Claire lightly tapped Dereck’s chest with her bright red, polished nails as she spoke.

Dereck smiled and playfully flicked her upturned nose with his finger.

"Sure, Kiara should thank you for being so generous," he said with a smirk. "At least this way, she’ll get to experience being a mother once in her lifetime."

As they moved in sync, the New Year’s Eve countdown reached its climax—the clock struck midnight.

The New Year had arrived.

My phone vibrated faintly, and I immediately saw a notification.

Claire just posted a new social media update.

Inhaling sharply, I clicked the notification.

[Just spent New Year’s Eve at Piapia Hotel—absolutely perfect! Happy New Year, everyone!]

As soon as she posted, the comments section was immediately flooded.

[So sweet! Happy New Year!]

[What a thrill, celebrating the New Year with love!]

On the other hand, I hid in a dark, cramped storage room.

My body felt numb, as if all warmth had drained away. My feet seemed glued to the ground.

Suddenly, a warm, firm hand clamped over my mouth.

"Shh, don’t make a sound," a voice whispered.

Startled, I turned to see Connor Williams, the chief director of the livestream team.

"You wouldn’t want your husband to find out you’re here, would you?"

He assumed I was a staff member because I often lingered around the studio. He’d even tried to pursue me once.

The sounds from the prop room pulled my thoughts back to the present.

In the darkness, his breath tickled my ear as he whispered, "Seems like marrying a streamer comes with a high risk of infidelity."

His voice was piercingly clear in the silence. "Kiara, have you ever thought about me? I don’t have a manager or a female assistant."

His gaze burned into me, predatory and intense.

I stayed silent. In moments like these, an adult’s silence often implies consent.

Taking it as encouragement, his breath grew heavier, and he leaned in to kiss my neck with fervor.

My body trembled but I didn't push him away.

'Dereck, you betrayed me first. You’re not the only one who can have other feelings—'

That night stretched on endlessly.

Biting my lip, I was consumed by a mix of tingling sensations and the bitter satisfaction of revenge.

By the time Dereck and Claire left, Connor and I were still not finished.

No one could have anticipated what happened that night.

One shot. That was all it took.

—

A month later.

It was time for the annual health check-up that Dereck and I always did together.

He was busy holding a meeting with his livestream team and asked me to bring back his report.

I sifted through the thick stack of results and found two shocking pieces of news—one good, one bad.

The good news. I was pregnant.

The bad news—Dereck had been diagnosed with azoospermia.

He could never possibly make a woman pregnant.

Taking a deep breath, I fed his medical report into the shredder without hesitation. Then, I printed out a falsified report showing normal results and slipped it into the pile.

This secret would come in handy someday. But not yet.

For now, I chose to share the good news, not the bad news.

I grabbed my phone and sent him a message on Instagram to tell him I was pregnant.

Dereck couldn’t contain his excitement. He sent me a voice message, his joy spilling through every word.

"Kiara, I knew it! I knew we’d have a baby someday."

Soon after, another notification popped up—he’d posted on Instagram.

His post read. [Thank you, my darling, for giving me the joy of becoming a father. @Kiara]

He had tagged me.

But the attached photo told another story—it was a bouquet of lilies, Claire’s favorite flower.

She always wore a lily-scented perfume, leaving that distinct fragrance wherever she went.

As for me? I was allergic to pollen.

In all our years together, not a single fresh flower had ever entered our home.

Now, that bouquet of lilies in the photo felt like a glaring insult.

A single Instagram post, simultaneously flattering his wife and his mistress.

Ha! Dereck truly mastered the art of hitting two birds with one stone.

The post quickly garnered over ten thousand likes.

[Can’t wait to see the adorable baby! Dereck is definitely going to be a super dad!]

[What a winner in life—career success and now a baby on the way. Congratulations!]

The comments section was filled with well-wishes, yet I felt as if I had been plunged into an icy abyss.

We had been together for three years and married for ten.

In the first few years of marriage, we were inseparable, sharing tender affection night after night.

But for some reason, we never had a child. I never once considered that the issue might be with Dereck.

To protect his pride and self-esteem, I told my parents that I was the one unable to have children.

When my mother heard this, she sighed deeply and said with a pained look, "A woman should have her own child. Otherwise, life will become very difficult down the line."

It was only later that I fully understood the meaning of her words.

A few years after our marriage, Dereck stumbled into the world of livestreaming by chance.

The man who once promised to be by my side forever gradually lost his way.

One by one, flawless, seductive female streamers began to surround him—with their heavy makeup, revealing outfits, and cloying smiles. They shamelessly flirted with my husband.

"Dereck, will you visit my livestream tonight and pamper me?"

"Dereck, come to my stream, and I’ll show you what you love the most~"

When they learned he had a wife, they became even more audacious.

"Let me know when your wife isn’t home tonight, okay?"

From team members to viewers, everyone fawned over him.

Slowly, Dereck began to disdain our once peaceful, steady life. He came home less and less.

Sometimes, he would drop off some things and leave without a second glance, as if even sparing me a look was a waste of his time.

To him, our home became nothing more than a temporary stopover.

I, in turn, became an obstacle to his pursuit of excitement and novelty.

—

That night, outside, the city was lit up, bustling with life.

Inside, I sat in the dark, alone and growing cold.

