Seven years of unrequited love, followed by three years of a hollow marriage. For a decade, Quinn Yates lived as a ghost in her husband Dante Hayes’s life. She endured the biting insults of his family and the physical agony of IVF, all to earn a single glance of warmth from the man she adored. But Dante’s heart was reserved for another. He watched indifferently as his "first love" humiliated Quinn. The breaking point came when Quinn collapsed from a life-threatening asthma attack, gasping for air on the floor. Instead of saving her, Dante turned his back, choosing to comfort his mistress instead. That was the moment Quinn’s love died. She disappeared, forcing him to sign the divorce papers, and resurfaced with a child and a "lowly" bodyguard by her side. Dante mocked her: "Quinn, you’ve hit rock bottom. Marrying a servant just to spite me?" But the joke was on him. The "bodyguard" Dante despised was actually the most powerful man in the country—Raymond Moretti, the legendary billionaire who had been missing from the public eye for years. More importantly, he was Dante’s long-lost uncle. While Dante’s empire crumbled, Quinn rose as the Queen of Haute Couture, her designs gracing the world’s most elite runways. When Dante finally realized what he had lost, he crawled back, begging for a second chance. "Quinn, come home. We can start a family of our own!" But Raymond stepped forward, pulling Quinn into a possessive embrace. His voice was cold, lethal, and demanding: "Watch your mouth, boy. Show some respect to your aunt."

Chapter 1Riverton, the Hayes villa at Belvedere Gardens.The afternoon sun spilled into the bedroom as Quinn Yates gazed at her sleeping son's sweet face.The countdown to the end of her marriage with Dante Hayes had reached its final ten days.Looking back, the day she had finally decided to divorce Dante had been utterly absurd.Three years ago, she had rushed her sick dog to the vet clinic.When the vet extracted that long, transparent, sticky, rubbery...Condom.The atmosphere in the entire clinic seemed to freeze.Quinn recognized at a glance that it wasn't the brand she and Dante used.She immediately looked at Dante, silently interrogating him with her eyes.Half an hour before this, Toffee had walked out of Dante's study and quickly started acting strange.So the only place Toffee could have eaten this condom was inside Dante's study.Their eyes met. Dante frowned, his tone freezing cold as he delivered three indifferent sentences."Why are you looking at me like that?""Ours is just a marriage of convenience.""Don't forget your place, Quinn."Quinn stood frozen in place.Her childhood crush, the deep gratitude she felt when he rescued her from the misery of the Yates family, and all her hopes for this marriage shattered in an instant.A few years earlier, Dante had approached her with a three-year marriage contract.He had sounded so earnest and affectionate. "Quinn, my mother doesn't like you right now. To keep her from giving you trouble, sign this three-year agreement, and we will live a good life together.""Don't worry, this contract is just for my mother to see. I will treat you well for the rest of my life."Contrasting that memory with his sudden hostility today was a bitter pill to swallow.It was nothing but a mocking, cruel joke.The medical staff and waiting pet owners all turned their gazes toward them.Some looked shocked, some sympathetic, while others unapologetically enjoyed the drama.The light above the operating room flicked off. The vet stepped out and announced with regret, "Are you Toffee's owners? I'm sorry, but despite our best efforts, Toffee didn't make it...""My condolences..."Quinn's tears instantly spilled over, her whole body plunging into an icy abyss.When she first took Toffee in, she had been living through her darkest days at the Yates family estate.Back then, her mother had just passed away. She was despised by her stepmother and constantly bullied by her stepsiblings.She frequently went without a hot meal.It was tiny Toffee who had stood protectively in front of her, bearing its teeth and growling at her tormentors.She remembered the time her stepmother made things difficult for her; Toffee had lunged and bitten the woman's dress, refusing to let go.The staff beat the dog with a stick, but even with a limping leg, Toffee hadn't backed down a single inch.Toffee had spent its entire life protecting her, using its tiny body to shield her from all the malice in the world...Snapping back to reality, she lunged toward the operating room.But Dante grabbed her arm with cold indifference, his tone dripping with unconcealed arrogance. "If you like dogs so much, I can buy you a better one. Pick whatever breed or price you want.""The dog is dead. Besides, it's covered in bacteria. What good will going in there do?"Quinn slowly turned