Marius had never once told anyone that Cory was his wife.

Even though they had been together for five whole years, in the eyes of outsiders, he was still that noble and aloof heir of the Braithwaites—calm, composed, and untouchable—always appearing in public as a single man.

Cory was disappointed, of course. But she never pushed for him to make things official in public. To her, simply being by his side was enough to make her happy.

She had loved him ever since that day, as a child, when he risked his life to shield her from a kidnapper and brought her home.

From then until just moments ago, her feelings had never once wavered.

The two of them had grown up almost inseparably until after the SATs.

She went abroad for university while he stayed in Nebraska.

What she didn’t know back then was that, during those years, Marius had fallen into a passionate love with Jenelle.

All she knew was that the moment she came back, the man she loved greeted her at the airport with a bouquet in his arms and a confession on his lips.

“Cory, let’s be together.”

She’d said yes, dizzy with happiness—only to later realize that Marius probably never truly loved her.

Still, she didn’t give up. She believed that as long as she was good enough, someday, he’d come to love her the way she loved him.

But she was wrong—so terribly, painfully wrong.

That was the moment she stepped right into the abyss.

She had been in a secret relationship for five years, always waiting for the day he’d finally acknowledge her.

But now, she was done waiting.

That night, Marius didn’t come home.

Almost on instinct, Cory tapped into Jenelle’s Facebook page, where a new vlog had just gone up.

The video showed a recent company outing. Jenelle was laughing into the camera as she said, “Today, my boss helped me move stuff all afternoon, even the heavy file boxes I couldn’t carry. Come on, if my ex is this sweet, isn’t he basically chasing me again?”

Then the camera panned to Marius, who was crouching down, helping her tie the straps of her heels. His profile was gentle, his voice even gentler.

“Next time, don’t wear heels this high,” he said.

A colleague off-camera teased, “Whoah, President Braithwaite cares so much about Secretary McVicker. Is there still hope for you two?”

Jenelle giggled, blushing, but didn’t reply.

Cory’s fingers clenched. Her eyes were blank as she stared at the video looping again and again.

In front of the employees, Marius always kept a formal and distant relationship with her. But with Jenelle, he was indulgent, affectionate, and didn’t bother correcting anyone who misinterpreted their relationship.

So why did he keep his marriage a secret? Was he really trying to avoid workplace gossip—or did he just think Cory wasn’t good enough to flaunt publicly?

She refreshed the page, only to see Jenelle’s newest post—a photo of her collarbone, marked with what looked like kiss marks.

There was no need to ask where Marius had spent the night.

Suddenly, a sharp, tearing pain shot through Cory’s belly. She looked away, and one by one, she began screenshotting all the evidence of his affair.

When she had gathered more than enough, she sent them all to her divorce lawyer with a request.

[Draft a divorce agreement for me. Be ready to go to court.]

The lawyer responded promptly.

[Understood, Ma’am. I’ll have the papers ready in about three days.]

With that settled, Cory stood up and began quietly packing up the villa.

The matching toothbrushes she had picked out, the baby clothes she and Marius had bought together, the Lego sets they once built side by side—she tossed them all into garbage bags without hesitation.

She didn’t want the memories anymore. She didn’t want Marius either!

Just as she was bending down to tie up one of the trash bags, the front door opened.

Marius walked in and frowned slightly. “Aren’t these things you used to treasure? Why are you throwing them out?”

She kept her eyes lowered, forcing a smile. “They’re old. I don’t want to keep them anymore.”

Fortunately, he didn’t press.

To him, those things had never mattered anyway.

He simply walked over to her and placed his palm gently over her slightly rounded belly, murmuring, “Were you good today, baby? Daddy’s home!”

Once upon a time, Cory would’ve been moved by these little moments. She would’ve thought he wasn’t unloving—just bad at expressing it.

But now she understood—his tenderness was never for her. It was for his heir.

In other words, loving the baby didn’t mean loving her, too.

“Are you still upset about Jenelle?” he asked, sensing her cold treatment. His voice softened as he tried to coax her. “Don’t overthink it. She’s just working for me temporarily. She couldn’t find a job suitable for her, so I brought her into the company. She’ll be gone soon.”

Cory didn’t respond. She just looked at him with a cold gaze.

Marius seemed to think she was just being jealous, so his tone turned even more gentle.

“Sure, she’s my ex, but that’s all in the past. I have you now. How could I still have feelings for her?”

He leaned down and kissed her cheek—a rare display of affection.

In the past, Cory would’ve melted in an instant.

