Jane’s POV

When I, Jane Luxton, was delivered to the Payton Family’s elder master as a “fortune-bringing bride,” I never expected to meet the mocking gaze of my ex-boyfriend on the bed.

In the dimly lit bedroom, Simon Payton teased my most sensitive spots, his voice dripping with wicked amusement as the sound of my growing ragged breath entered his ears. “Stepmother,” he murmured against my ear, “Why don’t you stay with me instead? I promise I’m much more satisfying than that old man.”

Later, at the auction house, he bid on luxury goods worth tens of millions of dollars and gifted them to me. He treated me with endless tenderness, clung to me every night and whispered sweet nothings that made my heart flutter. These made me believe in the sweet fantasies of our life at that time.

This fantasy persisted until the day I was forced to withdraw from a major modeling audition at the peak of my career because I was pregnant. At that time, I stumbled across his group chat with his friends and read it.

[Does that fool Jane really believe Simon still loves her? When she ditched him for money back then because she hated the poor and preferred the rich, did she even think he was the lost heir of the wealthy Payton Family?]

[If it hadn’t been for that half-paralyzed old man needing a bride to reverse his bad luck, she would’ve never had the chance to see our Simon again. He only chose her because she was clean and not acting like a slut outside. If not, Simon could get any woman he wanted, right?]

[Do you think when she finds out she’s not only lost her career but Simon is going to get engaged to someone else, she’ll go crazy and jump into a river?]

As I read these, I felt like my blood turned into ice. What I thought was a rekindled act of love turned out to be nothing more than his well-orchestrated act of revenge and humiliation.

I turned my body around and packed my things. I would leave for good.

***

When Simon found out I was pregnant, he was overjoyed. He kept asking me over and over again as if he could not believe it.

I had never seen Simon so emotional like this.

Simon kissed my cheek tenderly and put his hand underneath my skirt with practiced ease and explored gently. His voice was low, husky and unbearably seductive when he spoke to me, “Baby, can we keep it? Let’s have a child, Jane. Our child. The one that carries both our bloodlines, okay?"

My body trembled under Simon's sudden touch and my mind went blank. At the height of my vulnerability and passion, I whispered my consent, "Okay."

After the passion passed, Simon helped me clean up, then left after saying he had some work to deal with.

I sat on the edge of the bed, my cheeks still pink in shy afterglow. Suddenly, my phone vibrated and a flood of notifications lit up the screen.

I took the phone and saw a group chat was busy again, the one filled with Simon and his friends chatting. Since no one had ever chatted before, I did not know when I had been added to this group.

Since I hardly ever chatted in the chat group, they probably ignored the fact that I was also a member of the group, which was why they mocked me so recklessly in the group.

[Does that stupid Jane still think Simon still loved her? She had dumped him because she liked the rich and hated the poor at that time and now, she thinks he’s fallen for her again? Please. Did she do this because know he’s the missing heir of the Payton Family?]

[She got lucky with that half-paralyzed old guy needing a wife to ward off bad luck. Otherwise, what right would she have to stand in front of Simon? He picked her because she was drama-free and clean. Not like he doesn’t have options since any woman he wanted, he'll get.]

[Imagine her face when she finds out the truth when she lost her career and Simon is getting engaged to someone else. Do you think she’ll go mad and jump into a river?]

One of his best friends tagged Simon directly. [Simon, why are you so quiet? Are you having a lovely time with Kelly?]

[Now that Jane is totally obsessed with you, when are you going to go public with the engagement and dump her?]

Then I saw the familiar avatar appear. It was Simon's. [It's no rush. When I have her completely hooked and she can't bear to leave me anymore, I’ll return every ounce of the pain she gave me a thousandfold.]

The phone fell from my hand as a sharp pain swept through my body. It started from the soles of my feet and before long traveled all over my body.

I finally realized Simon had never forgiven me. Every gentle touch, attention and gift was just a calculated move to get back at me for leaving him. It did not rekindle our love; instead, it was an act of revenge.

Back then, after my father had embezzled a fortune and fled the country, he left my mother and me with tens of millions of dollars of debt. My mother was so heartbroken that she jumped from a building and ended up in a vegetative state.

Debt collectors came knocking at our house every single day. At that time, Simon was training hard. He was hoping to qualify for the national track team.

Those same creditors had threatened me with Simon. They said if I did not repay the debt fast enough, they would ruin Simon's sports career.

I knew how much Simon loved athletics, so because I did not want him to suffer, I lied. I told him I had fallen for someone else.

The day we broke up, I stood above him as he knelt, heartbroken and I mocked him and called him a broke loser who could never give me what I wanted.

