When my daughter was just a month old, my husband Arthur Vance's enemies kidnapped her and demanded a hundred million dollar ransom. Arthur claimed the business was struggling and he couldn't come up with the money. Yet, he turned around and won a two-hundred-million-dollar necklace at an auction, presenting it to his "first love," Chloe. As I was consumed by absolute despair, Arthur's biggest rival, Ethan Sterling, found me, checkbook in hand. He told me that if I divorced Arthur and chose him, he would pay the ransom. Without a second thought, I signed the papers. Ethan, wanting to be absolutely certain, even personally led a team of mercenaries to rescue my daughter. I firmly believed he was my ultimate salvation, my safe harbor for life. But when my daughter turned five, I saw him coaxing her to call Chloe "Mommy." "Ethan, you've suffered so much for me and my daughter. Otherwise, you wouldn't have had to marry damaged goods like Maya, let alone get blood on your hands." "Chloe, as long as you're happy married into the Vance family, I'm happy. But you must keep this a secret. If Maya finds out her real daughter died long ago, she'll go insane." It turned out the man I thought was my savior was actually the mastermind who caused my daughter's death. Watching Ethan, Chloe, and the little girl acting so intimately, like a perfect family... I didn't hesitate for a second. I dialed the kidnapper's number: "I have a three-hundred-million-dollar job. You interested?" 1 At the amusement park, Ethan watched our daughter, Lily, and Chloe with eyes full of utter devotion. He was so engrossed that he didn't even notice me standing a short distance behind him. Just then, his secretary walked up to him. "Mr. Sterling, tomorrow is the anniversary of your wife's daughter's passing. Will you be going personally?" Ethan pulled his gaze away. "Yes. Even though it was an accident, I'm still the reason Maya's daughter died. But thankfully, it all worked out and Chloe successfully married Arthur." The secretary looked at Chloe, who was laughing and showing off in the distance, and sighed. "Ms. Chloe only has Arthur Vance in her heart. Even Miss Lily belongs to her and Mr. Vance. Why do you make such huge sacrifices for her?" "If the truth comes out, forget about you; the entire Sterling family will be ruined." Ethan spoke with absolute certainty: "It won't come out. Maya didn't even recognize that the baby wasn't hers back then. She's raised her for five years now; why would she start suspecting anything?" The secretary was silent for a moment before speaking again: "But the Madam... she's truly very good to you. It's not fair to deceive her like this." Ethan let out a self-deprecating laugh. "When it comes to love, where is the fairness? It's not like I begged her to love me." "If she really finds out and throws a fit, I'll just give her another child." I instantly felt like I had been plunged into an ice cavern. But over in the distance, Lily suddenly turned around and shouted loudly at me. "Mommy! Come play with us!" Everyone turned to look in my direction. Unable to dodge in time, I tripped and fell backward into a decorative fountain. Luckily, the pool was deep enough to hide me from their view. The water was freezing, biting into my bones, but I didn't dare surface. Chloe's mood was ruined. She threw her cotton candy on the ground: "What are you yelling for?! Don't you see your real mom is right here?!" Startled, Lily started crying and ran away. "You're a bad lady! You're not my mommy!" Ethan, who usually doted on his daughter, looked stern. "Lily, apologize to your mother right now." Lily cried even harder. My heart ached sharply, and my instinct was to run over and hold my daughter. But Ethan's words from moments ago churned violently in my mind. That wasn't my daughter. My daughter was murdered by Ethan a long time ago. They couldn't even find her remains. She was only a month old! For Chloe's sake, Ethan was actually cruel enough to hand her over to violent thugs. And his whole act of personally going with mercenaries to rescue her? Just a charade. A trick to ensure I wouldn't realize he had swapped the babies. Yet I had seen him as my salvation, naively raising someone else's daughter for him. No wonder Ethan's secretary always looked at me with such pity. A fool like me must be a rare sight indeed. Lily wouldn't stop crying, and unable to calm her down, Ethan had no choice but to take her and leave. Only then did I pathetically drag myself out of the fountain. The biting winter wind whipped against me, but I couldn't feel the