But now, she didn’t react at all and even turned her face away to avoid him.

If she hadn’t caught him having an affair with his ex-girlfriend in the parking lot that day, she might’ve really believed his lies.

But now, his every attempt to be tender just felt like chocolate mixed with shit—disgusting and impossible to swallow!

The truth was, with Marius’s capabilities, if he had truly wanted to keep Jenelle a secret, he could’ve hidden it from Cory for so long.

He let it slip on purpose—thinking the baby was almost due, and even if Cory found out the truth, she wouldn’t leave.

But she was utterly exhausted.

She had waited for him since she was a teen until she was twenty-six. From a secret crush to marriage, she had endured a secret love the whole time—all for a single moment of certainty from him.

She thought she was waiting to be loved back. But in reality, all he ever wanted was the child. All he needed from her was to quietly fulfill the role of the so-called lady of the house.

Three days later, as promised, the lawyer sent her the finalized divorce agreement.

She had barely finished reading it when a former department intern called. There was an issue at a temporary exhibition and they needed her to step in and help coordinate.

Without thinking much of it, she went.

It was a brand-sponsored art exhibit—not something she usually oversaw. But due to a reshuffling of personnel, things had gone sideways, and she was the only one left to clean up the mess.

She had just stepped into the exhibit when a familiar, deep voice floated over from ahead.

“The lighting in this section is too flat. No depth. Have the lead curator come over and rework the ‘Reverie’ series. I just happened to pass by today, but I didn’t expect there to be this many issues!”

Cory froze in her tracks.

She hadn’t expected Marius to show up at the exhibit, openly dressed in matching outfits with Jenelle, as if on a date.

“Well, well, Vice President Braithwaite! What a coincidence!”

Jenelle spotted Cory and flashed an overly friendly smile. She clung tightly to Marius’s arm, eyes brimming with smug nonchalance.

She snapped her fingers at a nearby staff member and asked softly, “Is the VP overseeing this exhibit?”

“Yes, Mrs. Braithwaite,” the staff replied.

The moment that title fell, all three faces changed.

Cory let out a breathless laugh of disbelief. Apparently, Marius, the man who had never once acknowledged her publicly, was already declaring Jenelle as his wife before their divorce was even finalized.

Marius looked visibly uncomfortable. He frowned and glanced at her, giving a subtle wink, as if asking her not to embarrass him.

Jenelle giggled triumphantly, clearly proud of herself. “Oh, don’t call me that yet. No one knows I’m dating President Braithwaite. We’re still waiting until after the wedding to make a formal announcement.”

Her words pierced Cory’s heart like a silent blade.

Meanwhile, Marius didn’t speak. He stood there frozen, his expression clouded—whether from guilt or regret, it was hard to tell.

On the other hand, Jenelle seemed completely unfazed. She strolled over and leaned in beside Cory like they were the closest friends.

“VP, you came alone? Where’s your husband?” she asked.

Cory’s tone was flat when she replied, “He’s dead.”

After all, she was planning to bring up the divorce tonight. What did it matter who her husband was anymore?

“Hey—” Marius’s face darkened, but before he could continue what he wanted to say, an employee pulled him away to deal with something urgent.

Jenelle immediately latched onto Cory’s arm like an old friend. “Come on, walk with me, will you? It’s boring by myself.”

Cory turned her head, coldly meeting her gaze. “Let go of me.”

“Oh, don’t be mean,” Jenelle replied.

Her smile faltered, but she didn’t release her grip. Instead, she leaned in and whispered softly into her ear.

“You really should be more sensible. You’re pregnant now, after all. Leave with dignity, won’t you? After all…”

She paused, then added in a lower voice, “Let’s be clear: I was never the other woman. I was with Marius first. If you had any decency, you’d carry the baby to term and then quietly get out of our way.”

Cory clenched her fists, her eyes flashing sharp with fury.

She was just about to break free when Jenelle suddenly stumbled backward, as if someone had shoved her, and crashed to the floor.

“Oh my god—!”

Jenelle tumbled near a display piece, accidentally colliding with a nearby woman visiting the exhibit with her child. The young boy—no more than five or six—fell down hard and started wailing, the toy in his hand clattering to the floor and snapping in half.

In an instant, chaos broke out in the exhibit.

The mother scooped up her son, furiously shouting, “Are you crazy?! Being pregnant doesn’t give you the right to push people! You hurt my child—you better pay for this!”

Cory stood stunned, still processing what had happened.

