Sam hurried toward the figure and gently lifted her into his arms, carrying her out of the hidden chamber. “Tania, let me introduce you. This is Raline. You should understand how important she is to me.”

Raline? Ra… line?

A wave of revulsion hit me. Sam had truly sunk into obsession—he had gone so far as to find a living double and hide her in the villa’s secret room.

He stroked Raline’s hair tenderly and commanded, “Tania, go to the kitchen and make something for Raline to eat. Keep it light—her health is always fragile.”

I sneered and refused outright. “Sam, why on earth should I cook for your mistress?”

Raline flinched slightly, then looked at Sam with a fragile, pitiful expression. “Sam… it seems she doesn’t want to make me food.”

Sam’s face darkened. “I’ll say it again—go make something for Raline.”

“I’ll say it again too. It’s impossible,” I said, standing my ground and meeting his gaze without fear.

Smack!

A sharp slap landed on my face without warning. I clutched my cheek, staring at Sam in disbelief.

A flicker of hesitation passed through his eyes, but then his fingers gently pressed back onto my still-flat stomach.

“Tell me… if I didn’t want this child, do you think it could survive until tomorrow?”

My whole body stiffened. He knew? I had been keeping it hidden so well.

He looked at my suddenly pale face. “If you don’t want to cook, then stay quietly in the guest room. Don’t scare Raline, or you’ll regret it.”

My body trembled uncontrollably. I couldn’t risk the child I had worked so hard to have again. Sam clearly didn’t care whether his own child lived or died; otherwise, I wouldn’t have lost my first one.

Reluctantly, I lowered my head and stepped out of the master bedroom.

When I opened the guest room door, an overpoweringly sweet and cloying fragrance hit me, making my head spin.

Didn’t he usually avoid scented candles?

But at this moment, I was too exhausted to probe the sudden, overwhelming fragrance.

I leaned against the door, sliding slowly to the floor, one hand pressed tightly against my stomach, the other sending a desperate text to Kendrick, my childhood friend. Right now, he was the only person I could trust.

The next day, Sam almost forcibly brought me to the city’s most prestigious auction house.

Alongside us was Raline, who had only appeared yesterday. She trailed Sam obediently, occasionally casting provocative glances at me.

A woman who looked exactly like Celine, standing next to me—his wife—was enough to stir endless gossip among the guests.

I kept my head down the entire time, wishing only to see this farce end.

Until a piece was presented: a translucent, dewy jade bangle. It was a piece I had always loved.

By some strange impulse, amidst the roar of bidding, I raised my paddle.

“All right, this lady bids 100.000.”

Almost the moment I raised my paddle, Raline tugged on Sam’s sleeve, her voice soft and coquettish. “Sam, the bangle is so beautiful… so green! I really like it.”

Sam turned his head, smiling at her with extreme tenderness and made a gesture. “100.001.”

I bit my lip and raised my bid again. “125.000.” This was almost the limit of the cash I could mobilize personally.

Sam responded without hesitation, calmly stating, “125.001.”

“Only one extra dollar? Mr. Freight is clearly doing this on purpose, humiliating the wife in public.”

“Looks like Tania is really falling out of favor. Mr. Freight never treated her like this before.”

“Is Mr. Freight still hung up on the past? This woman looks way too much like Celine.”

A ripple of suppressed gasps and stifled laughter spread through the auction hall.

He had successfully announced to everyone in the city that I had “fallen out of favor,” and that Raline—the substitute—held an unrivaled place in his heart.

I clenched my fists, refusing to raise my bid any further and silently stood up, heading toward the corridor.

I stood by the window in the corridor, taking deep breaths, trying to ease the suffocating pressure on both body and mind. But waves of dizziness still washed over me.

“Tania, why are you here all alone? You look so pale… are you feeling unwell?”

Raline was standing right beside me, twisting the green bangle on her wrist, wearing a feigned expression of concern. Yet in her eyes—the ones so uncannily like Celine’s—was nothing but vicious pride.

I remained silent, turning to leave.

But she reached out, blocking my way, her eyes full of naked provocation.

“Sam kept me in the master bedroom all night… he always says I’m the most like Celine. Every time he looks at me, he gets so passionate—much more than when he looks at you.”

“Tania, you probably don’t know yet… I’m pregnant too. Don’t you think Sam will love my child even more?”

A surge of fury, anxiety and physical discomfort hit me all at once. I pointed at her, trying to make her leave, but no sound came out of my mouth.

Everything around me began to spin wildly.

In the last second before I completely lost consciousness, I heard Raline’s triumphant sneer—and, in the distance, what sounded like Sam’s hurried footsteps.

I forced my eyes open, the first thing I noticed was the heavy scent of candles in the guest room. Turning my head slightly, I was shocked to see both Sam and Raline standing by my bedside.

Sam sat on the edge of the bed, his brow furrowed, a shadow of worry—or perhaps concern—lingering in his gaze.

“Tania, how are you feeling? Is there anywhere that still hurts—”

Before he could finish, Raline softly interrupted, “Tania, the doctor said you stirred the baby. You really don’t know how to take care of yourself and your emotions fluctuate so much. You have to rest properly in bed.”