her head and glared at him with glacial hatred.A suffocating wave of despair washed over her as she clenched her fists. "You and your whore killed Toffee. I hope you both rot in hell...""Enough! I won't let you talk about Vivienne like that!"Dante barked, cutting her off before she could finish.Vivienne?A sharp ache pierced Quinn's chest. So, Dante's secret lover was his childhood sweetheart, his first love!Tears streamed down her face. "Fine. Fine, Dante. Remember what you said today."She buried Toffee, and along with her loyal friend, she buried her love for Dante deep in the cold earth.Half a month later, Quinn visited a private clinic.The Hayes family had been pressuring them to have a child, but Dante was meticulous about birth control. Given their infrequent intimacy, Quinn had never gotten pregnant.The family forced Dante to freeze his sperm at the clinic and hounded Quinn to hurry up and do IVF.In the past, whenever Dante took the brunt of his mother's nagging without blaming her for not conceiving, she had felt touched.She had genuinely believed Dante cared for her and was looking out for her.Now, it was glaringly obvious that Dante was just keeping himself pure for his precious first love. It was utterly disgusting!According to schedule, today was supposed to be the day of her IVF procedure. She had come to the clinic fully intending to cancel the surgery.But by pure coincidence, she watched as two young nurses accidentally knocked over Dante's frozen sperm vial from the cryogenic storage cabinet.The Hayes family were powerful VIPs in Riverton. Spilling the sample was a severe dereliction of duty. Even with ten times the courage, the nurses wouldn't dare call him back for another sample.Terrified of losing their jobs, the two secretly took a nearby anonymous sperm vial and poured it into Dante's container, seamlessly completing the swap.Quinn witnessed the entire ordeal but didn't step forward to expose them.It was also in that exact moment that she suddenly changed her mind.Lying on the operating table, she watched as the fertilized egg—a union of her egg and a complete stranger's sperm—was slowly implanted into her body.Now, three years had passed. Her son, Leo, was already two years old, and there were only ten days left on her three-year marriage contract with Dante.Just ten days left. She needed to find Dante and get him to sign the divorce papers immediately.While printing the divorce papers, Quinn also printed out a property division agreement.She had prepared this document last week, demanding half of all the income she and Dante had acquired during their marriage.Back then, blinded by love, she had foolishly signed the three-year marriage contract Dante presented to her without a second thought.She hadn't noticed the hidden prenuptial clause stating that upon divorce, she wouldn't get a single penny from the Hayes family.Quinn scoffed at the memory. Taking only half of the marital assets was already an act of mercy considering everything she had sacrificed for his family over the years. Why should she walk away with nothing?If Dante could manipulate her back then, why couldn't she do the same to him?After printing both documents, Quinn was about to change clothes when the little toddler on the bed woke up.Leo had just turned two, an age where he was incredibly clingy. He cried and refused to let his mother leave, weeping until his little face turned red.Quinn's heart instantly melted into a puddle. Helpless, she called for the nanny."Maria, pack a bag. Grab Leo and come out with me."Dante rarely came home, but Quinn knew he was attending a banquet at Silent Peak Manor tonight, so she tracked him down.After finding out Dante was on the second floor, Quinn headed straight up.Even though Leo was young, she didn't want him witnessing the ugly fallout between her and his father.There happened to be a small children's play area near the staircase landing, so she instructed Maria to wait there with Leo.The second floor had numerous VIP viewing booths. Unsure of which one Dante was in, Quinn searched around.Just as she was about to give up, loud laughter and chatter drifted from a booth with a slightly ajar door."Dante, how much longer are you going to string Quinn along? When are you getting a divorce so you can marry Vivienne?"Quinn stood at the door, gripping the two documents, listening to the conversation inside."Dante, how much longer are you going to string Quinn along? When are you getting a divorce so you can marry Vivienne?"Someone jeered with a laugh.A woman's voice rang out, her gentle tone dripping with deliberate innocence. "Don't talk nonsense, guys. I've never wanted to ruin Dante's family."Someone immediately chimed in, "Vivienne, you're just too kindhearted. When Quinn took advantage of your time abroad to swoop in, she was