Deceived for Ten Years, I Jailed My CEO Husband

###Chapter 1

“Zachary, are you certain the suspect’s name is Oliver Garrison?” I froze, asking my subordinate again and again, unable to accept that my very first case after being transferred to the bailiff’s office was my husband abducting a young girl.

Zachary Atkins spread his hands helplessly. “Chief, you’re new here, so maybe you don’t know. The Garrison Group is Newport’s economic pillar. Even if Oliver turned to ashes, we wouldn’t mistake him.”

He lowered his voice, a hint of amusement in his tone. “But really, it was just him coaxing his little girlfriend. She lost her temper because Oliver took work calls while shopping with her. Upset, he carried her into the car and when he couldn’t calm her down, she called the police. It’s not the first time. Everyone in Newport knows Oliver spoils that girl to the bone.”

My vision dimmed and the coffee cup slipped from my grasp, shattering as it hit the floor.

Zachary rushed to gather the shards. “Chief, are you okay? You look so pale.”

I stood frozen, my mind blank.

Ten years of marriage and only now did I realize my husband had belonged to someone else first.

Through the blinds, I saw her lying lazily on the sofa, heels tossed aside, bare toes brushing against his throat as if teasing.

“You made me sign that deed for the bay villa I didn’t even want. And you hurt my foot…”

Oliver was kneeling before her, the same hands that once signed billiondollar contracts now gently holding her foot, massaging it with care.

He even tore off his tie worth tens of thousands, gently wrapping it around her sole as though she were the most fragile treasure.

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have forced my baby. Punish me by letting me give you another gift, alright? For example… our baby?”

The girl’s playful laughter drifted through the air. The sun burned at thirty degrees, yet I felt as though I had fallen into an ice cellar.

And so, with everything laid bare, I could only prepare the most special, unforgettable gift for my husband on our tenth wedding anniversary.

The year we married, Oliver knelt before me and admitted he had oligospermia, that he might never be able to give me children in this lifetime. If I truly wanted one, he promised he would go to the orphanage and adopt the cutest child for me.

How laughable that I had believed him all these years, never once doubting a single word he said.

Even though I longed desperately for a child of my own, I still comforted him, telling him that living childfree wasn’t so bad.

But in the end, Oliver never refused children; he only refused to have them with me.

To him, that must have been the cruelest joke of all.

Through the window, I saw my subordinate lift a notepad, beginning to question the abduction incident.

The girl, Vespera Pittman, suddenly burst into laughter, swaying with mirth. “Can’t you see? This is just me and my boyfriend fooling around.”

She pouted and pointed at Oliver. “It’s all his fault for always ignoring me. He gave me that villa more than half a month ago, yet I haven’t even gone there once and he didn’t even notice!”

“And today I got my period, yet he was still so domineering!”

She lifted her right white leg. “Look, this is proof he hurt me. Fine, he did commit a crime, arrest him then!”

What sounded like an accusation was nothing more than shameless boasting.

My young subordinate’s face flushed red, right up to his ears.

At the same time, my gaze fell on her calves, covered in fresh marks. There was no need to wonder; they had clearly just been together in the car.

My eyes burned as hot tears spilled onto the case file, blurring the three characters of “Oliver.”

“Enough.”

His gaze darkened, jealousy flashing as he stripped off his multimilliondollar suit jacket and draped it firmly over the part of her legs exposed by her miniskirt.

“This is the police station. If you want to play ‘arrest,’ I’ll play with you as much as you like tonight.”

With that, he scooped Vespera into his arms and slung her over his shoulder, casting a brief glance at my subordinate. “I’ll be taking her away.”

“But…” my subordinate started, trying to stop him, yet lacking the courage.

“I’ll treat your chief to drinks later and explain everything.”

The girl kicked her playful feet as he held her steady. “Oliver, your punishment is to make me brown sugar ginger tea at home.”

“Alright, alright, my princess. Your husband will cook for you right away.”

