Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
After I proposed to my girlfriend, Samantha, for the nineteenth time, she finally agreed to marry me.
But on our wedding day, a man named Lucas Wright showed up at the venue. He was Samantha’s legal husband.
He tried to force me down onto my knees.
"I’m here to marry you on behalf of my wife," he sneered.
"Since you're so shameless that you crawled into her bed as a home-wrecker, I figured I’d give you the humiliation you deserve."
I stared in sheer disbelief at the official marriage certificate in Lucas’s hands.
Samantha had been married for years!
The entire banquet hall erupted into gasps. My adoptive parents, mortified by the scandal, slapped me across the face twice in front of everyone, screaming that I was a disgrace.
Samantha gently cupped my burning, swollen cheek. She offered no real explanation, only cold, casual placation:
"The Wright family saved my company. I can't divorce him.
"But besides a legal title, I can give you everything. I’ll even bear your child in the future. Just stop throwing a tantrum, okay?
"Julian, I truly want a home with you."
I looked at her, feeling utterly sickened.
Samantha, there will be no child, and there will never be a home.
I didn't utter a word. I shoved Samantha away, just wanting to escape into the dressing room to clear my head.
Before I could take three steps, someone stuck out a leg and tripped me.
I crashed violently to the floor. My knees slammed into the hard marble, sending a sharp, sickening pain shooting through my body.
I looked back. Lucas casually pulled his foot away, grinning with smug triumph.
"Leaving already?
"Your own parents just slapped you across the face and disowned you. Are you only now realizing how dirty your little secrets are? Running away to hide?"
I kept my head down, too humiliated to speak.
Lucas walked over to a catering cart, picked up a cup of scalding tea, and flicked his wrist. He dumped the entire cup right over my head.
"There. Now you're officially my wife’s little side piece."
I flinched as the heat burned my skin, soaking me to the bone.
My hair was a ruined mess. I felt like a drowned dog.
Samantha frowned and shot Lucas a cold glare, but she didn’t stop him, nor did she reprimand him.
She simply hurried over to help me up, but I recoiled from her touch.
Bracing myself against the floor, I forced myself to stand. Drenched in tea and shivering in my ruined tuxedo, I stumbled away.
Behind me, the venomous whispers of the guests cut deeper than any blade:
"Isn't that the boy the Millers adopted? Like father, like son—street trash will always be trash. He grew up just to be a homewrecking whore."
"Throwing a lavish wedding while sleeping with a married woman? Are side pieces really this arrogant these days?"
"He had it coming! If I were the lawful husband, I would've slashed his pretty little face. A grown man throwing away his dignity just to be a kept toy!"
...
Inside the dressing room, I stared blankly at my reflection in the mirror.
Drenched in tea, my face bruised and swollen, looking as pale as a corpse.
Just three hours ago, I was sitting in this exact chair, practically glowing with excitement over my future with Samantha.
And now?
I was branded a home-wrecker, publicly humiliated, and beaten by the parents who raised me.
The door creaked open.
Samantha stepped inside. Seeing the pain and despair drowning my eyes, a flicker of guilt crossed her face.
She reached out and pulled me into her arms.
"Julian, it’s fine. You still have me.
"I promise I’ll wire you three hundred thousand dollars every month. I’ll buy you your own private penthouse. As long as you stay out of Lucas’s sight from now on, I swear he won’t bother you."
I remained limp in her embrace, completely numb.
"Let's break up.
"I'm moving back into the Miller house. I don't ever want to see you again."
Samantha looked down at me, her brow furrowing tightly.
"Julian, do you really have to be this heartless?"
I ignored her question and tried to push out of her arms.
Samantha let go first. She pulled out her phone and shoved the screen in front of my face.
"You can't go back to the Millers.
"Your parents just issued a public statement severing all ties with you."
I froze.
Yet Samantha was still gazing at me with that mock tender look.
She wrapped her arms around my trembling body and gently wiped away the tears streaming down my face.
She whispered softly into my ear:
"Julian, you only have me now.
"Nobody else will ever want you."Samantha waited with infinite patience for me to stop crying.
Once my trembling slowed, she continued:
"Alright, dry your tears. I need to see the guests out. Go change out of that wet suit.
"I'll take you home in a bit."
I didn't answer. I just stared into empty space.
Assuming I had surrendered to my fate, Samantha kissed the crown of my head and turned to leave.
