A reluctant smile formed on Luna’s lips.

“Are you sure?” Maeve immediately questioned in doubt.

Pursing her lips, Luna nodded. To prove that she was not bearing a child, she bore extreme disgust and ate the meat in front of Maeve. The bowl emptied.

The abrupt excitement on Maeve’s eyes was replaced by annoyance. She grumbled unhappily, “Grayson didn’t care about his wife but deeply cares about a dead woman.” Her tone was pointing the blame at Luna. She glared at her with a raging aura before adding, “You are useless for a wife, Luna.”

Her words arose guilt in Luna, yet Maeve wasn’t finished. “How can you be a fool? I’ve taught you everything to seduce your husband, but you never made it!”

Maeve massaged the bridge of her nose as she heavily breathed, protesting in thought, ‘If I only knew Luna is useless, I should’ve asked Grayson to marry another woman.’ Fueling her anger was her son’s absence. Ever since he married, Grayson didn’t listen to her anymore.

Maeve believed there were no indifferent men, only women who refused to give time to men. Luna was an ideal woman, but she didn’t know how to flirt. She had no chance compared to Stella. Besides, the Tatum family only accepted her since she was famous, and her family had a decent background.

Amidst the silence, Luna suddenly apologized to Maeve, “I’m sorry.” If she hadn’t said something a little longer, Maeve would throw sharp-edged words.

Afterward, a tall man came fiercely to her. Grayson grabbed her arm and rudely lifted her from the chair. “Stand up!” His snarl echoed in the dining area, and Luna’s chair flipped to the ground.

Pupils enlarged; Maeve also stood up. “Grayson!” she shouted, but he ignored her.

Grayson was looking at Luna like a bloodthirsty wolf, ready to eat someone to death. His firm grip on her arm almost crushed her bones. As she looked at him, nothing but sadness and fear reigned in her heart. “Are you crazy?” She did her best to remain calm because of her condition.

“Did you intentionally kill Stella during the operation?” Ferocity grumbled Grayson’s voice.

Within three years of marriage, this was the first time Luna saw the murderous side of her husband. This man was as if a complete stranger!

Luna shook her head slightly in disagreement and frowned. “I told you, her body rejected the treatment, and we did our best to save her,” she reasoned, though she might have not tried her best to make him love her. But as for her career, as a respected doctor, she would definitely try all means to save her patients' lives no matter who they are.

Disbelief covered her eyes while staring at him for a moment. Tears somewhat blurred her sight. “How can you doubt me?”

A hiss escaped in between Grayson’s teeth. “Because you hate her! You must have been serious in this marriage that Stella’s existence with me annoys you.” The unshed tears revealed his fury and anguish.

Despite being hurled with hurtful words, Luna managed to look at Grayson straight in the eyes and calmly said, "Believe me or not, I know how much it hurts to lose the person you love the most. And yeah, you have every right to doubt me. However, if you truly believe I did not do my best and simply let her die, you may report me to the hospital. But gather evidence first."

After dropping those words, Luna shifted her gaze to Grayson's parents and met their glares. That gave her a hint that she needed to leave right away before a storm brewed.

Before leaving, she still respectfully excused herself to them. "Mom, Dad, thank you for dinner, but I'm leaving now."

Keeping her composure, she grabbed her bag and directly walked out of Tatum's residence.

However, as soon as Luna got into her car, her face and shoulders, which she had been holding up high, fell, and she burst into tears.

It never crossed her mind that Grayson would taint her reputation as a professional doctor.

Luna did her best to take care of Stella despite the latter being her husband's true love. She disregarded her feelings and chose to be professional instead, as she also wanted to avoid being accused of abusing her ability to play one's life in her hands.

But it seemed Grayson couldn't see that truth, as in his eyes, Luna was blinded by hatred and only desired revenge.

