Chapter 1

That night, when I pried open Liam Sterling's safe, the password I entered was my younger brother Jace Holloway's birthday.

There was no cash or jewelry inside, only a stack of medical reports.

The last page read: [Sibling umbilical cord blood matching, a perfect match.]

My hands were trembling. The door swung open, and Liam Sterling leaned against the doorframe, his expression so calm it was as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

I held up the report: "You married me just to use my child to save Jace Holloway?"

"Iris," he said, "we can have more children later."

He looked at my belly, his expression calm: "As for this one, if it dies, it dies."

I touched my six-month-old belly and suddenly burst out laughing.

As I laughed, tears splattered onto the floor.

So my three-year marriage was just a carefully planned procedure to extract medicine.

It turned out he was in love with my own younger brother.

Iris Holloway POV

When I was six months pregnant, Liam Sterling organized a grand art exhibition for me.

Everyone in New York's business elite said that Liam Sterling, this ruthless, cold, and taciturn rising business magnate, had given all his tenderness to me.

I had casually mentioned once that I liked a certain deceased painter's rare manuscript, and he spent hundreds of millions on an international auction, just to make me smile.

I didn't sleep well during my pregnancy, so he canceled all his international meetings and stayed by my bedside every night, lulling me to sleep by reciting poetry in his deep voice.

I, too, once believed I was the happiest woman in the world.

Until tonight's Holloway family dinner.

At the long dining table, the atmosphere was oppressive. My parents' gaze was almost entirely fixed on Jace Holloway across from us.

Jace Holloway was my younger brother, sickly since childhood, with a pale but rather delicate face.

"Jace, eat more. You look so pale lately."

Mother lovingly put food into his bowl, then turned to me, her tone instantly chilling: "Iris, your brother isn't well. You're pregnant, so stop running around outside. What if you catch germs or viruses and pass them to him?"

My hand, holding the chopsticks, paused slightly. Ever since I was little, my parents' hearts had always leaned towards my younger brother.

Before I could speak, Liam Sterling, beside me, had already put down his knife and fork.

"Mother," Liam Sterling's voice was cold and clear, his tone carrying an oppressive weight. "Iris is my wife. Whatever she wants to do, I will accompany her. As for your so-called infection, if the Holloway family can't even provide a sterile environment, I wouldn't mind having Jace stay at the Sterling family's private hospital."

Mother's face stiffened, and she closed her mouth with an embarrassed smile.

I turned to Liam Sterling; the man was unhurriedly peeling a shrimp, placing the translucent shrimp meat onto my plate. His profile was sharp, and his eyes held an unshakeable focus.

In that moment, a warmth blossomed in my heart.

After dinner, a heavy rain began outside.

Jace Holloway suddenly clutched his chest, his brow furrowed, and his breathing grew rapid.

"Jace! What's wrong? Is it another episode?" Mother frantically supported him.

Liam Sterling moved faster than everyone else. He shot to his feet, strode over, and scooped Jace Holloway into his arms.

I stood rooted, watching a clear panic surface on Liam Sterling's usually impassive face.

"To the hospital," Liam Sterling's voice was strained.

He carried Jace Holloway and rushed into the rain, not even taking time to open an umbrella.

I instinctively took a step forward, but Father roughly pushed me aside: "Don't block the way! If anything happens to your brother, you won't have it easy either!"

I stumbled, barely steadying myself by gripping the doorframe.

Rainwater poured down from the eaves, splashing onto my ankles, icy and bone-chilling.

Liam Sterling's car had already vanished into the night. He had left in such a hurry that he even forgot to look back at me, still pregnant.

Late at night, St. John's Hospital in New York.

I carried a meal box, walking alone down the empty corridor. I was worried, so I still had the driver bring me here.

The door to the VIP ward was ajar, letting out a sliver of warm, yellow light.

Just as I was about to push the door open, I heard voices from inside, and my feet froze to the spot.

"Liam, it hurts so much…" Jace Holloway's voice was tearful, heartbreakingly fragile.

"Bear with it, it'll be over soon." Liam Sterling's voice was low and hoarse, laced with a tenderness and indulgence I had never heard before.

I peered through the crack in the door, my pupils constricting abruptly.