Chapter 1

Ten years ago,my husband Billy Dawes convinced me to get a hysterectomy so we could live a child-free life together.I gave up my ability to have children for him—and I never looked back.

Not until the day he came home with a pair of adopted twins and asked me to raise them as my own.

I agreed.And from that moment on,I devoted myself to those kids like they were my flesh and blood.I changed every diaper,packed every lunch,stayed up all night through every fever.Eighteen years later,they got accepted into Princeton and Yale.I was so proud I could’ve burst.

At their college send-off party,Billy handed me a document—an asset transfer agreement.He wanted me to sign everything over to the twins.

I agreed without hesitation.Just as I reached for the pen,my mom pulled me aside,worry etched all over her face.“Crystal,you don’t even know where those kids came from.Are you really going to sign everything over to them?Keep something for yourself,at least.”

“Don’t worry,mom.Everything’s going to be okay,”I said softly.

But she broke down,dropping to her knees and begging me not to be so naive.When my father saw her crying and realized I still planned to go through with it,he stormed in,slapped me across the face and shouted that I was a disgrace to the family.

Still,I signed.

Billy’s face lit up with satisfaction.Then,without a shred of shame,he turned and wrapped his arm around another woman’s waist.She stepped forward,eyes smug and tossed a divorce agreement in my face.

“Thank you for taking care of Billy and the kids all these years,”she said.“But now it’s time for you to step aside.It’s time for our family to be whole again.”

I looked at her,my expression calm,my voice steady.

“Fine.”

——

Eighteen years ago,Billy Dawes looked me in the eye and promised we’d be child-free forever.I believed him so much,I went under the knife.I let them take out my uterus so I wouldn’t be tempted later.No kids.No regrets.All for him.

Then,one day,he came home with a pair of brown-skinned,giggling twins—a boy and a girl—wrapped in bright,mismatched blankets and beaming at me like I was the sun.They were adorable.Couldn’t have been more than a few months old.

“I adopted them,”Billy said.“From a children’s shelter.They need a mom,Crystal.Will you take care of them?”

I didn’t even hesitate.

From that moment on,I became their mother in every way that mattered.I was there for the late-night fevers,the broken bones,the report cards,the nightmares.I packed their lunches every single day and celebrated every scraped knee like it was a rite of passage.I kissed their foreheads goodnight more times than I could count.

And I loved them.Fiercely.

Now,they’ve grown up.One got into Princeton.The other’s headed to Yale.I was so proud I felt like my chest might explode.

At their college send-off party,Billy handed me a document.“Crystal,”he said,“it’s time to transfer everything to the kids.Let’s make sure they have a solid start.”

I didn’t even read it.I picked up the pen without thinking.

But before I could sign,my mom grabbed my arm,her eyes full of panic.“Honey,”she whispered,“do you even know where these kids came from?You’re giving them everything.Can’t you keep something for yourself?”

I smiled.“It’s okay,Mom.I trust my judgment.Nothing would happen,”I said softly.

She started crying.Dropped to her knees in front of me.“Please,Crystal.Don’t do this.”

My dad came storming in when he saw her like that.One look at the document in my hand and the tears in my mom’s eyes and he lost it.He slapped me across the face.“You’re a disgrace to the Oldford!”he yelled.

Even then—I signed.

Billy’s grin stretched across his face.And right there,at that party,in front of everyone,he walked across the room and wrapped his arm around another woman.

She was young,polished,with sharp eyes and a smile that said she thought she’d already won.She tossed a divorce agreement in my face like it was a party favor.

“Thanks for taking care of Billy and the kids all these years,”she said.“But it’s time for you to go.It’s time for our family to be whole again.”

I stared at her,dead calm.

“Okay,”I said.

But inside,my world shattered.

This woman—Denise Boyle—was an employee at my company.Smart.Ambitious.Always knew how to play the game.A total cheap woman in disguise.Turns out,she wasn’t just playing games at work—she was playing house with my husband.

My voice broke through the silence like a gunshot.“So,you’ve been screwing around with Denise this whole time?!”

Denise smiled like I’d just complimented her.“Oh come on,Crystal.Don’t be mad.If you really loved Billy,you’d want what’s best for him aren’t you?Even if that means stepping aside.”

Billy scoffed.“Hurry up and sign the papers already.Stop dragging this out.”

