When I am eight months pregnant, I am hit by a luxury car and lose my baby. The female driver, Stacy Bowman, who hits me, falsely accuses me of trying to extort money.

Halfway through my uterus cleaning procedure, Stacy forcibly drags me to court.

"If you can't afford to have a child, then don't have one. You're so young, yet you're already trying to scam people for money. My husband spent tens of millions of dollars to buy the car for me, you know? He's a billionaire lawyer. Just wait! He'll sue you until you're bankrupt!"

At the defendant's stand, my vision keeps going dark, and the pain I'm feeling is excruciating.

In the next second, the courtroom doors open. Stacy throws herself into the lawyer's arms.

"Your Honor, my wife would never intentionally hit someone. Someone is obviously trying to stage an accident for compensation. They must be severely punished."

As I stare at the familiar figure, the blood in my body runs cold bit by bit.

The elite lawyer standing before me in a tailored suit is none other than my husband, Xander Foley, who has told me he is forced to go on a six-month-long business trip.

With Xander Foley's coaxing, Stacy Bowman looked even more aggrieved as she pointed behind him.

She huffed, "It was her! She got blood all over the new car you gifted me. It's horrible!"

Xander turned his head in the direction she pointed. With just one glance, the anger in his eyes instantly turned to shock.

But merely three seconds later, he adjusted his features and put on an expression so icy that he felt like a stranger to me.

"I'm Ms. Bowman's defense lawyer. If you have a problem, come at me."

My husband of five years, the man who had shared my bed, was speaking to me in a detached tone.

In an instant, all the questions I wanted to ask got stuck in my throat. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

Some time ago, he had called to say that his company had transferred him to the neighboring city for work and that his salary had doubled. His phone was often unreachable, and he never replied to messages.

Meanwhile, I did everything alone, carrying my heavily pregnant belly. I went to the hospital to register at the clinic and get prenatal checkups. I had to go up and down the stairs five or six times by myself.

It turned out Xander had been out there building a family with another woman.

At the thought of this, a sharp pain shot through my wound, and I couldn't help but bend over.

Only then did Xander notice my deflated stomach and mumbled, "The baby..."

Stacy cut him off, "An evil woman like her doesn't deserve to have a child anyway. Even if it had been born, it would've had no manners. This car of mine is worth over ten million dollars. Honey, she has to compensate me!"

I clenched my hands into tight fists as my heart slammed painfully against my chest.

Xander had told me that his family had exhausted all their money to pay off debts and that I would have to bear with him for a while. I had pinched pennies and often compared prices at three different stores just to buy a single stalk of leek.

Worrying about the child that was about to be born had made me so anxious that I had to rely on medication just to get by.

Now, knowing that Xander had bought a luxury car worth tens of millions for Stacy, I felt like a clown when I thought of the things I had done.

"Honey, I want her to compensate me and apologize," Stacy demanded.

She shook Xander's arm and pouted coquettishly.

I stood to the side, my heart leaping up to my throat in apprehension.

Xander looked troubled and wanted to dissuade her. But upon seeing her insistence, he forced out a doting yet helpless smile.

He looked at me with warning eyes and ordered, "Apologize to my wife."

The words he uttered stunned me. I stood frozen, my entire body going numb and cold.

I had just lost our child, and he wanted me to apologize to the murderer who killed our child.

Under the judge's urging, I bent my body stiffly and bowed reluctantly while saying, "I'm sorry, Ms. Bowman."

Stacy ignored me and affectionately linked her arm with Xander's instead.

She sneered, "You wouldn't be able to afford the repair fees for this car even if you gave up your life. It's 300 thousand dollars. Let this be a lesson for you."

Hearing that enormous number, my heart sank to my stomach.

Xander gazed at her dotingly and never spared me another glance. He seemed to have forgotten that when I had sold everything of value to raise money for Mom's medical fees, I hadn't been able to gather 300 thousand dollars.

