Three years of marriage.

Three miscarriages.

The day Stella Rowan lost her baby for the third time, Evan Wright was at the hospital with his sister-in-law, waiting for her to give birth to twins.

When Stella walked out of the hospital, she finally made her decision. She handed her soon-to-be ex-husband a divorce agreement.

“Let’s divorce. It’s for your own good.”

“Divorce?” Evan scoffed. “You really think you can let go? And if you’re trying to hold on to me, don’t dress it up as doing me a favor. That fake concern is pathetic.”

Stella just smiled. She didn’t argue. She turned and walked away.

She really was doing it for his sake.

After all, she’d found a new backer.

Even though Evan sits atop Harbor City’s financial empire, he’s about to meet someone he can’t afford to cross.

Once she cut ties with the past, Stella stopped pretending. One by one, her new identities came to light, leaving the Wright family completely stunned.

Wasn’t she supposed to be the girl with no family backing, the easy target everyone bullied?

A multinational CEO said, “Stella, get divorced already. I’ve waited long enough.”

A financial tycoon declared, “Divorce. If you don’t, I’ll take the Wright family down.”

An international lawyer smiled and said, “The divorce itself is easy. Stella, if you’d just look at me once, I’d have everything I need.”

Evan had always believed Stella would never leave him.

Not until the day he realized she had become someone far beyond his reach.

In that moment, every assumption he’d ever made about her collapsed.

A hospital room.

The sharp scent of disinfectant made Stella Rowan feel nauseous as she lay weakly on the bed.

The call connected. Stella spoke first. “I had a miscarriage and would need an emergency abortion. Can you come to me?”

There was a brief pause on the line.

Then the man spoke, his voice low and irritated. “Since when did you get pregnant? Why didn’t I know anything about it? Stella Rowan, even if you’re being dramatic, there should be a limit.”

“Are you coming or not?”

That single word, dramatic, lit a fuse in Stella’s chest.

“I really don’t have time to argue with you today.”

Facing her anger, Evan Wright tried to keep the impatience out of his voice.

A cold numbness washed over her. She didn’t say another word and pulled the phone away from her ear.

Just as she was about to hang up, a woman’s voice came through the line.

“Sir, the C-section was a success. The mother delivered healthy twins, a boy and a girl.”

Stella’s world went completely dark.

He was in the same hospital.

But he was there with his sister-in-law through the birth of twins.

And his own child was facing a miscarriage procedure.

Stella pressed the end-call button without hesitation.

A female doctor in black-rimmed glasses walked in and stopped by the bed. She pulled out a pen and began writing on the form, the sound sharp in the quiet room.

Without looking up, she asked seriously, “The operating room is ready. You’ll need someone to watch over you afterward. Is your husband here? ”

Stella held back the anger burning in her chest. “As if he’d ever show up.”

The doctor paused, confused. Her pen stopped midair.

Stella looked at her, her gaze turning icy. “He’s busy accompanying his sister-in-law while she gives birth. I’ll manage on my own.”

The words twins from the call earlier felt like spikes driving straight into her heart.

A flicker of sympathy passed through the doctor’s eyes.

She handed the completed form to Stella. “All right.”

Stella took the pen and signed her name quickly.

The doctor then handed her a pill. “Take this. The procedure will start in thirty minutes.”

Stella accepted it and swallowed it immediately.

She hated medicine. But this time, she let the nasty taste of the medicine spread through her mouth without flinching.

…

Evening.

After being kept for post-op observation, Stella drove herself back to the villa she shared with Evan.

Marianne, the housekeeper responsible for cleaning the place, jumped when she saw how pale Stella looked. “Mrs. Wright, what happened to you?”

Stella lifted her eyes at the sound of Marianne’s voice. Her face was still bloodless as she forced a faint smile. “Marianne, I’m a little hungry.”

That morning, Evan had taken her to the Wright family estate.

At the family lunch, she’d barely eaten a few bites when Summer Bailey suddenly went into labor and started bleeding heavily.

The entire estate fell into chaos over Summer’s impending delivery.

Summer was Evan’s sister-in-law, the wife of his older brother, Steven Wright. Steven had died in a plane crash six months earlier, with no remains ever recovered.

Since then, whenever anything happened to Summer or the child she was carrying, one phone call was enough to pull Evan away from anything.