I looked at him—and suddenly I wasn’t seeing the confident man he’d become.I saw the boy he used to be in college.The poor farm kid from the sticks,too ashamed to ask for help.He used to sit in the dorm eating stale white bread because he couldn’t afford anything else.His hair was dry and brittle,his face pale,his shoulders hunched from hunger and shame.

I remembered the day he passed out on the soccer field.I was the one who carried him to the infirmary.That’s when I found out how bad things were.I paid for his meals from then on.And eventually,we fell in love—or at least,I thought we did.

And Denise?She wasn’t some stranger.She was Billy’s childhood sweetheart—his high school flame.They’d supposedly broken up long before I entered the picture.But I guess old sparks die hard.

The crowd at the party started buzzing with whispers.

“God,poor Crystal…She just gave everything to those kids and now he pulls this?”

“Didn’t they agree not to have kids at all?And then he goes and adopts two behind her back?Unbelievable.”

Someone else added,“And now that the kids are off to the Ivy League,he doesn’t even bother pretending anymore.”

Chapter 2

“I think those twins are Billy’s biological kids—with that homewrecker,”someone muttered.

“Is there even a doubt?Why else would he push Crystal to transfer all the assets to them?”another chimed in.

“Poor woman.She was completely played.”

Whispers spread like wildfire through the banquet hall,voices thick with judgment and disbelief.What had started as a festive send-off had morphed into a full-blown public spectacle—and I was at the center of it all.

My mother clutched my arm,her tear-streaked face trembling.“Crystal,this is exactly what we warned you about,”she cried.“We told you he was calculated.He’s always been after our money!That man never loved you.And those kids—you don’t even know where they came from!But you wouldn’t listen!”

Dad had stormed off earlier,livid.Now he returned,face thunderous,voice shaking with fury.

“How could I have raised such a foolish daughter?Why the hell would you give up everything for a man?You already gave up your career,your womb,even your assets!Crystal,you’re a disgrace to the Oldford name!”

Surrounded by murmurs and judgmental stares,I looked down at the divorce papers in my hands.No one noticed the faint,almost amused curve of my lips.

“Crystal,”Billy said,using that faux-gentle tone I’d come to despise,“you can’t blame me.I’m just a man.You had your uterus removed—you can’t have children anymore.What choice did I have?”

I let out a dry laugh,cold and humorless.“You’re the one who asked me to do it—so we could live a child-free life together.You told me we’d never regret it.You swore that if I sacrificed my ability to have children,you’d stay with me forever.”

Billy shrugged,careless.“Well,that was then.Things changed.I want a family now.I want children.And since you can’t give them to me,I’ll find someone who can.”

“Exactly.”Denise stepped forward like she was auditioning for a soap opera,her smile perfectly practiced.“What’s the point of keeping a woman who can’t give you kids?And what good is all that fortune if there’s no one to pass it down to?”

Around the room,heads began to nod in quiet agreement.Whispers rose again,this time backing her heartless words.

Unable to stomach it any longer,my mother stepped forward,eyes blazing,finger trembling as she pointed at Billy.“You,”she spat.“Have you forgotten where you came from?”

“You came out of some dead-end town with nothing but lint in your pockets.Couldn’t even afford college.You were holed up in a dorm room,living off ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches.”

“If Crystal’s father hadn’t stepped in and paid your mother’s hospital bills,she wouldn’t have made it through the month.We didn’t ask for a dime in dowry when you married Crystal.Instead,we gave you a house and a car.”

“When she found out you liked slow-cooked ribs,she didn’t just order them—she hired a chef to get the recipe right,then spent weeks learning how to make them herself.Just to make you smile.”

“And when your brother lost his job and his wife left him?Crystal begged her father to help.He gave your brother a cushy job—General Manager,full benefits,five-figure salary.We treated you like family.And this...this is how you repay us?”

The room went silent.

Billy gave a humorless laugh.“Why are you bringing up the past?That’s got nothing to do with this.”Then he turned to me.“Well,Crystal?Are you just gonna stand there and stare at the agreement?”

He smirked.“Not like it’ll change anything if you don’t sign.The estate’s already been transferred to the kids.And there’s barely a few hundred in our joint account.”

“Tell you what,”he added,voice mocking,“you can keep it.Consider it a thank-you for all the sacrifices you made for me and the kids.Should be enough for your retirement.”

Gasps and low murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“If it weren’t for Crystal,”someone muttered,“his mother wouldn’t have survived.He’d still be a-nobody and not the richest man in the city.”

