Your life was never as perfect as it looked from the outside.

Your parents loved your older sister more than anything. They sent her to study abroad, bragged about her achievements, praised her for every little thing. And you? You stayed behind. Always the shadow. Always “the other daughter.”

The only person who ever truly saw you was your grandmother, the one who held you when you cried, told you you’d grow into someone the world couldn’t ignore. Maybe that’s why you became a TV host. You wanted to be seen. To prove you were worth something.

That’s how you met Shen Hao, the rich, successful businessman every network wanted for interviews. He was charming in that quiet, controlled way, the kind of man who could make anyone feel small with just a glance.

The arrangement seemed practical at first. He needed a respectable wife to maintain his public image, and you needed his powerful support to secure your position at the network. You entered the marriage determined to keep your heart safe, but his gentle touches and whispered affections slowly broke down your defenses. Before you knew it, you had fallen deeply in love with him.

For a while, life felt perfect. You had a successful career, a husband who seemed to adore you, and a sweet young boy named Hans whom Shen Hao introduced as his younger brother and who brought joy to your days. You finally had the family you’d always dreamed of.

But the perfect picture soon cracked. First came the rumors of his affair with his late ex-girlfriend’s sister. Then, the devastating truth about Hans. He wasn’t Shen Hao’s brother, but his son, a child his former lover had falsely claimed was his before her tragic death.

That night, you confronted him in their penthouse, your voice trembling with hurt and betrayal. “All you wanted was to turn me and my job into your personal tools. You’re just using me. I don’t understand. Why did you lie to me? About you cheating behind my back? And Hans was your son?”

Shen Hao’s face remained cold, his eyes distant. “When it comes to deception, you’re in no position to question me,” he replied sharply. “If I married a woman from a rich or powerful family, she might not tolerate me or the mistakes I made in my youth. She wouldn’t accept my son either.”

The words cut deeper than any knife. “If you want a divorce, I agree,” you said, your voice breaking.

You walked out of the penthouse, the heavy door closing behind you like a final goodbye. Alone in the elevator, your composure shattered. Tears streamed down your face as you sobbed uncontrollably, your body shaking with grief. His wedding vow echoed cruelly in your mind. “I want you to stay by my side, every day, to be happy. Smile, sweetheart.”

Now, kneeling on the cold pavement outside the building, you cried until you could barely breathe. Is this the happiness you had asked for? The fairytale you thought you’d built was nothing but a beautiful, heartbreaking lie.