In the third year of their marriage, when Corbin Alden's brother passed away, Clarinda Whitaker asked for a divorce.

Corbin furrowed his brows, nonplussed. "All because I took a slap for Adri?"

Adri? They were calling each other by nickname now?

But Adrienne Conley was his sister-in-law.

An ironic smile tugged at Clarinda's lips. "Yes. That's exactly why."

Of course it wasn't the only reason. It was just the last nail in the coffin.

The red handprint from the slap was all the more noticeable on Corbin's handsome face.

When Corbin stood up for Adrienne, all the Aldens were slack-jawed.

But Clarinda wasn't the slightest shocked.

She had already learned the truth three days ago.

It was their wedding anniversary, so she flew to the city to surprise him during his business trip, only to overhear his conversation with his friends.

"Corby, you can't keep disappearing on every one of your anniversaries. It's unfair to Clara. She loves you with her whole heart."

The usually aloof Corbin showed a flicker of sadness. "You think I want to? If I didn't do it, she wouldn't have believed that I never touched Clarinda."

"She?"

The man, who was defending Clarinda, realized what he meant and boiled with fury. He jeered, "You mean Adrienne? Corbin, what the hell is wrong with you? She's married to your brother. And they even had a child. Why haven't you moved on?"

He changed the subject and continued, "Besides, aren't you worried that Ambrose would make you pay for what you did to Clara?"

"He won't."

Corbin rubbed his fingers and added, "After Clarinda married me, they stopped talking. He even blocked her on WhatsApp."

Outside the private room, Clarinda strode away with calm, yet the tips of her fingers quivered slightly.

She had always known Corbin harbored feelings for someone else.

She asked around, but no one told her who it was.

And she had all kinds of speculations.

Yet she never expected it to be Adrienne, the woman she had respected as her sister-in-law for three years.

How humiliating!

It was pouring rain when Clarinda walked out of the club. But she didn't flinch, letting the rain soak her through and through.

That very night, she took the red-eye flight back to Veyton.

The moment she got home, she fell ill.

After battling the fever for two days and only beginning to feel a little better, Duncan Alden, her brother-in-law, died in an accident.

Seven days later, Duncan's funeral was held in Veyton.

For the past few days, Clarinda had been staying at the Alden's mansion, getting only a few hours of sleep each night. By the time the funeral ended, she felt like a walking zombie.

Ruben Garrison, the family chauffeur, parked the car outside the cemetery, waiting for Clarinda.

Once inside the car, Clarinda shut her eyes. "Ruben, take me home."

"Not going back to the Alden's mansion?"

"No."

Although the funeral was over, the family drama had just started.

Duncan had been the firstborn, growing up in the spotlight.

Adrienne had persuaded him to go skydiving, but his parachute failed, and he plummeted to his death.

He wasn't rushed to the hospital for resuscitation but for stitching his broken body back together.

The Aldens hadn't vented their rage on Adrienne yet.

Clarinda had no interest in watching her husband defend another woman. She got her own things to do.

But just as Ruben started the engine, the door was pulled open.

Corbin, dressed in a black tailored suit, stood tall and poised. He seemed torn, a rare expression for someone as powerful as him. "Clara, are you going home?"

"Yes."

While answering, Clarinda caught a glimpse of Adrienne and a chubby boy beside Corbin.

That was Leonel Alden, Adrienne and Duncan's son. He was only four this year.

Bewildered, Clarinda watched as Leonel climbed into the car. Then he said to her bluntly, "Auntie Clarinda, please take me and my mom back home!"

Clarinda frowned slightly and cast a look at Corbin, seeking confirmation.

Corbin pursed his lips. "My parents are still mad. Let Adri and Leon stay with us for now."

And as if fearing she might refuse, he added, "Didn't you say you want a kid? You may start by taking care of Leon. Think of it as practice."

The absurdity almost made Clarinda laugh.

But she swallowed it down, as laughing at a cemetery seemed inappropriate.

So, Corbin sent Adrienne and Leonel back with her, while he stayed behind to face his family's wrath?

