Chapter 3

I knew it was Ethan's arrangement.

But while I could endure it, the baby couldn't.

In one hour, he cried fifteen times.

The constant noise from people passing by made the baby cry nonstop. When passersby got annoyed, they hurled verbal abuse at me.

Seeing I was easy to bully, some people later threw glass cups at my bed, telling me to get lost.

When Ethan came by, he saw me lying disheveled on the bed, the sheets half-soaked with blood.

"Vivian, see? This is your so-called independence."

His mockery stabbed like knives into my heart.

Only when he held the baby to feed him did I finally collapse on the bed, drained of all strength.

I was a girl from the mountains. Ethan was the most privileged son of the elite circle.

To marry me, he defied his parents' opposition and was beaten until his ribs broke.

To prevent others from looking down on me, he helped build my brand, took me to auctions and galas, introducing me to everyone.

The year I was misdiagnosed with cancer, he cried every day and prayed at church.

Before, when his friends saw me, they all tried to please me.

Even my mother-in-law said she wanted to recognize me as her daughter.

But for five years, it was all an elaborate lie they'd woven.

Ethan seemed to want to watch me struggle more, so he quickly returned the baby to me.

I gritted my teeth hard. For the sake of custody of my child, I prepared to sell my design studio.

When I called, I learned it had been contracted to the Holt Corporation indefinitely and leased to Jessica, who'd just won a fashion exhibition award.

The baby cried again. I hurriedly called the postpartum nanny I'd booked.

But I was told coldly:

"Ma'am, your price isn't even a tenth of what your husband offered. I'm definitely not coming!"

Helpless, I comforted the baby while staying alert for the aggressive patient nearby, when the maternity center nurse came to notify me:

"Miss Reed, your husband refunded all the money. If you want to stay, you'll need to pay again."

My face went pale. I knew my cards were frozen.

So with weak legs, dragging my body that hadn't finished postpartum recovery, I carried the baby step by step back home.

The door to the house was half-open. My heart sank, thinking burglars had broken in.

Inside, harsh sounds of sex suddenly rang out.

"Ethan~ I can't take it anymore!"

At those words, my legs felt like lead, but I rushed to the bedroom in just a few steps.

Inside, Ethan was pressing Jessica beneath him, his strong hips thrusting against her body.

Seeing me standing there pale and frozen, Ethan turned Jessica over and smiled mockingly:

"What, watched long enough? Want to join us?"

Nausea rolled through my stomach. I hurriedly covered the baby's eyes, but Jessica laughed and taunted me:

"Vivian, your mom said it herself—I'm your best friend. It's better for me to help you and Ethan with your physical needs than some stranger. She's the one who pushed me to Ethan~"

I froze instantly, tears flowing despite myself. I couldn't believe my own mother had known even earlier and tacitly approved everything!

The three people closest to me had all betrayed me!

I was so angry my hands wouldn't stop shaking, and my abdomen throbbed with pain.

Slowly, I felt liquid leaking from below, the pungent smell filling the entire room.

I couldn't control the postpartum discharge during recovery, and I felt utterly humiliated.

Jessica covered her nose in disgust:

"Vivian, did you just wet yourself!"

Ethan also frowned, his movements unconsciously stopping. He put on a shirt and walked toward me.

The instant his nauseating cologne hit me, I shoved him away hard.

I collapsed on the floor, vomiting violently.

The baby started wailing in fright.

But Ethan's face had darkened like the bottom of a pot.

"Vivian, I haven't even found you disgusting yet—what are you so repulsed by?"