Chapter 1
On our wedding anniversary, my sister Lila miscarried because of a slap I gave her.
Everyone called me vicious and cruel.
"When you do something wrong, you have to face the consequences."
My husband Ethan and my parents forced me to sign divorce papers, then sent me to jail.
The day I got out, Ethan and Lila were getting married.
I didn't show up to cause a scene at their wedding like everyone expected.
Instead, I boarded a train to another city and disappeared without a trace.
...
Seven years later.
I unexpectedly ran into Ethan at the entrance of a small-town hospital emergency room.
Just then, a child's voice suddenly piped up behind me.
"Mommy, how much longer? My tummy is so hungry."
Staring at the little face that looked so much like his own, Ethan's eyes instantly turned red.
"Whose child is she?"
He was a patient's family member, bringing his pregnant wife here for threatened miscarriage.
And I was the on-duty doctor in the emergency room.
"Clara?"
Recognizing me, Ethan froze, instinctively looking at my palm.
There was a shocking scar there.
"You..."
His Adam's apple bobbed twice. The question he wanted to ask got stuck in his throat when he saw my cold, emotionless eyes.
His gaze shifted to the child beside me.
I moved the child behind me protectively and said to him coolly:
"Family members please wait outside."
My eyes were calm, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
As if I were looking at just another ordinary patient's family member.
After the emergency treatment ended, I carefully explained the post-procedure precautions to him.
Ethan seemed to be listening attentively, nodding constantly, but his expression was clearly distracted.
Finally, he asked a completely unrelated question.
"After you got out, why didn't you come home? We were all worried about you."
"And this child..."
Just then, a nurse called for me.
I nodded politely at Ethan, took my daughter's small hand, and quickly left.
"Mommy, who was that man just now?"
My daughter looked back curiously.
My voice was flat: "A patient's family member."
"He looked like he was crying. He kept watching us."
I didn't break stride: "You saw wrong."
The nanny who usually took care of my daughter had an emergency, so I had no choice but to bring her to the hospital.
Fortunately, the nanny just called me.
She'd finished her business and would be here soon to pick up my daughter.
That evening, emergency cases kept coming in.
I stayed busy until late into the night before finally dragging my exhausted body back to my office.
I didn't expect Ethan to still be waiting at the door.
I frowned slightly:
"Does Mr. Walker need something else?"
The overly distant form of address made Ethan daze for a moment.
"Mr. Walker can rest assured, Mrs. Walker's condition isn't serious. If there are no problems after observation overnight, she can be discharged tomorrow morning."
My tone was no different from how I spoke to other patients' family members.
Perhaps it was the words "Mrs. Walker" that touched some nerve in him.
I clearly saw Ethan's eyes redden, emotions churning.
He seemed to have a thousand things to say, but his lips moved twice, and in the end, he only managed to say two words in a hoarse voice:
"Thank you!"
"If Mr. Walker has nothing else, I'll be leaving now. If anything comes up, you can find the other on-duty doctors."
I nodded slightly and turned to leave.
As I passed the nurses' station, a young nurse grabbed me with a gossipy expression.
"Dr. Reed, that was Ethan Walker, Manhattan's most famous lawyer, right?"
I nodded: "Yes."
"I heard Attorney Walker has never lost a case since he started practicing. They call him a legend in the entire legal field."
"Handsome, gentle, and rich---Mrs. Walker is so lucky. I heard they came here specifically to pray at the mountain temple for the baby Mrs. Walker is carrying."
As the young nurse spoke, her eyes showed undisguised admiration for Ethan and undisguised envy for Mrs. Walker.
I smiled without saying anything.
The current Mrs. Walker was indeed very fortunate.
She had a husband who loved her, parents who doted on her, and a baby about to be born.
She was practically showered with endless love and favor.
Almost no one knew she was the other woman who had successfully taken the original wife's place.
My phone vibrated, snapping me back to reality.
[Sorry, something urgent came up at the company. I'll come get you a bit later.]
I curved my lips slightly and replied:
[You handle your business first. I'll take a cab home.]
Almost as soon as I sent the message, I received a reply:
[Be careful on the road. Remember to text me when you get home.]
Putting away my phone, I only then noticed it had started snowing outside.
After waiting a long time, the ride-sharing app showed no available drivers.
"Beep beep!"
A car horn sounded behind me.
A black Porsche Cayenne slowly stopped beside me.
I recognized it as Ethan's car at a glance.
Because his license plate number was my sister Lila's birthday.
And my birthday was only one day later than Lila's.
The passenger window slowly rolled down, revealing Ethan's sharp jawline.
"Get in. I'll give you a ride."
Looking at the still-spinning ride-sharing app, I only hesitated for a few seconds before opening the back door and getting in, giving him my apartment complex's name.
I was truly tired today and wanted to get home and rest early.
And with the sudden weather change, the scars on my palm and abdomen were both painful and itchy.
Since there was a ready car available, I might as well use it.
Ethan had a strong sense of territory.
Once upon a time, I wasn't even allowed to put a small decoration in his car.
But now.
Inside the car, the air was filled with the scent of gardenias---Lila's favorite.
Everything in view was decorated in Lila's favorite pink.
Seeing me sit in the back, Ethan laughed self-deprecatingly:
"So you really are treating me like a driver?"
My voice was flat: "Just don't want your wife to misunderstand."
The words "Mrs. Walker" were like a silencing spell. All the words Ethan wanted to say were swallowed back down.
The car fell into suffocating dead silence.