When my father was dying, my boyfriend proposed to me right in front of his bed.

He knelt down on one knee and agreed to marry me.

He swore to be good to me all his life, that the child he had would take his mother's surname and that he would take care of my mother in her old age and see her to the end of her life.

My father was so moved that he shed tears and changed his will.

The company was inherited by my husband and me and my mother only got some real estate.

But my mother had no complaints. Due to her health problems, she was no longer able to run the company and she just wanted my husband and I to be well.

Her biggest wish was that we could have a child as soon as possible so that she could meet her grandchild before her death.

But that day... I disappointed her.

“Kneel down right there,” my mother yelled, crying.

I knelt in front of her.

My mother held my face in her hands and asked with tears in her eyes, “What is the reason? If you have your own reasons, tell me bluntly. 

“But if he has something against you, do not be afraid. I will defend you. Even if I risk my life, I will still make the decision for you.”

I whispered, “Mom, I just love him. I'd do anything for him.”

My mother was stunned for a moment, then raised her hand and slapped me hard.

At this time, my husband ran in, pulled me away and said to my mother, “Mom, do not do this. What if she gets hurt? Althea has to donate bone marrow later.”

My mother was so angry that she almost fainted.

She pointed at my husband, her hands shaking, “You and Deanna are having an affair, do you think no one knows about it?

“I did not expect you just because Althea is pregnant with your child. But, how could you be so heartless?”

My husband's face darkened and he said coldly, “Mom, Deanna and I are only friends. If you spread this rumor, it's not me who is embarrassed, but your daughter.”

My mother looked at me with grief and anger, but I lowered my head, remaining indifferent.

A hint of pride appeared on my husband's face.

It was me who pursued him in the beginning. I was a rich girl and licked the most handsome man, which made him gain a lot of face in the circle.

After we got married, I listened to him in everything and never opposed his decisions.

My husband knew it a long time ago and he already had me completely under his control.

Even if I had to abort my child and donate my bone marrow to his mistress, I would not object.

My mother held my hand and almost begged me, “Althea, divorce him and give birth to the child.

“This child's surname is Pollard after all. So, he is the bloodline of our family.”

I shook my head, “Mom, I'm an adult now, let me make my own decision, okay?

“If you push me again, I will have no choice but to sever the mother-daughter relationship with you.”

My mother stood there stiffly, her face pale, as if she had aged ten years in an instant.

At this time, my mother-in-law arrived.

She wheeled my mother’s chair into the open air, her voice cutting through the quiet like a jagged knife.

“Abort the baby now and try for another later," she said with cold detachment. 

"Don’t let the doctor scare you with their nonsense. It’s just an abortion—what’s stopping you from having another child afterward? 

“I also had three, no, four abortions before I finally had a boy."

Her words hung heavy in the air, indifferent to the life and grief they disregarded.

“Mrs. Lane, why are you interfering in the affairs of a young couple?”

My mother was angry and anxious and asked my mother-in-law to stop.

But my mother-in-law did not listen at all.

My mother was so anxious that she forced herself down from the wheelchair with her crutches.

But she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

The bag she brought fell off, revealing a few baby clothes and a pair of tiger-head shoes.

She prepared these things for a long time.

Even the pair of tiger-head shoes were embroidered by herself stitch by stitch.

My mother said that when children wore tiger-head shoes embroidered by their elders, they could walk steadily, run fast and grow up healthily.

But that time... all this was no longer necessary.

My mother laid on the ground, lifted up the tiger-toe shoes and gently shook them towards me, “Althea, are you really willing to give them up?”

I bit my lip and turned my head away, no longer looking at her.

I said to Dr. Sunny, “Dr. Sunny, please help me with the surgery. I do not trust anyone else.”

Then, I grabbed the surgery notice and signed it without further ado.

My mother called me from afar, “Althea.”

She fainted.

Dr. Sunny sighed and nodded silently.

She knew that even if she refused surgery, I would find another doctor.

The level of those doctors was much worse and they caused more harm to my body.

I laid on the operating table, enduring the excruciating pain of induced abortion, as if a knife was about to cut my body open.

I was sweating profusely from the pain and my consciousness started to blur.

Suddenly, it seemed as if something was peeled off from my body.

I heard the nurse's regretful voice, “It's a boy, white and chubby, what a pity."

A line of tears rolled down the corner of my eye.

After the induced abortion, my body was extremely weak.

But my husband forced me to be transferred to another hospital.

Deanna was there, waiting for my bone marrow.

After being transferred to another hospital, I never saw my husband or Deanna again.

My mother was in a wheelchair, busy taking care of me.

Several times, I heard her crying secretly in the corridor.

She did not tell me any news about my husband and Deanna, but I was able to piece together a general idea from the nurse's few words.

