While searching for ways to cure my husband’s lack of desire,
the system recommended a post with 100,000 likes:
"He says all claims of low libido are lies."
The post was accompanied by several photos of the poster’s boyfriend’s strong, defined hands.
"My boss boyfriend wears a suit every day, pretending to be a pristine, abstinent CEO in front of his subordinates.
"
"But the moment the office door closes, he can’t wait to pin me to the desk, tearing my shirt to shreds in his rush."
"Last time in his car, he didn’t even leave a single one condom in the box."
"They say the more prominent the knuckles, the wilder the skills in bed—he certainly didn’t disappoint, hehe."
Reading her words, my heart raced.
In the monthly “intimate request” I sent to my husband, I changed the location to the car.
He had rejected me for three whole months, but this time he approved it instantly.
Overjoyed, I grabbed my sexiest lingerie and headed straight to the underground garage.
But on the passenger seat, I found a full box of used condoms and a bottle of cloyingly sweet, girlish perfume.
When I confronted him, Richard Edith skillfully turned the steering wheel, expressionless:
"I lent the car to Justin Hicks the day before yesterday.
"
I stayed silent and contacted his assistant, only to learn that the company had hired a new junior receptionist.
On the other end of the line, the assistant spoke in a low voice:
"I’ve seen Mr. Edith kiss her feet. He even shared a single lunch box with her. I heard she might be pregnant…"
Looking at the photo he sent—exactly like the one posted online of the new receptionist—
I hung up and calmly drafted the divorce papers.
Richard Edith, this is where we end.
The next morning, I went straight to the top floor of the Edith Group.
Peter, Richard Edith’s assistant, turned pale the moment he saw me.
I glanced at Richard Edith’s office. Files were scattered all over the floor.
The Richard Edith who would have a meltdown if anyone brushed against the hem of his clothes
was now pinning a woman to the ground, kissing her with an intensity that left no room for restraint.
Soft moans escaped, and the woman looked up, locking eyes with me without a trace of fear.
I recognized that face. Two months ago, she was just a fresh intern.
Back then, she had spilled my bag and had been bowing nervously, terrified.
“Well, this is unfortunate for you.”
I greeted Peter casually and pushed the door open.
Bang!
The door hit the stopper with a loud crash.
The two of them were startled and separated immediately.
I had thought that if I caught him in the act, Richard Edith would panic, offer an explanation,
or at least feel a hint of shame.
But he didn’t.
He only frowned, looking at me with mild confusion.
“Didn’t I tell you to wear sterile clothes before entering my office?”
No matter how big the problem, keeping his environment clean had always been my principle.
But now, it seemed utterly unnecessary.
Because the young woman’s sweat was mingling with his, and he didn’t mind at all.
Sara’s clothes were disheveled, her cheeks flushed red:
“Madam, please don’t misunderstand. I only tripped while delivering files, and Mr. Edith helped me up.”
She was speaking to me, but her eyes were watching Richard Edith’s reaction.
This girl, seven years younger than me—
young, vibrant, and utterly reckless.
I ignored her and threw the divorce papers directly at Richard Edith’s face.
The freshly printed sheets still carried the faint scent of ink.
Richard Edith’s brows furrowed even deeper—he must hate that smell.
After all, in our household, nothing could appear before him without being sanitized first.
He glanced at the papers on the floor and sighed helplessly.
“Olivia, I told you, those things belong to Justin. Can you stop making a scene?”
Justin Hicks was his cousin and one of the few friends he had.
But he had forgotten to mention that Justin had been abroad for three months,
and that his car was never lent out—he hated dirt.
But it wasn’t just him who had cleanliness standards.
I couldn’t stand a dirty, unfaithful marriage either.
“Sign it. Divorce. This is the best outcome for both of us.”
I stood my ground. He let out a bitter laugh, furious.
“Why bother? You know my parents and grandfather would never agree.”
“Since marrying you, I haven’t even glanced at another man—this is the first and last time.
”
“You could just do what a wife should do—turn a blind eye. Why make it a big deal?”
According to him, I should be grateful that he only cheated with one person.
He turned to Sara, and his tone softened instantly:
“Go rest for now. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this.”
