Chapter 2

Even before we got married, Martha always hinted that I was too fragile to have children.

Yet, she was always incredibly kind to me. Every day, she'd prepare nutritious, delicious meals and deliver them to my office. The best part? They actually tasted amazing.

Martha even told me to eat as much as I wanted, promising I wouldn't gain weight.

Honestly, back then, Martha truly felt like the mother I never had.

I actually met her first. She'd been hit by a car, and I took her to the hospital, covering her medical bills.

She clutched my hand and insisted, "Don't worry, I won't try to scam you. My son will be here soon and he'll pay you back."

Later, her son arrived. Canvas shoes, jeans paired with a white shirt, neat short hair – he radiated sunshine.

I' m a total sucker for good looks, and I was immediately smitten. So I often visited Martha, hoping to spend more time with him.

But Martha warned me that our financial backgrounds were worlds apart and urged me to reconsider carefully.

Ryan himself confessed that he liked me a lot but didn't dare to pursue it because our family statuses were too different.

Still, I fell head-over-heels for him, without a second thought. He was sunny, positive, and then so sophisticated and intelligent with his glasses on at work. He met every single one of my criteria for a partner.

We eventually got married, and Martha moved in with us.

I grew up without a mother, and Martha truly showered me with maternal love. I spent more time with her every day after coming home than I did with my own husband.

But I never imagined I' d overhear her in the study doorway, telling Ryan, "Evelyn Hayes definitely can't have kids. What good is a woman who can' t give you a child? Divorce her now!"

The moment I heard those words, tears streamed down my face.

Because for three years, I had truly thought of her as my mother.

And from what I knew of her, she wasn't a rigid or old-fashioned person.

So why, just because we didn't have children, was she pushing Ryan to divorce me?

"Mom, I'm telling you again, Evelyn and I have a great relationship. Even if we can't have kids, we can always adopt. If you say something like that one more time, I'll send you away, far from here!"

Ryan' s frustrated voice echoed.

My heavy heart finally began to settle a little.

I didn't dare to listen any further, even trying to reassure myself that Martha just wanted a grandchild too badly, that she was still a good person, and I should just try harder to have children.

But the next morning, as I was eating breakfast, Martha suddenly sat down opposite me.

She slammed her bowl onto the dining table with excessive force, then spoke in a harsh, biting tone, "My Ryan is supposed to carry on the Thorne family name! You can' t have kids, so stop monopolizing him. Divorce him already! We'll make you leave with absolutely nothing, we won't ask for a dime from you!"