Chapter 1 — Cashing Out of a Broken Past

Ever since I slapped the mistress of Han Tu, he had my entire family committed to a mental institution. From that day on, I never dared to defy him. When Huan Lin suffered from menstrual cramps, I brewed her ginger tea; when she gave birth, I stayed up through the night to serve her. It was not until the one-month celebration of his child with Huan Lin that I finally gathered the courage to timidly beg him to release my family. But Han Tu merely offered a mocking laugh and dropped a casual remark:

"Tue, do you even know how I first met Huan?"

My breath hitched, my fingernails digging deep into my palms.

"It was your own dear father and brother who personally delivered her to my bed."

"Tue, she is your half-sister."

He watched my face drain of all color, his expression filled with irony as he slid his phone across the desk toward me.

"Your father and brother were never in a mental institution. For the past three years, they have been right by Huan's side, taking care of her."

On the screen, my father and brother were gathered around Huan Lin and her child. On their faces was a look of satisfaction and happiness I had never once seen directed at me. My eyes burned, my heart feeling as though it were being sliced apart, shredded inch by agonizing inch. Han Tu continued to murmur to himself:

"Tue, you have been very obedient for these past three years; keep it up. Whatever compensation you want, I will give you."

"However..." He smiled enigmatically. "Even with compensation, I doubt you would really need it..."

I wiped away my tears, lifted my face, and forced a smile.

"Han Tu, then compensate me with one hundred million."

A husband and relatives like these—I did not want them anymore. Han Tu’s expression stiffened in an instant.

"What did you say?"

I raised my head and looked straight into his eyes, my voice trembling slightly:

"If you want to compensate me, then give me the money."

"I want one hundred million, and not a single cent less."

Han Tu’s gaze grew cold. He suddenly let out a derisive scoff and spoke to the phone on the table:

"Huan, it seems we both guessed wrong."

The screen had switched to a video call interface at some point. Huan Lin smiled, looking at me with mockery.

"Sister Tue, we were placing bets on what you would ask from Brother Han once you knew the truth."

"I bet you would refuse the compensation and go crazy, smashing up the office. Brother Han bet you would use this as an excuse to force him never to divorce you."

"As for Father and Brother, one guessed you would demand that Brother Han cast me out, and the other guessed you would cut your own wrists to force his hand."

She turned the camera. Father was holding Huan Lin’s child, his face radiant, but the moment he saw me, his smile vanished.

"Tue, I never thought you would actually open your mouth to demand money from Han!"

"Has the Man family ever left you wanting for food or clothing all these years? How could you become so mercenary? How are you any different from those vixens or outside mistresses now?"

My brother stroked Huan Lin’s hair, his eyes filled with indulgence and helplessness, but the moment he looked at the camera, his gaze turned frigid.

"Tue, I know you are angry deep down."

"If you are short on money, I can transfer it to you. But you shouldn't have asked Han for it."

"Huan and Han are true lovers; they do not owe you anything."

"Is that so?" I interrupted, my eyes bloodshot.

"You stole my husband, you stole my father and my brother, and you destroyed my marriage and my family."

"You deceived me for three years, tricking me into being her nanny for three years."

"And you call that not owing me anything?"

My brother frowned. "Tue, do not speak so harshly."

"We didn't intend to deceive you; you have just been stubborn since childhood. If we hadn't done it this way, how could you have accepted Huan?"

"Huan hasn't been in good spirits since the birth; we were afraid she might develop postpartum depression, so we came up with this betting game to cheer her up. Don't take it to heart."

I curled my lip.

"If that’s the case, then just give me the money."

"Father gives fifty million, Brother gives thirty million. I can continue to play along and act as Huan Lin’s nanny. How does that sound?"

My brother’s face turned deathly pale. "Tue Man, how long do you intend to keep making a scene?" I laughed coldly. "It’s only a small amount of money. Surely, prominent families like the Han and Man households in the city can afford that much?"

"Enough."

"If you like money, I will give it to you."

Han Tu shot me a glance and pulled a document from his drawer.

"Huan has already given birth, and the child of Han Tu cannot bear the status of a bastard. Sign these divorce papers, and one hundred million will be transferred to you immediately."

I looked at those thin, fragile sheets of paper and, without hesitating for a single second, picked up the pen and signed my name. Han Tu’s expression as he watched me suddenly grew complex.

"Do you really care about money that much? You weren't like this before..."

I suppressed the stabbing pain in my heart and forced a careless, indifferent smile.

"If I don't need money, what else can you give me?"

He stared at me, his dark eyes deep and unreadable.

"Perhaps... you could beg me not to divorce you."

"Tue, if you only open your mouth to beg, I will tear up this agreement right now."

Beg him? I bit my lip hard, remembering the first few months after I discovered his affair with Huan Lin. I had begged him countless times. I had even been willing to slit my wrists to force him to come home. But as my blood pooled on the floor, it was met only by his cold, callous words:

"Don't do this again next time. Huan is afraid of blood."

"And then what?" I looked at him calmly and said with biting sarcasm:

"Are you going to tell me again that this was just another one of your bets, designed to watch me make a fool of myself?"

I laughed wretchedly, my throat burning.

"Han Tu, stop testing me."

"In the last three years, haven't you had enough fun with me?"

A stream of cold liquid slid down my cheek. The tears I had suppressed for so long finally fell. Han Tu instinctively reached out to wipe them away. For a fleeting moment of hesitation, a flicker of guilt seemed to flash in his eyes. He sighed:

"Huan is carrying my flesh and blood, after all. She is still young and a bit headstrong; as the older sister, you should be a little more tolerant of her."

"Rest assured, I am still keeping the position of Mrs. Han for you. Marrying Huan is only to get a birth certificate for the baby."

He paused for a moment, adding in a tone of reassurance:

"I will give you the one hundred million as well. Just take the money and go enjoy yourself for a while. Once I’ve handled everything, we will remarry."

"Are you satisfied now?"

I lifted my face and smiled faintly, offering a soft, "Yes."

"Then book a flight to Switzerland for me. We once promised to visit the lakes in the Alps together."

He let out a sigh of relief and pulled me into an embrace.

"Very well."

"You go ahead, and once everything is settled, I will join you."

"Tue, wait for me."

I rested my head on his shoulder, saying nothing more. But in my heart, I knew clearly that I would never wait for him again. Seeing me concede, Han Tu spoke slowly.

"Give me the key to the villa. For the time being, you should move out."