Naya Steele waited at the kindergarten gate, arriving early to pick up her daughter, Abigail.

As soon as Abigail appeared, Naya rushed to embrace her, only to be shoved away.

"I don’t want you to pick me up! I want Zora to pick me up!" the girl snapped.

Her daughter's scornful tone and disgusted expression hit Naya like a knife to the heart.

"Zora?" she asked in disbelief. "You mean… Zora Lake?"

"That’s right! It’s your fault Dad left her. That’s why Zora can’t be my mom. I hate you!" Abigail shouted.

Naya stood frozen. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and even more, she couldn’t believe Zora was still alive.

“Come home with me,” she said quietly, swallowing the pain. She reached out and took Abigail’s hand, determined to go home and confront Cesar.

“Let me go! I’m not going with you!” Abigail screamed.

No matter how gently Naya tried to soothe her, Abigail kept lashing out; kicking, punching, sobbing. “You’re a bad person! I don’t want to go with you!”

A nearby parent, alarmed by the scene, assumed the worst and called the police.

Moments later, officers arrived, their expressions stern. “Ma’am, someone has reported you for suspected child trafficking. Please show us your identification.”

Naya’s hands trembled as she pulled out her ID and marriage certificate.

Just when she thought it was over and she could finally leave with her daughter, one of the officers stopped her.

“Ma’am, according to our system, you’re listed as unmarried. The registered parents of this child are Cesar Harmon and Zora Lake. You are now under suspicion of child abduction. Please come with us,” he said.

Naya felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. She froze, her mind going blank.

She couldn’t comprehend how the child she had survived countless life-and-death moments with could now belong to Zora.

Even more baffling was the fact that Cesar’s wife was now Zora.

***

Naya walked out of the police station with a slow, aimless step. Her heart felt skinned, like something tender and soft had been torn out and left to the wind.

She still couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

Dazed, she returned home. But before she even stepped inside, she heard voices from the living room.

“Cesar, I heard Zora isn’t actually dead. That she came back from abroad and is your legal wife. Is that true?” one of his friends asked.

“Of course,” Cesar replied, his voice laced with pride. “I faked her death back then just to calm my parents down. Made them think I was done with her.”

Naya’s mind buzzed. Her entire body went rigid, as if struck again by lightning.

“And what about Naya?” another friend asked. “Are you going to break up with her?”

The room fell silent. Tension hung in the air. Naya’s heart leapt into her throat.

“Break up?” Cesar chuckled, taking a slow sip of wine. “Why would I do that?

"Sure, I once thought I’d never fall for Naya. But over the years, she’s handled both Abigail and me so well… I’ve come to realize I can’t live without her.”

He leaned back, his tone light. “And Zora? She’s used to hardship. How could I let her go back to scrubbing floors and doing housework?”

There was a quiet satisfaction in his voice, like a man perfectly content with having it all. The friends looked on with envy, praising Cesar for how well he had "trained" his wife.

But from the corner of the room, where no one had been paying attention, a mocking voice rang out, “Really? If Naya knew that the daughter she raised through blood and tears wasn’t even her biological child... that her real baby was stillborn and tossed away like garbage... would she still be so willing to live like this?”

The air turned to ice once more.

Cesar shot a displeased glance at the man in the corner, his brows tightening. “If that’s the case,” he said coldly, “then I’ll make sure she never finds out.”

“Cesar always has a way…” someone murmured, and the room returned to its lively chatter.

But Naya could only hear the sound of her heart shattering.

Still gripping the doorknob, she slowly crouched down, her body weak and trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks.

So it was true. Her child had died long ago, discarded like trash. The daughter she had loved so deeply, so fiercely, was born of her husband’s affair.

And that husband... had married someone else behind her back, without even a shred of hesitation.

She was nothing more than a cruel joke.

Her lips parted, as if to speak, but nothing came out. Only more tears. She didn’t understand how things had come to this.

So she ran. When she finally came to her senses, she found several unread messages waiting on her phone.

[Naya, I postponed an important meeting and bought your favorite strawberry pudding, just so we could celebrate our anniversary. Are you happy?]

[Oh, and I have a secret gift too. You're going to love it. We both will. I’ll be waiting for you to come back.]

Naya stared at the messages, crying, then laughing.

All these years, Cesar had played the role of the perfect husband. He loved her, pampered her, showered her with everything she adored.

She once mentioned loving the aurora, so he flew her to Northern Europe and even bought an island with the best view, just so she could watch the lights dance across the sky.

She loved pink diamonds, so Cesar scoured every auction he could find, collecting pieces one by one until he built an entire exhibition hall filled with them just for her to enjoy.

When Naya became pregnant, he was there through every wave of morning sickness, every prenatal checkup, every ache and discomfort, never missing a moment.

He never avoided the topic of his past. In fact, he had told her openly that he once had a lover, someone he had loved deeply, someone now long gone.

