That night, I used the excuse of feeling unwell from the pregnancy to ask Declan if we could sleep in separate rooms. At first, he did not quite agree.

It was Jane who convinced him. She said being pregnant was highly inconvenient, and I should get proper rest for the baby's development.

Only then did he reluctantly agree and said, "Jane's right. If sleeping separately is good for the baby, then we'll sleep separately. Sierra, you need to pay attention to your condition. If anything seems wrong with the baby, call me immediately."

If I had not already known he was only worried that if something happened to my child, there would be no one to take the blame for Jane.

I might have been moved for a moment and thought he really cared about me. Unfortunately, it was all an act.

I hid the hatred in my eyes and nodded gently. "Don't worry. I'll definitely take good care of the baby."

With my words, Declan felt much more at ease.

He knew I had always kept my promises.

When we first got together through Beatrice Truman, our commanding officer, I fell for him at first sight. Knowing he was a traditional man, I promised that if I could marry him, I would focus on family life.

After our marriage paperwork was approved, I immediately applied to my commanding officer to suspend all my work duties. Even though I had outranked him when I was serving in the military, Declan believed I loved him so deeply that I would always stay under his control.

For a while, I pretended not to notice anything, quietly watching as he openly favored Jane over me.

Military work was indeed quite busy, yet whenever he had any free time, he would accompany Jane to her prenatal checkups. Even the hospital staff had started treating Declan as Jane's husband.

The moment the doctor remarked, "The baby's mother looks a little underweight," Declan would wake up early to buy fresh meat, cooking daily to nourish Jane's body.

Of course, since Jane had severe morning sickness, all that meat ended up in my mouth. She did not gain much weight, but my belly became considerably rounder and had more energy for my daily morning fitness routine.

Declan clearly noticed and began to show signs of irritation, but he could not say anything. After all, I was still his wife in name.

What kind of husband would buy food and not allow his wife to eat?

Perhaps because Declan and Jane were getting too close, quite a few wives on the base gave me reminders.

"Sierra, I know you're easygoing, but you can't be so trusting about everything. Declain is young and promising! You need to be on guard so he doesn't get lured away by another woman."

I just smiled and brushed off the ladies' good intentions.

What a joke.

I could not wait for that scumbag Declan to put all his energy into Jane. Otherwise, if he had reached out to touch my 'child' even once, or suddenly decided to accompany me to a prenatal checkup, he probably would have discovered immediately that my baby was long gone.

My belly was about the same size as Jane's. However, it was nothing more than cotton padding that I adjusted daily based on observing her belly size.

Declan did not disappoint me either. Right up until the baby was nearly full term, he never discovered the cotton padding. He just stared at my stubbornly still belly, anxiety burning so fierce that blisters rose around his mouth.

Jane had been having intense contractions lately and could go into labor at any moment. The doctors advised her to stay at the hospital, but she was afraid something would go wrong and insisted on going home, constantly watching my belly.

After another two days, Jane could not wait any longer. She cried about how much pain she was in.

Declan immediately brought a bowl of chicken soup and knocked on my door. "Sierra, this is chicken soup my mom sent over. Drink some quickly to nourish your body."

One glance told me everything.

Aside from a thin layer of chicken fat floating on top, the soup was practically clear. The meat had probably already been sent to Jane.

I took the chicken soup, and under Declan's expectant gaze, I set it aside.

As expected, Declan got anxious. "Mom made the chicken soup herself. If you leave it much longer, it'll get cold. You should drink it while it's hot and not waste her effort."

"She still has the heart to care about me?"

I almost laughed, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

My mother-in-law, Irene Truman, had always disliked me for not being gentle and soft-spoken. She thought I was unfit to manage a household like a perfect daughter-in-law should.

She also looked down on my ordinary background. Both my parents were farmers in the countryside, completely incomparable to Jane, the daughter of war heroes.

Irene's favorite line had always been, "It was my mistake from the start. I should have matched Jane and Declan together. Oh, how I adore Jane... She's so much better than that stiff, unyielding Sierra Marks."

Even when Jane and I were both pregnant, Irene's eyes were only on her. Any good food in the house was immediately sent to Jane, and I was always left out.

Declan knew all of it.

He recalled Irene's attitude toward me, and I caught a flicker of guilt in his eyes. However, he quickly found his excuse.

"Sierra, that's just how she is. Mom has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. There's no way she would truly ignore our child. This soup was made from the old hen she raised herself, stewed for hours. Don't be upset with her, okay? After all, she's still my mother."

I did not say another word. As if I had been persuaded by him, I drank the chicken soup in one gulp.