How dependable.

Back at the house, Clarinda found Sarah Tapia, the housekeeper, had already prepared a guest room. Corbin must have called ahead.

Fine. It spared her the trouble. Clarinda took a shower and collapsed onto the bed, out like a light.

When she woke again, it was already 9 p.m.

Just as she picked up her phone, her friend Cecily Kerr called.

"I have drafted the divorce agreement just like you asked. Do you want to review it?"

"Thanks, Ceci."

Just waking up, Clarinda's voice was still soft. "Just have it delivered to my door."

"Are you sure about this?" Cecily hesitated.

Having dealt with tons of cases, she worried Clarinda was acting on impulse. "Corbin may not be the perfect husband, but in some ways-"

Clarinda turned on the lamp and sat up, her mind clearing. "Yes, I'm sure. Ceci, he jerked off to pictures of another woman."

Words failed Cecily.

Her head buzzed.

She didn't expect the shy Clarinda to say "jerk off".

But what shocked her even more was how shameless Corbin was.

Cecily cursed him under her breath and said, "Don't bother. I'll deliver it to you myself."

She could drive her car faster than any other vehicle on the road.

Clarinda hung up, taken aback by her own straightforwardness.

But, she had to get it off her chest.

The sheer frustration had become unbearable.

Just like what Corbin had said at the club that night, he never touched her.

No one would believe that she was still a virgin after being married for three years.

At first, she thought Corbin had erectile dysfunction.

But later, she stumbled upon Corbin more than once in his study, masturbating to a photo album.

He moaned and groaned.

It was a real slap in the face for her.

Once, Corbin caught her peeking. He pulled Clarinda closer, rubbed against her neck, and murmured, "Clara, I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you, so I could only jerk off to your phone..."

Ironically, Clarinda believed him.

She even blushed.

That night, after returning to Veyton, she took the fever medicine, and with her last bit of consciousness, she made her way to the study to pry open the locked drawer.

She found the photo album.

Every page was filled with Adrienne, smiling radiantly.

Corbin cherished them like treasures.

Clarinda felt as if she had become a joke.

She remembered that she used to follow Corbin everywhere when she was young.

In fact, she was not intentionally stalking him.

It was because he spent all his time with Ambrose.

The more she saw him, the more she fell for him.

Corbin was good-tempered, patient, and gentle. He brought her gifts on every visit.

Among all of Ambrose's friends, he was the sweetest one.

Yet this sweet man chose to jerk off to Adrienne's pictures rather than make love to his wife.

Clarinda didn't expect Cecily to be so fast.

She had barely finished washing up when the doorbell rang.

Cecily stormed in with such fury. It seemed that if the courthouse weren't closed, she would already be dragging her and Corbin there.

With the agreement in her hands, Clarinda felt a sense of relief. Then a commotion came from upstairs.

Before she could react, Sarah barreled down the stairs, her face ashen. "Mrs. Alden."

"What's wrong?"

"Leon damaged the family photo in your bedroom."

Clarinda assumed he had only broken the frame, but then Sarah held out several torn pieces of the photo.

Clarinda blanched.

When she was five, her parents died in an accident. This was the only family photo she still had.

It was the only keepsake.

Clarinda took the torn pieces and dashed upstairs.

Adrienne happened to walk out of Clarinda's room while holding her son.

Clarinda stared at Adrienne coldly. "Adrienne, what were you doing in my room?"

"Uncle Corbin said this would be Leon's home from now on."

Refusing to back down, Leonel shouted, "Uncle Corbin also said that he would look after me and my mom like a father."

Clarinda noticed that Adrienne didn't plan to correct her son, and a sudden smile appeared on her face.

She peered at Leonel and asked, "Christmas will come in just a few days. Do you know what Santa is planning for you?"

Leonel raised his chin. "He plans to give me a lot of candies."

"Wrong!"

Clarinda shook her head, a smirk tugging at her lips. "He will chop off your hands that ripped my photo, roast them in the oven, and feed them to his reindeer."

"Waa!"

He burst into tears, shaking like a leaf.

