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."

Stephanie gave a knowing look to the servant, and the divorce papers were immediately handed to Luke. His name and Kayla's were printed in bold, glaring letters.

Luke's hands clenched. In a flash of anger, he ripped the papers in two. His voice was sharp, almost strangled.

"You can't divorce me. How could you even think of divorcing me?"

Stephanie put on a concerned expression.

"Luke, you've treated my sister so well, and she still wants a divorce. Could it be that... she's fallen for someone else?"

That was all it took. Luke completely lost control. He grabbed Kayla's wrist, gripping so hard it hurt.

"Luke, let go of me!"

"Never!"

His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing heavy with rage.

"Whoever that man is, I'll kill him myself. And you... Kayla, you will never leave me. You're mine. Forever!"

Of course, Luke never found this so-called other man. But from that day on, he no longer allowed Kayla to leave the house.

He claimed it was for her and the baby's safety, but in truth, it was imprisonment.

Around the villa, a twenty-four-hour automated security system was installed, along with rotating guards. No one was allowed in or out. Inside, all the servants were replaced with unfamiliar faces. After Luke discovered the flight information on Kayla's phone, he confiscated every communication device she owned, cutting her off completely from the outside world.

"I know this isn't fair to you," Luke said, his tone deceptively gentle. "But I will never let you end the child we fought so hard for. And I certainly won't let you hire a lawyer or file for divorce.

"Kayla, be good. I've spoken to the doctor. Your extreme emotions are just hormones from the pregnancy. Once you give birth to our child, you'll come to your senses."

Come to her senses? Did that mean accepting that her own child was being labeled a worthless illegitimate child by everyone? Or accepting that her husband was the father of another woman's child?

Kayla said nothing and only looked at Luke calmly. That quiet gaze alone was enough to strip the once-invincible businessman of all composure, forcing him to retreat from her room in disarray.

She was locked away for half a month.

She missed the abortion appointment she had scheduled.

She also missed the flight that could have carried her to freedom.

Not long after, Luke's mother, Katie Lloyd, arrived.

The moment Katie stepped through the door, she coldly ordered Kayla to kneel.

"You shameless wretch. Has Luke not done enough for you? For you, he went against his entire family. He begged them until they almost disowned him, took every consequence they threw at him, and nearly destroyed himself in the process. He ended up in the hospital for a month and almost didn't make it out alive. He even scheduled a vasectomy for you! And how did you repay him? You cheated on him. You dared to get pregnant with another man's child. How can a woman be this disgusting? I'll kill you!"

Stephanie stood to the side, putting on a show of concern.

"Please calm down, Madam Hudson. My sister just can't stand being lonely. That's why she kept sneaking around with other men. Please forgive her this once."

The more Katie listened, the angrier she became. She raised her hand to slap Kayla.

However, Kayla caught her wrist.

"My child is not illegitimate."

"What did you say?"

"I said, the child I'm carrying is Luke's."

Panic flashed across Stephanie's face. She rushed forward, grabbing Katie's arm.

"Madam Hudson, she's lying just to escape punishment. Please have someone shut her up."

Kayla swung backhandedly and slapped Stephanie hard. Then she looked straight at Katie and said, "The illegitimate child is the one in her belly. If you don't believe me, I can go with you right now and do a paternity test."