The scenes from earlier that day flashed through Stella’s mind.

When Summer went into labor, the shove she gave Stella had been so forceful that Stella fell to the ground and couldn’t get back up.

But all eyes were on Summer, who was crying and screaming.

Evan carried Summer straight past her.

Stella had grabbed the leg of his pants, her fingers trembling.

“My stomach hurts.”

Evan had only given her a look that said stop it. Then he turned away, carrying Summer without looking back.

Seeing how weak Stella was now, Marianne helped her sit down at the dining table. “The kitchen just made some food. I’ll bring it over.”

A bowl of steaming soup, along with a few small side dishes, was set in front of her.

Stella had only taken a couple of bites when voices drifted in from outside, laughing as they drew closer. The door opened moments later.

Evan walked in with his mother, Dora Lowe.

Seeing Stella, and with the Wright family celebrating a major event today, Dora was unusually restrained. For once, she didn’t throw Stella a disdainful look.

Of course, she didn’t actually look at her at all.

She only said to Evan, “I’ll go grab something.”

“Okay.”

Dora headed straight upstairs.

Evan’s smile faded. He walked over to Stella and sat down across from her.

He crossed his long legs, flicked open his lighter, and with a sharp click, a flame jumped up. He lit a cigarette and took a drag.

Stella kept her head down and focused on her food, ignoring him.

He inhaled deeply, then let out a slow breath, sounding almost helpless. He reached out and rubbed the top of her head.

“You tell me,” he said softly. “Is today really the time for you to lose your temper?”

“My brother’s gone. My sister-in-law is still carrying on his bloodline. What exactly are you making a scene about today?”

“The babies are adorable,” he went on gently. “Two tiny little ones. You’d like them if you saw them.”

As she listened to the way he spoke to her, coaxing, and the warmth in his voice when he talked about the babies, something inside Stella finally snapped.

She raised her hand and slammed her silverware down on the table with a sharp crack, cutting him off.

“So other people’s kids are just that adorable?”

Her eyes were red with rage as she stared at him, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Evan saw her temper flare again, and his expression darkened. “What do you mean by other people? Those are my brother’s children!”

His voice rose at the end, his own anger spilling over.

Stella let out a short, humorless laugh. “Oh, you still remember they’re your brother’s kids? The way you’re acting, I almost thought they were yours.”

“Stella Rowan!”

Evan completely lost it.

Stella stood up and slapped him across the face.

The sound cracked through the room.

Her eyes were filled with hatred as she looked at him. “Divorce.”

Whose child they were didn’t matter anymore. If he wanted to take responsibility for someone else’s family, he could go right ahead.

She’d had enough of this for the past six months.

Evan’s eyes turned icy. “She gave birth to my brother’s children today. My brother is dead. You expect me to just stand by and do nothing?”

Stella laughed coldly. “Your brother’s children, so that gives you an excuse to cross every boundary? To ignore whether your own child lives or dies?”

What a convenient phrase. My brother’s children.

She remembered what the doctor had said. If she’d been sent to the hospital in time, the baby might have been saved.

But instead—

The pain of having the child torn from her body was still vivid.

She looked at Evan, her gaze frozen solid. “The Wright family had over twenty people surrounding her. Was that still not enough? Was one more you really that necessary?”

Evan’s chest rose and fell unevenly.

He fell silent for a few seconds, forcing himself to calm down. Then he grabbed Stella’s cold hand and touched her forehead. It felt warm.

She always ran a fever around her period.

“Enough,” he said, softening. “I know you’ve always wanted a child, but that kind of thing depends on fate. You can’t force it, okay?”

That resigned, compromising tone made Stella’s blood boil.

“What are you saying? That you think my pregnancy was fake?”

Seeing how agitated she was, Evan pulled her into his arms. “All right, all right. You were pregnant. I was wrong. Okay?”

This was always how he handled things.

For the past six months, every time she got upset because of Summer, he’d respond with this same half-hearted apology, pretending to believe her just enough to shut her up.

But was this really something he could brush off like that?

Dora came back downstairs, holding the item she’d gone to fetch, acting as if she hadn’t noticed the tension thick in the air.

