After attending Fashion Week, Nathan Shaw returned to the Shen family estate. By his count, it had been quite some time since his last visit.

He went to the place where he used to live—a residence once shared by Mandy Snow and Shen Siyi. Now, all traces of them were gone.

After his divorce from Mandy Snow, Mrs. Chen had ordered that everything related to them be cleared from the house. He understood, Mrs. Chen simply feared he would never move on.

But there was no need for concern. Since their wedding day, he and Mandy Snow had never shared a bed. He had a peculiar form of emotional chastity; if he loved someone, he would stay true to the end. As for those he didn’t love—he would never touch them.

Yet, he did share one reckless night with Mandy Snow. It happened when Shen Wenting wanted him to take over the Shen Corporation. Naturally, he couldn’t avoid socializing. One night he drank too much, was helped to a hotel room by others; the next morning, he woke up to find Mandy Snow by his side.

Every detail in that hotel room made clear what had happened, though he couldn't remember any of it.

Afterward, the Snow family began to press for marriage. He refused, until Mandy Snow presented a pregnancy report—forcing his hand within the Shen family.

At the time, he was engaged to another woman named Fan Wanning. They had planned to marry, but Mandy Snow brought that pregnancy report straight to Wanning.

After learning the truth, Fan Wanning was heartbroken. She disappeared without a word, severing all contact with him.

Her departure drove him nearly to madness, searching for her everywhere. But someone determined to hide would never be found so easily.

Meanwhile, the Snow family’s relentless pressure pushed Shen Wenting to anger. Facing mounting tension, Nathan Shaw agreed to marry Mandy Snow.

On the wedding night, he didn’t even set foot in the bridal suite.

Later, when Shen Siyi was born, he thought he could accept the child. In reality, he found himself incapable.

After Bryce Shaw graduated from college, Nathan Shaw gave him all the shares he owned and chose to return to his old job.

When Mandy Snow found out, she erupted in fury. "You’re a coward! Giving up such a huge inheritance—just to waste your life on pointless research. Are you insane?"

Ignoring her biting sarcasm, he used work as an excuse to move into the company dormitory, seeking some peace at last.

On a business trip, he ran into Fan Wanning after more than a decade apart. The heart he thought long numb started beating again the moment he saw her.

Fan Wanning was as candid and spirited as ever—blunt, lively, never scheming or manipulative.

Despite the calm surface of their reunion, beneath it surged hidden heat and longing.

It took Nathan Shaw a long moment to find his voice. "Wanning, it's been a long time."

Fan Wanning blinked in surprise, then smiled. "It has been a long time."

Time had smoothed their edges; they were no longer the people they had once been.

After a brief exchange, Fan Wanning made an excuse to leave, and he stood for a long while watching her figure disappear into the crowd.

He admitted to himself he was a coward. Even with the woman he loved right in front of him, he couldn’t keep her by his side.

Back in Ancheng, he asked around about her and discovered she had stayed single all these years—still living alone. The news made him quietly happy.

As he was preparing to find her, Mandy Snow showed up and blocked his path.

"What’s the matter? Now that you know that woman’s still waiting for you, you can’t wait to run to her, right?" Mandy Snow's eyes were full of grievance, her obsession grown manic from the marriage.

Nathan Shaw had never shown her any warmth, and she knew he’d always wanted a divorce. But she refused—so long as she didn’t agree, the marriage could not end.

He looked at her coldly. "What I want to do has nothing to do with you."

He had warned her clearly when they first married: this union would bring her nothing.

Mandy Snow sneered. "Seems the two of you are quite the pair of lovesick fools. But don’t forget your identity. You’re a married man—if you get entangled with her, do you really think you’re doing her any good?"

Her words struck a nerve. Nathan Shaw's hands balled into fists, his eyes dark with shadow. "Mandy Snow, I’m warning you—don’t even think about touching Wanning. Or I’ll drag you to hell with me."

"Fine. Even if it’s hell, we’d still be husband and wife. Don’t forget—even after I die, I’ll be buried in the Shen family cemetery! No one can take my place!"

Mandy Snow stared at him with near madness. So long as she lived, she would never let Nathan Shaw have his wish.

She really was, in every sense, a madwoman.

Nathan Shaw’s icy demeanor made her feel like a clown. He knew her temperament too well—arguing was pointless. He strode away and drove off.

Even though his marriage with Mandy Snow was a farce, it had never occurred to him to question Shen Siyi’s parentage.

So when Yancy Shaw told him that Shen Siyi was not his child, he felt, at last, liberated.