It just so happened that the person I saved was the one I had secretly loved.
So why did I become the sinner?
The day I was discharged from the hospital, I asked my lawyer to prepare the divorce papers.
Since everyone believed I had taken Lily’s place, I decided to return it to her.
The daughter of the Williams family would never stoop so low as to steal another’s affection.
But I forgot—precisely because I was the Williams family’s daughter, my parents would never allow me to be humiliated like this, and the Spencer family would never accept Lily.
They found her and offered money, comfort, and treatment from a renowned orthopedic specialist abroad in exchange for her departure.
That very day, Lily vanished with the money.
But I received a text from her:
“Mrs. Spencer, my feelings for Xavier are real. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you.”
“Since you can’t accept me, I’ll respect your arrangements. I wish you happiness.”
Before I could reply, Xavier came home unexpectedly.
He snatched my phone and stared at the message for five long minutes.
I thought he would question me, but he said nothing.
Instead, he went to the kitchen and made me a bowl of chicken soup, as gentle as before.
He personally took care of me during my confinement, brought me along to social gatherings, and showed affection at every turn.
We seemed to have become that perfect couple once more.
Seeing his newfound composure, Grandpa Charles finally handed him full control of the Spencer Group, and my parents felt reassured.
I even began to believe that, deep down, family still mattered to him.
But later, I realized he had only been waiting for the right time.
Once power was in his hands, Xavier stopped pretending.
Ignoring the many joint projects between our families, he conspired with other powerful clans to crush the Williams family’s company.
Within months, our family went bankrupt, drowning in debt and cast out of high society.
Debt collectors hounded our home daily, my father’s hair turned gray overnight, and my mother cried herself hoarse.
I went to beg Xavier for mercy—only to find him feeding fruit to Lily in his arms.
After a long silence, he looked down at me coldly.
“When you told your parents to destroy Lily’s womb and sell her to an Overseas brothel, did you ever think of mercy?”
“Didn’t you want to use this marriage to lift your family’s status? Fine—I’ll show you the price of scheming against me.”
“I’m the one in charge of the Spencer family now. Even the old man can’t stop me. Leaving your parents alive is already my greatest kindness.”
Then he ordered his bodyguards to hold me down and force-feed me sterilization pills.
Blood flowed freely as his private doctor confirmed I’d never bear children again.
But he only shielded Lily’s eyes and whispered softly, “Don’t look—it’s dirty.”
At that moment, I laughed.
Laughed at my foolish hope, my arrogance, my self-deception.
“Let’s get a divorce.”
Xavier froze, rage flashing in his eyes. He gripped my chin tightly, voice sharp as a blade.
“What, now that you’ve realized you’ll get nothing from me, you want to walk away? Not that easy.”
“If it weren’t for you, Lily wouldn’t still be in that wheelchair. You’d better behave. The Williams family may be ruined, but your parents are still alive, aren’t they?”
He refused to divorce me, yet paraded Lily publicly, showering her with affection for all to see.
Their intimate photos filled the headlines—each time, he’d simply smile, indifferent, letting the reporters swarm me instead, forcing me to face the humiliation alone to clear their names.
