I stood where I was, the hurt in my chest making it hard to breathe.

I had always believed that when it came to the baby, at least Zion cared.

I believed he was ready to be a decent father.

But now I finally understood that it was nothing more than my own fantasy.

The baby wasn’t even here yet, and Zion could already, without a second thought, take everything meant for her and use it to flatter another woman.

I didn’t dare picture if the baby were truly born, would she really end up fighting a dog for clothes?

The small hope I still held that Zion might try to be a good father broke apart right then.

When I didn’t speak, Zion walked toward me instead.

He leaned down, his eyes dropping to my belly, his voice soft. “Baby, when the time comes, Daddy will buy you the nicest, the prettiest clothes, alright?”

“Those second-hand clothes from someone else, we don’t need them.”

Zion pinched my cheek again, smiling just as sweetly and charmingly as usual.

“Don’t make that sad look, little crybaby,” he said. “Relax, I’ll make it up to you.”

Staring at the face I knew so well yet felt so distant from, a wave of ridiculousness rushed through me.

There was a time when Zion and I spent night after night in this same office, staying up late, discussing proposals, chasing investors, planning the future.

But now, papers were scattered across the ground, flipped over in a mess, and even a few used condoms lay plainly on the carpet.

Everything here was dirty enough to make me sick.

That heavy sense of collapse hit me hard, and I couldn’t stop it. I covered my mouth violently.

The next moment, I spun around and ran out of the office, nearly tripping as I rushed into the restroom and threw up until I could barely stand.

When I came back, I never mentioned the clothes again.

Instead, I gently packed every single item set aside for the baby, the outfits, the toys, the little books, the mobile for the crib, and quietly had them moved to the house I bought abroad years ago.

Zion didn’t notice any of it. He assumed I had finally learned to be “understanding.”

So he started buying things to make up for me.

Pricey maternity outfits, limited-edition accessories, sets of designer clothes, pile after pile stacked inside the walk-in closet.

I didn’t even look at them.

He sent one round, and I had someone take one round away exactly as they came.

At the same time, Maeve started streaming more often.

Sometimes, during her broadcast, with just a small turn of her head, Zion’s figure would show up.

Sometimes he was passing her water, sometimes lowering his head to talk to her, sometimes only a fuzzy side view.

But even those so-called accidental moments together sent the comment area wild.

More people began pairing the two of them.

Some envied her, saying Maeve was lucky, that Zion was mature, wealthy, gentle, and even willing to publicly appear with her.

But not every comment was a blind cheer.

Clear voices showed up soon after.

[Isn’t this basically cheating?]

[Wow, cheat long enough and it becomes ‘real love’?]

[When Zion chased Mrs. Payne back then, wasn’t he giving her anything she asked for, practically offering his life?]

[Let’s be real. He’s just fooling around.]

When I saw these comments late at night, I suddenly thought of many years ago.

In university, I was the top student in our department.

Scholarships, contests, professor recommendations, everything came to me easily.

My whole life back then was made up of the library, the lab, and stacks of heavy textbooks.

But Zion was the opposite.

He skipped class, showed up late, had no interest in lessons, and was often called out by instructors, a walking warning sign in my academic world.

If it weren’t for Grandma Ravenna, I would never have crossed paths with him.

That year, with Ravenna’s financial help, I was able to finish school smoothly.

She treated me kindly, and she was very straightforward.

She said, “Zion has a wild streak. You steady him.”

I agreed.

So I began dragging Zion to class, pushing him to hand in assignments, pulling him to review, even sorting his notes for him.

I used every simple method I could think of to make him “act like a student.”

Later, he slowly changed.

He started arriving for class on time, started avoiding those messy circles, and started putting his energy into studying and real work.

And later, Zion fell for me, openly and loudly.

He ended all unclear relationships, wanted everyone to know he was chasing me, and even began seriously taking over work duties just to make me happy.

People in our circle all said I was the rope that held Zion down.

Back then, I believed it too.

I thought I was special.

I thought I was the one who pulled him out of trouble, the one who shaped who he became.

But now, thinking back, I suddenly saw it clearly.

I wasn’t a rope.

Maybe I had just shown up earlier than the others.

There were only three days left before the divorce.

And today was the livestream for the 5th anniversary of ‘Knowing Me.’

We had prepared for an entire year for this day.

I had always assumed that even if our marriage was full of cracks, at least in business, Zion would keep basic logic.

After all, ‘Knowing Me’ wasn’t only my effort.

It was something Zion and I built from zero, the core of the company, and the shared memories and feelings of countless players.

Because I was pregnant and tired, the one who was supposed to stand onstage today and face the audience was Zion.

During the practice two weeks earlier, everything went almost flawlessly.

I thought today would go the same way.

The host’s voice rose with energy as he introduced the main guest of the night.

