Chapter 1

Dakota married her bestie's uncle.

For five years' marriage, he gave her money and love, doting on her to the bone, making everyone envious. However, the only thing he didn't give her was sex.

Following her bestie's advice, she decided to seduce him 99 times.

The first 98 attempts ended in failure, but on the final try, he finally pinned her beneath him.

That night, Xavier was unusually passionate, but at their climax, he whispered painfully in her ear:

"Ariella, you know I love you. I only married Dakota because I had no choice. How could you still let her try to seduce me into sleeping with her?!"

"In this lifetime, apart from you, I will never love another woman, much less touch one!"

This anguished confession fell on Dakota's ears like a giant axe splitting her soul in two.

So, it wasn't that he couldn't perform—he simply didn't love her.

His heart belonged to Ariella, the woman who was supposed to call him uncle.

And Dakota? From beginning to end, she was merely a shield, a sacrifice.

Her body trembling uncontrollably, Dakota shoved Xavier away and ran into the shower. Scalding hot water poured over her body, but it couldn't wash away the marks of years of love etched into her heart.

Four years ago, she had been harassed at a bar, and Xavier had stepped in to help.

With his distinguished background and handsome features, he was like a prince descending from heaven.

Dakota falling for him was inevitable. She'd pursued him with passion for four years, only to receive these three years of false dreams. Seven years of love, yet it took only a moment for her heart to die.

Dakota curled up alone on the couch all night. As dawn broke, she called her lawyer and asked him to draft divorce papers.

Just as she finished speaking, Xavier walked up behind her.

Dakota quickly hung up the phone. When she turned around, she saw his stern brows furrowed with worry and concern she'd never seen before.

"Ariella's been in a car accident. I need to go to the hospital right now!"

Throughout their three-year marriage, he'd always been especially attentive to Ariella's needs. Whenever she called, he would rush to her side no matter how urgent his other business.

Ridiculous as it now seemed, Dakota had never suspected their relationship. She'd even joked with Ariella: "You might as well move in with us. That way your uncle can take care of both of us at once, and save himself the running around."

Back then, Ariella had smiled and declined, but in retrospect, her eyes had been filled with what seemed like pity—pity for Dakota the fool, who'd been sold out but still helped count the money.

"Go ahead," Dakota nodded calmly, not saying more.

Xavier rushed to the door, then seemed to remember something and looked back at her.

"About last night—I won't hold it against you, but it's best if there isn't a next time."

With that, he left without looking back.

Dakota watched his retreating figure, laughing bitterly inside.

She'd humiliated herself 99 times. Now, it was time to wake up.

......

Xavier was gone the entire day, finally calling Dakota in the evening.

"Come to the hospital right away!"

Dakota rushed there, only to be pushed into an examination room by a nurse who drew so much blood that her face turned pale.

Then, bewildered, she was wheeled into an operating room.

As the lights came on, Xavier finally appeared, his tone gentle. But the words that came out of his mouth were like cold steel piercing her lungs, making it impossible to breathe.

"Don't be afraid, Kota. I won't hurt you. But right now, only you can save Ariella's life. You're her best friend—you wouldn't let her die, right?"

"She needs a kidney, and only you're a match."

Dakota was dizzy from blood loss, her mind foggy.

Yet Xavier's manipulation continued in her ear.

"Whatever you want, I'll give it to you if you save Ariella's life."

Dakota blurted out: "What if I want a child?"

With that, the operating room was so silent you could hear breathing.

Just when Dakota thought he would refuse, he spoke with difficulty.

"Alright."

So reluctant, so agonized. Yet it was enough proof that he truly loved Ariella to the bone. To save her, he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice—to touch a woman he didn't love.

Dakota laughed silently in anguish.

A nurse called urgently from outside. Xavier's eyes reddened as he gripped Dakota's hand.

"Kota, I'm begging you..."

Dakota felt that even if she asked for his life right now, he would agree without hesitation.

True love means willingly offering your life. He truly loved Ariella beyond measure.

If that was the case, she would no longer force him.

As tears slid down her cheeks, Dakota took out her phone.

"Just kidding. I don't like children either. Just sign this for me."

Xavier didn't even ask what he was signing, eagerly writing his name.

If he had asked just once, she would have told him it was an electronic divorce agreement.

But he was too afraid—afraid Dakota would change her mind, afraid she really wanted a child, afraid she would cling to him forever.

Dakota closed her eyes. As her consciousness blurred, she murmured:

"Goodbye, Xavier."

Goodbye forever.

From now on, you pursue your happiness, and I'll live my life, with no connection between us anymore.

Chapter 2

A week after surgery, Xavier hadn't visited her hospital room once, and Dakota hadn't asked about him.

A nurse couldn't help but ask: "Is your family busy? How come no one's come to see you?"

Dakota glanced toward the neighboring room.

She wanted to say: Yes, very busy—busy taking care of another woman next door.

These days, the doctor encouraged her to walk around to help her wound heal. But countless times as she passed the neighboring room, she could see through the glass window her husband, Xavier, tenderly caring for her bestie.

At this point, words were futile. The divorce papers were signed, soon they would have no connection.

She dismissed the nurse and focused solely on recovering.

On discharge day, she passed Ariella's room again.

In the bright room, Xavier was patiently coaxing Ariella to drink soup.

"Come on, drink a little more. It'll help you recover faster."

Ariella seemed reluctant, but the happiness in her eyes was undeniable.

After finishing, she apparently remembered something.

