Beneath the Sea of Love

I dated him for five years. Only on the night he proposed did I discover he was the heir to a vast fortune.

The next day, his grandfather shoved a check into my hand. Take the money and disappear, or I'll cut off your brother's medication!

I was forced to leave. Four years later, he came into power. The first thing he did was divorce, search the world for me, and beg me tearfully to come back.

I thought this was a story of deep love, until I discovered he used my brother's ventilator to save the son he had with his ex-wife.

My brother died.

I wiped away my tears, turned around, and took his sworn enemy's arm. "Tristan Ashford, let's get married."

Wendy POV

I dated Lucas Sterling for five years. Only when he pulled out an astronomically expensive engagement ring did I learn he was the heir to the renowned Sterling Group.

That same night, Lucas's grandfather came to my door personally and threatened me with a check.

"The Sterling family will never allow someone of your background through our doors. I've already found a suitable marriage match for Lucas. You'd better be smart. Take the money and disappear, or I'll have the hospital cut off your comatose brother's medication!"

When I was forced to leave with the check, Lucas tried desperately to stop me, but his grandfather had him forcibly dragged back and married off.

Four years passed. Lucas's grandfather died of a sudden heart attack, and Lucas became the family's most powerful figure.

The first thing he did was resolutely divorce his arranged wife, mobilize all his connections, and search the entire world for me.

On the day we reunited after so long, this man who never showed his emotions had red-rimmed eyes.

"Wendy..."

He held me tightly, his voice hoarse beyond recognition.

"I didn't have the power to keep you before, but things are different now. Come home with me."

After we reconciled, he seemed determined to make up for all four lost years.

He not only arranged for my comatose brother to stay in the city's best private hospital, but also transferred half of his shares in Sterling Group to me.

He gave me the grandest wedding and wanted to stick to me twenty-four hours a day, frequently taking me to various high society social events.

He said,

"I want everyone to know that you, Wendy Clarke, are my wife, the only woman I'll ever love in this lifetime."

In our second year of marriage, I got pregnant.

I held the test results, wanting to surprise him, but at the private club he frequently visited, through the deafening music from the private room, I heard familiar laughter.

"Lucas, didn't you say you couldn't stand that spoiled and willful Miss Sinclair? Said if it weren't for her, you and Wendy wouldn't have been forced apart all those years ago? You finally outlasted your grandfather, divorced Melody Sinclair as you wished, and got Wendy back. So how come you've been getting all cozy with Melody on the side?"

My footsteps halted, my body freezing in place.

Melody Sinclair... Lucas's ex-wife from the arranged marriage?

Amid the crisp sound of clinking glasses, Lucas's voice came through, tinged with laughter and alcohol.

"Annoying? Sure. But Melody's wild enough, exciting enough, like a rose with thorns. Wendy, on the other hand... her personality is just too gentle and quiet. Gets a bit boring after a while."

"Oh? So Melody's more your type?"

"I heard last week you dropped fifty million dollars at an auction just to get her a necklace?"

"I also heard that when Wendy was hospitalized with a fever, you said you were going to Europe for an acquisition deal, but someone saw you on Melody's yacht for a full seven days. Is that true?"

"Those seven days alone together on the yacht. You and Melody must have had quite the spectacular time, huh?"

Hearing this, I felt like ice water had been poured down my spine.

I remembered that time when I was hospitalized with a high fever and Lucas had to go on a business trip, but he sent me caring messages almost every day at set times.

So his so-called business trip was actually seven spectacular days on a yacht with another woman?

I desperately hoped to hear him deny it.

But instead I heard Lucas say lazily,

"Don't go spreading these things around. I don't want Wendy finding out and making a scene. I finally got her back. I don't want to lose her again."

"Got it. Melody's got a fiery temperament, you just want to change things up occasionally, but the one at home is your true love. We all understand, we definitely won't spread it around."

Someone probed,

"But what if Wendy finds out? Aren't you afraid she'll divorce you?"

After a brief silence, Lucas said with casual certainty,

"Her comatose brother is still lying in the private hospital I arranged. Even if she finds out, she'll make a fuss at most. She won't dare actually divorce me."

