Chapter 1

"Mom, Dad, my piece just won an award…" After returning from a business trip, Phyllis Cole had gone to visit her parents. She froze at the sight before her. Her eyes widened, and her hand clenched the doorknob. A wedding portrait was placed in the center of the living room, showing the faces of Nathan Frey and Patricia Cole. Nathan was her husband, and Patricia was her twin sister. Her parents were standing beside a baby cradle, holding rattles in their hands. For a moment, her mind went completely blank. Before she could even process it, Patricia suddenly scooped the baby into her arms, dropped to her knees with a thud, and looked up at her. "I'm sorry, Phyllis..." Her eyes shimmered with tears, looking the very picture of innocence. "You can't give Nathan a child, but I was born with a fertile body, so—" Before she could finish, Nathan stepped in, gently helping her up and saying calmly, "Lissy, my parents have always wanted a grandchild. Patricia was kind enough to sacrifice herself to give us one, so you should thank her instead of blaming her." He pushed up the rimless glasses on his nose and pressed his lips into a thin line. The glare from the incandescent light reflected coldly off the lenses, making him seem distant and arrogant. Aaron Cole and Sapphire Lawson quickly chimed in, "That's right. If Patricia hadn't been considerate enough to take your place, you'd never have a child in this lifetime. Don't be ungrateful when you're this lucky." With every word, they pieced together a truth Phyllis had never known before. People always said words could cut deep, and it was only now that she knew just how true that was. Each sentence cut deeper than the last. She didn't know how much time had passed, but a dull ache began to spread through her chest, like cotton stuffed inside that was impossible to swallow or spit out. Tears blurred her vision. She turned her gaze to the man she had loved for so many years. The more she looked, the more bitter the irony became. Everyone knew she was infertile. Her narrow-minded parents despised her for her disability and had always favored Patricia. Even her classmates used it as an excuse to mock and bully her. Only Nathan had been different. Among his generation of wealthy heirs, he was the most accomplished, singlehandedly raising his company's value to billions. He was every bit the ideal catch. He'd turned down every blind date his parents set up, brushed off rumors and criticism, and openly chased after her. She dreamed of sweeping every major photography award, and he invested money, time, and even risked his life to follow her into war zones abroad. When she was criticized for not being able to have children, he publicly announced they would remain childless and even had a vasectomy, just to give her security. He knew all her old wounds and patiently smoothed down every sharp edge she had. He once told her, "Heaven thought you were too perfect, so it gave you a flaw. Whether you can have children or not, and whether you're an angel or a sinner, I'll only ever love you." His love for her was no secret. It was so deep that even she had believed it with all her heart. People said, "Phyllis is the first woman a wealthy heir ever really fell for." She had accepted his proposal in a sea of flowers with the whole world watching, believing her happiness would last forever. But reality tore open that beautiful past. She knew that no matter how much she tried to convince herself, this would always be a thorn lodged in her heart, festering until it rotted. She let out a cold laugh, and her eyes were sharp with mockery. "Mom, Dad, this is the last time I'll call you that. You've always thought Patricia and Nathan were the real couple. Now that the baby's here, I wish the five of you all the happiness in the world." With that, she walked out without looking back, ignoring the stunned faces around her. Nathan frowned and instinctively tried to follow. But just then, Patricia clutched his sleeve with a pale face, crying out in pain. She bit her lip. "Nathan, my stomach hurts so much. Can you rub it for me?" He looked from the fading figure at the door to the frail woman before him, and in just a few seconds, he made his choice. He rested his large hand over her belly with practiced ease, while Aaron and Sapphire rocked the baby to sleep. ... After leaving her parents' house, Phyllis went straight to the visa office alone. As part of a routine procedure, the staff asked why she was going abroad. She sniffed, forcing a confident smile. "The work I shot just won the Pulitzer Prize. The organizers invited me to receive the award overseas in two weeks." Her words drew murmurs of admiration from those nearby. She thanked them one by one, submitted all her documents, and headed back to the apartment she shared with Nathan downtown. While packing for her trip, a marriage certificate slipped out from between some papers. The moment she saw the details, a wave of pain crashed over her. It was sharp and relentless, like a dull blade cutting into flesh again and again. It turned out that during her business trip, Nathan had taken Patricia to the Republic of Westmere to get married. He was now legally married to two women, one in Juville and one abroad. He had forgotten the promise to love her for a lifetime. And yet, it had only been three years. She couldn't help but think about how quickly his "forever" had ended. So be it. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her marriage might be rotting, but her career was climbing toward its peak. From now on, she would pour herself into her dreams. Everything else no longer mattered.