As she walked down, she said casually to Stella, “Stella, Summer just had a C-section and can’t eat much. She’s been craving the chicken soup you make. Get up early tomorrow and bring some to the hospital.

“Make sure you pick a lean one, freshly butchered. She can’t handle anything greasy after giving birth.”

Then she turned to Evan. “Let’s go.”

Summer had just delivered twins. That was the priority now. They couldn’t let the new mother feel even the slightest discomfort.

Especially with Evan there. He looked exactly like his older brother. Having him around would put her at ease.

Evan really did let go of Stella.

He pinched her cheek affectionately. “I’ll be home late tonight. Don’t wait up. Be good.”

Then he turned and followed Dora toward the door.

Just as they reached the entrance, Stella’s fury finally exploded.

She lifted her hand and flipped the entire dining table over.

The crash was deafening. Dishes shattered, food spilled everywhere, glass and porcelain exploding across the floor.

The thunderous noise made both of them freeze mid-step.

Dora and Evan turned around at the same time.

“Stella Rowan, what do you think you’re doing?” Dora shrieked, startled at first, then furious. “Our family just welcomed twins today. On such a joyful day, who are you putting on this show for?”

Stella looked at her, her face cold as ice. “Summer Bailey wants to drink the soup I made?”

She gave a sharp, mocking smile.

“Since when did I ever know how to make soup?”

The air went dead silent.

Tension hung thick between the three of them, sharp and ready to explode.

Stella stared at Evan, then kicked over the chair beside her. It crashed to the floor with a thunderous bang.

Her whole presence turned cutting and aggressive. “Go ahead. Tell your mother. What kind of soup do I even know how to make?

“Summer says she wants the chicken soup I supposedly make. Is that really not obvious enough for you? Or did you forget that I don’t even know how to cook?”

Every word was charged with anger, each sentence sharp as a blade.

Stella had just lost her child. Her entire system was still in shock. Anyone who dared poke her right now was asking to get blown up.

Dora flew into a rage. “You— I mean—”

Evan cut in, his expression stern. “If you don’t know how to make it, then don’t. Have the staff do it. Is this really worth making such a scene over?”

That same dismissive tone again. Like none of it was a big deal.

Stella fell silent.

Her heart went completely cold.

Dora snapped, furious. “What kind of bad luck did our family run into? She can’t even give birth herself, and now someone else has children and she’s the one causing trouble—”

“That’s enough.”

Evan interrupted her sharply before she could finish.

That only made Dora angrier. “You just keep indulging her!”

She turned to storm off.

Just as she was about to leave, Stella spoke again.

“Mrs. Wright, you’ve got it wrong,” Stella said coldly. “It’s not that I can’t have children. It’s that the baby I was carrying two years ago was lost after Summer ran her car into me.

“Don’t twist the facts and slap the label of ‘infertile’ on me to cover up your cruelty.”

Stella threw off the label Dora had pinned on her for the past two years without mercy.

And the way she addressed her as Mrs. Wright made it unmistakably clear.

The formal title hung in the air like a physical barrier.

Dora nearly fainted on the spot when she heard Mrs. Wright and cruel mother-in-law in the same breath.

“This is outrageous. Absolutely outrageous.”

Had she completely lost her mind?

Dora was so furious she could barely stand. She turned on Evan instead. “This is the woman you married. Do something about her!”

With that, she stormed out in a rage.

Evan’s gaze darkened when Stella called his mother Mrs. Wright. Displeasure flickered in his eyes.

But in the end, he said nothing. He turned and followed his mother out.

Watching his back as he left, Stella felt nothing but bitter irony.

Things had blown up like this, and he still went after her.

Was it really because his brother was gone and he felt responsible for Summer?

Or was it simply because he wanted to be there for her?

Once they were gone, Marianne approached anxiously. “Mrs. Wright, you don’t look well at all. Should I call a doctor to come take a look?”

Even the housekeeper could see something was wrong. She knew a doctor should be called.

But Evan—

Stella waved her off. “No, it’s okay. You can go.”

She was too angry to hold herself together.

Marianne hesitated, then finally nodded and left.

Once Stella was alone, her phone began to vibrate.

It was a call from her best friend, Jennifer Tanner.

At the sight of the name on the screen, some of the rage drained from Stella’s body. “Jennifer.”