cold. I stumbled back to the villa. Seeing me completely soaked, Ethan rushed forward and wrapped me in a tight embrace. He yelled for the maids while using his own body heat to warm me. "Maya, how did you get like this?!" I said softly, "I went to the amusement park to find you and Lily, but I accidentally fell into a fountain." His body stiffened. It took him a long time to mask the panic on his face. "Didn't I tell you not to go? You look after Lily every day; you finally had a day to rest." For the past five years, Ethan had taken one day a week to take Lily out by himself, telling me to rest. Seeing him treat Lily as his own flesh and blood had always filled my heart with sweetness. I never imagined that he was actually taking Lily out to bond with Chloe. My five years... were nothing but a lie. 2 "Maya, when you were at the amusement park... did you see anything?" I snapped out of my daze. Seeing Ethan cautiously probing, I lowered my eyes. "If I had seen you guys, I wouldn't have ended up in this pathetic state." Ethan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He tucked the blanket tighter around me, then took a bowl of ginger soup and personally fed it to me. His meticulous, encompassing care even drew envious glances from the surrounding maids. But the chill in my heart didn't lessen. Ethan's acting was truly spectacular. All these years, I hadn't noticed a single flaw. After getting me cleaned up, Ethan carried me upstairs. Lily popped out, holding a wooden box in her hands. "Daddy, is this a love letter you wrote to Mommy?" I instinctively reached out to take it. But Ethan aggressively slapped my hand away and clutched the box tightly to his chest. Looking at my red, swollen hand, Lily burst into loud sobs. She raised her little fists and tried to hit Ethan. "You hit Mommy! You're a bad man!" Ethan looked awkward and carefully explained, "This is something someone asked me to keep safe for them." Before I could speak, his phone rang. It was a specific, custom ringtone. Lily cried even harder: "It's the bad la—" Ethan clamped his hand over Lily's mouth and ordered the nanny to quickly take her away. Then he apologetically told me he had some urgent business and needed to go out. He locked that box inside his safe. Unfortunately for him, his password was very easy to guess. Even Lily knew it: "It's that bad lady's birthday." I opened the box. Inside were photos of Chloe from childhood to adulthood. That's when I learned that Ethan and Chloe were childhood sweethearts. Inside the safe, there were also several property transfer agreements, all naming Chloe as the recipient. A quick glance showed the total value was in the billions. The dates were all exactly one day before Ethan and I got married. And at the very bottom of the safe was an envelope. Inside was a photo of Chloe holding a tiny infant. On the back, in Ethan's handwriting, was written: "Starting today, I'm going to be a dad!" The large exclamation point radiated excitement and joy. And the date the photo was taken was the exact same day the kidnappers took my daughter. A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my heart. I pinched my arm fiercely to stop the tears from falling. After a long time, crouching until my legs went numb, I finally calmed myself and stood up. I replied to the kidnapper's message. The day after tomorrow. Pick me up at the docks. A single job worth three hundred million. I was certain Ethan would be willing to pay that much for Chloe. And once I reached international waters, I could completely erase all traces of my existence. Five years of history. Ethan, I'm going to use your own script to say goodbye to you. 3 Early the next morning, Ethan hurried back. His first priority wasn't to check if I had a fever, but to rush into his study to check his safe. Watching his back, I let out a soft scoff. Didn't you say you weren't afraid of me finding out? Why so nervous? Suddenly, the police showed up at our door. They only left after repeatedly confirming that the overseas call I received wasn't from a scammer. Ethan was confused. "Maya, those overseas calls monitored by the police are all from criminals. What are you doing?" Just as I was struggling to find an excuse, he hugged me comfortingly. "It's okay. If you're in some kind of trouble, just tell me. Those people are ruthless outlaws; they're capable of anything." This kind of limitless indulgence now only made me want to vomit. He clearly knew the people on the other end were psychopathic criminals, yet, for Chloe's sake, he still unplugged the phone line and