Luna tried not to cry as much as she could, but she was too aggrieved to hold back her tears. Tears continuously streamed from her eyes, blurring her vision. To avoid an accident, she pulled over her car to the side of the road and let her tears trickle down her face until her eyes dried up.

A few minutes later, she looked out her car window and realized she was on a commercial street. Many people were crossing the street, most of whom were probably heading to the nearby mall on the other side of the road.

The bright moon was shining down on the busy place and people, making the night spectacular.

Seeing it, Luna found herself pathetic for crying on such a sparkling night. So, instead of heading off straight to their house, she heaved a deep breath, dried her dumped cheeks, restarted her car, and drove to the mall on the other side of the road.

Right after she pulled up in the parking lot, she got out of her car and noticed two well-dressed women getting off their vehicles as well.

Night-shopping was indeed splendid for women, so Luna thought her mood would lighten up by doing so until she overheard the conversation between the two women.

"Hey, have you heard that Grayson's wife killed Stella in the operating room on purpose? Everyone knew her now because of that," one of the two women, dressed in a baby pink dress, mumbled.

"Yeah, it was said that she vented her anger at Stella. She's really vicious. I've seen wives fighting with their husbands' mistresses, but she's the only one I've seen kill a helpless mistress," the other replied, detested.

"It's now vividly clear that she's not really willing to be a nominal wife from the start. But do you know that she could be sued for what she did?" the former asked.

"Really?" exclaimed the woman in the tangerine dress.

"Yes! Indeed, quiet people have their demons hidden," the woman in the baby pink dress concluded.

Even after hearing the two women's remarks, Luna just quietly walked behind them, not changing her path to avoid them.

Besides, she also wanted to know what others thought of her now.

Of course, Grayson fought for their relationship at first, but after realizing he didn't stand a chance against his parents, he and the latter came to an agreement. He would accept marrying someone, but he would not end his relationship with Stella.

At that time, Luna's parents were also pushing her to settle down in life. As such, Grayson and Luna's parents agreed their children be together.

Like what Grayson and his parents agreed, he married Luna but didn't break up with Stella. Although Grayson and Luna satisfied each other's bodily needs as any normal couple would, he never brought her to any gathering or party; it was always Stella he brought over with him at such events.

The only event Luna was with Grayson was supposedly his company's annual meeting, which Mr. and Mrs. Tatum invited her to attend to introduce her to their staff. However, Grayson brought Stella with him as his partner that night, leaving Luna embarrassed that she didn't want to dig up that memory of her again.

With that, anyone could tell how great the love Grayson had for Stella that she appeared more like his wife compared to Luna.

Since then, Luna had never attended any events with Grayson. And the rumor that Stella was Grayson's true love and Luna was his nominal wife spread like wildfire.

Upon entering the mall, the two women entered the elevator while Luna took the escalator. Not that she was affected by their words earlier; she just couldn’t stand listening to their groundless nonsense any longer.

Like ordinary days, she headed to the third, where her favorite dessert shop was. Whenever Luna was stressed out, she would always go there to unwind.

Meanwhile, Daisy was living in a magnificent mansion near the shopping mall, so she arrived quickly at the mall and easily found where Luna was in the shop.

But as soon as she sat in the chair across from Luna’s, she noticed the latter’s dejected expression, as if she was about to cry. Concerned, Daisy frowned and eagerly asked, “What’s wrong?”

But then she soon realized what could be the cause of her friend’s desolation, causing her worry to grow more. “Has something happened at the meal with the Tatum family earlier?”

However, Luna remained silent. She simply took a large sip of her drink and swallowed it along with her great grievance.

Since Luna didn’t respond and remained silent, Daisy could tell that the dinner didn’t go well. Otherwise, Luna wouldn’t have come here to relax and even called Daisy over for some company.

Suddenly, something crossed Daisy’s mind. She recalled hearing a rumor about Luna at her house these days. Remembering it, her eyelids fluttered in panic, and she stammered, “L-Luna, if you heard some rumors about you, j-just ignored it, okay?”