“I’ve been calling you all afternoon. Why didn’t you pick up? Did you hear about Summer Bailey giving birth to twins?”

“I did,” Stella said flatly. “Evan was there with her.”

“You knew? And you didn’t stop it?” Jennifer snapped. “Summer gives birth, and he’s there with her? In what role exactly? Doesn’t the Wright family have enough people to take care of her?”

Jennifer was furious on Stella’s behalf. Evan didn’t even know how to keep his distance.

Steven had been gone for six months.

And for those six months, Stella had been simmering in resentment over Summer’s complete lack of boundaries.

Was Evan really that oblivious, or did he just not care how Stella felt?

Stella’s voice was as cold as her eyes. “What can I do? Evan has the same face as Steven. Apparently that’s enough to soothe her depression.”

Wasn’t that the excuse they’d used over and over these past six months? Calling Evan away whenever Summer lost control?

Whenever Summer lost control, the first call always went to Evan.

Jennifer knew all of this, and it only made her angrier. “The entire Wright family is seriously messed up in the head.”

Summer couldn’t accept that Steven was gone, so they kept Evan paraded in front of her.

He had a wife of his own. Comforting another woman like this, what kind of nonsense was that?

“I miscarried this afternoon,” Stella said quietly. “When you were calling me, I was already on the operating table.”

Jennifer fell silent.

“…What?”

Then it hit her, and she exploded.

“You miscarried, and Evan was by his sister-in-law’s side when she’s giving birth? Is he insane? Does he even know?”

His wife was going through surgery for a miscarriage, and he was accompanying another woman deliver twins. What was wrong with him?

Stella opened her eyes, dark and hollow. “Come pick me up.”

She was exhausted.

And she loathed every inch of this place. Even the air made her sick.

She hung up the phone.

Stella went upstairs and packed her personal belongings at record speed.

She also gathered everything she’d bought for Evan over the years.

Marianne saw her carrying a pile of things outside the villa and setting them on fire. She rushed over in alarm. “Mrs. Wright, what are you doing? Please stop burning things.

“If the madam finds out, she’ll say it’s bad luck again.”

Dora had already been furious over the earlier scene. If she saw this, there was no telling how ugly it would get.

“Bad luck is perfect,” Stella said coldly. “If I knew witchcraft, I’d curse the entire Wright family to hell.”

Her voice was filled with hatred and disgust.

As she spoke, she went back upstairs.

Trip after trip, she carried down everything tied to Evan and threw it into the roaring flames.

When Jennifer arrived, she saw Stella standing at the villa entrance.

In front of her, a mound of charred things smothered in ash.

Stella’s face was pale. She looked fearless. Detached.

Jennifer strode over. She was tall and pulled Stella straight into her arms, shielding her with an umbrella from the pouring rain.

“You just miscarried, and you’re standing out here getting soaked?” Jennifer scolded. “Are you trying to wreck your health?”

Without waiting for an answer, she wrapped an arm around Stella and marched her toward the car.

As she felt the warmth of Jennifer’s embrace, the tension Stella had been holding all night finally collapsed.

…

Inside the car.

Jennifer grabbed a dry towel and roughly wiped Stella’s wet hair. “What were you burning?”

“Everything I bought for him. And everything he bought for me.”

Jennifer glanced at her. “If you want to cry, then cry. I know you’re not supposed to after a miscarriage, but it’s still better than bottling it up.”

They’d been so good together once.

And yet, in just six months, everything had been torn to pieces.

Stella kept wiping her hair and let out a short laugh. “Cry? No. Why should I cry alone?”

She would make the people who deserved to cry do it properly.

Jennifer fell silent.

When Stella’s hair was mostly dry, she put the towel aside. “Just watch. Someone in the Wright family is about to cry plenty.”

Meeting Stella’s ice-cold gaze, Jennifer nodded. “You’re right. They should be the ones crying, not you.”

There was no room for a third person in a relationship, no matter how that third person tried to exist.

And Summer hadn’t even bothered to hide it these past six months. She’d been openly competing for Evan’s affection.

That kind of shamelessness only came from one belief: Stella couldn’t do anything about her.

Jennifer started the car and drove away from the villa.

Rain pounded against the windows as the wipers swept back and forth.

“After you lost that baby two years ago,” Jennifer said, “you couldn’t get pregnant again, right?”