Staring at the flood of congratulatory comments on his Instagram post, I spoke to the empty room with a bitter smile, "Congratulations, Dereck. Truly, congratulations."

"Neither my child nor the mistress’s child belongs to you."

The next day.

I attended a celebratory banquet in honor of Dereck’s successful endorsement of the German luxury brand Jil Sander.

The brand’s executives appreciated his relatable charm, hoping to further tap into the French market.

The brand’s senior manager raised his glass to toast Dereck.

For a moment, something unreadable flickered in Dereck’s eyes.

Taking advantage of his tipsy state, the German executive commented in German, "Your manager has such a sexy figure."

Dereck had spent an entire month learning German for this deal.

With a relaxed expression, he replied fluently, "She’s quite enjoyable, and very open in bed."

The executive chuckled knowingly and added, "I heard both your wife and your manager are pregnant at the same time?"

Dereck froze for a brief second, panic flashing in his eyes.

When he glanced over and saw me casually scrolling on my phone, my expression calm, he assumed I hadn’t understood a word.

He then curved his lips into a warm smile and replied, "Yes, a sweet burden indeed."

The group of German executives exchanged amused glances, their smiles filled with innuendo.

"Mr. Hughes, you’re impressive—two women having children for you at the same time!"

“I suddenly remember a saying called ‘double happiness arrives’? Did I pronounce that correctly?” The foreign executive attempted the phrase with a thick accent, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

Dereck nodded and smiled, praising his effort. “Your French is quite good.”

My fingers instinctively clenched, gripping the cutlery in my hand so tightly it hurt.

They didn’t know that I had attended a foreign language high school and understood German perfectly.

Feigning ignorance, I asked Dereck, “What were you all talking about?”

I tried to keep my tone casual and light, as if I wasn’t suffocating inside.

“Oh, he just mentioned a saying, and he got it pretty spot on,” Dereck said, grinning.

I forced a smile in response, even though my heart felt like it was being torn apart.

Dereck wrapped his arm around my shoulders, laughing blissfully. “They’re congratulating me for becoming a father and securing the global endorsement deal for the brand.”

Inwardly, I sneered at his cluelessness.

Looking at this man, so completely in the dark, I couldn’t decide whether to feel pity or contempt.

It truly was a "double happiness"—two betrayal at once.

—

During a spring cleaning session, I discovered something shocking. Dereck had installed over a hundred hidden cameras in the house.

They weren’t for security. They were to monitor my movements.

When I wasn’t home, he would bring Claire over to our house to carry on their affair.

He had turned what was once a home full of warmth and memories into a sordid, no-limits love hotel.

The rooms I meticulously cleaned became their playground.

They tangled on the couch I had carefully chosen, pressed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, smudging the glass I had polished until it gleamed, and even desecrated the dining table where I ate my meals.

So, I decided to fight fire with fire. I installed my own hidden cameras.

One evening, Dereck surprised me by bringing me a glass of warm milk.

“I bought this special prenatal formula for you. It’s good for the baby.”

I drank it, touched by the gesture, and slept soundly that night.

The next day, while reviewing the surveillance footage, my stomach churned.

Dereck had brought Claire home while I was fast asleep.

That woman lay brazenly right next to me!

They indulged in their passion while I slept peacefully.

“Your trick worked perfectly. Sneaking her some sleeping pills was brilliant,” she beamed. “Even more thrilling than usual! You’re amazing!”

Their illicit tryst lasted three or four hours before they finally stopped.

The following morning, Dereck returned home unusually early.

Perhaps out of guilt, he approached me and hugged me tightly, burying his head in my neck.

“Wife, I’ve missed you so much. We haven’t been intimate since the baby...”

He lifted his head, his shirt half undone, revealing his toned chest and faintly bulging veins.

If this had been the past, I would have eagerly leaned into him, massaged his shoulders, and catered to his every whim.

But now, all I could smell was the faint lily fragrance lingering on him—a scent that belonged to Claire.

No matter how much he washed, it wouldn’t come off.

He was tainted.

At that moment, I changed my mind. I tore up the signed divorce papers.

If you won’t let me go, Dereck, then I’ll stay—for revenge.

I decided to carry Connor’s child to term.

Time passed quickly.

Claire found every excuse to flaunt her presence in front of me.

Her pregnancy was three months ahead of mine, and she treated her larger, more prominent belly as a badge of honor.

She often strutted in front of me, deliberately emphasizing her baby bump with an air of triumph and provocation.

Now, the internet was abuzz with gossip about the two pregnant women in Dereck’s life.

In places I couldn’t see, whispers followed me like shadows.

[This is such a mess. Could it really be that he got two women pregnant at the same time? What kind of man does that?!]

The gossip online spread like wildfire, but Dereck seemed more exhilarated than ever. He took this impending new life very seriously, more so than I had anticipated.

He began canceling numerous live streams and public appearances to prioritize me.

Every morning, he woke up early to prepare a nutritious breakfast, carefully bringing it to my bedside and watching me eat each bite.

In the evenings, he drew warm baths for me, massaged my swollen legs, and hummed lullabies to my growing belly before bed.

Sometimes, my hand would instinctively rest on my rounded stomach, but instead of maternal joy, my face reflected only icy indifference.

While Dereck was meticulously counting down to my due date, I was planning my escape.