But Sara stepped forward, a strand of hair falling across a neck marked with a kiss.
“Madam, please don’t be angry with Mr.
Edith. It’s all my fault.”
Of course it was her fault. She had interfered in someone else’s marriage—why would I comfort her?
Smack!
Before Sara could finish, I slapped her hard across the face.
“This isn’t your place to speak.”
Sara froze, clutching her face as tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
Richard Edith and Peter at the door were stunned.
They were used to seeing me calm and composed even when facing the most ruthless patients.
Once they realized what had happened, Sara’s body went limp, and she collapsed into Richard Edith’s arms.
She cried and flailed without restraint, leaving smudges of foundation and lipstick on his shirt.
Richard Edith looked uncomfortable but patiently comforted her, his eyes full of pain and concern.
Watching this scene, I remembered something.
Because Richard Edith hated dirt, I had gone six years without makeup, even on our wedding day.
“You’re insane! Do you even know what you’re doing?”
I met his furious gaze with a sinister smile.
“Doing what a wife should do.”
“No third party is allowed into the Edith household.”
I threw the divorce papers at him, but Richard Edith didn’t even glance at them.
Peter immediately fed them into the shredder.
Since he refused to leave, I would force him to.
No one knew better than me how to make him break.
I kicked shoes across the house, dumped the loaches I had just bought into the bathtub,
and even spilled soup on the pristine white carpet.
The entire villa was instantly filled with a stench of fish and grease.
In the past, Richard Edith would have replaced everything in the house.
Then he’d soak himself in disinfectant and scrub for three hours.
I sat coldly in the chaos of the living room, waiting for him—waiting until he could no longer stand it and threw the divorce papers back at me.
But until midnight, there was no movement at the door.
My phone lit up. Sara had sent a photo using Richard Edith’s phone.
He was sitting on a grimy plastic stool at a street food stall, sharing a bowl of snail noodles with Sara.
“He said he was willing to try, for me.”
My stomach turned over violently.
That year, just because the smell of a street stall lingered on me, he had vomited all night.
So I had spent six full years eating plain, bland Western food with him, to the point that even seeing red chili oil made me want to throw up.
Yet here he was, sitting on a sticky night market stool, willing to endure it all for Sara.
I sat stunned all night, until my tears dried, and then called the HR department of the group.
“As a board member, I demand that Sara be fired immediately.”
There was a few seconds of silence, then a hesitant voice replied:
“Mr. Edith specifically instructed that any personnel changes involving Miss Sara must be approved by him personally.”
My fingers holding the phone went icy cold.
The next second, Richard Edith’s call came through.
“Olivia Marcellus, how long are you going to make a scene?”
“What? As a shareholder, can’t I fire a receptionist?”
“Not her.”
“Olivia, you need to reflect on yourself.”
They were the ones having fun, yet he believed I was the one who needed reflection.
But I have never been obedient.
The next morning, I plastered the headquarters building with photos of Richard Edith and Sara’s intimacy:
kissing in the car, tangling in the office, feeding each other at a street stall.
By the time Richard Edith arrived at the company, it was already too late.
“I knew there was something unusual between this receptionist and Mr. Edith. I’ve seen them leaving together multiple times.”
“She’s young but not naive—too bad she went the wrong way.”
“Mr. Edith is still that kind of man? I really misjudged him.
Doesn’t he have a cleanliness obsession? Not bothered by dirt?”
Richard Edith suddenly tore the photos off the wall, his gaze toward me burning with rage.
“Olivia Marcellus, how are you any different from a lunatic right now?”
So he knew as well—what they were doing was disgraceful.
If he knew, why was he still doing it?
All eyes turned toward Sara. She hid behind Richard Edith, covering her face.
“Richard, I have no face to show anyone. Let’s just end this from now on.”
I had thought Richard Edith would clear things up for her, but he didn’t.
In front of everyone, he removed his suit jacket and draped it over Sara’s shoulders.
Then his eyes swept the room with a dark intensity.
“Had enough of this?”
“Starting today, Sara is promoted to Executive Assistant, with her salary tripled.
”
“She’s mine. Anyone who dares to speak a word in the company—out, immediately.”
No one dared to say anything. They all had mouths to feed, and Richard Edith was not someone they could afford to offend.