I clutched the penalty notice in my hand and walked out of the courtroom alone.

It was only when a Maybach sped past before me that I finally snapped back to reality.

Xander's warning text popped up on my phone.

He wrote, "We'll have a good talk when I get home. Don't let her find out."

Tears fell soundlessly from the corners of my eyes.

The hardship of carrying a child for eight months and the family I had worked tirelessly to maintain for five years had all become a joke at this moment.

As soon as I walked into the hallway, I saw the movers carelessly throwing my luggage outside.

I rushed forward to stop them. "What are you doing? Stop right now!"

Just then, Xander walked out of the apartment calmly in a tailored suit and leather shoes. "You should move out for now. I'm doing this for your own good."

My whole body trembled as I rasped hoarsely, "You lied to me for five years. Isn't that bad enough? Now you want to drive me into a dead end too? How can you be so heartless?"

Xander closed his eyes briefly and let out a helpless sigh. "Can you stop making a scene? Stacy and I are married because our families arranged it. I'm hiding you away for your own good. You can understand me, right?

"I bought this entire building for Stacy. But now that she knows about you, she'll find out sooner or later if you keep living here."

Tears blurred my vision, but I heard everything even more clearly. Every word pierced my heart and left it bloody.

So, the home that had carried five years of beautiful memories had never belonged to me.

Before Xander left, he tossed me a set of keys. "My assistant, John Pitt, will come and take you away later. Stay in the suburbs for now, and stop being stubborn."

Watching as his figure retreated farther and farther away, I hurled the keys at him feebly.

I had never imagined that the husband who had once weathered hardships with me would turn out to be such a disgusting man.

Under Xander's instructions, John brought me to a magnificent villa. But the moment I stepped inside, he locked the door behind me.

What came into view was a huge family portrait of three people. Xander and Stacy held a three-year-old child in their arms, smiling brightly.

So, that was why he did not care whether the child in my womb lived or died. It was because he already had a son.

When I saw the date on the family portrait, my heart sank to my stomach. It was the day my father had suddenly died from a heart attack. I had crouched helplessly in the hospital hallway and called Xander. At that time, I had cried until I lost my voice.

On the other end, he had sounded exhausted when he answered my call. "Sorry, my boss suddenly sent me on another business trip. I won't be home for another week."

He had been in such a hurry to hang up that he did not even offer a proper word of comfort.

It turned out that while I had been drowning in grief, he had been accompanying Stacy and their child for a family photo shoot.

Unable to control myself, I smashed the picture frame. Then, I crouched on the floor and sobbed soundlessly.

After my tears finally dried, I took out my phone and contacted a lawyer. "Help me draft a divorce agreement."

I stared at the family photo of three for a long time, like I was tormenting myself, before suddenly realizing that blood was steadily pouring from my unhealed wound.

Instinctively, I called Xander.

The first time, he hung up. The second time, his phone was turned off.

In the end, I passed out from the pain.

At that moment, two or three bodyguards suddenly barged in and forcibly dragged me into a car. Then, they rushed me to the hospital.

Once inside the hospital room, they restrained me.

Only when a terrifying needle appeared before my eyes did I struggle desperately.

I asked in a panic, "What on earth are you trying to do?"

The next second, Xander's menacing face entered my sight.

He said gravely, "I warned you not to let Stacy find out about you, but you insisted on taking the risk. Now, Stacy knows about your existence, and she just slit her wrists. I know you have Rh-negative blood. Give your blood immediately and save her!"

"Doctor, do it immediately. My wife can't wait any longer!" Xander urged.

I barely opened my eyes and finally saw that his face was deathly pale. Even his lips were trembling as he spoke.

I had never seen him in such a panic before.

Before I could even put up a struggle, the thick needle pierced my vein. Pain instantly spread from my arm throughout my entire body.

Because of the excessive blood loss, I lost consciousness right away.

I did not know how much time had passed before the intense pain in my lower abdomen woke me up.

