Chapter 1

Five years ago, my husband Aaron's first love got pregnant with his child.

I asked for a divorce. He begged me through tears:

"I'll send her to Europe. They'll never come back, and I'll compensate you with half of everything I own. Please don't divorce me."

My heart softened, and I agreed.

Five years later, I went on a business trip to a neighboring city and found a little boy.

I took him to the police station.

When the officer called the boy's family, a familiar voice came through the phone.

"Baby, don't be scared. I'm coming to get you right now."

Less than half an hour later, Aaron—who was supposedly abroad on business—burst into the police station.

The moment he saw me, he froze.

I smiled and stood up.

"Aaron, I had no idea you had another son behind my back. Looks like the other half of your assets won't be safe either."

"Claire, let me explain..."

Aaron shielded the child behind him. That instinctive gesture felt like needles stabbing into my eyes.

"This isn't the place to talk."

I cut him off and picked up my bag.

"Have that woman come pick up the child. We need to talk."

"Ruby's not well..."

"Aaron."

I stared at him coldly.

"Do you want me to call Grandpa right now, or should I have my lawyer send the papers directly?"

Aaron shut his mouth.

The agreement I held was enough to knock him off his position as CEO of the Hayes Group and strip him of everything.

The boy, whose name was apparently Miles Hayes, suddenly poked his head out and shouted at me:

"Mean lady! Don't bully my dad!"

Children speak without thinking, but their words cut deepest.

Aaron quickly covered the child's mouth and looked at me in panic.

"Well trained," I said with a bitter smile.

"Ruby hasn't learned much over the years, but she's certainly perfected the art of manipulation."

With that, I turned and walked out of the police station.

The snow outside was heavy and bone-chillingly cold.

I remembered five years ago when Ruby showed up at our door, heavily pregnant.

Aaron knelt before me, his eyes bloodshot, saying the Hayes family line was thin and begging me to let the child live.

I had just had a miscarriage then, at my most vulnerable.

I signed the papers and made two conditions:

First, Ruby and the child would go abroad and never return.

Second, fifty percent of Aaron's shares in Hayes Group would be transferred to my name.

Grandfather Hayes was so furious he nearly beat Aaron to death with his cane.

But to appease my anger, he allowed it.

Aaron swore at the time: "Claire, I was confused for a moment. You're the only one I love."

"The money is yours, my life is yours. Just let her have the baby, and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

These past five years, he really did "make it up to me."

No matter how busy he was, we video-called every single day.

He never missed a gift for any holiday.

He even turned down contracts worth millions just to spend weekends with me.

I thought time really could heal everything.

The snow stopped.

Aaron had the driver take the child home first.

But he didn't dare leave, and he didn't dare let me leave either.

So we sat in a café next to the police station.

"Claire, it's not what you think."

Aaron clasped his hands against his forehead, his voice low:

"Ruby... she really did go abroad."

"But she couldn't make it there. Miles has asthma and a heart condition."

"Medical costs abroad are too high. She couldn't afford it on her own."

"So you brought them back?" I stirred my coffee. "Bringing them back is one thing, but you also set them up in a luxury apartment owned by Hayes Group and visited once a week. Aaron, are you running a charity or keeping a mistress?"

"I just went to see the child!" Aaron defended himself frantically. "Claire, the child is innocent. Miles's health is poor. Every time he has an episode, he cries for his father. What could I do? I couldn't just watch him die!"

"But you could watch me be played for a fool?" I shot back.

"Aaron, did you think as long as you didn't bring them in front of me, it didn't count as breaking our agreement? What about all those promises you made?"