I Married my Ex-husband's Rival

Erick Blake sat at the head of the table. A few buttons of his shirt were unfastened at the chest. A cigar rested between his fingers, while his other hand tapped the armrest with a steady rhythm.

"Kimberly, don't be stubborn," he gently reminded. "You have 30 seconds to tell me where you've sent Hannah."

Erick was using my parents' lives to control me.

"Enough." I couldn't stop my voice from trembling. "They're my parents. They are the most important family in my life..."

Erick's fingers paused.

My heart skipped a beat.

His deep, meaningful eyes fixed on me. "Really? So when you sent Hannah to Whyae, didn't you think she was important to me?"

Fear spread from my spine to my entire body. And my fingers clenched into fists.

Was she important to him?

Erick had told me that Hannah Harrison was an adopted daughter of his relatives, and I was his beloved wife.

Yet now, he was threatening to kill my parents for her sake.

"Erick," I choked out, "would you really shoot my parents if I don't tell you?"

He sneered, and his dark eyes reflected my pale face. "You can try."

Outside the window, the wind and rain lashed against the glass, mirroring the despair in my heart.

I couldn't comprehend why Erick had become so cruel. He had always indulged and cherished me before.

Memories came flooding back.

Years ago, I was just a young woman from an ordinary family, while Erick was the sole heir to the city's wealthiest family. He was born into a golden destiny, with an aloof grace and an overbearing presence.

Yet, Erick gave me a beginning that was far too dazzling.

He had driven four hours to a distant bakery just to buy my favorite bread.

He remembered my menstrual cycle. He prepared painkillers in advance and warmed my abdomen with his heated, dry hands.

He even had the sculpture garden he designed with his own hands cleared away and replaced it with a garden filled entirely with lilies of the valley planted for me by him personally.

He even bought an island because I loved diving. He carefully followed me underwater.

Those silent gestures of consideration had deeply moved me. I was captivated completely and had him fill every corner of my heart and mind.

I willingly fell for him, who was untouchable to others and who was tenderly devoted to me.

But things changed when... I first heard the name Hannah.

It was when I accidentally overheard two chefs gossiping in the kitchen. I dismissed it. I believed that Erick always had boundaries, especially since Hannah was a distant relative of his.

Yet the next time I heard that name was when Erick, lost in passion over me, let out a muffled cry of "Hannah."

At that moment, my mind went blank.

I questioned him, but he leaned down again to explain that Hannah was merely a distant relative who admired him. "Don't worry. The most important