Between the silence of Daisy and Luna, two women came into the shop and started chatting.

“How much can a doctor only make? Even if she worked extremely hard, her salary is insignificant compared to the cost of a piece of jewelry that a wealthy woman can afford. No matter what, being Grayson’s woman is still a lot easier for her to have a lot of money than being a famous doctor,” one of the newcomers scoffed.

Since the women were walking close to Luna and Daisy’s seats, Luna heard it and was momentarily stunned. Upon recovering, she turned her head to see who had said it, and to her surprise, she saw the two women she had seen earlier in the parking lot.

They were now carrying shopping bags in their hands, indicating that they had just finished shopping and had come to the shop to take a rest.

Seeing Daisy balled her fist, Luna already knew the latter would slam the table and confront the woman, so before her friend could do that, she immediately whispered, “Hey, calm down. They have the right to say whatever they want. Just let them be.”

Luna had been a submission wife to Grayson for three years, not complaining or competing with anyone even once. She was solely focused on her passion and her work. So it’s inapprehensible that Grayson saw her as a jealous woman.

In questioning Luna’s hard work, Grayson not only insulted her but also the noble and honorable profession of a doctor.

Daisy knew precisely what was running through Luna’s mind right now. Thus, in gritted teeth and knitted eyebrows, she replied, “That’s because he’s a heartless man.”

Almost every day, doctors witness their patients die, and most of the time, patients die in their hands despite their best efforts. Thus, doctors were under so much stress at work that they cursed and blamed themselves for losing their patients.

But what Luna couldn’t handle was Grayson’s indifference towards her. It had been two days since the rumor of Luna being a murderer had spread, but Grayson couldn’t bring himself to care for her. Instead, he was preoccupied with Stella, who was already dead.

Daisy's answer surprised Luna because she had not expected her friend to say such things about Grayson. But she soon chuckled and took another sip of her drink.

It hurt to say, but Grayson didn't have even the slightest feelings for Luna, and her eyes were wide open to that truth.

Luna leaned back in her chair and remarked, "We've been working in the hospital for years, and we've encountered many troubles during those years. Most of the deceased patient's family members, who couldn't accept the death of their loved ones, find some way to vent their rage, right?"

With a spoon in her mouth, Daisy paused for a moment. She then soon figured out what Luna was trying to say. "You mean it's James family's doing?"

The James family was not financially fortunate, and Stella's mother had previously worked as one of Tatum's nannies. The latter opposed Grayson and Stella's relationship and kept separating them. Only a few people knew about this history, and one of them was the Brown family, who used to live next door to Tatum, so Daisy was aware of it.

Daisy only met and befriended Luna after the latter was married to Grayson. But even now, Daisy had not yet told Luna about it. It was not that she didn't trust Luna at all; she was terrified of what the Tatum family's power could do if they discovered she had told Luna about the secret.

The Tatum family had kept that secret hidden for years now. Of course, it was a shame for them that Grayson fell in love with their nanny's daughter. Hence, they covered it up, leaving only Daisy aware of it aside from the family. So, if it was revealed to anyone else, it could easily be assumed that it was her.

Furthermore, since Grayson was in love with Stella, the James family had reaped numerous benefits from him. In fact, Grayson had been their backer in recent years, allowing the family to make significant progress. But it didn't end there even after Grayson married Luna, as he still continued to spoil Stella in the same way he had before.

However, now that Stella was gone, the James family no longer had a connection to the Tatum family, which also meant that their future might be at risk.

What was plausible was even though Luna didn't know the secret history of the James and Tatum families, she thought of that possibility.

Indeed, the James family spread the rumor to arouse Grayson's rage at Luna and pity for Stella, as well as to maintain Grayson's remaining love for Stella so that they could continue to milk him.