I lost.
The outcome, just as Richard Edith had predicted,
was that I became the powerless, furious lunatic.
As I walked out of the company, Sara—who had been whining and crying all the way—finally whispered in my ear:
“Thank you. Otherwise, I don’t know how long Mr. Edith would have hidden me away.”
I returned in a daze to the city’s most prestigious hospital.
The psychological clinic inside was the only place that truly belonged to me.
“Dr. Olivia…” my assistant called out.
A nurse nearby whispered to someone else.
Even though I had braced myself, pushing the door open made my breath catch.
The sofas were ripped, bookshelves toppled, glass and files shattered across the floor.
Richard Edith had once spent a fortune to buy the entire hospital just because I practiced there.
Now, he could destroy it with his own hands, simply because I refused to obey.
I knelt slowly, picking up patient files scattered on the floor.
One familiar photo peeked out from the bottom of a folder.
In it, Richard Edith’s eyes were timid and vacant, lips tightly pressed together.
Back then, he suffered from severe OCD.
Even someone passing within two or three meters would make him scream.
His parents even considered sending him abroad to “finish off the remnants of his fragile life.”
I treated him for two years, helping him regain basic social skills and shaping the naturally intelligent man into the heir of his family.
His parents immediately arranged our marriage.
But why should I be the family’s sacrificial pawn?
The hospital director called me into the office.
“Although the experts have confirmed you are fit to work, our hospital cannot go against Mr. Edith.”
“You should take a leave and rest for a while.”
I understood his dilemma.
I didn’t argue. I took the newly prescribed medication and went home.
Opening the door, I saw women’s shoes neatly arranged in the shoe rack—shoes that weren’t mine.
I laughed bitterly at myself.
At Richard Edith’s insistence, no one had set foot in this villa except me and the cleaning lady who came on a schedule.
Not even our child.
In the first year of marriage, I had become unexpectedly pregnant.
But Richard Edith absolutely refused to let me carry the child to term.
“I cannot tolerate something covered in amniotic fluid and blood appearing in my house.”
“Besides, I’ve never liked children, as you know.”
Seeing him breathing heavily, trembling all over, I tried desperately to calm him,
but in the struggle, I fell down the stairs.
The fetus stopped its heartbeat, and I bled heavily on the operating table—almost dying.
From then on, after every routine encounter each month, he made sure to watch me swallow a contraceptive pill with his own eyes.
……
Sara heard the door open and came over, proudly patting her flat stomach.
“Sister, I’m pregnant—you should know that by now.”
“I don’t want my child to grow up as an illegitimate one.”
She leaned toward me, her tone light and carefree.
“So, Olivia Marcellus, we’re on the same side.”
“I want to rise. You want a divorce. We each get what we need.”
I snorted coldly.
“You’ve got it wrong. Wanting a divorce doesn’t mean I agree to your promotion.
”
“A third party is always a third party.”
Perhaps my words stung her.
The smile vanished instantly from her face, replaced by anger.
“What the hell are you? You couldn’t keep a man, so you try to make up for it with me?”
“You don’t actually think Richard hasn’t divorced you because he’s attached to you, do you?
He simply isn’t ready yet.”
“Men—whoever they love, they’re willing to have children with.”
“Your child? Even if you carry it, he wouldn’t want it.
”
She laughed, wild and unhinged, and I froze.
The Edith family had kept this hidden very strictly.
It was my eternal pain, and they certainly didn’t want their heir involved in such a scandal.
Yet Richard Edith had told this woman so easily.
As I stood there in shock, the pill bottle in my pocket fell out.
Sara picked it up, reading the label, her mockery growing even sharper.
“What’s this? An aphrodisiac? You still haven’t given up on Richard?”
“For a woman to try to keep a man with an aphrodisiac—how pathetic.”
I stared at her, unable to control the hatred boiling inside me.
The next second, I twisted the cap off the bottle and shoved the pills into her mouth.
“These are abortion pills, made just for you.”
“You want to have a child? Let’s see if you can actually carry it to term.”
She went pale with shock and struggled desperately.
Suddenly, the sound of the door opening came from behind. She broke free from my grasp.