He hurriedly hugged Adrienne.

Adrienne frowned and looked at Clarinda unhappily. "He's just a child. Why do you scare him like that?"

"You can't even teach your kid right. What else can you do besides pillow talks?"

Clarinda went back to her room and slammed the door shut.

In the dead of night, a black Maybach slowly glided into the yard.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Clarinda watched Leonel and Adrienne launch themselves at the man who had just gotten out of the car.

They looked like a perfect little family.

After a while, Corbin opened the bedroom door.

He strode in, wearing a crumpled white shirt, his tone displeased. "Did you scare Leon?"

"Yes."

Clarinda pointed at the pile of photo fragments on the nightstand and said, "He ripped my family photo into pieces."

Corbin was stunned.

He realized he didn't know the whole story.

He extended an arm to rub her head, but Clarinda moved away. Seeing her still fuming, he softened his tone.

"It's my fault. I'll apologize for Leon. Is there anything you want? I can make it up to you."

Clarinda chuckled. "Anything?"

Corbin's apology was sincere. "Of course."

"I want two things."

At his words, she handed over the agreement she had long prepared.

Corbin glanced at it and saw that it was a house purchase agreement. He promptly signed his name.

On the second agreement, he turned directly to the end of the page and signed without hesitation.

He had always been generous with money.

Feeling a wave of relief, Corbin grabbed at Clarinda's waist and pulled her into his arms. "Clara, I'm impressed at how well your brother has taught you."

Just as Clarinda felt the urge to push him away, a knock sounded at the half-open door.

Noticing someone at the door, Corbin subconsciously shoved Clarinda to the side.

Clarinda froze for a moment, then realization hit.

To prove his loyalty to the woman he really loved, he avoided having sex with her for three years.

Now that they lived under the same roof, it made sense that he would behave better.

Adrienne said helplessly, "Corby, Leon is throwing a tantrum. He wants to sleep with you."

"I'll be there."

Corbin cast a look at Clarinda and asked, "Is it OK with you?"

"Yes."

After he left, Clarinda pulled out the second agreement, the divorce agreement.

She was indeed thoughtful.

She even prepared the divorce agreement and presented it to him herself.

The next day.

Clarinda's body clock woke her up. Drawing back the curtains, she was met with a world blanketed in white.

The weather forecast didn't predict that.

But the first snow of winter came down thick and fast.

Even behind the class, Clarinda felt chilled to the bone.

She threw on a knit dress. While washing up, she heard a series of clinks and clangs from the hallway.

It was quite a racket.

And it grew louder.

She almost thought the renovation crew was at work.

"Sarah, what's going on?"

Clarinda tied her hair back and opened the door. Then she was stupefied.

Nothing had been renovated. The place was being ransacked.

The house had always been clean and organized.

But now, it was a complete mess.

The pillow that should have been on the couch downstairs now sat in front of her bedroom, covered in some dark brown smudges.

The vase lay in shards across the floor.

The million-dollar painting hanging in the hallway was also reduced to ruin.

Overall, it was shocking to see the full scale of the chaos.

Sarah chased behind Leonel and cried beseechingly, "Stop playing that. That's Mrs. Alden's favorite cup..."

Clang!

Before she could finish, the cup was shattered into pieces.

Leonel stuck out his tongue like a little imp and snapped, "I want to play! Uncle Corbin said this will be my home from now on. You're just a housekeeper. Who are you to tell me what to do?"

With that, he craned his neck, only to meet Clarinda's cold eyes.

He shrank back in fear.

This wicked woman!

She gave him a nightmare last night.

Santa and his monster reindeer chased him all night.

He must drive this woman away!

His mother told him that if this woman were gone, Uncle Corbin would be his and hers alone!

Clarinda remained calm. "Go on. Keep playing."

"Really?"

Leonel couldn't believe it.

How come she wasn't mad after he broke so many things?

Standing by the railing, Clarinda glanced down at Adrienne, who seemed clueless. She smiled and nodded. "Yes, but don't touch the painting in the living room. It's my favorite."

