The doctor smiled and congratulated her. “Ms. Portier, your IVF procedure was successful.”

On her twelfth attempt, Mathilde Haagen finally got pregnant. She clutched the ultrasound report tightly, her face beaming with joy.

Over the years, she had undergone in vitro fertilization (IVF) again and again because her previous natural pregnancies had always ended in miscarriage for various reasons.

Fortunately, she succeeded this time. With this good news, she immediately took a taxi to the company, ready to tell her husband, Edward Portier, the good news.

Just as she reached the office door, the smile on her face froze in an instant upon hearing the mocking voices inside.

In the office, a few of Edward's close friends teased him.

"Edward, do you think your wife will get pregnant this time? After all, you've tried so many tricks in the book to get her to miscarry the last few times."

"The first time, you've had someone slip something into her milk, and she was too foolish, to think it was just a miscarriage.”

"The third time, it was when you're abroad with Louisa, right? Your wife couldn't reach you and thought you were in trouble. She was so panicked and worried that she had a miscarriage. And then, she kept apologizing out of guilt."

"But, she probably never dreamed, that all you did, was to make her believe that natural pregnancy would result in miscarriage, and then trick her into doing IVF. And what she really didn't know is, the eggs used in her IVF treatments comes from Louisa."

"To be honest, she's so pitiful — undergoing so many IVF attempts only to end up carrying someone else's child."

The mocking voices inside grew louder, but Mathilde, outside the door, felt a chill surge from her feet to her scalp, her blood boiling.

Word for word fell into her ears, like a knife inch for inch torturing her heart.

It turned out that her repeated miscarriages were not due to her poor health, but rather the result of repeated schemes.

Mathilde's expression and steps froze, yet the mocking voice was still ringing out.

Louisa leaned against his chest and asked innocently, "Edward, aren't we going too far?"

"After all, she's your wife. Don't you fear that one day she might find out the truth and argue with you?"

In the dim light, Edward's profile was profound, his expression a knowing smirk, his lips curling in mockery. "Argue? What qualifications does she have to argue with me?"

"Back then, she relied on being the biological daughter of the Haagens to forcibly separate us, and even forced you to go abroad."

“If it weren’t for her, we would have gotten married long ago, and you wouldn’t have had to come back and hide like this.”

“Louisa, you’re just too kind. This is what she owes us, she deserves it.”

“Once she gives birth to this child, I will announce to everyone that the child needs its biological mother, and I will definitely bring you into our home.”

Someone still raised some concerns. "But what if she finds out and has the baby aborted?"

"As long as you guys keep quiet, she won't find out." Suddenly, his lips curled into a cold smile, and he scoffed lightly. "She loves children so much. If she finds out she's pregnant, she'll only be more careful to protect her."

The man's words were resolute, completely shattering Mathilde's last line of defense.

Mathilde instinctively grasped the cold wall to barely support her weak body, then hunched her back, clutched her abdomen, and ran out.

The streets were bustling with people, but her world had gone completely dark.

It turned out that the child she had fought so hard for was actually Louisa's child.

It turned out that Edward always thought she was the one who drove Louisa away.

But back then, it was clearly Louisa who had hooked up with a wealthy foreigner and insisted on breaking up with him.

To consider his pride as a man, Mathilde never told him the truth.

Now, however, he thought she was the one forcing Louisa to leave?

Thinking that Edward's thoughtfulness and gentleness over the years had all been an act, Mathilde felt sick.

It was all fake! All that so-called love and care was fake!

Edward never loved her!

Mathilde touched her lower belly, her eyes red.

Even though she had longed for this child for a long time, she couldn't accept carrying another woman's child!

She immediately hailed a taxi and scheduled an abortion.

But, arriving at the hospital, the doctor apologized. "Ms. Portier, I'm sorry, but you cannot have the abortion for now."

Mathilde frowned and shouted angrily. "Doctor Becker, I haven't even questioned your hospital for taking my eggs without my consent, making me pregnant with my husband's child with another woman. What right do you have to stop me from having an abortion?"

