I was driving while seven months pregnant, rushing to pick up my husband who was in danger. A short message filled me with anxiety about Ethan’s safety.

[Come immediately, or your husband will be in danger!]

The message included a photo of my husband stepping out of a car on an empty road.

I recognized that road. Without a second thought, I pressed the gas pedal, speeding up. But suddenly, my brakes stopped working.

The car spun out of control, and then everything went black.

When I woke up in the hospital, a sharp pain burned through my right arm. Broken. But that wasn't the worst part. It was the doctor's words that made my chest tighten.

"Your baby… we couldn't save her. Your uterus suffered a rupture."

I froze.

"What do you mean?" My voice was barely a whisper.

"Due to the accident, your uterus was severely torn. We couldn’t do anything except remove it," the doctor said with deep sympathy.

Tears blurred my vision as the harsh reality sank in. And then, through my hazy consciousness, I heard them speaking.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. I couldn't save your baby," the doctor said regretfully. But Ethan... Ethan smiled. There was no grief in his eyes.

"Good. This is better. There will be no social jealousy in the future," he said, his voice disturbingly calm.

The doctor looked confused. "Ethan, what do you mean?"

"Zoey will never get pregnant again. Now that Nora has brought Jackson, I already know who I should prioritize. The baby was a girl—that was never part of my plan," Ethan answered, his tone cold and emotionless.

An innocent child had become his sacrifice.

"Proceed with the hysterectomy. That way, Zoey will have no choice but to accept reality and acknowledge Jackson as our child," he added, his voice firm and undeniable.

My world shattered. I didn’t just lose my baby. I lost my husband. The man I had once trusted to protect me had broken me in ways I never imagined.

_______

"Are you insane? Zoey won’t be able to bear your children anymore. She’s still young. She—" The doctor’s words were cut short when Ethan shot him a sharp glare.

"Just do your job! She won’t know. She’ll think the surgery was because of the accident. Consider this your reward for keeping your mouth shut." Ethan pulled out a wad of cash, slipping it into the doctor’s hand. The doctor fell silent, staring at the thick stack of bills.

Ethan turned away, his gaze cold as he looked at his phone screen before pressing it to his ear. His voice was firm, emotionless.

"I’ve transferred the money to your account," he said bluntly.

On the other end, someone let out a small chuckle, sounding pleased. "Really? Let me check!"

Ethan waited in silence. Then, the voice spoke again.

"Wow, that’s a huge amount! You paid twice the agreed sum. Our deal was only fifteen thousand dollars."

Ethan smirked. "That’s your bonus. You did a great job trapping Zoey. Now, stay out of my way. I assume you can be trusted?"

"Of course, sir. Just as you requested," the man replied confidently.

Ethan ended the call without another word. A faint, meaningful smile played on his lips. Everything was going according to plan. He had paid someone to trap and harm me.

Ethan’s warm hands wrapped around me, his voice soft—filled with deceit.

"Don’t be sad, Zoey. I lost our baby too. She was so beautiful, just like you."

I froze. His eyes reflected sorrow, but not his heart.

He used to be so excited when he found out I was pregnant, gently touching my belly and speaking about our future as a family. But now?

He didn’t even want the baby to be born after learning her gender.

Disgust churned in my stomach. I wanted to slap that face full of lies. But I held back.

Tears fell, my chest tightening with rage.

Let him think I’m weak.

Because I will never forgive this.

"Zoey, I know this is hard. But it doesn’t matter if you can’t have children. We can adopt it in the future." Ethan looked at me as if he cared.

I weakly nodded. "I'm sorry I can't give you a child. I'm a useless woman."

"Don't say that!" His voice was firm. "The real problem is that mysterious message. I’ll find the person behind it and bring them to you."

His eyes were full of certainty, but I knew—his heart was laughing at me.

Ethan stood up. "I’ll step out for a bit. I want to buy your favorite cake, okay?"

I forced a small smile, pretending to be happy. But inside, I was sick of it all.

Ethan left, leaving me alone in the hospital room.

Suddenly, the vibration of a phone caught my attention. Ethan had left his phone behind.

With difficulty, my left hand reached for it. The screen lit up, revealing a string of messages from one name—Nora.

My hands trembled as I opened them one by one.

[Jackson misses you. He wants to play with you today. I already gave him a reason why you couldn't come. I even bribed him with lots of toys you gave him.]

