On our tenth wedding anniversary, I got two reports—one, I was finally pregnant. The other… I had cancer.

Ironically, at the happiest moment of my life, I received the most painful news.

With trembling hands, I called my husband—only for a child to pick up the phone.

In a soft and innocent tone, he asked, “Who are you? Why are you calling my daddy?”

Enduring my grief, I asked back, “What’s your daddy’s name?”

A moment later, the answer came from the other end of the line—my husband’s name.

Hearing it felt like I had fallen straight into an icy abyss.

It turned out my husband had long ago started another family...

And he was not looking forward to the child growing in my belly!

With that brutal truth came my decision.

Since he already had another family, then I would leave him and keep my child!

——

Agnes’s POV

I looked at my phone. It was still connected to the call. Even with my mind made up, the question I asked almost choked me.

“Where’s your daddy right now?”

The little boy on the other end paused, thinking, before answering in a singsong child’s voice. “Daddy’s with Mommy. They’re throwing me a party at the Clarion Hotel for my fifth birthday.”

The words hit me square in the chest.

The Clarion was the finest hotel in Belvedere City.

In our circle, unless we hosted the celebration at home, it was the place to go.

And now Ridley Swicord was throwing a grand party there—for his mistress and their illegitimate child…

Where did that leave me?

The question drained the color from my face.

The next second, I hung up and drove straight toward the hotel.

Inside my car, the familiar trinkets swayed gently from the mirror, pulling me back through the years.

Ridley and I had been married for ten years. Our relationship had always been good.

But because I’d never been able to conceive, even with our families equally matched in status, his mother had gradually begun to look down on me.

I’d swallowed countless bitter herbal tonics to nourish my body, endured appointment after appointment at the hospital—anything just to give him a child.

Every time he saw me in pain, Ridley would look more stricken than I was.

He would pull me in his arms, telling me not to put myself through that anymore—that even if we never had children, he wouldn’t mind.

“If you really want a child,” he’d say, “I’d rather adopt one than see you suffer.”

Those words had only made me more determined to give him a child of our own.

On our tenth anniversary, my wish finally came true, only for it to come hand in hand with a devastating diagnosis—cancer.

Looking back now, I understood. The reason Ridley had suggested adoption… was because he already had his biological child with someone else!

The corner of my mouth twisted bitterly at that realization.

Before long, I reached Clarion Hotel.

I knew exactly which hall Ridley favored. Just a few steps in, I spotted him.

His face was full of fondness as he lifted a boy—about five years old—high into the air.

Beside him, a woman in a crimson dress, looking incomparably alluring, curled her lips into a smile.

They looked, in every way, like a warm and happy family of three.

In a casual tone, Ridley warned his buddies.

“Don’t let word of this get out. Otherwise, Agnes will just come here and make a scene.”

One of his friends hesitated as he looked around him. “But, man, you’re holding this party at the Clarion. She’s bound to hear about it.”

Ridley glanced down at the squirming boy in his arms with a soft expression—but his voice was ice.

“I’ve shut down the gossip. She won’t know. I gave her ten years, and yet she still couldn’t give me a child. The Swicords have been waiting for an heir.”

His eyes swept the group. “You’re not to breathe a word of this.”

The friend thumped his chest and agreed. “Relax. We’re not idiots. But hey, she knows more people than just us—what if she hears from someone else?”

He hesitated before adding, “And… what if she gets pregnant later? What will you do then?”

Ridley’s expression hardened.

“I’ve promised Lynzee—the Swicord heir will only ever be our child. Even if Agnes gets pregnant later, I won’t change my mind. If it comes to that… I won’t let her keep the baby.”

I stood rooted at the entrance as his words slid into my heart like a blade.

So… everything he’d ever told me was a lie!

He hadn’t been unconcerned about my infertility. He’d simply had someone else carrying his child the whole time!

I knew the woman beside him—Lynzee Sher, his childhood sweetheart.

After we married, I’d believed they’d cut off contact.

But it turned out, they already had a five-year-old child!

For ten years, I’d been nothing but a fool living in the dark!

When Lynzee heard Ridley’s promise, her eyes lit up with satisfaction.

Feigning concern, she said, “Ridley, if Agnes finds out, she might leave you. I don’t need to take her place, you know. Just being by your side is enough for me.”

Then, like some delicate thing, she leaned into his arms.

He soothed her first, and then he sneered.

“Agnes has been kept dependent on me for so long that she’s useless now. Even if she learns the truth, she won’t leave. She’s like a well-fed dog—have you ever seen one walk away from its master?”

I couldn’t listen to another word. Tears stung my eyes as I turned and fled toward the restroom.

I forced my breathing to steady before pulling out my phone. My voice was raw when my brother answered the call.

“Haley… I want to leave Ridley. I’m keeping the baby and coming back to you.”

