On the day I miscarried and suffered from haemorrhage, my husband posted a photo of a newborn’s tiny feet on his Instagram Story.

The caption read: “Welcome, little angel. Daddy will always protect you.”

With trembling hands, I called him. “The baby’s gone. Can you come to the hospital?”

On the other end, I heard a baby crying, followed by the man’s impatient voice.

“In that case, take good care of yourself. Louise just gave birth and needs someone to care for her. I can’t leave.

“Besides, the dead shouldn’t compete with the living for affection. Got it?”

He hung up right after.

I broke down alone on the hospital bed, and when I finally wiped away my tears, I dialed the number of his sworn enemy, Levi Snow.

“Marry me, and the entire Wright Corporation will be my dowry. All I want is for you to bring Finn Yeaton down. Do we have a deal?”

The man on the other end of the line was silent for a long moment before he spoke.

“Annalise Wright, the heir of the Snow family is only allowed to be widowed, never divorced.

“If you choose to marry me, there will be no room for regret.”

I lowered my eyes. “Mm, I won’t regret it.”

Levi Snow and I were childhood friends. We were betrothed by our families when we were young, and we had always gotten along well.

That was until I met Finn Yeaton and fell in love with him. I then gradually grew distant from Levi.

Levi stayed silent for a while, then spoke again in his deep voice.

“I’ll give you a month to wrap up things with your ex. After that, we’ll get married.”

When the call ended, I clutched my phone, unable to calm my thoughts.

I had to be hospitalized because of a premature placental abruption.

Levi never visited, but he arranged a caretaker for me and even hired a lawyer to draft the divorce papers, ensuring I received the greatest possible share of the assets.

He had spent half a month doing these for me.

In all that time, my husband, Finn, didn’t make a single phone call to me.

He wasn’t busy, alright. This whole time, he had been posting baby photos on Instagram Story, showing the newborn’s wrinkled little face, tiny hands, and tiny feet…

The captions were all about “how Daddy would protect you.”

I bit down hard on my lower lip, and my hands were trembling so badly I could barely hold my phone.

My child slipped away silently, so fast that it never had the chance to be part of the world, and before I’d even had time to grieve.

Yet my child’s father was cradling another baby in his arms, flaunting it like a treasure to the whole world.

Two nurses entered the room, and they chatted with envy while they changed my dressing.

“Did you see that? When I was changing that new mother’s dressing, the aloof Mr. Yeaton was trembling as he held the baby. He kept telling us to be gentle, saying that his wife was afraid of pain.”

“She’s in a luxury suite, cared for by top doctors, given the best medicine, and watched over constantly by her husband—how could childbirth possibly be painful? He’s overthinking it.”

It turned out that they were in the same hospital, and on the very same floor.

Yet he wouldn’t even come to see me, not even once.

I shut my eyes tightly, hiding the sorrow in them.

Not long after, my phone rang.

It was a call from Finn.

I picked up, only to hear his indifferent tone.

“It’s just a miscarriage. Why are you staying in the hospital for so long?”

While looking at the nurse who was helping me change my dressing, I spoke calmly.

“Finn, let’s get a divorce. I’ve gotten the papers ready. You just need to sign them.”

There was silence on the other end before I heard him chuckle indifferently.

“Annalise, Louise had just given birth. She needs me more than you do right now, that’s why I didn’t come to see you.”

“Besides, I’ve told you, what happened with her was just an accident. You’re still my wife. My child can be yours, too. As for divorce, take those words back. I’ll pretend I’ve never heard them.”

He spoke matter-of-factly, completely disregarding my feelings.

The grievances I had held back for half a month could no longer be contained, and tears streamed down my face.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“Finn, I said I want a divorce. Do you understand?”

He sneered.

“Annalise, you’ve been with me for five years. I’ve had my fill playing with you, inside and out, to your ruin. You’ve even had a miscarriage now. Who knows if you can still bear children? Once you leave me, who would want a barren old hag like you?”

“Let me remind you once more—you’re still Mrs. Yeaton. Now that there’s a child in the picture, you don’t have to suffer through the pain of childbirth. Isn’t that a good thing?

“Clear your head and think it through before you speak to me again.”

The call abruptly ended.

I put down my phone.

The two nurses exchanged looks, glancing at me.

“You’re Mr. Yeaton’s wife?”

I replied calmly, “Not for much longer.”

The young nurse was furious.

“How disgusting! I thought he was such a devoted man, but he’s actually with his mistress, watching over her while she gives birth. And his wife—who had a miscarriage and lost so much blood—is hospitalized in the same hospital for half a month, yet he hasn’t even visited once!”

I lowered my gaze and listened wordlessly.

That afternoon, I hired a courier to deliver the divorce papers to Finn.

When I called to urge him to sign, his voice was tight with rage, and through clenched teeth, he said he would sign the papers.

Yet, he stayed in Louise’s ward every day to take care of her and the child, and nothing ever came of the divorce matter.

However, Finn’s parents soon learned about the divorce, and on the very same day, they rushed to the hospital.

Finn’s mother, Claudia Yeaton, reproached me with a look of utter disappointment.

“Annalise, my son only donated his sperm to repay a debt of gratitude—to help Louise have a child! He didn’t commit anything morally wrong. Why must you be so petty and unreasonable?