absolutely shameless!""Dante, don't tell me you're actually getting attached to Quinn?"But Dante simply replied with a nonchalant drawl. "There's no rush."Quinn couldn't be bothered to listen to another word and pushed the door open.The raucous noise in the booth died instantly as all eyes locked onto her."What are you doing here?" Dante looked up."How did you find me? Are you having me followed?"Quinn scoffed coldly. "Why would I need to investigate? I just need to look at Vivienne's social media to know where you are."Quinn tossed the folder onto the coffee table and pulled out the thick stack of printed contracts.She reached out and pushed them right in front of him."Sign it."Dante caught a glimpse of the bold heading "Property Verification Agreement" and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What's this for out of nowhere?""The new Hayes Group is going public soon. Your mother specifically requested that all marital assets be re-verified. It's just a formality. Just sign it."Quinn's tone was breezy and natural, playing the part of a compliant daughter-in-law perfectly.True to his status as a ruthless CEO, Dante tapped his finger against the files, his sharp gaze filled with scrutiny."A simple property verification form, and you felt the need to deliver it yourself?"Seeing Dante's attention entirely focused on Quinn, Vivienne felt a surge of panic. Feigning anxiety, she stood up with red-rimmed eyes and reached out to grab Quinn's arm."Quinn, please don't be mad. It's my fault you misunderstood. Don't fight with Dante over this...""Don't touch me!" Quinn turned sideways to dodge her, spitting out a single word. "Filthy!"Vivienne swayed as if struck.Someone immediately shrieked in Vivienne's defense, "Quinn, what are you so smug about?! If you hadn't wedged your way in, would Vivienne have had to suffer all these years?!"Quinn curled her lips into a smirk. "The mistress seems to be suffering more than the actual wife."Dante cut her off. "Stop causing a scene. Go home.""I'm not causing a scene. I'll leave the second you sign."Seeing Dante stall, Quinn lost her patience. "Ten days from now, I will honor our agreement."What Quinn meant was that in ten days, their contract marriage would expire.She would cooperate and go with Dante to The City Clerk's Office to finalize the divorce.She was clearing the way for his precious first love. What did he have to be unhappy about?As expected, Dante's eyes flickered at those words, a faint smile touching the corners of his eyes.He glanced at Quinn, finally picked up the document, skimmed the first few pages, and then flipped to the last page to sign his name.Last week, he had remembered that their third wedding anniversary was coming up in exactly ten days.That day, he had come home late because he was having dinner with Vivienne.When he got home, he had seen Quinn playing with Leo. Under the dim, warm light, the sight of the mother and son had softened his heart.So, he had walked up and offered, "Be a good wife. For our third anniversary, I'm taking you and Leo to the Maldives.""I've already had my assistant book the tickets."At the time, Quinn had looked completely indifferent.But looking at her now...Dante smirked, swiftly signing his name on the dotted line. "Go back and take care of our son. I'll be home later."With her goal achieved, Quinn snatched up the agreement, turned on her heel, and walked out.Exiting the booth, she headed straight to find her son. But as she walked down the corridor, a horrifying scene caught her eye.Somehow, Leo had wandered over to the railing by himself.A little girl suddenly marched up to him, raised her hands, and shoved Leo hard in the back!If Quinn wasn't mistaken, that little brat was Vivienne's niece!Caught completely off guard, Leo lost his balance. Half of his little body pitched over the railing, dangling precariously outside the second floor.His tiny hand instinctively clamped onto a metal bar, his small frame swaying wildly, ready to plummet at any second."Baby!"Terrified out of her mind, Quinn let out a bloodcurdling scream and sprinted desperately toward the stairs.Maria the nanny finally noticed that Leo had wandered off. Her momentary lapse in attention had nearly caused a fatal disaster!Chapter 2Riverton, the Hayes villa at Belvedere Gardens.The afternoon sun spilled into the bedroom as Quinn Yates gazed at her sleeping son's sweet face.The countdown to the end of her marriage with Dante Hayes had reached its final ten days.Looking back, the day she had finally decided to divorce Dante had been utterly absurd.Three years ago, she had rushed her sick dog to the vet clinic.When the vet extracted that long, transparent, sticky, rubbery...Condom.The atmosphere in the entire clinic seemed to freeze.Quinn recognized at a glance that it wasn't the brand she and Dante