This devastated Simon and he snapped. After he drank too much, he accidentally fell into the river. As a result, his bones fractured all over his body. This incident ended his athletic career instantly.

However, he never realized that I was the one who, without hesitation, jumped into the river when I saw him fall and saved him.

To protect him from the wrath of my debtors, I immediately left him before he woke up. Then I disappeared for five years.

Until I was drugged and sent to Master Payton's bed because I couldn't pay the debt to one of my creditors, Simon saved me like a god from heaven.

It was only then I learned that Simon was actually the long-lost heir of the wealthy Payton Family.

When we met again, I thought he hated me. Instead, he was gentle to me and gifted me everything I asked for. I genuinely thought he still loved me.

Now, I realized Simon knew exactly how to break my heart. Since he did not stab me in the back when I was down but when I fell in love with him. Then he twisted the knife.

I closed my eyes as tears streamed freely down my cheeks.

After letting myself grieve, I picked up my phone and made a call. As soon as it connected, I said softly, "Chris, I want to go to The Gaul Nation with you. I want to start all over again.”

On the other end, a thrilled man’s voice sounded, “Wait, really? You’re not messing with me, are you? Did you really break up with that guy?”

I paused for a while and as a resolute gleam appeared in my eyes, I said, “Yes. It’s over. Once I leave, I’m not coming back.”

Before, I had refused Chris Roland’s offer to go abroad because my debts weren’t fully paid and because of Simon. However now... I was almost free of debts. I could take my mother somewhere safe, somewhere with proper treatment.

Simon was no longer the boy I once loved and was not worth having my heart anymore.

This time, it was really the end for us.

"Janey, I’ll get started on your visa right away. As soon as work over there is finalized, we’ll be ready to leave!”

After I hung up with him, I called the hospital and made an appointment for an abortion for the next week.

If I was going to leave for good, then this child could only become another weapon for Simon to hurt me with and keep me tied to him. I couldn’t let that happen.

The next second, I received a notification from the hospital.

They informed me that my mother’s condition had taken a sudden turn for the worse. The doctor said she was in critical condition and urgently needed a family member’s consent for surgery.

My heart clenched. Without even thinking, I grabbed my bag and raced out the door, flagging down the first taxi I could find.

Thankfully, the surgery went well. My mother was stable. Only then did I feel a sliver of relief pierce through the fog of anxiety clouding my mind.

As I sat in a hospital chair, my phone lit up again. It was Simon calling me.

“Baby, where are you right now?” His voice was sweet as he coaxed me. “I’ve already scheduled a home visit tomorrow with the city’s top OB-GYN for you. Be good and stay home, okay? Don’t run around like that again.”

His gentle tone sounded exactly like the man I had once trusted with my heart. However, to me now, it was just a well-rehearsed performance.

I didn’t answer him with anything more than a cold, flat “Mm” before ending the call.

As soon as the call disconnected, a message notification popped up in the group chat.

[Simon, why are you going through all this trouble for Jane? You even scheduled prenatal checkups for her? Aren’t you scared Kelly will find out and get mad?]

[Seriously, Simon. I just don’t get it. Why do you even want to keep that baby?]

Simon’s reply came immediately. [Kelly always wants a child. However, as a model, her career comes first. Plus, I injured her body because she jumped into that freezing river to save me, so she couldn’t get pregnant easily anymore. Once Jane has the baby, we’ll just let it call Kelly ‘Mom.’]

Praise began to flood the chat from his friends.

[Simon, you're a genius! You’re so brave and full of ideas. Jane would never guess she’s a surrogate mother for someone else and will have to give up her baby after nine months. If I were her, I would’ve been furious.]

[Now it makes sense! Originally, I was worried you were actually falling for her, Simon.]

Simon’s final message popped up on the screen. [As if I would be willing to fall for a gold-digging wench who ruined my dream. What a joke.]

A joke. That one word shattered what little was left of my heart.

Simon, you’re really something. You’re so cruel and calculative!

The fingers clenched around my phone tightened even more until my knuckles turned white. Without hesitation, I rescheduled my miscarriage from next week to today.

“Miss Luxton, are you here for the abortion procedure?” a nurse asked.

I nodded silently. Just as I was about to follow the nurse into the operating room, a familiar voice called out behind me, "Janey? Why are you here? Wait … Did I just hear you’re here for an miscarriage? Are you … are you planning to get rid of our baby?”

I turned and saw Simon.

Standing beside him was none other than Kelly Waldorf.

Before the nurse could speak, I jumped in. “You heard it wrong. I’m just here for a prenatal checkup.”

