Chapter 1 Katherine Acrea thought Theodore Bagnall's heart came from her late husband, so she willingly married him and be- ing his devoted servant for five years. Until she accidentally overheard the truth that hit her-everything was a lie. Her father just wanted her to step in for his illegitimate daughter in this marriage deal. After a while, the moans in the room quieted down. Theodore, shirtless, walked out and tossed his dirty clothes at her. "Wash these." In the past, Katherine would have taken them obediently and rushed off to handwash them. But today, she just stood there staring blankly at the ugly scar on his chest. Katherine had once heard that people who received heart transplants might also inherit the donor's emotions. She had held onto this hope for five long years, never thinking it could all be wrong. At that moment, Theodore's 100th mistress strolled out in a flimsy nightgown, leaning against his shoulder like she was made of jelly. "Mr. Bagnall, you got my clothes all dirty. Could you ask Ms. Acrea to wash them for me? And make sure it's hand- washed." She had a charming look, and her face really reminded Theodore of the one he loved most. That's why she'd been his favorite for so long. Theodore even brought her along to business meetings while totally ignoring Katherine, his actual fiancée. When they went on vacation, he made Katherine their driver and fetch condoms for him. He'd even have her wait out- side while they had sex. But now, as he lit up a cigarette, there was an impatient glint in his eyes. "You're asking for way too much. Let's just end this." The mistress was stunned. "Mr. Bagnall..." "Take this 850,000 dollars and get out, or just vanish from New York." Theodore's voice was icy cold. He had a reputation in business for being ruthless and brutal. Anyone who crossed him never ended up well. Just one look from him made the mistress so scared that she started shaking. She quickly threw on her clothes and rushed off. 0.0 % 09:42 Chapter 288 ¡Vouchers Only then did Theodore turn to Katherine. "Didn't you hear? The clothes." Katherine's voice was rough. "I'm on my period. I can't deal with cold water." Theodore let out a bitter laugh, grabbed the fancy custom suit worth over a hundred thousand dollars that she was holding, and tossed it straight into the trash can. Katherine could tell what he was upset about. He just went through a heart surgery, so his body was really fragile. Katherine had been super strict with him and wouldn't even let anyone smoke around him. But today, she not only turned him down but also ignored his smoking. Katherine used to step in because she wanted her lover's heart to stick around a bit longer with her. But now, what did it have to do with her? As they drove away from the resort, Theodore was giving off some cold vibes, and Katherine didn't feel like talking either. About halfway through the drive, Theodore suddenly said, "When we get back today, let's head straight to get the marriage certificate." Katherine was taken aback and instinctively replied, "No, I..." Just then, a ringtone sliced through the silence. Theodore gestured for Katherine to take his call. The moment she answered, his assistant's worried voice came through. "Mr. Bagnall! It's urgent! Ms. Danford's hus- band cheated on her and even hit her." The car slammed to a stop out of nowhere. Katherine's head bumped against the headrest, making her ears ring like crazy. Before she could shake it off, Theodore's icy voice cut in next to her. "Get out of the car." Katherine was stunned. "But we're on a mountain..." "Don't make me say it again." Theodore was clearly in a rush. Katherine didn't want to push his buttons, so she reluctantly got out of the car. But before she could even get her balance, Theodore sped off, sending her tumbling to the ground. Gravel dug into her palms and knees, making her gasp at the sting. Katherine was stranded halfway up the mountain-no houses, no bus stops nearby, and the next sightseeing bus wouldn't arrive until the following day. She had no choice but to kick off her high heels and start walking down the mountain. By the time she finally caught a bus, she realized there were painful blisters filled with blood forming on the soles of her feet. 28.0 % 09:40 Chapter 1 288 Vouchers Exhausted, she dozed off. The worried face of her late lover flashed in front of her eyes, and tears started rolling. down her checks. Katherine's parents, who were in an arranged marriage, split up right after she was born. Neglected since birth, she grew up in the care of servants and bodyguards. When she turned ten, Maverick Acherley-who was five years older than her-came into her life as her personal bodyguard. He treated her incredibly well, spoiling her so much that she even became afraid of the tiniest bit of pain. Once they both reached the legal age, they got their marriage certificate and started planning a wedding abroad to spend their lives together. By the time he truly fell for her, Isabelle had already decided to move abroad and marry someone else. On the day Isabelle got married, Theodore ended up drinking way too much all day long. This caused his health to take a serious turn for the worse, and he had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment where he got a heart transplant. And on that same day, Katherine lost her one true love. Three months later, Theodore had recovered and was finally out of the hospital. He agreed to marry Katherine. But he made it clear. "The only person I love in this life is Isabelle. Marrying you is just for the sake of cooperation." Katherine accepted that. Afterward, Theodore started looking everywhere for someone who could take Isabelle's place. But Katherine didn't mind at all. No matter how much he humiliated her, she stuck by him. When Theodore was busy with his business, she spent two weeks working late every night handling his company matters, pushing herself through illness until she could barely stand. When Theodore wasn't feeling well, she knelt in church and prayed tirelessly for him. And when one of Theodore's business partners loved extreme sports, Katherine went bungee jumping nine times in a 60.0 % 09:42 288 Vouchers row. She came back down and threw up blood. But, she got him that important order. Still, none of it ever touched his heart. But Katherine didn't care about any of that because all she wanted was his heart. Now though, she planned to leave this place forever. She would settle in the city where Maverick fell off the cliff and spend her life searching for any sign of him. 94.7 % 09:42