Sidney used to be an extremely self-conscious person. Because of her mother's status, she could never tell anyone who her biological mother was. Her mother had no official status, and she had to call her mother's rival "mom," which had always been a contradictory issue for her since she was little. Her father had always treated them like they were disposable, calling them when it suited him and pushing them away when he didn't need them. She rarely felt any real affection from him. Her mother, on the other hand, was often down and withdrawn, so she never knew who to turn to with her feelings. Over time, she became a quiet, closed-off person.
The biggest turning point in her life came after her mother passed away. She couldn't accept the fact, as if the one person who had been closest to her in the world had abandoned her. She didn't know who she could trust or rely on in the future.
Shelby, who hated them to the core, would occasionally mock and insult Sidney, causing the resentment in her heart to build deeper. Since she was little, she had wondered why she couldn't choose her parents. She hadn't done anything wrong in this world, yet she was hated for no reason.
The anger, sadness, and helplessness she felt back then led Sidney to do something she could never forgive herself for. She had always felt guilty for what happened to Shelby, especially after discovering her mother's will, which only deepened that guilt. It was her actions that had torn apart someone else's family, shattering a marriage. And yet, her mother had asked her not to harbor any resentment.
She knew she had made a huge mistake, but it was too late. Shelby seemed to understand her inner struggle and used it to manipulate her. From then on, she became even more self-conscious, trying to work hard to make up for everything, focusing on studying, achieving success, and doing everything she could to please her father and Shelby, as a way to repay Shelby for never revealing who was responsible for the incident. It was a secret with an unspoken understanding between them. She knew that Shelby and her sister had hidden this secret for many reasons, though not entirely to protect her, but she was still grateful.
She accepted her family's arrangement and obediently married Jayson. She had no regrets. From the beginning, she had planned for an escape route. If Jayson ever divorced her, she would still gain her freedom and didn't feel like she was losing out. The twenty years she owed the Calderon family would be enough.
From the beginning, she knew that Jayson wasn't just an ordinary businessman, especially after Alondra repeatedly warned her about him. But she still married him. As they spent more time together after the wedding, she gradually understood him. He was actually an emotional person. She believed that as long as someone still had love in their heart, they couldn't be that bad, so she decided to live a good life with him. After all, she never expected to find someone who loved her.
But over time, she began to realize how naive she had been. Just because there was love in a marriage didn't mean it was invincible. She and Jayson hadn't known each other for that long, and while she claimed to trust him and his relationships with other women, there were moments when doubt crept in. Some women's blatant flirtations and provocations tested her resolve. Sidney tried to play it cool, covering up her insecurities, but over time, doubts started to settle in her heart.
But Jayson was a person who couldn't be doubted. If you trusted him, you had to trust him completely.
So, she would only mutter a few words, but lacked the courage to argue.
Later, many things happened with the Calderon family, and things became chaotic. Jayson also kept things from her. It was then that she learned he had been seeking revenge on his enemies. She knew the bitter consequences of revenge and tried to advise him, but in the end, it was her who suffered because of his stubbornness.
She loved children and was looking forward to the birth of this child, so she couldn't accept the mistake. At first, she blamed everything on Jayson, as it made her feel a little better. She had witnessed his cruelty firsthand, watching as he coldly took a life right in front of her. Fear gripped her heart, his indifference chilling her to the core. She couldn't help but believe that losing their child was his punishment—an act of divine retribution for the blood he had spilled.
She hated him.
When hatred surpassed love, all the grievances and resentment surfaced, becoming the last straw that broke their marriage.
She knew that if she didn't leave, this hatred would consume her. She would end up like a caged bird, imprisoned for life, living a life without freedom, relying on others, never knowing what kind of man her husband truly was.
He was too hard to figure out.
She suddenly realized that maybe she didn't understand him as well as she thought.