They disappeared down the corridor, leaving my thoughts in chaos. For the first time, I saw the man who had always been so restrained before me become possessive, alive and domineering with someone else.

For the first time, I realized that the man who never lifted a finger at home would willingly cook a bowl of brown sugar water for the one he loved.

So this was love? Then what had my ten years amounted to?

The Lozano and Garrison families had been bound together for a century and Oliver and I had been betrothed since we were sixteen.

At the beginning, I hadn’t felt much for him.

Later, during a school field trip, we strayed into a bear’s territory. That day, Oliver shielded me with his back from a fatal strike, collapsing in a pool of blood.

Before he was lifted onto the stretcher, his bloodied hand clutched my wrist. “Leah, I’ll protect you for life and never let you be hurt.”

In that moment, I fell for the boy who had staked his life to protect me. At twenty, we walked into marriage.

But work kept us apart, time and again. Guilt weighed on me and this month I finally gave up my prestigious post in the Bureau of Justice, transferring from the capital to Newport, just to be with Oliver.

I had meant it as a surprise for our tenth wedding anniversary. Yet before I could give mine, he delivered the cruelest surprise first.

Back at my office, I sat dazed, unaware of how much time had passed, until my phone buzzed with breaking news.

[Garrison Heir spends tens of millions on a foreign princess’s emerald diamond jewelry, sweetly proposing to his girlfriend at the Rose Hotel?!]

###Chapter 2

I rushed to the top floor of the hotel, into the highend club. Through the crack in the door, I saw Oliver and his group of friends laughing and chatting.

One of them whistled. “Damn, going this far? But with that lady from the capital still around, even if Vespera gives birth, the child won’t have any status.”

The man in the middle held the girl on his lap, letting out a laugh full of control.

“When Vespera gives birth, I’ll hand the baby over to Leah to raise. Then I’ll just say it was adopted from the orphanage. Anyway, she likes children; she’ll definitely treat Vespera’s baby as her own.”

One of his friends chucked and added, “That’s why you’re the smartest. Turning an illegitimate child into the legal heir, why didn’t I think of that?”

Oliver sneered. “I told her I had oligospermia, but in truth, I’ve been slipping contraceptives into her milk every day. She even dragged me to infertility clinics. This woman is so stupid, I almost find her cute.”

The room erupted in laughter so loud it nearly lifted the roof, leaving my body trembling uncontrollably.

They went on, “Back then, the way you used that black bear to pull off a bitter trick just to marry Leah, I still admire it to this day. Lucky for you, the gamble paid off. From that moment, Leah fell head over heels. As for those socalled four young ladies of the capital, didn’t they all fall under your spell after just a few sweet words?”

My head went blank with a deafening boom. The bloodstained vow of that sixteenyearold boy still echoed in my ears, yet now it only made my hair stand on end.

Leaning against the wall was the only way I could keep my trembling body upright.

The man swirled his wine glass, a cold laugh spilling as he unraveled the truth.

Another asked, “I heard the Lozano Family hasn’t been doing well these past two years. Since you like Vespera so much, Oliver, why not just cast that woman aside?”

Oliver snorted. “Do you want my dad to beat me to death? That old thing would never allow me to divorce Leah.”

So all his socalled kindness toward me had been nothing but a lie.

To him, my ten years had been nothing more than a game of lies and cruel amusement.

I clutched my chest, pain stabbing as though pierced by a thousand arrows, my heart bleeding dry. Just as I turned to leave, my father’s call came through.

“Leah, how’s the new job? Life at the grassroots level is hard. Your mother and I hate to see you suffer. But being reunited with Oliver is also a blessing. You two should think about having a child…”

At his gentle words, my tears finally broke loose, spilling in jagged sobs I could no longer hold back.

“Dad, Oliver and I will never have anything. He’s been lying to me from the very start.”

A heavy crash echoed from the other end of the line.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stand up for you! This marriage must end!”

I nodded through tears. “I want to send him to prison, too.”

