Hank froze for a moment, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes.

"Alex, I can’t accept this condition. We’ve been together for so many years, like family. How can we just separate?"

I curved my lips into a cold smile. So he still remembered.

We had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, and after graduation, marriage had seemed like the natural next step.

We spent nearly every moment together.

All that happiness ended abruptly three years ago, when Lily appeared as my adopted sister.

Gripping my hand tightly, Hank said with distress, "I’ll give you any compensation you want—except divorce."

"Alright."

Without thinking, I slid the divorce agreement in front of him amid the stack of documents. "Then sign this."

A trace of surprise flickered in Hank’s eyes. "If it makes you happy, I’ll buy you anything."

He was about to open it when his phone suddenly rang.

The message was from "Vivian Westbrook."

One glance, and Hank instantly stood and headed for the door.

"There’s an issue at the hospital. I’ll be back soon."

For the first time, I stopped him bluntly. "Wait."

Hank frowned. "Alex, I told you something’s urgent at the hospital. Don’t you trust me?"

"Sign it before you go."

I pointed to the document again. "Or do you no longer want this letter dropping the investigation?"

A flash of anger crossed his face. He snatched the agreement from the table.

Without even looking at it, he flipped to the final page and signed his name.

"Are you satisfied now?"

"Alex, I love you, but I won’t accept you threatening me with Lily. Don’t do it again."

Soon after he left, a stranger added me on social media.

I checked her Moments and found it was Lily’s alternate account.

The latest post showed them at a temple, with Hank kneeling before the Virgin Mary, his face filled with devotion.

"Please bless me and my beloved, so we can have a child of our own."

The post was made at the very moment my child drew his last breath.

Scrolling further, every update was about Hank.

The day I signed the reconciliation letter, they were at the beach together, watching the sunset, celebrating a new beginning.

The day my mother died, they attended an event wearing matching rings, kissing passionately.

For countless days and nights before that, Hank had always been by Lily’s side.

Someone commented, "Your husband treats you so well. I’m so jealous."

Another wrote, "He’s not your husband yet, but I believe true lovers will end up together."

What cousin? She was clearly Hank’s mistress!

And I was the fool, deceived for years.

I immediately rushed to the temple to confront them face-to-face.

But the moment I stepped out of the car, I heard words that tore through me.

"I didn’t mean to kill that old woman. Who knew she’d insist on getting in my way—now she’s just my scapegoat."

Lily’s tone was casual, as if two lives meant nothing.

"I only want the baby in her belly dead. I want Hank to care about my child alone!"

It felt like a thread snapped in my mind, and I instinctively rushed forward.

"Lily, what did you just say?!"

Lily rested her hand on her abdomen, smugness written all over her face. "Ah, sister, you heard me. Then I won’t hide it anymore. I’m carrying Hank’s child now. If you know what’s good for you, leave him immediately!"

My daughter, born prematurely, lay on a ventilator, her tiny body covered in tubes to keep her alive.

She was so fragile, her cries so faint they sounded as if they could vanish at any moment.

And Lily was pregnant with Hank’s child!

Noticing my silence, Lily’s brow furrowed. "Sister, it’s because you always covet what isn’t yours that your child was born prematurely. Perhaps she wasn’t meant to exist in this world…"

Before she could finish, I glared at her and slapped her hard. "Shut up!"

The next instant, Lily toppled down the stairs like a kite with a severed string.

Hank had suddenly appeared behind us. He darted forward, catching Lily in his arms.

She collapsed against him, her flushed face tilted up, nearly in tears. "Hank, it hurts!"

Those four words made Hank’s usually composed expression darken.

"Alex, what are you doing? Is this how you treat my only sister?"

My eyes burned with tears as I stared at the man I had loved for over twenty years.

"She said she’s carrying your child and wants you to divorce me. She even cursed my daughter. Shouldn’t I have slapped her?"

Hank instinctively loosened his grip on Lily and took a step toward me. "Didn’t I say I don’t agree…"

"Ah!"

Lily’s shrill cry cut him off. She collapsed to the floor, her face pale, clutching her belly. "Hank, my stomach hurts so much. I think the baby’s gone."

I coldly looked at the man before me, waiting for his choice.

The next second, he rushed to Lily without a backward glance and scooped her into his arms.

"Alex, this child has nothing to do with me, and don’t mention divorce again." His voice turned icy. "But you struck Lily. That won’t be overlooked. Kneel here and repent until the baby is safe."

Several bodyguards instantly surrounded me, forcing me to the ground.

The cold tiles pierced my knees, stabbing deeper into my heart that still loved Hank.