"True! Without you, who'd take care of that burden of a brother? With her comatose brother as leverage, no matter what happens, a nobody Cinderella like her is completely at your mercy."

Amid the roar of laughter, I felt a chill race from my feet to my scalp.

The ultrasound printout in my hand suddenly felt scorching hot.

I wanted to burst in and furiously demand why Lucas was still entangled with Melody after their divorce.

But my legs refused to move.

What was there to demand? Wasn't the answer perfectly clear?

Because I was too gentle and quiet, making me boring to him, while Melody was wild enough, exciting enough. Like a rose with thorns, perfectly suited to his taste.

He even had my psychology completely figured out, not the least bit worried I'd divorce him after learning the truth.

After all, my brother was the last family I had left in this world.

Wendy POV

In the end, I withdrew my hand from the door handle and stumbled out of the club.

A wave of nausea hit me. I couldn't help crouching by the roadside and dry heaving as tears spilled from my eyes.

My mind couldn't help replaying that day after four years apart when Lucas found me at any cost.

He held me tightly, begging me over and over to come back with him.

He said, "These four years without you, I've lived a fate worse than death."

He said, "I was forced by my grandfather into that arranged marriage with the Sinclair family. Melody and I were just going through the motions. There were no feelings. Now she and I have nothing to do with each other."

He also said,

"The person I love, from beginning to end, has been you. The Mrs. Sterling I want has only ever been you."

I believed him, so I softened and went back with him.

But it turned out he was coaxing me while getting cozy with Melody on the side?

This was the man who said life without me was worse than death?

This was his love?

Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I pulled it out and saw a message from Lucas.

"Darling, there's an urgent project I need to handle out of town. Be good and wait for me to come back. Remember to miss me."

After the message was a transfer of a hundred thousand dollars.

Looking at it, I couldn't help recalling every word from that private room. A sharp pain shot through my heart, along with icy mockery.

I immediately opened my contacts and dialed a number with no name saved.

"You contacted me before wanting to buy my Sterling Group shares at a premium. Is that offer still good?"

The male voice on the phone said teasingly,

"But didn't you refuse before?"

"I've thought it through now. I want to make this deal with you, but I don't want money."

"Oh? Then what do you want?"

I pressed my lips together.

"I want you to help me contact the best private hospital abroad, secretly transfer my brother out of the country, and help me prepare a completely new identity so Lucas can never find us."

The man on the other end seemed to understand something and asked curiously,

"Didn't I hear Lucas loves you so much he can't live without you? Are you really willing to leave him?"

Latching onto a big tree?

But I never wanted to latch onto Lucas or climb any social ladder.

Back then, Lucas fell for me at first sight and pursued me intensely. I agreed to be with him and dated him for five years without knowing he was the famous Sterling heir.

It wasn't until four years ago when Lucas finally revealed his true identity and his grandfather came to humiliate and threaten me that I realized the chasm between Lucas and me.

If Lucas hadn't been so sincere and earnest when he found me again, making me believe he truly couldn't live without me and loved me deeply, I never would have been moved enough to return to his side.

I gripped my phone.

"That's my business, nothing to do with you. Just tell me, are you making this deal or not?"

"Fine. Deal."

I was straightforward, and so was he.

"But I'm not in the country right now. It'll take time to arrange secretly transferring your brother abroad. Two weeks at most. Wait for my message."

I agreed and ended the call. The shock from earlier left my mind in a haze.

Going down the stairs, I missed a step and fell heavily to the ground.

Blood immediately pooled beneath me.

In the hospital operating room.

The doctor sighed at me.

"Miss Clarke, I'm very sorry. We couldn't save your baby."

I lay on the operating table, touching my now-flat abdomen.

I remembered just yesterday when I first learned I was pregnant, full of joy, eager to share the good news with Lucas.

But now I was lying here.

Tears streamed down my face.

"I understand."

I didn't want a man who wasn't faithful in relationships.

And this child that belonged to them wasn't meant to be born.

After the surgery, I woke from the anesthesia.

