Chapter 1

On my wedding day, my fiancé publicly called off our engagement. He also announced that he had already registered his marriage with Laura O'Donnell.

As the crowd erupted into mocking laughter and ridiculed me, my childhood friend Collin Huttington stepped forward, pulled out a diamond ring and, with heartfelt sincerity, proposed to me. Touched, I nodded and agreed to marry him.

Seven months into my pregnancy, I was in a car accident. Collin personally performed the surgery to save me.

When I regained consciousness while he was sitting beside me, he told me that the baby hadn’t made it and that I would never be able to have children again.

Devastated, I broke down. With his hands around me and tears streamed down his face, Collin apologized for failing to protect me. He swore to stay by my side forever.

However, six years later, I accidentally received an audio recording of a conversation between him and a colleague.

"Collin, you helped Laura forge a fake pregnancy certificate and even staged a car accident to force Nora Reynold into premature labor so you could give her baby to Laura. Do you have any regret about it?"

“Laura has been infertile since birth. Do you expect me to watch her be ridiculed by her in-laws for the rest of her life? My only regret is that the baby was a girl. If it had been a boy, her position would’ve been even more secure," said Collin.

What I had thought was his deep love for me was nothing more than a carefully orchestrated scheme.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Collin was taking a shower.

The audio recording continued playing through my headphones.

"You are too much, though. What if that car accident hadn’t just caused Nora to have premature labor but rather killed them both?”

"No, that would never happen. Laura and I hired someone to conduct crash tests on the car months before the actual crash happened."

There was a hint of regret in his colleague’s voice when he spoke, "However, because of that accident, Nora had to lose her uterus and she will never be pregnant anymore in the future. She longs to have a child and loves you so much. Why can't you adopt a child from the orphanage for Laura?"

“No, because it wouldn’t have been my own child. I wouldn’t feel secure about that. I want to feel close to Laura."

“Have you considered what you’ll do if Nora ever finds out about this?” his friend asked.

Collin fell silent for a moment then sighed, "I'll make sure she'll never know. However, if that day ever comes … I’ll spend my life making it up to her.”

The recording stopped abruptly as it ended.

I clapped a hand over my mouth as I tried to stifle the sobs that racked my body. My tears fell uncontrollably as a chilling numbness spread from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.

Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that while I had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of my baby, the man I loved was conspiring with another woman to take her from me.

What I thought was his love had all been part of his elaborate plan to ensure the happiness of someone else. The real reason for his proposal to me was just a ploy to keep me away from Teddy Larkin and not to disrupt Laura’s happiness.

I recalled the day Collin brought the lifeless body of my baby to me. He was crying and apologizing for not being able to save my baby. I had believed his sorrow mirrored mine. However, now I realized he had already handed over my baby to his beloved, Laura, for a while so she could secure her place in the Larkin Family.

So, what were all these years of guilt and pain worth?

"Nora?" Collin's startled voice sounded behind me.

When he saw my tear-streaked face, he became so alarmed that he rushed toward me in panic. He accidentally knocked his knee on the corner of the bed and caused blood to seep out immediately.

However, he did not care about his knee. He ran toward me, pulled me tightly into his arm and asked in a frantic voice, "Nora, what’s wrong? Did I do something to upset you?”

I gently extricated myself from his embrace and said with fake calmness, “No, I just watched a romantic movie. The heroine had a pretty tragic story.”

Collin exhaled in relief and pulled me back into his arms, as he smiled. “You scared me. Stop watching those sad movies, okay? We’re nothing like them. I’ll make sure you’re happy for the rest of your life.”

There was a time when hearing those words would have filled my heart with sweetness. Now, they only felt like a cruel joke.

“Your knee is bleeding. I’ll get some ointment and make you some milk," I said.

Collin had a sleeping problem. I had read somewhere that warm milk could help, so no matter how late he worked, I would always get up to prepare a glass for him.

Chapter 2

"Alright. Nora, you're the best. From now on, stick to watching comedies, okay? Hearing your laughter is the only thing that makes me feel alive." he declared.

As I got up, tears silently slid down my face again. So, love could also be fake too. The joke was on me for being so foolish that I had never seen through his act all this time.

I quietly slipped a small amount of sedative into the glass of milk before giving it to Collin. He drank it right away and soon after, he was fast asleep.

When I attempted to dig for evidence on his phone, it suddenly buzzed violently and the screen lighted up.

I had always known Collin set special alerts for his WhatsApp. He always claimed it was for his colleague from the hospital and he was afraid that he would miss important news and be too late to save the patient.

However, a suspicion was raised in my mind. So, using his fingerprint to unlock the phone and found out that it was a voice message from Laura. When I pressed it, I heard a child’s innocent, sweet voice echoed, "Daddy, Mommy told me to tell you she loves the diamond necklace you gave her!”

My grip on the phone tightened and my entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. This voice … Could it be … my child?

Steeling myself, I scrolled through his chat history with her. The further I read, the colder I felt.

