Chapter 1

On our wedding day, my fiancé publicly called off the marriage, using a million-dollar endorsement deal for his pure love as a bride price.

As I was being mocked by the crowd, my childhood sweetheart from a medical dynasty family returned from studying abroad.

He knelt and presented me with 9,999 flaming roses, along with a ten-billion-dollar bride price, proposing marriage.

Grateful for his appearance, I immediately accepted.

Three months into my pregnancy, there was an accident in the lab, and my childhood sweetheart personally performed my surgery.

When I woke up, he choked up as he told me the baby couldn't be saved, and my olfactory cells were permanently damaged - I would never be able to smell any scent again.

I was devastated. My childhood sweetheart held me tightly, vowing to protect me for life and let me be his one and only princess forever.

But six years later, I accidentally overheard his conversation with his assistant:

"Mr. Grey, for Vivienne's sake, you not only helped her fake the perfume formula, but also deliberately released toxins in the lab to make Melody miscarry, using that not-yet-formed fetus as an ingredient for her. Was it worth it?" "Vivienne hasn't been able to create a new fragrance since losing her sense of smell! She cries all day and looks haggard! Do you really want to stand by and watch such a talented and outstanding woman fall from grace?"

"I only regret that this child was premature and not pure enough. Otherwise, Vivienne's limited edition perfume would have gone down in history!"

What I thought was true love turned out to be a long-planned trap to steal my essence.

————————

The assistant's voice came through again:

"Mr. Grey, I really don't understand. Why don't you go to the black market to find some rare ingredients? Why resort to these methods?"

"Because it's not pure enough," Damien's voice was low and determined.

"Only the most primitive fetal cells can extract the most perfect fragrance genes. This is what Vivienne has always dreamed of."

I bit my hand hard to keep myself from crying out.

When I was pregnant, he made me nutritious meals every day, saying he wanted both me and the baby to be healthy.

It turns out all this tenderness was just to ensure the quality of his "test subject".

"What if Ms. Frost discovers the truth?"

"She'll never know."

Damien sighed:

"Even if that day comes...I'll use every means at my disposal to earn her forgiveness."

I steadied myself against the cold wall, feeling an intense pain in my chest.

After that "accident," I lay on the hospital bed, wishing for death.

He apologized with tears in his eyes, promising to make it up to me for the rest of his life.

Looking back now, how ironic those words seem!

My child, my sense of smell, my perfumery career – all sacrificed on the altar of Vivienne!

He knew full well what losing one's sense of smell meant for a perfumer.

He simply chose to fulfill another woman's dreams instead.

Even if the price was destroying everything I held dear.

I gently wiped away my tears and turned to leave.