Without hesitation, I dialed Zachary. “Help me investigate Oliver over these past few years…”

Just as I finished giving instructions, a cold voice suddenly rose behind me. “Leah, what are you doing here?”

Oliver’s eyes widened in shock before his brows quickly drew together, Vespera hidden behind him.

I fixed my gaze on him. “Oliver, have you… never cared for me from the very beginning?”

The despair in my eyes made him falter, but only for a moment. Soon after, he sneered.

“Since you’ve heard everything, there’s no point pretending anymore. Yes, I never loved you.”

My voice cracked with fury. “If you never loved me, then why lie to me? Why marry me at all?!”

“Because the company was in crisis and needed an alliance with the Lozano Family.” His tone turned cold as ice. “Leah, do you still imagine yourself the untouchable heiress of the capital? Not divorcing you is already the greatest dignity I could grant you. People ought to know when to be content.”

His voice was cold. “The day after tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. Show up obediently at the banquet.”

He then drew Vespera into his arms and left.

I stood there, staring at his back. For ten years, that was the sight he gave me most often, a fading figure walking away. Once, I never thought of it as wrong. I even felt guilty toward him. But now, remembering it, it all seemed laughable.

From his shoulder, Vespera glanced back at me, her lips lifting in a proud, mocking smile.

###Chapter 3

I didn’t know when I returned to the villa, but as the evening glow lingered, I found myself walking into the pink muhly grass garden.

Only in this sea of soft pink could my wounded heart find a moment of peace.

Then faint rustling came from deep within. I followed the sound and, in the next instant, stumbled upon a scene I could hardly bear.

“Oliver, be gentle… didn’t we just… in the daytime…”

The flower field was trampled. His movements were rough, yet his voice was tender. “It’s only because I love you too much, baby. How could I possibly hold back?”

I hid behind a tree, barely able to stay upright.

“You and her, did you also…”

“Silly girl, of course I’m only like this with you!”

It felt as though countless arrows pierced my chest. Covering my mouth, I fled the garden as if escaping for my life.

When I rushed back to the bedroom, the wedding photo on the wall caught my eye at once.

In the photo, the twentyyearold girl leaned against the handsome man, her smile bright and radiant.

She once thought a smile would keep her happy for life, but now it only showed the pain of a failed marriage.

I began packing my things. This house had never held much that truly belonged to me.

In the wardrobe hung an unfinished white shirt. Oliver liked handmade shirts, so I had taught myself to use the sewing machine.

In the drawer was a notebook filled with his favorite dishes. I had once planned to cook them for him, one by one, but that day would never come.

In the corner stood the halffinished painting we once worked on together. He had said he wanted it completed before our tenth anniversary as a gift to me. Now, it was left under a layer of dust.

“Seeing me and Oliver making love in your garden, you must feel awful, right? But who told him he likes to play such thrilling games with me?”

I hadn’t even noticed when Vespera appeared behind me.

She curved her lips into a seemingly gentle smile. “He always says you’re nothing but a block of wood, unworthy to carry the Garrison Family’s seed. Only I am fit to bear his bloodline.”

I turned back coldly. How could such a delicate face hide such shamelessness? “Then congratulations, you got what you wanted.”

Just as I moved to drive her out, heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway.

Vespera’s eyes flickered. In an instant, she grabbed my hand and slapped herself hard across the face. “Ah!”

Clutching her reddened cheek, she collapsed to the floor. By the time Oliver entered, all he saw was her kneeling before me, crying.

“Leah, I already apologized, didn’t I? Is it such a crime that I love Oliver? Do I deserve to die for it? Then hit me again if you must, I won’t resist. Even if you beat me to death, I’ll still love him. I’ll love him forever.”

My eyes widened in shock, but before I could respond, a sharp sting exploded across my face.

Oliver’s strike was so heavy I staggered back, my head slamming against the corner of the cabinet.

A sharp pain tore through me as I collapsed, my uniform quickly soaking in blood.