used.She immediately looked at Dante, silently interrogating him with her eyes.Half an hour before this, Toffee had walked out of Dante's study and quickly started acting strange.So the only place Toffee could have eaten this condom was inside Dante's study.Their eyes met. Dante frowned, his tone freezing cold as he delivered three indifferent sentences."Why are you looking at me like that?""Ours is just a marriage of convenience.""Don't forget your place, Quinn."Quinn stood frozen in place.Her childhood crush, the deep gratitude she felt when he rescued her from the misery of the Yates family, and all her hopes for this marriage shattered in an instant.A few years earlier, Dante had approached her with a three-year marriage contract.He had sounded so earnest and affectionate. "Quinn, my mother doesn't like you right now. To keep her from giving you trouble, sign this three-year agreement, and we will live a good life together.""Don't worry, this contract is just for my mother to see. I will treat you well for the rest of my life."Contrasting that memory with his sudden hostility today was a bitter pill to swallow.It was nothing but a mocking, cruel joke.The medical staff and waiting pet owners all turned their gazes toward them.Some looked shocked, some sympathetic, while others unapologetically enjoyed the drama.The light above the operating room flicked off. The vet stepped out and announced with regret, "Are you Toffee's owners? I'm sorry, but despite our best efforts, Toffee didn't make it...""My condolences..."Quinn's tears instantly spilled over, her whole body plunging into an icy abyss.When she first took Toffee in, she had been living through her darkest days at the Yates family estate.Back then, her mother had just passed away. She was despised by her stepmother and constantly bullied by her stepsiblings.She frequently went without a hot meal.It was tiny Toffee who had stood protectively in front of her, bearing its teeth and growling at her tormentors.She remembered the time her stepmother made things difficult for her; Toffee had lunged and bitten the woman's dress, refusing to let go.The staff beat the dog with a stick, but even with a limping leg, Toffee hadn't backed down a single inch.Toffee had spent its entire life protecting her, using its tiny body to shield her from all the malice in the world...Snapping back to reality, she lunged toward the operating room.But Dante grabbed her arm with cold indifference, his tone dripping with unconcealed arrogance. "If you like dogs so much, I can buy you a better one. Pick whatever breed or price you want.""The dog is dead. Besides, it's covered in bacteria. What good will going in there do?"Quinn slowly turned her head and glared at him with glacial hatred.A suffocating wave of despair washed over her as she clenched her fists. "You and your whore killed Toffee. I hope you both rot in hell...""Enough! I won't let you talk about Vivienne like that!"Dante barked, cutting her off before she could finish.Vivienne?A sharp ache pierced Quinn's chest. So, Dante's secret lover was his childhood sweetheart, his first love!Tears streamed down her face. "Fine. Fine, Dante. Remember what you said today."She buried Toffee, and along with her loyal friend, she buried her love for Dante deep in the cold earth.Half a month later, Quinn visited a private clinic.The Hayes family had been pressuring them to have a child, but Dante was meticulous about birth control. Given their infrequent intimacy, Quinn had never gotten pregnant.The family forced Dante to freeze his sperm at the clinic and hounded Quinn to hurry up and do IVF.In the past, whenever Dante took the brunt of his mother's nagging without blaming her for not conceiving, she had felt touched.She had genuinely believed Dante cared for her and was looking out for her.Now, it was glaringly obvious that Dante was just keeping himself pure for his precious first love. It was utterly disgusting!According to schedule, today was supposed to be the day of her IVF procedure. She had come to the clinic fully intending to cancel the surgery.But by pure coincidence, she watched as two young nurses accidentally knocked over Dante's frozen sperm vial from the cryogenic storage cabinet.The Hayes family were powerful VIPs in Riverton. Spilling the sample was a severe dereliction of duty. Even with ten times the courage, the nurses wouldn't dare call him back for another sample.Terrified of losing their jobs, the two secretly took a nearby anonymous sperm vial and poured it into Dante's container, seamlessly completing the swap.Quinn witnessed the entire ordeal but didn't step forward to expose them.It was also in that exact moment that she suddenly changed her mind.Lying on the operating table, she watched as the fertilized egg—a union of her egg and a complete stranger's