" You are shameless! You know Christian doesn't love you. Still, you keep clinging to him. For God's sake, let him be happy." My mother-in-law was yelling at me.

It was her usual habit. She would often visit my marital home after Christian left for office and shout at me for not divorcing him. But this time, she was not alone. There was a lady standing right beside her in an elegant suit. Her brows were furrowed and she was looking at me with extremely displeased eyes.

" Mom, I have never come across Christian's happiness. If he asks me to divorce him, I will do it instantly. But, I will not take the initiative until he says it with his own mouth." I replied to my mother-in-law which infuriated her as she yelled angrily, " Don't call me 'Mom'. You are nothing to me. Christian didn't ask my permission before marrying you or else I wouldn't have let him marry an orphan girl like you. After you divorce him, Izzy will be my daughter-in-law. Only she suits our family name."

While mentioning this, she pointed at the lady standing beside her. She was Izzy, my husband's first love. She then took a step forward and said, " You are married to Christian for two years, still you know nothing about him. If you knew him well, you would have understood that he doesn't want you. He just feels uncomfortable telling you this. He feels guilty for you. That is why he never mentions about divorce with you. It's not your fault. After all, you were just a substitute in his life to fill my emptiness in his heart. How would you understand him like I do?"

Her word 'substitute' pierced through my heart because that was what I was in Christian's life, a substitute.

" You know about our affair very well, Laura. You know that Christian visits me at night and comes to you in the morning since the day I have come back in his life. What more evidence do you need to understand your place in his life? " She added, "Just divorce him and make our lives easier."

I gulped. Everything she said was true. There was no need for me to keep clinging to Christian when I already knew he had eyes only for Izzy. However, I was stubborn. I didn't want to give up that easily, especially to the woman who snatched everything from me.

I then looked into her eyes and said in a firm voice, "Everything that you are saying is true. I'm just a substitute in Christian's life while you are his true love."

Izzy and my mother-in-law's eyes started shining brightly while I added," Still, I'll not sign the divorce papers until he signs it first."

"You... " My mother-in-law sneered at me before I received a hard slap on my face. The slap came with the force that I couldn't handle and fell off the floor.

"You greedy woman! Just tell me how much money you want to leave my son." She yelled. I wiped the corner of my eyes, still trying my best to stay strong before these women. However, Izzy came forward and helped me in getting up. She then smiled faintly before saying, "You don't believe us. That's okay. But what if Christian asks you to do the same thing? Would you believe us then?"

I bit my lips, said nothing. She took my silence in agreement and dialed Christian's number.

"Christian, Laura isn't agreeing with us. You talk to her and tell her that it is what you want." She said on the phone. Christian's voice sounded from the other end, saying," Laura, Just do what my mother and Izzy is saying. I don't want any unnecessary drama in my life. I want to live peacefully with my loved ones. Please forgive me for letting you go through all this."

Izzy hung up the phone and looked at me with a proud eyes, saying, "What will you do now? Are you still going to wait for him to sign it first?"

"I'll sign the papers!" I said with an indifferent voice.

My mother-in-law and Izzy glanced at each other in surprise. They might not believe in their ears. I ignored them and walked by my mother-in-law’s side. I took the divorce papers from her hand and signed them immediately. I threw the papers before her while saying, " I have signed the papers as you wished. As for your son's signature, you can take it on your own. I have nothing to do with him anymore."

I then turned to Izzy and said with a smile," Congratulations! Christian is all yours now. May your life bloom with him."

My mother-in-law checked all the papers and blurted out in a surprised voice," You really signed them? I didn't expect you to give up so easily. I thought you would make a huge amount of money out of it. Anyways, now that you have divorced Christian, please leave this house as soon as possible. Izzy wants to renovate the house according to her taste."

I had exhausted myself in decorating this house for the past two years. Every bit of this house, even the door mats were personally selected by me. I had selected everything according to Christian’s preference. He was impressed with my work. Now, it was all useless for them.

I didn't see any need to talk to these women. I headed back to my room and packed my belongings that I brought to this home after marrying Christian. I left all the precious items that Christian and his grandmother once bought for me.

After packing all my stuff in a small old luggage that I brought with me, I came downstairs. I shot a short glance over the place I had lived for two years. This house was a gift to me from Christian's grandmother on our wedding night. Christian and I shifted to this house the next day. After that day, I had never left home. While remembering all this, I became emotional. I wiped the corner of my eyes and held my luggage tightly. I was about to leave but then I heard a cold voice directing at me, “What are you still doing here? You can't change your mind now. You have already signed the papers.”

