Drowned Marriage

While participating in a reality show, my sister and I both fell into the water.

Without hesitation, my husband Holt jumped in and rescued my sister.

He held her with such concern and urgency, walking away without looking back.

I was left behind, nearly sinking to the bottom of the lake before the crew finally pulled me ashore.

The next day, when I handed Holt the divorce papers, he scowled at me. "Lily can't swim, that's why I saved her first. Are you really going to be jealous over this?"

I looked calmly into his eyes. "Yes. Sign it."

Holt and I quietly finalized our divorce.

Holt kept his brows furrowed, but at this point, he could no longer stir any emotion in me.

He stuffed the certificate into his pocket. "I'll drive you home."

I shook my head. "No need."

Holt seemed displeased with my attitude. "Genesis, there's no need to be like this. No matter what, we were together for three years. Divorce doesn't mean we have to be strangers forever."

I was momentarily shocked. I could hardly believe those words came from Holt's mouth. After all, now that Lily had returned, he should be thrilled that I was being so sensible and making room for them.

"Mr. Pierce, to me, divorce means divorce. We're not family, and we certainly can't be friends."

"You---"

"Besides, we don't have children. There's no need to stay in contact."

My words infuriated Holt. He turned and left.

I watched his retreating figure and sighed helplessly.

But when I thought about my bank account balance, those unhappy feelings vanished in an instant.

Although I was the second daughter of the Shaw family, I never received any money from them. Instead, the divorce had made me a small fortune.

There was no way I could get half of Pierce Holdings, so when I had the lawyer draft the divorce agreement, I only asked for twenty million dollars.

Holt agreed, and he also gave me two luxury homes---one in New York and one in Los Angeles---along with three other properties and six commercial apartments in prime locations.

This was enough to keep me comfortable for the rest of my life.

Looking at those cold numbers, I suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

How wonderful. I could finally start living for myself.

After the divorce, in just one day, I moved into a downtown penthouse.

Having it under my name gave me an unprecedented sense of security.

I thought leaving Holt would leave me in pain and despair. After all, during our three-year marriage, I had loved him.

But unexpectedly, that night I slept exceptionally well. The long-absent relaxation let me sleep until noon the next day.

Holt and I had a business marriage arranged by our grandfathers, who were war buddies.

But originally, this marriage was meant for Lily. The reason was simple---she was the rose the Shaw family had cultivated for eighteen years.

And I was the Shaw family's biological daughter who had been switched at birth.

Someone like me could never have met a privileged heir like Holt, let alone fallen in love with him.

Until I turned eighteen, when Mr. and Mrs. Shaw found me, tearfully explaining that I was their biological daughter, and that a nurse's mistake all those years ago had caused our separation.

At that time, I was living in an orphanage. When I saw them arrive in their luxury car, I thought my future would be easier---at least I wouldn't have to collect trash to earn money for school fees. The orphanage was poor, and not every child could afford to go to school.

But I didn't receive the guilt and compensation I expected from them. Only cold treatment. I thought, as long as I could go to school, that would be enough.

They said Lily's parents had both passed away, so they wouldn't send her away. But their daily treatment of us was vastly different.

I wasn't like a daughter of the family at all. I was more like the maid's daughter.

It wasn't until Mrs. Shaw told me to enter into a business marriage that I learned the handsome young man Lily had always followed had been in a serious car accident. They said his leg would never fully heal, and he would limp for the rest of his life.

Lily cried and screamed that she would never marry a cripple.

So this mission fell to me.

I could have refused. But when I thought about that face, so handsome in the sunlight, which I hadn't seen in a year, I inexplicably agreed.

I was twenty years old that year, about to start my sophomore year. They had me take a leave of absence from school, and I got married at a young age.

When I went to see him, he flew into a rage, smashing a vase at my feet and shouting for Lily to come.

But Lily had already gone abroad to study with the black card they gave her.

The Shaw family's business depended on Pierce Holdings. Lily didn't want to marry a cripple, but they needed someone to stabilize the relationship between the Pierce and Shaw families, so they pushed me forward.

That was the first time Mrs. Shaw showed me any kindness. She cried about how difficult things were for the family, cried about how pitiful Lily was, cried about how Mr. Shaw's hair was already turning white.

I remained unmoved. I said, why say all this? If I wanted to marry him, it wasn't because of them---it was because of Holt himself.

