Simon seemed unaware that every time he showed just how protective he was of that woman, he was digging the knife in my heart just a little deeper.

"Simon Sader, have you ever loved me?"

Caught off guard by my question, Simon paused momentarily before answering sincerely, "Of course, I love you. Why else would I have married you? It's just that this baby is a dream of mine, so just treat it as fulfilling my dream."

What ridiculous words.

The instant that the baby was born, everything between us would change, and it would be all over for us.

"He's not just a dream, but a life! Has it ever occurred to you that he'll learn the truth about his birth one day?"

Simon fell silent. Clearly, he hadn't thought this whole thing through.

It still wasn't too late to turn back now. Grabbing his arm, I begged him not to keep the baby.

Nevertheless, Simon flung my hand away. "Melanie Lowe, I never knew you were such a heartless person! It's just a child! Can't you even accept that?"

"Are you so determined to keep it that you'll go ahead, even if I divorce you?"

That had Simon hesitating for a moment. Then, he answered me firmly, "Yes, I'm keeping the baby no matter what! Nobody can stop me!"

"Alright, then keep it."

It was no use talking to someone who had already made up their mind, so I gave up, especially since he was being a lot more stubborn than I had imagined.

To Simon, right now, I was no longer his wife, but an evil person wanting to take the life of his child.

Simon's tense expression eased as he assumed that I had conceded.

"If you had been able to think this way from the beginning, we wouldn't have needed to fight."

He reached out to take my hand, but I avoided him and took a step back. Disappointment flashed in his eyes before he lowered his gaze.

"I still have a meeting, so you can go to the prenatal checkup with her yourself."

Somewhat at a loss, he could do nothing but stand there as though rooted to the spot.

After that, I immediately contacted a lawyer to inquire about the divorce procedures. Since there was no keeping Simon by my side, I might as well get things over with as soon as possible.

However, I hadn't expected that news about my intention to divorce him would leak that quickly. I had barely finished meeting with the lawyer in the early afternoon when the Sader family learned about it.

Simon's father, Michael Sader, had the most explosive reaction, as the Sader family was known for their strong family values. For generations, the married couples had been loving and harmonious, with none ever divorcing.

Hence, my wanting to divorce Simon thoroughly shocked the entire family.

"I told you all before, didn't I? That a child was needed—" Simon's older sister, Yelena Sader, started snidely, only for Tiffany to clamp a hand over her mouth.

Tiffany whispered something into her daughter's ear that caused Yelena to glare at me. When Yelena walked past me, she spat at me before calling me shameless.

Simon hadn't yet arrived when Michael bellowed at me furiously, "Kneel!"

Although I was his daughter-in-law, I wasn't the meek and obedient sort.

"Dad, just say whatever you have to say. Your blustering won't work on me."

"How dare you still sound so righteous when you cheated on Simon!" Yelena railed at the injustice on her brother's behalf.

Ah, her earlier insult made sense now. They thought that I was the one in the wrong.

Before I could explain, Tiffany came over to talk me out of it. "Melanie, it doesn't matter that you did something wrong. What's more important is that you learn from your mistakes and change your ways. You and Simon are about to have a baby, and as the baby's parents, you need to set an example."

"The baby isn't—"

"Dad! Mom! Why have you called Melanie here?"

Having just arrived, Simon hurriedly cut me off. It seemed he still didn't know that his family thought I was a disloyal wife who had cheated on him.

Yelena tugged on Simon's arm. "She cheated on you, you know!"

Simon shot me a disbelieving look, and when he spoke, his voice quavered. "Is that true?"

"I didn't cheat on you. I just want to divorce you."

Despite the calm manner in which I said those words, Simon looked as though I had dealt him an even greater blow than earlier. His body swayed like he was about to faint at any moment, but he managed to force himself to stay standing.

Tiffany quickly helped Simon to a nearby chair and sat him down.

Despite not knowing the whole truth, Yelena assumed she was right and slandered me. "If you didn't cheat on Simon, why would you be divorcing him? Don't tell me that he was the one who cheated?"

"That's exactly right. He did," I answered truthfully while ignoring the throbbing pain in my heart.

Yet, this only served to infuriate Michael. "Still stubbornly refusing to admit to your mistake, huh? Bring the cane!"

Several people pinned me to the ground before Michael began lashing at my back with the cane.

The first hit had me drawing in a sharp breath, but even as the following strikes raised bloody welts across my skin, I clenched my teeth and refused to make a sound. The burning pain coming from my back was nowhere near the same agony my heart was feeling.

Not a single person present would believe me, and even if they did, they were certainly going to defend Simon.

I was completely alone.

At that moment, Simon leaped to his feet and rushed over. "Dad, stop hitting her!"

His tone was filled with anxiety, while his eyes shone with panic. Spreading his arms wide, he attempted to protect me from his father.

As his family moved to pull him away, Simon abruptly yelled, "Actually, the baby isn't—"

"Isn't what?" Michael pinned a stern gaze on Simon, causing Simon to stop talking and shrink back in fear.

He was very scared of his father, and having come from such a strict family, marrying me was already the biggest act of rebellion he could have committed.

Tiffany hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Michael, why are you being so harsh toward Simon? He's not at fault here."

Still protecting me with his body, Simon pleaded in a firm tone, "Dad, please stop hitting Melanie! Everything is my fault."

In the end, Michael warned me, "For the sake of Simon and my grandchild, I'll have mercy on you today. However, if there's a next time, I'm definitely going to destroy you!"

By then, I was hurting all over, especially my back, which burned like fire. The moment I opened my mouth, I broke into a fit of uncontrollable coughing.

Simon's eyes were filled with guilt as he kneeled in front of me and apologized profusely, "I'm so sorry for putting you through this, Melanie."

I knew he was worried that I would reveal the truth. Clearly, that baby was very important to him.

…

My consciousness returned to me slowly. When Simon realized that I was awake, he immediately poured me a glass of water.

"Melanie, you gave me such a scare. Don't challenge my dad anymore, okay? He really will beat you to death. Let's all live happily together from now on, alright? Just our little family of three."

I slipped my hand from his grasp.

"What family of three? Since you already know that I want to divorce you, I'll stop with the act. Let's just part on good terms."

I took out the divorce agreement and handed it to him.

It was like a switch flipped in Simon. Gone was his earlier gentle demeanor. Instead, he became furious as he ripped the divorce agreement to shreds. Then, he started pacing while muttering to himself suspiciously, "Could it be that you really are cheating on me like they said?"

I couldn't help but retort, "I'm not like you, able to get it on with anybody—"

A slap cut off the rest of my words before Simon turned his face away. I could see the pain and conflict in his eyes.

I didn't bother arguing with him further. It was only understandable for his emotions to be unstable after hearing my words.

Nonetheless, I couldn't stand being married to him any longer. His family didn't respect me, and he didn't love me either. There was no reason for me to cling to this marriage.

Gritting my teeth at the pain, I forced myself into a sitting position and got ready to leave the Sader residence.

Simon pulled me back. His expression was sincere as he tried to convince me to stay. "Melanie, on account of all these years we were married, can't you just trust me this once? I really didn't cheat on you to get that baby."

He really was starting to talk nonsense in his desperation to have me stay. If he hadn't cheated on me, how did that baby end up in that woman's belly? By magic?

"Simon, at this point, I just want one honest answer from you. Who is the mother of that baby?"

Simon pursed his lips as a hesitant look crossed his face.

At that moment, Michael kicked the door open and barged in. "Simon Sader, get over here now!"