The warmth of the baby in my arms, that faint milky scent... it made my whole body tense.

In the very next second, the baby slipped from my grasp and hit the floor with a sickening thud, wailing with a piercing, heart-wrenching cry.

In the chaos of that scream, Samuel burst into the room and shoved me aside.

I stumbled backward, stunned, as he rushed to scoop the baby up with shaking hands, his face twisted with worry. Then he looked at me, his eyes were dark, conflicted, but he didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. That look said it all.

Nell stood nearby, crying. “Mr. Stone, I just wanted her to hold the baby… I didn’t know she—”

Samuel cut in coldly. “Ally, Nell’s being discharged tomorrow. If you can’t accept the children, maybe it’s best you move to the West Hill villa for now.”

I bit down so hard on my lip that I tasted blood.

I hadn’t brought much back from my retreat, just a suitcase’s worth. Now, it was even easier to pack up again.

That night, I sat alone in the empty villa, staring at nothing as darkness gave way to morning.

Maybe it was better this way. At least I didn’t have to watch them play happy family anymore.

The memories came flooding back like a storm.

Samuel and I had known each other since childhood. We’d been married for eight years—everyone called us the perfect couple.

Then came that night. He’d been drugged by a business rival. Woke up next to a college girl. The moment he came to, he called me—his voice shaking, almost incoherent.

“Ally, I was drugged! I messed up! B-but I gave her money! She won’t make a scene!”

I believed him then.

But not long after, this Nell Barnes woman came back. She said her parents had died in a car crash. She went to see Samuel, who was drunk after a business dinner.

It happened again.

The first time was a mistake. What was the second?

Then came the earthquake. Samuel was on a trip down south when the hotel collapsed. It was Nell—pregnant Nell—who clawed through the rubble with her bare hands to save him.

After that, with her carrying his children and saving his life… he couldn’t shake her.

I still remembered how he knelt in front of me, sobbing uncontrollably. I gave him two choices.

“Samuel. Either we divorce, or she leaves for good.”

“I won’t divorce you!” he cried, eyes red, clutching at me. “But I have to take responsibility…”

He wouldn’t divorce me and he wouldn’t let Nell go either.

So I left.

I went to the Mountains to retreat in solitude. I stayed away until Nell gave birth. Only then did Ben and Miriam demanded I return.

That night, I sat alone in the dark. I pulled out my phone and finally sent the message I should’ve sent long ago.

“Let’s get a divorce.”

Not ten minutes later, the front door flew open with a loud clatter.

Samuel rushed in, sweat still glistening on his forehead. “Ally! No! I won’t agree to a divorce!”

I sat quietly on the couch, exhaling a long, tired breath. “Let it go, Samuel. I’m done.”

“I told you—she’d never come between us!” he stammered, his voice trembling.

Just then, his phone rang.

Through the speaker, Nell’s voice came sobbing. “Mr. Stone! The baby’s burning up with fever after the fall… The doctor says he might need the ICU!”

Samuel’s expression changed in an instant.

He looked at me… then at the phone. Then, with obvious struggle, he finally said, “Ally, I… I have to go check on the baby.”

I watched Samuel eager to leave. Suddenly, I laughed.

This was my marriage. Even divorce had to wait—because someone else’s child came first.

I curved my lips into a bitter smile. “Go. The baby needs you.”

The breeze from the door as he left brushed across my cheek, as if he’d never even been there.

I sat alone in the silence, tears sliding down my face with no sound at all.

I knew deep down, he might never marry Nell. But he’d always go back to her. This time wasn't going to be the last for that.

So, if I didn’t end this now… How long could I keep living like this?

A year? A lifetime?

A familiar pain twisted deep in my stomach.

I opened my phone. On Nell’s social feed, I saw photos of Samuel keeping vigil by the incubator, day and night. His face looked drawn, exhausted—more anxious than I’d ever seen him, even in our hardest moments.

I contacted a lawyer to finalize the divorce papers. Then I went to the company to tender my resignation.

The HR manager looked shocked. “Mrs. Stone, does Mr. Stone know you’re quitting?”

I gave her a faint smile. “He’s got more important things to deal with right now.”

When I saw the flicker of pity in her eyes, I knew exactly what she was thinking.

I returned to the West Hill villa. We had only stayed here a handful of times after the wedding.

While packing, I stumbled upon an old note tucked in a drawer. The paper had yellowed with age.

"Ally, I don’t know when you’ll find this. Hopefully by then, we’ll already have a few kids running around. I love you so much. No matter what happens, don’t ever leave me."

Tears hit the paper before I could stop them. Then a sharp wave of pain knifed through my stomach. My vision blurred—and I collapsed.

When I came to, my phone was blaring beside me.

Samuel’s voice roared through the line, uncharacteristically furious. "Alexia Stark! What the hell is wrong with you?"

He rarely used my full name. That alone said enough.

"Nell has been nothing but careful! How many times do I have to say it—she’s not a threat to you! Why would you send those vile messages? Why would you curse my child?"

I let out a bitter laugh.

He hadn’t even asked if it was really me. Yet, he’d already made up his mind.