On the other end of the line, my brother’s voice carried a satisfied smile.

“Finally. I told you I’d never steer you wrong. Ridley’s too calculating, Agnes. He’s never suited for you. Ten years with him? That was just you being naïve. Terron’s still waiting. I’ll handle everything. I’ll come pick you up in a week. Just get rid of that son of a bitch first as soon as you can.”

“Alright,” I replied. “I got it.”

Agnes’s POV

I hung up the phone, my body weak, and stepped out of the restroom—only to run right into Lynzee, who was touching up her makeup at the door.

It was as if she had known I’d been hiding there all along. The moment she saw me, her lips curved into a taunting smile.

“Agnes? You finally decided to come out?” she said lightly. “You saw how much Ridley dotes on me and our son. I thought you’d be crying in the restroom all day.”

I met her gaze without flinching, forcing a faint and brittle smile.

“Relax,” I said flatly. “What you want isn’t necessarily what I want. It’s just a man. If you want him, he’s yours.”

Her cold laugh cut through the air.

“Oh, drop the act. You think I don’t know today’s your tenth wedding anniversary with Ridley? I made sure to hold our son’s fifth birthday party today on purpose. And guess what—your husband agreed without hesitation.”

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest, but maybe it was because I’d already endured too much in a single day; the feeling quickly dulled into numbness.

When I stayed silent, her smile grew even more arrogant.

“Oh, and one more thing—next week, Ridley and I will be holding the wedding and registering our marriage. I’ll make sure to send you an invitation. You absolutely must come.”

My brows drew together so tightly it hurt. I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

Grinding my teeth, I snapped, “As long as Ridley and I are still married, you two can’t be together!”

Her laughter burst out suddenly, rich with mockery.

“You don’t know? You really don’t know? Your marriage certificate with Ridley is fake! If I want to marry him, I can. You’re the real mistress here!”

Her gloating expression hit me like a blow.

I stared at her, eyes wide in disbelief.

Fake? Our marriage certificate? Impossible! We’d been married for ten years—how could it possibly be fake?

But her certainty left no room for doubt. Fury surged through me.

I stepped forward and grabbed her by the collar, my voice shaking.

“What the hell are you talking about? Make it clear!”

Her eyes flicked toward the doorway—and in the next instant, she let out a loud and pitiful wail.

“Stop hitting me! Agnes, please stop! I swear I’m not trying to steal Ridley from you. He’s just here for the party. It has nothing to do with me!”

She wrenched free of my grip and deliberately threw herself to the floor.

Before I could even react, Ridley burst in like a gust of wind.

He didn’t even glance at me. Instead, he went straight to Lynzee, carefully gathering her into his arms.

“Lynzee, are you alright?” he asked, his voice low with concern.

Only after checking her over did he turn to me. For a moment, I caught a flicker of guilt in his eyes—quickly smothered by anger.

“Agnes!” he snapped. “How could you lay a hand on Lynzee? When did you become such a vicious person?”

His words hit harder than any slap.

Vicious. He was calling me vicious?!

A trace of sorrow welled up in my eyes before I could stop it.

Perhaps he noticed it because his expression shifted—just slightly—as if realizing he might have gone too far.

But before he could speak, the woman in his arms interrupted with a soft, trembling voice.

“Ridley, Agnes must have misunderstood something. She probably saw us standing together and got the wrong idea. You were only here for the party. I just didn’t get a chance to explain before she…”

Her voice trailed off, and right on cue, she revealed a fresh-looking scrape on her leg.

Ridley’s brow furrowed deeply. His gaze toward me turned cold.

“Agnes, how could you do this? If you had questions, you could have come to me. I could have explained.”

He looked back at Lynzee, hesitating before adding, “Lynzee is my good friend’s wife. I’m only here for their child’s fifth birthday. Was there any need to make such a scene? Apologize to her. Once you do, leave first—I’ll come home after the party.”

It was like he thought I was a fool.

I laughed at the insult and looked at him with a mocking smile.

“How come I didn’t know you had such a good friend? Could it be that the friend is yourself?”

A flicker of panic crossed his face, as if I had struck a nerve.

He instinctively loosened his hold on Lynzee and stepped toward me, as though to placate me.

But in Lynzee’s eyes, a flash of venom appeared.

“Agnes,” she cried suddenly, “how can you say that? If you’re so set on ruining my reputation, then I’ll just prove my innocence with my life!”

And before anyone could stop her, she lunged toward a nearby pillar.

“Lynzee!” Ridley shouted, diving forward to catch her.

Once he had her safely in his arms again, he frantically checked her for injuries. When he found none, his shoulders sagged in relief.

Then he stood and turned his icy gaze on me.

A slap reverberated on the walls.

His hand came down hard across my face, the force knocking me to the floor.

A gasp tore from my throat. I clutched my cheek, staring at him in disbelief.

