Chapter 1

“If you weren’t so delicate and afraid of pain, we wouldn’t have needed Chloe to carry our babies,” Lucas teased, looking at Olivia, who pouted at him playfully.

He chuckled softly and pulled Olivia into his arms, saying with utmost tenderness, “But it’s okay. You were in tears just from freezing your eggs. I couldn’t bear to see you go through childbirth.”

The others around them cheered and teased about how loving they were.

Olivia frowned, suddenly remembering something. “I’m such a wimp when it comes to pain. Come to think of it, Chloe doesn’t seem to be afraid of pain at all. She went through IVF eight times without shedding a tear!”

Lucas scoffed, “How can you compare yourself to her? You were raised like a princess. If it weren’t for Grandpa insisting I marry her, how could I let you stay with me without a proper title?”

The others comforted them, “A marriage certificate is just a piece of paper. It doesn’t affect your relationship. But for Chloe, that certificate means something different. Having her as a surrogate is better than using a stranger - at least we know her background. Plus, she’s so eager to marry into the Lin family that she’s more obedient than a dog. The Lin family won’t starve her, so it’s like keeping a pet - no big deal.”

In the private room, their contempt and disdain for me were unconcealed. The humiliation and suffocation I felt chilled me to the bone.

I caressed my belly, where the life I had once looked forward to the most was growing.

But now they’re saying the child I’m risking my life to protect isn’t mine?

For this child, I gave up my beloved career, endured morning sickness and hair loss, watched my belly swell like a balloon, and aged beyond recognition.

Not to mention the eight rounds of IVF, countless egg retrievals, and mountains of medication I went through, all while facing the fear of possible death.

And now they’re saying everything I did was a joke? That the child isn’t even mine?

Their noisy chatter continued, but all I could hear was a ringing in my ears.

Was it my mistake to become the Jiang family’s daughter?

Before meeting my birth parents, I never imagined that the story of switched-at-birth daughters would happen to me.

I certainly didn’t expect that after the Jiang parents found me, they would use a vacation as an excuse to avoid the awkwardness and flee abroad.

My biological brother publicly declared that Olivia was his only sister.

Only old Mr. Lin stubbornly insisted on tradition, believing that the engagement was set with the Jiang family’s only daughter, and forced Lucas to marry me.

I thought Lucas was my savior, rescuing me from a cage. But it turns out he only led me into another hell!