Two years ago, Stella and Evan had been expecting a child.

Before Stella even knew she was pregnant, Summer had hit her with a car. She had lost the baby before she even reached the hospital.

Summer had cried harder than anyone afterward, insisting it hadn’t been intentional.

In the end, the matter was quietly buried.

Steven was still alive then, and Summer hadn’t shown any obvious interest in Evan, so Stella hadn’t pushed it further.

But looking back now, it was likely Summer had already set her sights on Evan back then.

She’d known about the pregnancy and had done it on purpose.

After that, Stella never conceived again.

For the past two years, because she couldn’t get pregnant, Dora had treated her with open contempt.

Bag after bag of herbal medicine had been sent to her.

And today—

When Summer went into labor, the shove she gave Stella had felt deliberate.

Jennifer frowned. “Back then, I didn’t think much of it. But after Steven died, watching how Summer’s been acting around Evan, it really feels like that car accident was intentional.”

The word intentional made the air around Stella turn icy.

Two years ago. Today.

Stella said flatly, “She shoved me today, too.”

The image flashed through her mind. Evan holding Summer, looking at Stella with that dismissive ‘stop making trouble’ expression.

Rage surged through her chest.

“So that means two years ago was definitely deliberate,” Jennifer said sharply. “Her husband was still alive, and she was already eyeing her brother-in-law. That’s twisted.”

Stella didn’t respond.

Twisted?

Looking at it now, yes.

Especially over the past six months. Summer’s obsessive, aggressive possessiveness toward Evan was anything but normal.

“So what are you going to do?” Jennifer asked. “Just let it go?”

Let it go?

Stella looked out the window. The rain was heavy, flooding the streets in no time.

Did she look like someone who would just let it go?

Her eyes were as cold as the rain outside. “First, I divorce Evan.”

“And then?”

Stella didn’t answer right away. She watched the rain slide down the glass before asking calmly, “Ruby Bailey’s export business has been doing very well these past few years, hasn’t it?”

Ruby Bailey was Summer’s wealthy mother.

These past two years, Summer had dared to act the way she did because she had Dora backing her. And because she had a rich mother standing behind her.

Jennifer said carefully, “Yeah, but why are you bringing up her mother? That’s not a woman anyone can easily mess with.”

She was warning her.

Ruby hadn’t built an empire by accident. A woman who could grow her business to that scale didn’t get there without ruthless methods.

“What if that business gets cut off?” Stella asked calmly.

Jennifer fell silent.

Cut off… the business?

“The materials she deals in are only sold overseas,” Jennifer said slowly. “If that pipeline gets shut down, it’d be no different from taking her life.”

She glanced at Stella. “Why are you asking this, babe? Don’t tell me you expect me to help you take on the Bailey family. I don’t have that kind of pull.”

Ruby’s network was no joke.

She was like an old tree with roots tangled deep through Harbor City. No one could shake her easily.

Seeing Stella remain unmoved, Jennifer squeezed her cold hand. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Something stupid?

Stella didn’t answer.

But in her mind, a face surfaced.

She thought of the foreign man from Eirden who had found her a month ago, the memory of him pulling her into his arms still vivid.

Jennifer wanted to take Stella back to her place.

But Stella insisted on going to Azure Heights on Starlake Avenue. It was an apartment she had bought herself three months ago.

This made one thing painfully clear. She’d been preparing to leave Evan for a long time.

“I tell you to come stay with me and you refuse,” Jennifer said. “You need someone to look after you right now. When did you even buy this place?”

As she spoke, she pulled out a blanket and draped it over Stella. Then she went into the kitchen to make some food.

Stella adjusted the blanket around her shoulders. “The second month after Steven died.”

The second month?

That was early.

“You were already planning to divorce Evan back then?” Jennifer asked.

Stella gave a tired hum in response and lay down on the couch.

The month Steven died, Evan had practically moved into the family estate. He was rarely home.

And even when he was, one call from the estate about Summer would send him rushing out again.

Who could endure a marriage twisted like that?

The phone started vibrating.

It was the landline from the villa.

Stella didn’t even think twice. She hung up and blocked the number.

A moment later, Jennifer’s phone rang.

It was Evan.

She answered, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “What, your sister-in-law doesn’t need you anymore?”