“Richard! She doesn’t know what she just gave me!”
“Our child… my stomach hurts so much.”
Richard Edith threw me to the ground.
“What did you do to her?”
Sara was crying, gasping for breath, but only I knew she hadn’t swallowed a single pill.
Richard Edith glanced at the tablets on the floor, panic written all over his face.
After six years of marriage, he knew exactly what it was:
Fluoxetine—a drug forbidden for pregnant women.
He rushed her into the bathroom, holding her while inducing vomiting.
The sink was filled with the disgusting mess.
The man who used to furrow his brow even if a single hair fell to the floor,
was now scrubbing the filth from her mouth with his bare hands, showing not a hint of disgust.
Once he confirmed she was fine, he stepped out, eyes like daggers aimed at me.
“Olivia Marcellus, you really can’t tolerate a child?”
I could tolerate her child, but who would tolerate mine?
I stared blankly at the pills on the floor.
The irony—being a psychologist, yet plagued by depression.
But I knew exactly what I was doing. I hadn’t lost control. I was full of hatred.
I sank weakly onto the bed, habitually remembering that I hadn’t even changed into my home clothes.
I realized then that Richard Edith had trained me to think of his needs every single moment.
But now… he wasn’t afraid anymore, was he?
In a daze, Richard Edith entered the room. Seeing my clothes, he stopped two meters away from me.
So he wasn’t fearless—Sara would always be the exception.
“You’ve been sick? Since when?”
Probably for a long time, under the high-pressure routine where every month he made me report in and stripped away a layer of my defenses.
In the pain of losing my child.
In the helplessness of noticing his occasional wandering attention.
I had thought that since he was asking, there might be some care. But instead, he spoke as if he were the only one in the room:
“Your behavior just now… it’s no longer suitable for a doctor.”
“Resign. You’ve always wanted children, haven’t you? I’ve thought it through regarding Sara’s child.”
“You only need to announce at the press conference that she’s my distant cousin, pregnant out of wedlock.
”
“And since you are infertile, you will adopt her child in our names.”
“From then on, we’ll live together. You’ll raise the child together.”
I clenched my fists, thinking I must have misheard.
How could he have the audacity to make such shameless demands?
“What if I refuse?” I bit the soft flesh inside my mouth.
“Olivia, can you just be reasonable? That is my child too.”
I sneered.
“Once we’re divorced, she and her child will have every right to be legitimized.
”
Richard Edith said nothing. After a long pause, he sighed:
“If you don’t agree, I will stop your mother’s treatment at the hospital. You’ll deal with it yourself.”
“And don’t even think of contacting my parents. They’ve gone off for meditation—you won’t reach them.”
My mother’s kidney disease could only be treated at this hospital in the country.
He was holding my mother’s life hostage.
I compromised.
On the day of the press conference, I sat in the main seat.
The staff below whispered among themselves.
“See? The legitimate wife can never win against the mistress.”
“Before, she made such a scene at the company, I thought she’d be different. But she just agrees to everything for money.”
“Who would give up the position of a high-society wife?”
Sara sat next to me, her face full of mockery.
“After all, it’s still about clinging to the title of Mrs.
Edith.”
“To be a woman like you, shameless to this extent, I am ashamed of you.”
The press conference began.
Richard Edith pushed a prepared speech in front of me, smiling satisfactorily.
“Just read it as is.”
I picked up the script.
In front of all the reporters, I tore it to shreds.
Richard Edith’s face was stunned.
“What are you doing?”
I sneered, bringing the microphone to my lips.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the media, the purpose of this press conference is to announce that my marriage to Richard Edith has encountered serious issues.
”
“After consultation, we have decided to divorce.”
My voice wasn’t loud, yet the room instantly fell silent.
Seconds later, everyone was shocked.
“What? Weren’t we supposed to welcome the mistress?”
“This doesn’t match the information we received. Ms. Olivia, are you sure you’ve consulted with Mr. Edith?”
“Ms. Olivia, will the divorce affect the Edith family assets? What about the company?”
Flashes of cameras kept going off as reporters jostled to get closer.
Sara’s triumphant smile appeared, but Richard Edith’s face was ashen.
He rushed to stand in front of me, blocking the cameras, eyes blazing.