But even if Luna saw through the James family's trick and Grayson discovered it, nothing would change because Luna had no place in Grayson's heart. And now that the woman Grayson loved most had died, he would find a way to vent his sadness, and unfortunately, Luna was the one he chose to vent his emotions with.

Luna and Daisy decided to go home when the sky started darkening.

However, when Luna pulled into their parking space, she found the light in their living room still on, which was unusual these past two days.

Although she had an idea why, she quickly got out of her car, changed into slippers, and walked inside to confirm if she was correct. When her gaze drifted to the sofa, she found Grayson sitting. His eyes were closed, one of his arms rested on the sofa's armrest, and his legs were stretched forward, so Luna thought he had already fallen asleep.

After two sleepless days and nights, the man's face became haggard, his clothes were wrinkled, and the beard on his chin had grown messily. But even so, it did not lessen Grayson's handsome appearance. In fact, it even added to his sexual attractiveness, though he appeared to be a dangerous man who would kill someone the moment he opened his eyes.

Luna was aware that Grayson's rage had not yet subsided, so she did not dare to provoke him.

Silently, she decided to go upstairs. However, just when she was about to turn around, Grayson had already opened his eyes, making their gazes meet, and letting Luna notice Grayson's bloodshot eyes.

"The day after tomorrow is Stella's funeral. Kneel in front of her coffin and apologize. Only then will I stop bothering you," Grayson growled, frowning and glaring at Luna.

Luna scoffed in disbelief at what she had heard. It was as if she had heard a joke, but the man was too serious when he uttered those words for it to be a joke.

If she was only asked to attend the funeral as a guest, Luna would probably go as she and Stella had known each other for three years since their lives had been entangled from the day she married Grayson.

But kneeling down and apologizing to Stella's corpse were things Luna would never do, for she had nothing to apologize for, to begin with. Besides, doing so was like admitting that she had done what everyone was accusing her of. But since she had poured all of her efforts into saving Stella, unlike their accusations, there was no way she would do what Grayson asked her to.

Thus, in Luna's resentment, she firmly refused Grayson for the first time, retorting, "No, no way!"

Luna couldn't believe Grayson would torment her just to put his mind at ease. She thought the latter had gone insane due to his intense love for Stella.

Indeed, Luna had been a docile wife for three years, but that didn't mean she had to obey him and absorb all of his rages for the rest of her life. She also had a life and mind that could decide on her own. Clearly, Grayson was being unreasonable and had gone overboard this time!

On the other hand, Grayson was stupefied to witness Luna's firm disapproval. As far as he knew, Luna was always silent, listening to whatever he said, and appeared to be non-existent. But now, for the first time, she got the courage to retort to him.

Grayson agreed to marry Luna because she was docile and she didn't mind that he was still with Stella and because she was a cardiologist, he expected to help treat his true love. However, his belief in Luna's ability turned out to be a huge mistake to him.

Upon realizing his miscalculation with Luna, Grayson's face grew grimaced, and his grip became tighter even more. He was now shooting a death glare at Luna as if he wanted to murder her right then and there.

"You were in charge of Stella's operation until she died. So, who else should we blame aside from you? Don't you even consider at least attending her funeral? Now, I repeat, kneel down and apologize to her, and I won't trouble you again," Grayson snarled as he clutched Luna's wrist, still glowering.

With his ever-tightening grip, Luna felt like her bones were about to be crushed.

"You were the one who asked me to perform Stella's surgery in the first place. I had many other patients then, but you asked me to be her chief surgeon. Why did you ask me to do it if you didn't trust me?" Luna peppered Grayson with questions, causing his pupils to dilate and his fingers to loosen for a brief moment.

Stella had been suffering from heart disease for years, and as the years passed, her condition worsened to the point that she had to undergo a heart transplant. As Grayson discussed the operation plan with other doctors, they all recommended Luna to be the surgeon for that operation.

"Luna is a responsible doctor. I believe she will prioritize patients and draw a clear line between work and personal matters." This was what Stella had said after hearing the doctors' recommendation from Grayson.

