Married for five years, I finally got pregnant. When my husband, Ethan Sterling, heard the news, he spent a fortune booking the entire VIP wing of the hospital to ensure my safe delivery. I thought I had married the perfect man. That was until I woke up in the middle of the night and heard Ethan whispering into his phone in the hallway: "Chloe, don't be angry. I'll come to keep you company tomorrow. She's due soon. The baby's cord blood will definitely save our son." "I know you're terrified of pain, that's why I'd never let you suffer through childbirth again. Besides, she wanted a child so badly. Let's just consider this me giving her a chance." 1 Standing at the bathroom door, my blood ran cold. The baby in my belly seemed to sense my distress and kicked me hard. I couldn't help but let out a gasp. A flushing sound came from the bathroom, and Ethan walked out. His face paled when he saw me, a flicker of panic in his eyes. "Honey, what's wrong? Why are you standing there?" "I... my stomach felt uncomfortable. I just got up to use the restroom, and the baby kicked me." I really wasn't feeling well. My blood was boiling, and the realization of Ethan's scheme cut through my heart like a knife. "I'll take you to the hospital!" I didn't refuse. Ethan carried me out and sped to the hospital. Fortunately, the baby was fine. However, because my emotions were volatile, the doctor insisted I stay for observation. After tossing and turning all night, I finally fell into a heavy sleep. The next morning, I woke to find Ethan sitting by my bed, his eyes bloodshot. "Ava, how do you feel? Are you hungry? I'll go buy you breakfast." I nodded. Ethan turned and left. The nurse who came to check my temperature looked envious. "Mr. Sterling is so considerate to you." Considerate? Sure. How could he not be considerate to the incubator carrying the cure for his real son? I forced a smile and touched my stomach. Seven months. If I gave birth now, the baby would survive. This pregnancy hadn't come easily. My fallopian tubes were blocked. I had endured hundreds of IVF injections to conceive this child. But Ethan said the cord blood was to save that woman's baby. Was I just a tool? A biological vessel? I struggled to sit up and checked Ethan's location on my phone. He played the role of the devoted husband perfectly, never hiding his phone or privacy from me. We even had location sharing enabled for safety. He probably forgot about it. He said he was buying breakfast, but the dot on the map showed he was in a different ward on the floor below. I walked straight down, dragging my heavy body, until I reached the stairwell corner. There, I saw two entangled figures. Chloe, Ethan's first love. Ethan was holding her chin, his voice husky. "Babe, this is a hospital." "It's a Sterling family hospital. You own it. What are you afraid of?" "But what about Ava? Our son's condition is worsening. We can't let anything happen to her pregnancy. If it weren't for preserving my figure, I wouldn't let her carry your child!" "It's brilliant that you came up with this plan." Chloe’s hand traced circles on his chest before she grabbed his tie and pulled him into a blind spot away from the cameras. Hearing the sounds of intimacy, I clamped my hand over my mouth and turned back to my room. The baby moved again. My stomach hardened, and I started to sob quietly. The child I had prayed for wasn't even mine? Ava, you are pathetic. He played you like a fiddle. Why? Why should I bear the consequences of their karma? My quiet sobbing turned into loud wailing, scaring the rounding doctor half to death. Ethan rushed back. Seeing me like this, he roared at the staff, "How are you taking care of her?! If anything happens to my wife, I’ll sue you all!" He knelt by the bed and hugged me. "Ava? Ava, look at me. What's wrong? Tell me, I'll fix it." I looked at him through tear-filled eyes. My gaze landed on his tie. I grabbed it and flipped it over—there was a smear of lipstick on the back. It was Chloe's provocation. My stomach churned violently, and I leaned over and vomited all over him. 2 Physiological disgust made me retch until there was nothing left but bile. Tears mixed with vomit; I looked wretched. Ethan was frantic, calling doctors over to check on me. When I finally caught my breath, I pushed him away. "Get away from me. You smell disgusting." His face went white. The doctor explained, "Pregnant women are extremely sensitive to smells. It might be your cologne or body odor triggering it." Ethan