Chapter 1
The child Elena Larson had raised for six years threw her into a cage full of fierce mutts. By the following day, her flesh had been torn in several spots. She leaned against the side of the cage, barely able to breathe through the pain.
Meanwhile, Kane Marsh stood on the steps outside the cage, looking down at her imperiously. His eyes were the spitting image of Robin Marsh’s, and they were filled with ice and hatred.
“Does it hurt?” Kane’s young voice carried a ruthlessness far beyond his age.
“Did it ever occur to you that this day would come when you so viciously killed the cat my mother left behind? Don’t think marrying into this family means you can take my mother’s place, Elena. When I grow up, I’ll drive you out of the Marsh residence myself!”
Elena’s throat tightened. Her voice was hoarse as she mumbled, “The cat… died of old age. I didn’t kill it.”
“Liar!” Kane suddenly kicked the cage. The iron bars rattled violently, startling the mutts, who lunged at her with even more aggression.
She instinctively backed away, her spine hitting the cold steel wall. There was nowhere left to retreat.
The housekeeper, Betty Baxter, couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She hurried to intervene. “Mr. Kane, please calm down.
“We looked into it already. The cat really did pass from old age. It had nothing to do with Mrs. Marsh…”
“Shut up!” Kane snapped, turning to her. “Even if it died of old age, it was still her fault for not taking care of it properly!”
He turned back to Elena in the cage. “Keep her in there. Let her reflect on what she’s done.”
The mutts growled as they crept closer. Elena shut her eyes tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.
Six whole years. After six long years in this house, she was still nothing to them.
She didn’t know how much time had passed before footsteps echoed closer from the hallway. Then, a deep, cold voice rang out at the doorway. “Kane, what are you doing?”
Robin stood there in a sharp suit. His expression seemed stern and composed.
His gaze landed on the bloodied woman inside the cage. His pupils contracted ever so slightly before he gave a low, firm command. “Let her out.”
The bodyguards immediately stepped forward to unlock the cage. Elena’s body had gone limp. As someone helped her out, her knees buckled beneath her. She nearly collapsed to the floor.
Robin reached out to steady her, but she instinctively pulled away the moment his hand touched her.
His brows knit together slightly, eyes landing on her pale face. “You’re already this badly hurt, and you didn’t call for help?”
Elena lowered her lashes, saying nothing. What was the point of calling for help? Who would ever listen to her in this household?
Robin’s eyes flashed with impatience when she remained silent. He turned to the butler. “Take her to the hospital.”
The smell of disinfectant in the hospital was sharp and overwhelming. Elena lay on the bed, listening to the sound of the doctor tending to her wounds. The pain made her hands tremble.
The door to the room opened, and Robin stepped in. He had taken off his suit jacket and was now wearing only a shirt. The collar hung slightly open, revealing ambiguous red marks along his collarbone.
Elena’s gaze froze for a bit before she shifted her eyes. She knew very well those were hickeys.
Over the years, Robin had been surrounded by a stream of women—each one uncannily resembling her late sister, Evangeline Larson. He couldn’t forget about her, so he kept chasing after her look-alikes.
The most recent one was a young woman named Constance Beck. She looked just like Evangeline, which was why Robin was at her place nearly every single night.
As for Elena—his legal wife—she didn’t even qualify as a stand-in. She was born the illegitimate daughter of the Larson family, cast out and forced to live with her gravely ill mother from a young age.
Evangeline might’ve been her sister, but their lives couldn’t have been more different. Evangeline was born into privilege and raised with every comfort, eventually falling in love with Robin, the golden boy of high society.
He had cherished her like she was the most precious thing in the world. But six years ago, Evangeline died from complications during childbirth, leaving behind her newborn son, Kane.
The Marsh family needed a woman to care for the newborn, Kane. So, Elena’s father threatened her with her mother’s medical bills and forced her into a six-year contract in order to hold on to Robin, the golden ticket of a son-in-law. He then bound her to marry into the Marsh family and take proper care of Robin and Kane.
Elena had no choice but to accept. Afterward, Robin treated her with cold indifference for six years, constantly surrounding himself with women who looked like her sister.
Not to mention, Kane despised her. He’d even gone to every length imaginable to try and drive her out of the Marsh family. Over 2,000 days and nights had passed, and still, she failed to gain even the smallest sliver of acceptance from either of them.
Snapping back to the present, she heard Robin speaking in a flat tone, “The cat’s gone, and yes—it was because you didn’t take good enough care of it.
“Kaney was just angry. You’ve suffered a little, but just bear with it.
“Your mother’s health has been poor since she was discharged, and she’s showing early signs of dementia. I’ve arranged a private care facility for her, so consider it compensation for what happened.”
His voice was steady, as if he were negotiating a deal, not speaking to his wife. However, Elena started laughing instead.
After a moment, she looked up at him and calmly said, “That won’t be necessary. Our families agreed I would marry into this house and take care of Kane for just six years. There’s only half a month left. I’ll leave when that time is up.”
Robin paused slightly before he frowned. His expression was full of impatience as he said, “What are you throwing a tantrum for? I don’t have time to entertain your drama.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. The arrangements for the care facility are already underway. That’s the end of it.”
With that, he turned and walked out, his back looking cold and distant. Elena stared at the closed door and slowly shut her eyes.
She wasn’t being dramatic, and she wasn’t throwing a tantrum. A promise of six years meant six years. She wasn’t going to give a day more.
This time, she truly was going to leave, and she would never come back.
