When I was twenty, I brought an old, faded marriage contract to the gates of the illustrious Middleton Family.

On our wedding night, Alaric’s eyes burned red as he whispered, “My mother was poisoned during childbirth. I’m sorry… I was born flawed. I can’t please you that way.”

My heart twisted with sympathy and I pulled him into my arms. From that night on, we became the most admired couple in the capital. Alaric treated me with unwavering gentleness and devotion. To the world, I had married the perfect man a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love.

Until that day, when I reached under the passenger seat of his car and found a pair of black lace underwear, soaked in fluids. They weren’t mine.

When I confronted him, he looked genuinely remorseful "The new secretary," he said, "she’s just naturally seductive. She came on to me. She said if we did it 99 times, it could cure me."

I believed him. Even though it tore me apart, I gritted my teeth and allowed their so-called “treatment.”

Their traces were everywhere, in the living room, in the kitchen, even on the vanity in our bedroom.

Three months later, I stood outside a baby store and saw him picking out infant supplies.

A friend of his teased, “Aren’t you afraid your wife will find out? You're clearly not ‘defective’ at all.”

He replied flatly, “She’s too dumb to notice.”

The friend sighed. “Eleanor loves you like her life. Why won’t you give her a child?”

Alaric curled his lips into a mocking smile.

“If it weren’t for the Sinclair Family ’s favor, I’d never have married her. She wants a child? Then I’ll never give her one.”

My whole body trembled. I dialed a number with shaking hands.

“You once said you wanted to have a child with me, does that offer still stand?”

——

Inside the store, Alaric was still carefully selecting baby items. Graham, his personal assistant, standing beside him, lowered his voice, “So Ruby’s pregnant now. Aren’t you scared your wife will find out you’re perfectly fine?”

Without even glancing up, Alaric said calmly, “She’s too slow. How would she find out? And even if she does, so what?”

Russel sighed. “Eleanor’s devoted to you. Why won’t you give her a child? The other socialites are already laughing at her.”

Alaric sneered. “If it weren’t for that little debt the Sinclair Family owed me, why would I have married her at all? She wants a child? Then I’ll make sure she never gets one.”

Suddenly, I felt chilled to the bone.

All these years he’d been acting. All the tenderness, all the gentleness, it was all fake.

I was a fool, dancing in the palm of his hand.

I staggered out of the mall, barely holding myself together, when my phone rang.

It was Alaric.

“Where are you? Let the driver take you back to the estate.”

As soon as I arrived at the gate, I saw his black Maybach rocking strangely in the driveway.

My heart felt like it had been torn apart. His words from the baby store still echoed in my mind.

All these years, I’d been nothing but a colossal joke.

The car door suddenly opened. Alaric looked up and froze when he saw me standing there.

Ruby slowly stepped out of the car. The red marks on her neck stung my eyes like blades and her cheeks were still flushed from passion.

Alaric gently said to her, “Go freshen up.”

Then he walked toward me, frowning.

“Eleanor, why do you look so pale?”

He paused, then continued as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “You know Ruby has a special constitution, she can help fix my issue. I’m doing this for us, can’t you understand?”

I forced a smile more painful than tears.

At dinner, his mother tapped the edge of her bowl with her chopsticks.

“You’ve been married for nearly three years now and still no sign of a baby.”

My fingers trembled around the chopsticks.

I used to think she was bitter because of Alaric’s “condition.” That she was just heartbroken. But now I finally understood, he had been lying to me from the start.

And he let me carry all the humiliation alone.

Instinctively, I looked over at Alaric.

His expression didn’t change as he calmly said to his mother, “She’s been taking medication to regulate her body. We’ll try for a child soon.”

His mother, Leah Middleton, let out a cold laugh, slamming her chopsticks onto the table.

“If it weren’t for the old matriarch forcing your marriage, do you really think you'd be here? Now that she’s gone, it’s your duty as the Middleton Family’s daughter-in-law to bear children. So, wipe that long face, who exactly are you trying to guilt?”

Suddenly, Ruby covered her mouth and let out a dry heave.

Without thinking twice, Alaric reached out to catch her.

Leah’s sullen expression instantly brightened. Her eyes darted between the two of them.

“Don’t tell me, you two!”

Ruby lowered her head, feigning shyness.

Alaric cast a brief glance in my direction, only to be met with an unreadable expression.

Leah gave me a sharp, unfriendly look.

“Some people have been married for years without even a whisper of good news, while others are only here for two or three months and already proving themselves.”

Alaric pulled me aside.

“Eleanor, don’t overthink this. This proves Ruby really did help cure me. This is my first child! I can’t just abandon my responsibility. But we can raise the baby under our name, alright?”

Watching him lie so effortlessly, without even blinking sent a sharp pain through my chest.

Then Leah’s voice rang out, louder than before.

“Since it’s Alaric’s child, as his wife, she should be the one to take good care of it! That’s her duty!”

Late that night, we returned to the villa. Alaric looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could speak, a loud knock shattered the silence.

“Mr. Alaric! Miss Ruby isn’t feeling well, she needs you right away!”

We rushed to Ruby’s residence.

“The doctor’s already seen her,” the housekeeper said respectfully. “It’s nothing serious, just a bit of fatigue. He recommended some rest and warm foot soaks to help her relax.”

The room fell into a sudden hush.

Half-reclined on the sofa, Ruby suddenly looked up at me.

