The Marriage That Never Existed novel Chapter 17

Chapter 9

I had spent a few years studying abroad, living a carefree and comfortable life–and I’d long since forgotten everything that happened back home.

It was by sheer coincidence that I ran into him again.

A friend had dragged me to a bar for a fun night out. I had been sipping my drink and laughing at random when my eyes drifted to the stage.

It was Lewis.

He was doing a clumsy pole dance on stage in front of the crowd. For a moment, I genuinely

thought I was imagining things. But no, it was him.

Since he was an old acquaintance, I couldn’t help but keep an eye on him while I drank.

I watched young girls throwing cash at him, coaxing him into drinking shots. I saw him groveling

shamelessly, asking those wealthy girls for tips with a smile that reeked of desperation.

I couldn’t help but sigh. God, how could I have been so stupid to trust him?

After paying the bill, my friend and I headed out. At the entrance, Lewis was still loudly hustling for customers, calling out to passersby. Suddenly, someone splashed a drink right in his face.

He didn’t even flinch.

Instead, he dropped his head, mumbling apologies over and over in a tiny voice–no pride left, just total, desperate subservience.

When he finally looked up, our eyes met by accident.

“Emily…” he called out.

I gave him a faint smile, reached into my purse, and handed him a few loose bills. His body stiffened instantly.

I had already stepped into the car.

Through the rearview mirror, I could still see him standing there, unmoving.

I had no idea what was running through his head, what thoughts lay behind those dull, lifeless

eyes.

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But in the end, it didn’t matter.

Regret is useless–no matter how much you feel it, it changes nothing.

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Chapter 1

The secretary, Tessa Monro, thought it was funny to give my daughter–Lily Carter a strip of

jerky slathered in industrial–grade chili extract.

Lily ended up with a stomach perforation and had to be rushed to the ICU.

I was so furious that I locked Tessa in the walk–in freezer and told her to cool off.

When my husband, Nathan Carter, found out, the first thing he did was slap me across the face.

“Tessa’s pregnant! What if she gets frostbite?” he shouted.

“Lily’s still in the ICU fighting for her life, and you’re siding with some outsider instead of

standing up for your own flesh and blood?” I snapped back.

He didn’t say another word. Maybe because deep down, he knew I was right. He just followed me

quietly to the hospital to check on Lily.

The next morning, I opened my eyes and immediately realized something was wrong.

I was inside a sauna. The temperature had already climbed past 176°F, and it was still rising.

I banged on the glass and screamed for help, my voice echoing back in the suffocating heat.

“You locked Tessa in the freezer,” Nathan’s voice came from outside, calm and cruel. “Now it’s

your turn. Let’s see how it feels.”

Tessa, curled up smugly in Nathan’s arms, covered her mouth with a laugh.

“Oh, don’t be so mad, Vivian. Nathan insisted on standing up for me.”

I stared at them coldly and reached under my collar, clicking on the emergency signal embedded

in my necklace.

They didn’t know who they were messing with.

My father, Richard Sterling, once ruled the entire Eastpoint underworld. I’m his only daughter- and no one touches me without consequence.

“You’ve got three seconds to open this door,” I warned, my voice sharp as ice. “Otherwise, you’re all leaving here in body bags.”

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Laughter erupted outside.

“Did I hear that right? Vivian Sterling’s threatening us now?”

“She’s just an orphan nobody wanted.Mr. Carter was being generous marrying her. Hell, she’s not even good enough to shine our shoes.”

My words made Nathan’s expression darken as he furrowed his brows.

“Vivian, I locked you in that sauna to teach you a lesson, to break your pride,” he said coldly. “Tessa almost lost the baby because of you.”

I coldly stared at him, clearly aware that Tessa had deliberately fed Lily industrial–grade chili.

Lily was already weak, and after eating the chili, she was sent straight to the ICU and still hadn’t

woken up.

I only locked her in the freezer for ten minutes–there’s no way anything serious would have

happened!

What a classic case of the villain crying first!

But now, as I looked at the thermometer reading 176°F, I knew that every second I spent here only

increased the suffocating danger.

I frantically pounded on the glass wall, screaming hoarsely in anger.

“Nathan, whatever you want to blame me for, let me out first. The temperature is 176°F, I’m

about to die from heat!”

At that moment, Tessa coldly scoffed and slowly walked over to me.

“Vivian, Nathan’s just giving you a little lesson. You can’t deceive him like this.”

“I set the temperature of this sauna myself, there’s no way it’s 176°F. Don’t scare me like that.”

Nathan pulled Tessa into his arms, his hand resting on her stomach.

“This is the heir to the Carter family’s legacy. Everything I’ve built is for him. You almost killed him, and the fact that I haven’t finished you off is already me showing mercy.”

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“The heat’s fine–it’s all your fault. You brought this upon yourself!”

Hearing that, my heart sank. Tessa’s child was Nathan’s.

Lily was still fighting for her life in the ICU, and here he was, already preparing for another child.

At that thought, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I cried out in despair, banging on the glass door

helplessly.

As the temperature continued to rise, sweat poured down my face and body. My strength was fading, and my heart was filled with endless hopelessness.

Then, a phone call rang through the air.

Nathan answered it and turned to me with a cold smile.

“Guess what? Your useless daughter woke up.”