"Uncle Xavier, you should go see Dakota. She's your wife. You haven't visited her at all—I'm worried she'll think too much about it..."

Xavier's handsome brow furrowed with displeasure, his tone indifferent.

"You've been in such a serious accident, and you don't have any family around. You call me uncle, so naturally I have to take care of you."

"She's your best friend. She'll understand."

Ariella's parents had died in an accident when she was very young, entrusting her to the Rovella family before their death. The two families had some ancestral connections, and by generational order, Ariella had to call Xavier uncle.

But no one could have imagined that this seemingly harmonious uncle-niece relationship was actually so filthy behind closed doors. At least Dakota had never imagined it.

When she had been pursuing Xavier and repeatedly met with rejection, just as she was about to give up, it was Ariella who kept encouraging her, saying Xavier was just stubbornly hiding his true feelings.

Dakota had believed her words, step by step walking into the trap these two had set.

Her fingernails dug into her flesh painfully.

As Dakota turned to leave, she heard Ariella say:

"That's why I can't bear to keep hurting her. I..."

"Ariella! Don't ever say such things again. You haven't hurt anyone!" Xavier interrupted in a low, scolding voice as he tucked her blanket.

But Ariella turned her head away, tears sliding down her cheeks, somehow making her look pitiable.

"But I don't want to stay here and cause you more trouble. After all, the Rovella family will never accept me. Why not make your marriage with Dakota real instead of pretending? Be a truly loving couple..."

Her words were cut off by a passionate kiss.

Xavier kissed her forcefully, as if wanting to meld her into his chest.

After a long moment, he held her trembling.

"I told you, marrying her and pretending to be a loving couple was my bottom line. Besides you, I will never touch another woman."

Ariella pushed him away forcefully.

"But your parents keep pressuring you two to have a child. You can't really stay in a sexless marriage forever!"

Xavier gritted his teeth: "If it really comes to that, let her use IVF. Let her bear a child that belongs to you and me! But I will never touch her!"

Outside the door, Dakota felt as if she were being flayed alive, knives stripping away her skin and flesh bit by bit, exposing raw pain that made her tremble.

She knew Xavier had no feelings for her, but she never imagined that after loving him for seven years and donating a kidney to Ariella, he still wouldn't see her as a person—that he would actually want her to bear a child for them.

"Who's outside?!" a sharp rebuke came like thunder.

Next second, the hospital room door was flung open.

Chapter 3

Xavier stared into the empty corridor, thinking he'd been mistaken.

He had no way of knowing that a second before he opened the door, Dakota had hidden in a room on the other side, only leaving after he closed the door.

The first thing Dakota did upon returning home was pack her bags.

She'd lived in this house for three years, but didn't have many belongings—perhaps because deep down, she'd always known this wasn't truly her home.

Before, she thought it was just her own insecurity. Now she realized her sixth sense had been too accurate.

Halfway through packing, an unexpected figure burst through the front door.

"Dakota, how could you leave the hospital without telling me? Has your body recovered? Did the doctor discharge you?"

The newcomer was Xavier, seemingly concerned though his eyes held not a trace of genuine feeling.

In the past, Dakota would have been moved by such behavior. Now, she only found his acting remarkable.

"Everything's fine. I didn't want to disturb you since you seemed busy."

Xavier didn't notice anything amiss, just glanced at the suitcase behind her.

"Why are you packing?"

"Just gathering some old clothes to throw out."

"Don't tire yourself right after leaving the hospital. Leave these things to the housekeeper. Sit down for a while."

Today Xavier was unusually attentive, probably because Ariella had whispered something in his ear.

This relationship's remote control was in Ariella's hands; they were both just puppets for her to manipulate.

Xavier pressed Dakota onto the sofa, then walked to the kitchen and expertly put on an apron.

"I'll cook today, make a few of your favorite dishes."

He was truly handsome, and combined with that gentle smile, it was most bewitching.

Dakota was dazed for a moment, unable to refuse before he had already turned away.

Just as the rich aroma of food began to fill the air, thunder suddenly crashed outside. A loud thunderclap made Dakota instinctively curl into a ball.

Xavier rushed out from the kitchen, taking off his apron while saying: "Ariella's afraid of thunder. I need to go to the hospital to check on her."

He didn't even glance at Dakota.

Dakota wasn't melodramatic either. As he left, she thoughtfully handed him an umbrella.

"Don't get wet. Ariella will worry."

It seemed that in these three years, he had never been so frantic for her.

Dakota stood at the door watching his figure disappear into the rain before turning to dump out the food he'd made, then returned to her room to continue packing.

She accidentally found and played their wedding video. Back then, her face still had a youthful innocence as she stood on stage, trembling as she handed her hand to Xavier, also giving him the second half of her life.

This man had vowed before everyone that from that day forward, he would love only Dakota, for a lifetime, never leaving or abandoning her.

Back then, Dakota had believed him, but only now did she realize that in the video, the person bringing the wedding rings to the couple—Ariella—was wearing a sparkling diamond ring—identical to the diamond ring of the bride.

During the exchange of rings, Xavier's gaze had been fixed on Ariella standing at the side. So that wedding hadn't been hers and Xavier's, but Ariella's and Xavier's.

Outside, heavy rain pounded against the windows like stones hammering relentlessly at her heart.

Dakota dug her nails into her flesh, telling herself not to cry.

Once the one-month cooling-off period for the divorce was over, she would leave completely, never again being made a fool!