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?"

Instantly, my heart clenched painfully.

Xander knew very well that Mom's illness had started after she learned about my father's affair. If she found out about my "identity" now, it would be no different from driving her to her death!

Mom was my only remaining family in this world. I could not just stand by and let her leave me.

I swallowed the metallic taste of blood down my throat and slowly moved forward before the cameras. Then, I dropped to my knees in front of Stacy.

I said, "I'm sorry, Ms. Bowman. I destroyed your family and wanted to use the child to climb up to your position. I'm shameless. I… I'm sorry."

I prostrated myself and knocked my head against the ground again and again. I was disgraced and despised with no dignity left.

Only when blood blurred my vision did I finally stop.

After it ended, I lifted my head and glared at Stacy's smug face before looking at Xander.

"Is such an apology enough?" I asked.

Xander's chest visibly rose and fell once. He cleared his throat and tossed a bank card at my feet.

He said, "Three million dollars should be enough for you. Take it and save your mother."

I grabbed the card and ran all the way to the hospital. When I saw how pale Mom was as she lay on the bed, my whole body shook violently.

In a panic, I stuffed the card into the doctor's hand. "Doctor, please, you have to save her!"

A few minutes later, the doctor returned with the card. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I tried several times, but it didn't work. The account has been frozen."

I had no time to think and pinned my hopes on the gold bracelet around my wrist. "This bracelet must be worth a lot of money. It's pure gold!"

But the doctor only glanced at it before looking at me with pity. "Ma'am, you've been deceived, haven't you? This is obviously just an iron bracelet coated with gold."

At once, the crisp sound of the bracelet hitting the floor slammed into my heart.

Eight months ago, Xander had bought me this pair of gold bracelets when I had just become pregnant after I repeatedly begged him. Even after publicly admitting that I was a mistress, I was still unwilling to trade them for Mom's medical expenses.

So, in Xander's eyes, both the child and I had been worthless all along.

The next second, the monitoring equipment let out a shrill and prolonged beep.

Mom closed her eyes forever, and my grief-stricken sobs spilled through my clenched teeth.

…

Holding a photo of Mom in my arms, I walked numbly toward the rooftop. Comment by Caitlyn Chin: An urn would be unrealistic because one can't be cremated immediately after death.

A message from Xander popped up on my phone. "Sorry, I'm at the hospital keeping Stacy company while she gets an IV. Once she falls asleep, I'll go visit Mom and tell her not to worry. I've bought you a new house. You can tell me what you want—anything at all.

"Stacy said she can turn a blind eye to this. In the future, I'll make more time to be with you."

I did not reply.

The cold wind on the hospital rooftop blew my hair into a chaotic mess as I slowly stepped forward.

"Xander, there isn't a future for us anymore."

After saying those words, I smiled and jumped from the hospital rooftop.

At the same time, Xander casually glanced out the window of the hospital room. With just one look, his pupils suddenly constricted.