Ever since Laura and Teddy humiliated me at my wedding, I had completely cut ties with them. Later, I only vaguely heard that when Laura became pregnant, she was sent to the Montona by Teddy to rest and ensure a smooth pregnancy.

Apparently, Teddy was too busy with work to stay by her side often, but they loved showing off their long-distance relationship online. They didn’t return until Laura had finished her postpartum recovery.

While I was grieving the loss of my child, wasting away to skin and bones and refusing to burden Collin with my pain … he had been flying back and forth to Montona, under the guise of business trips, just to visit her.

Collin was a doctor. I always believed his hands were meant to save lives, so I never let him lift a finger around the house.

However, in a photo I found, he wore an apron, clumsily yet earnestly making soup for Laura. Even when he burned his fingers, he kept going without a second thought.

He cooked for her, washed her clothes and strolled with her and the child under the golden evening sun. In one photo, Laura leaned her head on his shoulder. It was a picture of a happy family of three.

There were countless pictures and videos like this. Five years’ worth of chat logs filled with sweetness and updates, without missing a single day and Collin would respond instantly to each one of them.

No wonder he never let his phone out of his sight, he even took it while he was showering. Not just to hide it from me, but also to ensure he wouldn’t miss a single message from Laura.

I had dreamed countless of times watching my child grow up since she was little. However, I had never imagined I would watch her development as an outsider.

Until I stumbled upon Collin's message. [Laura, Nora has given birth. I'll bring the baby to you shortly. You can finally be a mom.]

How about me? I can never be a mother anymore.

I wiped away the tears and called my lawyer friend.

"Please draft me a divorce agreement for me. I must have it tomorrow.]

[About the translation job you had mentioned that day … well, I agree to go to Featherland to work there in five days.]

Collin, since you love Laura so much, I’ll give you what you want.

The next morning, Collin woke up groggily. He mumbled about how he had slept so fast last night and nuzzled my neck affectionately. "Forgive me, Nora. I've been too tired lately, I didn't mean to fall asleep so quickly. I’ve got to head to work now, but tonight, we’ll celebrate Mom’s birthday together, okay? After that, your husband promises to make it up to you properly.”

In the past, his teasing would’ve made me blush and scold him for being a pervert while laughing, However, after I saw how caring and sweet his words to Laura, all I felt was disgust.

Once he left for work, I headed straight to the law firm.

Chapter 3

As I left the law firm with the divorce agreement in my hand, my friend's words echoed in my mind, "

"Getting custody of the child won't be easy. The child is registered under the Larkin Family's household and Teddy and Laura are listed as her legal guardians. Unless you or Collin undergo a biological test with the child, custody is unlikely. Even then, it depends on whether the child is willing to leave with you."

After the accident, I hadn’t even seen my child’s face, let alone had anything to use for a biological test. I had no choice but to find Collin.

When I arrived at the hospital, the nurse on duty informed me, "Doctor Huttington isn't here. He is accompanying his wife and daughter downstairs."

"His wife?" I asked.

"Yes, we all saw them. Doctor Huttington's wife is a stunning woman, with a great figure. She and Doctor Huttington are the perfect match."

When a few other nurses nearby heard this, they gathered around and gossiped with envy.

"Exactly! Doctor Huttington's wife wears high-end limited-edition designer clothes. They say he gifted her a pink diamond the size of a pigeon egg. The two of them are nauseatingly sweet! I'm really jealous."

"Yeah! She’s gorgeous and their daughter is adorable, like a little doll. Their family is so perfect it’s unfair."

One of the nurses asked suspiciously at me, "What about you? Who are you? You’re not one of those delusional patients who think they have a chance with Docotr Huttington, are you? Take a look at yourself! Their marriage is rock-solid."

The disdain in their eyes was unbearable. I awkwardly tugged at the hem of my coat as bitterness crept into my heart.

He rarely let me visit his hospital and when I did, he never introduced me. "The nurses here are gossipy," he used to say. "I don’t want them making you a topic of conversation." Now I realized it was all excuses.

I found Collin downstairs. He was standing arm-in-arm with Laura. They stood close together as they watched the children play in the hospital's small playground.

"Laura, Teddy hasn't gotten suspicious, has he?" Collin asked.

"No," Laura replied with a playful tone. "Ever since we had Ella Larkin, he's been spoiling me even more. He gives me everything I want, hugs me to sleep every night and kisses me whenever he leaves or comes home. Honestly, he’s nothing like a domineering CEO anymore …. Collin, thank you for helping me back then."

Collin was silent for a moment before forcing a bitter smile. "As long as you're happy, it's worth it."

Just then, a little girl in a princess dress came running over and threw herself into Collin’s arms. "Mommy, Daddy, Ella is hungry!" she said

She turned to look at me curiously. "Who’s this lady?"

Collin finally realized my presence. He hurriedly handed Ella over to Laura and stammered, "Nora, why are you here?"

"Don’t get the wrong idea. This is Laura’s child," he blurted out, flustered. "I … I just consider her my goddaughter."