I always knew my mother-in-law didn’t like me.

She believed I wasn’t good enough for Samuel, that I could never compare to Xandra—her son's childhood sweetheart who was beautiful, sweet-talking, and effortlessly charming.

It was only when Xandra married someone abroad and I became pregnant that she reluctantly acknowledged me as her daughter-in-law—for the sake of the child.

Even so, every time we met, she never spared me from her sharp-tongued ridicule.

In the past, Samuel would at least defend me a little. Not to mention that the day of the accident, he was the one who insisted on dragging me to the mall, saying he wanted to buy gifts for our soon-to-be-born child.

But now, his eyes were locked onto Xandra, filled with an undeniable tenderness.

Xandra cradled Apollo in her arms and playfully clung to Samuel’s arm.

"Samuel, did you hear that? Auntie has officially recognized me as her goddaughter! My dear brother, have you prepared a gift for your little sister?"

Samuel pinched her cheek indulgently, half scolding and half spoiling her. "You’re so mischievous. Don’t call me brother."

Yet, even as he spoke, he had someone deliver 92 luxury mink coats—each from a high-end designer brand, complete with matching jewelry.

"I know you love fashion, but you’re still in your postpartum recovery. You need to keep warm. Winter lasts three months—exactly 92 days—so you’ll have a different one to wear each day."

Xandra giggled in delight and planted a kiss on his cheek, looking like an innocent, pampered girl.

"Wow! Some of these are next season’s releases, and they’re all limited editions! You managed to get them for me in advance—Samuel, you really do spoil me."

She turned her gaze at me, feigning concern. "But you’ve given me so many gifts... Lydia won’t be mad, will she?"

Standing there in my bloodstained clothes, I looked like a complete fool next to her dazzling, extravagant display.

For a brief moment, Samuel hesitated, as if suddenly remembering I was still there. He awkwardly tried to explain. "Lydia, it’s not what you think. Xandra has been living abroad for so long—you know how different their customs are."

"And the coats... I just heard that she had also recently given birth. Her husband isn’t here, and since we grew up together, I just thought—"

Before he could finish, Apollo suddenly started crying.

Xandra gasped in surprise. "Oh no, is Apollo hungry again? Mommy will take you upstairs to feed you!"

She then turned to me with a falsely apologetic smile.

"Lydia, don’t misunderstand. I’m just used to comforting my own baby. Besides, every time I say this, Apollo gets so happy!"

She cradled Apollo in her arms and started walking upstairs—only to suddenly lean weakly into Samuel’s chest, murmuring, "Sam, I feel a little dizzy..."

Samuel immediately shoved me aside and caught her in his arms, his expression full of worry.

"How could this happen? You must be feeling weak after childbirth. I told you to rest at the postpartum center! Come on, I’ll carry you upstairs."

My right leg was still bandaged from the accident.

With that sudden push, I lost my balance and collapsed onto the floor, pain shooting through me like a knife. But Samuel didn’t spare me a single glance.

Right in front of everyone, he scooped Xandra into a princess carry—holding both her and Apollo—before heading upstairs.

The room erupted with ridicule.

Mocking voices filled the air, dripping with contempt.

"No wonder Samuel dotes on Xandra. Not only is she beautiful, but she’s also kind-hearted enough to feed someone else’s child. Unlike this useless woman—so cheap and embarrassing. She can’t even tolerate a little leg pain and even took medicine while breastfeeding. How selfish!"

"Does she even deserve to be a mother? If you ask me, Xandra is more like Apollo’s real mother—she cares more about him, and look, even Apollo looks more like her! He probably doesn’t want to resemble that disgraceful woman. Xandra and Samuel make such a perfect couple. It’s a shame they never got married."

Instead of standing up for me, my mother-in-law looked at me with even greater disgust. She scoffed and snapped at me.

"Still lying there like a dog? If you want to beg for food, get out and do it somewhere else! Our family doesn’t feed worthless, lowly women like you!"

"You don’t even care about your own son, and you can’t keep your husband’s heart. I heard you’ll never be able to have children again? My son marrying you is the worst misfortune of his life. Get lost—just looking at you takes ten years off my life."

Humiliation washed over me like a tidal wave.

