Chapter 1

A month after the wedding.

I was still the talk of the town.

"She didn't even get to climb up the social ladder before falling down. She must regret not marrying into the Bart family!"

"Poor girl, she should have known her place."

"Exactly, if she hadn't been pestering Jonathan, he wouldn't have married her."

"In our circle, even the maids have a higher status than her. How shameless she was."

"She's a gold digger. Jonathan left, and she still has the nerve to stay at the Bart family's house."

"She completed the wedding ceremony alone. What a laughingstock!"

Whether at gatherings or right in front of me, these people mocked me without mercy.

I endured silently because I trusted Jonathan.

Many things had happened while he was taking care of his benefactor.

Every time I felt unhappy or doubtful, Jonathan would present solid evidence proving that he and Wendy were only friends and that he was only repaying the favor.

It reassured me, so I believed him.

Until Jonathan came back.

At first glance, I almost didn't recognize him.

He lost a lot of weight, his once smooth chin now covered with stubble. He seemed more mature and reliable, but there was an unshakable sadness in his eyes.

Jonathan hugged me tightly, his body trembling slightly. "Jocelyn, I missed you."

It was as if he wanted to embed me into his body, repeatedly confirming my presence as if afraid I would disappear.

When I was holding his emaciated frame, my heart softened.

"I missed you too..."

I hadn't finished speaking when a timid voice interrupted.

"Daddy, why are you hugging this lady?"

The soft voice made me notice a five-year-old girl standing beside Jonathan.

I thought she was a neighbor's child who had wandered over while we stood at the door.

Instinctively, I reached out to pat her head.

I was about to joke that she shouldn't call Jonathan “Daddy” just because he was handsome.

This had happened before. Kids would mistake him for their fathers due to his gentle demeanor.

But before my hand could touch her head, Jonathan pulled her back protectively, as if I were some kind of monster, trying to eat the girl alive.