Shortly after my daughter’s birth, she tragically passed away. I was devastated, so grief-stricken that I fell gravely ill.

Stephanus sat by my bedside, comforting me. He told me that since our daughter was gone, we should donate her organs. By doing so, we could help others and allow her life to continue in some way.

I agreed.

With his gentle care, I slowly began to recover from the unbearable pain of losing my child. But never in my wildest dreams did I expect that just when I thought I had found my one true support in this life, I would overhear his conversation with his assistant.

“Mr. Draco, your daughter’s kidney has been successfully transplanted into Ms. Audens’ son. If I may speak freely, Mr. Draco, Was it really worth it to sacrifice your own daughter?”

Stephanus let out a sigh and said, “As long as Claudine is happy, I’m willing to do anything. Livia and I can always have another child, but if Claudine loses hers, she loses everything.”

I felt as if I had fallen into an abyss of ice. At that moment, it never even crossed my mind that my daughter’s death wasn’t an accident—it was Stephanus’ doing.

“Mr. Draco, if Madam ever finds out that you killed your own daughter, do you really think she will forgive you?”

As the assistant’s voice rang out, I heard Stephanus respond in an icy tone. “Then she must never find out. Isn’t a child all she wanted? I will make it up to her—I’ll give her another one.”

Standing outside the door, I struggled to suppress my sobs, but the tears wouldn’t stop falling. The man I had believed cherished me as if I were his whole world had been deceiving me from the very beginning.

He never loved me. The only person he ever truly cared about was his first love, Claudia.

——

I returned to my room in a daze, my heart shattered. My eyes fell on the crib in the corner—the one I had prepared for my daughter.

The tiny clothes resting inside it were sewn by my own hands, each stitch filled with anticipation for her arrival. But now, none of it mattered. She had come into this world, only to have her life cruelly taken away by the very person who should have loved her the most.

At that moment, every ounce of love I had for Stephanus twisted into hatred.

I sat motionless at the edge of the bed, lost in memories of the life I had shared with him. Back then, I had fallen for Stephanus when he was just a penniless young man. I had believed with all my heart that I had found true love.

He had sworn to me countless times that he loved me, that he would protect me for a lifetime. For him, I had abandoned everything, standing by his side as we built our life from nothing. And now, all I had in return was his betrayal.

At that moment, I cried my heart out. Unbearable pain instantly filled my sorrow.

With trembling hands, I dialed a number I hadn’t called in a long time. “Dad… I want to go home,” I choked out between sobs.

On the other end, my father immediately sensed that something was wrong. His voice was filled with concern as he asked me what had happened.

“No matter what it is, Vivi, just tell me. Dad will help you solve everything,” he reassured me gently. He even asked if he should come and pick me up.

I refused, telling him that I would return soon on my own.

He only said one thing before we hung up, “No matter what happens, I will always protect you.”

Just as I ended the call, the door swung open as Stephanus stepped inside.

Seeing me holding our daughter's clothes, tears still streaming down my face, a flicker of unease flashed in Stephanus's eyes. He stepped forward and said, “Livia, our child is gone, but it’s okay. We can always have another one.”

I looked at the man before me, pretending to be affectionate. I wanted to force a smile, but I realized—I could never smile at him again.

At that moment, all I had left for Stephen was hatred. But he didn’t think much of it, assuming I was simply drowning in the sorrow of losing our daughter. He kept trying to comfort me.

“Livia, no matter what, I will always be by your side. Don’t be sad,” he whispered gently, holding me in his arms.

“Steph, I want to go out for a walk,” I said, looking at him.

Stephanus nodded in response. He said, “It’s good for you to go out for a walk. Unfortunately, I’ve been too busy lately.”

I knew the real reason—Claudia’s child was about to undergo a kidney transplant and he simply couldn’t spare any time for me.

“Don’t worry! I can go on my own,” I said to him.

Stephanus nodded in agreement. Just as he was about to speak again, his phone rang.

The moment I saw the weird look on his face as he picked it up, I knew—it was Claudia. He hurriedly rushed to the balcony before answering.

“Livia, I have something to take care of,” he said softly after ending the call, stepping in front of me. “I’ll probably be very busy these next few days”

“Steph, if you have things to do, go ahead,” I replied with a smile. The moment I finished speaking, I saw him rush out in a hurry.

As I watched his departing figure, my expression darkened. He had already been willing to harm my child for Claudia’s and now, he was leaving without hesitation.

At that moment, all I had left for Stephanus was pure hatred.