“Leah, are you out of your mind?! If you’re angry, take it out on me. Vespera is just a fragile girl; how could she endure your cruelty?”

Lying on the cold floor, misery pressed down on me as a stabbing pain spread through my lower abdomen.

Through tears, I looked up at him. “Oliver, if I say I did nothing, would you believe me?”

I thought I could take one gamble, that ten years of devotion might earn a shred of trust. But I had been hopelessly naïve.

“I saw you hit Vespera with my own eyes and you still dare to deny it! Leah, I’ve indulged you too much.”

With gentle hands, he lifted Vespera and brushed away her tears. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll call a doctor right away.”

Vespera buried herself in his shoulder, sobbing as though she had suffered the greatest grievance in the world.

“Forget it, don’t blame Leah. I shouldn’t have fallen in love with you. I should just leave. Oliver, I’m not worthy of you….”

Oliver’s eyes lingered on her swollen cheek, fury blazing to its peak.

“She’s the one who’s unworthy! Leah, if you dare bully Vespera again, tomorrow I’ll make your family bankrupt!”

How absurd, how pitiful, how laughable. He actually believed the rumors of my family’s decline and for Vespera’s sake, he was willing to destroy everything I had.

Oliver strode off with Vespera in his arms. If he had turned back even once, he would have seen me collapse onto the marble floor, bleeding and unconscious.

###Chapter 4

When I opened my eyes again, night had already fallen.

The white wall of the hospital loomed before me and the doctor stood at my bedside with my chart in hand, his voice heavy with regret.

“Fortunately, the butler brought you here in time. We’ve treated the wound on your head. But your child… I’m sorry. By the time you arrived, it was already gone.”

Child?

Blankly, I reached for my lower abdomen. So, I had once carried my own baby? It had slipped past the drugs, only to be destroyed by its own father’s hand.

Hatred surged in my chest. I turned to the clock on the wall and it was already past ten. Ignoring the doctor’s pleas, I forced myself to leave the hospital.

On the ride home, the taxi radio blared the latest gossip. I let out a cold, mocking laugh.

Back at the villa, I tore the wedding photo from the wall and smashed it into pieces. Everything that had once recorded my love, I threw into the trash and set it on fire.

The crackling flames lit up the night.

Oliver hurried into the yard, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “What are you burning?”

“Just some garbage that should have been dealt with long ago.”

He halted in his tracks. “Today, when I hit you, it was just a small punishment. Luckily, Vespera is fine. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let you off.”

A small punishment? So, giving me a head injury, forcing me to miscarry and lose my child, was merely that?

Yet for his precious girl, with nothing but a little swelling on her cheek, he had summoned the best experts across the city to ensure she wouldn’t feel the slightest pain.

“Oliver, don’t worry. There will never be a next time.”

My voice was distant and at once he sensed something amiss.

In front of him, I had always smiled, gentle, tolerant, accommodating. When had I ever turned so cold, unwilling even to look at him?

Suppressing his sudden irritation, he frowned. “Enough, stop pretending to be pitiful. You’d better not stir up trouble at the banquet the day after tomorrow, or even my parents won’t be able to protect you.”

I closed my eyes, his indifferent voice still lingering.

“Let me tell you, I’ll have that patch of pink muhly grass dug up and replaced with roses.”

The night wind brushed across my cheeks, sending a chill through me. That flower field had been planted by his hands the year we married, not only because I loved pink muhly, but because he had once told me beneath the stars that its flower language was the throbbing of first love, the beauty of waiting.

Even if we were apart, one in Newport, the other in the capital, he would always be waiting for me in that field.

And now, only because his little lover preferred roses, he would erase it all.

“Oliver, does our past mean nothing at all?”

He sneered. “A business marriage and you took it seriously? I even regret ever risking my life to save you.”

At last, I laughed, laughing as tears poured down in heavy streams.

