Cassandra scoffed. "If I am not sick, why am I at the hospital?"

Samuel initially felt a little guilty, but her sharp tone instantly irritated him. "Cassandra, what's with the attitude? You're acting like you're on drugs!"

Francesca immediately pinched Samuel's arm and feigned anger. "That's enough. Cassandra is still young, why are you being so mean to her?"

Samuel always cared about his image and never allowed anyone to go against him in public. Yet, he didn't react at all to Francesca openly embarrassing him. That's the difference between a lovesick fool and a true love.

"Cassandra, don't take it to heart," Francesca said gently. "Sam is just upset because my pregnancy test results weren't great."

Cassandra ignored her and turned to Samuel instead, her tone full of mockery. "It's not even your child, yet you're taking such good care of it. If it were yours, would you treat it the same way?"

She had planned to leave in half a month. However, with a baby on the way, she hesitated. What if he changed his mind?

"Cassandra, Sam isn't even married. Where would he get a child from?"

Cassandra raised an eyebrow, flashing a dazzling smile. "Who said he's not married? I'm his wife."

Francesca's expression froze. "Aren't you two siblings?"

"We're not related by blood," Cassandra said indifferently.

She could feel Samuel's cold, piercing gaze on her, but she acted as if she didn't notice. Since Francesca was already pushing her limits, Cassandra did not need to hold back either.

"Sam, why didn't you tell me you were married to Cassandra? I would never have let you stay by my side if I had known. Now I just feel like the other woman ruining someone else's marriage." With her eyes brimming with tears, anyone who didn't know better would think she was the one being cheated on.

Samuel had already been unhappy that Cassandra revealed their marriage. He became even more enraged after witnessing Francesca cry like way. "Cassandra, I warned you not to upset Francesca! She's pregnant! If something happens, it'll be two lives lost! When did you become so cruel?"

Hearing Samuel blame her over and over, Cassandra felt dazed. He used to tell her that if she ever got pregnant, he would make sure she was the happiest mother in the world. That he would never let anything hurt her, that he would always be by her side. He kept his word, but just not for her.

The last bit of hope she had was now shattered. She silently told herself. "It's fine. If he doesn't love me, then he doesn't love me. I have a billion-dollar inheritance waiting for me anyway. Love is the least of my concerns."

Her heart bled, but her voice remained firm. "I was just telling the truth. If you don't want to admit it, we can get a divorce."

A flicker of hope flashed in Francesca's eyes, but she quickly masked it with guilt. "Cassandra, don't blame Sam. If you want to be mad, be mad at me. Sam, don't be so harsh on Cassandra. I'll be fine. You should go with her. You don't have to worry about me anymore. Whether I live or die has nothing to do with you."

Samuel suddenly grabbed Cassandra's wrist. His grip was so tight that red marks appeared on her fair skin. "Enough, Cassandra. I won't hold it against you for exposing our marriage, but stop being so dramatic. I never even believed in marriage, yet I still married you. What more do you want? Just don't come crawling back to me crying when you realize you made a mistake!"

Cassandra didn't cry when she was in so much pain from her pregnancy at home. She didn't cry when Francesca humiliated her, but she did cry when she heard Samuel say these things. She cried for wasting her love on someone who didn't deserve it.

Perhaps because he noticed her tears, Samuel frowned slightly. "Francesca's baby isn't even mine. Francesca lost her husband so young. What's wrong with me helping her? It's not like I cheated or slept with her. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Samuel didn't understand. To him, Cassandra was just being jealous and petty. His mother had always warned him that marrying a woman from a small, insignificant family would be trouble, and she was right.

Cassandra wiped away her tears and said, "The child isn't yours, but everyone thinks it is. And I, as your wife, look like a homewrecker who came between you two."

Cassandra didn't even know how she managed to walk out. She only knew she was exhausted, physically and emotionally drained. Cassandra stared blankly out the taxi window.

She recalled what happened half a month ago at the birthday party of Samuel's close friend. Someone offered Francesca a toast during the party, but Samuel stepped in and drank on her behalf. When the others protested, he casually said it was because Francesca was pregnant. Rumours circulated that the child was Samuel's because her husband had died a few months earlier and he had been caring for her ever since. People even joked about it.

"Sam, is the baby yours?" someone teased.

Samuel simply smiled and replied, "It wouldn't be wrong to say that."

