My husband died in a fire trying to save me, leaving behind a mountain of debt and a newborn child.

I worked hard to pay off the debt while raising the child, only to unintentionally discover that my husband hadn’t died at all. Instead, he was sleeping with my cousin.

“Honey, you’re so clever. You transferred all the company funds and faked your death, leaving that stupid wife of yours to shoulder all the debt.

“She’s so clueless that she doesn’t even realize the son she’s raising isn’t hers, that I swapped him out. Once she’s done paying off the debts, the three of us can live a great life together.”

I silently sneered, pretending I knew nothing, and continued to raise the child.

Twenty years later, my son returned home after studying abroad. The company went public in New York. On the day of the IPO, my cousin appeared arm in arm with my husband, holding a paternity test.

“Claire, your husband never died. We’ve been together all these years. Alex is my son. Now that you’ve been his mother for so long, isn’t it time to return him to me?”

My husband also presented a divorce agreement. “I built this company from scratch. It’s premarital property. Sign the divorce papers, walk away with nothing, and you can leave now.”

I smiled and told him, “I’ve prepared a special gift for you too. I wonder if you’ll like it."

I had just finished a day of work, utterly exhausted, when I returned to my rented apartment.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Amelia Williams bustling about. She was wearing an apron, setting a feast on the table.

“Claire, I know you’ve been busy. I didn’t have much to do, so I thought I’d come over to help.”

I was already used to it. Ever since my husband, Nathan Smart, died in that fire, Amelia had been frequently coming over to “help”, even taking a spare key to my home so that she could come and go as she pleased.

She claimed it was because she sympathized with how hard it was for me to work and raise a child alone.

However, deep down, I knew the real reason—she just didn’t trust me to take good care of her precious son.

At the dining table, my son loudly exclaimed, “Aunt Amelia is so nice to me! I love Aunt Amelia!”

Amelia affectionately patted his head before turning to me. “Claire, come sit down. Dinner is ready.”

It was as if they were truly mother and son.

With a faint smile, I put my bag down and sat at the table. “Alright, Amelia. Your cooking has gotten even better.”

With someone cooking and helping to care for my child for free, why should I complain?

After dinner, Amelia sat on the couch, looking at me with feigned concern. “Look at you—so young, but already with wrinkles decorating the corners of your eyes. It must be so exhausting working at the company.”

She let out a sigh, pretending to wipe away nonexistent tears.

“My dear cousin Claire, how can your life be so miserable? Widowed at such a young age and burdened with so much debt… If Nathan could see you working yourself to the bone like this, he’d be so heartbroken in heaven.”

Watching her performance, I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. If I hadn’t seen her and my supposedly deceased husband together at a hotel with my own eyes, I might have believed she genuinely cared about me.

Noticing her sorrowful expression, my son ran straight into her arms. “Aunt Amelia, you’re the best! Not only did you make my favorite sticky ribs, but you also gave me a present! I love you the most!”

Amelia hugged him with a smile. “Of course! I don’t have any children of my own, so from now on, you will be my one and only little darling. Okay, Alex?”

“Okay!”

Watching their intimate interaction from the side, I couldn’t help but find it utterly ridiculous.

Since my son Alex was born, Amelia had always taken over—celebrating his birthdays, and attending parent-teacher meetings—as if she were his biological mother.

Whenever I asked why she was so involved, she always replied, “I know Nathan left you with a mountain of debt when he passed away, and you’re busy working to pay it off. Just leave Alex to me, and focus on your job.

“I don’t have a husband who died for me or such a sweet child like you do. I’m all alone in this world with no one to love me except you, my dearest cousin. I’ve decided that I’ll never marry or have children. I’ll spend my life helping you take care of Alex.”

While she was playing games with my son, there was a knock at the door.

When I opened it, I saw my neighbor, Mrs. Keeley, standing there with a young man.

“Mrs. Keeley, what brings you here? Is something wrong?” I quickly invited her in.

She got straight to the point, pushing the young man forward. “This is my youngest son. He’s still single. Since you’re single too, I thought of introducing the two of you to each other.”

She pulled me to the couch and sat down to speak persuasively, “You’re managing the company and raising Alex on your own. As a woman, I know how tough that is. Since we’re neighbors and know each other well, I thought maybe the two of you could be together.”

“Hello.” The man extended his hand to me. “I’m Gerard. Nice to meet you.” As he spoke, he scanned me with a lecherous gaze.

“Well…” I pretended to hesitate, glancing back at my son. “Sorry, but I just want to focus on paying off my husband’s debts and raising my son.”

Mrs. Keeley patted my shoulder in exasperation. “I know you had a good relationship with Nathan, but the dead can’t come back to life! Nathan’s company was his premarital property. He’s gone now, and his debts are nullified upon his death. You don’t have to deal with his mess!

“For a woman, the most important thing is finding a decent man to marry. While you’re still young, you should act fast! The older you get, the harder it will be to find someone.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Keeley, but my husband died saving me. His debts are essentially mine,” I said with a polite smile.