During my freshman year, Holt was a senior---the famous campus heartthrob and big man on campus. The social media pages were filled with declarations of love for him, and countless daughters from prominent families tried to win his favor. But back then, the only person by his side was Lily.

Because of this, Lily became the object of everyone's admiration. She proudly talked about how special she was to Holt, how she occupied an unshakable place in his heart.

I appreciated good-looking people, but what I admired more was his academic achievement.

His obsession with and dedication to mathematics led him to publish many research papers. I'd read every one of them, and they'd even helped me solve several problems I'd been stuck on.

I was won over by his talent. Going from admiration to love wasn't difficult at all.

On our wedding day, Holt never smiled once, and I was so nervous I kept wiping the sweat from my hands.

I even nearly fell when Holt took my hand.

People around us laughed. I felt like something that didn't belong on stage. I vaguely heard people mention Lily, and Holt's face darkened even more.

I thought he must love Lily. Otherwise, how could he resent me so much?

In that instant, I regretted it---regretted my marriage, and regretted my secret crush.

That night, Holt was on top of me like he was venting his frustrations. But his leg wasn't very agile, and it hurt terribly, so I pushed him down, stopped him from moving, and sat on top of him instead, slowly taking him in. Before long, both our breathing grew heavy. Holt's face flushed red, and I lost myself in my own movements.

There wasn't much conflict in the Pierce household, and here I actually lived more freely than I had at the Shaw house.

I loved reading and still enjoyed delving into academic problems. Although I'd taken a leave of absence, I never stopped learning.

As for Holt, he went from not coming home for days at a time to eventually coming back on time every day.

Even when work was busy, he would send me messages telling me where he was.

I learned massage techniques from a physical therapist. I wondered if Holt's leg could slowly improve through massage.

Once I had the idea, I started doing it. The first time I shyly told Holt about my plan.

Later, I became skilled at massaging him. It took me half a year, and I even memorized all the pressure points on the human body.

Holt went from initially protesting to eventually accepting it, and even waited for me to massage him for half an hour every day. I felt like my hands were getting stronger.

Life was actually quite boring. So one time when I went to Pierce Holdings to deliver documents Holt had left at home, a short drama editor spotted me and asked if I wanted to try playing a supporting role in their series---a smart student character. They thought my temperament was perfect for it.

I inexplicably agreed, and Holt didn't object either.

What I didn't expect was that the short drama would become a huge hit, and even I, as a supporting character, gained my own fans.

I found it novel. I'd never imagined entering the entertainment industry, a place that had nothing to do with me.

Pierce Holdings had many business ventures, and Rainfall Entertainment was just one small piece. Holt said that as long as I didn't use the Pierce name externally, I could do whatever I wanted.

So gradually, I got an agent, Lisa, and also a young assistant. I took on several supporting roles in major productions---fourth, fifth, sixth female leads.

I became a minor actress. Sometimes scrolling through social media felt especially interesting.

I would lie in bed laughing as I read fan comments to Holt, one hand massaging his leg.

Without paying attention, I pressed on some spot, and Holt let out a muffled groan. Thinking I'd hurt him, I quickly dropped my phone to check, but Holt pushed me down onto the bed.

Kissing came naturally, and what followed was a natural progression. We became more and more in sync, both finding pleasure in it.

From that point on, our relationship progressed by leaps and bounds.

He would bring me the little cakes I loved, buy me clothes and jewelry, and occasionally take me to watch movies or walk by the lake.

We were like an ordinary married couple. And under my massage therapy, Holt's leg got better and better. Even the doctor said it was a miracle. Now when Holt walked, as long as he didn't go too fast, you couldn't tell he had ever limped at all.

In the third year of our marriage, Lily came back.

The day she returned, Holt unusually didn't cling to me.

And for the first time in three years, Mr. and Mrs. Shaw called, asking Holt and me to come home.

Lily had been gone for three years and had never come back once. During the one family gathering at New Year's, the Shaws had awkwardly said that Lily was busy with her studies.

Holt's face was cold, and he didn't speak. I didn't know what he was thinking. After all, since getting married, I, their biological daughter, had barely returned to the Shaw house either.

But the preferential treatment given to the Shaw family had never stopped flowing.