The lights brightened, and the person who should have stepped forward was a newly popular actor we had paid a huge fee to bring in.

Instead, Zion showed up, holding Maeve’s hand, slowly lifting from the platform.

I felt like my whole body was fixed in place.

In my earpiece came the backstage staff’s lowered but tense voices. Several people kept asking “what happened,” but no one dared to run onstage and stop it.

The audience went quiet for one second.

The next moment, angry shouts rose like a wave.

“Where is he? We came for the superstar!”

“Who is that? Walked onto the wrong stage?”

“Get off!!”

Maeve held the mic, her voice shaking, going off-key as soon as she tried to sing.

Her already weak singing collapsed even more in this situation, every line harder to listen to.

My head rang, and ignoring all formality, I nearly rushed to the backstage area, coldly telling them to cut the music right away.

But someone blocked me.

He looked uneasy. “Ma’am… this was President Payne’s plan.”

I was stopped by Zion’s people and kept from getting onstage.

That song was forced to the end by Maeve.

The shouting in the venue grew even louder.

Based on the planned schedule, next was Zion’s speech.

In front of countless cameras, he began, “These past few years, for ‘Knowing Me’ to reach this point, it also needs to thank one person.”

“If not for Maeve’s livestream support, the rise of ‘Knowing Me’ wouldn’t have happened this fast.”

“Today’s growth of ‘Knowing Me’ is thanks to Maeve.”

The audience burst out again.

I shut my eyes, my chest tightening again and again.

My phone shook nonstop in my hand.

The PR team, investors, partners, core staff… calls came one after another.

Yet Zion stood on that stage, openly protecting his mistress.

He treated everyone’s hard work like a tool to please a woman.

After his speech ended, the host almost rushed out to save the scene, quickly pulling the event back on schedule, bringing out the famous young actor we originally invited. Only then did the mood barely settle.

But the programs that followed became more and more rushed.

And offstage, Zion stayed at the side, softly comforting Maeve.

Her eyes were red, quietly crying. “It’s all my fault… if I hadn’t gone off-key, no one would yell at you like this.”

Zion’s voice was gentle, even pampering. “It’s fine, people forget fast, it’ll fade soon.”

I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I walked over and held my phone in front of him.

On the screen was the fresh top trending tag.

#KnowingMeFiveYearAnniversaryDisaster

#ZionBringsMistressOnStage

I stared at him, asking each word clearly. “No big deal?”

“Zion, tell me—”

“Who is going to make up for the losses caused today?!”

Clearly, Zion had never expected people online to push back against Maeve this hard.

The livestream of “Knowing Me” was nearly drowned out; the rolling comments were packed with jokes and doubts.

The backstage inbox was blowing up.

I held the trending page toward him. In just a few seconds, the phone shook several more times; every call was from a business partner.

But he only wrinkled his brow a little.

“Is it that serious?”

“Players just want some emotional comfort. Give them a few free skins, some limited outfits, and they’ll forget.”

Zion spoke casually, “I’ll take care of tonight’s losses. Don’t make a big fuss.”

As soon as he finished, partners rushed over to pull him away; there was a pile of follow-up chaos waiting for him.

Once Zion left, the always quiet and obedient Maeve finally raised her head.

The fear on her face vanished in an instant, replaced with a barely hidden smug look.

“Natalie, look at you, so what if you’re pregnant?”

“You can’t even hold onto your man.”

“The way you look now, you’re already being pushed aside. Why not be smart and hand over your spot? If you wait until they throw you out, it’ll only look worse.”

I looked at her and said calmly, “What are you, that you think you can talk to me?”

Her expression froze, and she opened her mouth angrily.

I didn’t let her continue.

I slapped her.

Clear and loud in the tight backstage room.

“Being a mistress is one thing, but someone as cheap as you, this is the first time I’ve seen it!”

Maeve held her cheek, stunned. Then tears fell in streams.

And almost at that moment, Zion rushed back.

He pushed me aside without holding back, pulling Maeve straight into his arms.

“What happened? Maeve, who bullied you?”

Curled in his arms, she cried hard, “Brother Zion… I only wanted to explain to Sister…”

“But she called me cheap and suddenly hit me…”

Twisting the truth completely, her words flowed smoothly.

I had been shoved by Zion so hard I stumbled, my back hitting a nearby camera, the metal edge sending a sharp sting through me.

My stomach tightened.

But Zion was already staring at me coldly.

“Natalie, have you made enough trouble?”

“Look at yourself now, what part of you still looks like Mrs. Payne? You look just like a jealous, loud woman!”

“What decent woman in our circle acts like this, bullying normal people?”

“How did you become so harsh? We’ve only been married five years, how did you turn into this? Where did the gentle you from before go?”

I held my stomach, my fingers cold, fighting the pain in my nose.

“So what?”

“Is kindness only when I swallow everything, hide and cry, stay quiet, fight for nothing? Is that what you call kind?”

