###Chapter 3

One moment he was calling me his favorite "plaything," and the next, his eyes were red with false concern.

'Dawson, the Oscars owe you a golden statue!'

I pulled my hand away and put some space between us.

“I must’ve caught a cold these past few days. I just feel... drained.”

He gently brushed my hair, concern written all over his face, then clasped the sapphire necklace around my neck. His tone was casual—too casual.

“Maxine, I’ll need to go on another business trip soon. This time it’ll be over a month. I really don’t want to leave you.”

Over a month? That’s more than enough time to throw a wedding—and go on a honeymoon around the world.

Even though my heart was shattered, I still clung to hope like a fool. I reached for his hand.

“Dawson... I’ve been feeling uneasy lately. Could you stay? Just this once—don’t go?”

He cupped my face with tenderness, his voice soothing.

“This is a major project, sweetheart. I have to go make money to support you. Be good and wait for me at home, okay?”

Looking at his feigned helplessness, I clenched my fist, nails digging into my trembling palms.

Finally, I nodded, heart numb and cold.

“...Then go.”

Relieved, he leaned in and pinned me gently to the pillow, his lips brushing my cheek.

“Baby, how about we try again tonight? Maybe I’ll finally give you a child...”

But his words ripped open wounds in my already tattered heart.

I instinctively pushed him away. “Dawson, let’s wait until you’re back. I’m not feeling well today.”

He stroked my pale cheek, seemingly convinced. Then he kissed my hair.

“Alright. Rest early.”

Maybe he was too worn out from serving Elise, because the moment he lay down, he started snoring.

I turned and picked up the phone by his bedside.

He’d always said he had nothing to hide, that he didn’t even need a password.

Now I knew the truth—his phone had dual systems.

I typed in Elise’s birthday, and the system switched instantly.

Right there on the home screen was a wedding photo of Dawson and Elise kissing beneath the Eiffel Tower.

My breath hitched.

With trembling hands, I opened their chat. The first thing I saw was Elise holding their baby, beaming.

[Our son is so cute! He looks just like you. He’s going to be such a little heartbreaker.]

Every message burned through me like acid.

[You fly to see me all the time. Aren’t you afraid Maxine will find out?]

[She believes everything I say. Don’t worry. She’s too stupid to ever figure it out.]

Scrolling up, I found even more.

Elise had sent him private, explicit photos.

She was naked, heavily pregnant, wearing nothing but a sheer thong. Her legs were parted, and she was teasing her well-maintained body with delicate fingers.

[Hubby, the doctor says the baby’s almost due. He says I’ll have an easier delivery if the father stays... active.]

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I looked at the timestamp.

It was two months ago—on my birthday.

That night, Dawson had gotten a sudden “work call.” His expression had changed in a heartbeat, and in his rush to leave, he’d knocked over a chair, cutting the birthday song short.

“Sorry, baby. There’s an emergency overseas. I’ll make it up to you with an even more romantic celebration when I get back.”

He’d kissed me goodbye, and left me standing there, stunned.

Now I finally understood. He had spent most of the year abroad.

His so-called business trips were just excuses to be with his mistress, pampering her through her pregnancy.

Even on my birthday—he couldn’t wait one more night to be by her side.

My fingers, pale with fury, nearly crushed the phone.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the photo album.

Hundreds of gigabytes of photos and videos documented every moment of Elise’s pregnancy—right up to the birth.

Dawson, who never lifted a finger at home, was seen preparing fancy, nutritious meals for her every single day.

He had skipped important meetings just to take her to prenatal appointments.

When she threw up from morning sickness, his obsessive cleanliness didn’t stop him from catching her vomit with his bare hands.

He even bought a castle in Tuscany, just so she could rest and recover in luxury.

He treated her like a princess.

And me? He wouldn’t even give me a child—because in his eyes, only Elise was worthy of bearing his heir.

I slowly set the phone down, my expression blank.

My hands trembled as I placed them on my belly.

Baby... were you just as disappointed in your father as I was?

Is that why you didn’t want to be born into this cruel home?

If so... maybe it’s better that you left.

###Chapter 4

I climbed out of bed and opened the drawer.

With trembling hands, I tore the pathetic fake marriage certificate into shreds.

Then I dug out the wedding photos buried at the bottom of the suitcase—those shameful lies we once posed for—and threw them straight into the trash.

Letting out a deep breath, I slid under the covers. Just as I was about to sleep, Dawson's phone rang.

He jolted awake, quickly switching it to silent.

“Maxine, did I wake you?”

He gave my right shoulder a gentle shake. Seeing that my breathing was steady, he quietly answered the call.

“Your son misses you. Come keep us company.”

Elise's sugary voice cut through the silence like a blade.

Dawson glanced at me, then lowered his voice.

“I miss you two as well. I'm coming now.”

“You ripped my panties earlier today—don't forget to bring me a new pair, okay?”

After hanging up, Dawson stroked my face with mock tenderness, then got dressed and left.

I followed his car in secret.

Eventually, he pulled into the private healthcare center owned by the Patterson family.

As I slipped through the gates, two passing staff members chatted excitedly.

“President Patterson is so devoted to his fiancée. This entire facility was built just for her postnatal care.”

“Right? Miss Perkins must've saved the galaxy in her past life to deserve a man like him.”

Inside the lavish private villa, Elise threw herself into Dawson's arms.

She looked radiant—glowing skin, perfect makeup, not a trace of fatigue from childbirth. Dozens of professionals, nannies, and attendants fluttered around her like she was royalty.

Dawson playfully tapped her nose.