“Olivia Marcellus, who told you to spout nonsense?”
“Have you forgotten your mother is still in the hospital?”
Just then, a steady male voice came from the entrance of the hall:
“Shut up!”
Sara’s smug smile froze, replaced by a hint of panic.
Richard Edith turned his head, only to see his father, Elton Edith, and his mother, Laura, standing behind him, with Justin Hicks by their side.
Richard froze instantly.
“Dad? Mom? Weren’t you supposed to be on your meditation retreat?”
Laura didn’t even glance at him, walking straight toward me:
“Good girl, we’re late. Let this wayward son of ours bully you.”
“It’s Mom and Dad’s fault.
”
I could no longer hold back. Six years of pent-up grievances erupted like a dam breaking.
“Mom, he…”
I sobbed uncontrollably, yet I didn’t speak another word to the media.
That was my bargaining chip with the Edith family.
They didn’t want anyone to know that the heir had once suffered from severe mental illness.
Such news could shake a giant like the Edith Group.
Elton Edith trembled with rage, raising his cane and bringing it down hard on Richard Edith.
“I’ll beat you to death, you beast!”
“You didn’t even cherish Olivia Marcellus, such a good wife!”
Richard Edith didn’t dare dodge. He took the blow directly.
I took the opportunity to pull out the divorce papers:
“Dad, Mom, Richard and I have reached the end.”
“Now, in front of everyone, let’s sign the divorce papers.”
Elton paused for a moment:
“Child, are you really sure? We promise, we’ll take care of this wayward son.
”
I shook my head and handed over the papers again.
According to the agreement, I would take all of Richard Edith’s assets—he would walk away with nothing.
His parents said nothing more. Compared with the risk to the entire Edith Group, this was trivial.
Sara bit her lip in frustration and whispered mockingly:
“Hah, after all this fuss, it’s just about his money.”
I turned to look at her unwilling face and smiled.
“Without me, Richard Edith is nothing. This is what I deserve.”
“You should worry about yourself instead.”
“You—!”
Sara was so furious she could barely speak. She turned to Richard Edith, touching her stomach with a pitiful expression.
“Richard, sign it quickly.”
“This way, our child can be born with legitimacy…”
Richard Edith was the sole heir. Once she married into the Edith family, she didn’t have to worry about money for the time being.
Laura’s gaze swept over her coldly:
“Don’t think that just because Olivia isn’t here, you can enter the Edith household!”
Sara froze.
Crying, she grabbed Richard Edith’s arm, just as she had before, thinking that holding him meant holding everything.
But Richard Edith didn’t notice.
He only stared at me, his eyes showing panic for the first time.
“Olivia, can’t we not divorce?”
I shook my head:
“Sign it.”
Finally, under the intense pressure from his parents, he numbly signed his name on the divorce papers.
The press conference was forcibly ended.
As I walked out of the building, Richard Edith grabbed my wrist.
He actually reached out to touch me—something unthinkable in the past. But so what?
Now, it was my turn to feel disgusted by him.
I yanked my wrist free, seeing his lips move as he finally said:
“Olivia, are we really finished?”
I snorted and ignored him.
Finished—of course he wanted it finished. But by what right?
I took out my phone and sent a video, then lifted my face in a smile.
With money, I could transfer my mother to another hospital.
Divorced, I no longer had to face Richard Edith’s control and betrayal.
I was free.
Yet, why didn’t I feel any happiness?
Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face, and suddenly I remembered—it was time to take my medicine today.
But I had no strength left.
A wave of dizziness hit my mind, and my body lost all support, sliding downward.
Before losing consciousness, I thought I heard someone calling:
“Sis-in-law… are you okay?”
When I woke up again, I was already in the hospital.
By my side was Justin Hicks.
“Sis-in-law! You’re awake?”
Seeing me regain consciousness, his eyes lit up, and that gaze—always so clear and honest—was full of warmth and joy.
He smiled, and it was beautiful, like a pure, earnest young man.
I tugged at the corners of my mouth, my voice still a little hoarse.
“Thank you, Justin.”
“And… don’t call me sis-in-law anymore.”
He paused, then smiled awkwardly:
“I just called out in panic. It wasn’t intentional.”
