“Move Mr. Carter’s things to the guest room, too. We wouldn’t want him and Lucy having a long-distance relationship while living under the same roof.”

Lucy’s eyes widened. Before she could complain to Arthur, I looked at him with a smile.

“Darling, you’re the father. It’s better for the mother’s health and stress levels if you’re close by during the pregnancy. You can’t possibly expect to stay in the master bedroom with me. Think how heartbroken she’d be.”

Lucy immediately bit her lip. Arthur glanced at her and wrapped an arm around her waist to console her softly.

“I’ll be right here with you and the baby. Come on, let’s go upstairs and get settled.”

Arm in arm, they intimately walked up the stairs while leaning against each other.

In the past, jealousy, resentment, and rage would have consumed me.

I calmly returned to the master bedroom. Then, I dialed a number I had never, in my wildest dreams, wanted to call.

“Let’s make a deal. Make me the majority shareholder of your conglomerate and help me burn the Carter family to the ground.”

...

That evening, I slid a document across the table to Arthur.

“I’ve had a marital agreement drawn up. Give it a look.”

Arthur was annoyed. “You’re discussing money with me?”

My eyes welled up with tears, but I stubbornly held them back.

“I endured so many injections, suffered through all those treatments, and swallowed my pride. Now, my health is ruined, and I even have to care for the woman carrying your child.

“I haven’t uttered a single complaint. All I’m asking for is the freedom to use your supplementary card for some shopping. Is that really too much to ask?”

Arthur looked at me with a complicated expression.

“As long as you know your place, you can use my money. Go on, spend it.”

I watched him sign the agreement with a beaming smile. Even so, my gaze remained cold.

He would never know the weight of his signature. His finances had fallen under my complete control. I would have sole and full discretion over his money.

That afternoon, I dressed in my finest and met my best friend, Claire Reed, for a shopping trip.

In the past, my foolish obsession with love made me revolve solely around Arthur. I had drifted apart from all my friends. Claire had tried to intervene and scolded me several times. She eventually gave up on me.

By the time I died, I was utterly alone and helpless.

When I stood before her, she was astonished.

“Cadence, I can’t believe you actually managed to put Arthur aside and focus on shopping with me!

“I heard Lucy is pregnant and has moved right in. I figured you’d either be home sobbing your eyes out or coming at her with a knife. You do look a little rough, but you seem... oddly calm.”

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I looked young, yet exhausted.

In the past, Arthur often used his family to pressure me. He had insisted I must have a child, or he would divorce me.

I loved him, so I desperately underwent IVF treatments. For two years, I wore myself down to a shadow.

Yet the truth had been far more sinister. The issue had not been with my womb, nor his loins. He had been slipping me birth control pills after every single time we were intimate.

He had watched me suffer in complete indifference. He even gaslit me into believing I was not trying hard enough and called me utterly worthless.

It was utterly ridiculous.

Ironically, for the sake of such a devious man, I had abandoned my friends, ruined my health, and distorted my own life.

I sighed. “I’m twenty-seven years old, not some lovestruck seventeen-year-old teenager. If he’d been head-over-heels in love with me, I might have fought for it. But a cheater like him isn’t worth my energy.”

Claire stared at me in disbelief for a long moment, then hugged me with relief.

“It’s about time you came to your senses, you idiot! You once gave up everything for him. You were constantly at the hospital for shots or chasing after some miracle cure. You didn’t even realize how much you were running yourself ragged until you looked so worn out.

“Do you remember how painful IVF is? You put yourself through it 100 times. Your body’s a mess from all the injections. Wasn’t that just borderline insanity?!”

I had returned to the past on the exact day of my 100th failed IVF attempt.

It was a little too late to stop the actions of my past, lovestruck self.

Fortunately, I could still choose to live differently.

I reached out and hugged Claire. “Never again. From now on, I’m only living for myself.”

Claire was happy for me.

To celebrate, she took me to the nightclub.

As soon as the door opened, I saw two neat rows of tall and handsome young men. Each man had been groomed with a different style.

“Caddie, take your pick! This is my treat for everything tonight!

“Here’s to you escaping that misery and getting your life back!”

I had never been interested in men from places like this.

But upon second thought, I realized I truly did need a child. I happened to be ovulating on that day.

My gaze swept over the crowd and landed on a young man in a white dress shirt.

He had a slender and upright build. The line from his neck to his shoulder was sharp and elegant. His fingers were long and elegant and gave off an indescribably aloof and captivating aura.

Claire followed my line of sight and said, “He’s a college student working part-time. He’s a top student, and he’s pretty arrogant. He never takes on clients.”

I set down my glass and walked up to him.

“Are you disease-free?”

The young man stared at me.

“I’ve never been with a woman before.”

Satisfied, I said, “Keep me company. You set the price.”

He was taken aback. His gaze lingered on me for several seconds.

A man nearby could not help but intervene.

“I’m sorry, miss, Silas is... special. He doesn’t take clients.”

However, Silas raised his hand. His dark eyes locked intently on mine.

“Alright.”

That evening, he carried me into the presidential suite.

The young man was vigorous and passionate. I cast off all the shackles and pain of my past, losing myself completely.

My phone screen lit up and went dark repeatedly. Arthur kept calling me. He only stopped after the 100th attempt.