“I called Victoria's Secret and instructed them to prepare 365 pairs of panties so you can wear a new style every day.”

She squealed with delight and kissed him.

“These are unreleased limited editions! You actually got them in advance? Dawson, you're the best!”

Then her gaze drifted toward the floor-to-ceiling window—and landed directly on me, standing in the garden.

In the blink of an eye, she collapsed against his chest like jelly.

“Hubby, I'm so full of milk. The baby can't finish it all. I'm so swollen, and it hurts... The doctor said if I don't get relief soon, I might get a fever...”

Dawson hesitated, brows furrowed. “Elise... You just gave birth. We already... earlier today. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it. I don't want to see you suffer.”

She grabbed his head and pushed it toward her chest.

“Dummy. I'm willing to suffer for you. Don't you want to help me try on those new panties?”

His eyes darkened instantly with lust.

Dawson pinned her against the wall, kissing and biting, his hands grabbing wildly. Their breath quickened, rising to a fevered pitch.

When he was with me, he was always gentle. I thought that meant he cherished me.

Only now did I realize his so-called tenderness was nothing but pity.

This was the real Dawson—a man unhinged with desire for the woman he truly loved.

Even when Elise begged him to stop, he didn't. He kept going—again and again.

I couldn't watch anymore.

I fled back to the car, heart pounding, and stomach churning.

Back home, I wiped my pathetic tears away.

I took off the sapphire necklace he had just given me and gathered every item connected to Dawson—letters, photos, souvenirs, and tossed them all into a metal barrel.

Then I struck a match.

The love I once carved into my bones went up in flames.

Just as the fire crackled, an email notification lit up my screen—it was from Elise.

[Did you enjoy watching our little love performance? You've spent years clinging to Dawson like a desperate stray, without an ounce of dignity.]

[He says you're more boring than a piece of wood. He never once felt satisfied with you. But with me? He can't get enough.]

I let her mockery wash over me.

And yet, I downloaded every vile, humiliating video she attached—one by one.

###Chapter 5

I sat by the bed in a daze the whole night.

At dawn, I went straight to the hospital for the abortion.

"Please... just let me see my baby one last time."

Cradling the cold, lifeless embryo wrapped in a white cloth, I didn’t even have the strength to cry.

At that exact moment, Dawson was at the private medical villa, doting on Elise and their newborn son—feeding her a lavish, nutrient-rich breakfast with his own hands.

A notification popped up on my phone: a trending news alert.

[CEO Patterson spends over a million dollars on an antique jade amulet to protect his newborn son.]

He really does love them—so cautiously, yet so extravagantly.

I turned off my phone, exhausted, and drove home in silence.

Just as I stepped inside, I heard footsteps behind me. Dawson entered and wrapped his arms around me, guilt painted on his face.

“Sorry, Maxine. There was a last-minute meeting at work last night. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you.”

He kissed my hair and smiled softly beside my ear.

“I have a surprise for you.”

“Maxine, I know I can't give you a child of our own... but I love you so much, so I found a way to fulfill your wish to be a mother.”

My chest tightened, and a wave of dread swept over me.

I watched in disbelief as Dawson took a bundled infant from the butler's arms.

“I adopted him. His single mother couldn't care for him and left him at an orphanage.”

He held the baby out to me, beaming. “Isn't he adorable? The more I look at him, the more I love him. I even picked a name for him—Elijah. Doesn't it suit him? We'll call him Eli, okay?”

The baby's face was a striking blend of Dawson and Elise's features. Around his neck was a jade safety charm—just like the one from the news.

It felt like a cruel joke, a twisted mockery of the baby I had just lost.

Cold sweats broke out on my forehead as I forced myself to speak.

“Dawson. I don't want someone else's child.”

“I know it's hard to accept right now,” he coaxed. “But once you spend time with Elijah, you'll fall in love with him. He's soft and sweet, just like a little angel.”

His eyes sparkled with affection, as if he were cradling the most precious treasure on earth.

“No. I won't raise him.” I refused loudly, my voice cracking like glass.

Dawson's smile faltered, and he frowned. “Don't be so unreasonable! I did this for you! Everything is already arranged! This child has no parents—how can you be so heartless and cold?”

Cold? Heartless?

My chest felt like it had been pierced with knives.

"Dawson!"

Just then, Elise strolled in, perfectly styled and glowing with smug satisfaction. Dawson's face instantly softened when he saw her.

“Since Elise just gave birth and is still lactating, I asked her to be Elijah's godmother. She'll help us feed the baby.”

“Maxine, I believe you'll grow to accept him eventually. It's okay—we have all the time in the world.”

His tone was gentle, but final. There was no room for discussion.

So this was his plan all along. A complete, happy family—right under my nose.

How cleverly calculated of you, Dawson.

I bit down on my lip hard enough to taste blood, catching the victorious gleam in Elise's eyes.

“Don't worry, Maxine,” she purred. “I'll take good care of the baby... and Dawson, too.”

She emphasized his name deliberately, like twisting a knife in my chest, as she naturally took the baby from his arms.

“Aww, our son's hungry. Time for his milk.”

Dawson's gaze followed her up the stairs, stuck on her like glue, like he couldn't bear to part for even a second.

After a long moment, he finally turned back to me, brushing my hair.

“My parents are thrilled we adopted Elijah. They can't wait to meet their grandson. Once Elise finishes feeding him, we'll take him over.”

Something inside me snapped.

Adopted child? His parents were thrilled?

Or was it because they already knew?

Because this child wasn't adopted at all—but Elise and Dawson's real son?