A friend had once warned me kindly that Oliver’s true nature was not what I believed. I thought she was only jealous, envious of what I believed was a perfect marriage. In the end, I was the foolish one.

My tearreddened eyes made Oliver’s heart tighten for a moment, but irritation quickly replaced it. Then, as if recalling his superiority, he looked at me with disdain.

“Stop pretending, Leah. Remember, as long as you behave, you will retain the position as my wife.”

How could he think I cared about such an empty title?

“Oliver, I was wrong.”

Wrong to be blind, wrong to give my heart to the wrong man. Wrong to abandon everything in the capital, only to come to Newport and live as nothing more than a police officer for him.

Wrong to waste my youth chasing a false love that never belonged to me.

“So you finally admit what you did to Vespera was wrong? Then stop being so ungrateful.”

This time, I didn’t argue; there was no need.

“Then I’ll bring Vespera to the banquet the day after tomorrow. You’ll apologize to her sincerely and this matter will be over.”

So, he wanted to show off Vespera on the very day that was meant to matter most to us. My heart sank and the love I once held turned completely to ashes.

Oliver went inside, picked up a few things and left.

The next day, I went to the police department as usual. I had just sat down when Zachary handed me a USB drive, his expression grave.

“This is what you asked for. But Oliver is someone we can’t afford to offend, Chief. Please think carefully.”

###Chapter 5

“Zachary, anyone who makes a mistake must bear the consequences. Even if it’s the son of a king, it’s the same.” I raised my hand to stop him.

After sending him back to his seat, I plugged in the USB drive. I wanted to see just how Oliver planned to make me apologize to his precious darling.

As the video played, the gloom on my face slowly curved into a smile.

The day slipped by. On my way home from work, my phone buzzed with another trending alert.

#Mr. Garrison’s Proposal Successful? Model Girlfriend a Perfect Match!

#President Garrison’s Pregnant WifetoBe

So, Vespera was already pregnant?

My breath faltered and after a brief pause, I clicked on one of the trending links.

The screen opened to a billiondollar villa by the bay, lit up for a private proposal party. By the pool stood a tall, broadshouldered man, an old scar running from beneath his vest down to his waist, giving him a sharp, masculine edge.

The petite girl nestled against his chest, deliberately flaunting the ring on her finger as it sparkled on his shoulder, a tencarat diamond shining with blinding brilliance. I closed the phone at once.

For the next two days, Oliver never returned home.

When our tenth wedding anniversary finally arrived, I came back from work to find a luxurious evening gown lying neatly on the bed. Only then did I notice Oliver’s message on my phone. [Wear this to the banquet. My mom had it custommade for you.]

I hadn’t prepared an outfit anyway, so I slipped into the gown, applied some makeup and hurried to the family estate.

“Our Leah is truly beautiful. In the blink of an eye, you and Oliver have already been married ten years!”

Kayla’s eyes shone with affection for me, but no matter how warm her gaze was, it could never compare to the bond of blood she shared with her son.

The family had long known about Vespera, yet every one of them chose to turn a blind eye.

As long as they could keep it from me, one more day hidden was one more day gained.

“Thank you, Mrs. Garrison, for taking care of me all these years.” I smiled.

“Why suddenly call me Mrs. Garrison, so distant?” She didn’t hear the farewell in my words and asked someone to call Oliver into the living room.

He entered and saw me adorned with jewels. It was the version of me he hadn’t seen in a long time, the Leah who had set aside the uniform and returned to being one of the Four Young Ladies of the Capital.

He froze for a moment, then seemed to sense something different. Though I smiled, the smile never reached my eyes.

Kayla pretended to scold him. “You must treat Leah well, or your father and I won’t forgive you.”

Oliver glanced at me impatiently. “I know, Mom, I will.”

Inside, I watched them finish their act with complete indifference. “All right, your father isn’t feeling well. I’ll go upstairs to take care of him. You two enjoy yourselves.”