sperm—was slowly implanted into her body.Now, three years had passed. Her son, Leo, was already two years old, and there were only ten days left on her three-year marriage contract with Dante.Just ten days left. She needed to find Dante and get him to sign the divorce papers immediately.While printing the divorce papers, Quinn also printed out a property division agreement.She had prepared this document last week, demanding half of all the income she and Dante had acquired during their marriage.Back then, blinded by love, she had foolishly signed the three-year marriage contract Dante presented to her without a second thought.She hadn't noticed the hidden prenuptial clause stating that upon divorce, she wouldn't get a single penny from the Hayes family.Quinn scoffed at the memory. Taking only half of the marital assets was already an act of mercy considering everything she had sacrificed for his family over the years. Why should she walk away with nothing?If Dante could manipulate her back then, why couldn't she do the same to him?After printing both documents, Quinn was about to change clothes when the little toddler on the bed woke up.Leo had just turned two, an age where he was incredibly clingy. He cried and refused to let his mother leave, weeping until his little face turned red.Quinn's heart instantly melted into a puddle. Helpless, she called for the nanny."Maria, pack a bag. Grab Leo and come out with me."Dante rarely came home, but Quinn knew he was attending a banquet at Silent Peak Manor tonight, so she tracked him down.After finding out Dante was on the second floor, Quinn headed straight up.Even though Leo was young, she didn't want him witnessing the ugly fallout between her and his father.There happened to be a small children's play area near the staircase landing, so she instructed Maria to wait there with Leo.The second floor had numerous VIP viewing booths. Unsure of which one Dante was in, Quinn searched around.Just as she was about to give up, loud laughter and chatter drifted from a booth with a slightly ajar door."Dante, how much longer are you going to string Quinn along? When are you getting a divorce so you can marry Vivienne?"Quinn stood at the door, gripping the two documents, listening to the conversation inside."Dante, how much longer are you going to string Quinn along? When are you getting a divorce so you can marry Vivienne?"Someone jeered with a laugh.A woman's voice rang out, her gentle tone dripping with deliberate innocence. "Don't talk nonsense, guys. I've never wanted to ruin Dante's family."Someone immediately chimed in, "Vivienne, you're just too kindhearted. When Quinn took advantage of your time abroad to swoop in, she was absolutely shameless!""Dante, don't tell me you're actually getting attached to Quinn?"But Dante simply replied with a nonchalant drawl. "There's no rush."Quinn couldn't be bothered to listen to another word and pushed the door open.The raucous noise in the booth died instantly as all eyes locked onto her."What are you doing here?" Dante looked up."How did you find me? Are you having me followed?"Quinn scoffed coldly. "Why would I need to investigate? I just need to look at Vivienne's social media to know where you are."Quinn tossed the folder onto the coffee table and pulled out the thick stack of printed contracts.She reached out and pushed them right in front of him."Sign it."Dante caught a glimpse of the bold heading "Property Verification Agreement" and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What's this for out of nowhere?""The new Hayes Group is going public soon. Your mother specifically requested that all marital assets be re-verified. It's just a formality. Just sign it."Quinn's tone was breezy and natural, playing the part of a compliant daughter-in-law perfectly.True to his status as a ruthless CEO, Dante tapped his finger against the files, his sharp gaze filled with scrutiny."A simple property verification form, and you felt the need to deliver it yourself?"Seeing Dante's attention entirely focused on Quinn, Vivienne felt a surge of panic. Feigning anxiety, she stood up with red-rimmed eyes and reached out to grab Quinn's arm."Quinn, please don't be mad. It's my fault you misunderstood. Don't fight with Dante over this...""Don't touch me!" Quinn turned sideways to dodge her, spitting out a single word. "Filthy!"Vivienne swayed as if struck.Someone immediately shrieked in Vivienne's defense, "Quinn, what are you so smug about?! If you hadn't wedged your way in, would Vivienne have had to suffer all these years?!"Quinn curled her lips into a smirk. "The mistress seems to be suffering more than the actual wife."Dante cut her off. "Stop causing a scene. Go home.""I'm not causing a scene. I'll leave the second you sign."Seeing Dante stall, Quinn lost her patience. "Ten days from