"1 When I learned that the IVF embryo I carried was actually a mix of my husband’s and his mistress’s DNA, I didn’t react violently like before. Instead, I calmly carried it to term and gave birth. From then on, I became the talk of high society, feeding gossip columns. Millionaires envied Ethan for having such a “magnanimous” wife, mistresses prayed to trap him, and other wives saw me as a disgrace. Ten months later, I safely delivered the baby. As I left the delivery room, Ethan kissed my forehead gently. “Clara can’t handle pain and you’re infertile, so you were perfect to carry our child,” he said. “Don’t worry—she only wants to be a mother. Your status as Mrs. Sterling is safe. You’re still the one I love most.” Everyone thought I was too in love with Ethan to fight the mistress, so I went along. But only I knew the truth: this child was forced on me by the Sterling matriarch, who repaid a past favor. Now that the heir was born, the promised divorce agreement should finally take effect. … The anesthesia wore off, and the pain jolted me awake from unconsciousness. The moment my eyes opened, Ethan Sterling, beaming with joy, held the baby. “Darling, Grandma has already named our child. Just sign here, and he can be officially registered.” He handed me the birth certificate. Seeing the name Arthur Sterling, my groggy mind instantly cleared. Arthur. A name meaning “noble strength,” or perhaps for me, “to engrave the beginning.” It was the beautiful aspiration I held for my unborn biological son. It represented our hopes for love. And it was the name given to the thirteenth generation’s firstborn in the Sterling family lineage. To rescue Ethan Sterling from kidnappers years ago, I had taken a knife for him, injuring my body, making it impossible to conceive again. Later, our first IVF child was tragically lost due to a miscarriage from excessive bleeding after he pushed me, having caught him cheating on our marital bed with my stepsister, Clara Berthelsen. That had been a fully formed boy. After my recovery, I planned to erect a memorial for him, a cenotaph, to be placed in the family cemetery. But a fortune teller had said the child hadn’t reached full term, the timing wasn’t right, and it had to wait. That wait lasted over a year. During my current pregnancy, he had whispered in my ear countless times, wanting to give the name Arthur Sterling to this illegitimate child. I had always refused. But now, looking at his expectant eyes, I only felt disgust at my past tears and misery. I knew Grandma would never choose that name. It was just Clara Berthelsen, who loved to claim everything of mine, whispering in Ethan Sterling’s ear. Anyway, divorce was a certainty. I didn’t care for the name of a heartless father. “Whatever. Call him whatever you want.” “I only have one request: don’t list me as the child’s mother. My biological son in heaven wouldn’t be happy.” Ethan Sterling paused, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. “Elara, don’t worry, I’m only using her for half of your bloodline. Her and I…” Before he could finish, a loud crash suddenly came from outside the door. “You little hussy, who gave you permission to be here!” Clara Berthelsen fell to the ground, sobbing. “I just wanted to see the baby.” Grandma Sterling, leaning on her cane, repeatedly struck her. “Get out!” In that instant, Ethan Sterling was like a startled bird. Without even handing the baby to the nurse, he roughly tossed him onto me and rushed out. The freshly stitched incision ripped open under the pressure, and a searing pain made me cry out. But he seemed not to hear, leaving me. His unwavering action of shielding Clara Berthelsen, standing defiantly between her and Grandma’s cane, made his earlier comforting words to me seem utterly ridiculous. “Grandma! It was my idea, and I did it for the Sterling family! Don’t hurt innocent people!” Grandma Sterling paused, unconsciously looking at me. Seeing the white bedsheet stained with blood, she struck Ethan Sterling with her cane. “You beast! Her wound isn’t healed, how can she hold a baby!” Ethan Sterling’s eyes filled with panic and regret. He was about to rush over to me. But Clara Berthelsen suddenly collapsed behind him. He panicked, scooped her up, and started to leave. Grandma Sterling stood firmly in his path. “You’re not going anywhere! Your wife is still in there! Do you still want this family or not!” 2 Ethan Sterling’s eyes were filled with hesitation. “Yes! But she was hurt by you! I can’t abandon her! Elara… she’s with you, she’ll be fine!” Once upon a time, he shielded me from every storm. Once upon a time, he would never make me the one to be abandoned. I endured the pain and gave him a faint glance. “Grandma, let him go.” He seemed surprised by my magnanimity. After all, in the past, to keep him from leaving, I had thrown tantrums, rolled on the floor, abandoning all dignity. His eyes were complex. