The faint scent of Stephanie's perfume still clung to Luke.

Kayla shoved away the man she had loved for so many years, her eyes burning red as she screamed, "For Stephanie, you're willing to let our child grow up without a father? You worry about her reputation, but what about me? Doesn't my reputation matter at all?"

Luke stayed silent for a long moment, swallowing hard, his voice rough and hoarse when he finally spoke.

"If Stephanie hadn't come to warn me at the gala, you might have..." Luke's voice faltered, heavy with guilt.

"So I really can't just stand by and watch Stephanie be dragged through the mud."

At a gala three years ago, someone had slipped Kayla a potent drug. A group of thugs had almost taken advantage of her, and it was Stephanie who had alerted Luke, saving her at the last second.

Afterward, Luke had given the Campbell family dozens of projects and even added five million dollars in cash as thanks. But he still felt it wasn't enough.

For the past three years, he had been constantly helping the Campbell family. He managed their business affairs, secretly buying Stephanie several priceless pieces of jewelry, even rushing to care for her whenever she caught a cold.

Every time Kayla tried to stop him, Luke would cut her off with, "Stephanie saved you. I can't ignore her."

It was only now that Kayla bitterly realized the debt her husband felt toward Stephanie might consume his entire life.

And for the first time, she felt it. That heart which had once burned so fiercely for Luke was slowly going cold, bit by bit, until there was nothing left at all.

So this was what it felt like for love to fade.

Suddenly, Stephanie doubled over and screamed in pain.

"Luke! My stomach... it hurts so much! Our baby... is something wrong with our baby?"

Kayla felt the large hands holding her tense for just a moment. She allowed herself a bitter, hollow smile.

"Go ahead. Don't let yourself regret it."

Luke's expression was conflicted. In the end, he let go of Kayla and carried Stephanie straight toward the exam room.

Kayla wiped the last of her tears from her face and turned to take three decisive actions.

First, she scheduled an abortion.

Second, she contacted her lawyer to draw up divorce papers.

Third, she bought a plane ticket to fly across the ocean in two weeks.

Luke could let Stephanie ruin his own child's reputation, but Kayla couldn't. She would rather make sure this baby never saw the world.

As for her marriage to Luke, she realized it had no purpose left. In two weeks, she would leave this place that had broken her heart and never return.

The abortion was scheduled for three days from now.

When she picked up the appointment slip from the doctor's office, she ran straight into Stephanie.

"The baby in your belly is just a fatherless child. Do you really need a check-up?"

With Luke absent, Stephanie's true colors surfaced immediately.

"You didn't know, did you?" Stephanie said, a smug edge in her voice. "I made sure to schedule my check-ups at the same time as yours. Luke always chooses to come with me first. He won't rest until he's made sure I get home safely. I think there were several times he made you delay your appointment just because he came back too late, right?"

Kayla clenched her fists.

No wonder something always came up at the company whenever it was time for her prenatal checkups.

Last-minute emergencies. Meetings that stretched deep into the night.

How pitiful she had been back then. She'd pushed through her morning sickness and exhaustion, even when the nausea threatened to make her vomit, just to make a pot of hot stew for her husband so he would have it waiting when he got home from work.

The memory made her stomach churn, pain flaring up as anger and disgust swirled together.

She had no time for Stephanie's taunts. All she wanted now was to go back to bed and rest.

But before she could react, Stephanie's lips curved into a faint smile.

The next second, she pretended she lost her balance and fell backward.

"Stephanie!"

Luke lunged forward without hesitation, catching her just before she hit the ground.

Stephanie's voice trembled with quiet sobs.

"It's all my fault. That's why Kayla is so angry. She hates me... and she hates the baby in my belly. I don't blame her. She didn't mean it..."

It was the same kind of script all over again.

Kayla couldn't take it anymore.

"That's not true! I didn't—"

But Luke only looked down at Stephanie with a pained expression.

"Stephanie, don't blame Kayla, okay? I'll apologize on her behalf."

Kayla froze.

She couldn't believe it. Luke hadn't even given her a chance to explain. He had already decided she was guilty.

"That's not true! I didn't touch her! If you don't believe me, check the surveillance in the hallway!"

She pointed toward a hidden camera in the corner.

She hadn't expected there to be cameras here. Stephanie's face went pale, and she gripped Luke's arm so tightly her whole body shook.

Luke rubbed his forehead helplessly.