After we were done, I left Silas some money. I glanced at my many missed calls and walked out.

I did not see Silas watching me from behind. His intense gaze never left my back as he took a phone call.

“I’m not crazy. I know exactly who she is.”

...

When I returned home, Arthur was sitting on the main couch. His face was ashen.

The ashtray in front of him was overflowing with cigarette butts.

“Cadence! Where were you last night? Why didn’t you pick up my calls?”

Lucy timidly tugged at Arthur’s sleeve.

“Arthur, don’t be so harsh. Cadence was probably just upset. That’s why she stayed out all night.”

I casually took off my high heels and handed my purse to the approaching housekeeper. Only then did I look at him.

“Claire and I went out for drinks with some guys to blow off steam. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Cadence, you are Mrs. Carter!”

Seeing my utter indifference, Arthur’s anger flared instantly.

“You went out drinking with other men? Do I mean nothing to you?”

I patted his shoulder.

“Oh, relax. Didn’t we shake on it just yesterday? I’ll be the perfect Mrs. Carter for you.

“You and Lucy are all over each other. That’s good for you. But I do get lonely. You’re busy, so I found someone who isn’t.”

Arthur nearly choked on his rage.

Lucy promptly added fuel to the fire.

“Cadence, how could you be so shameless? Arthur only treats me well because you couldn’t give him a child. On top of that, you actually turned around and betrayed him. You’re really breaking his heart.”

Even at that moment, they had the audacity to try guilt-tripping and shaming me with more fabricated accusations.

I clenched my fist and replied with a smile, “As you said, I couldn’t conceive. Even after 100 failed IVF attempts, I still couldn’t give you a child. Trust me, any ‘betrayal’ on my part isn’t going to magically produce a baby like yours did. So you can relax.”

“And Lucy, you’re pregnant. You need to stay emotionally stable. No more stirring up trouble, okay?”

For a moment, Arthur and Lucy both looked distinctly guilty.

I ignored them and turned to the butler.

“Starting today, Ms. Lark’s daily care must be exceptionally meticulous.

“She’ll have five specially prepared, nutrient-rich meals and shakes daily. Provide her the highest quality prenatal supplements, collagen peptides, and superfoods to ensure both Lucy and her baby receive optimal nourishment.”

A trace of surprise flashed across Lucy’s face.

“Cadence, I really can’t eat all that...”

“Of course you can. You’re eating for two now. Don’t worry about your figure. You need to eat well for the baby’s sake.”

Lucy, who had always taken pride in her looks and figure, grew visibly uneasy at the mention of weight gain.

She looked at Arthur nervously.

“Arthur, I don’t want to...”

Arthur, currently irritable and distracted, waved his hand. “Just do as she says.”

I affectionately took Lucy’s hand and said gently, “Lucy, pregnancy hormones do all sorts of things. Weight gain, skin changes, breakouts, and even hair loss. It’s all perfectly normal. You mustn’t stress. I’m going to take good care of you and the baby.”

Lucy was so frightened that her palms grew sweaty.

She mistook my show of consideration for an implied sinister plot.

While she maintained the appearance of eating the nourishing meals I ordered the kitchen to prepare, she secretly forced herself to vomit afterward.

To maintain her figure, she exercised frantically for two hours daily and ate only salads. She privately hired a prenatal yoga instructor, demanding a customized plan to “avoid gaining weight.”

I watched all this unfold while selecting a gown for the anniversary gala.

I then instructed the butler, “Ms. Lark is getting a lot of exercise these days. Prepare another nutrient supplement for her. Make sure she takes it.”

I was determined to see just what kind of child could survive the actions of such a reckless mother.

...

That weekend, I put on an haute couture gown, donned my jewelry, and calmly attended the Carter family anniversary gala.

At the gala, everyone still showed me respect.

I mingled with a practiced smile, handling the social interactions with ease.

Arthur only arrived half an hour after the gala began.

He came hand in hand with Lucy. Her belly was slightly protruding.

The entire hall erupted in murmurs.

“Isn’t that the Lark family’s adoptive daughter? She actually showed up with Mr. Carter?”

“So, she really wormed her way into the family now. That baby in her belly must be Mr. Carter’s!”

“Cadence must be furious. She’s going to tear her apart.”

When Lucy saw me, she smiled triumphantly, brimming with smugness.

As they passed by me, Lucy suddenly stumbled and fell toward me.

I was prepared and stepped aside.

She grabbed my wrist and staggered back.

“Cadence... why did you push me?”

Her face instantly turned pale. She clutched her stomach with tears in her eyes.

“Arthur, my stomach hurts...”

Arthur’s face turned ashen. He raised his hand and swung it toward my face.

“Cadence, she’s your sister! And she’s pregnant! Do you have to be so ruthless?”

Caught off guard, I took the slap. A searing pain spread across my cheek.

My heart had hardened from their past cruelties.

Yet fury seethed within me.

“If I were that ruthless, she’d never have been allowed in our home. She certainly wouldn’t be able to flaunt herself in front of me or slander me in public.”

Arthur abruptly turned his gaze toward Lucy.

Lucy’s eyes reddened with feigned hurt.

“Arthur, are you taking her word over mine?”

Once again, he turned a cold and dismissive glare toward me.

“Cadence, I’ve heard enough. Apologize to Lucy. Now.”