She wasn't sure if Adrienne had egged him on, or if Leonel had come up with this idea by himself.

But it didn't matter now.

She wasn't a doormat anyway.

Someone had taught her that if anyone bullied her, she must make him pay ten times more.

Leonel's eyes shifted. "OK, cool!"

Then he scampered away.

Sarah said helplessly, "Mrs. Alden, you and Mr. Alden are far too indulgent with Leonel."

"It's alright."

Clarinda pressed, "Don't stop him. He's the only grandson in the Alden family. As long as he's happy, nothing else matters.

"After all, didn't Adrienne rein him in? We have to respect her way of raising him. If something happens, neither of us could bear the consequence."

"Understood."

Sarah reluctantly agreed. "You're too kind-hearted, which makes people want to push you around."

Clarinda chuckled but said nothing. She only asked, "Do you have extra gift boxes?"

"What kind do you need?"

"Any will do, as long as it can fit something the size of an A4 sheet."

"There are some in the storage room."

Sarah remembered it instantly. "I'll fetch it for you right away."

Once Clarinda got the box, she locked herself in her room again.

She put the signed divorce agreement into the box and found a ribbon to tie a bow on it.

Suddenly, a loud bang came from downstairs.

Clarinda ignored it. She tightened the bow and nodded in satisfaction.

It was beautiful.

"Well done, Clarinda!" she muttered to herself.

Soon, Sarah knocked on the door and exclaimed, "Mrs. Alden, hurry downstairs! That little rascal has ruined Myron's final work!"

Clarinda sprang to her feet, her face grim. "What? You mean the one in the living room?"

"Yes!"

Sarah nodded.

Clarinda rushed down the stairs and accidentally sprained her ankle.

When Leonel caught sight of her, he raised his chin with pride, daring her to lose her temper.

Clarinda glanced at Sarah. "Did you call the Aldens?"

"Not yet."

"Call them now."

As soon as Clarinda finished speaking, Leonel charged at her like a cannonball. "Don't call them. You bad woman! You can't tattle on me!"

Clarinda didn't dodge in time and underestimated a child's strength. She staggered and fell to the ground.

She landed on her tailbone.

It hurt like hell.

"Clara, are you alright?"

Adrienne quickly helped her up and explained, "I've spoiled Leon. He's unruly and reckless, but that's how kids are. Don't be mad at him."

Clarinda didn't say anything.

With one hand on her hip, Clarinda stared at the huge hole in the painting on the wall and sneered, "So you spoiled him but didn't teach him to trash other people's stuff, did you?"

Tears welled up in Adrienne's eyes. "I merely let him out of my sight for a moment. Why did you have to blame it all on me?"

"Oh, you weren't watching him."

Clarinda nodded, surveying the mess in the house. "All this in just one morning. So, tell me. When do you plan to keep an eye on him?"

"Clarinda!"

With no one else around, Adrienne dropped her sweet-lady pretense. "Must you be this pushy? Do you think Stacey and the others will make a fuss over a stupid painting?"

"For the record, that's not a stupid painting. That's Myron's final work."

Just then, a black car drove into the yard.

The Aldens arrived sooner than Clarinda expected.

Adrienne's expression stiffened at once.

The sight of the familiar car outside sent a wave of panic deep down her heart.

She glared at Clarinda, fury twisting the delicate makeup on her face. "You did it on purpose! Didn't you?"

"Adrienne, what are you talking about? I was upstairs, preparing a gift for Corby. How could you accuse me like this?"

Clarinda's eyes were glistening with tears.

She seemed like a perfect victim, filled with grievances.

This was what Allen Todd, the housekeeper of the Alden family, saw when he stepped in.

He frowned as he looked around at the unbelievably messy state of the villa. "Mrs. Adrienne Alden," he began, his voice formal and cold. "Madam Alden has instructed me to inform you that your failure to raise your son properly has consequences. She will now see to it that you are corrected."

Adrienne jerked her head up to him. "What?"

Allen made a gesture toward the courtyard and said, "Please step outside and bow there for three hours."

