My fingers dug into my palm without me realizing it. I nodded and said, "Alright."

Gabriel glanced at Adrian and me with a detached look. A complex emotion flashed across his face, but it quickly disappeared.

Katherine followed Gabriel out, but just as they were about to step out, she suddenly stopped and glanced back at me.

A mocking smile curved at her lips, and she mouthed two words in silence. "You lost."

I had indeed lost.

In the previous life, even when Katherine died tragically after being assaulted, she still managed to capture Gabriel's heart.

In this life, afraid she might feel wronged, Gabriel abandoned Adrian and me without the slightest hesitation.

Outside the window, the first snowfall after the New Year began to fall. While everyone else celebrated the arrival of new life, my maternity ward was cold and empty.

After all, I had been an orphan since childhood. I had no family, and now I had lost my husband as well.

After a long while, my phone lit up.

Joshua Brown, Gabriel's assistant, informed me in an icy tone, "Ms. Carter, Mr. Donovan asked me to pick you up tomorrow morning for Donovan Group's press conference."

The divorce cooling-off period hadn't even ended, yet I had already gone from "Mrs. Donovan" to a stain Gabriel wanted hidden.

Gabriel couldn't wait to show everyone that our marriage had fallen apart, just to make it appear fully justified for him to be with Katherine.

Just as I was about to reply, Joshua thought I wanted to refuse and told me exactly what Gabriel had said.

"Ms. Carter, Mr. Donovan said that since you've taken the money, you have to play your part in this performance. Otherwise, he has a thousand ways to make you and your son return every penny you received.

"You should attend that press conference. Even if it isn't for your sake, think of your newborn son."

After listening to Joshua's voice message, I let out a soft laugh.

He knew Adrian was my vulnerability, so he used him to threaten me.

Gabriel was willing to use me and my son as stepping stones just to protect Katherine. I've never really been able to understand whether, after all these years by his side, I am truly his wife in his heart or his enemy.

Now he wanted to hold a press conference to announce that there was nothing left between us, and that suited me just fine.

…

The entire press conference went by the book. The host came on and announced that our marriage was over, blaming it on incompatible feelings and long periods apart.

It was a very official explanation, but I didn't care. As soon as the conference ended, I rushed back to the hospital.

By the time I got back to the hospital, torrential rain was pouring down. The doors and windows of my maternity ward were wide open. The nanny Gabriel had hired to watch over Adrian was nowhere to be found.

My newborn baby's body had turned bluish from the cold, and his cries were hoarse and weak.

Anxious, I hurried down the corridor to find the doctor on duty, but unexpectedly overheard the nanny whispering with the night-shift nurses.

"Genes don't lie. Look at that little bastard's mole at the corner of his eye. It's exactly the same as Robert Green, Mr. Donovan's driver!"

"Mr. Donovan even gave her an astonishing amount of alimony. In my opinion, a woman like that deserves to be kicked out with nothing, and the baby should be dumped in an orphanage."

"And she still expects me to stay here and look after that little bastard. A kid like that is a disgrace, and holding him for even a second is unbearable."

I suddenly kicked open the stairwell door and shouted angrily, "Gossiping has its limits!"

The nurses looked embarrassed, mumbled apologies, and hurried away.

The newly hired nanny, Mia Collin, stood there with her hands on her hips and spat disdainfully.

"What? You cheated, but can't handle people talking about it? Social media is flooded with photos of you cheating, and a woman like you still had the nerve to scam Mr. Donovan out of millions in alimony. Do you have no shame?" she said.

A bad feeling immediately settled in my chest.

After calling a doctor for Adrian, I finally opened social media on my phone, and the top trending topic read, "Shocking! Mr. Donovan's Ex-Wife Caught Cheating with the Driver!"

The post included several photos of a man and a woman in suggestive poses, heading into a hotel together. The woman in the photos resembled me in every way, from her figure to her outfit, but it was definitely not me.

Public opinion had shifted. It went from criticizing Gabriel for abandoning his wife right after she gave birth to portraying him as the one suffering, having been cheated on multiple times.

My face turned pale, and I forced a bitter smile.

Gabriel completely turned the public opinion around. What a brilliant PR move.

As for me, I hadn't done anything wrong, yet I was forced to endure baseless accusations and insults.

Fuming, I called Gabriel to confront him.

He brushed it off and said, "You don't need to take what people say online to heart. In time, no one will even remember it."

I felt utterly disheartened and let out a scornful laugh.

So, when Katherine got insulted, she couldn't take it and felt wronged. But when it happened to me, suddenly, time was supposed to make everything go away.