But before she could explain, Jenelle had already started dramatically crying.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… It’s all my fault… The Vice President didn’t mean it—she’s just been under a lot of stress lately… Please don’t blame her. She’s just under a lot of pressure…” she apologized.

“If anyone’s to blame, it’s me! It’s my fault! I upset her and made her lose control, so she pushed me…”

“I saw it! It wasn’t this lady’s fault! It was that bad woman! She pushed this lady into me and broke my Captain America shield! Bad woman, you owe me a new toy!”

The young boy pointed straight at Cory, his shrill cries slicing through the air and instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

“It wasn’t me! I—”

Cory barely had time to explain before the boy suddenly lunged at her, pounding his tiny fists against her rounded belly.

He sobbed and shouted, “You’re a bad woman! You hit the lady, and you made me fall! You broke my toy! Pay me back! Pay me back!”

She instinctively shielded her belly and crouched down to try to reason with him. “I didn’t push her. I swear, it wasn’t me—”

But the kid wouldn’t listen. Out of nowhere, he bit her arm, clamping down hard and refusing to let go.

Cory winced in pain, her brows pinched tight. Her arm swelled up almost instantly, blood running freely from where his teeth had broken skin.

“Let go!” she choked out, trying desperately to pull away. But the boy clamped down even harder, refusing to release her no matter how she struggled.

Suddenly, a sharp voice rang out. “Jenelle! Are you alright?”

Marius came striding over, cold and tense, his pace urgent. He didn’t spare a single glance at Cory. Instead, he rushed straight to Jenelle, who was sprawled on the floor.

“I’m fine… I fell on my own.” Jenelle looked up at him, her voice soft and gentle. “It really wasn’t Vice President Brantley’s fault, Marius… please, help her.”

The more she tried to defend Cory, the more it sounded like she was covering for something—making it seem all the more like Cory was actually at fault.

Marius’s expression instantly darkened. He turned sharply toward Cory, his voice frigid.

“Cory, do you have any sense of decency left? Pushing someone last time wasn’t enough? Now you’re even starting fights in public?!”

Cory stared at him, stunned, her face draining of color. “You actually believe him? You won’t even ask me for my side of the story?”

“This isn’t the time for your excuses!” Marius snapped. “Apologize to the kid’s mother! Finish what you started!”

“I didn’t push anyone. I’m not apologizing.” Her voice trembled, but it was clear and unyielding.

Blood ran down her arm, her belly ached from the struggle. But she stood tall, refusing to lower her head.

“Mommy! She still won’t say sorry!” the little boy wailed again.

The middle-aged woman stormed up and shoved Cory hard. “Women like you don’t deserve to have children! Evil creature! Still trying to deny what you did?”

Cory stumbled back and fell heavily to the floor. Her knees hit the floor hard, and a sharp, twisting pain shot through her belly. Her face went instantly pale, like the color had been drained from her.

Marius instinctively stepped forward, a flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes.

But then Jenelle whispered softly, “Marius… my foot really hurts…”

His outstretched hand froze midair. Then, without another word, he turned away and gently lifted Jenelle into his arms, walking off without looking back.

“Cory, you need to reflect on your behavior,” he said coldly. “If Jenelle’s injury turns out to be serious… you’ll be held responsible!”

Cory sat on the freezing tile floor, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers whispering ugly rumors and glaring at her.

Her ears buzzed. The whole world seemed to be pointing fingers at her. And the pain in her belly was only getting worse, twisting violently like it was trying to tear her apart from within.

Worse, Marius never once noticed her blood-soaked arm, still dripping from the boy’s bite.

Finally, someone realized something was wrong and shouted, “Something’s wrong with her belly! Somebody call 911!”

At the hospital, the bright lights were blinding.

While Cory was rushed into the emergency room, a doctor barked orders.

“The baby’s in distress! There’s a risk of preterm labor! Where’s the family?”

A nurse rummaged through her bag and pulled out her phone. “The father’s number?”

Cory’s lips were pale as chalk. She barely managed to whisper the digits.

The phone rang for a long time before Marius finally picked up, and his voice was already laced with fury.

“How long are you planning to keep this up, Cory? Jenelle’s foot is so swollen she can’t even walk! And you’re still stirring up trouble?!”

Her lips trembled as she spoke through tears. “I didn’t push her. My belly… hurts. I think… I’m going into labor.”

“Oh, cut it out!” he snapped. “Even your jealousy has limits! You’re really using childbirth now just so I’d come see you? Stop this nonsense, Cory!”

Then came a loud click—the call was harshly disconnected.