"Allen..."

Allen had anticipated her reaction. Before she could say more, he interrupted her in a deceptively kind tone, "Mrs. Clarinda Alden, you needn't put in a good word for Mrs. Adrienne Alden. You put so much effort into Mr. Duncan's funeral. Please be careful not to exhaust yourself."

Clarinda didn't say anything.

In fact, she hadn't been trying to put in a good word for Adrienne at all.

She just wanted to know if Stacey felt better.

If so, she planned to go over there soon to talk to Stacey about the divorce.

Although Corbin was in charge of the Alden Group, it was Stacey who called the shots in all family matters.

And so, no matter how reluctant Adrienne was, she had no choice but to bow in the courtyard.

It was bone-chillingly cold today.

She totally deserved it.

Clarinda was ready to go upstairs, not even shooting her a glance.

Sarah looked torn. "Mrs. Alden, what about the painting?"

"Leave it. Someone will come and collect it later. It'll be sent back once it's repaired," Clarinda said concisely.

Of course, she would never tell anyone that the damaged painting was a fake.

The real one was safe, being displayed in her friend's gallery.

It was left intact.

After all, Myron's greatest wish before he passed away was for his paintings to be seen by as many people as possible.

It would have been a profound waste to hide his final masterpiece away at home.

"Bad woman!"

Just as Clarinda was about to walk upstairs, Leonel said with hatred, "I've already called Uncle Corbin. You're finished once he comes back!"

"I'll be waiting then." Clarinda didn't even stop in her tracks.

"He'll divorce you! You'll be damaged goods! No one will ever want you!"

She couldn't help but chuckle, amused. "He won't."

She was a fig leaf for him and Adrienne.

If Corbin divorced her, it would mean him and Adrienne living under the same roof.

Given the facade of their relationship, there was no doubt that Adrienne's reputation would be in ruins.

Corbin would never allow such a thing to happen.

***

Corbin soon rushed back.

Clarinda had checked the time-it had actually taken him less than twenty minutes from when Adrienne was commanded to bow in the courtyard.

His black cashmere coat accentuated his tall, slender frame and steady, refined presence.

He strode directly toward Adrienne, gathered her into his arms, and hurried her back into the villa.

He gently settled her onto the sofa. As he rubbed her hands, reddened from the cold, the distress in his eyes was palpable. "Why would you be so foolish?" he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "Why did you listen to them?"

"It was Madam Alden's order. What choice did I have?" Adrienne tugged at Corbin's sleeve, her doe-like eyes glistening with tears, her voice shaky.

"Corby, please... Could you divorce her? She's horrible..."

Corbin frowned slightly. "You mean Clarinda?"

"Yes." She bit her lip.

"Do you know why Leon ruined Sir Alden's painting? She put him up to it."

"Mommy's right!"

Leonel pouted, tears glistening on his long lashes. "Uncle Corbin, Auntie Clarinda tried to scare me today! She said a monster that would eat my arms was hiding in that painting. That's why I..."

"That's impossible," Corbin cut him off without a moment's hesitation.

He ruffled Leonel's hair dotingly and said gently, "You must have misheard her, Leon. She's the most good-tempered person I know. If she said she wouldn't be mad at you, then she meant it. She'd never try to scare you."

He paused, and his tone shifted slightly. "Besides, Grandpa doted on her more than anyone. The last thing she would ever do is disrespect his painting."

The last part of his sentence was clearly intended for Adrienne.

Adrienne immediately looked up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you suggesting that Leon and I are lying to smear her?

"Corbin!

"You've changed so much! I can barely recognize you now!"

Her accusation sent a surge of fury through him. But as he met her eyes, brimming with disappointment, he could only take a deep breath and suppress the feeling. "Adri, I haven't changed at all."

She stared at him intently, her gaze challenging. "Oh, really? Then say it. Look me in the eye and say that you've never had any feelings for Clarinda and that you've never touched her."

Corbin had always believed his conscience was clear where Adrienne was concerned.

But somehow, in that moment, the words wouldn't come.