After he left, I booked a plane ticket home. After that, I made my way to his study.

Stephanus usually didn’t like me entering his study, so I rarely went there to look for him. This was actually the first time I had stepped into his study since marrying him.

The room was clean and orderly, with nothing seemingly out of place.

At a glance, everything appeared normal—until I noticed that his computer was still on. I guess he was in a hurry, he had forgotten to shut it down.

Curious, I clicked on the screen and saw that his messaging app was still open. That’s when I saw the conversation between Stephanus and Claudia.

Claudia: [Steph, Arnold's health is going real bad. I'm so scared of losing him. He’s your son. You must protect our baby, Steph!]

Stephanus: [Don't worry, Claudine. I will take care of our child, no matter the cost!]

Claudia: [Steph, the doctor said the match was successful. As long as your daughter's kidney transplant goes smoothly, our Arnold will survive!]

Claudia: [You're willing to do that far for me, right, Steph?]

Stephanus: [Claudine, don't worry. I will make sure our child lives! I can make it up to Livia later!]

I stared at the chat window before me, my heart had already gone numb.

My daughter lost her life… all because of this? No wonder Stephanus kept finding excuses to go to the hospital for check-ups ever since our child was born.

At first, I thought Stephanus was just him being a caring new father. He was genuinely concerned about our baby. But now I know—he had planned this from the very beginning. He sacrificed my daughter to save his son.

I saved the evidence, then packed up everything. After leaving behind a divorce agreement, I went straight to the airport.

I had no desire to see Stephanus ever again.

When I arrived at the airport, I was shocked to spot Stephanus—of all places. He was here! He looked anxious, as if he were waiting for something important.

The moment he saw me walking over with my suitcase, his eyes widened in surprise. I even caught a flicker of panic in his expression.

“Livia? What are you doing here?” His voice heavy with unease. The way he gazed was flickering between me and the crowd around us. “I told you, didn’t I? I’m going on a trip for a while,” I said, watching him closely.

He froze for a moment before blurting out, “You’re leaving now?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

Just then, I noticed a woman behind him, pushing a wheelchair. Seated in it was a little boy, no older than three.

And in that instant, everything clicked.

The child’s face—so strikingly similar to Stephanus’. Almost identical. I had been with Stephanus for four years. But this boy… he was only three.

He followed my gaze, realizing what I had just pieced together. Panic flashed across his face as he hurriedly said, “Livia, this is Claudia—just an old classmate!”

"You must be Livia, right? Steph has told me about you!"

Unlike Stephanus, Claudia was composed and confident as she looked at me.

"My child is sick and needs treatment here. When Steph found out, he offered to help make the arrangements. Livia, you’re not upset, are you?"

I smiled slightly. "Of course not."

"Steph, what’s going on with you? Look at Livia—she looks so exhausted."

She glanced at me, then added in a lighthearted tone, "Livia, you really need to take better care of yourself. If you don’t, you’ll age so quickly!"

Her words made my expression turn cold.

If it weren’t for her and Stephanus taking my child’s life away, would I be in this state?

And now, she was still rubbing salt into my wounds, pretending not to know while deliberately twisting the knife.

"That’s enough, Claudia. Stop talking," Stephanus cut in, his face darkening with discomfort.

Claudia simply smiled at my reaction but didn’t push any further.

"Livia, where are you headed?" she asked, glancing at my suitcase.

"Just need a change of scenery," I said with a faint smile.

I could barely keep my voice steady as I spoke.

"That works out perfectly! While you’re away, I’ll take good care of Steph for you. You know how men are—he’ll never take care of himself properly."

Claudia smiled at me, her tone light and casual.

"And since I just got here and don’t have a place to stay… you wouldn’t mind if I stayed at your place, right, Livia?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but just then, the boarding announcement echoed through the airport.

I smiled faintly, then turned to Stephanus. "I’m heading off now."

"Livia!"

His voice stopped me in my tracks. When I turned back, I saw the flicker of panic in his eyes.

"There’s nothing going on between me and Claudia!" he blurted out.

"Got it."

I gave a small nod, then turned and walked away without looking back.

When I landed, my father was waiting for me at the airport. The moment he saw me, his eyes filled with tears.

"I knew from the start that Stephanus wasn’t reliable, but you wouldn’t listen," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

"Over the years, I’ve helped him more than you know. Without that, he wouldn’t be where he is today."

He held my hand tightly and looked at me with deep concern.

"Now that you’re back, stay with me. Don’t leave again."