Chapter 1

On their 10th wedding anniversary, Maya Selwyn did the unthinkable. She personally sent her husband, Arthur Holland, into her sister-in-law's, Isla Wood's, bed. She stood outside the door when it happened, tormenting herself by listening to the bed creak and groan. She listened to the man's muffled groans and the woman's wanton cries, uncaring that each breath out of their lips felt like a dagger to her heart. Soon, her foster parents, Paul Selwyn and Barbara Thompson, appeared around the corner. Their eyes were red-rimmed and filled with fury. Barbara didn't hesitate to slap Maya across the face. "All we asked was for you to get us a sperm sample just like you did six years ago! How could you do this to Isla?" she shrieked. Barbara then promptly broke down into tears as she grabbed onto Maya's shoulders and violently shook her like a rag doll. "You may be adopted, but we've never once treated you badly. "Have you forgotten how Georgie took care of you when he was still alive? He doted on you! Yet, you've disrespected his memory!" Maya bit her lip, swallowing her grievances as tears blurred her vision. She was devastated because she'd found out that her supposed nephew, Adam Selwyn, wasn't her nephew at all. Instead, he was Arthur's child. Her parents told her that her brother, George Selwyn, had suffered from low sperm count. As a result, no amount of IVF was going to succeed. In a fit of desperation to keep the Selwyn family line alive, they stole Arthur's sperm and used it to fertilize Isla's eggs. That secret could have stayed buried forever. In fact, it did… until George's death. That day, Adam was diagnosed with leukemia, and the only hope for his survival was for him to receive an umbilical cord blood transplantation due to his young age. Barbara was still ranting and raving when the bedroom door suddenly swung open. It was clear that Arthur's sexual urges had been sated as he left the room shirtless with only a towel around his hips. His merciless gaze fell on Paul and Barbara. "Why are you so unhappy? You wanted me to be a stud for the Selwyns, didn't you? Is it so wrong of me to collect some interest to go with that?" Paul and Barbara flinched at his words, their earlier bluster fading as they cowered from him. After all, they were heavily reliant on him now after George's death. Arthur was now the true power behind Selwyn Corporation. That was also why they had stolen his sperm to begin with. They had hoped that they would let them off the hook if he knew that his blood would be the one inheriting the company in the future. They wanted him to continue working for the Selwyns. As silence fell, Arthur finally looked away from them and turned to Maya. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get in there and take care of Isla. She must be exhausted after that workout," he drawled mockingly, using the same tone he had once used with Maya when he teased her. Maya felt her chest constrict, her spine bending at the excruciating pain. "What's wrong? You don't want to?" he hissed with a sneer. Then, he grabbed her by the chin, his eyes inadvertently catching sight of the bruising on her skin. However, the worried look in his eyes was quickly replaced by a flinty look. "You offered your own husband up to the Selwyns like a sacrificial lamb. Now that the deed is done, are you telling me that you can't handle the consequences of your own actions?" Arthur growled. Maya lowered her gaze as she reigned in her tears. Her parents, Adam's life, and the Selwyns' future were akin to a poisonous blade threatening to behead her if she made a single misstep. When did her life become such a circus? Still, Arthur was now a man who ruled the business world with an iron fist. He was a man in his prime, so how could he possibly accept the fact that he'd been played like a fool? To make matters worse, he'd long known the truth, but he had said nothing. Instead, he chose to feign ignorance as he lay in wait for her to make the decision. When he found out that she had chosen to side with the Selwyns and scheme against him, the usually cool-headed man lost it. He wrecked the room they were in as he yelled, "Maya, do you think I would even give a damn about the Selwyns if it weren't for you? Yet, this is how you repay my love for you. You repaid me by treating me as nothing more than the Selwyns' stud horse." … Maya could still hear Arthur's enraged words ringing in her ears, stabbing her at her very soul. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she desperately willed the tears not to fall. Arthur's grip loosened in the face of her piteous state. Still, his voice was still stone cold. "If you refuse, then your nephew's life will also be gone." "I'll do it," Maya blurted, roughly wiping her tears from her cheeks. Then, she inhaled deeply and walked into the room. Arthur's expression darkened further as his lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Well, aren't you a perfect little Selwyn doll? Since you're so eager to prove your worth, you're going to be the Selwyns' servant as long as I have to cooperate with them to get Isla with child. You are going to be my slave, understood?" "Yes," Maya murmured lowly, closing her eyes as she swallowed the bitter tang coating her tongue. When she entered, she saw Isla sitting by the bed. The second Isla saw her, tears immediately streaked down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Maya. This wouldn't have happened if IVF were an option." "Please stop talking." Maya waved her excuses away. Arthur needed to vent his anger, and her parents needed someone to blame. Isla's position as part of the Selwyns was far from secure. Plus, she also had to raise two kids in the future. Therefore, she was a convenient scapegoat.