To save my adopted brother Bruce, I married Nicholas Jackson. For three years, our marriage was a secret—our only intimacy a monthly ritual to appease his grandfather, nothing more. He was a powerful CEO, while I was just a shadow hidden away in his mansion.

The day I found out I needed a heart transplant, I saw him in the hospital corridor, laughing with Olivia. When Bruce returned to the country, he already had a sweet girlfriend on his arm, calling me nothing more than “someone from the past.”

Turns out, the vows I kept and the family ties I cherished were nothing but a cruel joke. I handed Nicholas the divorce papers, moved out of that empty house, and picked up my perfume bottles again—the creator of “Eternal Tears,” long buried by marriage, was finally coming back.

When my name echoed through the international perfume world, and my medical records were exposed, Bruce clutched my wrist, eyes red: “Abby, give me another chance.” Nicholas blocked the lab door, his voice shaking: “Abby, I was wrong.”

But I simply walked past them. Their belated affection? More bitter than cheap perfume. I stopped longing for it a long time ago.

Scent of Betrayal

Chapter 30

Abigail's POV
Morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled patterns on the floor of my apartment. I stood before the mirror, examining myself carefully. The reflection showed my small, heart-shaped face, already pale and sickly, as if a gentle breeze could topple me o...

Abigail's POV

Morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled patterns on the floor of my apartment. I stood before the mirror, examining myself carefully. The reflection showed my small, heart-shaped face, already pale and sickly, as if a gentle breeze could topple me o...

Chapter 17