"Kayla, I know you're upset. I'm not asking you to apologize to Stephanie. Just... don't provoke her anymore, okay?"

At that moment, Kayla heard the sound of her own heart breaking.

The boy who had once carried her out of a freezing winter night, gently draped his coat over her shoulders, and promised he would always believe in her... had finally broken that promise.

Stephanie threw Kayla a triumphant smile before collapsing into Luke's arms, sobbing.

"Luke, I'm not feeling well. Can you take me back first?"

Luke's eyes flickered with hesitation, but he turned to Kayla.

"Stephanie's shaken. I'll take her to the car first and come right back for you. Stay here, okay?"

Without another glance, he scooped Stephanie up in his arms and hurried toward the exit.

A passing nurse watched them go, envy written all over her face.

"This man is way too good to his wife! We're on the sixteenth floor, and he didn't even wait for the elevator. He just ran down the stairs carrying her! When will I ever meet a husband like that?"

"Good husbands aren't easy to find. Look at that other pregnant woman over there. She's so pale, and her husband isn't even with her. Poor thing... wait, what's happening? Someone call for help! A pregnant woman just fainted in the hallway!"

Before Kayla lost consciousness, the last thing she saw was the nurse's terrified face.

When Kayla woke, Luke was sitting by the bed.

He looked exhausted, probably from a sleepless night. His handsome face was shadowed with stubble, and he looked utterly worn out.

The moment he saw her open her eyes, he grabbed her hand, his voice trembling.

"Kayla, you're awake. Do you know what the doctor said? Your mood swings have already seriously affected the baby. If anything happened to you or the baby, what would I do? You'll be the death of me!"

Kayla felt dazed. She couldn't understand how the man before her could love her and their child so fiercely, and stab her heart over and over at the same time.

"The doctor says you need more vitamins. You love apples the most. I'll peel one for you, okay?"

As he spoke, Luke rolled up his sleeves.

He picked up the knife with practiced ease, handling it even more carefully than the multi-billion-dollar contracts he signed every day.

As he carefully peeled the apple, exposing the glistening white flesh inside, Kayla remembered that he hadn't known how to peel apples at first.

But ever since she had accidentally nicked her finger with a small knife, Luke had forbidden her from touching anything sharp. The pampered, wealthy young man who had grown up pampered and protected had clumsily taught himself how to care for someone else.

Even something as trivial as peeling an apple, he did with painstaking care.

Halfway through, Luke's phone rang abruptly.

The moment he answered, Stephanie's sobs filled the room.

Luke's expression changed instantly. He grabbed his coat from the sofa and rushed out.

"Stephanie's in trouble. I have to go see her."

In his haste, the door slammed behind him. The half-peeled apple fell to the floor, and Kayla felt her heart shatter along with it.

Luke kept saying he was doing everything to repay a debt on her behalf. But which of his choices had not placed Stephanie above her? And this time, what else was he planning to do for Stephanie in the name of gratitude?

It didn't take long for Kayla to find out.

Someone had filmed Luke carrying Stephanie down the hospital stairs yesterday and posted it online. Others had captured her own pale, fainting form at the entrance to the maternity ward.

Netizens were quick to condemn Stephanie, accusing her of shamelessly seducing her sister's husband.

Some people also noticed the slight swell of Stephanie's belly and began hurling accusations. They said she was pregnant out of wedlock, carrying a bastard no one even knew the father of. They called her shameless, loose, a woman anyone could have.

Gossip reporters and furious netizens crowded outside her home, shouting insults and shooting her furious glares. Luke hurriedly pushed through the crowd and shielded her.

He stood firm, a solid wall between Stephanie and the chaos.

In panic, Stephanie blurted out, "The baby I'm carrying is Luke's!"

A stunned hush fell over the crowd. Cameras whirred, microphones shoved in Luke's face.

"Is what Ms. Stephanie just said true? Is the baby really yours?"

Stephanie clung to Luke's sleeve, silent tears streaming down her face. Luke's resolve softened slightly, but he spoke firmly.

"Yes, I am the father of Stephanie's child."

The reporters erupted.

"Your wife Kayla has been photographed pregnant too. Are you saying Ms. Stephanie's baby is your illegitimate child?"

"Ms. Stephanie seduced her sister's husband while Ms. Kayla is pregnant. How is this any different from having an illegitimate child?"

"No!"

