Chapter 1

After discovering my husband, Ethan Holt, came back from a business trip where he'd been cheating, I didn't fall into hysterical arguments.

Instead, I calmly sat him down with my pregnancy test results.

Either divorce, or cut things off with the other woman completely.

He stayed silent for a long time before choosing to return to our family.

But when the baby was born, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief and confessed:

"Actually, the person I've been having an affair with is your best friend, Jessica."

"While you were in labor, we were having sex at the hotel across from the hospital."

Seeing me too exhausted to even speak, he continued mercilessly:

"These past six months, you had her monitor me, but that actually gave us more opportunities to be together."

"Your mom knows too, but she kept it from you because she was afraid you'd miscarry. We all did it for your own good."

As the anesthesia wore off, I felt excruciating pain below.

But no physical pain could compare to the heartbreak.

I gripped the bedsheets tightly, forcing words from my throat.

"Why... why did you have to tell me this right after I gave birth?"

The moment I spoke, Jessica and Ethan's friends burst into the room, laughing and joking.

"Jessica, you lost the bet! Vivian didn't cry, so you have to wear the bunny girl outfit!"

"Yeah, when Jessica wears that, Ethan's going to be completely obsessed!"

Jessica laughed shyly and scolded them, then said with a blushing face:

"I'll only wear it for Ethan."

Seeing my shocked, disbelieving expression, Ethan explained calmly:

"We bet on whether you'd cry when you found out I was cheating with your best friend. If you cried, I promised her ten rounds in one night. If you didn't cry, Jessica would wear a sexy outfit."

He spoke as if discussing something trivial, then raised an eyebrow as if remembering something.

"Oh, you don't know this—Jessica and I already got our marriage license."

"Then what about our marriage license!" My voice broke, tears flooding my eyes.

The next second, I was silenced by everyone's mocking, zoo-animal stares.

"Vivian, you really didn't know? Your marriage to Ethan is fake. The real one is with Jessica~"

Jessica shot that person a playfully reproachful glance.

Then she grabbed my hand with a fake smile: "Vivian, we didn't tell you for your sake and the baby's~"

That line was identical to what Ethan had said.

My blood ran completely cold.

A year ago, I'd been overjoyed to tell Ethan about my pregnancy.

But when he came back from his business trip, I saw the telltale marks on his body.

Panicked, I called my mom to explain the situation.

My mom spoke to me like a woman of experience: "If you step aside now, aren't you just giving the other woman an opportunity? So what if he cheated? I can tell—Ethan loves you most!"

My mom convinced me. I swallowed all my hurt and talked with him through the night.

When Ethan learned I was pregnant with his child, he knelt and begged for forgiveness without hesitation, choosing to return to our family.

But he refused to tell me who the other woman was.

That became a thorn lodged in my heart.

After learning about this, my best friend Jessica volunteered to help monitor Ethan.

She reported everything Ethan did, every moment of every day.

Even the duration of his masturbation sessions during my pregnancy was precisely calculated by her.

Every time she called to report, she looked sleep-deprived.

I thought she was just exhausted, so I frequently bought her expensive supplements.

Just a few days ago, she'd even encouraged me to become a career-focused woman after giving birth.

Now I finally understood—she was the mistress I'd been trying to catch all along.

I trembled with rage, not even noticing when my IV came loose and blood ran down my entire arm.

No wonder my mother-in-law always looked down on me but treated Jessica like a daughter.

No wonder Ethan's friends dared to make crude jokes about me but were polite to Jessica.

I'd been the only one played for a fool.