It was Izzy’s voice. The girl who was pretending to be elegant before Christian’s mother, had now lost all her calmness.

I pursed my lips before saying, “ Don't worry! Unlike you, I don't cling to something I have already rejected.”

My words fell sharply like an arrow. She sneered at me, saying, “Then hurry up and get the hell out of my home.”

I felt a push from behind. I couldn't balance myself and fell off the floor. I turned my head back only to find Izzy standing behind me with a faint smile, saying rudely," Hurry up and leave. I don't have much time. I want to renovate this place as soon as possible."

I tried to get up but I couldn't. I had fallen on my stomach. I sensed something wrong and looked down only to see my private part bleeding.

"My baby... " These words abruptly came out of my mouth.

I was terrified. Izzy's face also turned pale. She stuttered, “I didn't do anything. I didn't know… Laura Green! Are you pregnant with Christian’s Child?”

Meanwhile, a deep male voice sounded from behind, "What is happening here?"

It was Christian's voice. He looked down at me and his forehead wrinkled. He immediately came to support me, saying in a worried voice, " Laura, what are you doing down there and... the blood? What the hell is going on?"

I don't know what happened after that. I lost my consciousness. I had no idea who picked me up and took me to the hospital. I was unconscious all this time. However, sometimes I would open my eyes and could feel what was going around me.

There was a time when I opened my eyes and listened to Christian's conversation with the Doctor.

"Are you sure, Mr. Walton? You really want to do this?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, I'm sure, Doctor. I don't want the baby inside her." Christian said in an indifferent voice.

"It's too risky, Mr. Walton. If we force it, she might not be able to become a mother in future. Are you willing to let her sacrifice the biggest happiness of a woman's life?" Doctor asked. Christian seemed irritated while replying," Why are you continuing to mention the risks to me I'm already aware of? Don't forget my company develops all kinds of medical instruments. I know everything. I just don't want the kid inside her. If I wish to have a child, I can have it with any woman but not by her. So, take it out immediately."

They were killing my child. I couldn't listen to their conversation anymore and fell unconscious in remorse.

***

I was an orphan, adopted by Miss Georgia. She was a divorced woman and had no intention of marrying again. She had raised me with great difficulties. When I turned eighteen, she fell sick. To pay her medical fees and take care of us, I had to seek jobs at a very young age. I started working as a caregiver. I was soon hired by Mrs. Rosaline Walton, Christian's grandmother. She was a very kind woman and liked me very much. She would share her thoughts with me. She remained worried about her grandson's marriage. She would often tell me that she wanted her grandson to marry a girl like me. But, Christian already had eyes for someone. That woman was Izzy Watson.

Mrs. Rosaline didn't like Izzy. For this reason, she would often have arguments with Christian. He was determined to marry her.

One day, Mrs. Rosaline's condition got worst yet she was refusing to take medicine. Everyone tried their best to persuade her but she refused to take medicine. Her only condition was to see her grandson getting married. She was very stubborn and made her point loud and clear that she would not take medicine until she saw her granddaughter-in-law. However, Christian was also stubborn. He said he would marry only one girl in his life and that girl would be Izzy Watson. In the end, Mrs. Rosaline gave up and agreed to his wish.

In the midst of the night, Christian went to propose marriage to Izzy. But, she refused. She had received an offer from abroad. She was going to become a movie star in a foreign country. She couldn't marry for two years according to the contract she had already signed.

Christian returned home empty handed. He knocked at the door of Miss Rosaline's room. I opened the door and he called me out. Our eyes met for a second and I immediately moved my eyes away to avoid eye contact with him. It was the first time when I saw Christian from such a close distance. His aura was calm and demeanoring. I had never believed in love at first sight until today.

" You are Laura Green, right?" He asked in a deep male voice.

"Yes, Sir." I replied hesitantly, trying to hide my emotional imbalance caused by his sudden call.

"Grandma talks about you a lot. She really likes you, doesn't she?"

"She is a very kind woman. She likes everybody. She makes me feel so good with her presence that it feels like she is my family." I said with a genuine smile.

"Now she would really be." He said before adding in a commanding voice, "From now on, the Walton family belongs to you, including me as your husband, Laura Walton."

"I'm sorry, what?" I chuckled.

"We are getting married tomorrow!”