Mrs. Keeley sighed. “You’ve worked yourself to the bone these past few years, juggling multiple jobs to pay off your late husband’s debts. Look how exhausted you’ve become. I introduced my son to you because I care about you.”

I smiled and shook my head. “Thank you, Mrs. Keeley. I’m doing fine raising my son on my own. I haven’t thought about getting married again.”

Seeing my continued refusal, Mrs. Keeley sighed and left with her son.

After they left, Amelia glared at the closed door, fuming. “This is ridiculous. You and Alex are doing perfectly fine together. What right does he have to interfere? That sneaky look of his—he doesn’t seem like a good person.

“Nathan loved you so much when he was alive, and he died saving you. You absolutely can’t let him down. Besides, Alex is still so young. What if some outsider treats him poorly? You need to consider this carefully. Don’t let just anyone into your home.”

I nodded with a sorrowful expression. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I also loved Nathan deeply. There’s no room for anyone else in my heart.”

Hearing that I agreed with her, Amelia finally relaxed.

“Claire, don’t feel too sad. These tough years will pass. Once Alex grows up, everything will get better. Rest assured, if Nathan’s spirit is watching from above, he’ll surely bless you for loving him so much.”

Seeing the schadenfreude in her eyes, I smiled faintly.

‘Amelia, enjoy your happiness while you can. When Alex turns 18, you’ll find out just how big of a gift I’ve prepared for you.’

Ever since the incident with Gerard, Amelia worked tirelessly to spread rumors that I was drowning in millions of debt and still hopelessly in love with my late husband.

For a time, every single man who knew me avoided me as if I were a plague. Even relatives and friends criticized me behind my back.

“Has Claire lost her mind after Nathan’s death? How is she ever going to pay off all that debt?”

“What a fool. Why doesn’t she just run away with her kid and leave it all behind?”

“Who even cares about these old-fashioned notions anymore? Does she still want to play the martyr?”

Such remarks were endless. To everyone, my decision was simply unbelievable.

However, I ignored them all and focused on running my company according to my original plan.

As Alex grew older, Amelia began visiting our home more frequently. Sometimes, I’d come back from work only to find the house empty.

A quick call would reveal that Amelia had taken Alex out, casually announcing they wouldn’t return that night.

It wasn’t hard to guess—she most likely took Alex to see Nathan.

The more this happened, the colder Alex became toward me.

“Mom, why can’t you dress as stylishly as Aunt Amelia? Thank goodness she’s the one attending my parent-teacher meetings. I’d be so embarrassed if my classmates saw you.”

He didn’t understand that I was working myself to the bone, trying to repay his father’s debts. Who had the time or energy to focus on fashion?

Finally, Mother’s Day arrived—a day I thought we’d spend together as mother and son. Yet, Amelia showed up early, bearing gifts and cake.

“Claire, I know you’re always busy. Today’s finally a chance for you and Alex to spend some quality time together,” she said.

However, she then turned to me and asked, “By the way, Claire, you’ve been working for so long, so those debts must be almost paid off by now, right?”

Alex perked up at the question, looking at me expectantly. “Yes, Mom! We have a company, after all. When will we finally start living the good life?”

Seeing their hopeful expressions, I smiled calmly and replied, “Very soon. There’s just a little left. Our company recently landed a big contract, so we’ll be making plenty of money soon.”

Hearing this, their faces lit up with joy.

“Claire, you’re amazing! All these years of hard work haven’t been in vain,” Amelia praised, unable to hide her excitement.

“Yes, Mom! You’re the best,” Alex chimed in.

Amelia beamed. “Once Alex gets into a good university, you two will finally be living the life! Did you hear that, Alex? Study hard, so your mom can enjoy life later!”

Detecting the mockery in her tone, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘My dear Amelia, you’d better enjoy this while it lasts. When the time comes, we’ll see who truly prospers.’

That said, I wasn’t lying about the company. Under my management, it had attracted significant investments and was thriving.

Years passed, and Alex graduated from high school and got into Harvard University.

On his eighteenth birthday, I arranged for a grand coming-of-age celebration at the office.

The hall was packed with relatives and employees. Through the glass doors, I noticed reporters discreetly filming and interviewing outside; Amelia probably invited them.

Smiling faintly, I took the stage, unflustered by the attention.

“Our girl boss is incredible! Raising a child alone and building a business—she’s a true role model!”

“Yeah, and her late husband adored her. Didn’t he sacrifice his life to save her?”

“It’s such a touching story. Now that her son’s all grown up, she’s finally made it.”

As the crowd praised me, the reporters snapped photo after photo, documenting my journey as an inspiring businesswoman.

However, just as I announced the start of the ceremony, a commotion broke out near the entrance.

The crowd parted, creating a path for someone to walk through. Gasps filled the room as everyone stared in disbelief.

“Wait a minute! Isn’t that Claire’s dead husband, Nathan?”

“And why is her cousin sister Amelia with him? What’s going on between those two?”