The moment the door swung open, Lily Sullivan froze. Her mind just exploded—right there on the couch were two bodies tangled together like they owned the place.

All the way over, she’d been replaying the scene she imagined: she’d show up out of the blue at Simon Hayes’s apartment, tell him she was finally done with two years of long‑distance hell, and he’d pull her into his arms, thrilled out of his mind.

Yeah. What a joke.

Instead, she walked straight into this pathetic mess.

Her fists tightened so hard her knuckles whitened. The two on the couch were way too caught up in their own drama to even notice her.

Stomach twisting, Lily forced herself not to gag. She pulled out her phone, switched straight to video mode.

When they finally shifted positions, the woman happened to glance over—and let out a scream sharp enough to crack glass.

Simon jumped like he’d been electrocuted, scrambling for a throw blanket to wrap around himself, shoving the woman behind him like that somehow made it better.

“What are you doing back? What the hell are you doing?” he hissed.

Lily’s eyes were bright red. “This scene is way too exciting to waste. Obviously I’m posting it to my Moments.”

Hearing that, Simon panicked. He didn’t care that the woman behind him was completely exposed; he tightened the blanket around himself and stumbled off the couch, coming for Lily’s phone.

“You take one more step and I’ll send it to everyone,” Lily warned, her voice steady in a scary way.

Simon didn’t believe her—not for a second. He kept coming.

So Lily hit send. Group send.

Simon’s face went blank with shock.

The girl who used to be all soft smiles and gentle words had just gone nuclear on him.

“Lily Sullivan, are you insane!” Simon’s forehead bulged with veins, like he might explode or choke her or both.

Lily lifted her phone, screen glowing with 110 dialed and ready. “I already called the police.”

Simon stared, stunned beyond speech. “You…”

Seeing her so cold, so ruthless, he finally jabbed a finger at her. “Fine. You’re vicious. Got it.”

Lily’s voice dropped to ice. “Two years of my life? I’ll just pretend I fed them to a dog. No—scratch that. You’re worse than a dog.”

From Simon Hayes’s place, Lily Sullivan headed straight to her best friend Jenna Lancaster’s apartment.

She ended up crashing there for five days, and for all five days, Jenna cursed Simon like it was her full‑time job.

That morning, Jenna noticed Lily staring at her phone with that low‑energy gloom all over her face. She slid over, wrapped an arm around her, and said, “Come on, he’s just a trashy ex. He’s not worth a single tear.”

Lily shook her head. “I’m not sad anymore. I’m just… debating whether to accept the marriage Wayne Sullivan arranged.”

“What?”

Her dad had set up a match for her and kept urging her to go back home and “have a proper talk.”

He said the guy came from money, tall, handsome, only child.

If she agreed to the marriage, his family would offer a seven‑figure bride price. If she got pregnant within two months, they’d throw in another hundred million. And as long as she gave them a kid—boy or girl—she’d basically be the young madam of the house, sitting on endless wealth.

The moment Jenna heard that, she clapped once and let out a sharp laugh. “Yeah right. Sounds exactly like something your stepmother cooked up. If it were such a sweet deal, she’d shove her own daughter into that marriage first. This is a straight‑up trap.”

“You know something?” Lily asked.

“Some of it is true,” Jenna admitted. “But she conveniently skipped the key part.”

“What key part?”

Jenna said, “The guy’s name is Marcus Thornfield. Looks, money, status—he used to be the whole package. Women all over Jiucheng lost their minds over him. Couldn’t marry him? Fine, they still wanted a night with him.”

“Marcus Thornfield…” Lily repeated softly. “The name does ring a bell.”

“In Jiucheng, everyone knows the name,” Jenna said with a snort. Then added, “But last year, news broke that he’s terminally ill. Doesn’t have much time left. He even had a girlfriend before—soon as she found out, she bailed overseas.”

“In short? Marrying him is basically marrying a dead man walking.”

So that was the catch. Pretty tragic, actually.

Jenna curled her lip. “Evil stepmom, evil stepdad—yeah, that saying never lies. Your stepmother clearly wants you married off to be a young widow.”

"Wait till he dies, then you can remarry."

Jenna Lancaster stared at her, eyes practically popping out. "Hold up, you’re actually serious? That guy’s already hanging by a thread. Who knows how bad he looks now? And getting married at a time like this? Isn’t he just trying to squeeze out a kid before he kicks it?"

"People who do that are straight-up creepy."

Lily Sullivan said softly, "But… the money’s good."

"..."

"And once he dies, I inherit everything." Lily’s face was calm, almost too calm. "By then I’ll have money and freedom. Plenty of people would kill for that kind of life."

