My ex-husband died in a tragic accident at sea, and I was branded as a widow-maker. Even my grandfather issued a statement severing ties with me. In my despair and loneliness, I nearly lost my life. The icy sea water chilled me to the bone, but Lucas Lee saved me and gave me love. On our wedding night, I was shocked to realize he was my ex-husband’s brother, but it was too late to change my mind. After three years of trying, I finally got pregnant. He rushed back from across the ocean overnight to celebrate with me. In my fifth month of pregnancy, he conspired with his cousin: “Brother Lucas, can you really keep your promise and switch our babies?” “Of course. From then on, our child will inherit the Gray family’s vast fortune.” “What about your child with her?” “That bastard is lucky to be alive. Two layers of protection couldn’t stop it!” “Send it to an orphanage. Stella Gray is just my brother’s leftovers! The child she bears doesn’t deserve to be in my sight!” Is that so? Then neither the child nor the man needs to stay.
After three years of trying, I finally got pregnant. I had taken so many fertility drugs. Lucas was worried about me and said it didn’t matter if we couldn’t have a child. Little did I know that while I was desperately trying to conceive, he was doing everything he could to prevent it. The day after I found out I was pregnant, Lucas was overjoyed. He even rushed back home overnight to celebrate with me. He had a scratch on his arm that he claimed was from a stray cat, telling me not to worry. Now everything made sense. A month ago, Lucas brought his pregnant cousin Chloe back home. He said Chloe was further along than me and had more experience. My mother-in-law had even thrown Chloe a birthday party at our house. At the time, Chloe was Mrs. Lee’s precious goddaughter, while I had to stand and massage Mrs. Lee’s shoulders. Pregnancy brain made me stupid for three years. I even treated Chloe like a sister and took care of her. I clenched my jaw and fists, a mix of anger and despair nearly suffocating me. I tried to calm myself, steadying my trembling body as I carefully returned to our bedroom. “Stella seems to be asleep. Lucas, I want you,” I heard Chloe say outside. “Chloe, you’re pregnant!” Lucas protested. “You asked me to help you yesterday!” Chloe retorted. Their conversation continued, accompanied by the sound of rustling fabric. Tears instantly filled my eyes. I covered my mouth as if it could stop my body from shaking. What did I mean to him? A wave of nausea hit me. I rushed to the toilet and vomited uncontrollably, as if trying to expel all the blood and tears from my body. I sat back against the wall, gasping for air. Hot tears had already filled my eyes, ready to burst forth. Which pain was worse – being betrayed by my husband or losing him? I had experienced both, yet couldn’t compare. I thought of my late husband, Marcus. You must think I deserve this, right? You said I was heartless and arrogant. But in this marriage, I’ve suffered for so long. I dialed the number for a private hospital. “Ms. Gray, terminating a five-month pregnancy can cause severe damage. You may never be able to conceive again,” the doctor warned. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve made up my mind,” I replied firmly. A child should be born into a loving, happy family. If not, it’s better not to come into this world at all. The lawyer answered quickly, promising to prepare the divorce papers as soon as possible. Of course, that woman had to leave immediately too. Drowsiness overtook me. When I woke up, I found Lucas holding me, his hand resting on my swollen belly. This familiar, warm gesture was just like before. In the past, I would have turned and nestled into his chest, thinking I was embracing love. For a moment, I was confused, but then I smelled a woman’s perfume on him and vomited again. It caught him off guard, even getting on his clothes. Lucas woke up startled but didn’t get angry. Instead, he quickly grabbed a towel to wipe my face and body. He frowned with concern, looking just like before. As always. My heart ached. But it was all fake – his acting was too good. I felt sick again and rushed to the bathroom. He followed urgently, saying, “This little troublemaker! Stella, are you okay? Should we go to the hospital?” My stomach churned again. The physical and emotional pain was overwhelming. My eyes were bloodshot, tears pooling but not falling. How could I have fallen for this deep façade before? If he didn’t love me, why didn’t he just say so? I couldn’t show any signs of suspicion. I had to play along: “There are too many people in the house. The baby and I find it noisy. Can you ask Mrs. Zhang to take Chloe to stay somewhere else?” Lucas indeed showed some impatience. My heart was in my throat. If he had revealed his true face earlier, I wouldn’t have had to keep up this act. But after some thought, he compromised: “Alright, you and