“Can I just call you Olivia from now on?”
I nodded.
He cut an apple into small pieces, speared one with a toothpick, and handed it to me.
I looked at him, feeling a warm wave flow through me.
The day before the press conference, I was at my wit’s end.
Richard Edith had threatened me with my mother’s life.
Clinging to the last shred of hope, I called Justin Hicks, far away overseas.
“Justin, can you help me get in touch with my uncle and aunt? It’s urgent.”
On the other end, he didn’t ask for any reasons.
He only said:
“Wait for me.”
He immediately returned to the country, using every channel to locate my parents, and even thoroughly investigated Sara.
Because of this, I was able to half-cry, half-negotiate my way into persuading Richard Edith’s parents to agree to the divorce.
They knew it had been me all these years, keeping their son steady, helping Richard Edith firmly secure his position as chairman.
No matter what, they didn’t want me to leave.
My gaze fell on the pill bottle on the bedside table.
Justin followed my eyes, and his smile softened.
“I asked the doctor,” he said.
“These are medication for depression.”
He lifted his head, eyes full of pain and guilt.
“I’m sorry… I should have noticed earlier.”
“How could I have been so oblivious, letting you suffer all alone?”
I shook my head.
“It’s not your fault.”
“You’ve been traveling abroad for the company most of the year. How could you know?”
I looked at him calmly.
“And besides, I’m a doctor myself.
I know my limits.”
Seeing me act strong, he moved his lips but said nothing further.
From that day on, he never mentioned Richard Edith again, nor did he bring up anything about the Edith family.
It was as if my illness had become his most important project.
He consulted top psychologists everywhere, meticulously noting every suggestion in his memos.
He learned I liked lively places, so he took me to the night markets I hadn’t dared step into for six years.
“Olivia, I remember the first time I saw you, you were eating this. Try it again.”
He handed me a box of takoyaki.
“I’ve been here before—it’s pretty good.”
I smiled faintly, though I had long forgotten the exact moment we first met.
“And this grilled cold noodles too. Boss, more vinegar, more chili!”
Every action of his considered my happiness, worried I might be unhappy.
Once, merely lingering for a second at a street stall, picking up the scent of smoke, and Richard Edith would vomit all night, calling me filthy.
But now, Justin carefully blew on the hottest first sausage before handing it to me.
He focused on one thing: being present.
Being there with me for the latest comedy in the theater, laughing until we leaned back in our seats.
Being there with me at the amusement park, riding the carousel, buying me the biggest cotton candy.
He took me to the mountaintop to watch the sunrise, draping his own coat over me whenever I felt cold.
“Look, the sun is rising. Everything bad will pass.”
“Olivia… so will you.”
Perhaps it was his attentiveness, but often I felt he knew me even better than I knew myself.
My depression improved at a visible pace, and the smiles on my face grew more frequent.
That day, he had taken time off just to accompany me to a follow-up appointment.
I took out my medication, only to see him holding a large bouquet of roses, looking a little nervous.
“Olivia…”
“Could you give me a chance? I’ve liked you… for a long time.”
I looked into his clear, earnest eyes, seeing my own reflection mirrored there.
I smiled.
This time, it was genuine.
“All right.”
Meanwhile, Richard Edith returned home, disoriented and defeated.
The scent in the air immediately made him frown.
He glanced at the trash that hadn’t been cleared, his face twisted in disgust.
He hurriedly called the cleaning service.
Memories of the past flooded him.
No matter how late he returned, I always kept the house immaculate.
Even the air was infused with his favorite fir scent.
I would prepare his sterile clothing, fill the bathtub, always setting the water at exactly 42 degrees Celsius.
But ever since he discovered what happened with Sara…
the woman who had been so obedient for six years seemed to become a completely different person.
She had retaliated in the most extreme way,
disappearing from his world at the fastest pace, leaving no trace behind.
Not even a single piece of clothing.
Just then, the door opened.
Sara strode in, carrying bag after bag of luxury items, her face radiating uncontainable pride.
“Richard, look at my new bag. Pretty, right?”
She flung the shopping bags onto the sofa and plopped down, starting to unpack.
Plastic wrappers and boxes were scattered across the floor, and she didn’t care in the slightest.