I ended the call and was about to call my lawyer when a call from the police buzzed through, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Ms. Carter, the gang that kidnapped you 20 years ago has been caught. You were abducted in Hushville. Your family is currently abroad, and they will be returning to the country soon to do a DNA test with you. Ms. Carter, you can finally go home!"

Officer Rowland, the police officer who had been helping me search for my family, choked up as he spoke.

My broken heart leapt with joy in that instant, tears streaming as I kept thanking him. "Thank you for never giving up all this time. I really appreciate it, Officer Rowland!"

After being trafficked, my life became extremely turbulent. As a beautiful young girl left to survive on the streets, I faced immense danger and hardship. Yet I turned my life around on my own, working odd jobs to put myself through school.

Back then, my struggles seemed never-ending, until I met Gabriel—a man strong enough to lean on. He tempted me with love, and someone starved for affection like me couldn't resist. I threw myself into marrying him, never imagining that I was plunging into an even deeper abyss.

Now it was different. Soon, I would have my family back.

I hired a new nanny to take care of Adrian and, dragging my weak and exhausted body, returned to the house Gabriel and I had once shared. There was nothing here worth holding on to. The only things I wanted to take with me were the designs that belonged to me.

The moment my slightly cold fingertips touched the studio door handle, an icy voice came from behind me.

"What are you doing?"

I turned around and saw Gabriel furrowing his brow. His gaze was cold as he stared at me.

"I'm taking back what belongs to me."

I pointed to the designs on the table. Each sheet was the result of my hard work, the most precious things I had in this house over the years.

"You can't take them," Gabriel said.

He tapped the door panel with his fingers. "I've already given these designs to Katherine for a competition."

I stared at him in disbelief when I heard what he said. "How could you give my work to Katherine?" I asked.

"That's because we admire your talent!" Katherine said.

Katherine walked in from the hallway, smiling sweetly. "Thanks to your designs, Tess, I made it to the finals. Since you're so generous, why not draw my final round designs as well?" she said.

I let out a disbelieving laugh. "In your dreams."

She pretended to be startled, tears welling up in an instant, and fled into Gabriel's arms. "Gabe, I just think that if I could win the design competition, then I'd be more worthy of you," she said.

With that single line, she altered the course of my future.

At a glance from Gabriel, Joshua suddenly grabbed me and dragged me toward the studio. "Ms. Carter, it's only a few more designs. It will not take much of your time," he said.

There were too many of them, and I clearly couldn't take them on by myself.

My C-section incision was tearing as I clung to the doorframe and pleaded, "My postpartum bleeding hasn't even cleared yet. A woman who just gave birth really needs rest."

Gabriel's gaze was calm. "You're an orphan. What are you acting delicate for? You used to harvest wheat in pouring rain for three days and nights just to get a bite to eat, and now you've learned to slack off?"

Katherine, who was pregnant, went out of her way to bring me a stool and spoke in a gentle tone. "Tess, don't be mad at Gabe. He's such a typical guy. He doesn't understand how hard it is for a woman right after giving birth.

"But I really do need your help. The finals are coming up in a few days, and you wouldn't let me down, would you?"

She pressed down hard on my shoulder, her gentle tone laced with a hidden threat.

Gabriel shot me a cold look before comforting Katherine softly. "She's tough and doesn't need rest. You don't need to feel guilty."

Then he bent down and gripped my chin.

"If you design something Kate is satisfied with in the next few days, I'll add another five million dollars to your divorce compensation. If not, I'll make you pay back every cent you've taken," he said.

I fixed my gaze on the man I had once loved. "You may not see me as a person, but my son is still waiting for me at the hospital."

A trace of hesitation flickered in Gabriel's eyes, but Katherine grabbed his hand.

"Gabe, I understand how Tess feels. If she doesn't want to help, maybe we should just let her go. But I might end up banned from the design competition for life, and Mr. Donovan Senior will never acknowledge me again," she said.

Holding her hand, Gabriel turned to me with a warning in his voice. "Tessa Carter, there's a vast gap between our financial situations. If I want to take custody of Adrian, it would be effortless. Think carefully."

It was an outright threat. Fighting back my rage, I stated my condition. "If you want me to design for her, fine. But I want my son with me."

They finally relented and brought Adrian to me.

The studio door was locked, so I couldn't leave. When I realized that all the baby formula in my maternity bag had been replaced with flour, and I could no longer produce milk due to exhaustion, I nearly broke down.

They wanted to starve my son.

How could people be this vicious? How could they push someone step by step into a hopeless situation?

I pounded on the door for a long time, but as expected, no one responded.

With shaking hands, I mixed the flour with water and fed Adrian the thin paste.

"Adrian, don't be scared. Once we get through this, I will find a way to take you out of here," I said.

Officer Rowland said that my parents were coming for me!

…

Katherine stopped by from time to time to check on my progress.