Sandra had always been Elijah’s first love—a fact whispered among their social circles. The James family had never approved of Sandra, deeming her modest background unworthy.
Forced apart by family pressure, it was Sandra who had ended their relationship, but the past, it seemed, was not so easily forgotten.
Elijah had worked tirelessly to ascend to the head of the James family, fueled by the dream of reuniting with Sandra.
Yet, upon achieving his goal, he discovered that Sandra had already chosen someone else.
In defiance of his family—and perhaps out of spite—Elijah turned to Elizabeth, a woman of equally modest means, to become Mrs. James and thwart his relatives’ matchmaking attempts.
At the time, Elizabeth had been under immense pressure from her father, Oliver, who was urging her to marry a notorious playboy, the son of a business associate, to fund her grandmother’s steep medical expenses.
Motivated by their individual struggles, both Elijah and Elizabeth agreed to a marriage of convenience.
Originally intended to last one year, their arrangement stretched far beyond its term, built on a silent understanding between them.
Over time, Elizabeth allowed herself to believe in the authenticity of their union, never imagining it was merely a charade upheld by her own hopes.
But only moments ago, a fire had nearly claimed her life. In that pivotal moment, she had reached out to Elijah, only to be ignored twice while he remained with Sandra.
This brutal truth shattered Elizabeth’s illusions, revealing that her belief in their evolving bond had been a fragile facade, sustained by her own desires.
Elizabeth was not even a fleeting replacement but merely a tool in Elijah’s calculated defiance of his family.
