Three months after I give birth, Nicholas Faulkner finally makes his choice between his mistress and me. He agrees to marry me.

Everyone thinks I am hopelessly in love with him and would never give up the chance to secure my position as his wife with our child.

But I refuse, give up my son, and leave on my own.

Nicholas doesn't take it seriously and says nonchalantly to his friends, "She's just throwing a tantrum. She even poked holes in condoms just so she would end up having my child to make me marry her. How could she possibly let go so easily?"

No one expects that I would be gone for five whole years.

When we meet again, I am accompanying my husband to a birthday banquet for an elder.

A little boy blocks my way.

He hugs me and turns to shout behind him, "Dad, I found Mom! You don't have to hold Mom's photo and cry every night anymore!"

My heart clenches as I look up and meet Nicholas' reddened eyes.

Olivia's POV

Nicholas Faulkner came home just as I had finally put our son to sleep.

He took Yves Faulkner from my arms, and for a moment, there was something almost tender in his expression. But I couldn't have expected what he was about to say.

"I'm going on a business trip to Leekspring this afternoon for a week. When I get back, we'll go get our marriage certificate."

I froze. For a moment, I thought I must have misheard.

After all, just when I had deliberately gotten pregnant, Nicholas had exploded in rage.

"Olivia Thompson, how dare you plan this behind my back? You're not thinking that just because you're carrying my child, you can control me, are you? I'll never marry you!"

Now that he suddenly said he would marry me, I was shocked.

When he saw me standing there in disbelief, a mocking smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Are you surprised to hear I'm willing to marry you? Yves is my son. I have a responsibility toward him. He cannot grow up as an illegitimate child who's mocked by everyone. As for you… The best I can offer is the position as my wife."

Over the past year, he had said the harshest things to me.

He didn't know I had long stopped expecting anything from him. Tomorrow, I would leave.

I really wanted to leave. It was only because of Yves that I had dragged my feet for so long.

Just as I was about to tell him I was leaving, his phone rang.

It was a personalized ringtone that was only reserved for Amelia Lane's calls.

As he answered, his voice softened. "Don't rush. Stay home and wait for me. I'll pick you up, and we'll head to the airport together. When we land, we'll go shopping. I'll buy you whatever you want."

I swallowed the words that had been on the tip of my tongue. There was no need for me to say anything.

After all, he was marrying me only for Yves. He no longer loved me, so he wouldn't care whether I stayed or left. Leaving would probably make him feel better.

After Nicholas left, I began packing. By the time I was done, Yves had just woken up from his nap.

Leaning down, I nuzzled his cheek. He squinted and giggled back at me.

But the thought of leaving tomorrow made my nose sting, and sorrow welled up inside me.

There was no choice. Even before he was born, I had promised my mother-in-law, Tracy Wilson, to leave him with the Faulkner family. I had accepted the money, so I couldn't go back on my word.

As night fell, my phone pinged with new messages.

Amelia had sent more photos to taunt me. She showed me a messy hotel suite, disheveled sheets, and a hickey on her neck.

She made her malice clear.

"Nicholas just devoured me like a starving wolf five times! He even said he'll never touch you again because you disgust him."

In the past, Amelia's existence had driven me to tears. I had confronted Nicholas in hysterics, demanding to know why he hurt me so deeply.

But now, my heart felt nothing.

I calmly typed back.

"You're just a inflatable doll. I never knew they could send messages."

Amelia was furious. "Are you seriously calling me a inflatable doll? You're just jealous that Nicholas loves me!"

Once, I had dreamed of growing old with Nicholas. That dream was gone.

My father had worked for Nicholas' family. He died in an accident while saving Nicholas' father.

After that, I was taken in by the Faulkner family. Their elders treated me with care and affection. Nicholas swore he would always be good to me and that he would never leave me.

As we grew up, it seemed natural that we fell in love. We held hands, embraced, kissed, and shared passionate moments.

But he refused to marry me.

It wasn't because he didn't care, but because he was against marriage and he didn't want children.

He said, "We can stay in love forever, just the two of us. That's enough."