"Fine, since you refuse, then I'll sue your hospital right now. See you in court!"

Seeing her about to leave in anger, the doctor quickly stopped her, hesitating to speak.

Her eyes were cold. "First option is to schedule an abortion for me, and second is that I will immediately sue you and your hospital, ruining your reputation. You only have these two choices."

The doctor hadn't expected the famously soft-spoken Mathilde to possess such a strong side.

He bowed to her and then said, "Ms. Portier, we have just learned something as well. Due to our hospital's oversight, the child in your womb is not your husband's and Ms. Louisa Haagen's, but yours with another man."

"Last year, Mr. Edward Portier, your husband, and Mr. Nolan Lugtenburgh, the heir of the Lugtenburghs, both had their sperm stored at our hospital. The junior nurses, unfortunately, made a mistake, and ended up mistakenly identified you and Mr. Lugtenburgh."

"We've just contacted Mr. Lugtenburgh, and he should be on his way here now, so you can't leave yet."

Mathilde's eyes widened, and her body stiffened.

Was this child truly her own biological flesh and blood?

Before coming here, she had wanted to abort the child, but now she knew it was hers.

She hesitated.

In just a few seconds, she made a decision and said, "I can choose not to have the abortion, but I need you to promise that no one else will ever know about this — not a single third party."

Simon Becker froze, and quickly shook his head. "No, the Lutgenburghs is dominant in London. I can't afford to provoke them."

Mathilde's voice suddenly turned cold. "If you can't provoke the Lutgenburghs, then you can provoke me?"

"First, you, as my attending physician, have illegally replaced my eggs, and not just once. Your medical license will be revoked, you will be expelled from the medical profession. Second, I've been the biggest victim in this whole affair. If I take you to court, I can make sure you spend the rest of your life in prison!"

"Doctor Becker, you're a smart person. Will you choose to cooperate with me and keep this secret, or will you stubbornly insist on going down that path? You can decide for yourself."

Simon collapsed and trembled, but she was right.

Rather than stubbornly clinging to his delusions, cooperating with Mathilde offered a glimmer of hope.

He gritted his teeth and agreed to cooperate with Mathilde.

Before leaving, Mathilde asked the doctor for the hospital's surveillance footage and deleted all footages related to her.

She didn't stop there. She went to the town hall to submit evidence of her husband's infidelity.

"Hello, I have evidence of my husband's infidelity. I want to apply for a forced divorce."

“And cancel my identity information.”

The staff looked at Mathilde with sympathy and said, "Ms. Haagen, once your ID information is cancelled, all traces of your past life will be completely erased. Are you sure?"

Mathilde lowered her eyes and touched her lower belly, firmly saying, "I'm sure."

She wanted to divorce her scumbag husband, erase her identity, and leave the city — taking her own child far away!

The staff handled everything and handed Mathilde a receipt.

"Ms. Haagen, canceling your ID card and the forced divorce will take three days."

"Three days later, Mathilde Haagen will cease to exist, and your marriage with Mr. Edward Portier will also come to an end."

Mathilde took the receipt, feeling no sadness or grief, but rather a sense of relief.

Love could not be faked.

In the years with Edward, she had always been to detect through the details that the man didn't truly love her.

For example, he never remembered, she didn't like sour food.

She was afraid of the cold at night, so she didn't like to turn on the air conditioner in the summer.

She was afraid of the long, dark nights because she experienced some trauma in her childhood.

Edward didn't remember any of these.

She just kept deceiving herself, deceiving herself over and over again.

She only had the courage to leave when the truth was bloody in front of her.

After leaving the town hall, Mathilde made a phone call to someone he hadn't contacted in a long time. "Help me spread the word. In three days, I will be returning to the legal profession."

The man who answered the phone was Mathilde's former assistant. His voice betrayed his shock.

"Mathilde, you've finally returned! All the cases you fought back then have been incorporated into textbooks. Many people are waiting for your return."

"But you suddenly quit in order to live a good life with Edward, why are you suddenly coming back now?"

