Chapter 4

Vivienne viciously kicked my mom's waist with the tip of her stiletto.

Gagged, my mom could only let out muffled whimpers of pain.

I was filled with uncontrollable regret. Why had I distanced myself from my mom for someone who didn't even love me?

Causing her to suffer like this at her age because of me.

"Alec, do you really want to watch your mom die right in front of you?"

"Alec, don't worry about me! Run as far away as you can."

"Leave this fickle-hearted bitch. Even if I die, it'll be worth it!"

My mom managed to scream out those words with all her might.

The next instant, Wylie slapped her hard across the face.

"Vivienne, I can't stand hearing anyone talk about you like that..."

Vivienne tenderly examined Wylie's hand, finally issuing her command with bitter resentment.

"Throw this old whore into the river. I want to see if Alec, that filial son, can sit idly by!"

My hands trembled as I tried to wipe the blood from my mom's face, but I couldn't reach her.

I could only watch her lying on the ground like a dying fish.

As they tied heavy rocks to her, my mom suddenly spoke with biting sarcasm.

"Alec shouldn't have saved you as a child. He should have let you drown in the ocean!"

A flash of vengeful fury blazed in my mom's eyes."Lousy bastard, what the hell are you talking about? It was clearly Wylie who saved me when I was little!"

"You and that hick son of yours are cut from the same cloth, both lying schemers through and through!"

Vivienne yanked my mom's hair viciously, her voice dripping with disgust.

So my mom knew all along!

Hearing my mom's words, I suddenly realized that my infatuation with Vivienne had never been a secret from her.

Ever since I was a child, I had been smitten with that fair-skinned young lady.

When she fell into the water while playing, I rescued her, but I didn't want her to feel indebted to me.

In the end, I fought tooth and nail to win her father's approval before I could finally marry her.

I thought she was just reluctant to accept what seemed like an arranged marriage.

But it wasn't until her childhood sweetheart brother returned to the country.

She lovingly embraced him, and only then did I realize that she simply didn't love me.

On our wedding anniversary, I hid in the closet, wanting to surprise her.

Instead, I was forced to listen to them making love in the room.

The gifts I had given her were used as intimate playthings, one by one, on Wylie.

I even deluded myself by covering it up, while she made no effort to hide it.

"Next time, get something better. Wylie's allergic to this kind of stuff.""The cheap stuff is good enough for you, but my Wylie deserves the best."

"You've taken Wylie's place for so long, it's only fair to give him some compensation."

She turned and left, leaving the gift I had carefully prepared lying in a pile of filth.

But the very next day, Wylie came to us, saying he wanted to give her a belated anniversary gift.

Not to commemorate our marriage, but to celebrate three days since their reunion.

Vivienne adamantly insisted that I protect Wylie, who had no experience but still wanted to dive for pearls.

Wylie deliberately damaged the equipment, falsely accusing me of trying to kill him.