Supporting myself against the wall as I walked down the hospital corridor, I suddenly heard a passing nurse say,

"People nowadays really don't know when to stop. Actually ruptured a corpus luteum because sex was too rough and bled..."

"Who?"

"Who else? That Miss Sinclair in the VIP ward who was just brought to the hospital. But the one who came to the hospital with her... seems to be Mr. Sterling?"

Miss Sinclair? Mr. Sterling?

I froze in place, thinking it might just be a coincidence.

However, the moment I turned and looked up, my eyes met Lucas's as he stood at the other end of the corridor talking on his phone.

Wendy POV

The second our eyes met, surprise flashed in Lucas's gaze.

He immediately cut off the call, shoved his phone into his suit pocket, and strode quickly toward me.

"Wendy? What are you doing at the hospital?"

"I wasn't feeling well, came for a checkup."

My gaze fixed on his face.

"What about you? Why are you at the hospital?"

A flash of guilt passed through Lucas's eyes, too quick to catch.

Then he smiled naturally.

"Brought a friend over."

"A friend?"

I looked toward the VIP ward area behind him.

"Really just brought a friend to the hospital?"

Lucas's expression didn't change. He even showed a hint of helpless amusement.

"What else? Who do you think it is? Just an ordinary friend. Don't overthink it."

I looked at him. After knowing him all these years, I only now discovered how seamlessly he could lie.

Lucas turned to show concern.

"Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well? Are you done with the checkup? What did the doctor say? Is it serious?"

I lowered my eyes.

"Just a small issue. Already taken care of."

"That's good."

Lucas seemed relieved. He glanced at my face.

"Since you're done, let me take you home to rest. You look so pale. You shouldn't have come to the hospital alone."

I said with hidden mockery,

"Don't you need to stay with your friend?"

"No need. I already called someone else to keep her company."

He stepped forward and supported my arm.

"Let's go. Let's go home."

So I didn't refuse, letting him support me superficially as we left the hospital and got the car.

On the road, halfway through the drive, an abrupt phone ringtone broke the silence.

Lucas glanced at the caller ID, then reflexively looked at me.

I had my eyes closed, resting.

Lucas didn't hesitate and hung up directly.

The ringing stopped abruptly.

The car interior returned to quiet. Lucas explained casually,

"Unknown number. Probably a telemarketer."

I kept my eyes closed, showing no reaction. Only my fingers resting on my knees curled slightly.

The car pulled into the villa's garage.

Lucas came around and opened the door for me. Seeing me move slowly as I got out, he scooped me up in his arms.

I instinctively tried to break free.

"I can walk on my own."

"Don't be stubborn."

Lucas carried me toward the house, his brows furrowed.

"Your face is this pale. What exactly did the checkup find? Where's the medicine the doctor prescribed?"

I said darkly,

"Just a small issue. It's nothing now."

If he knew that at the same time he and Melody were sent to the hospital, I had terminated their child, what would he feel?

Lucas looked down at me, as if trying to read something on my face.

But I had already closed my eyes.

He ultimately didn't press further and carried me straight upstairs to the bedroom, gently laying me on the bed and pulling the covers over me.

"Rest well."

He leaned down, seemingly wanting to kiss my forehead.

I turned my head away.

Lucas's movement froze, but he quickly straightened up, his tone unchanged.

"I'll have the housekeeper bring dinner up. I still have some things at the company. I'll come back later to keep you company."

He turned and left, gently closing the door behind him.

The bedroom fell completely silent.

I opened my eyes. A dull ache came from my lower abdomen, but it was nothing compared to the tearing pain in my chest.

Then I pulled out my phone and finally made up my mind to contact a divorce lawyer.

After resting at the villa for two days, I went out to get the divorce papers, then headed to Sterling Group.

The receptionist and secretaries all recognized me. I made it all the way to the CEO's office door without obstruction and knocked.

Lucas was sitting behind his desk. Looking up and seeing it was me, his face immediately lit up with a smile as he rose to greet me.

"Wendy? What brings you here?"

He took my hand and led me to the lounge area.

I handed him the document.

