By the second month of their living together, Zaylee had successfully become pregnant.

The Grive Family was very traditional and feudal. Even pregnancy couldn’t exempt Joanna from constant orders and strict rules. Battling morning sickness, she endured endless nagging from Garcia and had already become visibly worn out after three months.

Meanwhile, Zaylee only needed a single word from Darren to avoid any effort or hardship.

“From now on, Zaylee will be the Grive Family’s lucky star! You all must take good care of her!”

Though Joanna had long prepared herself mentally, the joy shining in Darren’s eyes as a new father still stabbed painfully at her heart.

During the pregnancy, Zaylee was very delicate. Darren stayed up sleepless out of concern for her morning sickness, personally cooked nourishing meals for her and the baby’s health and even, despite his cleanliness obsession, didn’t hesitate to catch her vomit by hand.

Zaylee carried his precious treasure in her womb.

So what exactly was the child that Joanna, five months pregnant, was carrying?

Back in the bedroom, Joanna stared at the wedding photo on the bedside table, suddenly feeling a sharp sting in her heart.

Once, Darren had pursued her actively. After they married, they even had two months of warmth and closeness. She had eagerly looked forward to carrying the fruit of their love and had imagined how the man would be after she became pregnant.

But now, things had changed, people were gone and all was lost. Before she could speak, tears flowed first.

After tidying up the couple’s pajamas, photo booth stickers and love albums, Joanna personally packed them all up and threw them away.

Behind her, Darren appeared without her noticing. When he saw the wedding photo, his eyes sharply flickered with surprise.

Then Darren grabbed Joanna’s wrist tightly, pressing her with a harsh tone.

“Joanna, what are you doing?”

“Drake,” Joanna sneered coldly at him, “Whatever I do is none of your business!”

Darren gritted his teeth, his dark pupils filled with menace.

“If my late brother knew, I wonder what he’d think from above. Joanna, you’re truly heartless!”

Joanna found it amusing. She instinctively pried each of Darren’s fingers apart, then turned and walked away.

“No need for you to worry about this, Drake.”

In the stairway, Zaylee was being supported by a servant. When she saw Joanna, she waved her hand dismissively, sending the servant away.

The woman curled her lips into a smug smile, her true nature completely revealed beneath her surface charm.

“Joanna, what are you pretending for? You’ve known the truth all along, haven’t you? How does it feel to watch the man you loved abandon you and be with me? Or maybe you still don’t know. Darren and I are each other’s first loves. Our feelings reignited long after you two got married. Even Drake’s car accident was a scheme we planned together!”

Joanna’s eyes widened in disbelief as she took a step back. “What did you say? You two disgusting lovers are utterly heartless! That was a living, breathing person!”

Zaylee stepped forward, pressing closer, smiling cruelly. “So what? He stood in my way! Even if it were two lives, what does that matter? If that bastard child in your belly stands in my son’s way...”

Joanna’s instincts screamed that something was wrong. She saw Zaylee suddenly change her expression, grab Joanna’s hand, then raise it. And with Joanna’s shocked eyes fixed on her, Zaylee slapped her own face twice, without using any force.

“Ah!”

The next moment, Zaylee fell like a falling butterfly, straight down from the second floor to the first.

Joanna was still stunned in place when Darren rushed over, furious. He glanced at the woman lying on the floor, then pushed Joanna forcefully.

Joanna, clutching her belly, slammed hard into the shelf behind her. The sharp metal blades cut open her forehead.

“Who allowed you to lay hands on Zaylee? No matter how jealous you are, you cannot harm an innocent child!”

Zaylee watched, tears streaming down her face, her voice rising in panic, “It hurts so much! Drake, will our baby be okay?”

Darren immediately scooped her up horizontally, holding her close and soothing her gently, but his eyes shot daggers at Joanna, as if wanting to kill her on the spot.

“Wicked woman! Despicable bitch! If anything happens to Zaylee and the child in her womb, I’ll make you and that bastard pay with blood!”

Joanna lay in a pool of blood from her forehead and the fresh flow beneath her didn’t stop.

Zaylee leaned softly against the man’s chest, flashing Joanna a provocative smile.

What a pathetic act.

Unfortunately, Darren left, not even sparing her a single glance.

When she opened her eyes, the sharp scent of hospital disinfectant filled her nose.