I clenched my fingers around my phone, where I had long since prepared the divorce papers.

Without a word, I struggled to my feet, limping toward the study upstairs.

I retrieved the printed divorce agreement and placed it into my bag before heading to the guest room to look for Samuel.

But he wasn’t there.

Instead, I saw the nanny holding Apollo, who had just finished feeding and was sleeping soundly.

Frowning in confusion, I suddenly heard noises coming from our bedroom—sounds that made my stomach turn.

The door wasn’t fully closed.

Through the gap, I saw Xandra straddling Samuel, her blouse was wide open as she cooed in a sickly sweet voice. "Sam, I have too much milk... Apollo’s appetite is too small, and I’m so full it hurts~"

"I feel awful... Won’t you help me relieve it?"

Samuel hesitated. "Xandra, don’t... You just gave birth two days ago. Your body can’t handle it. You already took a huge risk hiding your pregnancy from your husband to have my child—I can’t put you in danger again..."

Xandra grabbed his head and pressed him against her chest. "Silly Sam, I’m not afraid—so what are you afraid of? I wanted to give birth to your child. My husband is always away; he doesn’t even know. Come on, pamper me a little. Don’t you want to taste the sweetness of battle-scarred love?"

Samuel finally lost control. He leaned in, his lips sealing over her skin.

The sounds inside grew more obscene, making my stomach churn with nausea.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned and fled the house.

Only when I inhaled the crisp air outside did the suffocating weight in my chest lessen. But the tears wouldn’t stop falling.

'Samuel, you knew I was just downstairs. How could you do this? In our bedroom?!'

I slumped onto the doorstep, dazed, not knowing how much time had passed.

Then, without warning, a foul-smelling liquid was dumped over my head.

I gasped in shock as the stench filled my nose.

Xandra stood before me, her lips curled into a smug smirk.

"Lydia, how does my son’s urine taste? Did you enjoy watching Samuel lose himself in me?"

So this was intentional. She wanted me to see everything.

"Tsk tsk, just look at you now—your son is dead, and you’re hobbling around on one leg. If I were you, I’d have ended it already. What’s the point of living?"

She bent down, whispering cruelly into my ear. "Even though you married Samuel and had his child, so what? He still suffocated your son to death for me and my baby, making sure you could never have another."

My breath hitched.

Xandra held up her phone, tilting the screen toward me. "I even recorded it for you. Want to see how your baby’s little face turned from red to purple? It’s quite a sight."

My entire body trembled violently.

I stared at the screen as my child... my baby... struggled for breath.

And then, slowly, he stopped moving.

I felt like I was suffocating too.

How could she describe murdering a child so casually, as if it were nothing?

Fury erupted within me.

I raised my hand high, ready to strike her—but before I could, Xandra suddenly pulled out a knife and slashed it across her own chest.

Bright red blood soaked through her blouse.

She shrieked in agony, the knife clattering to the ground.

In the next second, a force slammed into me, knocking me to the ground.

Samuel cradled Xandra protectively in his arms.

His furious voice rang out, searing through the air, "Lydia, are you insane?!"

I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could speak, Xandra burst into pitiful sobs. "Sam, I was just afraid that Apollo would go hungry, so I came to explain things to Lydia. But she said I was trying to steal her child... She threatened to cut off my chest so I could never breastfeed again."

She trembled, burying herself deeper in his embrace. "I was only thinking about the baby! How could she do this to me?!"

Samuel’s face darkened as he glared at me. "You were the one who fell down the stairs and broke your leg that’s why things turned out this way. Why are you taking it out on Xandra?"

"You’re not a good mother. You took medication and couldn’t breastfeed your child. Xandra was kind enough to help, so what right do you have to lash out at her? Just because you don’t care about your child, does that mean no one else is allowed to?"

'I’m not a good mother? I don’t care about my child?'

Tears streamed down my face as I roared at him in fury, "I’m not a good mother?! Then what about you?! Do you dare to tell me why I fell down the stairs? Where is my child? And what exactly was in that medication I took?!"

Samuel frowned. "Apollo is sleeping soundly in the room, of course. And the medication was just to help with your leg pain—you knew that already."