“I’m exhausted from shopping all day, Richard. Pour me a glass of water, will you?”
Richard Edith looked at this innocent yet coquettish woman in front of him, and for the first time, felt a surge of irritation.
Since he had publicly protected her at the office, she seemed like a completely different person.
The once-timid intern who wouldn’t even raise her head in his presence
now strutted through the company, bossing around employees with far more experience than her.
Peter had reminded him more than once that the company was full of complaints about Sara.
But at the time, he had only thought she was young and energetic—being spoiled wasn’t a problem.
Distracted, he opened his phone and saw the video I had sent him.
The dim KTV room shook with deafening music.
Sara wore a revealing short skirt, weaving between several men.
One of them was his business rival, the greasy, overweight man he had complained about countless times.
That man had a hand on Sara’s thigh.
And she didn’t resist; instead, she smiled ecstatically, raised her glass, and leaned in voluntarily.
In the video, she closed her eyes in pleasure, letting the men do as they pleased.
“Ugh—”
Richard Edith could no longer hold back. He ran to the bathroom and vomited violently.
Every inch of his body felt crawling with filth and disease.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror—disheveled—and then recalled Sara’s face in the video, full of enjoyment.
A wave of nausea unlike anything he had ever experienced struck him straight in the soul.
From that day on, Richard Edith’s obsession with cleanliness worsened.
He washed his hands twenty times every hour, scrubbing with disinfectant until his skin turned red and raw.
He no longer allowed Sara to touch him; even approaching within three meters made him bristle like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
At first, Sara thought he was just in a bad mood.
She changed into a seductive nightdress, hoping to try her old tricks.
“Richard, what’s wrong with you lately? You’re ignoring me.”
She leaned in, her voice soft and coaxing.
But Richard Edith recoiled as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes wide with fear.
“Don’t come closer!”
Sara’s smile froze on her face.
She tried to move forward, but Richard grabbed the alcohol spray from the table and doused her head-to-toe.
“Get out! Stay away from me!”
Tears streamed from Sara’s eyes as the alcohol stung.
For the first time, she felt true fear facing the man who had almost lost his mind.
“Richard, what’s wrong with you?” she asked.
He pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
He tried to convince himself that this was before he had any involvement with Sara; it didn’t matter. It was already cleaned.
But he was no ordinary man—psychologically and physiologically, he could not allow himself to forget that scene.
Richard Edith’s condition worsened.
He demanded that the cleaning staff scrub every object in the house at least three times a day with disinfectant.
The air was always heavy with the pungent scent of disinfectant.
Sara was prohibited from wearing makeup or perfume.
She was even forbidden to eat anything with strong flavors.
Even so, Richard would no longer touch her.
She began to lose patience.
In her eyes, Richard had transformed from a clean, composed CEO into a lunatic.
No matter what, she refused to serve such an unstable, monstrous man.
But for the money, she endured.
After all, as long as she bore the Edith family’s grandchild, they could not ignore it.
She decided to stay out of his sight.
Gradually, Sara stopped appearing at Richard’s house altogether.
Since the divorce, Richard Edith had lost all interest in work.
During a crucial international meeting, he suffered an episode.
Just because the opposing CEO reached out to shake his hand, he panicked, clutching his head and screaming.
He ruined a billion-dollar deal on the spot.
The stock price of Edith Enterprises plummeted in response.
The board held an emergency meeting, forcing Elton Edith to make a drastic decision.
After deliberation, Justin Hicks temporarily assumed Richard’s position as CEO.
Richard Edith was suspended.
He locked himself in the villa, and his entire being quickly declined into despondency.
That day, Sara came looking for Richard to collect money.
She opened the bathroom door and found him furiously scrubbing his arms with a brush.
His skin was raw and bleeding, blood mixing with foam across the floor.
And he seemed oblivious to the pain, muttering to himself.
“Ugh!”
Sara could no longer hold it and vomited on the spot.
Richard noticed her reaction and instantly, as if triggered, he screamed wildly and shoved her to the ground.
“Get out! You filthy woman! Get out!”
Sara’s abdomen hit the sharp corner of the coffee table hard.
A warm liquid trickled down between her legs.