seemed to realize something. He immediately stripped off his jacket and threw it in the trash. "Ava, I'm sorry. I didn't change my clothes from yesterday. I must smell stale. It's my fault." I shook my head weaky. "I want to sleep." "Okay, I'll stay with you." He sat beside me. I pretended to sleep. Before long, Ethan grew restless. "Ava? Ava, are you asleep?" I didn't make a sound. He tiptoed to the door and whispered to someone outside, "Why are you here again? What if she sees you?" "Junior wants to see you!" "Daddy!" Even though I was prepared, hearing that child call him "Daddy" made me tremble uncontrollably. Ethan sensed something and shut the door tight, cutting off the sound. Tears streamed down my face as I cried silently under the covers. I took a deep breath, wiped my face, and calmed myself. I turned and saw Ethan's phone on the nightstand. I picked it up. He didn't use a privacy screen with me. I unlocked it easily. The chat history was clean. Chloe wasn't even in his contacts. Ethan was cautious. But with a three-year-old kid involved, there had to be traces. I remembered a trick I saw online about hidden interface systems. Following the tutorial, I found the second profile. I entered the password again—my birthday. The irony. The background was a family photo of the three of them. The hidden profile was filled with memories of him and Chloe. After reading everything, I silently put the phone back. Pain climbed from my heart to my limbs. Suddenly, the door opened. Chloe walked in. She smirked when she saw me awake. "Ava, you heard everything, didn't you?" I looked at her coldly. "How old is the child?" "Junior is three." Ethan and I had been married for five years. The child was three. That meant when I miscarried my first baby, hers was being born. Chloe seemed to read my mind. She looked at me triumphantly. "That night you called Ethan? I was in labor. He booked the entire building. The medical team was on standby for me." "Junior was born that day. You called, his phone was off. Later he told you he was in a meeting, right?" "He was actually holding my hand in the delivery room. He spent the entire month of my postpartum recovery with me." "When you were hospitalized for the miscarriage, I was on the floor above you." "Speaking of which, aside from the marriage certificate, he really is a devoted husband." I remembered. The first year of marriage, I got pregnant. Ethan was "busy," always in meetings or locked in his study. But that night, he said he had a business dinner. I got up to use the bathroom, missed a step, and fell down the stairs. The pain was blinding. I called Ethan. His phone was off. I had to call the ambulance myself. I lost the baby alone. 3 Ethan didn't come home until dawn, red-eyed and unshaven. He held my hand and swore he'd never leave me. I smelled milk formula on him then, but I was too naive. I thought I was useless for losing the baby. Ethan Sterling, what a master of time management. "Ava." Chloe walked over and patted my hand condescendingly. "Give birth to this one, and I'll tell Ethan to treat you a little better." She turned and left. I clutched my stomach, feeling suffocated. After the first miscarriage, Ethan cooked all my recovery meals personally. I felt so guilty back then. Now I realized, those meals were probably practice for Chloe's postpartum care. Three years of dating, five years of marriage. Eight years of my life, living a lie, just to be a blood bag for her son. What a joke. I threw off the covers and walked out. I saw Ethan talking to Chloe at the end of the hall. I walked straight up to them. Ethan rushed over. "Honey, why are you out of bed? You'll catch a cold!" I shoved him aside, walked up to Chloe, and—right in front of Ethan—slapped her across the face. Twice. Ethan gasped. "Ava!" "Chloe, why are you still haunting my husband!" I turned to Ethan. "Can you not forget her? If that's the case, I'll grant you your wish and leave!" Ethan panicked. "No! It's not like that!" "Chloe, tell my wife yourself what happened!" Chloe looked indignant. "My son is hospitalized. I asked Mr. Sterling for a loan, but he refused. He said it's my problem, not his!" "Mrs. Sterling, sorry to disturb you!" She gave me a hateful look and stormed off. Ethan took my hand and pressed it to his cheek. "Honey, are you relieved? Hit me if you're still mad." I didn't hesitate. I used all my strength and slapped him. Silence filled the corridor. Ethan didn't get angry. He rubbed my hand tenderly. "Did that hurt your