“Then could Eleanor help me with the foot bath?”

Alaric looked at me awkwardly, clearly torn.

“Ruby, don’t be difficult. There are plenty of maids here. Let them do it. If not, I’ll help you myself, alright?”

Ruby pouted and cast a suggestive glance at Alaric’s lower body. Her voice was sweet and coy, “But you’ve already worked so hard today.”

Alaric’s breath hitched slightly. Then he turned to me and ordered,

“Eleanor, she’s pregnant, it’s inconvenient for her. You do it.”

I clenched my fists so tightly my knuckles turned white.

Just as I picked up the towel, Ruby suddenly swayed and let out a piercing scream,

“What are you doing?!”

Alaric shoved me away with full force. My forehead slammed into the corner of the table. A nearby vase shattered, sharp shards slicing into my skin as blood began to pour.

“She’s trying to kill my baby!” Ruby shrieked, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I didn’t. I didn’t do anything!” I cried, panicked and trembling.

At the hospital, medical staff swarmed around Ruby, tending to her as if she were royalty.

Leah burst in, rage blazing in her eyes. Without a word, she slapped me across the face.

“You can’t even bear your own child and now you want to harm the Middleton Family’s grandson?!”

Alaric stepped in between us, “Mom, don’t”

Leah’s voice rose even higher. “You’ve spoiled her rotten! Letting a woman walk all over you, what good has it done?!”

Her shrill tone drew stares from those nearby. Someone even raised a phone and began filming.

Alaric lowered his voice and turned back to me, “Go home.”

I pressed a hand to my bleeding forehead and made my way downstairs. But just as I reached the first floor, my vision went black and I collapsed.

A passing nurse rushed to help and had me taken to the ER.

When the doctor called Alaric, the background noise was filled with the sound of servants doting on Ruby.

“Miss Ruby, have some fruit.”

“Let me massage your shoulders.”

Alaric’s voice was cold over the phone.

“Reflect on your actions while you’re at home. The doctor said Ruby nearly suffered a miscarriage.”

I was hospitalized for three days. He didn’t visit me once.

Meanwhile, Ruby’s social media was flooded with posts flaunting her new yacht, mansion and luxury car, all gifts from Alaric. The entire Middleton Family treated her like she was some precious jewel.

I sat quietly by the hospital window, staring blankly at the rustling leaves.

My phone rang, but it wasn’t him.

“Hello, Miss. Regarding the baby welcoming party you booked, we’ll be using our finest 288,000-dollar package.”

I let out a bitter laugh.

“Contact Alaric. You don’t need to notify me.”

On the day I was discharged, I took a cab home by myself.

As soon as I stepped through the door, I saw Ruby lounging lazily on the sofa while Alaric gently peeled grapes for her, one by one.

He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the side, lowering his voice.

“Ruby’s pregnancy is finally stable. Don’t stir up trouble with her again, understand?”

“From today onward, she’s living here.”

Ruby shot me a smug, challenging glance. Her face said it all: I’ve won.

Late that night, a blood-curdling scream came from her room. When Alaric rushed in, he found her writhing in pain on the floor.

“Help! It hurts! Save the baby!”

At the hospital, the diagnosis was food poisoning.

Lying on the bed, Ruby looked at me with teary, wounded eyes. Her voice trembled.

“Madam, why would you do this to me? This is Alaric’s child.”

Alaric’s gaze turned ice cold.

“Eleanor, have you lost your mind?!”

Without giving me a chance to explain, he had someone forcibly send me to a secluded villa on the outskirts of the city.

I sat on the floor of that vast, empty villa, heart twisting in agony.

Three years of marriage and I had never warmed his heart. All I’d done was expose how little I truly meant.

I texted him.

[Let’s get a divorce.]

His call came almost instantly, his tone forceful.

“I don’t agree! How long are you planning to keep this up?”

I answered calmly, “Alaric, your heart belongs to someone else and now she’s carrying your child. Divorce will set us both free.”

“Think carefully before you speak again.” He hung up on me.

I shook my head with a bitter smile. He’d married me for the Middleton Family’s reputation.

And now he refused to even let me go. This hollow, hypocritical marriage, I didn’t want it anymore.

Three days later, he suddenly showed up at the villa. His tone had softened.

“Eleanor, today’s your birthday. I prepared a surprise just for you.”

Before I could say a word, he pulled me into the car and brought me to a high-end private club.

He opened the door to a luxurious private room, inside stood a towering champagne fountain and an exquisite eight-tier cake.

His friends all shouted in unison, “Happy birthday, sis-in-law!”

Alaric gently placed a birthday’s hat on my head, his voice warm but edged with warning.

“You’ve been through a lot lately, I know. But remember, you’ll always be my wife. So, stop being stubborn, alright?”

Just then, the private room door swung open.

Ruby walked in gracefully. The mood shifted in an instant.

She leaned close to Alaric, whispering just loud enough for only me to hear, “I’m not wearing anything underneath.”

Alaric’s expression changed immediately. Without a word, he turned to me. “I’ll be right back.”

Then he followed her out.

And never returned.

The guests exchanged awkward glances before making excuses to leave, one after another.

Suddenly, I felt a forceful shove from behind I crashed into the champagne tower. Glass shattered around me, slicing my arm open in dozens of places.

Slumped on the floor, I scooped up a piece of ruined cake with trembling fingers and took a bite.