On the table, my phone suddenly vibrated.
I answered it. An old, raspy voice came through the speaker—one that had reached out to me before.
"Julian, it’s time to come back to the Sterlings.
"You always claimed that the debt of being raised outweighed blood ties, and you refused to acknowledge us. But deep down, you know exactly how the Millers have treated you all these years.
"You have to believe us. Your mother and I never sold you. You were stolen from us."
I went silent for a long time.
Until the tears overflowed again, I choked out through the receiver:
"If I call you Dad... will you help me?
"I'm not a home-wrecker. And I refuse to be one."
The voice on the other end cracked with emotion.
"Whether you call me Dad or not, I will always protect you.
"Julian, Daddy knows how much you’ve suffered. Don't be afraid. I’m flying back to New York tonight."
After hanging up, Samantha came back to fetch me.
When she pushed me into the back seat of the car, I realized Lucas was already sitting in the front passenger seat.
He leaned back and flashed a mock smile at me.
"Sorry about this. The guest rooms at my place aren’t ready, so I have to crash at your villa. But Samantha and I are legally married, which means that villa is marital property.
"I’m just staying under my own roof. You don't mind, do you?"
I didn't bother to engage with his pathetic taunts.
If it weren’t for a few personal belongings I needed to pack up, I wouldn’t set foot in that house ever again.
Seeing my silence, Lucas glared at me with malice.
Just as he opened his mouth to deliver another sneer, Samantha snapped:
"Lucas, that’s enough."
Lucas scoffed, rolling his eyes, and finally shut up.
When we arrived at the villa, the courtyard was a complete disaster. Several unfamiliar maids were violently tossing black garbage bags out the front door, scattering my belongings onto the dirty pavement.
I looked closer—those were all my things!
I was about to rush forward when a sharp pain shot through my wrist. Lucas gripped me tight.
"Relax, it’s all junk anyway. Good riddance.
"I had the maids clear out the master bedroom for me. They’re busy and don’t have time to clean the guest room. You can sleep in the basement staff quarters tonight."
I violently yanked my arm away.
Ignoring the dark bruise blooming on my wrist, I confronted the head maid:
"Where is my silver pendant? Where did you throw it?"
The maid rolled her eyes, pretending she didn't hear me, and kicked another box of my books into the mud.
With no other choice, I bent down and began frantically digging through the trash piles myself.
Samantha couldn't watch anymore.
She turned to Lucas, her expression dark.
"Didn't you cause enough of a scene at the wedding?
"Give Julian his things back right now!"
Seeing Samantha defend me, Lucas's temper flared.
He crossed his arms, his face twisting in disgust.
"Give it back to him? Samantha, are you seriously going to keep coddling this little parasite? If it weren’t for the fact that I’m sterile, do you think I’d tolerate this trash in my house?
"If you protect him one more time, I’ll have my mother pull every single cent of the Wright family’s investment from your company!"
Samantha fell silent.
She took a step toward me, intending to help me search.
Lucas grew even more furious, shouting at her back:
"Don't you dare! Do you want that funding or not?
"If he wants to root around in the garbage like a dog, let him!"
Samantha froze. She stood there, weighing the pros and cons in her head.
In the end, she couldn't give up the Wright family’s money.
As if she couldn't bear the sight, she turned around and walked inside.
Watching her retreating back, a hollow ache spread through my chest.
I swallowed my tears and kept digging through the trash.
I searched for hours until my lower back throbbed with agony, my fingertips sliced open by sharp cardboard and broken glass.
It wasn't until dusk settled over the city that Lucas strolled out, dangling a small silver locket in front of my face.
"Looking for this?"
It was my silver pendant—the only keepsake from my real mother!
I lunged for it, but Lucas snatched it out of reach.
His fingers squeezed down hard on the hollow metal, making it creak under the pressure.
"Don't even think about snatching it. This silver is old and soft. It’d be such a shame if I accidentally crushed it into scrap."
I glared at him, trembling with rage and the evening chill.
"What do you want?"
Lucas let out a satisfied, theatrical sigh.
"What could I possibly want? You're already living under our roof as the house pet. We’ll be seeing each other every day. Come inside and have dinner with us.
"Once dinner is over, I’ll give you your stupid trinket."At the dining table, Lucas had taken my usual seat.