My child needed an incubator to live, and my mother was gone forever—yet Lily remained untouched.

I watched his retreating figure, my heart filling with bitter disappointment.

Rain poured down, and only late at night did Hank finally send word to the guards to release me.

I drove straight to the hospital, still soaked to the bone.

Lily’s words had left me uneasy, and I planned to transfer my child to the hospital under the Quinn family’s name.

But the moment I entered, I was met with the sight of my child’s lifeless body.

Frantic, I demanded, "How could my baby die? Who did this?!"

The nurse, startled by my return, dropped the documents in her hands.

A voluntary relinquishment agreement slid to the floor—signed by Lily.

"She’s not the mother. How could she sign it for me?!"

The nurse looked stricken. "She said Director He approved it. Director’s project sustains the hospital—we couldn’t refuse his order…"

I clutched my child’s body, tears streaming, my heart consumed by regret.

It was my investment in Hank that killed my baby!

My phone buzzed. A message from Lily: This is what happens if you refuse to leave. Next time, I can’t promise who it will be.

I gripped the phone so tightly the edges cut into my palm, blood dripping down.

When my baby became a small urn, I felt the last thread tying me to Hank break.

The nurse escorted me out, murmuring with sympathy, "Ms. Quinn, you’ll have another child. Please accept my condolences."

I brushed the box in my hands.

"No."

"There won’t be another. I don’t want this man anymore."

I returned to the villa, carrying a small urn. My soaked clothes chilled me to the bone.

On the table lay the divorce agreement, already signed by Hank.

This time, I signed without hesitation and told my assistant to expedite the divorce procedures.

There was no one left in this family worth keeping.

"Baby, Mommy’s sorry."

I stroked the porcelain jar, and suddenly it felt like I was back on the day she was born.

That day, I carefully held her tiny hand, and the crying child instantly quieted.

Her wide, bright eyes looked straight at me, as if I were her entire world.

Tears blurred my vision, and I could no longer hold them back.

Exhausted from crying, I eventually fell asleep on the sofa, still clutching the porcelain jar.

A few days later, my assistant answered a call.

"Ms. Quinn, the divorce procedures are finalized, but you’ll need to go to the Marriage Registry Office in person to collect the certificate."

After hanging up, I quickly packed and left.

At the entrance of the Marriage Registry Office, two familiar figures appeared before me.

The man wore a tailored suit, his profile striking, while the woman wore a long wedding dress, her face full of shyness.

"Hank, am I beautiful today?"

Lily’s eyes flicked toward me, then she deliberately wrapped herself around Hank’s arm.

She wore a low-cut gown, her pale chest pressed tightly against him.

Hank’s gaze deepened, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "Beautiful… Why not stay tonight and wear this dress?"

Lily blushed. "Hank, the baby’s still small!"

Relieved, Hank gently stroked her belly. "Yes, the baby’s important. We have plenty of time."

As they leaned closer, Lily suddenly exclaimed, "Sister’s here!"

She ducked shyly behind Hank, who also noticed me.

A dull ache throbbed in my chest, and I turned to leave, but Hank called after me.

"Alex, why are you here?"

He strode toward me, his tall figure blocking my path. "Don’t misunderstand, I’m only accompanying Lily for a photo shoot."

I suppressed my emotions and gave a soft hum.

Lily flashed me a playful look and stretched out her hand politely. "Sister, I asked Hank to accompany me for marriage certificate photos. If you’re upset, blame me."

The moment she finished, Hank moved to shield her protectively.

In the past, I might have lashed out, but now my heart was calm.

"Alright, you two carry on. I have something else to do, so I’ll be leaving."

A strange expression crossed Hank’s face. He looked at me as though I were a stranger. "Alex, you…"

"Hank, I’m not teasing, am I?"

Lily leaned closer and whispered, "Are you waiting for her to leave so you can scold me in secret?"

Her words reached me clearly.

Hank’s face darkened. He shot me at a displeased glance. "It’s fine, Lily, let’s go. I’ll protect you."

The man who once cherished and shielded me, who once held me in his arms, now looked at me with guarded hostility, as though I were the enemy.

I bit down hard, swallowing the sting rising in my nose. "Hank."

The two paused. Lily smirked at me with a look that said, I told you so.

Meeting his gaze, I spoke evenly.

"Remember to come back to the villa for dinner tonight. I’ve prepared a gift for you."

"Alright."

Hank seemed to take it as a sign of weakness and reconciliation, and his tone softened noticeably.

"By the way, Alex, what brings you to the Marriage Registry Office?"