Declan breathed a sigh of relief and left contentedly with the empty bowl.

I knew that bowl contained labor-inducing drugs. Before long, I pretended the medication was taking effect, clutching my belly and crying out in pain.

"Ouch! My stomach hurts so much! Am I going into labor? Honey, hurry and take me to the hospital!"

Declan and Jane exchanged glances, their faces full of joy.

She immediately put her hand on her belly too. "Declan, I think I'm going into labor too!"

"Perfect, Jane's in labor too. I'll take you both to the hospital right away!"

He hurriedly borrowed a car from the old commander next door and drove us both to the hospital.

By the time we arrived, Jane's water had already broken, soaking her clothes, and she was crying in agony.

"It hurts so much, Declan. Am I going to die?"

He picked her up tenderly in distress, telling me, "Jane's situation is more urgent. I'll take her to the emergency ward. Figure something out yourself!"

I rolled my eyes at his retreating figure and slowly walked into the private delivery room I had already arranged. Inside stood Albert Lloyd, the doctor Declan had secretly bribed to help with his scheme.

However, he did not know that just a few days ago, I had already approached Albert and offered him a far better deal.

I lay on the hospital bed for several hours, waiting patiently until the uninvited guest finally appeared.

Declan came in carrying a baby bundle. Seeing me with my eyes closed as if I were asleep, he tiptoed into the delivery room, heading straight for the 'child' lying beside me.

Just as he set the baby down and reached for the swaddle, I spoke up.

"Honey, what are you doing?"

Declan had a guilty conscience and was startled by my voice.

He almost dropped the baby bundle. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, caught it just in time, and forced a smile at me.

"I wasn't doing anything. Look, Jane has already given birth, so I just wanted to come see you and our child."

At that moment, Jane's child seemed to sense it was in a different place and started crying at the top of its lungs.

Declan's eyes flickered as he directly pulled open the bundle. With just one glance, he flew into a rage. "Sierra, is this the child you gave birth to? Did you cheat on me?"

His angry roar startled all the patients and family members nearby. Everyone rushed over in a crowd, wanting to see what was happening. The Huxley family members who had just received the news and hurried over were at the front.

Irene caught sight of the baby and gasped loudly.

"Sierra, you're shameless! Declan is a commanding officer. He's young, handsome, and promising. Our family even paid for your wedding. What did we ever do to deserve this insult?

"You got involved with a foreigner and gave birth to this brat. How am I supposed to face our family now?"

She sat on the ground wailing about the family's misfortune, saying she wanted to drag me to be drowned. Her appearance was so pitiful that even the passersby who came to watch felt sorry for her and joined her in condemning me.

In the middle of the chaos, Jane appeared, supporting her frail body as she walked out. There was a flash of satisfaction in her eyes, though she covered her mouth and feigned shock.

"Oh my, Sierra actually gave birth to a love child? I always wondered why I kept seeing her write those strange foreign letters at home that I couldn't understand…"

After speaking, Jane gave me an apologetic glance, as if she were somewhat afraid. "I'm sorry, Sierra. This was your secret. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

Declan quickly protected her behind him and righteously scolded me. "Sierra, I can't believe this is who you are! You even exchanged letters with foreigners? You didn't leak information about my unit, did you?

"You used to be in the military too, and you should know classified intel cannot be shared! Even if you're my wife, I will never cover for you. Dad, Mom, report this to the federal agents right now and tell them we've uncovered a spy!"

The moment the word 'spy' left his mouth, the crowd's expressions changed. Their eyes filled with disgust.

"Traitor! Get her locked up immediately!"

"Exactly, shameless woman! Thank goodness Mr. Huxley is upright and puts justice before family. She's not worthy of such a good man!"

"Beat her up! Let's see if she dares to be a spy again!"

That era was especially sensitive to such accusations, and the crowd grew furious, demanding punishment.

Someone even threw eggs to me, which splattered against my bed and splashed across my face.

Seeing my miserable state, Jane hid behind the crowd and secretly laughed. When our eyes met, her heart skipped a beat, and her smile faltered.

She had imagined that after having my child switched and being framed as a spy, I should have been shocked and scared.

Instead, I stared at her with an unwavering gaze, as if I had already seen through every ounce of her lies.

Jane had a bad feeling about it. Her eyes fell on the bundle that Declan was holding, and a chill ran down her spine.

She realized that the baby had been strangely quiet the entire time.

She tugged on Declan's sleeve, just about to speak, when a commotion erupted outside.

"We're federal agents. Please step aside, everyone!"