had them kidnap my daughter. I clenched my fists tightly, but my face showed the same adoration as always. "Ethan, I'm so lucky to have you." Ethan brought medicinal oil to rub away the bruise on my hand. "I specifically went to the countryside yesterday to get this from an old herbalist." Looking at the label clearly stating a manufacturing address in a Shanghai industrial park, I didn't expose his lie. Yesterday, the notification for the hotel room he booked with Chloe had been sent to my phone. They hadn't checked out until this morning. After rubbing in the oil, he brought out a dessert. "It's from that hotel you love." Opening it, I saw it was my favorite strawberry flavor. This hotel only prepared these specific desserts for their VIP guests. It seemed they had used the executive suite I usually booked yesterday. Originally a four-pack of mini cakes, there were only two left. It was impossible for Chloe not to notice this detail. Which meant she was deliberately trying to disgust me. She wanted to tell me that I only deserved her leftovers. Her leftover cake, her leftover man. The nausea in my stomach intensified, and I pushed the cake away. "I don't have an appetite." Ethan looked terrified. He immediately called the family doctor to give me a thorough checkup. Only after confirming I was fine did his deeply furrowed brow relax. "Maya, get some sleep. I'll go make you some porridge." As soon as he left, I threw the cake into the trash can. A short while later, there was a commotion downstairs. I stood by the window and looked down. It was a panicked-looking Chloe. She threw herself into Ethan's arms like a frightened little rabbit. Ethan was startled at first, glancing up toward my room, but his arms didn't let go. I don't know what Chloe said, but Ethan's expression turned to pure rage. The two of them quickly arrived outside my bedroom. As soon as he walked in, Ethan slapped me across the face. "What the hell were you thinking, contacting international fugitives to kidnap Chloe?!" "It's not her fault Arthur refused to pay the ransom when your daughter was kidnapped!" "If I knew you were this kind of person, I never would have married you!" Unable to dodge in time, I was knocked to the floor. I knocked over a vase behind me, falling into a pile of shattered glass. I caught a glimpse of triumph in the tear-streaked Chloe's eyes. I suddenly remembered that her brother worked in the police department. He must have known about the overseas call before anyone else. She had successfully married Arthur, yet she still wanted to completely monopolize Ethan. Ethan's eyes glared with fury as he demanded I apologize to Chloe. The fake love he had shown me finally revealed its cold, ugly truth. I didn't explain. I stood up and, right in front of Ethan, dialed that overseas number. "Hey, Sister-in-law. Why are you calling me at this hour? Is it an emergency?" The voice of Ethan's younger cousin came through the phone. The color instantly drained from both of their faces. I hung up and asked them, "It was just an overseas call. What exactly are you two so terrified of?" "What, do these kidnappers offer assassination services too? You guys seem to know a lot about it." Ethan looked extremely awkward. "I... I just heard the mercenaries talking about it when I went to rescue her that time." I touched my stinging cheek. "Then demanding an apology from Ms. Chloe isn't asking too much, is it?" But Ethan quickly stepped in front of Chloe: "Maya, Chloe was scared too. You shouldn't be so unforgiving." "I'll go buy you a new bag later. Let's just let this go." I was covered in glass shards, blood seeping out of multiple cuts. Yet this man, who used to cry if I even scraped my knee, acted as if he couldn't see a thing. I let out a cold laugh and was about to speak, when Chloe suddenly started crying. "Ethan, Maya must hate me for stealing Arthur, that's why she set me up." "It's fine. If she just wants to vent her anger, I'll get on my knees and kowtow to her." "But I finally got pregnant, and I really can't handle this kind of shock. Please, Maya, have mercy on me." She barely bent her knees before clutching her stomach and collapsing to the side. Ethan hurriedly caught her in his arms, shot me a venomous glare, and carried her away. I don't know how much time passed before Nanny Wang came into the room and gasped, "Madam! Why are you bleeding so much?!" I finally snapped back to reality, the pain registering belatedly. Nanny Wang rushed to call Ethan. I stopped her. "No need. He knows." Ethan knew Chloe was lying. Yet he still defended her