But I couldn't live as freely and openly as he did.

With his looks and status, women constantly threw themselves at him.

Though he had never truly crossed the line, sometimes at parties, he would play along with them.

My unease reached its peak the day I accidentally saw a blushing lady asking Nicholas for his contact information, and he didn't refuse.

I argued with him, threw tantrums, and demanded he keep his distance from other women.

At first, he just laughed and rubbed my hair. "Relax, don't overthink it. I have no interest in her. I only gave her my contact because there were too many people around at the time. I didn't want to embarrass her. After that, she sent me messages, but I didn't reply to even a single one."

He even opened the chat to show me that the lady had been talking to herself the whole time, and he hadn't responded once.

Still, I couldn't shake my worry. He gave away his kindness too easily to other women.

After I threw enough tantrums, he grew irritated and frowned impatiently. "Olivia, I told you I have nothing to do with them! Can't you just trust me a little? Stop acting like a paranoid lunatic all the time, okay?"

He could never understand the anxiety gnawing at me, or how terrified I was of losing him.

In a reckless moment, I used a pin to poke a hole in a condom. Naively, I thought that if I got pregnant, he would settle down, change his mind about marriage, and finally marry me.

I needed a marriage certificate as a guarantee of our relationship.

But reality had other plans.

When Nicholas discovered I was pregnant, there was no joy but only anger at being "tricked".

His gaze was icy as he said, "Olivia, don't think a baby will make me agree to anything. If you don't terminate it, we're done."

But Tracy stepped in, scolding him, "If you so much as hurt my grandson, you should just leave the Faulkner family!"

Tracy had always dreamed of having a grandchild and had long opposed Nicholas' childfree stance.

Nicholas couldn't refuse his mother.

Then, Tracy held my hand, soothing me.

"Olivia, just take care of the baby. Once he sees how adorable the baby is, he'll change his mind about having no children. I'll talk to him and make sure he marries you as soon as possible."

I truly believed there would be a turning point.

But then Amelia appeared in Nicholas' life.

The first time I noticed a kiss mark on Nicholas' neck, I sobbed and demanded an explanation.

He smiled contemptuously and said in a casual tone, "Weren't you always worried I'd cheat? If I don't prove it, won't you be disappointed?"

From that day on, Amelia became a frequent presence in my life. She sent provocative messages and flaunted herself in front of me.

Whenever I confronted her, Nicholas always sided with her. In a cold voice, he said mockingly, "If you want to stay by my side, you'll have to learn to tolerate Amelia."

Backed up by him, Amelia smiled triumphantly.

I trembled all over, feeling suffocated.

Then, just when I was on the verge of breaking, the chandelier above crashed down without warning.

Nicholas reacted instantly, pulling Amelia out of harm's way. I was slower, which caused my left arm to be scraped by the shards.

With the pain came overwhelming despair and regret.

Yes, I regretted it.

I shouldn't have foolishly tried to use a child to tie Nicholas down. It was my own stupidity that dragged me into this mess.

When I decided on the pregnancy termination, Tracy learned of it and counseled me not to do so. "Olivia, Nicholas wronged you, and I apologize on his behalf. But I've always treated you as my own daughter. For my sake, keep this baby, so I have a chance to hold a grandchild."

She continued, "Don't worry, you won't lose out. If you agree to have the child, I'll give you 20 million. And if you want to leave afterward, I'll help you."

I had completely given up on Nicholas.

Tracy and I agreed not to tell him about this arrangement.

After that, I stopped paying attention to Nicholas and Amelia.

Nicholas thought I had come to terms with everything. He even joked and said, "It's good that you know your place. Stay out of my business with Amelia, and just stay here obediently."

He didn't know that I no longer loved him.

Once the baby was born, I would leave.

Indeed, as Tracy had predicted, after Yves' birth, Nicholas' paternal instincts kicked in. He finally compromised and agreed to marry me for the child.

But I no longer cared for such a dirty man.

The day I left Waterton, I blocked all of Nicholas' contact information.

Goodbye, Nicholas.