the baby are the most important. But Mrs. Liu needs to stay to take care of you. I’d be worried otherwise.” The words I had prepared got stuck in my throat. If I hadn’t found out, how long would he have kept up this charade? Outside the room, I could hear Lucas and Chloe arguing. Chloe even pushed open the door: “Sister-in-law is so clever. Even while pregnant, she can manipulate Lucas into kicking me out!” “Of course, sister-in-law’s baby is precious. Mine is just a bastard without a father!” “They say the grass is always greener, but for Lucas, it’s the opposite.” I clenched my fists, feeling a lump in my throat. Lucas’s face darkened: “Chloe, don’t be unreasonable!” Chloe immediately fell to the ground, clutching her belly and crying: “If you kick me out, where can I go? I can bear the mistreatment, but should my baby suffer too?” Lucas’s face turned grim. Finally, he turned to me: “How about we move to your hillside mansion? The scenery is nice there too.” Unexpectedly, in the end, I was the one who had to leave our marital home. I packed up with Mrs. Liu and left the place where we had lived for four years – three years of getting to know and loving each other, four years of marriage. In these seven years together, can you tell me when your heart changed? As I was packing and moving out, Chloe was happily moving her things into our master bedroom. I’m sure Lucas saw it, but he didn’t stop her. A knot formed in my chest. He made the mistake, yet I found myself reflecting on my own actions. What made this woman so worthy of his care that he would ignore me? Women in love are foolishly worthy of scolding, including myself.
When we moved to the hillside mansion, Lucas didn’t come with us. “Chloe has it tough. I’m going to help her move her old things over. I’ve called the moving company for you,” he said. Every little thing felt like a dull knife cutting into my flesh, breaking my heart. The hillside mansion was where I lived before marriage. As soon as I entered, I saw the large decorative painting Lucas had made. It depicted a newly developed tourist area with cherry blossoms in full bloom. He said he wanted to capture my most beautiful moment. The floor-to-ceiling glass cabinets along the walls were filled with rare items he had collected for me from around the world. Now, they all seemed painfully out of place. “Mrs. Liu, please find someone to lock all of these in the small room,” I instructed. After finishing unpacking, the doorbell rang. It wasn’t Lucas. “Sister-in-law, this place is much more comfortable than your marital home. You must have been wanting to move out for a while!” Chloe said as she entered. I ignored her and continued eating my dinner, though it now tasted like sawdust. “What’s wrong?” Lucas asked as he came in carrying bags. Before I could speak, Chloe quickly said, “Lucas, you were worried she’d be hungry, but she didn’t even wait for you to start eating. Sister-in-law even thanked me. If it weren’t for me, who knows how long she would have stayed in that small house.” I was completely stunned. Then I saw Lucas’s face turn from red to black. The marital home was Lucas’s first major purchase after his career took off. It was proof of his hard work. He hated when people looked down on him. I tried to find words to explain, but Lucas grabbed me forcefully: “Come on, let’s go out to eat!” His grip was strong, and I couldn’t break free. Despite my pregnant belly and slippers, he dragged me out, ignoring my cries of pain until he shoved me into the backseat of the car. He believed Chloe. He was furious. What was left for me to explain? The red marks on my wrist were glaring, bringing a numb pain that spread to my heart. Suddenly, a violent crash rang out, forcing the car to stop. That’s when I realized I was bleeding. The pain intensified. But I heard Chloe cry out: “Lucas, it hurts! Ah! My baby!” Lucas’s forehead was bleeding too. The panic in his voice was real: “Stella, are you okay? Let me help you out!” How could this be? How could he care about me? “Lucas, save me,” Chloe’s words snapped Lucas out of his daze. He swiftly and efficiently carried Chloe out, hailed a cab to the hospital, and never looked back. Though my body was in pain, a smile crept onto my face. Don’t be so conceited, Stella Gray. A kind passerby, unable to bear the sight, took me to the hospital. The concerned doctor frowned and asked, “Where’s your husband?” Coincidentally, a nurse changing shifts was chatting: “Did you see that? If you want a husband, find one like Mr. Lee just now. We told him his wife and child were fine, but he still insisted on having them admitted. He didn’t even care about the blood on his own head.” “Ms. Gray, you need surgery to save the pregnancy. We can’t delay any longer,” the doctor’s words brought my attention back. My body, numb with pain, along with my heart, finally calmed down completely. “No need. I don’t want this child anymore,” I replied.