hand? Let me rub it." I sneered internally. He really could bend and break. "Ethan, I want crystal pork elbow and soy duck. Go buy it." He agreed immediately and ran off. A nurse behind me sighed, "Mr. Sterling treats you so well." "That's not love," I said coldly. "That's guilt." I went back to the room, took out the saffron I had prepared, brewed a strong tea with dozens of strands, and drank it all. Ethan, you owe me. Today, you pay. I went down to the pediatric ward. Chloe glared at me when I entered. "What do you want?" "I came to see my husband's bastard son." The pale boy in the bed was pitiful, sure. But wasn't I pitiful too? Chloe was furious. She shoved me toward the door. "Ava, I'm warning you, stay away from my son!" She dragged me to the end of the hallway. "If you're scared, why provoke me!" I laughed. "I know Ethan won't give you a title. You're forever in the dark. Chloe, you're pathetic. You're a mistress, and your son is illegitimate. He'll be laughed at his whole life." I patted my stomach. "The one I give birth to is legal. No one can take that away." She realized that as the legal wife, I held the cards. "You're dreaming! Once that baby is born, Ethan will kick you out! I am the real Mrs. Sterling!" I mouthed the words at her: Mistress. Bastard. Chloe snapped. She shoved me hard. "I am not a mistress!" I smiled at her as I let my body fall backward. I tumbled down the stairs, watching the horror dawn on her face. Pain hit me as expected. I felt the warm blood beneath me and smiled. Ethan, this is the karma for your betrayal. 4 The surgical lights overhead flickered. I woke up some time later to see Ethan's anxious face. His voice was hoarse, his collar crumpled. He looked nothing like the decisive CEO. "Honey, you're awake!" "Our baby..." I touched my flat stomach, my face a mask of grief. "He's in the incubator. The doctor says he's fragile, but don't worry, specialists are watching him." Seven months premature. He would live, but after that much saffron tea, the child would likely have issues. Ethan, are you happy now? "Can I see him?" Ethan held me down. "Don't rush. Recover first." "Call the police. Chloe pushed me! She killed our baby!" I wept. Ethan looked pained. He had someone bring Chloe in. Her face was swollen with slap marks, her hair messy, blood at the corner of her mouth. Ethan had already punished her. "Mrs. Sterling, I'm sorry." Ethan kicked her in the shin. Chloe fell to her knees with a thud. "Honey, let's not involve the police. We can handle her ourselves." Ethan clenched his fists, glaring at Chloe. I said calmly, "Something this big happened. Where is Ms. Liang's husband? Why isn't he here?" "She did this to me. Her family should be apologizing. Or is her son a bastard who can't be seen in public?" "Ava!" Ethan shouted suddenly. I looked at him. "What? Did I say something wrong? She caused my premature labor. Her family shouldn't apologize? A mistress is a mistress." Chloe turned pale. Ethan couldn't take it anymore. "Enough, Ava. She acted alone." "Fine. Then I want to press charges. No settlement." Ethan agreed quickly. "Okay, we'll call the police." "Ethan!" Chloe cried, begging him with her eyes. Ethan remained expressionless as the police took her away. I let out a breath. However, Chloe was out in three days. My private investigator sent photos of Ethan's assistant picking her up from the station. I sneered. Ethan, you're soft-hearted after all. She's your son's mother. What am I? I pretended not to know. I stayed in the hospital for a week, then moved to a high-end postpartum center. Ethan spared no expense. I accepted it all. I needed to recover. I contacted my best friend, Mia, to draft divorce papers. She was shocked. "Ava, are you crazy?" "Everyone knows Ethan treats you like a queen!" "I had a premature birth because his mistress pushed me. And the baby in my belly... wasn't even mine." Before the "accident," I had secretly done an amniocentesis. The DNA didn't match mine. They used my womb for their embryo. Mia was furious. "What kind of animals are they? Don't worry, I've got you." Ethan arrived shortly after I hung up. He held flowers and a gift box. "What's this?" "A custom necklace. You've worked hard, honey." Inside lay a sapphire necklace. Expensive. "You mentioned it last time. I remembered." I smiled. "Thanks, I love it." If I recalled correctly, this was a set. Necklace, ring, bracelet. Ethan, who is wearing the other two pieces?
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