After the party, Cassandra confronted him, demanding to know why he would say such a thing. Samuel claimed that Francesca's child was his godson and there was nothing wrong with saying it that way. Besides, he hadn't married Francesca, so people would naturally assume he meant it that way.

Everyone knew that Samuel had harbored feelings for Francesca for five years. Still, in the end, she chose to marry a wealthy man in his forties instead. It was only after that that Samuel finally agreed to Cassandra's proposal. They got their marriage certificate and had a happy life together for a time.

They didn't hold a wedding, so the only people who knew about their marriage were the two of them and Samuel's parents.

After Francesca's husband died, she was forced out of her home. Samuel had been taking care of her ever since. To outsiders, Cassandra was the third party who ruined Samuel and Francesca's supposed love story.

***

Back home, Cassandra took off the jade safety pendant around her neck and placed it in the safe, along with her pregnancy test results. Her mind echoed the doctor's words, "Your body is weak. Getting pregnant this time was pure luck. If you don't keep this baby, you might never get another chance. Think carefully."

The timing couldn't be worse. She should terminate the pregnancy, but if she did, she might lose the chance to be a mother forever. She knew exactly why her health was so fragile.

Years ago, Samuel took her and his friends on a mountain camping trip. When it suddenly started raining, they had to evacuate quickly. On the way down, Francesca slipped and almost fell off a cliff. Cassandra instinctively reached out to save her. In the end, Francesca was fine, but Cassandra fell instead.

She barely survived. A rock had struck her stomach, damaging her uterus. The doctors had warned her that having children in the future would be extremely difficult.

After finally getting pregnant, she lost everything to Francesca again. No, Francesca didn't even have to take anything. All she had to do was lift a finger and Samuel would go to her willingly.

Cassandra shook her head, refusing to dwell on it. She could be a single mother. She had money, and her parents would dote on the child, too. With that thought, she comforted herself and drifted off to sleep.

At two o'clock in the morning, Samuel returned home and went to bed. Cassandra was a light sleeper. He often came home late because of his demanding job and she had gotten used to waiting for him. Habits indeed were hard to break.

At first, whenever he returned, he would hold her from behind, kiss her and share intimate moments with her. Ever since Francesca's divorce, he spent most of his time caring for that woman. He always said that he was tired every time he came home. Even so, he still hugged Cassandra. Unfortunately, she felt that the hug was half-hearted.

Then he just never came home; if he did, he would turn his back to her like now, and they no longer had any communication. She had long told herself to give up. Still, her breathing couldn't help but quicken after feeling his change.

Samuel heard the sound of her breathing and turned on the light, staring at her. "You're awake."

Cassandra met his gaze directly. "Yeah."

"Perfect. Francesca's health was awful. The doctor said she should drink some chicken soup for nourishment. She's picky and doesn't like restaurant food. She only likes the way you make it. Stay home tomorrow and make some for her. Bring it to the villa in the Westone Villa."

That villa was the place where she and Samuel had shared their happiest moments. Now, even that had been tainted.

Cassandra closed her eyes, her voice cold. "I don't have time."

Samuel frowned, displeased. "Why are you being so difficult? You're a housewife. Your time is the least valuable."

Cassandra felt her blood turn ice-cold. Her fists clenched tightly. When they first married, Samuel told her, "My woman doesn't need to work. You just need to enjoy life at home."

"But that makes me a housewife. I don't want to be one, I want to create my own value," she replied.

Samuel had playfully pinched her nose and said, "What's wrong with being a housewife? It's a real job, just a different kind of value. Besides, I make more than enough money for you. If you work, it'll make me look incompetent."

His charming words had totally deceived her. She even rejected an offer from a top-tier law firm to stay home for him, and now, he dismissed her so easily.

Suddenly, she thought of a popular saying on the internet. Before marriage, it's 'I'll support you', after marriage, it's 'I'm supporting you'.

"No matter how worthless my time is, I have no interest in raising someone else's child. If you want to be a stepfather, go ahead. I won't be a stepmother."

Samuel clenched his jaw. "You … " Then his eyes landed on her bare neck. "Where's the jade pendant I gave you? Why aren't you wearing it?"

Cassandra slowly opened her eyes and met his gaze. Her voice was calm but distant. "It no longer keeps me safe."

The previous night's conversation had been unpleasant, so Samuel left early the following day.

Samuel always said he couldn't get up early when he was with her. Now that he's rekindled his relationship with his first love, he's up earlier than the chickens.

