Chapter 1 I Am Your Husband

In the depths of the night, every gust of wind sneaking past the cold iron bars sent a chill straight through the bones. The slow, measured footsteps grew ever clearer, and she lifted her face, half-hidden by her disheveled hair, peering through the strands to see the distinguished man before her with perfect clarity.

"The court has finalized our divorce. On the third day of next month, I will marry An Ruier. I came here today to inform you, and to put an end to the farce that was our marriage."

His voice was calm, detached, as if addressing a stranger. At last, a faint, desolate smile touched her lips.

"The third day of next month is the day of my execution. Did you choose it on purpose? Is it your way of bidding farewell to the past and embracing a new life?" As she spoke, a bitter laugh slipped from her lips. She cared nothing for the tears and snot streaming down her face, merely leaning against the wall as memories flickered before her eyes. After a moment, she nodded slightly and looked at him. "You’re right. In terms of scheming, depth, and strategy, An Ruier is indeed a better match for you. I’ve lost—lost completely and utterly."

Gu Yiqiao remained cold and unyielding, as impeccably composed as the expensive black Burberry trench coat he wore.

"This is the last time we will meet. Is there anything else you want to say?"

Suddenly, Shen Linyue sprang to her feet, clutching the icy bars of the door, gazing at him with the last flicker of hope. "We were husband and wife for five years. I just want to ask you one thing—did you ever love me? Did you ever trust me?"

He looked at her steadily, his reply unwavering. "Never."

"Never?" She echoed the two words that shattered her heart, collapsing weakly to the floor. "But I truly loved you. I never betrayed you, never committed murder—"

"I wanted to believe you. But the facts are plain to see. The appeal failed; the court found you guilty beyond redemption. There’s no point in saying these things anymore."

"Even so, what does it matter? You were my husband, and yet you never loved me, never trusted me. That’s my greatest failure." She closed her eyes, gathering the last fragments of her sorrow, and waved him away, not wishing to see him any longer. "Go. I never want to lay eyes on you again for as long as I live."

Gu Yiqiao turned and strode away, barely catching her fading words.

"If I could live again, I would never fall in love with you." A violent crash followed; when he spun around, she was already lying on the ground, blood streaming from her head.

*

In an elegantly simple bedroom, Shen Linyue opened her eyes, feeling a trace of exhaustion. She stared in confusion at the unfamiliar chandelier and the strange room around her, then abruptly sat up.

At that moment, the bathroom door swung open. A tall, well-built man emerged, a white towel slung carelessly around his waist, rubbing his damp hair with another. His posture was relaxed, almost languid, yet irresistibly graceful.

His dark, tousled hair fell over his brow, obscuring his eyes; only his fair, sculpted torso and the sweet curve at the corner of his lips were visible. He stopped in front of her, leaned in, and kissed her lips.

The moist, intimate contact startled her upright. This was no dream. Instinctively, she pushed him away, burrowed into the covers, wrapping herself tightly, her eyes wide with fear as she pointed at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm your husband!"

"No, you’re not."

Her denial seemed to provoke him. She hurled a pillow at him, but he merely caught it and climbed onto the bed, his smile turning wickedly alluring. "Seems I wasn’t vigorous enough last night."