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!”

I took the divorce papers out of my bag and handed them to Finn.

“Stop dragging this out. Sign it.

“Otherwise, I don’t mind letting the entire Yeaton family make tomorrow’s headlines. You wouldn’t want everyone to find out how you and your mistress teamed up to assault your wife, who recently miscarried, and forced her to accept your illegitimate child, would you?”

Finn’s voice turned cold as he said, “Can you stop making a scene? Is this little thing really worth such a fuss?”

I said nothing and pushed the divorce papers further toward him.

Irritation surging within him as he stared at the blood at the corner of my lips and the resolve in my eyes.

“Fine, Annalise! You’re really something!” he roared.

He then snatched up a pen and, without even glancing at the document, scrawled his signature furiously on the dotted line.

“There! I’ve signed it! Just as you wished! Now get out! Take your things and get out of the house! I want to see how far a barren, discarded woman like you can go without me!”

As if tossing away something filthy, he threw the divorce papers back at me after signing. He then turned around to bring Louise into his arms. With a gentle tone, he said, “Louise, ignore that madwoman. Let’s take Dylan home.

“On the day we hold our baby’s sip and see shower, we’ll take a family portrait together!”

Without sparing them a glance, I picked up the divorce papers and turned to leave.

As quickly as I could, I packed my belongings, which were my clothes, documents, and a few pieces of jewelry my mother had left me.

Everything that belonged to Finn, I left untouched.

Once the symbol of my five-year marriage, this house was now reduced to nothing but pain and betrayal.

Not a minute longer I’d want to stay here.

Dragging my suitcase out of the Yeatons’ residence, I stepped into the blinding sunlight.

Then, I dialed Levi’s number.

“Levi,” my voice was calm and detached. “Finn has signed, and I’ve packed my things.”

There was a pause for a while before his deep voice came through the line.

“Send me your location. I’ll come pick you up.”

He paused briefly.

Then, he spoke in a tone that carried a hint of restrained tension and quiet anticipation, “When will this second fiddle be able to take the main lead?”

My expression remained unchanged.

“When I’ve finalized the divorce and completely cut all ties with the Yeatons.

“And then, you can play the main lead. But I want to see the Yeatons fall.

A month later, the divorce was finalized in court.

While I was choosing my wedding gown, a friend of mine told me that Finn assumed I was acting out of spite and that sooner or later, I’d go back to him begging for his forgiveness.

He thought I was playing hard to get, and that the divorce was nothing more than a ploy to build up a grand surprise for him.

I looked in the mirror, and in the reflection, the woman in white smiled back at me.

There would indeed be a surprise prepared specially for him.

Two days later, Finn drove Louise and their son to where they had planned to take their family portrait.

Right as he had just gotten out of the car, a burst of cheerful horns and wedding bells rang out in the distance, growing louder as the procession drew near.

He frowned instinctively and turned toward the sound.

Several cars were moving slowly along the main road.

Leading the procession was a Rolls-Royce Phantom. It was adorned with white roses accompanied by flowy ribbons. There was an unmistakable “Just Married” plate right on the back of the car.

Without a doubt, it was a wedding car.

Finn hadn’t been bothered at first and was about to look away when the car window rolled down and revealed the bride’s delicate profile.

A face he knew all too well.

As if struck by a bolt of lightning, his smile froze and pupils contracted sharply.

“Annalise Wright!”