The surgery was quick. By the time I was settled in the hospital room, my phone was still ringing non-stop. I simply put it on silent. My lower abdomen still had a slight curve, but only I knew the child was gone. I touched my belly, feeling incredibly sad. When Lucas found me, he was extremely anxious. Seeing me touch my belly, he let out a sigh of relief. He instinctively reached out to touch my abdomen, like a caring father. The pain below felt like a knife cutting through me. I avoided his touch: “The baby is gone.” The relieved smile on Lucas’s face froze, which seemed particularly ironic to me. He rushed into the doctor’s office, questioning and angry, then returned dejected. “I’m sorry,” he said. I saw his eyes were slightly red, but I only admired his acting skills. It was too real, real enough to fool even himself. After he left, I called my grandfather to tell him about the miscarriage and my plans for divorce. Grandfather was silent for a while, but finally agreed to my request for a leave of absence from work. As soon as I hung up, Mrs. Lee entered the hospital room and slapped me across the face: “You bring bad luck! Why don’t you just die!” “It’s fortunate Lucas and Chloe are okay, or you’d have to pay with your life!” My already weak body felt even worse. I gritted my teeth and sat up, glaring at her angrily. Mrs. Lee was about to strike again, but Lucas rushed in and stopped her raised hand, scolding her: “Mom! What are you doing?” “The baby is gone. It’s all my fault!” he exclaimed. His protection and acting were like needles to me. Each time it happened, another needle stabbed me. The pain made it hard to breathe. Mrs. Lee grabbed him and berated him outside: “She was your brother’s woman. I’ve tolerated her for too long!” “Do you really want to spend the rest of your life with her?” Lucas, reminded of his brother, immediately filled with hatred: “Of course not. Once I get the Gray family’s assets, I’ll divorce her!” After acting for so long, he seemed a bit reluctant to leave now. No, that’s not it. Lucas said he was working overtime at the company for several days in a row, but he was actually taking care of Chloe. She was completely unharmed, yet she clung to Lucas, asking him to push her wheelchair around the hospital garden. She would look towards the window of my hospital room, and sometimes I could catch her challenging gaze. Chloe had provoked me several times without getting a response. Just before I was to be discharged, she couldn’t resist coming to find me: “Some people can even tolerate their husband’s infidelity.” Who could tolerate that? I sneered, not responding. Should I still try to fight for him? The pain below and my body full of wounds were the answer. “Stella Gray, you think you’re so great just because you have some money? Just you wait!” Chloe huffed as she left. I received a notification of a credit card charge – a $200,000 jewelry purchase. Only then did I remember I was still supporting my mother-in-law. I informed the bank and had the card reported lost and replaced. Coincidentally, the lawyer told me that the analysis of our respective assets was complete, and the divorce agreement could be given to me within three days. Three days. Alright, just three more days. I was just feeling happy about leaving soon when Mrs. Lee’s text message made me feel like I’d fallen into an ice pit. “We’re hosting Chloe’s birthday party at home tomorrow. As her sister-in-law, you can’t be absent.” “It’s not too much to ask you to contribute some money as her sister-in-law, right? $500,000. Remember to transfer it to me.” “Be there at 5 PM sharp. You wouldn’t want tomorrow’s guests to know you brought bad luck to your husband and then married his brother, would you?” Mrs. Lee had been holding this over me for three years. Marcus’s death was already a wound in my heart. The deceased are gone, and I didn’t want to discuss it further with his family.