He leaned heavily against Samantha, letting her hand-feed him while planting sloppy kisses along her neck.
Samantha didn't push him away; she played along obediently.
Lucas stared at me across the table with triumphant arrogance.
I remained dead silent.
I kept my eyes fixed on my plate, forcing down the cold leftovers.
The Sterlings had already messaged me. My father’s private jet would land shortly, and he was sending a security detail to pick me up tonight.
After a while, I looked up.
At the head of the table, the two of them were engaged in a messy, passionate kiss. The wet sounds churned my stomach, sending sharp, residual pangs through my heart.
I averted my gaze.
"I'm done eating.
"Give me my pendant."
Lucas parted his lips, panting lightly, and glanced down at my empty plate.
"You finished your food, sure.
"But you know you’re only kept here to provide Samantha with an heir. Out of the goodness of my heart, I had our personal doctor brew a special herbal tonic for you. It boosts vitality and fertility. Drink it all down, and I’ll give you your necklace."
As soon as he finished speaking, a maid brought out a porcelain bowl filled with a thick, pitch-black liquid.
A horrific stench wafted from it—a sickening mix of rancid bile and foul, putrid sewage.
Just a single whiff made my stomach heave violently, acid burning the back of my throat.
I knew instantly that this was toxic filth.
"Keep the necklace. I’m not drinking that."
Lucas’s face instantly darkened. He slammed his fork onto the table.
"You don't get a choice!"
On cue, two burly maids rushed forward from behind me, pinning my arms with brutal force. Their grip was so tight it felt like bone snapping. They were going to force-feed me.
I fought back wildly.
Samantha finally stood up, stepping between us.
"Lucas, what the hell are you doing?"
Seeing Samantha try to shield me, Lucas didn't get mad. Instead, a twisted, sinister smirk spread across his lips.
He tapped his fingers lazily against the mahogany table.
His eyes lingered on the foul black brew, struck by a delightfully sadistic idea.
He drawled softly:
"Actually, Samantha, why don't you pour it down his throat yourself?
"Don't worry, it's just medicine. I only had them mix in a generous amount of human feces. You know what that is, right?"
Lucas paused, letting out a venomous laugh.
"Literal human shit!"
"Ugh—!"
Hearing those words, I couldn't hold it back.
My stomach violently convulsed, dry-heaving in sheer horror. My entire body shook with disgust.
Samantha's pupils shrank.
"Are you insane?! How could you give Julian—"
"I'll add another one hundred million dollars to the investment!" Lucas cut her off, his eyes mocking her hesitation. "The moment that entire bowl goes down his throat, the Wright family transfers the funds."
Samantha froze.
Lucas arched an eyebrow, pressing his advantage:
"Make it one hundred and fifty million.
"Shove it down him. The colder it gets, the worse it’s going to taste."
Samantha’s throat bobbed. Her face turned pale, and she fell silent. She turned to look at me. There was a brief flicker of conflict in her eyes, but it was quickly snuffed out by pure greed.
She softened her tone, coaxing me like a pet:
"Julian, be good. Just drink it.
"This money... it really means everything to my company."
I thrashed frantically against the maids’ grip.
"No! Stay away from me! Samantha, don't do this!"
As Samantha took step after step toward me, bringing that vile, reeking bowl closer to my face, I completely broke down. My voice cracked in pure terror:
"Samantha, please! I'm begging you!
"I can't drink that! Please, don't! You want money, right? I'm an heir to the St—"
Before I could finish the name, Samantha’s fingers clamped violently onto my jaw.
My cheeks were already swollen and raw from the slaps my adoptive parents gave me earlier. Her brutal grip forced my mouth open as a scream caught in my throat.
Samantha seized that exact second and tipped the foul sludge straight into my mouth.
The overwhelming stench of rancid waste exploded across my tongue, filling my throat and nasal passages.
I choked violently, retching and gagging as the foul liquid surged into my airway, nearly suffocating me. Black filth mixed with my tears and snot, running down my face in ruined streaks.
Watching me writhe in absolute agony, Lucas clapped his hands in wild delight.
"Drink it!" he cheered. "Make the bastard swallow every single drop!"Only after the bowl was completely scraped clean did Samantha finally release her grip.
I collapsed onto the floor like a puppet with its strings severed.