Towering over me, he looked at me with a blank expression.

“Have you had enough, Agnes? You almost drove a mother to her death! You can’t have children yourself, so you want other children to lose their mom, too?”

He demanded, “Apologize to Lynzee. Now!”

I bit down hard on my lip. “I won’t. I’m not the one in the wrong!”

A flicker of disappointment passed through his eyes before he spoke again, his voice like ice.

“In that case, go home by yourself.”

Just like that, he helped Lynzee to her feet and turned to leave.

I tightened my grip on the medical report in my bag, holding onto one last shred of hope.

“Ridley,” I called after him, my voice trembling, “if I told you I was pregnant too… would you choose her or me?”

He didn’t even pause.

“Enough, Agnes. Ten years without conceiving, and now the moment I ask you to apologize, you’re suddenly pregnant? Even if you were, I’d still choose Lynzee. You’re just too unreasonable!”

And with that, he walked away without looking back.

As I stared at his retreating figure, a bitter smile curled my lips.

Silently, I whispered, “Ridley, we’re done. Completely done.”

Agnes’s POV

Once the pain from my wounds eased a little, I forced myself to stand, ready to leave.

But before I could take a step, a crowd suddenly burst through the door.

The man in the lead pointed straight at me, and the men behind him—faces twisted with hostility—charged in my direction.

My gut clenched. Something was wrong. I spun around to run, but it was too late. They caught me and dragged me in front of their leader.

I fought with everything I had, but it was useless.

The man’s grip clamped around my chin like a vice, forcing my head up.

Only then did I finally see his face.

It was Thiago Perlman—Ridley’s mortal enemy!

He took one look at the fear in my eyes and suddenly threw back his head in laughter.

“Well, well, Agnes—how pathetic you look right now. Where’s your dear husband? Why isn’t Ridley here protecting you? Don’t tell me he’s cheating on you? Oh, wait… this morning I heard something interesting—he’s hosting a birthday party for his mistress’s child right here in this hotel. Looks like the rumor wasn’t a lie after all.”

So… everyone knew about Ridley and Lynzee. Everyone—except me.

A sharp, suffocating ache spread through my chest.

Thiago seemed to savor my reaction, his lips curling in satisfaction. The jagged scar on the left side of his face twisted with his smile.

Years ago, the Perlmans and the Swicords were bitter rivals, evenly matched in power.

But with my help, Ridley managed to swallow the Perlmans whole, driving them to ruin.

I never imagined Thiago would claw his way back for revenge.

He didn’t care about my shock. He moved according to his own plan, step by step.

In no time, his men had taken control of the entire Clarion Hotel.

He dragged my struggling body straight into the party hall.

There, he let out a crooked, ugly grin.

“I want to see,” he said, “who matters more in Ridley’s heart—his wife… or his mistress and his bastard.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Ridley spotted us.

His expression froze, horror flashing across his face.

Around us, his bodyguards clashed violently with the men Thiago had brought.

Without warning, Thiago yanked me forward and shoved me right in front of Ridley.

“Tell your men to stand down, Ridley,” he ordered, “or your pretty wife’s face gets a brand-new scar.”

He pulled out a knife and pressed the cold blade against my cheek.

A sharp sting split my skin as the tip sliced a fine, shallow line.

Ridley’s eyes went wide. “Let her go!” he roared. “Stop! All of you, stop right now!”

The hall fell into a heavy, ringing silence.

Every gaze was locked on us.

Thiago’s grin widened, his voice dripping with malice. The knife’s edge traced a slow path along my face.

“Oh, so you do care about Agnes. Right—if not for her, you wouldn’t have taken the Perlmans so easily, leaving us in ruins.”

He turned that cruel glare on me. Then, catching the tension in Ridley’s expression, Thiago broke into loud and mocking laughter.

“I hear today’s your bastard son’s fifth birthday,” he sneered. “Tell you what—let’s celebrate with a little game. You get to decide who dies.”

He shoved me toward the spiral staircase.

The tall, winding steps led straight down to the marble floor below. If I fell… my life—and the life of the child in my womb—would end instantly!

Panic clawed through me; I thrashed harder in his grip.

Annoyed by my resistance, Thiago whipped his hand hard across my face.

“Ridley!” he barked. “Choose—trade your mistress and your bastard for Agnes, or I will throw her down these stairs right now!” he asked heartlessly.

Meanwhile, Lynzee clutched Ridley’s hand, her voice trembling. “Ridley, let me go to Agnes's place. Just me. Please. I’m carrying your child too—this way, at least, we’ll be giving him what he wants.”

A flicker of shock crossed Ridley’s face. He hadn’t known she was pregnant again.

Seeing his hesitation, Lynzee stepped toward us.

But before she could get too far, Ridley suddenly grabbed her arm and yanked her back.