Mathilde smiled coldly and replied, "I was blind and heartless before, falling in love with a scumbag. Now I'm awake, and it's time to set things right."

Edward never knew that she had once been the most powerful rising star in the legal profession.

Even when the Portier Family was embroiled in that copyright scandal years ago, it was she who had worked tirelessly to resolve it.

But none of this was known to Edward.

After hanging up the phone, Mathilde didn't rush home, but called the police station.

"Hello, I'm filing a formal complaint against Edward Portier for soliciting prostitution at the CyberNights Club!"

He has done so much to hurt her, now it was time to get some interest back.

***

In the hospital.

Nolan sat in the doctor's office and discovered that all the footage from the surveillance cameras had been completely deleted.

Simon, head bowed, explained in a trembling voice.

"Mr. Lutgenburgh, it was indeed an accident, but the woman who got pregnant with your baby used a false identity, so we can't find out her identity either."

"Although the surveillance footage and all records have been deleted, rest assured, I'll keep following up until I find that woman."

These were the words Mathilde had taught him to say.

He needed to make Nolan realize his value so he wouldn't be fired.

Nolan sat on the opposite sofa, gently turning the watch on his wrist, exuding an aura of authority.

"I'll keep the account for you this time. I'll give you a week. If you can't find that woman within a week, you'll have to weigh the consequences yourself."

With that, Nolan got up to leave. As he passed the desk, a pregnancy test report fell to the floor.

He glanced down and found Mathilde's identity on the report.

The timing of pregnancy coincides with the time when he lost his sperm.

The man squinted his eyes and asked, "What's wrong with her?"

Simon's heart tightened, but he forced herself to remain calm.

"She's Ms. Portier, and she's pregnant. She came for a checkup today."

The atmosphere froze for a few seconds. Simon was terrified, afraid that Nolan would discover something amiss.

After a while, Nolan let out a hum and left the hospital with his men.

Seeing that the "living devil" was gone, Simon sent a message to Mathilde.

Mathilde was on her way home when she saw the doctor's message and breathed a sigh of relief.

But the next second, her car collided with a Rolls Royce with license plate number NL88 LUK.

Mathilde suddenly had her heart tightened.

Only Nolan in the entire country could afford such arrogant license plate numbers!

Could it be that he had discovered something in such a short time? And that's why he came to arrest her in person?

Before she could figure it out, Nolan had already gotten out of the car, walked to her car, and knocked on the window.

"Miss ...."

Her heart sank. It really was Nolan!

Seeing her not giving him a response, Nolan's knocking on the car window became a bit tighter.

"Miss, if you don't respond, I'll assume you've fainted, and I'll have someone pry open your car door."

By this time, her hands gripping the steering wheel were already sweating.

With the man's personality, he really was capable of prying open a car window.

It took her a long time to mentally prepare herself before slowly opening the window.

Nolan said, "Miss, it was my man who accidentally hit you with his car. I can take you to the hospital now, and I'll pay for everything."

Thank goodness, it seemed he only thought he had hit her.

The mention of going to the hospital made Mathilde inexplicably anxious. She forced a smile and said, "Thank you, but no need."

"I'm fine, I don't need to go to the hospital, thank you Mr. Lutgenburgh."

Before she finished her words, she stepped on the gas and quickly drove away from the scene.

Only exhaust fumes remained for Nolan at the scene.

Watching the woman flee in panic, he suddenly curled his lips.

He didn't tell her who he was, but judging from her expression, she seemed very afraid to see him, as if she had something to hide.

Soon, Mathilde returned to the Portier Family's manor, but she didn't sleep well the whole night.

Her dreams were filled with scenes of Nolan discovering the truth and coming to snatch the child.

It wasn't until dawn that she finally managed a few moments of sleep.

When she woke up, she was startled to see the person sitting opposite her bed.

The man's face was gloomy, and his broken hair in front of his forehead looked somewhat disheveled.

He questioned in a sinister tone, "Was it you who made the report call last night?"

She dared to admit. "Yes, it's me."

"Bang!"