But Richard’s first reaction was not to help her—he bellowed for the cleaning staff to mop up the mess.
Watching the man furiously scrubbing the floor with disinfectant, she felt utterly defeated.
Slowly, she got up and, summoning every ounce of strength, slapped him hard.
“Richard Edith! You pervert!”
“I truly don’t understand how Olivia ever tolerated someone like you.”
“You deserve to die.”
The ambulance arrived in time, but the child could not be saved.
Richard Edith’s second child was lost for the same reason as before.
Sara was hospitalized for surgery, and Richard did not appear even once.
Sara completely gave up on him.
The cleaning staff, terrified by his pathological demands and lunatic behavior, all quit.
Elton Edith and Laura were heartbroken, but any extra glance toward him would get them sent away by Richard.
In the empty villa, Richard was alone.
He curled up in a corner and suddenly realized:
He felt not a shred of attachment to Sara.
All he could think about repeatedly was Olivia.
He remembered Olivia’s constant care over six years, her patience in helping him out of the darkness step by step.
And all he had given her over those years was oppression and betrayal.
He didn’t understand why he had treated her that way.
It started when his parents proposed the marriage.
Strange feelings began to stir in his heart.
He always felt that Olivia had put so much effort into treating him, only to become Mrs. Edith.
He felt their relationship was tainted.
But without Sara, none of this would have happened.
He hated Sara.
That woman’s eyes, filled with admiration for him, made him realize again:
His relationship with Olivia had always been doctor and patient.
But he had ignored that an ordinary doctor would risk being bitten to pull him out of the abyss.
An ordinary doctor would devote years to meticulously caring for a patient’s emotions.
And only after checking with his parents did he find out that Olivia had already been offered a prestigious international psychology position, with an annual salary of ten million.
It was at his parents’ request that she had stayed.
But by the time he understood all this, it was too late.
He had hurt the woman he loved for six years, and had caused the death of his own child.
Even knowing Olivia had developed depression because of him, he chose to ignore it.
He ground his teeth in rage, stubbornly blaming all his mistakes on Sara.
He leveraged his network to have Sara expelled from Jiang City.
He sabotaged all her job opportunities, ensuring she would never recover.
After doing all this, he ran out of the villa like a madman.
He found the neighborhood where I lived.
From afar, he saw me.
I was walking in the garden downstairs with Justin Hicks.
I wore a loose sweater, relaxed and at ease.
Justin carefully supported me, and we laughed together.
The scene, so warm and peaceful, stabbed him in the heart.
He ran over, shouting:
“Olivia!”
Justin and I turned at the same time.
The moment he saw him, my smile vanished.
Justin instinctively shielded me, eyes wary.
“Richard, what are you doing here?”
Richard ignored him.
He looked into my frightened eyes and instantly recalled the pain of how he had forced me into the bathroom to scrub myself.
His heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand.
With a “thud,” he fell to his knees.
“Olivia… I’m sorry.”
Tears streamed down his face, his appearance pitiful and frightening—his skin raw from over-cleaning.
“I know I treated you badly before… I was a jerk… I was inhuman!”
“It’s all my fault, I didn’t know how to cherish you.”
“Can you give me another chance?”
“Please… just save me.”
He cried incoherently, begging.
I listened quietly, holding Justin’s hand.
“Richard, it’s over between us.”
“As for you, I’ve already saved you once.”
“Unfortunately… you’re not worth it. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
I turned and left with Justin.
Richard collapsed silently against the wall, unable to speak.
Later, I heard that he had completely lost his mind.
The Edith family sent him to a psychiatric hospital for compulsory treatment.
A year later, Justin Hicks and I held our wedding.
He officially took over Edith Enterprises, becoming the new head of the family business.
Peter became his assistant.
Justin joked, “You saved his sister, who almost committed suicide.
He’s grateful… now he can help keep an eye on me.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
With his love and companionship, my depression completely healed.
I resumed work and regained my own psychological counseling office.
The following year, I became pregnant.
In the ultrasound room, I watched the tiny life on the screen, felt the strong heartbeat, and tears fell.
Justin held my hand tightly, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.
I rested in his arms, quietly savoring the happiness that had taken six long years to arrive.
(The End)