Perhaps thinking I had complained, Oliver grabbed my arm the moment his mother left and dragged me in front of Vespera. Through clenched teeth, he hissed, “Leah, I had originally intended to let you go. But since that’s how it is, today you must apologize to Vespera!”

I straightened my back and met his eyes with cold defiance. “And if I don’t? Will you make my head bleed again, just for her?”

###Chapter 6

Oliver’s brows tightened. “It seems I’ve spoiled you too much, letting you forget your place. Kneel, Leah!”

Vespera clung to his sleeve, feigning gentleness as she whispered, “Oliver, let it go. Nothing serious happened to me. With so many guests here, give sister a little face.”

His expression softened slightly, but his tone stayed cold. “Leah, face is something you earn for yourself. If you had even half of Vespera’s kindness, how could I ever make things difficult for you?”

But why should I show kindness to the two of you—shameless dogs?

“Oliver, I did nothing to her. Why should I apologize?”

“Leah, don’t test my patience!”

Around us, the guests cast curious looks, their whispers cutting like blades.

“So this is the young lady from the capital? To harm Miss Pittman out of jealousy, no wonder Mr. Garrison dislikes her.”

“No wonder her family ended up this way. With a daughter like her, how good could the parents be? Serves them right.”

“Miss Pittman is so beautiful and kind. Mr. Garrison should cast this woman aside and marry Miss Pittman instead. They’re the true match made in heaven.”

I swept my gaze over the crowd, committing every face to memory, then turned back and fixed my eyes on Oliver. “Oliver, either you break my legs, or you let me go.”

His hand faltered, a trace of hesitation flickering in his eyes. Never before had I stood against him. What had changed now?

At last, his temper snapped. “Since you’ve chosen this path, don’t blame me. Someone drag her away and teach her a lesson!”

That cold look in his eyes pulled me back to two months earlier, when he had gone to the capital. That night, he had been wild, relentless, whispering in the dark, “little silly” and “baby.”

I had thought it was passion, the love I had longed for, finally showing itself. But when I later learned he had given Vespera the nickname “little silly,” I knew then, in his drunken haze, he had never seen me at all.

That was the night he forgot to drug me, the night that left me accidentally pregnant. But none of it mattered anymore.

At his command, the bodyguards dragged me aside, fists and kicks raining down like a storm.

I lifted my head and caught sight of the brightly lit Garrison estate, a place etched deep in my memory.

When Oliver returned on weekends to be with his parents, they would sit chatting on the terrace while I quietly brought out the pastries I had baked.

When he sat in the yard reading financial news, I would brew coffee just the way he liked. He disliked noise, so I would sit silently by his side until nightfall.

I had run endlessly between two cities, giving everything outside of work to Oliver, yet in return, all I received was his merciless contempt and cruelty.

At last, the blows stopped. My body felt as though it had been torn apart, blood mixing with cold sweat as it slid down my face.

Vespera’s high heels clicked to a stop in front of me. “Why are you so shameless? Everyone knows I’m the better match for Oliver. If love can’t be forced, Leah, why don’t you just step aside quietly?”

Her smile glittered, but her eyes were full of venom. “Otherwise, I have ten thousand ways to make your life worse than death.”

I knew Vespera was rotten to the core. Without Oliver’s blind indulgence, how could she be so arrogant and overbearing? In the end, her boldness came only from being spoiled.

Oliver’s shadow fell over me, blocking out the light. His leather shoe crushed my right hand into the dirt. “This time, I’ll let you go. But remember, if there’s ever a next time, whichever hand you use to bully Vespera, I’ll break that hand.”

With that, he clasped Vespera’s hand and turned to leave.

I bit down hard, my bloodied lips slowly curving into a merciless, cold smile. “Oliver, I’ve prepared a big gift for you.”

“What?”

As Oliver and Vespera turned back in shock, I pressed the earring at my ear, cleverly disguised but in truth a communicator. “Come in. Arrest him.”

A faint smile touched my lips. “Happy tenth anniversary, Oliver.”