Chapter 1: Cancer

"Ms. Hartwell, I'm sorry to tell you that according to your test results, you have cancer. And according to our system, you're currently unmarried."

The doctor's two statements nearly knocked Penelope Hartwell off her feet.

Her face turned pale, swaying unsteadily, as if she might faint at any moment.

She'd been experiencing intermittent stabbing pains in her stomach lately, and when she coughed, there was blood.

Before coming to the hospital, Penelope had already imagined the worst about her poor health, but she never thought it would actually be cancer.

But even more shocking than the cancer diagnosis was the part about being unmarried.

"You said I'm unmarried? There must be an error in your system. I've been married for three years."

Penelope's voice trembled, a strange light flashing in her eyes.

Three years ago, she and Dominic Sinclair had gotten married and registered. Afterward, she had even hacked into the city hall system herself to check their marriage status. As a top expert in cybersecurity, pulling up a piece of data was child's play for her, so there couldn't possibly be a mistake.

Hearing this, the doctor looked at the computer screen again, crushing Penelope's last shred of hope.

"The system data doesn't make mistakes. Given your current physical condition, I suggest you be admitted for treatment as soon as possible."

Penelope couldn't hear what else the doctor said. Her mind was filled with just those few words: cancer, unmarried.

The doctor had no reason to lie to her about this.

After leaving the hospital, Penelope stiffly pulled out her phone from her bag and called her friend Samantha Cooper.

"Samantha, I remember you work at city hall now. Could you please check the marriage status between Dominic and me?"

Penelope tried hard to suppress the tremor in her voice.

Maybe the hospital system really had made a mistake.

What if Samantha would tell her that she and Dominic were married?

What if?

She simply couldn't accept that the husband she'd trusted and depended on for three years had told her such a huge lie!

But deep down, she already had a more terrifying theory—the results she'd found three years ago might have been fake from the very beginning.

Someone had intercepted her query and even forged the response.

Maybe this was all part of Dominic's plan from the start?

Samantha didn't understand why but still said, "Penelope, hold on a second, let me check for you. But I'm a bit busy right now, I'll get back to you with the results later."

"Okay."

Penelope hung up and hailed a taxi from the roadside.

The radio happened to be playing in the car.

"The Sinclair Group's CEO Dominic is spending lavishly today at Sky Garden to celebrate Catherine Morrison's birthday. It's said that Dominic specially had over ten thousand roses airlifted in for this birthday party, making Catherine the princess in a fairy tale."

Penelope sat frozen in the back seat. Every word was an invisible knife, twisting viciously in her heart.

Catherine was Dominic's dream girl.

Penelope instinctively looked at her bag, which contained the cancer diagnosis she'd brought back from the hospital.

This morning, her stomach pain had been unbearable. She'd wanted Dominic to take her to the hospital, but he'd impatiently told her she could just get the driver to do it—he had important things to do today.

At first, Penelope thought he was busy with work, so she considerately didn't push and took a taxi to the hospital herself.

But now she realized that "important things to do" meant celebrating Catherine's birthday.

Catherine's birthday was more important than her health!

Penelope's hand trembled as she lifted it to her stomach. Ever since Catherine suddenly returned to the country a year ago, Dominic had changed.

No matter what was happening, as long as Catherine made one phone call, Dominic could always rush to her side immediately.

All those romantic airlifted roses—Dominic must have spent so much time preparing for this birthday party, yet he wouldn't even go with her to the hospital.

This realization hit Penelope like a slap across the face, the pain searing into her heart.

After taking a deep breath, she still pulled out her phone and called Dominic.

The phone rang five times before being answered.

Dominic's deep, cold voice came through.

"What is it?"

His tone was so indifferent, like they were business partners, it nearly brought Penelope to tears on the spot.

She bit her lip hard to keep her voice steady.

"Are you done with what you were doing? I'm not feeling well."

"If you're not feeling well, go to the hospital."

Before Penelope could say anything else, Dominic had already hung up.

The phone screen reflected her pale, haggard face and lifeless eyes.

She clearly remembered that last time when there was just thunder, Catherine had called crying, and he'd patiently comforted her on the phone for two whole hours, then drove out to find Catherine despite the pouring rain.

But with her, he was just this dismissive and cold.

Penelope gave a bitter smile, looking at the report in her hand. Even if she told Dominic she had cancer, he probably wouldn't spare her a second glance.

Penelope dragged her exhausted body home. The twisting pain in her stomach grew more intense. She hadn't eaten anything, but still couldn't help rushing to the bathroom to vomit violently.

Penelope washed her face with cold water and managed to find two painkillers, hoping to numb the pain with sleep.

But she'd barely fallen asleep when a restless hand appeared on her waist, and that hand kept trying to slip inside her pajamas.

It woke Penelope up. She instinctively grabbed Dominic's strong, powerful wrist.

Dominic, stopped by her, looked displeased. Only a warm yellow nightlight was on in the bedroom, making his already sharp features look even colder.

Penelope's heart trembled. She pushed his hand away. "I'm not feeling well today. Let's do this another day."

But in that moment, Dominic had already rolled over on top of her.

He braced his hands on either side of Penelope, his narrow eyes slowly narrowing, revealing displeasure and danger.

"Playing hard to get?"

Penelope held back the pain, her voice shaking. "I really don't feel well."

"Isn't this exactly why you called me home?"

As he finished speaking, Dominic had already pressed down on her.

Penelope stared up at the ceiling, a clear tear silently sliding into her hair.

When it came to sex, Dominic never gave her the chance to refuse.

As her consciousness grew hazy, she heard Dominic's voice by her ear.

"As long as you don't make a fuss, the position of Mrs. Sinclair will always be yours."