When Lucas came to pick me up, the doctor refused to discharge me: “Postpartum recovery is crucial. Your husband should understand this.” Lucas showed no concern: “She’s not that delicate.” My bleeding hadn’t stopped, and hearing this from outside the door, I felt my heart grow cold. Once, when I accidentally cut my finger while peeling an apple, he caught my gasp over the phone. He immediately stopped work and rushed home, carefully bandaging my finger: “A wife is meant to be pampered.” How many years has it been since then? On the way back to the family home, I spoke up: “Your mother asked me for $500,000 yesterday. I haven’t given it to her yet.” Lucas had always been unwilling to lose face in front of me. He cleared his throat awkwardly: “I’ll give it to her later.” I nodded and closed my eyes, pretending to doze off. The old house was adorned with red roses, transforming the once simple courtyard into something resembling a wedding venue. Chloe wore a white tulle dress, holding pink roses. When she saw Lucas, a beautiful blush spread across her face. “That must be Lucas’s wife. Why does she have such a gloomy face at her sister-in-law’s birthday? She’s so pale, it’s creepy.” “I heard she had a miscarriage and is still in postpartum recovery. How could she look well?” “Ugh, and she still came? Is she afraid Lucas will dislike her and prefer Chloe?” The coldness in my heart intensified. Unable to hide the pain in my abdomen, I found a place to sit and rest. As soon as I sat down, Mrs. Lee called me over, surrounded by the gossiping women from earlier: “I’ve found a folk remedy that will help you get pregnant again quickly.” The women around her inquired curiously. “From 5:30 until the end of the party, you’ll wash dishes in the kitchen. The more dishes you wash, the more sincere your heart. I’ve bought plenty of extra dishes just for this.” Chloe and Mrs. Lee’s faces showed mocking smiles. From start to finish, it was just a ploy to humiliate me. I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood. The humiliation was unbearable. As I turned to leave, Mrs. Lee suddenly spoke: “Did you all know about Stella’s ex-husband?” I stopped in my tracks, clenching my fists. The pain in my palms reminded me to remember this humiliation. The kitchen was full of servants preparing for the birthday party. They weren’t surprised to see me and collectively sneered. The sink was already piled high with dishes. They pushed me to wash in a basin on the floor. People clearing tables threw oil-stained dishes directly into my basin, splashing dirty water onto my head, face, and clothes. Seeing my miserable state, Chloe covered her mouth and laughed loudly: “Remember to be sincere!” When Lucas passed by with a friend, his friend frowned: “Isn’t that your wife?” I didn’t look up, my hands busy non-stop. I only heard him say: “No, you’re mistaken.” The winter water was freezing, and the pain below persisted. At that moment, I froze. Those words echoed around me like a spell. My heart sank to the depths. Two tears fell straight down, indistinguishable from the oily water. “Hurry up and wash! You’ll be in trouble if you don’t finish!” The curses shattered what was left of my dignity. At the banquet, Lucas presented a gift to Chloe. Chloe blushed shyly, embracing Lucas as if he were her whole world. I stared at the perfect couple, lost in thought. When he proposed, Lucas promised to protect me for life. In our first year of marriage, Mrs. Lee treated me like her own daughter. In our second year, when Mrs. Lee gave me a hard time, he firmly shielded me. In our fourth year of marriage, another woman was carrying his child. My heart turned to ashes, no longer stirred by anything. As the guests began to leave, there were fewer and fewer dishes. Lucas rushed to the kitchen and helped me up. My hands were red from the cold, but I still had the strength to slap him. He didn’t dodge. The sound was crisp. He even held my hand to his chest: “Why are your hands so cold!” That moment of warmth couldn’t thaw my heart. I held my head high, not letting tears fall, and laughed softly: “Lucas, you’re so contradictory.”
