Chapter 1

Madeline Lockhart hires a lawyer to draft divorce papers the moment she was sure she was pregnant. She asked the lawyer if she could sign on her husband's, Bradley Shaw, behalf since he would be too busy to show up. To prove his agreement, she called him. "I told you, didn't I? Handle everything yourself," he said. "I don't have time for your nonsense." The next moment, Louise Lowe's coy voice drifted through the phone. "Bradley, you're peeling them too fast. I can't finish them all." With that, the call ended with a sharp click. Madeline smiled faintly at the lawyer and said, "See? I told you." The lawyer frowned and hesitated, but he eventually gave in to her request. Once the papers were signed, Madeline felt an invisible weight lifted from her chest. She returned home in unusually high spirits and retrieved a photo from her collection, polishing the frame with care. A few housekeepers passed by and noticed her at it again. They leaned in close, exchanging hushed whispers. "Mrs. Shaw really does love Mr. Shaw, doesn't she? She stares at his photo countless times a day and polishes that frame like it's sacred." "What's the use?" the other replied. "Mr. Shaw doesn't care for her at all. He's always so cold to her." "Exactly. He flew out to see Ms. Lowe constantly when she was overseas. Now that she's back, he's with her every day and barely comes back." Their words were laced with sympathy, but Madeline paid them no mind. Because the man in the photograph wasn't Bradley, and the man she loved had never been him. The only reason she married him was because of his face, one that mirrored Anthony Shaw's exactly. Bradley and Anthony were identical twins. Madeline and Anthony had fallen in love when they were at university. He had promised that once they graduated, he would take her home to meet his family and get married. But life had other plans. Without warning, Anthony was gone—taken by an accident so sudden he left no final words. Just like that, she lost the love of her life. After knowing a love as deep as Anthony's, Madeline knew her heart would never belong to anyone else again. All she wished for now was to have a child who looked like him, a living reminder to walk beside her through the years ahead. Bradley, Anthony's twin brother, was the perfect candidate. From that moment on, Madeline began drawing close to Bradley. She pursued him with relentless devotion and did everything in her power to win him over. At the time, Bradley's crush, Louise, had just gone to study abroad. Frustrated by his family's constant pressure to marry, he agreed to Madeline's proposal with one condition. She could have anything she wanted, except his love. It was a humiliating demand. Yet Madeline accepted without hesitation. Bradley assumed she was simply head over heels for him and didn't question it. On their wedding day, Bradley didn't even show up. Louise had caught a cold, and that was enough for him to abandon Madeline at the altar. After they were married, he flew abroad constantly to visit Louise and even made Madeline book his flights. Their bedroom was lined with photos of Louise. His study overflowed with more of them. Even the garden behind their villa bloomed with her favorite flowers. With each slight, Madeline became the laughingstock of their social circle. But she never cared. She played the dutiful wife flawlessly, asking for only one thing. Every moment he was home, she ensured they shared a bed. Bradley mistook it for desperate affection, believing she loved him just as hopelessly as he loved Louise. His love for Louise ran deep. Despite his status, Bradley had never confessed as he was too terrified of losing her. Thus, in his silence, Louise ended up with someone else and left the country. Madeline never corrected his assumptions. There was no point. With her pregnancy confirmed, her purpose was fulfilled. It was time to go.