"There's something I need you to sign."

Lucas glanced at the ordinary document envelope and raised an eyebrow.

"What's this? A property contract, or do you want to buy some jewelry?"

I was thinking about what excuse to use to get him to sign when the office door was suddenly pushed open.

"Mr. Sterling! Something's wrong!"

His assistant Sam rushed in breathlessly.

"Miss Sinclair didn't make an appointment and came straight up! We couldn't stop her. She's already at the elevators!"

Wendy POV

Before Sam finished speaking, Lucas's brows furrowed tightly.

He didn't even look at what document I was trying to hand him. He grabbed his pen and scrawled his signature with a few quick strokes.

"Wendy, wait for me in the office."

After shoving the document back into my hands, Lucas said with barely concealed urgency,

"I need to handle something outside. I'll be right back."

With that, he strode toward the door. Passing by me, he even bumped my shoulder without noticing.

The impact made me stagger two steps to the side, my waist hitting hard against the corner of the desk.

Immediately, sharp pain shot through my waist.

I let out a muffled groan, cold sweat beading on my forehead.

Lucas seemed completely oblivious. He didn't even turn his head.

The moment he pulled open the office door, a bold, bright female voice full of anger came crashing down.

"Lucas Sterling! What's your problem? You put me in that condition and sent me to the hospital, then just left me there alone without a word? You don't answer calls, don't reply to messages. Do you think I'm that easy to brush off?!"

In the doorway, Melody wore a haute couture dress from the current season, her makeup flawless, but her anger made her features especially vivid and sharp.

She tried to rush in regardless, but Lucas extended his arm to firmly block her outside.

Lucas's face was dark as he warned in a low voice,

"Melody, what are you trying to pull? This isn't a place you should be. Leave. Now."

Blocked by him, Melody stood on her toes to see me standing inside the office.

She paused, then seemed to understand something. Her red lips curved into a mocking, knowing arc.

"Oh..."

She drew out the syllable, her gaze moving between Lucas's tense face and me, saying sarcastically,

"I see why you won't let me in. The current Mrs. Sterling is here."

"Shut up! Get out now!"

But Melody wouldn't comply. Instead, she raised her chin.

"Lucas, you're something else. Got yourself a new wife, so you don't care if the old one lives or dies. But what about Liam? You don't plan to care about him either? He keeps asking for his daddy!"

The word "daddy" hit me like a thunderbolt.

The pain in my waist immediately forgotten, I jerked my head up to look at the man whose back had gone rigid.

"Who's Liam?"

Satisfaction flashed across Melody's face. She was about to speak.

"Melody!"

Lucas suddenly erupted with a low roar.

"You'd better stop while you're ahead. Don't spout nonsense here!"

"What nonsense am I spouting? What I said is clearly..."

"Get out!"

Cutting her off, his face looked terrifyingly dark. He gave Melody no more chance to speak, grabbing her wrist in one motion.

"Wendy, just wait in the office. Don't go anywhere! When I get back, I'll explain everything to you!"

After tossing out that line, Lucas forcibly dragged Melody away, leaving me alone.

Liam... clearly a child's name.

Lucas and Melody have a child?

My body and mind trembled. I could hardly believe this reality.

Lucas never told me he and Melody had a child.

I stayed in the office, waiting for a very long time.

But an entire day passed, and Lucas never returned.

He didn't even send a single message or make a single call.

I pulled at the corners of my mouth, wanting to laugh. Waiting here like this, I really was an idiot.

Just as idiotic as when I believed how much this man loved me and agreed to return to his side.

Then I stopped waiting and quietly left the CEO's office.

I went to the law office, handed the lawyer the divorce papers Lucas had signed, and asked the lawyer to process everything as quickly as possible. Only then did I take a car back to the villa.

Lucas didn't return until late at night.

He'd just taken off his suit jacket and hadn't had time to hang it up when he spotted me sitting quietly on the living room sofa.

"Wendy?"

His movements paused as he walked closer.

"Why aren't you asleep? What are you doing sitting here? Were you waiting for me?"

Sitting beside me, he reached to put his arm around my shoulders.

