Chapter 1

By the time Natalie Bennett got home, it was already dark. She opened the door to the bedroom. Men's clothes and a belt were scattered across the bed. The sound of water running came from the bathroom. Jeffrey Foster was in the shower. Natalie glanced down at the pregnancy test in her hand. She was pregnant with twins. When the doctor confirmed it, part of her thought maybe, just maybe, she could use this pregnancy to hold on to Jeffrey and save their crumbling marriage. But then the doctor told her that one of the embryos didn't have a heartbeat, and she would need to terminate it. She immediately agreed to get rid of the one without a heartbeat and keep the healthy one. However, the surgery required both spouses' signatures, and she couldn't make that decision alone. The bathroom door creaked open, and Jeffrey walked out. He wore nothing but a white towel around his waist. His hair was damp, with water droplets still clinging to his skin. His broad shoulders, narrow waist, and perfectly defined muscles showed off pure strength. Without even acknowledging Natalie, he walked right past her and headed for the closet to grab his pajamas. In his eyes, she didn't even exist. She was used to it. She followed him. "We need to talk." "I've got something to say, too," Jeffrey replied, his voice distant. Natalie tightened her grip on the pregnancy test and bit her lip. "You go first." Jeffrey didn't hesitate. "Ab's coming back." Hearing that, Natalie froze. The woman he loved most, Abigail Wright, was coming back. Where did that leave Natalie? She had to make way for Abigail. Jeffrey turned, locking eyes with her. "So, Natalie, you know what to do." Five years of marriage, and she still hadn't won him over. She heard herself ask him, "Between her and me, will you always choose her?" Jeffrey smirked, a touch of mockery in his voice as he asked, "Do you think you can compare to Ab?" Natalie's face drained of color, and her eyelashes trembled. "What have I done to deserve this? Jeffrey, I'm your legal wife." "You know exactly how you ended up marrying me. And you also know how you made your way into my bed!" Jeffrey had always been reserved with her. He was skilled in using cold indifference and even more adept at subtle emotional manipulation. But whenever they talked about their marriage, his eyes were filled with disgust, and his tone was laced with anger as he blamed her. After all, she had taken the place meant for his precious Abigail. Natalie took a deep breath. "The engagement was arranged when we were kids. As for that night, I really don't know how it happened." Since their marriage, Jeffrey had never touched her, so she had no chance to get pregnant at all. Jeffrey's grandmother, Caroline Norton, eager for a great-grandchild, had somehow used a sneaky tactic to force them into consummating their marriage. Natalie only remembered waking up in Jeffrey's arms, completely naked. When Jeffrey woke up, he immediately grabbed her by the throat. No matter what she said, he didn't believe her. The pregnancy was conceived that night. Once was enough—she really was fertile. Jeffrey scoffed and slipped into his silk pajamas. His voice was low. "Didn't you have something to tell me?" As he passed her, he briefly glanced at the paper that was crumpled in her hand, but didn't care enough to acknowledge it. He moved to the window and lit a cigarette. Natalie looked at his back. "If we have children, then…" He cut her off, irritation thick in his voice. "Natalie, do you really think a baby will keep me around? Was sleeping together not enough? I never realized you're such a manipulative woman." Jeffrey flicked the ash off his cigarette. "You've been playing the perfect wife for five years, but now, your true nature is showing." Natalie steadied her voice and asked one last question. "Since you hate me, you'll hate the child I'm carrying for you as well, won't you?" "Yes," Jeffrey answered without hesitation. Natalie felt her heart break. She had invested five years of her youth in him, only for it all to crumble in the blink of an eye. They were husband and wife, yet it was just a one-woman show she had to keep up alone. He hated her, and by extension, hated everything about her, including the child. Jeffrey loved Abigail, and that love had brought her family so many benefits. They had been thriving in Caspia City. Now, Natalie fully understood. Lifting the pregnancy test results in her hand, she took a deep breath. "Jeffrey, these are divorce papers." His figure shook slightly as he turned to look at her in surprise. She brought up divorce on her own accord? He hadn't expected that. "I'm letting go. I don't want to love you anymore," she said. "The terms are already written. I was about to give them to you, but…" Natalie stopped herself, then suddenly began tearing the papers apart. The ripping sound echoed in the room. Jeffrey frowned. What was she doing? Natalie ripped the pregnancy test results into pieces and threw them in the air. The pieces fluttered down like confetti. Jeffrey narrowed his eyes. "Did you change your mind? Do you not want to divorce me anymore?" "No," Natalie answered calmly. "I want to change the terms and write a new one." "What do you want?" "Money." She wanted lots of money to secure her and the children's future. Natalie didn't want to leave with nothing. She owed him nothing, so this was what she deserved. Whether it was love or marriage, Natalie had done everything right, and she had done nothing wrong by him. If she were alone, she wouldn't have minded walking away with nothing. What Jeffrey would never know was that, at that very moment, Natalie was tearing apart his identity as her children's father. All she needed now was for him to sign both the divorce agreement and the surgery consent form. She wasn't going to tell him she was carrying his children. The news of her child not having a heartbeat was devastating to her as a mother, but she had to face it alone with all her strength. Jeffrey sneered. "Natalie, you'd better get the hell out of my life after taking the money. Also, you should tell my family yourself that you're the one asking for the divorce." Natalie nodded. "Okay." Jeffrey was surprised that she was being so cooperative. She only wanted money and nothing else. He thought she would be difficult and demand answers from him, but she was being very calm and indifferent. Something didn't sit right with him. Jeffrey felt a surge of unease as he took a few puffs of his cigarette, trying to push the feeling down. "Don't try anything funny." The truth was, after five years, he'd almost gotten used to Natalie. She was the perfect Mrs. Foster, always flawless both in public and at home. Natalie was smart, graceful, and handled everything with ease. She was great with people, and at home, she was gentle and obedient while keeping everything in order. But she had tricked him into consummating their marriage five years later. It disgusted him because he couldn't explain this to Abigail. "Tell me, what else do you want?" Jeffrey crushed his cigarette. "Spit it out." Natalie raised one finger. "This is the last, and only, additional request." He snorted. "I knew it." She wasn't so easy to deal with. There had to be more. Natalie blinked, looking at the man she'd loved for so many years. She had been by his side through it all, since their school days. In his life, he held all the power, but in his heart, she had never mattered. Unrequited love never ended well. Natalie said, "Jeffrey, let's have some cake and celebrate our fifth anniversary." Jeffrey froze. Was today their wedding anniversary?