Every year, without fail, Cesar would travel abroad around the same time. He said it was to pay his respects to her.

He had even made a trip abroad the night before their wedding. According to him, it was to visit her grave, to let everything go before starting a new chapter.

But now, Naya knew the truth. It hadn’t been closure. It was a secret reunion.

And she… she had been too blinded by love to see it. She had been played for years.

But now, finally, the veil had lifted. Naya had seen Cesar for who he truly was. It was time to let go. Time to leave him for good.

With that resolve, she pulled out her phone and made a call.

A familiar voice answered, bright with joy. “You’re finally calling me. How have you been all these years?”

Naya’s brows drew together slightly.

She hesitated for a moment before answering, her voice cold and steady. “I’m calling to ask for two favors. That doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you.”

There was a beat of silence, then a sincere reply, “What are they? Tell me. If it’s within my power, I’ll do it.”

“First,” Naya said, “help me fake an accident. I want to disappear from Cesar’s life… forever.”

“What? Don’t you love Cesar more than anyone?” The voice on the other end spiked with disbelief.

Naya didn’t respond. Tears slid down her cheeks as she made her second request, voice trembling. “I want you to investigate my childbirth.”

It was already dark when Naya returned home. As soon as she stepped inside, Cesar came over with Abigail.

“Naya, where have you been? Why are you back so late?” he asked, sounding concerned.

Cesar took the backpack from her hand and gave her a once-over, noticing something off about her expression. Her eyes were red.

“Why are you crying? Who dared to bully Mrs. Harmon? I’ll make them pay!” he said playfully, coaxing her with sweet words as he reached for a tissue and gently wiped her eyes.

Watching Cesar fuss over her so thoughtfully, Naya’s memories came rushing back.

After they got married, when her business venture failed and she locked herself in the bathroom to cry, he had comforted her with the same tender voice.

He told her she could rest easy being his wife because he would protect her forever.

Later, when she became pregnant and her career still couldn’t take off, he insisted she quit and stay home full time, caring for him and Abigail.

Both of them were allergic to dust mites, so she bought a top-of-the-line mite remover and cleaned the house down to every corner, fearing they might suffer otherwise.

Abigail was a picky eater with multiple food allergies. Naya studied cooking obsessively, perfecting recipes over and over again until every dish was both beautiful and safe.

Back then, she had been so sure she was living a blissful marriage.

People teased her for looking more like a servant than a wealthy wife, but she didn’t mind. She truly believed she was the happiest woman in the world.

But now, looking at Abigail’s face—so much like her biological mother’s—Naya realized all those years had been a lie she told herself.

The thought brought a fresh wave of pain to her chest, and her eyes began to sting again.

Still, she forced it down, managing a small smile. “Of course not. I just went to the beach. The sandstorm was strong, it got in my eyes,” she said lightly.

As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward Abigail, who was half-hidden in the corner. Maybe she’d overheard what happened after school, her eyes looked uneasy, evasive.

But more than anything, they were full of jealousy.

Naya’s heart twisted. Abigail wasn’t her biological daughter, and her very existence had once been a source of shame.

Yet after raising her for so many years, Naya couldn’t deny the complicated feelings that had taken root.

She instinctively leaned forward, wanting to embrace her. But pain shot through her arm. Abigail had stabbed her with the small pocketknife she had been hiding.

Bright red blood welled up instantly, dripping onto the carpet.

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Abigail’s face. “It’s all your fault! Daddy said he’d take me with him today to see Zora, but you ruined everything!”

“You wicked stepmother! Why don’t you just die!” she shouted, eyes burning with hatred.

Naya stared at the wound on her palm, her heart cracking open.

She still remembered when Abigail was just two years old, barely able to speak. Back then, she had picked up the word “die” from somewhere.

She’d wrapped her tiny arms around Naya’s neck and asked, in a baby-soft voice, what it meant.

And when she learned that one day her mother would grow old and die, she had broken down in tears.

She cried until she was hoarse, nearly on the verge of respiratory alkalosis.

But even then, she clung to Naya tightly, repeating through her sobs, “I don’t want Mommy to die… I don’t want Mommy to die…”

And now, just days after Zora’s return, Abigail had completely turned against her.

As grief swelled in Naya’s chest, Abigail suddenly collapsed to the floor, pointing at her and crying out, “Dad, Mom pushed me! My back hurts, take me to the hospital…”

Startled, Naya turned and saw Cesar approaching, unnoticed until now. The moment Abigail spotted him, she threw herself into his arms, sobbing hysterically.

There was blood on her cheek, Naya’s blood, whether by accident or design, it was hard to tell.

But against Abigail’s pale face, it looked especially terrifying.

Cesar’s face paled. “Abigail, why are you bleeding? Are you hurt?”

“Dad… my head hurts so bad. Mom said she was wronged because of me…” Abigail sniffled, her eyes closed, her nose red from crying. “I’m scared… Will Mom hit me again?”

Cesar’s expression darkened instantly.