"Sorry, a project had some issues this afternoon that I had to handle. When I got back to the office, Sam told me you'd already left."

Before he could touch me, I shifted away slightly.

This subtle movement left Lucas's arm frozen in mid-air.

"Lucas."

I slowly turned my head to look at him.

"Don't you have something you should explain to me?"

"Like who Liam is? He's your and Melody's child, isn't he?"

Wendy POV

An eerie silence spread through the space, seemingly lasting an entire century.

Lucas's Adam's apple bobbed.

Finally, he slowly forced out a single word.

"...Yes."

Though I'd already guessed, hearing him admit it in this moment still felt like an invisible hand viciously squeezing my heart. Suffocating pain instantly swept through my entire body.

The crisp sound of a slap suddenly echoed through the living room.

Lucas's face turned to the side, a clear handprint quickly appearing on his cheek.

"Why?"

Extreme anger and absurdity made my voice shake terribly.

"Lucas, tell me why? You and Melody have a child, but you never mentioned it to me.Not one word! What do you take me for? A complete and utter fool?!"

Lucas frantically grabbed my wrists.

"Wendy, listen to me! I didn't mean to hide it from you! I... I was just too afraid that if you knew about this, you couldn't accept it and would leave me!"

He looked at me, a pained redness showing in his eyes.

"I lost you once. I've tasted what that's like. I never want to go through it a second time. That's why I chose to hide it!"

Love?

Hearing that word, I almost laughed out loud.

His love was built on deception and concealment?

His love meant using my brother as leverage while getting cozy with his ex-wife on the side?

My eyes reddened.

"Didn't you say you and Melody were just going through the motions? Then how did this child come about?"

Avoiding my sharp gaze, Lucas's brows furrowed tightly.

"It was during a business dinner. Someone slipped something into my drink... Melody happened to be there too. When I woke up, it had already happened."

"Grandfather was still alive then. He wouldn't allow Sterling family blood to be terminated. I had no choice."

He paused, then gripped my hand with restless anxiety.

"But Wendy, believe me, it really was just an accident! Melody's been raising that child at the Sinclair house all along. Whether they exist or not doesn't affect our relationship or marriage!"

His sincere, urgent defense. If this were before, I might have actually believed his explanation.

I suddenly felt a deep exhaustion surge up, engulfing my entire body. It turned out that when heartache and disappointment reached their extreme, the heart would actually calm down.

Whether what he said was true or false, what was the point of arguing about it now?

After all, we'd be divorcing soon. He and I would have nothing to do with each other anymore.

Seeing me slowly close my eyes, Lucas took my silence as a sign of softening.

He quickly pulled out a deep blue velvet jewelry box from his inner suit pocket.

Inside was a rare pink diamond that shimmered brilliantly under the lights, displaying its considerable value.

"Wendy, look. I specially prepared this for you."

He took out the necklace and put it on me, his tone ingratiating.

"I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have hidden things from you. Forgive me, okay? I promise I'll never hide anything from you again."

The cool touch of the pink diamond against my skin made me wonder.

Would every time he did something wrong in the future, he'd just throw money or something expensive at me to smooth things over?

But clearly, during those five years we were together before, he wasn't like this.

Back then, he never made me angry, never hid things... No, the Lucas of that time did hide things from me too. He hid the fact that he was the Sterling heir.

Perhaps after knowing him all these years, I never truly understood him.

Over the next few days, Lucas was unusually attentive.

He pushed aside many unnecessary social engagements, came home on time to have dinner with me, tried everything to make me happy, begging me not to dwell on those matters.

I said nothing, only grew increasingly silent.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the Sterling family's quarterly banquet.

At this kind of occasion, whether willing or not, Lucas had to attend, and as the current Mrs. Sterling, I naturally had to as well.

Sterling Manor.

Lucas and I had just arrived when suddenly, a young boy's clear, cheerful voice came from the entrance.

"Daddy!"

My fingers trembled. I slowly turned around.

I saw Melody wearing an eye-catching red gown, her makeup radiant, holding the hand of a little boy as they walked in.