Jackson…

The four-year-old boy from Ethan and Nora’s affair.

So this was the reason?

My hands shook as I scrolled to Ethan’s reply, sent while he was still with me.

[Relax, Nora. I’ll be there. But first, I’ll buy Jackson a cake—and one for you too.]

An unread message from Nora appeared beneath it.

[Ah, thank you! You always give us the best.]

My blood ran cold.

My baby was gone. My womb was destroyed… while their child lived happily.

And now, he was out buying cakes for Jackson and Nora—not for me.

I gripped the phone tightly, my breathing heavy.

With trembling fingers, I tapped the gallery icon. I knew this would hurt, but I had to see it.

The screen opened. Dozens of photos of Ethan, Nora, and Jackson.

An amusement park. A dinner. They even spent time traveling abroad together.

Not only that, last year—

Ethan was carrying Jackson in his arms, looking at him with pride, on his third birthday.

My heart sank.

It wasn’t me by his side.

It wasn’t me in those memories.

I was just a shadow.

I was the one considered his wife, yet I was the third person between them.

I placed Ethan’s phone back on the table. My hand fumbled to the other side, searching for my own phone. The moment I found it, my fingers quickly dialed a number I had saved for a long time—the contact of a lawyer I had met at a charity event before.

The call connected.

"Zoey?" The man’s voice on the other end sounded professional, but there was a hint of surprise.

"I need your help," I whispered, trying to suppress the tremor in my voice.

"I want to divorce Ethan."

Silence.

"Zoey, are you really sure? I just heard that you were hospitalized. I was actually planning to visit you later. So—"

"No need to worry, I’ve recovered. It was just a minor accident, Mr. Gerald," I cut him off before the conversation dragged on. More precisely, I lied.

"Please, just help me with what I asked for."

I sensed his hesitation, but finally, he said, "Alright. We can start by gathering your marriage documents and any evidence supporting your decision to file for divorce."

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. "Do it quietly. I don’t want Ethan to know until the right time."

"I understand."

Before I could end the call, Ethan suddenly walked into my room, making me hurriedly hang up in panic.

"Darling, who were you just calling?" he asked.

"Oh, it was just my friend, Lily. She keeps insisting on visiting me. I already told her there’s no need. I’ll be leaving soon anyway, right? I’m bored."

Ethan shook his head firmly.

"No! You’re not fully recovered yet," he said sternly.

"But... Didn’t you say you wanted to adopt a child? I want to do it as soon as possible. You know, I miss my baby. I want someone to fill that void."

Ethan fell silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

"Alright, I’ll talk to the doctor now.”

I successfully persuaded Ethan to take me home from the hospital sooner. But one thing still bothered me—my request to adopt a child had yet to be fulfilled.

"Why aren't we heading straight to the orphanage?" I asked, staring at him sharply while he focused on driving.

Ethan glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to the road. "We'll postpone it for a few days."

My forehead creased. "Why? Didn’t we already agree on this?"

He was silent for a moment as if searching for the right words.

"Zoey, you're still recovering. Your hand is bandaged, and your body hasn't fully healed. How can you take care of a child in this condition?"

I stared at him blankly. "I'm fine, Ethan."

"But I don't want you to push yourself," he said gently, his tone almost convincing.

I let out a quiet sigh, pretending to give in. "Alright."

I leaned back against the car seat, turning my face toward the window.

Recovery?

That wasn’t the real reason. Ethan was hiding something.

****

When we arrived home, Mrs. Sophia greeted me with a cold stare.

Ethan helped me out of the car, his hands supporting my body as if I would collapse at any moment.

"This is what happens when you can’t stay home, Zoey," Mrs. Sophia’s voice was sharp.

"Not only is your hand broken, but now you can’t even be a perfect woman for Ethan."

Her words cut like a knife.

I looked at Ethan, then back at my mother-in-law. "I was just worried about him, Mom. I never expected this to happen. And I don’t know who sent that message—who set me up."

"You were careless," Mrs. Sophia scoffed.

"Look at the result, Ethan is perfectly fine. You’re the only one who ended up as the victim. You should have called before acting recklessly."

I opened my mouth, but Ethan spoke first.

"Mom, stop." His voice was firm but exhausted.

"Zoey only wanted to make sure I was safe. She got into that accident because she was worried about me."

Mrs. Sophia didn’t look impressed.