“The doctor also said that it might have been because you didn’t take care of yourself that your previous child—”

Sam’s expression changed instantly. The concern in his eyes toward me was immediately replaced by displeasure and suspicion.

Raline shot me a provocatively triumphant glance, then dropped another bombshell. “Sam… I’m pregnant too.”

Sam whipped his head toward her, his voice overflowing with ecstatic joy. “That’s amazing! Are you feeling unwell at all?”

The smile on his face was genuine, the kind I had never seen when I was pregnant.

Raline lowered her head shyly. “I just found out… I was planning to tell you on your birthday, five days from now.”

Sam jumped to his feet, pacing back and forth, his face alight with delight—before he finally remembered that I was still lying on the bed, just fainted and also carrying his child.

He turned to me with impatience written all over his face. “Tania, just lie here and rest. Don’t go anywhere. You can’t even take care of yourself or the baby. Don’t cause me any more trouble.”

With that, he immediately wrapped his arms around Raline’s waist. “Come on, Raline. Let’s go to the hospital for a full check-up. We can’t risk even the slightest mistake.”

The room was left empty once more, with only me and the thick, nauseating scented candles lingering in the air.

I lay on the bed, my hand instinctively resting on my stomach, where another life was growing, just like Raline’s.

But at that moment, I was treated as if I didn’t matter at all.

Another wave of weakness washed over me. My instincts screamed that something was seriously wrong with my body. I quickly called Kendrick.

“Kendrick… please come to the villa and take me away. I’m afraid I can’t protect the baby. Take me to a private hospital.”

Kendrick arrived quickly, his usual carefree charm replaced entirely by deep worry for me.

Half carrying, half supporting me, he took me to the private hospital run by his family—a name that carried weight in the medical world.

“Don’t be afraid,” Kendrick murmured, his hand warm around my icy one. “I’ve already brought in the best divorce lawyers in the country. The property division is underway and in just a few more days everything will be settled.”

“When you’re free, do you want to watch the snow in Switzerland? See the Northern Lights in Scandinavia? Or live in a quiet seaside town? As long as you say yes, I’ll go anywhere with you.”

I didn’t speak. Tears filled my eyes as I squeezed his hand back with all my strength. Kendrick always appeared to protect me at the exact moment I needed him most.

At the hospital, after a series of detailed examinations, the head of obstetrics came in holding the report.

“Miss Grande, we found a rare alkaloid in your blood. This substance is usually inhaled through the respiratory tract. Long-term or high-concentration exposure can cause nervous system fatigue, palpitations, emotional instability and greatly increase the risk of miscarriage in pregnant women.”

The doctor’s words sent my mind completely blank.

A rare alkaloid in my blood, a substance usually inhaled through the lungs.

It had to be that guest room, with its relentless, unnaturally strong odor.

Sam had deliberately made me stay in that room, insisting I “absolutely rest in bed” and forbidding me from leaving. He hadn’t even been willing to bring me to the hospital when I fainted.

Everything finally made sense.

This was a deliberate, cruel attempt to end the life of the child I carried.

I couldn’t stop trembling.

“Tania,” Kendrick suddenly crouched down and held my shaking shoulders tightly. His eyes were stormy with fury. “He was behind that strange scent in the guest room, right? It’s okay. Now that we know, it’s over. I won’t let him lay a finger on you again.”

I leaned into Kendrick, tears flowing uncontrollably. How much had this marriage already taken from me?

After crying, my mind cleared even more. I knew it still wasn’t the right time.

The property division agreement hadn’t been finalized. I had to endure. For the child and to safely leave with everything I deserved, I had to see this act through to the end.

When we returned to the villa, Sam and Raline were already there.

“Tania, get ready and accompany Raline to the maternity store. She just found out she’s pregnant and there’s a lot we need to prepare.”

This time, I didn’t resist. I lowered my eyes and murmured a quiet acknowledgment.

The maternity store was filled with a warm, charming atmosphere, with all kinds of delicate baby products. Yet at that moment, it only felt mocking and suffocating to me.

Sam’s attention never left Raline.

“Raline, isn’t this little outfit cute?”

“This baby bottle is imported—the safest material.”

“The crib must be solid wood; it’s better for the child’s health.”

He carried himself with a clumsy, inexperienced joy I had never seen before, carefully asking the store clerk about every detail and buying anything Raline glanced at twice.

Raline laughed coquettishly the entire time, leaning against him and sneaking triumphant glances at me.

The clerks immediately recognized Sam. They noticed the careful attention he gave Raline, then glanced at me trailing behind, who was pale, silent and unreadable. Their expressions shifted, tinged with something subtle, almost judgmental.

“So that’s Mr. Freight and his new favorite? Hmph, they really do look alike.”

“I heard she’s pregnant too? The treatment she gets is completely different.”

I gritted my teeth, keeping my face obedient and calm.

Just a little longer.

Once the agreement was signed and the divorce finalized, I took my child and left, soaring free and unburdened