“The Oldfords dragged him out of poverty and he cleaned them out.Played his cards right.Poor Mr.Oldford.”

“Yeah,and now he’s grinning like he won the damn lottery.”

Billy’s smug smile stretched so far it looked like it might split his face in half.

Then—smack!

“You shameless man!”The slap sound echoed through the banquet hall like a gunshot.My father had stormed forward,hand raised and slapped Billy so hard his head snapped to the side.He was furious thinking of what I’ve been sacrificed to be with that shameless man and now he made fool of us.

Dad roared.“She gave up her womb for you,gave you status,gave you a life you never could’ve built on your own—and this is how you repay her?”

Billy’s face turned red,more from humiliation than pain.He waved his arm and shouted,“Security!Get this old man out of here!”

Like trained dogs,a group of security guards charged forward,surrounding my father with threatening eyes and clenched fists.

Chapter 3

The same guys who were all smiles earlier,helping my dad carry boxes for the party,now turned on him in an instant.

“You lay a finger on me and you’ll regret it,”my dad warned,his voice sharp.

One of them scoffed.“Why wouldn’t we?Who do you think you are?”

They hesitated—intimidated by the fire still burning in his eyes.

Then Denise,gleeful in her role as the shameless woman,marched up and slapped my father hard across the face.

He froze.

This was a man who’d once been president of the State Business Council.He knew governors,senators,CEOs.Now he’d been humiliated by the woman who stole his legacy.

He was about to explode,but I grabbed his arm,pulling him back before things spiraled further.

“This is too much,”someone whispered.“They even hit Mr.Oldford?”

“How could they disrespect Mr.Oldford like this?Mr.Oldford is a great man.He’s a philanthropist!He’s funded schools,helped veterans and rebuilt homes for seniors.How dare they?”

“Crystal threw her life away for that man.Doesn’t she know women can’t undo that choice?Men can be fathers into their seventies,but a woman…?”

“If my daughter had done this,”another voice muttered,“I’d have smacked her senseless.”

“This couple—Billy and Denise—they’re disgusting.And now they’re the richest people in the city?”

Everyone was angry.Fingers pointed.Voices rose.Some cursed Billy.Some pitied me.But Billy was unfazed.

“Are we done yet?”he asked the room.

Everyone went silent.

He turned back to me.“So,Crystal?You signing,or what?Hurry!We don’t have all day for your decision.”

“Fine,”I hissed.“I'll sign it.”

I couldn’t hold a chuckle when I read what’s in the agreement.It was so ridiculously simple.Basically,it left me with a few grand—barely enough to cover a few months'rent.It was a clean exit.No assets.No rights.Nothing.

I picked up the pen and signed my name with a few quick,emotionless strokes.

Billy snatched up the papers and skimmed them,then let out a mocking laugh.“Good.Great.Crystal,you’re our biggest benefactor!Thank you so much—for handing us a billion-dollar fortune.My family and I will be living off your generosity for generations.”

Denise,glowing with triumph,lifted her glass and downed the champagne.“Seriously,Crystal,you’re like my fairy godmother!I ought to toast to you every year!”

I smiled.

Good.Let’s see how long that smile lasts.

Then it happened.

My father,still watching them bask in their victory—watching the family business passed down for five generations fall into someone else’s hands—suddenly coughed violently.

And then—

He collapsed,spitting up blood.

“Dad!”I screamed,rushing to his side.

“James!”my mom cried,kneeling beside him.

My relatives surged forward—someone tilted his head up,someone else tried to get water down his throat,another pressed his pressure points.

Panic exploded around us.

I looked at him—his pale face,his trembling hands.His heart had always been fragile.He nearly had a stroke when I had my hysterectomy for Billy’s sake.This might just break him completely.

Billy stood there watching the chaos,barely blinking.Then he spotted someone rushing in to help—a tall man in a sharp navy suit.

“Theo Jones?”Billy narrowed his eyes.“What the hell are you doing here?Don’t tell me you're into Crystal now.She’s not exactly the flavor of the month.”

Theo and Billy had grown up together.Same small town.Same poor beginnings.Billy used to tease Theo all the time—called him a hayseed,a nobody.

Theo just offered a cool,polite smile.He didn’t bother looking at Billy.

My father came to,groaning weakly.People helped him up and escorted him to a quiet room to rest.