Just as someone lunged forward toward Stephanie, Luke couldn't hold back. His voice cut through the chaos.

"The baby in Stephanie's womb is not illegitimate. Kayla's child is!"

In an instant, everything was clear to everyone.

It had been Kayla who had cheated first, shamelessly carrying another man's child. That left Luke no choice but to have an heir with Stephanie.

In an instant, all the anger and insults that had once been aimed at Stephanie now exploded onto Kayla a hundredfold.

"Kayla is a wretch."

"Kayla's child is illegitimate."

"How many men has Kayla slept with?"

"Kayla's been used and discarded."

The cruel words came in endless waves.

When Luke returned, he saw Kayla being pulled at. Her clothes were torn as vicious insults rained down on her. Someone even shoved her roughly.

Luke surged forward instinctively, but Stephanie grabbed his arm.

"Luke, I'm scared," she whimpered.

Those few seconds of hesitation were all it took. Kayla's collar was ripped open, and she was thrown hard to the ground.

Luke didn't care about anything else. He shoved Stephanie aside and scooped Kayla into his arms.

"Kayla, are you okay?"

Then his hand felt something wet.

Blood. Kayla was bleeding!

"Kayla!"

Luke let out a raw, shattered roar, but Kayla had already gone limp. Her eyes were closed as if all strength had drained from her body.

In a daze, Kayla thought she heard Luke's furious voice echoing around her.

"What kind of security do we have at the villa? How did those people get in?

"No matter what it takes, I will make anyone who hurts Kayla pay a hundred times over!

"And take those online posts down immediately! What's that? The situation's too big? What's the Hudson family's PR department for then? Just take it from my accounts, fifty million, five hundred million—I don't care. I never want to hear another word against Kayla!

"What do you mean her condition is serious? Neither Kayla nor the baby can be harmed. If anything happens, I'll make sure you all pay for it with your lives!"

When Kayla finally woke, the first thing she saw was Luke. Tears were streaming down his face, almost as if he might break apart.

The moment he saw her eyes open, he swept her into his arms like he'd just survived a catastrophe.

"Kayla, my love. Do you know how close you just came to scaring me to death? You're my life!"

He spoke with a sincerity so raw it couldn't be faked, but Kayla felt nothing.

The moment Luke had declared in front of the media that Stephanie's child wasn't illegitimate and Kayla's was, she had completely lost any feeling of love for him.

Seeing the light in her eyes fade, Luke felt a terrible instinct gnawing at him. Something precious was slipping away in a way he couldn't stop. His heart felt like it was being crushed, and breathing hurt.

"Kayla, what's wrong? Are you angry with me? But I had no choice! I couldn't just stand by and let Stephanie's reputation be destroyed. She saved your life, remember? Seeing you hurt nearly drove me crazy! Can't you try to understand me, just this once?"

It was then that Stephanie pushed the door open, holding Kayla's abortion appointment slip in her hand.

"Yeah, Kayla. No matter how mad you are, you can't just get rid of the baby in your belly!"

"What?"

Luke stared at the slip in disbelief, his breath catching, completely thrown off balance.

Malice flashed openly in Stephanie's eyes.

"You went out on purpose, didn't you? Deliberately letting those people find you, hiding that you weren't feeling well from Luke, stirring up trouble so everyone would be furious at you. You just wanted the baby to miscarry on its own. And even if it didn't, you already scheduled the abortion. How could you do this to Luke? You've gone too far!"

The appointment slip in her hand was already crumpled in Luke's fist. His throat tightened.

"Is this true, Kayla? Are you really willing to end our child's life?"

Kayla only felt bitter irony.

He was the one who didn't want this child in the first place.

In a sudden motion, Luke overturned the teacup on the table. Glass shards scattered across the floor.

"Why? How much pain did you endure for this child? How many nights did you sweat through the side effects of the injections? I even knelt on the floor begging you to stop taking them. And yet you still wanted our child. How can you now be so cold as to abort this baby? Kayla, do you even have a heart?"

Yes. Kayla had risked almost everything for this child. But how could Luke erase his name from the birth certificate so casually, just to protect the child in Stephanie's womb? How could he willingly let her reputation be ruined, let their child be labeled a fatherless bastard, all for Stephanie?

At that moment, the voice of a servant came from the doorway.

"Mr. Hudson, the lawyer just delivered a divorce agreement. He says Mrs. Hudson asked him to draw it up."