I shoved my fingers down my throat, coughing and dry-heaving uncontrollably. My stomach felt like it was on fire, twisting into violent knots. I curled into a tight ball, my body convulsing in spasms.
Tears, vomit, and that vile black residue smeared all over my face. I was so broken that I didn't even have the strength to lift my head.
Samantha held a clean napkin in her hand.
Hesitating for a second, she bent down to wipe my face.
My whole body jerked back in horror, recoiling as if she were a plague, and I smacked her hand away with everything I had left.
"Don't touch me!"
I lifted my head, glaring at her with bloodshot eyes.
In that instant, pure, unadulterated hatred consumed me.
Samantha froze as if scorched by my gaze.
She watched, paralyzed, as I dragged myself across the floor and scrambled blindly into the nearest bathroom.
Listening to the sounds of violent, agonizing retching echoing from the tiles—as if I were trying to tear my own stomach out—Samantha stood rooted to the spot.
"Stop staring," Lucas sneered, rolling his eyes. "You just forced him to drink sewage.
"You really expect him to look at you with heart-eyes now? He's just a walking sperm donor. Throw him a few thousand bucks later and call it a day. The Millers are absolute nobodies; I don't give a damn about them.
"Besides, his own family threw him out on the street. He’s completely powerless. We can do whatever we want to him."
Samantha turned around, her face dark and stony.
"Don't forget the funding."
"Relax, you'll get your money."
Lucas smirked. Just as he opened his mouth to mock me further, his phone rang.
He checked the caller ID, and his expression shifted abruptly. He answered in a hurry, listened for a few seconds, and then yelled toward Samantha:
"Samantha! Stop!"
Samantha had been walking toward the bathroom door, drawn by my ragged coughing.
"Don't waste your time on that trash!" Lucas snapped.
"My mom just sent an urgent alert. Alexander Sterling—the head of the Sterling Empire—just flew into New York for an emergency gala! Word is, they finally found his long-lost son and heir, and he’s officially introducing him tonight! If you don't go to that bathroom, I can take you into the VIP inner circle right now.
"You know better than anyone what kind of powerhouse the Sterling Empire is."
Samantha’s footsteps halted. She turned slowly away from the bathroom door.
Then came the sound of their hurried footsteps fading out of the villa.
From inside the bathroom, I heard every single word.
The third time.
This was the third time Samantha had abandoned me without a second thought, trading my dignity for profit.
I lay curled on the cold bathroom tiles, gasping for air.
A few minutes later, the sharp screech of tires echoed outside the courtyard gates.
I knew my real family had arrived.
...
Inside the Manhattan grand ballroom, crystal chandeliers glittered over an ocean of elite guests.
The Millers were relegated to an obscure corner. Spotting Samantha and Lucas, they immediately rushed over, bowing and scraping like loyal dogs.
"Miss Vance, Mr. Wright! That insolent brat Julian is completely out of his mind. He should have known his place, served as a quiet boy toy, and given Miss Vance a child. Demanding a real wedding was sheer stupidity! Please know he didn't offend you on purpose, Mr. Wright!"
Lucas merely scoffed, treating the couple with total disdain.
Yet, when an obscure, distant cousin of the Sterling family walked past, Lucas and Samantha instantly wore the exact same groveling faces.
"Mr. Sterling, when the head of the family comes out, we were hoping you might introduce us.
"The Wright Group and Vance Enterprises would love to collaborate..."
The distant relative didn't even bother to hear them out.
He walked right past them, brushing them off like a pair of buzzing flies.
Lucas’s sycophantic smile froze on his face. Glancing at the distracted Samantha beside him, he hissed:
"Stop daydreaming about that loser.
"Who else can he rely on besides you? What, you think he's going to sprout wings and fly away?"
Samantha still didn't say a word.
The sheer hatred in my eyes seemed to have burned a hole straight through her soul.
Right then, the master of the Sterling Empire finally took the stage.
Samantha forced herself to snap out of it and pay attention.
Alexander Sterling walked up to the podium, his sharp, commanding gaze sweeping over the crowd of billionaires and titans of industry.
He raised the microphone and announced:
"Thank you all for joining me in celebrating this monumental evening. Many years ago, my infant son was stolen from my home by human traffickers. I tore this country apart searching for him. And finally, after decades, I have brought my boy home.
"Allow me to officially introduce my son and sole heir—"
"Julian Sterling!"
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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