Chapter 2

My family and the Maxwells had a generations-long feud, constantly tearing each other apart.

My parents had kept me so sheltered. That's why, even after Julian Maxwell's dramatic rescue -- and knowing exactly who he was -- I still fell hopelessly in love with him.

It was simply because I believed I'd find a love like my parents' -- one of unwavering devotion and support.

When my father found out, he furiously kicked me out of the house.

Julian took me in.

My mother, while looking for me, tragically died in a car accident.

Julian snatched my mother's body, claiming it was so I'd have something to remember her by. But after the cremation, he locked her ashes in a safe, using them to force me to stay by his side.

With nowhere to go and no skills to support myself, I became Julian's kept woman.

Every aspect of my life -- my clothes, food, shelter, and transportation -- required Julian's approval.

Meanwhile, my father, devastated by my mother's death, lost interest in work, and our family's fortunes dwindled daily.

I'd tried to go home and visit my father, but every request was denied.

He even assigned bodyguards to me around the clock to prevent me from leaving on my own.

Everyone said he was protecting me, but I knew he was just watching my every move.

Yet, despite his obsessive control, Julian treated me incredibly well, showering me with lavish attention, making me the envy of everyone.

Even when I angrily tore up one of his hundred-million-dollar contracts, he, a man who always put work first, would just praise me for it.

A sharp sting in my arm jolted me from my memories.

My hand was deep inside the snake pit. The disturbed snakes began to writhe, coiling around my arm one by one.

Their sharp fangs pierced my flesh, expressing their displeasure at my invasion.

I'd been pampered since childhood, my body delicate and unused to hardship. The pain instantly flooded my brain.

I pushed through on sheer willpower, continuously searching inside the pit.

Just as I felt I was about to touch it, Julian suddenly pulled my hand out, then immediately ordered the snake pit to be eliminated.

Everyone at the party could see he was taking revenge on the snakes for my injured arm.

They whispered amongst themselves that Julian still loved me most, he just made a mistake men often make.

But the next second, Julian lashed out at me, full-on.

"In the three years you've been with me, haven't I put you on a pedestal? Is it not enough? To reduce yourself to this state, all for a safe key?"

That wasn't just a safe key; it was my mother's ashes, my hope of returning home.

He grabbed the first-aid kit, crudely treating my snake bites while scolding me.

"You should be thankful these snakes weren't venomous, or not even a miracle could save you!"

Ignoring my wounds, I looked at the snake pit.

It was a bloody mess. The snakes were dead, and the key was buried beneath their disgusting bodies.

My eyes welled up.

I had, in fact, asked him for the key before.

But he wouldn't give it to me, saying he was afraid I'd leave him once I had it.

He claimed he was madly in love with me, and everything he did was out of fear I'd abandon him, including preventing me from visiting my father and keeping me from my mother's ashes.

Julian, who was always so powerful, felt insecure with me, and that made me feel incredibly guilty.

I thought I wasn't showing him enough love.

So I became even more dependent on him, just to make him feel my love, and in doing so, I completely lost myself.

And now, he had so casually given the key to Lily, even letting her toss it into that filthy snake pit.

My arm was numb, and so was my heart.

I let out a heavy sigh, turning back to the man I'd loved with my life for three years.

"If you hadn't pulled my hand out, I would have touched the key."