When he heard this, Simon sighed in relief. He stepped forward and tenderly brushed my messy bangs away from my forehead. “You scared me. I really thought ... Well, anyway, didn’t I tell you the doctor would come to see you tomorrow at home? Why the rush to come all the way here?”

I tilted my head to avoid his warm palm and faintly said, “I have something to do tomorrow, so I came today.”

Just then, Kelly stepped forward and looped her arm possessively through Simon’s. He held her hand. Kelly said, “Simon, Wanda is still waiting for me. Let’s talk to her later, okay?”

Without missing a beat, Simon turned back to me and smiled reassuringly. “Janey, I was just here with Kelly to visit a friend. Don’t overthink it, okay? She's your friend too, remember?”

I forced myself to smile. “Of course. ”

As they turned and walked away, I caught the smug, victorious smirk Kelly shot at me just before disappearing down the hallway with Simon. I just walked firmly into the procedure room with a face devoid of expression.

“Miss Luxton, are you sure about this? Are you certain you don’t want to keep the child?” the nurse asked.

“I’m sure,” I answered clearly. “Absolutely sure.”

I had already endured enough suffering these past few years trying to repay debts. I had no desire to make my life any harder.

As I felt the warmth flooding out from my body, one thought echoing in my mind: Let this be the end.

With tens of thousands in debt still hanging over my head, I didn’t have the luxury to rest. Less than a day after my surgery, I had to get back to my feet and work hard again.

When I arrived at the runway venue, my steps faltered. Kelly was standing near the prep area and to make things worse, we were standing side by side on the catwalk.

When Kelly saw me, she gave me a signal with her eyes to follow her.

Once, we had been more than colleagues because we had been friends for several years, so I knew perfectly well what she meant. Kelly was also the only one who knew about my debt.

After the breakup, I had even reached out to Kelly. I had asked her to keep an eye on Simon and begged her not to let him drown in alcohol again. I had tried to protect him, even from a distance.

In the backstage dressing room, Kelly gave me a long once-over, then scoffed, "So … after leaving so decisively back then, what brings you crawling back now? Let me guess... Is it because Simon is the Payton Family heir now? That’s it, isn’t it? You think you can cling to him again."

Kelly sneered. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I’m marrying him soon. Do you really think he’s treating you kindly because he’s forgiven you? Don’t be ridiculous."

"You have no idea how much he hates you," she continued. "He hates that you dumped him. He hates that you’re the reason he fell into the river and lost his shot at being an athlete. He hates you with every fiber of his being."

Kelly’s words grew more venomous by the second. However, the calmer I remained, the more infuriated she became. She then laughed and said, "Do you think he still loves you? No. That man’s heart is colder than steel when it comes to you. It’s been that way for a long time. If you have any self-respect left, you’ll disappear now. Spare yourself the humiliation."

I met her glare with calm eyes and said indifferently, "Alright. I’ll leave."

Kelly froze. Her eyes were skeptical when she said, "I don’t believe you. You love him too much. You’d never give him up."

A smile curved my lips, but my eyes were cold. "I owed him a debt for leaving the way I did. However, I’ve repaid it all. The boy I once loved is gone and the man he’s become... isn’t someone I want to hold onto. So, congratulations... you’ve won."

Then I turned and walked into the makeup room without a second glance, leaving Kelly stunned and seething.

That day’s show was themed around the water element. The centerpiece of the runway was a shallow, shimmering pool. Dressed in an ornate, flowing gown and balancing precariously on fifteen-centimeter heels, I stepped confidently onto the stage.

However, as I walked out, Kelly, who was matching my step for step, leaned over and hissed just loud enough for only me to hear, "I don’t believe you’re letting go. Keep clinging to him and I’ll make sure you regret it."

My instincts flared. I instinctively widened the gap between us.

Seeing me flinch, Kelly smirked triumphantly and said, "Can you guess who Simon loves the most right now?"

The words had barely left her mouth when the heel of Kelly’s shoe suddenly snapped. She stumbled, then tilted sideways.

There was no time to react. I could only watch as Kelly dragged me into the large pool.

As I sank and submerged into the pool, Simon’s panicked roar entered my ears, "Kelly!" Through the blur of water, I saw Simon dive into the water and swim toward Kelly with all his might. At that moment, my heart filled with heartache.

Water suffocated my lungs, but when the survival instinct kicked in, it propelled me to paddle toward the shore.

Finally, I arrived at the shore with great difficulty and the security personnel who had arrived in a hurry quickly jumped into the pool and rescued me.

Maybe because I had just had an abortion, my stomach hurt like hell and the pain made my face as white as a sheet.

Meanwhile, across the pool, Simon had already carried the weak Kelly in his arms. He didn’t even spare a glance at me.

My frantic manager was the only one who sent me to the hospital.