Chapter 1 Turns Out She Was the Fool

On her birthday, Evelyn Hart waited for her husband to come home after a full month apart. She had carefully prepared a candlelight dinner, and after a few glasses of wine, she quickly went to the bedroom and changed into a nightgown that looked innocent yet seductive. As expected, the move worked. Hugo Grant was unusually passionate tonight. The masculine scent of aftershave mixed with tobacco made Evelyn's body soften at once, and she lost awareness of everything around her. At the most critical moment, a phone call rang out. The screen showed the name Jane Snow. All intimacy came to an abrupt stop. With a sharp click, the bedroom lights came on. The haze in Hugo's deep eyes cleared as he reached toward the phone near the entryway. "Why aren't we continuing, darling?" Evelyn murmured as she deliberately hooked her arm around his and leaned in to kiss his thin lips. Hugo turned his head aside and avoided her. Her kiss landed on empty air. Evelyn froze in place. Hugo answered the call without any hesitation in front of her. The woman on the other end spoke in a whining tone, and his voice softened as he said, "Be good. Let the family doctor take care of the wound first. I'll come over now. Wait for me." Evelyn stood frozen in place. The warmth and scent of their recent intimacy still clung to her body, yet her heart grew colder with every passing second. "You're leaving?" she asked when she saw him getting dressed in a hurry. "Yeah." Hugo picked up his car keys and headed for the door without sparing her a single glance. Evelyn's face burned with both shame and anger. Even though she had been Hugo's wife for many years, at this moment, Evelyn felt like nothing more than a woman for hire—called when needed and dismissed just as easily. Unwilling to accept it, she grabbed Hugo's arm and demanded in humiliation and fury, "Is she really that important to you? You have to go be with her right now? You promised tonight was mine. Do you even know what day it is today?" Hugo turned back. The redness had faded from his handsome face, and his eyes were cold again, as if the man who had just shared passion with her had never been him at all. "Jane's fever has flared up again. After that car accident, her health has been fragile. If she's not cared for properly, something like the flu could kill her." He looked down at her and emphasized every word. "Evelyn, I'm doing this to atone for your sin." Evelyn's breath caught, and she bit her lip until she tasted blood. She said, "I've already told you, the accident wasn't my fault…" "That's enough," Hugo snapped impatiently. "You're incorrigible. I don't have time to listen to you shifting blame." Evelyn felt wronged, yet she found herself speechless. He didn't believe her, and no explanation would ever be enough, especially since she had already explained herself countless times before. Hugo pulled away from her without a trace of hesitation and strode out of the room. "Wait, I have something to say." Evelyn ran after him, desperate, but her nightgown snagged on an expensive vase by the shoe cabinet, sending it crashing to the floor in a shower of shards. She jumped in fright, but didn't have the energy to deal with it. Seeing that Hugo wouldn't turn back, she clutched the door with reddened eyes and, filled with despair, said, "Hugo, I'm Mrs. Grant, your legally wedded wife. We've been married for five years. Don't I deserve for you to stay tonight?" Hugo's steps froze, and his brows knitted tightly. Evelyn had always been meek and obedient around him. Her relentless insistence tonight caught him completely off guard, especially when she tried to use the title "Mrs. Grant" against him, which only irritated him. He turned around, as if hearing a ridiculous joke, and sneered. "Do you need me to remind you how you even earned the right to be Mrs. Grant?" Evelyn collapsed completely and fell to the floor. Her tender thigh pressed into the shards of the shattered vase, and bright red blood seeped out. Yet the pain was nothing compared to the agony in her heart. Seeing she had nothing more to say, Hugo didn't pause at all. His figure disappeared quickly at the end of the hallway. "Mrs. Grant, happy birthday." No one knew how long she had been sitting there when Patricia Carpenter pushed in a cake cart. Seeing Evelyn covered in tears and looking miserable, Patricia froze in shock. "Mrs. Grant, how did you get hurt like this? Where's Mr. Grant? Wasn't he just here?" she asked anxiously. "It's fine," Evelyn said as she blinked rapidly and wiped away her tears. She stood up and added, "Leave the cake and go out." "Alright, I'll go get the first aid kit," Patricia replied. After Patricia left, Evelyn lowered her head and stared numbly at her lower body. Only then did she realize the cut on her leg was gaping, and blood had pooled across the floor. She let out a self-deprecating laugh and walked over to the cake, blowing out the carefully arranged candles before shoving bite after bite into her mouth. It hardly looked like eating. It was more like self-punishment, with no dignity left at all. Hidden deep inside the cake was a lab report wrapped in plastic. The report showed she had been pregnant for a month. She had once believed that if she and Hugo had a child, it might save their marriage, which existed more in name than in reality. Because of that, she had followed her mother-in-law, Jessica Smith's advice, secretly tampering with her birth control, taking countless supplements, and enduring endless injections until she finally became pregnant. She was overjoyed and had planned to tell him the good news on her birthday. She never imagined it was all just her own ridiculous fantasy. His back as he walked away hit her like a harsh slap across the face, finally waking her completely. No matter how hard she tried, his heart would never belong to her. "Something's wrong, Mrs. Grant!" The door burst open again as Patricia rushed in, panic in her voice. "Ms. Grant went to a pool party with friends for her birthday tonight and suddenly developed a high fever that won't go down. Mrs. Grant Senior asked you to get ready and head to the hospital for a blood transfusion! "Get the car ready!" Evelyn said immediately. … By the time Evelyn finished donating blood at the hospital, it was already past midnight. Even though her marriage with Hugo was falling apart, she usually got along well with his sister, Christina Grant, so she planned to visit her room afterward. Just as she reached the door, she heard crying and voices from inside. Jessica's sharp voice cut through clearly. "Evelyn is completely useless!" Jessica snapped. "I told her ages ago to have a child with Hugo. Maybe then your illness would have a chance, but she's dragged her feet for so long, and there's still no sign of a pregnancy. Even coming to the hospital for a simple blood transfusion, she moves so slowly, as if she's completely lifeless!" "Enough, Mom. What's the point of crying?" Christina said, lying pale on the bed, sneering. "Don't you know exactly where my so-called sister-in-law stands in Hugo's heart? "Hugo's heart was never with her. How could he ever let her have a child? I wouldn't be surprised if they got divorced one day." "Divorce?" Jessica froze, shaking her head urgently. "No, no way. Evelyn has an RH-negative blood type, which is extremely rare. You wouldn't find many people like her anywhere in Dromont. If she divorces Hugo, where would we find someone willing to be your personal blood bank?" After hearing their conversation, Evelyn felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She covered her mouth, her face full of disbelief. She finally understood everything. Jessica, who had always pretended to be kind and compassionate in front of her, had only ever seen her as a blood bank. Urging her to have a child with Hugo wasn't about saving her marriage—the real reason was so that once the baby was born, it could serve as a future blood donor for Christina. And Christina, who had always acted like her closest friend, had actually looked down on her all along. In that instant, Evelyn felt a chill run through her entire body, her heart filled with utter despair as she walked out of the hospital with heavy, leaden steps. She hadn't eaten much all night, and after giving so much blood, her body was about to give out. Her vision spun, and she quickly leaned against the wall, searching for a chair to sit in. She took a piece of candy from her bag and popped it into her mouth. She closed her eyes for a moment, and the dizziness slowly faded. She thought she'd had enough shocks for one night, but when she opened her eyes, she saw Hugo and Jane walking side by side.