Nearby, a young nurse whispered to her colleague, "Both are women, but really, everyone has their own fate!"

"The second daughter-in-law of the Grive Family in the next ward only had a little fright, but the head of the family has been worried sick, guarding her room day and night, not even taking off his clothes to rest. He’s been so devoted, you can really ship a couple like that!"

"Unlike this one... I heard it was the servants who couldn't bear to watch and feared she’d die right there, so they called emergency services."

When Darren arrived, there was a hint of apology in his expression and he was carrying bags of nourishing supplements.

“Joanna, about what happened earlier... I was just so anxious that I acted irrationally. These tonics are my way of making it up to you. But you're allergic to peanuts, so be sure to check the ingredients carefully."

"Are you… and the baby okay?"

It was like a slap followed by a sweet date. What a clever trick. But Joanna wasn't buying it.

She forced herself to sit up and looked him straight in the eye. "Drake, how did you know I'm allergic to peanuts?"

Darren was stunned for a moment, his eyes evasive. "Mom told me, of course. When it comes to food, one has to be extra careful with pregnant women."

Full of holes! Garcia hated Joanna so much. How could she possibly remember her preferences and allergies?

Joanna quietly withdrew her gaze and looked out the window, her face filled with sorrow.

"When I heard the news of your eldest brother's death, I wanted to leave this world too, to follow him. When I swallowed a large number of sleeping pills, where was he? When I slit my wrists in the bathtub and blood flowed all over the bathroom, where was he? When I stood atop an eighteen-story building, the freezing wind cutting through me, where was he then?"

Darren's pupils trembled and he guiltily looked away. "I actually…"

Just a few seconds away from speaking, Darren’s words caught in his throat as a young nurse rushed in, flustered.

"Mr. Grive! Something’s happened to your wife! She found out you weren’t there and is threatening to slit her wrists!"

Darren still left. When Joanna’s close friend arrived, she was furious.

"Joanna, how did you end up like this? You’re not quite human, not quite a ghost!"

"How could the Grive Family treat you like this? You're the widow of their eldest son, after all! Once you give birth, just leave. In the meantime, I’ll keep an eye out for some outstanding young men. Worst case, we find you someone new and you remarry!"

That night, when Joanna went out to fetch water, she overheard Darren and Zaylee talking in the room next door.

"Honey, the informant I planted said Joanna plans to leave after giving birth. She's even planning blind dates to remarry! A fickle woman like her really can't be trusted. She has no sense of virtue as a widow!" Zaylee said indignantly.

But unlike her righteous anger, Darren's expression was complicated and especially dim. He shook his head.

"Impossible! Joanna loves me so much. There's no way she'd be willing to leave me. Blind dates? Who else does she think she can marry besides me? Even if I die, she should remain a widow for me forever."

"Just in case!" Zaylee's eyes rolled craftily. "How about this… We knock her out and get someone to take compromising photos of her. If she ever thinks about remarrying, we can use those photos to threaten her. That way, she’ll never escape the Grive Family for the rest of her life."

Just one wall away, Joanna returned to her room, closed the door and slowly slid to the floor.

This time, Darren didn’t even pretend to care about any bond they once shared as husband and wife.

That very night, a nurse sneaked into her room and slipped something into her water cup. Joanna pretended to take a sip, then turned around and vomited everything out in the washroom.

In the dead of night, someone quietly slipped into the room, climbed into bed, wrapped an arm around her waist and began planting heated kisses on her.

Joanna’s eyes flew open. Without hesitation, she reached beneath her pillow, pulled out the fruit knife she had long prepared and stabbed without a word.

"Who…"

A muffled groan rang out as the drunken man staggered to his feet, bleeding from his abdomen and barely able to stand.

Joanna turned on the light, only to realize it wasn’t someone sent by Zaylee to take indecent photos.

It was Darren.

He had bribed the young nurse to drug her, crept into her bed to touch her, force a kiss on her and even attempt to violate her.

At this moment, his drunkenness outweighed the pain. Darren was still out of it.

“Joanna, don’t go on blind dates with anyone else, I’m begging you… You’re still carrying my child, how could you possibly marry someone else?”

Under the light, the man's eyes were filled with nothing but longing.

"You’ve got the wrong person!" Joanna calmly turned her face away, deliberately emphasizing each word as she called him by his current name.