now, I will honor our agreement."What Quinn meant was that in ten days, their contract marriage would expire.She would cooperate and go with Dante to The City Clerk's Office to finalize the divorce.She was clearing the way for his precious first love. What did he have to be unhappy about?As expected, Dante's eyes flickered at those words, a faint smile touching the corners of his eyes.He glanced at Quinn, finally picked up the document, skimmed the first few pages, and then flipped to the last page to sign his name.Last week, he had remembered that their third wedding anniversary was coming up in exactly ten days.That day, he had come home late because he was having dinner with Vivienne.When he got home, he had seen Quinn playing with Leo. Under the dim, warm light, the sight of the mother and son had softened his heart.So, he had walked up and offered, "Be a good wife. For our third anniversary, I'm taking you and Leo to the Maldives.""I've already had my assistant book the tickets."At the time, Quinn had looked completely indifferent.But looking at her now...Dante smirked, swiftly signing his name on the dotted line. "Go back and take care of our son. I'll be home later."With her goal achieved, Quinn snatched up the agreement, turned on her heel, and walked out.Exiting the booth, she headed straight to find her son. But as she walked down the corridor, a horrifying scene caught her eye.Somehow, Leo had wandered over to the railing by himself.A little girl suddenly marched up to him, raised her hands, and shoved Leo hard in the back!If Quinn wasn't mistaken, that little brat was Vivienne's niece!Caught completely off guard, Leo lost his balance. Half of his little body pitched over the railing, dangling precariously outside the second floor.His tiny hand instinctively clamped onto a metal bar, his small frame swaying wildly, ready to plummet at any second."Baby!"Terrified out of her mind, Quinn let out a bloodcurdling scream and sprinted desperately toward the stairs.Maria the nanny finally noticed that Leo had wandered off. Her momentary lapse in attention had nearly caused a fatal disaster!Chapter 3Riverton, the Hayes villa at Belvedere Gardens.The afternoon sun spilled into the bedroom as Quinn Yates gazed at her sleeping son's sweet face.The countdown to the end of her marriage with Dante Hayes had reached its final ten days.Looking back, the day she had finally decided to divorce Dante had been utterly absurd.Three years ago, she had rushed her sick dog to the vet clinic.When the vet extracted that long, transparent, sticky, rubbery...Condom.The atmosphere in the entire clinic seemed to freeze.Quinn recognized at a glance that it wasn't the brand she and Dante used.She immediately looked at Dante, silently interrogating him with her eyes.Half an hour before this, Toffee had walked out of Dante's study and quickly started acting strange.So the only place Toffee could have eaten this condom was inside Dante's study.Their eyes met. Dante frowned, his tone freezing cold as he delivered three indifferent sentences."Why are you looking at me like that?""Ours is just a marriage of convenience.""Don't forget your place, Quinn."Quinn stood frozen in place.Her childhood crush, the deep gratitude she felt when he rescued her from the misery of the Yates family, and all her hopes for this marriage shattered in an instant.A few years earlier, Dante had approached her with a three-year marriage contract.He had sounded so earnest and affectionate. "Quinn, my mother doesn't like you right now. To keep her from giving you trouble, sign this three-year agreement, and we will live a good life together.""Don't worry, this contract is just for my mother to see. I will treat you well for the rest of my life."Contrasting that memory with his sudden hostility today was a bitter pill to swallow.It was nothing but a mocking, cruel joke.The medical staff and waiting pet owners all turned their gazes toward them.Some looked shocked, some sympathetic, while others unapologetically enjoyed the drama.The light above the operating room flicked off. The vet stepped out and announced with regret, "Are you Toffee's owners? I'm sorry, but despite our best efforts, Toffee didn't make it...""My condolences..."Quinn's tears instantly spilled over, her whole body plunging into an icy abyss.When she first took Toffee in, she had been living through her darkest days at the Yates family estate.Back then, her mother had just passed away. She was despised by her stepmother and constantly bullied by her stepsiblings.She frequently went without a hot meal.It was tiny Toffee who had stood protectively in front of her, bearing its teeth and growling at her tormentors.She remembered the time her stepmother made things difficult for her; Toffee had lunged and bitten the woman's dress, refusing to let