Wendy POV

Seeing the mother and son, Lucas strode over with sharp steps.

"What are you doing bringing the child to the Sterling house?"

"Liam is a Sterling."

Melody raised her chin, her red lips curving into a provocative smile.

"The Sterling family has a banquet every three months. There's no reason we shouldn't attend, is there?"

As she spoke, her fingers traced up Lucas's chest, the movement suggestive.

Leaning close to his ear, she lowered her volume.

"You talk about caring so much about her, but a few days ago when you had me pinned on the bed, I didn't see you hesitate. Now in front of her, you don't even dare acknowledge us?"

Lucas's Adam's apple bobbed, the lines of his profile taut with tension.

He grabbed Melody's wrist, his gaze sharp with warning.

"Don't make trouble."

Melody laughed lightly, as if she'd heard something amusing.

She stopped paying attention to Lucas and led the child straight toward the Sterling family members.

"I brought Liam to see you all. Liam, say hello to Grandpa and Grandma."

The little boy called out obediently.

"Oh my, it's Liam! Haven't seen you in months and you've grown so much!"

Lucas's mother beamed, reaching out to pull the child close and examine him carefully.

"Look at those features. Just like Lucas when he was little!"

Though Lucas's father said nothing, his gaze on the child held a measure of warmth.

"Melody, it's been a while since you came by."

Lucas's mother then warmly took Melody's hand.

"Still so beautiful and elegant. Unlike some people..."

She then glanced at me standing to the side, her meaning pointed.

"Some people, even if they squeeze into this circle, ultimately don't belong to it."

"Exactly. Melody is a proper Sinclair heiress, not like those from ordinary families who, even dressed in gold and jewels, can't hide that petit bourgeois air."

The people around chimed in, their expressions showing unconcealed contempt.

My fingers at my sides curled slightly.

"Enough."

Lucas's voice was cold and heavy as he cut them off with displeasure.

He walked to my side and tried to take my hand, his face full of apology.

"Wendy, I didn't know she'd bring the child. Otherwise I..."

"Daddy!"

Before he could finish, a small figure suddenly ran over and tugged at his sleeve.

Liam looked up at him expectantly.

"Will you come play with me in the garden?"

Lucas hesitated, looking at me. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something.

I spoke up.

"Go ahead."

"But you..."

"I'm fine. You don't need to stay with me."

"Wendy, thank you."

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes showing gratitude.

"I knew it. You're the most understanding person. I'll come find you as soon as I'm done with him."

Watching Lucas walk away holding the child's hand, I mocked silently in my heart.

Understanding?

I wasn't being understanding.

I just didn't care. I wasn't in love anymore.

This banquet lasted from afternoon into evening. Lucas was occupied with the child's games and play. The rest of the Sterling family practically revolved around Melody. The vast manor filled with warm laughter and cheer.

Only I was like a ghost, ignored from beginning to end.

To this, my heart remained utterly indifferent.

I even felt like laughing.

I knew what Melody wanted to demonstrate by bringing the child today.

But what she didn't know was that to me, this banquet was nothing more than a perfunctory show before leaving, one that wouldn't alert Lucas.

Before the banquet ended, knowing full well the entire Sterling family disliked me, I went to the upstairs balcony for some peace and quiet.Suddenly, an angry boy's voice came from behind me.

"Bad woman!"

I froze, then turned around to see Liam glaring at me with hatred.

I frowned with displeasure.

"Why are you calling me a bad woman?"

"Because you broke up my daddy and mommy! My mommy said it's because of you that Daddy can't live with us! You're a bad person!"

I broke them up?

But clearly I was the one who'd been deceived, lied to, and even cheated on during marriage.

I wanted to argue my case, but the words reached my lips before I reconsidered. What was the point of arguing with a child?

Even if I explained, this child wouldn't necessarily understand.

So I swallowed my words, stopped looking at Liam, and planned to walk past him and leave.

However, just as I reached the staircase preparing to go down, someone shoved me hard from behind.

"Bad woman, go die!"

I had no defense. I lost my balance completely and tumbled down the spiral staircase.