“Where are the twins?”someone asked.

“I think they’re off taking their admission letters.”

Just then,the front doors opened and in walked two teenagers in school uniforms.

Chloe and Caleb.

They’d put on a little weight over the years,but still had the same bright,familiar smiles.Only now,when they spotted me,their expressions soured.They turned their backs on me and ran to Billy.

“Dad!”Chloe beamed,hugging him tight.“Aunt Denise!We did it!We both got in!”

Billy grinned,proud.“I knew you would.I’m so proud of you.”

After hugging each twin,he gently guided them to sit down and said softly,“Kids,from now on…don’t call Denise‘Aunt’anymore.Call her‘Mom.’”

The twins’eyes lit up like it was the best news they’d ever heard.They turned to Denise with huge smiles and shouted in unison—

“Mom!”

“Mom!”

My heart dropped.

“Mom,”I echoed under my breath.Hearing the children I raised—my children—call another woman“Mom”felt like being hit by a wrecking ball.

I was the one who packed their lunches every morning.I was the one who stayed up through the night during flu seasons,who held their hands through heartbreaks,who sat through every parent-teacher conference,who kissed scraped knees and calmed tantrums.

Denise gave a dazzling smile,brushing their hair affectionately and cupping their cheeks.“My kids.Now I don’t have to sneak around school like some criminal just to see you anymore.”

My mother couldn’t take it anymore.Her voice cracked as she shouted,“Chloe!Caleb!Your mother is right here!”

She pointed to me,eyes blazing with disbelief.

“She gave up eighteen years of her life raising you!And now you’re calling the woman who destroyed our family‘Mom’?Where is your sense?”

Chapter 4

“Caleb,”my mother said,her voice trembling,“you were a sickly baby.You had constant fevers.One night,your temperature shot up to 104 and your mom ran out in the middle of a storm,carrying you through the rain just to get you to a doctor.”

She turned to Chloe.“And you—when you started high school,you got involved with some rough kids.That night,they drugged your drink.If your mom hadn’t barged in with help at just the right time,God knows what would've happened.She ended up getting stabbed ten times trying to protect you.If it weren’t for her,you’d be ruined by now.”

“And when you got your first period,who taught you how to deal with it?Who sat with you and explained everything,so you wouldn’t be scared?”

The room fell silent.The kids had no answer—because deep down,they knew it was true.I took care of them like my own.

A moment passed before Chloe rolled her eyes.“Think I care?Whatever she did doesn’t count—she’s not my real mom.”

Caleb sneered.“Exactly.Look at her.You think this broke woman deserved to be our mother?Not in a million years.”

Then he slapped down a folder on the table—a paternity test.

Just like that,the truth was out.They were Denise’s bastard kids.

Everyone gasped,even though the rumors had been swirling for a while.

“I knew it,”someone whispered.

“Come on,it was obvious.They said they didn’t want kids,then came back with twins?Please.”

“God,poor Crystal.She raised someone else’s kids for eighteen years,gave them a billion-dollar inheritance and they turn around and call the woman who wrecked her marriage‘Mom’.”

All eyes were on me—mocking,pitying.I was the joke of the night.

They thought I’d lose it,start screaming or throw a fit.But instead,I pulled out a folder of my own and tossed it on the table.

“Since you say so,”I said calmly.“Let’s cut our ties here.”Gasps rang out again.No one expected that.

“You’re just going to give them up?After everything you’ve done?”someone whispered.

Chloe laughed.“That’s exactly what I wanted.”

They signed without hesitation,then strutted over to Billy and Denise.The four of them smiled at each other like they’d just won the lottery.

Finally,they could play happy family in the open,without sneaking around like criminals.

“Great,”I said,smiling too.

I gave them a chance.If they had even a sliver of decency,I might’ve shown mercy.But human nature is blinding—like staring at the sun.You’ll go blind if you look too close.

No one could figure out how someone like me—a woman who’d built an empire worth billions—ended up raising another woman’s children like some tragic fool.

“Crystal,this party has nothing to do with you anymore,”Billy said coldly.“You can leave.And please tell your parents to pack up as well.The mansion is now in my kids’names.”

“Not so fast,”I said with a sly smile.“This is still my kids’graduation party.The celebration hasn’t even started.Why would I leave now?”

Then I turned to the door.“Kids,come on in.”

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

Two students in school uniforms walked in.