Chapter 1

Julie Stamford and Samuel Lloyd had been childfree by choice for five years. One day, Samuel suddenly adopted a pair of twins. He told Julie to treat them like her own, saying that he planned to leave his multibillion-dollar estate to them. Julie thought he had changed his mind about not having kids, so she went to the hospital to have her IUD removed and start preparing for pregnancy. However, the doctor gave her a shocking diagnosis. Her uterus had been removed five years ago. … "Some women are born without a uterus. But Ms. Stamford, that's not your case. Yours was surgically removed," the doctor said cautiously. Julie was completely stunned. She'd only had one surgery in the past five years, which was the insertion of an IUD. Samuel had been there with her the whole time. Normally, that procedure didn't require general anesthesia. However, he'd used his status to pressure the hospital into giving her the most expensive general anesthetic, just because he couldn't bear to see her in pain. Could it be that her uterus was removed during that surgery? It was impossible. Samuel had waited outside the operating room the entire time. How could the hospital dare to do something like that? Julie was lost in thought when Samuel's elder sister, Abby Lloyd's voice suddenly echoed from nearby. "Sam, this is way out of line. Bringing those illegitimate children home was bad enough, and now you're bringing Cynthia in too? Are the two of you planning to carry on your affair right under Julie's nose? "Abby, we're not having an affair," Samuel said with a dark expression. "Cindy once saved my life. Being good to her is just repaying a debt." "Repaying a debt by having Cynthia give birth to a pair of twins for you? Sam, a man can't be such a jerk. There has to be a bottom line." "That wasn't my choice," Samuel said angrily. "Cindy's father was gravely ill at the time, and his only wish before he died was to see Cindy married with children. I owed her my life. Giving her a child was the least I could do. I didn't have a choice." "Repaying a debt again? So, you secretly married her behind Julie's back, then tricked Julie into getting an IUD, and used that chance to have her uterus removed?" That one sentence hit Julie like a bolt of lightning. Her vision went dark. She could barely stay on her feet. The one who had removed her uterus was Samuel? "Abby, Julie was scared of the pain. Childbirth is painful. I couldn't bear to let her suffer. And besides, when we went for the exam, the doctor said she had uterine fibroids. If we didn't remove them, it could've been life-threatening. Things turned out fine, didn't they? Cynthia gave birth to twins. Our family has heirs now. "Julie didn't have to go through the pain of childbirth, and she's no longer in any danger. As for Cindy, she's been diagnosed with a terminal illness. She won't live much longer. After all, she gave me a son and a daughter. I couldn't just let her die all alone, so I wanted to bring her home to spend her last days with us." Samuel acted as if he were doing it for everyone's best interest. "What I'm doing might seem a bit absurd, but it actually benefits everyone. Abby, just don't say anything to Julie. Cindy only has one week left. After that, everything will be over." Julie had no idea how she made it back home. She just felt cold. The house that had once felt warm now chilled her to the bone. The house was filled with memories of her and Samuel. Julie had always believed that Samuel was the man who loved her most in the world. They had kissed under the aurora, skydived hand-in-hand from thousands of feet up, and embraced while diving deep into the ocean to gaze at the underwater starry sky... Samuel was the heir to a prominent, wealthy family. His status normally wouldn't allow him to do such extreme sports. But Julie loved them, so he always went along. He once held her tightly and expressed his deep affection. "For you, I'd risk anything. As long as you're by my side, even if I have to die right away, I'll have no regrets. I'll only ever love you." The vows he once made had now soured and gone stale. Julie broke down. She couldn't bear the sight of those fake memories any longer. She lit the fireplace and started burning everything they'd once shared one by one. As she was burning them, Samuel suddenly returned with Cynthia Morgan by his side. She looked pale and frail in a hospital gown. "Julie, this is Cynthia Morgan. You know her. She's my mentor's daughter." Samuel barely noticed what Julie was burning. A gentle smile was on his face, and lies flowed effortlessly from his lips. "Her parents passed away. Cindy's all alone, and she has late-stage lymphoma… She doesn't have much time left. I couldn't leave her to die alone in a hospital. That's why I brought her back here to recuperate. Don't worry, Julie. I've hired a full-time maid to take care of her. You don't need to do anything. Just pretend she's not even here." Between the lines, Samuel had clearly already made the decision. He never intended to discuss it with Julie. "Alright." Julie tossed the last photograph into the fireplace. It turned to ash in seconds, just like their marriage.