"As for why you fell, it was your own carelessness. With so many people around, why were you the only one who got pushed? You’re useless, and yet you have the audacity to hurt Xandra? You’re a mother too—how could you be so cruel to another mother? Apologize to her, now!"

Yes, so many people were there. And yet, I was the only one pushed.

I looked at him—so self-righteous, so convinced of his own lies—and suddenly, I laughed.

That was my husband.

A liar.

A murderer.

I picked up the knife from the ground.

With all the strength I had left, I slashed my chest over and over, cutting deep until my clothes were soaked in blood.

Samuel’s eyes widened in horror. "Lydia! What are you doing?! Stop it!"

I dropped the knife and met his gaze calmly. "You’re right, Samuel. I shouldn’t have hurt a mother. So I’m atoning for my sins—to your beloved. Is this enough sincerity for you?"

With that, I turned and walked away.

Blood dripped from my wounds, leaving a trail behind me.

My steps were unsteady, but I never looked back.

Samuel hesitated, instinctively reaching out to help me—but Xandra clung to his neck, her voice pitiful and weak.

"Sam, it hurts so much... Can you take me to the hospital? We can’t let Apollo go hungry."

Samuel struggled for a moment.

Then, he made his choice. He carried Xandra in his arms and walked in the opposite direction.

A few hours later, my phone rang.

Samuel’s voice was gentle, almost coaxing. "Lydia, have you treated your wounds? Don’t worry—I made sure the medicine Xandra used won’t affect her breastfeeding. I’m sorry for what I said earlier."

"But the doctor confirmed that the medication you took wasn’t suitable for breastfeeding. Xandra has plenty of milk, and formula isn’t as nutritious. Apollo still needs her. I’m just taking care of her to show my gratitude—don’t overthink it, okay?"

I replied indifferently. "I’m fine. Take good care of her. Make sure the child doesn’t go hungry."

"I knew my wife was the most understanding." Samuel chuckled. "I already spoke to my mom—she won’t pick on you anymore."

"You gave birth to a son for our family—that’s a huge merit. The day after tomorrow, I’m throwing you a celebration banquet. Consider it my way of making it up to you. Be good and wait for me."

That night, the local news ran an entire segment about him.

"In a furious display of devotion to his beloved, the President of Lopez Corporation urgently dispatched a helicopter to summon the nation's top medical experts—all for the sake of treating a mere minor wound."

I silently took out some disinfectant and hemostatic powder, treating my injuries with the bare minimum of care.

The next day, Samuel still didn’t come home.

I packed up everything I owned and donated it all. Then, I took our marriage certificate—the one I had once cherished so deeply—and tore it into pieces, throwing it into the trash.

On the third day, just past noon, Samuel texted me.

[Lydia, I just finished my work. I’m heading to the hotel to check the venue setup. My assistant will pick you up this afternoon.]

But in reality, at that very moment—he was walking through a high-end shopping mall, holding Xandra’s hand while Apollo was cradled in his arms, as they swept through luxury jewelry stores together.

All around them, envious eyes followed their every move.

"Mr. Lopez truly adores his wife and child. My sales performance for the next twenty years is basically set! This family of three is just too picture-perfect."

"But I heard Mr. Lopez booked the lowest-tier banquet at the hotel today. Supposedly, it's to celebrate his wife's childbirth."

"You must be mistaken. With the way Mr. Lopez spoils his wife, would he really go for something so cheap? Did you see the necklace around Madam Lopez’s neck? He just bought it for her this morning—its price could cover ten banquets!"

I heard every word.

Standing on the upper floor, having just bought a suitcase, I watched them, my heart completely numb.

I didn’t bother replying to his messages. Instead, I took out the divorce papers and a few other documents, arranging for a local courier to deliver them straight to the banquet.

Once everything was set, I put on my sunglasses and headed straight for the airport.

—

A few hours later, Samuel finally finished his shopping spree with Xandra and Apollo. They arrived at the hotel, expecting a grand celebration.

But instead, they were told—Lydia hadn’t shown up.

Samuel glanced at his watch. It had already been over an hour past the agreed time. A strange feeling crept into his heart. After all, Lydia had never been late for any of their meetings.

Just as he was about to call her, his assistant came running over, panic written all over his face.

"Mr. Lopez, bad news! Madam is gone! Someone just delivered these documents!"