After I was sent here, my husband slammed the doctor's table and asked him to perform the marrow donation operation immediately.

But after examining my condition, the doctor was afraid to perform the operation.

Because my health was very poor at the time. So, there was a high possibility that I would die on the operating table.

My husband had no choice but to agree to let me rest for three days.

For the past three days, he had been in Deanna's ward, accompanying her 24 hours a day.

After listening to the nurse's words, I felt nothing in my heart, I just stared blankly at the ceiling.

The time my mother went to buy food, the ward became quiet and I closed my eyes to rest.

“Althea, you've worked hard. We came to see you.”

Hearing this, I opened my eyes.

Next to my hospital bed, my husband and Deanna were holding hands with their fingers tightly interlocked.

Deanna was radiant with makeup on. The hospital gown had obviously been altered and it fit her perfectly. Instead of looking sickly, it gave people a cosplay-like temptation.

It seemed that her illness was not that urgent.

Compared to Deanna, I look very ugly with my disheveled hair and pale face.

My husband's eyes were always on Deanna and he did not even look at me.

Of course, he would not notice that the two of them did not close the door of the ward after they came in.

The cold wind blew in from the corridor and I kept shivering.

“Who let you in? Get out.”

My mother was back.

She pushed my husband with her crutch and threw the porridge in her hand at Deanna.

Deanna dodged, but still screamed and hid in my husband's arms with a pale face.

My husband looked at my mother angrily and said, “I respect you as my elder, so I have always been polite to you.

“If you continue to disrespect me and target Deanna, do not blame me for being rude.”

My mother was so angry that she cried.

At this time, a tall man walked in and stood firmly beside my mother.

He said to my husband, “What? Are you bullying an orphan and a widow?”

I recognized him, it was Simon Callahan.

He had been a close friend of my father for decades and had been a senior executive in my father's company.

Simon placed the nutritional supplements at the head of my bed, looked at me, his eyes red with discomfort and then closed the door of the ward.

My husband did not go to see Simon. He cleared his throat and said to me, “Deanna has something important to tell you.”

Deanna took out an exquisite handbag and pulled out a stack of documents from it.

She handed the document to me with a cautious expression and said softly, “Althea, I hope you won’t take this the wrong way.

“I’ve read about situations like this online—people donate their marrow to help someone, only to be abandoned when they fall ill themselves.

“To avoid any misunderstandings and to give us both peace of mind, could you sign an agreement? It would state that if I need another marrow donation in the future, you’ll continue to help me.”

My mother was so angry that she started coughing violently.

Simon could not stand it anymore, so he pushed my husband and told him to get out.

But I smiled and said, “It's okay, I 'll sign. I'm doing this voluntarily.”

Simon froze there.

My mother shed tears of despair and cursed, “If I died with your father, I would not be so sad now.”

Hearing this, my heart sank.

But I still wrote down my name firmly: Althea.

My husband's face lit up and he took out another document before saying, “Althea, you definitely do not have the energy to take care of the company during this period. How about this, let me be in charge of the company's affairs.”

Simon reached out and pressed the document firmly on the table.

His chest heaved violently and he said to me angrily, “Althea, I came here today specifically to talk to you about this matter.

“This guy has been transferring the company's assets recently. The business your father left behind is almost being emptied out by him.

“If you sign this document, the company will probably be left with nothing. It means he wants to wipe out the whole family.”

I smiled and shook my head, then took the document and said, “Simon, you misunderstood my husband. 

“I love him and he loves me, so how could he hurt me? Is it not the same whether the inheritance is in his hand or in mine?”

I wrote my name lightly.

Simon squatted on the ground and cried aggrievedly, “Mr. Pollard, I'm sorry. I did not help you protect the family business.”

After my husband got the documents, he immediately opened the door and walked out.

In the cold breeze, I heard him say to the doctor, “Start the operation immediately.”

The doctor said softly, “But Miss Pollard's body is still a little…."

The husband grabbed her by the collar, “I said, do the surgery right away! If she dies, it's my fault, do you understand?”

I went through the surgery in a coma.

After returning to the ward, I never saw my husband again.

Half a month later, I was able to be discharged from the hospital. While my mother was helping me with the discharge procedures, I sneaked back home.

When I walked into the house, I was stunned.

My husband was holding Deanna and sitting on the sofa watching TV.

When my husband saw me come in, he frowned immediately, as if I was an uninvited guest.

“Why are you back?” my husband said impatiently.

I smiled and said, “I missed you.”

My husband looked annoyed when he asked, “Did you not call ahead?”

Deanna hugged my husband's arm and said, “Oh, do not be angry. It's good that Althea is back. I like the kelp soup she makes the most.”