"Then what about the heir to the Anderson family?"

Ethan let out a deep sigh. "We’ll adopt a child from an orphanage."

"NO!" Her voice was shrill, her eyes stabbing into me. "That is not an option."

I clenched my fists. "Then what?"

"The heir to this family must be of Anderson blood. Not some child off the streets."

I bit my lip. "But I… I can’t get pregnant again, Mom. How could—" My voice broke.

"That’s your problem, Zoey." My mother-in-law's gaze turned even colder.

"Find a way… or bring your dead baby back to life."

I froze.

In an instant, all the air in my lungs vanished.

She left the room, but her words still echoed in my mind.

*****

A few days later, Ethan suddenly asked to talk.

"I've been thinking about Mom's request regarding an heir," he said.

I scoffed, already predicting where this conversation was going.

"And what’s the solution?"

"I've found the best solution for all of us."

I stared at him sharply, my forehead creasing. "What do you mean?"

At that moment, the front door suddenly swung open.

A little boy ran inside and immediately hugged Ethan as if answering all my confusion.

"Daddy, I missed you!"

My heart plummeted to my stomach as I saw the child I had once seen in Ethan’s photo gallery now standing before me.

Ethan stiffened, his body tensing. I saw him bite his lip as if wanting to take back the boy’s words.

"Zoey, I'm sorry. Don't misunderstand."

Ethan's voice wavered.

He took a deep breath, then looked at me. "Zoey… let me introduce you. This is Jackson."

I didn't move. Didn't blink.

Ethan swallowed hard. "Jackson… is my nephew. I've already explained to him that I'm his uncle, but he's just used to calling me Dad."

The child looked up, his big eyes full of cheerfulness. The same eyes as Ethan's.

Even without a DNA test, I knew—Jackson was not his nephew.

A smile formed on my lips. A forced smile. A smile that felt like a slap to my own face.

"Oh? Really?" My voice sounded light, but my world was shaking.

Before I could react, Mrs. Sophia had already stepped forward.

She gazed at Jackson with pride, as if the boy were the long-awaited prize.

"So, this is the heir of the Anderson family?"

Ethan nodded. "From now on, he will live with us."

Mrs. Sophia crouched down and pulled Jackson into her embrace. "Of course! A wise decision, Ethan."

I remained frozen.

Then Ethan touched my shoulder, his voice gentle, trying to soothe me. "Zoey, don’t worry. Just focus on your recovery. Jackson has had a babysitter caring for him since he was little. I'll bring her here."

Before I could respond, the door opened again.

Someone walked in.

I held my breath.

Nora.

She stood at the doorway, smiling. Wearing a babysitter’s uniform.

"Hi, Zoey. Long time no see."

I stared at her without blinking.

My fists clenched.

"I'm Jackson's babysitter. I've been taking care of him for years and have earned the family's trust. From now on, I'll be working here."

My heart pounded violently.

She was once my best friend.

Now, she was the woman who had destroyed me so effortlessly.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging in my chest.

Ethan stood beside me, looking awkward as if he sensed the sudden tension filling the room.

"Mom, are we going to live here?" Jackson's innocent voice made my heart sink.

Mom? He called her that. Nora.

I stared at him intently, then shifted my gaze to Nora, who still wore that sweet expression.

For a moment, she looked surprised, but her face quickly regained composure. She lowered her head slightly, gently stroking Jackson’s hair.

"Sweetheart, you must be polite. From now on, we’ll live here, but remember what I taught you, okay?"

I saw her glance at me with a meaningful look.

I crossed my arms over my chest, struggling to hold myself back.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Zoey. Ever since I started taking care of Jackson, he’s always called me Mom. You see, he lost his parents when he was little."

Her voice was so natural as if there was nothing wrong.

I gave a thin smile.

"Oh? So you've been teaching him to call you Mom for a long time?"

Her expression flickered for a split second, but she quickly masked it.

"It wasn't me who taught him. He got used to it on his own. He just needed a mother figure."

My smile widened. "Really? Then you must be very close to him, huh?"

Nora nodded, still pretending to be calm.

"Of course. I’ve been taking care of him for years."

I glanced at Ethan, who was rubbing the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable with this conversation.

Then I looked back at Nora. "In that case, welcome to my home, Babysitter Nora… and Jackson."

I heard her breath hitch for a fraction of a second before she forced another smile.