“That child carries Finn’s blood, and he’s of the Yeatons’ bloodline! As his wife, you should be more magnanimous, shouldn’t you?”

Albert Yeaton, Finn’s father, also looked at me and said, “Finn is young and acted recklessly for a moment when he donated his sperm, but what’s done is done. The child is innocent. Don’t make a fuss and a laughingstock out of ourselves.”

I looked at them in disbelief, my voice hoarse as I said, “So, from the very beginning, all of you had known about him donating his sperm and even getting married abroad, and I was the only one kept in the dark?”

Claudia stiffened slightly at my words.

“He only did it to repay kindness. Having one more child won’t affect your relationship or your marriage!

“If you feel wronged, we can buy you more jewelry and property as compensation.”

I found it ridiculous.

Absolutely absurd.

They, too, thought I was being ridiculous and even went so far as to bring my parents over to persuade me.

My mother held my hand as she cried.

“Anna, it’s a difficult life ahead for a divorced woman on her own, especially now that you’ve just lost your baby. In the future…”

My mother sighed.

“Finn has apologized to us. He said that the child was just a test-tube baby, and you’re the person he truly cares about.

“Just bear with it or turn a blind eye to it. A carefree life with wealth as Mrs. Yeaton isn’t so bad.”

Seeing the helplessness in my mother’s eyes, I felt as if I’d been bound by countless ropes, so tight that it was suffocating me.

They were all standing on the moral high ground, saying that Finn’s actions were understandable, for he only wanted to repay a life-saving debt, and that I should be forgiving and think of the innocent child.

Not a single one of them considered me, the woman who had just lost her own flesh and blood and been betrayed by her husband.

It was as if my pain and persistence were the true culprits tearing the family apart.

On the other hand, the man who hurt me played the part of a kind and grateful man repaying a debt, and a husband desperately trying to win back his wife.

I would never forget, during one family dinner, the WhatsApp message that came from Louise Hooper: [The baby seems a little uncomfortable and kicked my belly. It hurts…]

Finn then dropped his cutlery in front of so many people and left in a hurry, leaving behind a table full of awkward guests, including my parents.

Another unforgettable incident was after my miscarriage. I was suffering from unbearable abdominal pain due to complications from the miscarriage, and I pressed the nurse call bell. All the while, he was in another hospital room, carefully cradling his child and humming a clumsy yet so tender off-key lullaby—a tenderness I had never seen before.

He had even named the child Dylan Yeaton, a name I had chosen for my own unborn child that carried all my hopes and love.

That name was instead given to his illegitimate son, while my child did not even have a tombstone erected. It vanished from this world without a trace, as though it never existed.

Then, on the day that I was discharged, the Yeatons held a small homecoming gathering at the old residence without my knowledge.

Beaming with joy, they gathered around the baby, checking him out from all angles.

Finn had stayed by Louise and the baby’s side throughout the entire time. With a gentle gaze, he offered her water and tucked the baby in.

He would occasionally glance at me, but nothing more than to just urge me to blend into the harmonious atmosphere silently.

Though my heart had long gone numb, seeing the scene in front of me still hurt beyond words.

I turned to leave and pack my things.

While holding her baby, Louise stopped me. Gone was her soft timidity, and in its stead was the sneer belonging to the victor.

“I know you hate me and this child, but did you know?

“Dylan wasn’t conceived through IVF at all.”

At that, my steps came to a halt. My blood seemed to have frozen in that instant.

She leaned closer to me and said in a lowered voice, “It was raining cats and dogs that night. We were both drunk.

“You know how things just… happen. We were skin-to-skin, sharing a passionate night.

“There was never any artificial insemination. That was just a lie Finn made up to keep you calm and accept this accident because he was afraid of you making a scene and tarnishing the Yeatons’ reputation.”

So, that was it.

All that talk about repaying a debt of gratitude and the complex IVF procedures—they were nothing but lies!

A wave of revulsion and fury at being deceived instantly swallowed me whole. My body was trembling with rage.

Louise suddenly grabbed my hand and slapped herself hard across her face.

A crisp smack echoed in the air.

She then dropped to her knees with a loud thud right before me and instantly began wailing in a shrill and pitiful voice.

“Annalise! I’m sorry! Everything was my fault! Please, please spare me and the child!

“Take it out on me if you want to hit or scold someone—the child is innocent! This is my only child. If something happens to him, I won’t be able to go on living either…”

I was still too stunned to respond as I stared at her clumsy little performance. Finn’s furious roar came right then.

“Annalise Wright! What are you doing!”

He hauled Louise up to her feet and shielded her behind him. His glare directed at me was full of shock, disappointment, and indescribable fury.

I stared right back at him calmly. “I didn’t. It was she who…”

Smack!

My words were abruptly cut off.

A vicious slap cut me off mid-sentence, striking my face with full force.

The world went dead silent.

I looked at the man who once swore he loved me. That hideous expression on his face suddenly left me feeling utterly exhausted.

I wasn’t even sad anymore, and only a bone-deep hatred and an icy resolve remained.

“Finn Yeaton,” my voice was unnaturally calm, so calm it was unnerving.

“Let’s get a divorce.”

Finn roared in panic, “You’re threatening me with divorce again! Do you really think I can’t live without you!”