Chapter 1
If it had been before, her giving me a flower would have thrilled me to no end.
But now, clutching Leo’s tiny clothes, my heart was in pieces, numb from the pain.
Her raised arm started to ache, and she angrily threw the rose at my face.
“I only brought Julian with me for protection. There’s nothing going on between us. Who are you putting on this face for?”
A thorn from the stem left a small scratch on my face, a trickle of blood oozing out.
A flicker of distress crossed Victoria’s eyes, and she reined in her temper. “Whatever. I can’t be bothered arguing with you. I’m just letting you know something: I’m going away on a business trip for a year. You manage Leo and don’t make trouble, I…”
As she spoke, she suddenly retched.
Julian rushed over to pat Victoria’s back, then seemingly “accidentally” dropped a pregnancy test from his pocket.
I picked it up. It read “Four weeks pregnant.”
No wonder. Before, her trips with Julian would last for months. This time, she just left and came right back. So, she was pregnant.
“A year-long business trip.” Clearly, she wanted to disappear and secretly have this child.
My poor Leo. To please Victoria, he saw Julian, Victoria’s favorite, coughing, and, just like his teacher taught him, he poured him a glass of water.
But because it was cold water, Victoria decided he was learning bad habits, trying to harm Julian.
Even with him burning up with fever, she ignored my desperate pleas and locked him in his room.
I fought to break free from the bodyguards, crashing through the door to save him.
My tiny boy was hot as a furnace, and his last flicker of consciousness made him shake his head.
“No, Daddy. Mommy said three days. Time’s not up. Mommy will hate Leo if she knows.”
They say men don’t cry easily, but that day, I couldn’t stop. Tears streamed down my face.
“No more. We don’t want this mommy anymore, Leo. I’m taking you to the hospital…”
Sadly, it was too late. He couldn’t be saved.
Before his last breath, he clutched my sleeve, choked out, “Why didn’t Mommy come see Leo? Was Leo a bad boy?”
Meeting his hopeful eyes, my throat went dry. I couldn’t utter a single word.
Now, looking at this pregnancy test, I felt nothing but bitter irony.
If Leo knew that the mommy he adored had given all her attention to another child, how heartbroken would he be?
I couldn’t control my rage any longer. I slammed the pregnancy test down in front of Victoria.
“Victoria, is this what you meant by ‘nothing’ going on? Have you ever considered our child’s feelings?”
A flash of surprise crossed Julian’s face. He hadn’t expected me, who usually endured all grievances in silence, to finally fight back. He immediately lowered his head and explained to Victoria:
“I’m sorry, I was just so happy about being a dad that I kept the pregnancy test in my pocket. I didn’t mean to drop it, and I certainly didn’t mean for Alex to see it. Victoria, please punish me.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow, reassuring Julian, “It wasn’t intentional. Don’t overthink it.”
Then, she glared at me. “You have the nerve to bring up our child? Aren’t you the one who caused all of this?”
“Alex, everything happening today is your deserved karma.”
My eyes darkened.
Years ago, Victoria wanted to use IVF to have a child for Noah, her first love who was supposedly battling cancer. But it turned out Noah was faking his illness and then ran off with all the donation money.
Her grandma, Eleanor, fearing Victoria would lose her mind, begged me to tamper with the IVF.
I flat-out refused.
Even though Victoria and I had signed a marriage certificate, we had a contract: we were only a contractual couple, not to interfere with each other’s private lives.
But Grandma Eleanor knelt before me, showing me records of all the money she’d given me, from elementary school through my PhD, pleading for my help.
“My son and daughter-in-law are gone. Victoria is my only granddaughter. If anything happens to her, I won’t live either.”
Without her, I wouldn’t be where I was today.
I couldn’t refuse. I had to do it.
Victoria gave birth to my child, believing him to be Noah’s last descendant, and lovingly cared for him.
During that time, she saw how good I was to the child and her attitude towards me greatly improved. She even suggested canceling our contract and truly spending our lives together.
Then Julian appeared. She became utterly infatuated with Julian’s face and demeanor, which were ninety percent similar to Noah’s. She started staying out all night.
She thought I didn’t know. At first, she met him secretly, then she arranged for him to be her bodyguard.
But life remained relatively stable, so I just turned a blind eye.
When Victoria learned the truth, she felt guilty towards me and decided to send Julian away.
But Julian suddenly pulled out a DNA test, accusing me:
“Alex used your trust to tamper with the IVF, making the person you loved most infertile. And you, Victoria, you’ve been foolishly enduring and sacrificing for him. You’re a complete joke.”
Victoria flew into a rage on the spot. From then on, her attitude towards me and Leo completely reversed. It was constant abuse, harshness, and punishment.
I could bear the suffering, but I never imagined that our child would lose his life because of it.
Now, facing Victoria’s accusations, I couldn’t help but want to reveal the truth.
“Victoria, about what happened back then…”