“Let Stella answer the phone.”

Evan’s voice was low and tight.

He’d just arrived at the hospital when Marianne called to say Stella had left.

He rushed back to the villa. The moment he reached the gate, he saw the stone slates outside scorched black in a wide circle.

Marianne told him Stella had done it.

Her clothes were gone from the closet. Everything she’d bought for him was gone too.

Burned.

What was she trying to do? Was she really going to keep escalating this?

Jennifer let out a mocking laugh. “Your sister-in-law just gave birth and she’s weak. You should be worrying about her. Why are you looking for Stella? What is Stella to you, exactly?”

“Jennifer Tanner!”

Evan’s patience snapped.

Jennifer glanced back at Stella. She was staring at something on her phone, her expression dark.

Seeing that Stella wasn’t paying attention to who she was talking to, Jennifer walked into the kitchen and shut the door.

“Evan Wright, are you out of your mind?” she snapped.

“Does Summer see you as Steven, or does she want you, with that identical face, to be her stand-in husband? Don’t tell me you’re too stupid to know the difference.

“And you don’t even bother keeping your distance. Do you have any idea what people in Harbor City are saying about you two right now? Or are you just deaf and blind?”

She was furious.

Summer had no shame, the entire Wright family indulged her, and Evan went right along with it.

Evan gritted his teeth. “I said, let Stella talk to me.”

He was out of patience. Stella was clearly spiraling, and he had no intention of arguing with Jennifer.

“She just miscarried,” Jennifer shot back. “With your attitude, you shouldn’t be talking to her at all.”

“If you can’t be a proper husband, then stop ruining her life. Your sister-in-law needs you so badly, go stay with her for the rest of your life.”

If Evan wouldn’t care for Stella, then Jennifer would.

Thinking of what Stella had said earlier — that Summer shoved her today — Jennifer didn’t give Evan another chance to speak.

She hung up.

Back in the living room, she saw Stella gripping her phone so tightly her knuckles had turned white.

“What are you looking at?” Jennifer asked. “If it’s upsetting, don’t look at it.”

She reached out to take the phone, but Stella avoided her hand.

“Redcrest Valley,” Stella said. “You remember it?”

“Of course,” Jennifer replied. “You worked on the tourism design project there three years ago. Your proposal got rejected.”

Redcrest Valley.

A place Stella loved.

Especially in October, when the hills turned red and gold.

They’d been there together.

When the area was being developed for tourism, Stella had entered the design competition.

She’d stayed up night after night for three months, traveled there more than five times for site inspections.

And still, her design wasn’t chosen.

“Why are you asking about it?” Jennifer asked.

Stella handed her the phone.

It was an article praising Redcrest Valley’s successful tourism launch, recommending it as a new destination.

Influencers were already flocking there. The reviews were glowing.

Jennifer frowned. “Wait…”

She stared at the photos.

“These spots… this is your design.”

Every section matched what Stella had created back then. Jennifer remembered it clearly. Stella had designed everything from a visitor’s point of view.

Jennifer’s expression darkened. She quickly searched for more articles, then tapped on the project details.

When the words “Lead Designer: Summer Bailey” appeared on the screen, Jennifer nearly smashed the phone.

She shoved it back at Stella.

Stella let out a quiet laugh when she saw the name. “So that’s how I got eliminated.”

Jennifer’s lips pressed into a hard line, fury burning in her eyes.

“I was planning to start with her mother,” Stella said calmly. "But now, looks like I should turn the gun on her first.”

Jennifer’s heart jolted. “Stella… what are you saying?”

Was she talking about Summer? And Ruby?

No, wait…

Jennifer was angry too, but seeing the cold clarity in Stella’s eyes, she forced herself to calm down.

“Listen, babe. Forget how the entire Wright family, including Evan, has always sided with Summer. Just her mother alone… that woman isn’t someone you can take on,” she said carefully. “Don’t do anything reckless, okay?”

Stella’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Not someone I can take on?”

Of course she hadn’t forgotten how untouchable Ruby Bailey was.

But what if that woman lost the very thing that made her untouchable?

At the thought of how Summer had spent years in the Wright family, teaming up with Dora to corner and humiliate her, the last trace of warmth in Stella’s eyes vanished.

All that remained was anger and hatred!