go.The staff beat the dog with a stick, but even with a limping leg, Toffee hadn't backed down a single inch.Toffee had spent its entire life protecting her, using its tiny body to shield her from all the malice in the world...Snapping back to reality, she lunged toward the operating room.But Dante grabbed her arm with cold indifference, his tone dripping with unconcealed arrogance. "If you like dogs so much, I can buy you a better one. Pick whatever breed or price you want.""The dog is dead. Besides, it's covered in bacteria. What good will going in there do?"Quinn slowly turned her head and glared at him with glacial hatred.A suffocating wave of despair washed over her as she clenched her fists. "You and your whore killed Toffee. I hope you both rot in hell...""Enough! I won't let you talk about Vivienne like that!"Dante barked, cutting her off before she could finish.Vivienne?A sharp ache pierced Quinn's chest. So, Dante's secret lover was his childhood sweetheart, his first love!Tears streamed down her face. "Fine. Fine, Dante. Remember what you said today."She buried Toffee, and along with her loyal friend, she buried her love for Dante deep in the cold earth.Half a month later, Quinn visited a private clinic.The Hayes family had been pressuring them to have a child, but Dante was meticulous about birth control. Given their infrequent intimacy, Quinn had never gotten pregnant.The family forced Dante to freeze his sperm at the clinic and hounded Quinn to hurry up and do IVF.In the past, whenever Dante took the brunt of his mother's nagging without blaming her for not conceiving, she had felt touched.She had genuinely believed Dante cared for her and was looking out for her.Now, it was glaringly obvious that Dante was just keeping himself pure for his precious first love. It was utterly disgusting!According to schedule, today was supposed to be the day of her IVF procedure. She had come to the clinic fully intending to cancel the surgery.But by pure coincidence, she watched as two young nurses accidentally knocked over Dante's frozen sperm vial from the cryogenic storage cabinet.The Hayes family were powerful VIPs in Riverton. Spilling the sample was a severe dereliction of duty. Even with ten times the courage, the nurses wouldn't dare call him back for another sample.Terrified of losing their jobs, the two secretly took a nearby anonymous sperm vial and poured it into Dante's container, seamlessly completing the swap.Quinn witnessed the entire ordeal but didn't step forward to expose them.It was also in that exact moment that she suddenly changed her mind.Lying on the operating table, she watched as the fertilized egg—a union of her egg and a complete stranger's sperm—was slowly implanted into her body.Now, three years had passed. Her son, Leo, was already two years old, and there were only ten days left on her three-year marriage contract with Dante.Just ten days left. She needed to find Dante and get him to sign the divorce papers immediately.While printing the divorce papers, Quinn also printed out a property division agreement.She had prepared this document last week, demanding half of all the income she and Dante had acquired during their marriage.Back then, blinded by love, she had foolishly signed the three-year marriage contract Dante presented to her without a second thought.She hadn't noticed the hidden prenuptial clause stating that upon divorce, she wouldn't get a single penny from the Hayes family.Quinn scoffed at the memory. Taking only half of the marital assets was already an act of mercy considering everything she had sacrificed for his family over the years. Why should she walk away with nothing?If Dante could manipulate her back then, why couldn't she do the same to him?After printing both documents, Quinn was about to change clothes when the little toddler on the bed woke up.Leo had just turned two, an age where he was incredibly clingy. He cried and refused to let his mother leave, weeping until his little face turned red.Quinn's heart instantly melted into a puddle. Helpless, she called for the nanny."Maria, pack a bag. Grab Leo and come out with me."Dante rarely came home, but Quinn knew he was attending a banquet at Silent Peak Manor tonight, so she tracked him down.After finding out Dante was on the second floor, Quinn headed straight up.Even though Leo was young, she didn't want him witnessing the ugly fallout between her and his father.There happened to be a small children's play area near the staircase landing, so she instructed Maria to wait there with Leo.The second floor had numerous VIP viewing booths. Unsure of which one Dante was in, Quinn searched around.Just as she was about to give up, loud laughter and chatter drifted from a booth with a slightly ajar door."Dante, how much longer are you going to string Quinn along? When