As Stella had said so, and Grayson hoped that the former could live a long life if they took the doctors' recommendation, they considered it and changed the medical team for the operation. But, in the end, the surgery turned into a tragedy—Stella died.

At the end of the day, Grayson failed to make Luna attend Stella’s funeral and apologized in front of the latter’s coffin. Left with no choice, he did what Luna had told him to do.

As soon as the sun rose, he went to the hospital where Luna worked and started processing the investigation, which kept him busy for days. It was also the day he decided never to step foot in their house again.

Shortly after Grayson filed a request for an investigation with the hospital, Luna received an order from her superiors to suspend her post until the investigation was finished.

In three years of their marriage, Grayson and Luna had faced many challenges, but Stella’s death was the one that would surely put an end to their marriage.

Upon learning the news about the investigation Grayson pursued against Luna, Adeline immediately called Luna back to their family’s villa.

Adeline Curry’s husband died in a car accident 20 years ago, along with Luna’s father, the Curry family’s driver, leaving Adeline to care for their family alone. Adeline had an only son named Oscar Curry, and then she soon adopted Luna since the girl was already an orphan as her mother had died while giving birth to her. From Harden, Luna’s surname was then changed into Curry. Unfortunately, Luna had only been adopted and raised with the intention of propelling the Curry family to the top by clinging to powerful and wealthy individuals.

In the living room of the Curry family’s villa, Adeline was standing with her left hand on her waist and the other catching her forehead, looking problematic. Just as Luna pushed the door open, Adeline put her hands down and stepped forward, meeting Luna halfway. When they were just a meter apart, Adeline threw Luna a death glare and started to scold her. “What is this I’ve heard? Let me remind you that if Grayson really divorces you, we will lose the support of their family! Did that ever cross your mind? You’re completely useless! If that happened, who else would marry a divorced woman like you? No rich men will want to marry you, stupid brat!”

Luna was already used to hearing her adopted mother’s derisiveness. As she always did, she was just looking down and remaining silent.

“You must have forgotten that we raised you, and you must spend your entire life repaying us,” Adeline added, looking at Luna from head to toe.

Since Luna was five years old, she had been listening to Adeline’s brainwashing words. But now that she was old enough, she found those words bullshit.

“Go find a way to get Grayson’s heart. If you can give him a child, then go so you can remain in the Tatum family. Do it if you don’t want a dead woman to be more valuable than you!” Adeline sneered, pushing Luna’s forehead with her index finger.

Just as Luna heard the word ‘baby,’ she glanced at her belly as her thoughts started to wander.

Adeline and Maeve had told her to have a baby to win Grayson’s heart, but Luna couldn’t take their reason.

Battling with herself, she wondered, ‘If I announced I’m pregnant would this be enough to quell Grayson’s rage?’ But she quickly shook the idea off, muttering inwardly, ‘Huh! I must be dreaming. He only married me so that he could maintain his relationship with Stella. So, even though I’m pregnant, it’s impossible for him to keep me by his side now that Stella is gone.’

But then her conscience nagged her, saying, ‘You were raised by this family, but what are you doing? You’re disappointing them after everything they’ve done to you!’

Then another voice whispered in her head. ‘Now that you have the baby, you want it to deliver, but for what purposes? You wanted to use him or her as a tool like Adeline did to you? You wanted to control his or her life to improve your own? So, what’s the difference between you, Adeline, and Maeve? You will only cause your child to suffer the same fate as you.’

Adeline was busy scolding her when Oscar returned home and saw Luna standing and looking down while Adeline was scolding her.

Seeing this, Oscar frowned and approached the two. “Mom, what’s the matter? Why are you scolding her again?”

Adeline’s expression softened upon seeing her son’s face. But instead of answering his question, she just instructed, “Go call your brother-in-law and invite him to come here for a dinner.”