“Are you done?” I asked calmy.

There was a pause on the other end.

Then he said, “Next Sunday is the twins’ full-month celebration. You need to be there. Enough of this drama, okay?”

“Sure.”

I hung up and stared out the window at the night sky.

***

The day of the party, I arrived bare-faced, not a hint of makeup. The guests gave me looks laced with pity.

At the center of it all stood Nell, radiant in a red dress, nestled against Samuel’s side like the rightful lady of the house.

“Go hold the baby,” Miriam urged.

Samuel handed me one of the twins and whispered, “Ally, I’m willing to forget the messages. After today, I’ll send Nell abroad. Both kids will be registered under your name. You can’t have children—this way, isn’t it the best of both worlds?”

His words stabbed deep. My heart twisted painfully, so much that my head hurt.

Years ago, during the avalanche, I’d suffered a uterine injury while saving him. Back then, he stood up to his family, swore he’d never want kids if I couldn’t have them. Now… everything had changed.

Suddenly, the baby in my arms began to cough violently—then started foaming at the mouth.

“What’s happening?!” someone shouted.

Nell rushed over, shrieking in panic, her voice like broken glass. “Ma'am! If you want to kill someone, kill me! Don’t hurt the baby!”

Smack!

Ben’s hand cracked across my face, sending me crashing to the floor. My vision spun. My cheek blazed with pain and blood filled my mouth.

Samuel instinctively reached to steady me.

Then the baby wailed—and vomited a mouthful of blood.

Panic erupted. Shouts, chaos, people scattering.

“Mr. Stone!” Nell screamed, shoving herself between us. “The baby’s dying! Please, save our child!”

Samuel’s hand trembled.

I looked up at him, at the sorrow fading from his eyes until his hand slipped away from mine. He took the baby from Nell’s arms instead.

***

The hospital hallway was cold, so cold it bit through my skin. I stood there like a ghost as the divorce papers I had tucked into my coat pocket fluttered to the floor.

Miriam spotted them. She bent down, snatched them up and hurled them back at me.

Her perfectly preserved face twisted with disgust. “After everything the Stones have done for you? Samuel went against us—for you! And now you’re trying to harm the children too?”

“If you want a divorce so badly, then hurry up and get it over with! Don’t drag this out!”

I stayed silent as I bent down to pick up the papers from the floor.

Samuel emerged from the ICU, his eyes bloodshot. “The baby’s been saved.”

He looked at me, his gaze so cold and unfamiliar it sent a shiver down my spine. “Ally, this time you really crossed the line.”

My hands trembled as I handed him the divorce agreement. “Let’s… end this.”

His pupils suddenly contracted sharply. “Are you sure?”

“I’m tired,” I whispered, fighting back tears. “I don’t know what else I might do…”

“Fine! Good!” he snapped, snatching the papers and signing them with force before throwing the pen to the floor. “As you wish.”

***

Back at our old home, Mrs. Jefferson rushed over with panic. “Madam! What happened to you?” Her voice cracked when she saw my swollen face and soaked clothes.

I looked around. My piano was gone. The wedding photos disappeared. Even my cherished keepsakes were nowhere to be found.

Mrs. Jefferson wrung her hands nervously, stammering, “Miss Barnes kept bumping into things during pregnancy… so Mr. Stone ordered…”

Before she could finish, the door slammed open.

Samuel entered with Nell by his side.

Nell blinked in surprise. “Ma'am, what are you doing here?” The tone was smug, like she owned the place.

“Where are my things?” I asked, my voice shaky, turning to Samuel.

He sneered, pulling Nell closer. “You’re getting divorced. Why do you even care about that?”

Nell put on a fake sweet smile and reached for my hand. “Ma'am, Mr. Stone was worried I’d get hurt while pregnant…”

“Don’t touch me!” I yanked my hand away sharply.

She gasped, stumbling backward.

Samuel caught her just in time, concern flashing in his eyes. “You okay?”

Watching their closeness, I turned and walked away without hesitation. Even when Samuel called my name behind me, I didn’t look back. I refused to let them see me broken, tears streaming down my face.

Outside, the rain poured down in sheets.

I didn’t know how far I’d walked, until a group of thugs blocked my way in a dark alley.

“So, you’re Mrs. Stone, huh?” The scar-faced man leered as he stepped closer, his breath sour and his grin vile. “Someone paid us to teach you a lesson. Gotta say, for the wife of a billionaire, you’re pretty damn tempting. A bit flat-chested, maybe, but that baby face? Delicious.”

I instinctively dialed Samuel’s number.

On the other end, his voice came through, soft and gentle—cooing someone to sleep. [Nell, if your head hurts, just rest, okay?]

“Samuel! Please—help me—”

[I don’t want to talk to you right now.]

Click. He hung up. I called again, but His phone was off.

Rain and tears mixed on my lips, I could taste the saltiness and its bitter twang.

“No one’s gonna save you here,” the thug sneered. “Why don’t you be a good girl and make daddy happy, huh?”

His filthy hand reached for my collar, rough fingers scraping against my collarbone.

I shut my eyes tight, digging my nails into my palm until I felt skin break.