The ashtray smashed against the wall, shattering glass shards and cutting Mathilde's arm.

But Edward showed no concern, only demanding. "Are you crazy?"

She remained calm, looking up at him and retorting.

"Edward, you're the one who's crazy! I'm your wife, yet you're kissing my sister passionately outside."

"As a wife, I'm just protecting my own rights."

A look of shock crossed his face. He hadn't expected Mathilde to know.

But the man showed no guilty for being caught in the act, instead, he arrogantly declared.

"It was just a misunderstanding. Instead of communicating with me immediately, you acted like a madwoman and reported me. Mathilde, you're so insensible!"

She looked up at him with a cold smile.

Was she supposed to be sensible by discovering his infidelity and then graciously saying it was fine?

She could not do it, nor could she do it.

Edward was about to press further when he received a sudden phone call and his expression changed abruptly.

"You didn't get pregnant this time?"

This was one of the deals she had made with the doctor.

Seeing her remain silent, Edward became even more certain.

A flash of anger crossed the man's face as he dragged Mathilde downstairs.

“Since you're not pregnant, we'll keep going. This ends when you are!”

Mathilde gasped and instinctively touched her lower abdomen.

A little life was already inside her, she could not go.

If she went, everything would be exposed.

Dragged into the first-floor living room, she grabbed a nearby vase, ready to hurl it at the man.

But before the vase could fall, Edward received another call—from Louisa.

The speakerphone was on, so Mathilde heard every word clearly.

"Edward, perhaps I shouldn't have come back to disturb your life and my sister's."

“This whole mess is my fault. It's understandable that she got angry and called the police. I'm a worthless woman — how could I shamelessly seduce my own brother-in-law?”

"Tell my sister to rest assured, I will find myself a place to settle down and never disturb your lives again."

Edward's face instantly panicked. "Louisa, what are you planning to do?"

Louisa replied, "I have contacted the largest auction house in London, and I will auction myself out. With so many people witnessing, Mathilde won't blame you anymore."

“Edward, I love you so much. I thought, as long as I could stay by your side, I'm willing to be your mistress.”

"But I didn't expect this to hurt Mathilde, so this time I'll put her mind at ease completely." With that, Louisa hung up the phone.

She was clearly feigning concern to gain pity, but the man believed her without question.

He glared angrily at Mathilde and forcefully pushed her away.

Mathilde was thrown to the ground, and to protect her belly, she had to use her injured arm to support herself on the ground, causing her to tremble with pain.

Before, in order to get her pregnant, he wouldn't even let her lift a single thing.

Now, his goal wasn't achieved, he couldn't even be bothered to pretend anymore?

Mathilde felt like something was gripping her heart, the pain making her break out in a cold sweat.

“She's acting, Edward! She's doing all this just for you!”

“Enough! Even now, you still slander her!”

"Mathilde, since you've driven Louisa to this point, you won't get away with it either!"

At first, Mathilde had no idea, but he forcibly took her to the auction house.

She felt a strong sense of unease and struggled to break free. "Edward, if you don't let me go, you're restricting my personal freedom! I can sue you!"

However, he ignored her and dragged her into the auction house.

The auction hall was bustling with people.

Louisa had changed into a red fishtail dress and sat on the auction floor.

Since it was the first in the auction history where someone was auctioning herself off, it had drawn a lot of people.

The moment Edward entered, Louisa's gaze was fixed on him.

Louisa stood up, with a look of resignation, and shouted. "Whoever offers the highest price today, I, Louisa Haagen, will spend the rest of my life with him."

Louisa was good-looking and also Edward's first love. For whatever reason, many were eager to try their luck.

Below the stage, the offer came from various parties.

One hundred fourty thousand dollars!

Seven hundred twenty thousand dollars!

Nine hundred fourty thousand dollars!

Every time these people make a price call, Edward tightened his grip on her wrist.

He stared at her with crimson eyes and said, "Are you satisfied now? Louisa is your sister, even if she's not blood-related, are you really going to drive her to such a desperate situation?"