are you getting a divorce so you can marry Vivienne?"Quinn stood at the door, gripping the two documents, listening to the conversation inside."Dante, how much longer are you going to string Quinn along? When are you getting a divorce so you can marry Vivienne?"Someone jeered with a laugh.A woman's voice rang out, her gentle tone dripping with deliberate innocence. "Don't talk nonsense, guys. I've never wanted to ruin Dante's family."Someone immediately chimed in, "Vivienne, you're just too kindhearted. When Quinn took advantage of your time abroad to swoop in, she was absolutely shameless!""Dante, don't tell me you're actually getting attached to Quinn?"But Dante simply replied with a nonchalant drawl. "There's no rush."Quinn couldn't be bothered to listen to another word and pushed the door open.The raucous noise in the booth died instantly as all eyes locked onto her."What are you doing here?" Dante looked up."How did you find me? Are you having me followed?"Quinn scoffed coldly. "Why would I need to investigate? I just need to look at Vivienne's social media to know where you are."Quinn tossed the folder onto the coffee table and pulled out the thick stack of printed contracts.She reached out and pushed them right in front of him."Sign it."Dante caught a glimpse of the bold heading "Property Verification Agreement" and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What's this for out of nowhere?""The new Hayes Group is going public soon. Your mother specifically requested that all marital assets be re-verified. It's just a formality. Just sign it."Quinn's tone was breezy and natural, playing the part of a compliant daughter-in-law perfectly.True to his status as a ruthless CEO, Dante tapped his finger against the files, his sharp gaze filled with scrutiny."A simple property verification form, and you felt the need to deliver it yourself?"Seeing Dante's attention entirely focused on Quinn, Vivienne felt a surge of panic. Feigning anxiety, she stood up with red-rimmed eyes and reached out to grab Quinn's arm."Quinn, please don't be mad. It's my fault you misunderstood. Don't fight with Dante over this...""Don't touch me!" Quinn turned sideways to dodge her, spitting out a single word. "Filthy!"Vivienne swayed as if struck.Someone immediately shrieked in Vivienne's defense, "Quinn, what are you so smug about?! If you hadn't wedged your way in, would Vivienne have had to suffer all these years?!"Quinn curled her lips into a smirk. "The mistress seems to be suffering more than the actual wife."Dante cut her off. "Stop causing a scene. Go home.""I'm not causing a scene. I'll leave the second you sign."Seeing Dante stall, Quinn lost her patience. "Ten days from now, I will honor our agreement."What Quinn meant was that in ten days, their contract marriage would expire.She would cooperate and go with Dante to The City Clerk's Office to finalize the divorce.She was clearing the way for his precious first love. What did he have to be unhappy about?As expected, Dante's eyes flickered at those words, a faint smile touching the corners of his eyes.He glanced at Quinn, finally picked up the document, skimmed the first few pages, and then flipped to the last page to sign his name.Last week, he had remembered that their third wedding anniversary was coming up in exactly ten days.That day, he had come home late because he was having dinner with Vivienne.When he got home, he had seen Quinn playing with Leo. Under the dim, warm light, the sight of the mother and son had softened his heart.So, he had walked up and offered, "Be a good wife. For our third anniversary, I'm taking you and Leo to the Maldives.""I've already had my assistant book the tickets."At the time, Quinn had looked completely indifferent.But looking at her now...Dante smirked, swiftly signing his name on the dotted line. "Go back and take care of our son. I'll be home later."With her goal achieved, Quinn snatched up the agreement, turned on her heel, and walked out.Exiting the booth, she headed straight to find her son. But as she walked down the corridor, a horrifying scene caught her eye.Somehow, Leo had wandered over to the railing by himself.A little girl suddenly marched up to him, raised her hands, and shoved Leo hard in the back!If Quinn wasn't mistaken, that little brat was Vivienne's niece!Caught completely off guard, Leo lost his balance. Half of his little body pitched over the railing, dangling precariously outside the second floor.His tiny hand instinctively clamped onto a metal bar, his small frame swaying wildly, ready to plummet at any second."Baby!"Terrified out of her mind, Quinn let out a bloodcurdling scream and sprinted desperately toward the stairs.Maria the nanny finally noticed that Leo had wandered off. Her momentary lapse in attention had nearly caused a fatal disaster!