“Like before, staying home feeling miserable, pretending not to notice anything, only then do you see me as a good wife?”

I lifted my head to look at him, my voice shaking.

“I’m not the same as five years ago.”

“And you? Zion…”

“You brought your mistress home, getting more bold every day, are you still the Zion who once said he only loved me?!”

Zion’s face tightened for a moment.

But he didn’t notice my reddened eyes, nor did he hear how close my voice was to breaking.

He only saw that I questioned him in front of others, with no sign of holding back.

The next moment, his whole expression turned dark.

Zion, burning with anger, lifted Maeve and walked away.

He left behind only one cold, hard line. “You better not regret this.”

The pain in my back made my chest race. I didn’t even have time to ask where Zion was heading. He clearly still had a pile of things waiting for him. I could only go to the hospital by myself first.

Only when the results came out, and the doctor said the baby was safe, did I finally let out a breath.

The fear that lingered rushed through me again. I sat on the bench in the hallway, covering my face, crying until I could barely breathe.

I didn’t dare think about what I would do if something truly happened to the baby.

When I returned home, Grandma Ravenna already knew what had happened today.

She held my hand, her eyes red with pain for me.

“There are only two days left before the divorce papers are done.”

“Natalie, you’ve suffered.”

I sniffed and forced a small smile. “I’m okay.”

Grandma Ravenna sighed and muttered, “Tomorrow is your grandpa’s 80th birthday.”

“He doesn’t have much time left. Could you… at least for these last two days, let him feel at ease?”

I still agreed.

Grandpa Kale’s birthday gathering was held at the old house.

Ravenna and I arrived first.

Grandpa Kale sat in the main hall’s armchair. His energy wasn’t good, yet he still pushed himself upright. When he saw me walk in, he nodded.

He looked toward the doorway and couldn’t help sighing.

“Where’s that brat? On a day like this, he still refuses to show up.”

Clearly, he wasn’t unaware of Zion’s recent behavior.

I only gave a faint smile and didn’t reply.

Soon after, there was movement at the entrance.

Zion walked in with Maeve trailing right behind him.

In that instant, the air in the hall froze on the spot.

Grandpa Kale’s expression turned dark right away. His cane struck the ground with a heavy hit.

“You still dare bring some shameless girl here?!”

The next moment, the cane was already swinging down.

“You brat!”

Zion stumbled back a step, his face tight, but he didn’t fight back. And Maeve suddenly rushed forward.

She lifted her arms, blocking in front of Zion, tears spilling right away.

“Grandpa, don’t hit Brother Zion…”

“It’s all because of me.”

“It’s because I’m not good enough, because I’m pregnant with Zion’s baby, that he brought me back.”

“I understand I come from nothing, that I don’t deserve to stand in a place like this…”

She bit her lip, then added softly, “But the baby is innocent…”

Baby?

I stared at Maeve, unable to believe it.

Zion’s face changed slightly. He reached out and pulled Maeve into his arms.

“Maeve is pregnant. It’s my child. I need to take responsibility.”

He paused, then, almost as if giving himself courage, said, “And also, Maeve’s baby is a boy. Natalie’s baby is a girl.”

“Grandpa, I’m doing this for the family line.”

For the family line.

Those words were like an old, dull knife pushed straight into my chest.

A family like the Payne family had known the gender of my baby the moment I had prenatal tests.

But whether it was Ravenna, Kale, or Zion’s parents abroad, not one of them ever cared.

Back then, Zion had held me close, swearing again and again, “No matter boy or girl, as long as the baby is yours, it’s precious to me, the one who carries on the Payne family.”

This past year, there were plenty of women who tried to get pregnant with his child.

He turned all of them away.

But now, Maeve was pregnant. And she was carrying a boy.

And this baby was now being pushed in front of me by my own husband, said with those words, “carry the family line,” as if it were completely reasonable.

I instantly drew in a deep breath.

That almost-breaking collapse, I forced it down into the bottom of my chest.

Grandpa Kale, upset, kept shouting nonstop, his cane hitting the floor again and again.

Ravenna’s eyes were red, too. She kept hitting Zion’s back, scolding him for being stupid.

Everyone thought I would lose control.

Cry, question him, fall apart.

But I didn’t.

I only stood up, my voice so calm it felt cold. “Today is Great-Grandfather’s birthday. It’s a joyful day. Let’s not ruin it over these things.”

“As for the baby… We’ll talk when it’s time.”

The whole room went still.

Grandma Ravenna opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only swallow her anger, forcing herself to keep the scene steady and continue the banquet while everyone hid their own thoughts.

During the dinner, I said I wasn’t feeling well and left early.

Seeing me not argue and not cry, a sudden, strange fear rose in Zion’s chest.

Was she planning to divorce?

But he quickly brushed the idea away.

How could I ever bring myself to leave him?