Chapter 1

1.

In the high society circles of Manhattan, every woman talked about how lucky Sarah Miller was.

I married Julian Thorne and became the envied Mrs. Thorne.

But only I knew how suffocating the reality behind the title actually was.

Every day, I numbly watched him bring home woman after woman.

He even fell in love with a "gold-medal housekeeper," Chloe, and let her set strict rules for our home.

She not only froze all my cards and threw away my designer clothes and bags, but she also stipulated that I only had a five-dollar daily allowance.

And I wasn't allowed out past eight o'clock.

Even when the hospital sent a critical notice at 8:01 PM, Chloe still ordered the bodyguards to stop me at the door.

I suppressed the panic burning inside me. "My mother is having a heart attack. I need to go to the hospital right now."

Chloe sat on the sofa, filing her nails.

"Mrs. Thorne, rules are rules. You can't go out after eight. No exceptions, even if your mother is dying."

Trembling with rage, I turned and rushed into the study to find Julian, begging him to let me leave.

He glanced at me coldly.

"As long as you are Mrs. Thorne, you must obey the rules Chloe set."

Looking at the man I had loved for ten years, I felt nothing but strangeness.

If this is what it takes, then I don't want to be Mrs. Thorne anymore.

...

The front door was blocked tight by two burly bodyguards in black.

My legs went weak with anxiety. My hands shook as I dialed the ER.

"Please, start the resuscitation on my mother first. I promise I'll pay the fees later..."

"But, Miss Miller..."

Before I could hear the rest, my phone was slapped out of my hand by a manicured hand.

"Rule number one of the Thorne household: No loud noises!"

My phone hit the floor and shattered. The screen went black.

I stared helplessly at the broken device, tears pattering onto the floorboards.

"Who are you putting on this pathetic show for? Are you unhappy with my rules?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, pouted, and picked up her handbag as if to leave.

"Since your wife can't tolerate me, I'll just leave. I'm obviously not welcome here anyway."

"Don't be like that."

Julian walked up from behind, pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead.

"Baby, who dares to disobey you here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he gripped my chin with one hand, forcing me to look up. His tone was icy.

"Sarah, smile."

My heart was with my dying mother, but I didn't dare anger him. I forced out a smile that was uglier than crying.

"My mom is in critical condition. Julian, for the sake of all our years together, please let me go see her."

"She only got hurt in that car accident last year because she was saving you. You can't just ignore her..."

Julian's eyes flickered slightly. A trace of guilt passed through them.

He looked at Chloe in his arms and asked tentatively, "Baby, just this once?"

"No!"

Chloe struggled out of his grasp, crossing her arms and sitting on the sofa like a spoiled princess.

"It's just a heart attack. She's not dead yet. What's the fuss?"

"When you brought me here, you promised that everything in this house would go my way!"

"I don't care. If you dare to indulge her, don't expect to enter my room tonight!"

"Okay, okay. I really can't say no to you..."

Julian shook his head helplessly, picked her up, and placed her on his lap, tapping her nose affectionately.

Chloe giggled, looking at me with pure provocation.

Bringing a mistress into the house and trampling on my dignity as the legal wife. This scene had played out countless times in the Thorne mansion.

Seeing the sympathetic looks from the servants, a sense of despair rose from the soles of my feet.

I clenched my fists and summoned all my courage.

"Julian, let's get a divorce."

As long as we divorced, I wouldn't be Mrs. Thorne anymore. I could leave this hellhole.