Chapter 1
418words
Only when the necklace clutched in my hand bit into my palm did I realize the scene before me was real.
Two weeks ago, Victoria passed by a jewelry store and casually remarked, "That little spaceship pendant is quite interesting."
All because of that one offhand comment.
I stayed up for two straight days, eyes bloodshot, fingers sliced open by the craft knife, meticulously shaping it piece by piece—all to surprise her today.
Just like five years ago when she pleaded, "Ethan, I need you to pretend to be… simple. If I marry someone like you, my father will let his guard down about the company shares. Please, I have no one else."
I gave up everything to become the "idiot" son-in-law of the Reed family.
For five years, I played the fool daily—hunching my shoulders, slurring my words, even letting drool occasionally slip down my chin.
Victoria claimed this would put her father at ease, believing she'd found a harmless, non-threatening husband, allowing her to gradually seize control of the Reed empire.
The rhythmic moaning behind me served as my wake-up call—five years was long enough.
If I didn't snap out of it now, I'd be a genuine fool, not just playing one.
I turned and headed downstairs, flinging the necklace into the overflowing trash as I passed the kitchen.
For five years, I'd lived like trash, tangled in Victoria's elaborate web of lies.
Back in the basement, the damp chill made my already cold body shiver uncontrollably.
This was the room Victoria had "thoughtfully" arranged for me—telling everyone she worried my "episodes" might frighten the household, making the basement the "safest option."
The door crashed open with a bang.
"Miss told me to bring this down. Said it's for some anniversary or whatever."
Mrs. Wang stomped in, tossing a sad-looking slice of cake onto the table before me.
She crossed her arms, looking down her nose at me. "If you ask me, Miss Victoria must be a saint, putting up with something as useless as you and still bothering to feed you."
"Everyone in this house says how pitiful Miss Victoria is. Without her protection, you'd have been thrown to the dogs years ago!"
With a final sneer, she spun around and slammed the door hard enough to rattle the walls.
I stared at the pathetic cake, the bedroom scene flashing through my mind, bile rising in my throat.
My phone buzzed in the drawer.