"Drake! Look closely, who am I really?"

The night breeze sobered Darren a little. Just as he reached out, wanting to hold the woman in front of him, Zaylee suddenly appeared behind them.

A harsh slap landed squarely on Joanna’s face. Gritting her teeth, Zaylee pointed at her nose and shouted, "Joanna, your husband’s dead and now you’re seducing someone else’s? What were you two doing alone in the middle of the night?"

How ironic.

Joanna, who was once Darren’s lawfully wedded wife, was now being slapped by the mistress.

Joanna raised her hand high, ready to return that slap, but Darren grabbed her wrist and flung it aside harshly.

"Enough!" the man barked, now fully sober. "Joanna, I was just drunk tonight. Don’t take it to heart. Maybe I’ve been missing my brother too much lately and got possessed by his spirit, which led to such inappropriate behavior. As for Zaylee, she’s young and immature. It was just a slap, try to be more understanding."

Joanna suddenly laughed. Her lowered hand rose again. This time, it landed squarely on Darren’s cold, emotionless face.

"Oh? Since you feel so sorry for your wife, then you can take this slap on her behalf. Be more understanding? Sorry, that’s something I’ll never learn in this lifetime!"

On the day of her discharge, the night was deep and silent. Joanna, heavily pregnant, walked alone.

Suddenly, a group of men emerged in the dim underground parking lot. One of them covered her mouth and nose from behind and dragged her toward a van.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. Tied to a chair like her was Zaylee, crying bitterly with tears streaming down her face.

A man with a scar on his face lashed a whip down, causing Zaylee to instantly drop to her knees and beg for mercy. "I’m part of the Grive Family! I can give you however much money you want! Please, just let me go! I’m pregnant too!"

To her surprise, the men burst out laughing. "Pregnant? Both of the women we kidnapped are expecting? Well, that makes things even more interesting!"

"Drake took over the Grive Group and still owes us back wages. So don’t blame us for kidnapping his wife and child. But looks like our intel was off. We caught two women. Now tell us, which one of you is really Drake’s woman?"

Zaylee immediately denied it on the spot, "It’s her! She’s the one you’re looking for! I have nothing to do with this! Please, I’m begging you, just let me go!"

The rusted warehouse doors were suddenly kicked open from the outside. It was Darren as Drake, dressed neatly in a suit.

The rough ropes dug deep into Joanna’s wrists, her palms already bleeding. She looked up just in time to see Darren swallow hard, then he pointed directly at her.

"The one with the bigger belly is my wife. You all better take a good look."

"As for the one next to her… she’s my late elder brother’s wife. She has nothing to do with this."

"Let the innocent one go. As for the rest, do whatever you want."

In that instant, all the blood in Joanna’s body turned cold.

She let out a cold laugh. Sure enough, between the two women, he still chose Zaylee.

She had long stopped having any illusions about him, but hearing those words with her own ears still made her heart twist in unbearable pain.

"Do whatever you want?"

He was willing to abandon even his own flesh and blood for Zaylee.

Zaylee was handed over to Darren. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief, holding the woman in his arms and checking her body for any scars.

But Joanna became the target of vengeance by desperate criminals.

The whip struck down, one lash after another, harsh and piercing, tearing the skin and flesh on her back. Yet Joanna endured it all silently without a sound.

What’s the use of crying? No one would feel sorry for her.

In the chaos, someone set a fire. The raging flames quickly spread and everyone fled in panic.

Joanna was tied to the chair, unable to move a muscle, her life hanging by a thread. Yet Darren’s heart and eyes were fixed only on Zaylee.

He only glanced at Joanna once, his eyes filled with inner struggle. But urged on by the woman, his expression hardened with resolve.

“Hold on a little longer! I’ll take Zaylee outside first, then come back to save you!”

“She’s carrying my child. I absolutely can’t let anything happen to her. Sorry!”

Holding Zaylee tightly in his arms, Drake turned and ran out.

The ceiling beam collapsed right in front of Joanna, blocking her path to escape.

“Darren…”

Before losing consciousness, scenes from three years ago when Darren was caught in a fire flooded Joanna’s mind.

Even though he was unconscious, she still rushed into the fire alone, carrying him out by herself, even sacrificing one of her kidneys to save him.

The boomerang of the past had now struck him right between the eyes.