"What... happened to me?" I croaked.

Looking at the blood-soaked mess beneath me, a terrible premonition arose in my heart. Only after I repeatedly pressed the doctor for answers did he finally speak up with difficulty.

He explained, "After Ms. Bowman found out that you had once carried her husband's child, she became very angry and insisted on removing your uterus. Mr. Foley signed the consent form."

Instantly, I felt the world spinning around me.

They had already killed the child in my belly. Now, they had even taken away my right to ever become a mother again.

I suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

At that moment, my phone began vibrating as messages poured in.

"If you're that desperate, go get yourself an adult toy or something. Why do you have to go after a married man?"

"Mistresses these days are so shameless. You even dare to provoke me, the wife, and want to use your child to climb the social ladder, huh?"

The words "mistress" and "slut" filled my screen one after another.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I was Xander's wife, and we were lawfully wedded. Why should I tolerate such derogatory insults?

Enduring the pain, I posted my marriage certificate online and laid out the timeline of my relationship with Xander.

What I never expected was that someone online would point out that the official seal on my marriage certificate was fake.

"That's obviously fake. This mistress sure is crafty!"

I was so shocked that my mouth fell open as I repeatedly zoomed in to confirm it.

The next second, it was Stacy's turn to post her marriage certificate online. She deliberately highlighted the official embossed seal on it.

At the same time, Xander called me.

Without missing a beat, I questioned him. "Xander, don't tell me her marriage certificate is the real deal!"

Back then, Mom had been seriously ill and bedridden. Her greatest wish had been to see us get married. So, we had gone to the city hall together right away. He had held my hand and solemnly recited the vows, swearing to protect me for the rest of my life.

Now, he cruelly said, "I had to give her an explanation. I couldn't just let her stay with me without a proper title. You're different. No matter what happens, you'll stay by my side. Stop arguing about this already."

Sounds of objects smashing and crashing came from his side of the phone.

Xander hurriedly added, "Stacy is emotionally unstable right now. Hurry up and apologize to her and admit that you're the mistress."

Upon hearing those words, I was so shocked I nearly lost all my strength. "I'm the one who was deceived for five years. What makes you think I'll apologize?"

Over the phone, Xander chuckled coldly and replied, "Because your mother is still clinging to dear life using my money and medical resources. Think it over carefully yourself."

The call ended, and I collapsed weakly beside the bed.

Back then, Mom's illness had repeatedly relapsed. Each hospital visit had cost tens of thousands of dollars. Xander had covered all of her medical expenses. No matter how busy he was, he always found time to visit her at the hospital.

"Faith, don't put too much pressure on yourself. I will definitely get better." Mom comforted me.

But now, Xander was using my only remaining family member to threaten me.

Despite my injuries, I completed the discharge procedures and searched everywhere for work opportunities. But the moment people recognized who I was, they hurled trash and rotten vegetables at me.

"Who would dare hire an immoral mistress like you? Get the hell out of here!"

"She's been sleeping around. Who knows what kind of diseases she has?"

I had become the most hated pariah to everyone in the city.

When the news reached Mom, she called me and said in a weak voice, "Stop begging him for my sake..."

The piercing beeps coming from the medical equipment stimulated my fragile nerves.

I held back my tears and said, "Mom, don't worry about me. I have something to do. I'm hanging up now."

In the end, I went to find Xander.

When he saw that I was willing to compromise, he smiled in satisfaction and handed me a prepared statement. "After you admit you're the mistress during the livestream, I'll compensate you."

As soon as he finished speaking, reporters aimed their cameras at me and frantically pressed their shutters.

I stared at him in disbelief and blurted, "How is this any different from a public execution?"

Xander lowered his voice and said something that was gentle yet cruel enough to destroy me.

He whispered, "It's fine if you won't do the livestream. If so, you can go and admit that you're the mistress right in front of your mother. Doesn't she hate mistresses the most?"