I thought I was strong enough, but the moment I finished speaking, tears streamed down my face. As my emotions erupted, Lucas panicked like a child. He held me tightly in his arms, begging softly: “I was wrong, I was wrong. Stella, Stella, let’s start over.” He no longer wanted to deceive himself. He no longer wanted to act. His wife was innocent. Before I could push him away, Chloe appeared and forcefully separated us. She was hysterical, her eyes brimming with tears, as if she were the wronged wife catching her husband in the act: “Lucas, what about us? What about our child?” “Have you forgotten? You never liked her. You dated her, married her, only because she’s the Gray family’s daughter!” “You love me! We’ve been in love for eight years!” “Back then, you saved her only because…!” “Enough, Chloe, you’ve gone mad. I’m calling the driver to take you home right now!” Lucas rushed over to cover her mouth. Shame, anger, fear – for the first time, I saw so many emotions on Lucas’s face. What was there to hide? I already knew all of this. But I never expected that I was the other woman. At this point, I lost all strength. Seven whole years. I never imagined I had fallen into an elaborately designed trap. A man from humble beginnings marrying into wealth for money, abandoning his loyal wife. How cliché. I admit I married the wrong person. I loved the wrong person, and I’ll change that. My heart ached intensely. Marriage is a gamble, and I had lost completely. Lucas finally got Chloe into the car and locked her inside. The driver took Chloe away.
In the instant Lucas turned to run back to me, I saw the hatred in Chloe’s eyes. “Stella, Chloe was talking nonsense. Don’t take it to heart.” “Everything she said was a lie.” “I’ve neglected you too much. For your birthday, how about we go on vacation to England?” Lucas reached for my hand as he spoke, but I dodged, barely managing to stand. The disgust on my face was undisguised. When he looked at me, his breath stopped for a moment. At that moment, Attorney Zhou called: “The agreement has been delivered to your home.” My body, which had been on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, found new strength. I smiled sweetly, suppressing my disgust to hold his hand that I had just avoided: “The Starry Sky development agreement is ready. Let’s go home and sign it.” The Starry Sky development had been Lucas’s passion project for the past year. He wouldn’t suspect anything. Perhaps my acting was convincing, as Lucas’s face showed joy at being accepted by me. Lucas silently reflected on his actions. He vowed to prepare a grand birthday trip for me and fulfill all the promises he had once made. This vision of the future made him sign two documents without noticing anything amiss. The moment the divorce agreement was signed, I was free. From that moment, the Gray family, including its assets, had no connection to Lucas Lee. Lucas finally noticed the changes in the hillside mansion. He suddenly felt uneasy: “Stella, where’s the painting I made for you?” “I sent it for touch-ups.” He reminded me – those things should have been burned long ago. If he could act, so could I. Lucas’s phone kept ringing. After silencing it, his expression turned sour. He spoke up: “Chloe might have some issues. I’ll go check on her and come right back.” I nodded. Lucas thought I was jealous: “If you don’t like it, I won’t go.” I sneered and turned back to the bedroom. Behind me, Chloe’s distinctive ringtone sounded, clear and persistent. Then, the door opened, and he left. Stella Gray, it’s all over now. A tear fell, and my heart ached. I sent the divorce agreement to my grandfather. The rest would need his help to tie up loose ends. I quickly packed my bags and headed to the airport. On his way to find Chloe, Lucas had already planned what to say to her. Five million dollars was all he could give her. Using half of his savings for a new life seemed fair to both of them. Lucas also contacted an overseas travel agency to prepare a grand birthday trip for me. But Chloe clearly wasn’t satisfied. She cried and made a scene. Her emotional outburst even led her to the hospital. Lucas couldn’t make it home, but not wanting me to worry, he called me. He called again and again, but no one answered. For some reason, he felt an overwhelming sense of unease at that moment. He quickly sent his assistant to the hillside mansion. “Mr. Lee, it’s not good. Mrs. Lee is gone!”
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