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he strode away. The nurse and maternity assistant helped me re-dress my wound. The baby was also settled to sleep. My phone suddenly pinged with a message from him. “I forgot about your wound, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to cause a scene in the hospital and affect the Sterling family’s reputation.” “Clara is unconscious and can’t be left alone, so I won’t be coming back for now. You rest well.” I stared at the screen for a long time, stunned. I remembered how he once, upon hearing I was injured in another city, flew for eleven hours, canceling all work just to be with me for a check-up, staying by my side every moment. Seeing me sigh, Grandma Sterling snatched my phone. She read the cold words on the screen and snorted. “That scoundrel! I’ll deal with him when he comes back. Elara, don’t worry, Grandma…” Hearing this, I suddenly chuckled, looking at her with calm eyes. “You condoned all of this, didn’t you?” “I no longer care what he does. You promised me that once I gave birth to this child, you would help me divorce. I hope you keep your word.” Her expression froze, her eyes filled with deep guilt. “Grandma is sorry.” “I’ve already tricked him into signing the divorce agreement. Rest peacefully for your thirty days of confinement, then you can leave.” Grandma kept the baby with her, personally arranging for his care. Meanwhile, I stayed at a maternity center under the guise of an early confinement, avoiding gossip. But that night, the scandal of the Sterling heir’s fury for his mistress, abandoning his wife after childbirth, and defying the matriarch to protect his sister-in-law, spread throughout the business circle. Sterling Group’s stock continued to plummet, leaving Ethan Sterling frantic. Clara Berthelsen’s social media influencer account was overrun by angry netizens. The past incident, when I had exposed her for seducing my husband only for Ethan Sterling to suppress it, was resurrected. The platform was filled with curses. If not for Ethan Sterling’s help, her account would likely have been deactivated, and she’d owe breach-of-contract fees. I didn’t see him again until seven days later. The first time he saw me, he looked at me with disappointment. “Elara Bennett, are you happy now, getting your revenge on us like this?” I paused, then quickly realized he was blaming me for the spread of the gossip. Of course. After all, I used to work in media, and I was an expert at fanning the flames. Unfortunately, the first time I, in a fit of madness, exposed his and Clara Berthelsen’s scandal, he blackmailed my company with claims of privacy invasion and defamation, forcing them to fire me. Now, finding someone to help would truly be difficult. I gave him a sidelong glance, no longer feeling the sting of being misunderstood. I continued to work on the anniversary gift I was knitting for Arthur. “You should know that your scandals aren’t just the ones visible on the surface. If I wanted to expose them, you’d probably suffer another major blow.” He stood at the doorway for a long time, stunned. He spoke, almost helplessly. “After this, I’ll break it off with her. But promise me, we’ll live our lives well together, okay? With a child, we’ll be a happy family.” He had spoken words like this almost every day during my pregnancy. Yet, it hadn’t stopped him from continuing to be entangled with Clara Berthelsen. He either felt pity for her status as an illegitimate child or believed she was lonely without family support. In short, he had a thousand reasons for his irresistible attraction to her and his desire to protect her every whim. He stood by the door, refusing to leave, as if he wouldn’t budge until I answered. Seeing him blocking the sunlight, I perfunctorily agreed. It wasn’t until the next morning, when explicit photos and videos of my alleged affair went viral online, that I understood what he meant by “after this.” Ethan Sterling released a clarification video. In the video, he tearfully told the media that I had spitefully spread false gossip about him because my sister had discovered my affair during pregnancy. 3 Clara Berthelsen, weeping profusely, claimed she had merely advised me not to hurt Ethan Sterling’s feelings, but I, believing she was about to expose my adultery, sought revenge. Everyone urged Ethan Sterling to divorce me, this ""loose woman,"" immediately. But he, instead, put on a show of deep affection. “No matter what mistakes Elara makes in this life, I cannot stop loving her.” Watching his hypocritical performance, I couldn’t help but throw up. Ethan Sterling, hearing this from outside the door, rushed in. “What’s wrong?” I frowned, looking at Clara Berthelsen who had followed him in, and pulled my hand away from his. “Nothing, just that you disgust me. To protect a mistress’s transgressions, you’d go to any length to defame your wife’s reputation. Ethan Sterling, your love is truly