That morning, Cassandra called her birth father and requested a few things. Before she left, she wanted to repay Eric and Ariel for raising her. Though she had been financially independent since high school, taking on part-time jobs and barely spending their money, she still felt the need to express her gratitude.

Cassandra stopped at a law firm to draft a divorce agreement on her way to the Nolan Residence. Then, she took a cab to the house where Eric and Ariel lived.

Cassandra entered with a tiny gift box in her hands. There were the documents she had requested from her father, the property certificate for a villa, the registration papers for a Rolls-Royce, and one million dollars in cash inside it. She intended these as a thank-you gift for raising her all these years.

"Mom, Dad, I'm back," Cassandra said as she walked into the living room, but no one noticed her. She was used to it. After her adoptive parents found out that she liked Samuel, they wanted to send her away. It was Samuel who had stopped them, giving her the mistaken impression that he still cared for her.

To them, Samuel deserved to be with a high-society heiress, not an orphan they had picked up from a shelter.

Cassandra didn't let their indifference get to her. She placed the gift box on the table. "Mom, Dad, you guys raised me for over ten years. This is my way of saying thank you."

Eric continued reading his financial newspaper, not even sparing her a glance. Ariel, on the other hand, scoffed. "Cassandra, is there anything our family lacks? What cheap trinket are you bringing us this time? Handmade towels? Gloves? Or perhaps some homemade desserts?"

Those were the gifts Cassandra had given them before, things she had put her heart into making. Still, they were worthless and embarrassing for Ariel. "I've told you from the start, you were never good enough to be Sam's wife. You insisted on clinging to him shamelessly, and now you've gotten your wish. You're still so petty. Our family must be cursed to have ended up with such a useless daughter-in-law!"

Cassandra bit her lip, her voice trembling. "Don't worry. Soon, I won't be a part of this family anymore."

In just a few days, she would give them what they wanted, she and Samuel would be divorced, and she would disappear from their lives forever.

"But these things are … " Before she could continue, the gift box was flung to the ground, landing directly at the feet of a man wearing black leather shoes.

It was Samuel. He picked up the items from the ground, threw them into the trash can, and then wiped his hands with a tissue.

Only then did Ariel seem satisfied. "Don't bring garbage into our home again."

"Mom, that's not garbage, it's … "

Slap! No one expected Ariel to slap Cassandra. Her delicate skin immediately showed a red mark. "Stop looking so pathetic! Who are you trying to guilt-trip? If it weren't for you, Sam would have married someone better by now! You're nothing but a burden!"

Samuel stepped forward, not to defend her, but merely to state the obvious. "Mom, that was unnecessary. Anyway, Francesca wants some chicken soup. Ask the servants to make some."

Ariel huffed. "If I'd known she couldn't even bear children, I would've let Francesca marry into this family instead." She believed the child Francesca was carrying belonged to Samuel, which explained why she doted on her so much.

After Ariel left, Samuel turned to Cassandra with a detached expression. "I already told you, my mom doesn't like cheap gifts. Why do you insist on making things difficult for yourself?"

Cassandra let out a cold laugh. "Cheap? Let's hope you don't regret it."

She got up and left, asking a servant for an ice pack before returning to her room. Cassandra rubbed her face with the ice pack, took out the divorce agreement, and sent a message to Samuel. "Come to my room."

He arrived shortly after. Without emotion, she handed him a pen. "Sign it."

"Sign what … " Before he could finish, his phone rang. His expression immediately softened as he answered. "Don't be scared. I'll be there soon."

He turned to leave but suddenly spun back and grabbed the papers on the desk. "You want me to sign? Bring the soup to the Westone Villa first."

Before Cassandra could refuse, he was already gone. To finalize the divorce, she had no choice but to deliver the chicken soup herself.

When she arrived, Samuel took the food and went upstairs to be with Francesca. However, he had already signed and left the papers on the living room table. As she picked them up, she casually asked if he wanted to amend any terms.

Samuel barely glanced at the document. "Isn't this the business contract you mentioned last time? The one about opening a store? There's nothing complicated about it. I just signed it."

Cassandra froze for a moment. So, he had no idea he had just signed their divorce papers. It didn't matter. He would find out soon enough.

She gently placed a hand on her stomach and thought to herself. "Baby, from now on, it's just you and me."

Just as she was about to depart, an unexpected voice from upstairs interrupted her. "Cassandra Nolan, how dare you poison the soup!"