Chapter 1
Connor had brought yet another girl along for the race, and as always, it was Ella’s job to map every turn and call out directions through every corner.
When the run ended, the young woman glanced mockingly at Ella’s damaged leg and laughed brazenly.
"I hear you’ve been clinging to him since you were just a kid," she sneered. "But he only bothered to marry you after someone beat him half to death. Isn’t that the truth? I only mentioned offhand that I wanted to ride along," she went on, lifting her chin smugly. "And look what he did, made you drive that course three hundred times just to memorize every inch. That leg must be killing you by now, right?"
She held up her hand, and a massive diamond ring on her finger glittered brightly under the lights.
"Do yourself a favor. Have some self‑respect. Sign the divorce papers soon and get lost, so you can stop wasting his time and let me take my place."
Ella’s expression remained perfectly calm as she watched the girl pull Connor into a deep, heated kiss.
This was nowhere near the first woman Connor had flaunted right in front of her.
In the past, she had fought, shouted, even threatened to give wrong directions on purpose mid‑race just to make him crash or lose.
But Connor would only tap her cheek lightly in that cold, taunting way and say, "You don’t have the guts to do it. And remember... if anything ever goes wrong with me, you won’t get off easy either. After all… you’re just someone I picked up off the streets when you had nothing at all, aren’t you?" He would chuckle lightly, sling an arm around the girl’s waist, and walk away without a second glance.
But this time? Ella did not argue, did not cry, did not threaten. She simply transferred another one hundred thousand dollars into her separate private savings account.
Long ago she had sworn to herself. The moment her balance hit one million dollars, she would leave him for good.
And today… that exact amount had finally been reached.
*****
"Mom, I am coming back to live with you."
A woman’s choked voice came through the phone line. "Oh, my dear. I thought you would hate me forever for losing you all those years ago. I have booked your flight. It departs in seven days. I will take you home properly."
As soon as Ella ended the call, Connor walked inside. He had just dropped off Lily. He leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed.
"Counting that pile of worthless beads again?"
Ella did not lift her head. "Yes. I want to make sure I do not miscount." The total was exactly one hundred. No more, no less.
Connor stepped right in front of her. He bent down and helped her slip on a pair of high‑heeled shoes.
Ella froze in surprise.
Because of her leg injury, she could not wear heels normally. Yet she had always felt a strange fascination toward them. It was her birthday today. She never imagined he would remember.
Just as a faint flicker of warmth rose in her chest, Connor snapped several photos with his phone.
"Why are you making that face?" A mocking smile tugged at his lips. He glanced coldly at her leg. "Do not actually think these are a gift for you. You cannot walk properly anyway. You will never be able to wear them out. Your foot size is almost the same as Lily’s. I just wanted to check if they fit properly."
Once he finished taking pictures, he tossed the shoes straight into the nearby trash bin. He looked back at her. "Try to be considerate. Our one‑month anniversary is coming up soon. I cannot very well let her wear something that someone like you has already tried on."
Ella nodded calmly. Yet deep inside, she felt nothing but numbness.
Under the bright lights, the plain band on his finger glinted. Her heart twisted with pain. It matched perfectly with the engagement ring Lily wore.
Connor had always refused to wear his own wedding band. He claimed metal rings were too bulky and got in the way when he gripped the steering wheel during races. Now she finally understood. He was never unwilling to wear rings. He was only unwilling to wear one that belonged to their marriage.
"There is food left in the refrigerator. I will go and heat it up for you." Ella wanted desperately to escape the suffocating atmosphere. She made an excuse to leave.
"No need. Lily cooked a meal specially for me today." Connor walked over and placed the insulated food container he had carried inside onto the table.
Ella’s gaze fell instantly on the top layer of the dish. It was garnished generously with fresh cilantro. She thought Connor would refuse to touch it. She still remembered vividly how years ago he had looked at her scalded hands with disgust. He had knocked the exact same dish she made onto the floor and splattered it all over her clothes. He had shouted then that he hated cilantro more than anything else in the world.
Yet now, he showed no sign of disgust at all.
"Oh, by the way," Connor said casually. "You should move your bedroom upstairs from now on. If Lily finds out we are still staying on the same floor, she will throw another fit again."
The house was a three‑story luxury mansion in the hills overlooking Los Angeles. It had an elegant curved central staircase. For Ella with her permanently damaged leg, climbing those stairs multiple times a day would be slow, painful, and extremely difficult. But she knew there was absolutely no use arguing. Her wishes had never carried any weight with him anyway.
"Very well," she replied softly.
Suddenly, something cool and smooth was pressed into her palm. It was a tube of medicated ointment.
Connor spoke in an indifferent tone, "I brought this back from a business trip to Paris. It is a well‑known brand there and should help soothe the stiffness in your leg. You also did a great job guiding me around the track today. Thanks for that."
Ella closed her fingers around the tube. She showed no emotion on her face as she turned and walked slowly toward the door.
She thought back on all the years they had spent together. This was exactly how he treated her all the time. He would hurt her deeply, then toss out a tiny, meaningless gesture of kindness. It was an endless cycle that kept her bound to him for so long.