When Holt and I returned to the Shaw house, I saw a graceful young woman throw herself into Holt's arms like the wind.

I stood beside them watching. Holt didn't push her away.

The woman in his arms had matured considerably, but she still kept calling him by his first name, tears streaming down and soaking Holt's suit.

Watching this scene, my heart ached. I deeply regretted agreeing to return to the Shaw house.

Seeing me beside them, Lily straightened up. "I'm sorry, Genesis. I was just so happy. Holt, oh wait, should I call you by your name now?"

Holt's jaw tightened. He took my hand with a cold expression and led me to our seats.

Lily watched us with obvious shock.

That dinner was utterly frustrating. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Shaw asked how I'd been doing recently. Instead, they desperately tried to get Lily and Holt to talk, saying how much Lily had been thinking about Holt.

I suddenly felt like they were trying to push Lily onto him.

From that day on, Lily was like a fly, appearing around Holt and me constantly.

And Holt went from initial resistance to eventual acceptance---all in less than a month.

Lily wanted to enter the entertainment industry, so Holt had Rainfall Entertainment's top agent take her on.

Lily came and went from the Pierce Holdings building like she owned the place. Everyone assumed she was Mrs. Pierce. After all, I'd kept my identity hidden at Rainfall Entertainment---no one knew about my relationship with Holt.

But Lily was different. She would loudly call Holt and act cute on the phone, then take takeout to his office.

As for me, after Holt coldly dismissed me the first time I visited, I never went again. Everyone else assumed I was some D-list actress trying to climb into the CEO's bed.

Lily was pure and lovely, and with Holt's backing, she quickly became popular, with resources constantly flowing her way.

When Lisa asked if I knew Lily, I said I didn't. Lisa then started gossiping about Lily, saying she acted like a diva and used her relationship with the CEO to snatch whatever endorsements she wanted.

It wasn't until three of my endorsements were stolen that I realized Lily was targeting me.

As for Holt, since I'd entered this industry, he'd never given me any preferential treatment. When we ran into each other in the building, he'd act like he didn't see me.

Back then, I still hadn't thought about divorce. After all, I really did like Holt.

Until something happened that seemed small to him.

For the first time, I felt that Holt and I couldn't make it work.

It started with a popular outdoor reality show that had invited both Lily and me. The whole thing had been harmonious.

Lily played the lively, cheerful starlet, while I dutifully showed my strengths in the games.

That day, Holt unexpectedly came to visit the set. The directors around him all greeted him warmly.

That's when the accident happened. The wooden bridge by the lake was old and poorly maintained. When both Lily and I stepped onto it, it suddenly broke.

Both of us fell into the lake.

Chaos erupted around us. The crew members all started to jump in to save us.

But what no one expected was that Pierce Holdings' CEO Holt would be the first to jump into the lake.

I couldn't swim. When I saw Holt dive in, I thought he was coming to save me. After all, I was his wife, wasn't I?

But when I saw him grab Lily and start swimming toward the shore, my heart suddenly felt at peace.

I only had one thought: So after three years together, he doesn't love me.

Holt acted like he didn't even see that I'd fallen into the water too. He carried Lily to his car, so anxious, so distressed. As I sank to the bottom of the lake, all I could see was the car driving away.

By the time the crew members pulled me out, I'd already lost consciousness.

It was just that coincidental---everyone thought someone else would save me. But Holt's interruption made them forget about me entirely. When the assistant director shouted to save me, everyone suddenly remembered I existed.

I was rushed to the hospital. The show was suspended.

When I woke up, only my agent Lisa was by my side.

She was terrified, looking at me with red-rimmed eyes.

I moved my body. I didn't seem badly hurt.

"Lisa, I'm not dead."

"Don't say that! You scared me to death, Genesis. How could you be so unlucky? It's all because Mr. Pierce made such a big scene rescuing Lily that everyone forgot about you. Don't you feel terrible?"

"No."

My heart was very calm. I'd foolishly thought that Holt and I were husband and wife, that we were one unit. Reality had given me a harsh blow.

I thought, Holt and I---our fate ends here.

I was discharged that afternoon. I saw Holt supporting Lily, with Mr. and Mrs. Shaw following behind them.

They were smiling, like a happy family. Lily leaned weakly against Holt while Mrs. Shaw gently draped a jacket over her shoulders.

It was like they'd completely forgotten about me.