Jenna looked stunned. "Girl, are you mentally okay?"

"I’m fine." Lily’s expression was serious. "I thought it through. Love is like ghosts—everyone talks about it, nobody actually sees it. Why waste time chasing it?"

"And honestly, we work ourselves to death just to make more money and maybe, someday, hit financial freedom. Now there’s a shortcut. Why shouldn’t I take it?"

Jenna muttered, "...Why does that weirdly make sense?"

Lily laughed. "Because that’s how real life works."

Later that night, Simon Hayes called Lily using someone else’s phone, yelling that she looked good but was worthless.

When she hung up, he switched numbers and kept calling. She blocked one after another until she finally shut her phone off.

The next day, the moment she turned it back on, a flood of messages poured in.

Most were from Simon, and they were all kinds of nasty.

Their group chat had blown up. Even though they’d never even slept together, Simon spread rumors that Lily’s chest was fake, said she looked slutty while pretending to be innocent…

Every message was uglier than the last.

Lily took a long breath, forcing herself to stay calm.

She believed everything happened for a reason.

The universe just wanted her to see Simon’s true colors sooner rather than later.

She called Wayne Sullivan and told him she’d take the deal.

Father and daughter arrived at the Thornfield family estate. They didn’t see Marcus Thornfield; instead, his parents came out to meet them.

The moment they heard Lily Sullivan was willing to marry Marcus, they practically lit up. They tried to act calm, but the excitement spilling off them was impossible to hide.

Lily only had one condition: they had to register the marriage first.

Her reason was simple—she wanted it legal.

As for a wedding? She flat‑out said she didn’t need one.

The Thornfields naturally had zero objections; honestly, they were terrified she’d suddenly change her mind. Since both sides were on the same page, Mr. Thornfield immediately arranged for staff from the Civil Affairs Bureau to come straight to the house and get the paperwork done.

And it was then that Lily saw Marcus Thornfield… or at least, his photo.

Just like Jenna Lancaster described, the man in the picture had strikingly handsome features. But it was his eyes—deep, clear, with that subtle pull—that really caught attention, like he could hook someone with just a glance.

A man like this… if he weren’t dying, he would never have ended up in her orbit.

When the marriage certificate was handed to her, Lily took a moment to study the photo. Sure, it was photoshopped, but honestly? It didn’t look half bad.

Mrs. Thornfield then took out a bank card and passed it to Lily. Even without a wedding, the bride price was still given. On top of that, she handed over a generous amount of living expenses.

In short, they were incredibly generous—so generous that the card felt heavy in Lily’s hand.

She didn’t pretend to be humble. She accepted it openly and without hesitation.

Her gaze drifted back to the marriage certificate, specifically to the three words “Marcus Thornfield.” She couldn’t help wondering what that man would think when he found out his parents had basically “sold” him off.

.

Leaving the Thornfield estate with her father, Wayne Sullivan was all smiles, practically glowing with satisfaction.

“Looks like the Thornfields gave you quite a lot, huh?”

Lily shot him a look. “Dad, seriously?”

Wayne froze for a second, his expression turning awkward. “What are you talking about?”

"No need to pretend." Lily Sullivan stopped and looked straight at him. "If this didn’t benefit you, I wouldn’t even be on your radar."

Wayne Sullivan’s expression froze with embarrassment. "Lily…"

She lifted a hand, cutting him off before he could start with those polished excuses.

Walking ahead, she said calmly, "This is the last time. From now on, don’t contact me."

Jenna Lancaster had been pacing in circles ever since she learned Lily had actually married Marcus Thornfield.

But it was done. No undo button in life.

"Your dad is ruthless. He knew it was a damn fire pit and still shoved you in. And you—why did you sign the papers so fast? If he treats you like crap, you could’ve just run. Now that you’ve got a license, if he decides to kill you, you won’t even have the chance to escape."

Jenna was anxious, angry, worried all at once—her eyes were already turning red.

Her friend getting worked up made Lily’s heart soften a little. She gave Jenna a small smile. "Yeah, I got the marriage certificate. But who said I plan on showing up in front of him?"

Jenna stared at her like she was trying to read her mind.

Lily’s eyes glinted with mischief—her plan was a bit dark, but it was true.

"You said he won’t last past February, right? That’s less than three months. I’ll just stay hidden. When he can’t even get out of bed anymore, I’ll show my face."

It sounded perfect in her head, but reality had other plans.

Only a few days after she said that, someone came knocking.

"Mr. Marcus Thornfield would like to meet his wife."