.
Daniel was proud of me.
At the company’s Corporate Anniversary Gala, he pulled me onto the main stage and loudly declared our relationship.
In that moment, his eyes shone.
I cried with joy. Despite my suffering, the one who suffered most was Lily.
From birth, we had been apart more than together. She often fell asleep in tears, crying for her parents.
Other children had both parents; she had no one. She was like a left-behind child.
Even so, she still couldn’t stay in this world.
As the company expanded, Daniel hired a young assistant named Olivia Brooks.
Olivia was his distant cousin, spoiled since childhood. Her joining as his assistant was no coincidence—some in the Walker family had ulterior motives.
Daniel treated Olivia exceptionally well—so well I grew jealous.
I told myself it was nothing, just family closeness.
Whenever I was jealous, he would hug me. “You’re jealous? That’s cute.”
“Relax. Olivia’s my cousin. My relatives asked me to take care of her. How could I refuse?”
I couldn’t tell if he meant it or if it was an excuse. I had heard the same words countless times.
And in fact, there was no blood relation between them at all.
Every time he coaxed me, he compensated Olivia even more. He spent more time with her than with me.
Soon, his social media was filled with photos of the two of them.
His friends jokingly called Olivia “the little wife.”
At Lily’s one and only birthday party, he stayed for just a minute before rushing off after receiving a message from Olivia.
Lily tugged at his sleeve, begging him to stay longer. Impatient, he slapped her and left.
Even then, Lily, tears in her eyes, said Daddy must just be busy with work.
I wept bitterly, filled with guilt toward her.
Later, he came back, apologized, and coaxed her. She forgave him, saying he was the best daddy in the world.
Though he always had a perfect excuse, the shadow in my heart grew.
But my love for him—and my desire not to let Lily lose her father—made me suppress the cracks inside me.
Her death was the final straw.
It opened my eyes to reality.
To care more for a “cousin” than for a longtime lover? It was just lies.
If he had changed, why should I hold on?
And Lily’s death could not go unpunished. Her killer must pay.
I saw Daniel again two weeks later.
At the company entrance, he smiled. “Didn’t I tell you? Our wedding won’t be delayed. I keep my word.”
“Mm.” I answered flatly.