magnificent.” His face paled, and he opened his mouth to explain. But Clara Berthelsen suddenly knelt, weeping, her face streaked with tears. “I’m sorry, Elara. It’s all my fault! Julian only made you a scapegoat because of me.” Ethan Sterling instantly felt deeply pained, his eyes turning to me in a reproving gaze. “I came here to tell you about this. Those images were all AI-generated by me. Ultimately, she’s your sister, and it’s only right for you to sacrifice yourself to help her maintain family ties. Why do you have to be so aggressive towards her?” “Besides, you’re a housewife; reputation means nothing to you. What outsiders say won’t affect my feelings for you. It’s enough that I know it’s fake. But she’s different. She has no one to rely on and depends on the media for her livelihood. If her image and reputation are ruined, everything is over for her.” Listening to his high-sounding justifications, I felt nothing but disgust. Being a housewife was his doing, after all. Not only did he force the company to fire me, but he also spread the word throughout the media industry that anyone who hired me would be going against him. My interviews repeatedly hit dead ends. When I finally found a private studio, he maliciously reported us. Ultimately, all my media practitioner certificates were revoked, making me an outcast in the industry, scorned by everyone. I couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. The maternity nurse had said to keep a pleasant mood during confinement, and in any case, in another half a month, I would be completely free. Grandma also promised me that she would clear my name then. What they did no longer mattered. I looked at him expressionlessly, let out a long breath, and turned over into bed. “Do as you please. Whatever you want to do, do it.” He thought I was going to hit Clara Berthelsen as I had in the past, and he became incredibly nervous, standing firmly in front of her. But seeing me turn my back and lie down, all his emotions came to a halt. After a long moment, he asked me in a disbelieving tone, “You… you’re not angry?” My voice was flat. “Didn’t you always wish for me and her to get along harmoniously?” He sighed in relief and smiled. “You’ve finally learned. I knew you weren’t such a heartless person. I’ll definitely make it up to you later.” I didn’t reply, and I didn’t look at him until they left. After a long while, I touched my chest, feeling no stirrings. So this was what it felt like to let go. In the following days, perhaps out of guilt, he came to see me every few days. He was met with resistance and coldness but remained unperturbed, simply telling me about the wonderful life we would have together. It wasn’t until he brought up the baby’s one-month celebration that he spoke with difficulty. “Clara can never acknowledge her biological child in this life, so I was thinking, before the child is old enough to understand, she could openly attend the baby’s one-month party as his mother.” “It would complete her regret, don’t you think?” My knitting needles didn’t stop, and I didn’t even look up. “I told you, do as you please. This isn’t my child to begin with. Whatever you want to do has nothing to do with me.” He stiffened, his eyes reddening with a hint of anger. He snatched away the memorial items I was knitting for Arthur. “Why are you always like this these days! Do you know what her attending represents? It means implicitly acknowledging her as the mistress of the Sterling family. You used to be completely against it.” I paused, then looked at him with a bored expression. “Isn’t this good? Last month, when you two were in bed, didn’t you say it was a shame you couldn’t give her a proper status in this lifetime?” He stood there, frozen and pale like a statue. I retrieved my items, my emotions stable as if nothing had happened. His incessant, nauseating attempts to explain that he didn’t love her, that he was merely drugged and compelled to sleep with her, wanting to take responsibility, were defeated by my silence. 4 After that day, he didn’t come to see me again. But I often saw Clara Berthelsen posting pictures on her social media, showing them taking family portraits in various styles with the child. On the day I finished my confinement, the entire Sterling family was celebrating the illegitimate child’s one-month party. Grandma said the divorce papers would be finalized the next day. When I returned home to pack my things, our cozy marital bedroom had been completely redecorated to Clara Berthelsen’s taste. Even the photo of him cradling my pregnant belly, which used to sit by the living room TV, had been replaced with a family portrait of him, Clara Berthelsen, and the baby. In the photo, Ethan Sterling was smiling genuinely. Even more beautifully than the day he successfully confessed his love to me. I went back to the bedroom, intending to take some clothes I had before our marriage. But when I searched through the closet, I couldn’t find the purely handmade embroidered qipao my mother had personally sewn for me before she passed away. I was about to call to ask when I saw a photo on social media of Clara Berthelsen wearing it at the one-month party. A wave of fury boiled over. I hailed a cab and rushed to the banquet hall, watching her, arm-in-arm with Ethan Sterling, smiling and accepting everyone’s compliments. Seeing me, Ethan Sterling had a hint of guilt on his face, but also a predictable smugness. He released Clara Berthelsen and walked towards me. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist coming, but today is an important occasion for the child, don’t…” I didn’t give him a chance to finish. I rushed to Clara Berthelsen and slapped her across the face. “Remember your place as a mistress. Don’t be like your mother, that old hussy, always stealing other people’s things.” With that, I pulled out a pair of scissors and tore through the qipao she was wearing. With a ripping sound, accompanied by her piercing shriek, I shredded the dress. “If you have no clothes, go naked. This is a dress my mother made for me. You, a mistress, I’d rather destroy it than let you wear it!” The scene erupted into chaos. Grandma Sterling, usually so concerned with family reputation, uncharacteristically stood still, not intervening. Ethan Sterling threw a coat over Clara Berthelsen, glaring furiously at me. “How can you be so vicious? With so many people here, where will she put her face? It was just a borrowed dress. Do you really have to be so petty?” Seeing his inability to distinguish right from wrong, I sneered, and with a swift motion of my scissors, cut all the buttons off the couple’s formal shirt that my mother had made for him. “You forgot the vow you made to my mother, to be good to me for life. That’s alright, I won’t forget. Our relationship is like this gown now, severed and broken!” “I wish your family a hundred years of happiness.” With those words, I left amidst everyone’s shock. That one-month party ended badly. Clara Berthelsen, overcome with emotion, fainted, and Ethan Sterling took her to the hospital. Grandma Sterling presided over the rest of the banquet alone with the child. The next morning, I successfully obtained my divorce certificate. My phone still held a message from Ethan Sterling demanding an apology. I blocked and deleted him, then took my divorce certificate to the cemetery to visit my Arthur. Two weeks earlier, I had already arranged for a headstone to be placed for him. Looking at the words “Beloved Son Arthur Bennett,” my heart ached endlessly. I opened my mouth, about to say something. Ethan Sterling’s voice came from behind me. “I knew you’d come here. You always used to come see the child whenever you felt wronged. But yesterday, you went too far, in public…” Before he could finish, Clara Berthelsen gasped. “Julian, Elara actually named that child the same name as our child!” “Elara, no matter how much you dislike that child, you will always be his mother. Why would you use the same name to curse him to an early death?” Ethan Sterling frowned, stepping closer and seeing the name Arthur Bennett. His gaze swept down, seeing only “Mother Elara Bennett” listed as the monument setter, and no mention of him. The maternal surname filled him with a strange and uneasy feeling. But quickly, this uneasiness dissipated amidst Clara Berthelsen’s crying. He glared at me. “The child’s death is also a regret in my heart, but why did you act on your own? Are you trying to curse your own nephew to an early death?” “I haven’t even confronted you about shaming Clara in public yesterday. Do you think I love you so much that I’ll indulge your every whim?” “I’m giving you ten minutes. Immediately tell the cemetery to smash this headstone. I’ll reconsider a name and have a new one put up!” I coldly stared at this man who had once cried inconsolably after our son’s death. “What if I refuse?” He froze, looking at me in astonishment. After a long moment, his eyes filled with deep disappointment. He raised his hand, and three bodyguards emerged from a car. “Elara Bennett, he is my child, but Clara’s child is also my child. If you insist on doing this, then I will have no choice but to dig up his grave!” “I’m sure his spirit in heaven will not blame me, knowing it’s to protect his younger brother.” Even though I already knew his ugly face, hearing him threaten to dig up his own child’s grave for the sake of a mistress, for the sake of a name, my heart still ached. Seeing his confident expression, certain that I would back down for the sake of my child’s peace, I smiled. Calmly, I pulled out the divorce certificate from my bag and tossed it in front of him. “My apologies, Mr. Sterling. I don’t think you have the right to dictate what I name my child.” “Because an hour ago, we ceased to be husband and wife.” "
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