with reckless abandon. Just like five years ago, when he had my daughter kidnapped for her sake. Fine, then. Ethan, I will disappear soon, exactly as you wish. 4 The family doctor arrived to treat my wounds. But halfway through, he was called away by Ethan. He looked conflicted as he spoke into his phone, "Mr. Sterling, I don't know how to handle high-risk pregnancies..." Ethan's furious roar on the other end was so loud I could hear it. I told the doctor to go; I could handle the rest of the bandages myself. Nanny Wang helped me pull the shards out of my back. Once my wounds were treated, I noticed that all the bodyguards assigned to the house had been called away too. They even took Lily with them, leaving me alone in the house. Xiao Jiang, the head of security who usually accompanied me, repeatedly warned before leaving, "Even though no one is here, the villa's security system is top-notch. Please, whatever you do, do not go outside." Watching the twenty-plus bodyguards all head toward the hospital, I finally opened the text message on my phone. "Crossed the border. Still the docks?" I replied "Come to the house" and deleted the message. Back then, Ethan hired them to kidnap my daughter, but later, afraid they would leak the secret, he tried to silence them. During the ensuing firefight, an "accident" happened, leading to my daughter's tragic death. The current leader of the Black Sea Syndicate was the illegitimate son of the previous boss. Ethan had always been hyper-vigilant, paranoid that they would return for revenge. Chloe sent me a photo from the hospital—it was Ethan carefully feeding her bird's nest soup. The hallway outside her room was lined with bodyguards. She sent another message: "How does it feel to be an abandoned wife again? Tastes pretty good, right?" "I just casually mentioned that seeing you ruined my mood, and Ethan immediately left you at home." "He even said you'd be perfect for drawing enemy fire." I ignored her. I called Ethan, but he hung up on me. Half a day later, he finally sent a text: "Be good and stay at home. I'll be back when I'm done here." He didn't mention a single word about taking all the bodyguards. Shortly after, the Black Sea Syndicate broke into the house. The security alarms blared. An alert must have definitely been sent to Ethan's phone, yet he remained completely silent. I looked at my phone and smiled. I dropped my lighter and set the villa ablaze. "Let's go." The men from the syndicate stopped me: "Didn't you say Ethan Sterling's daughter was here too?" I threw a DNA paternity report at him. "Send this to Ethan. He'll pay three hundred million to keep it quiet." "This is also the real reason your syndicate was wiped out back then. How you use it is up to you." "Also, didn't Chloe hire you to kill me? Prepare a fake corpse and send it to her. That's almost four hundred million between the two of them." Only then did the syndicate men lead me to the car. It wasn't until I was already out at sea that Ethan finally sent a message. "Maya, stop messing around. Turn off the security alarms. I'll be back in a little while." It was almost funny. He hadn't even opened the security feed to check. He was absolutely certain I was just throwing a tantrum and faking it. But it didn't matter. Soon, the entire villa would be engulfed in flames. And the syndicate's ransom note would be delivered right to his hands. I tossed my phone into the ocean. I watched as the syndicate hackers infiltrated the hospital's security cameras. At the hospital, the police and the secretary arrived simultaneously. Both groups looked incredibly anxious, and their words collided as they spoke. "Mr. Sterling, your wife has been kidnapped by the pirate syndicate." "Mr. Sterling, the Madam seems to have discovered the young miss isn't her biological daughter." 5 Ethan felt like he was hallucinating; otherwise, why would both of them be telling him such absurd things at the same time? The secretary tactfully stepped back. The police officer began detailing the case. The moment they detected the Black Sea Syndicate entering the country, they immediately notified Ethan to take precautions. They never expected Ethan to actually leave his wife alone at home. Ethan frowned deeply. "The security alarms going off at the house is just my wife playing a prank." The police officer sighed. "But your villa is already on fire." Hearing the commotion, Chloe walked out of her room. "Oh my, I didn't expect Maya to be so impulsive. Actually burning down the house just to get your attention." "Officer, you say Maya was kidnapped. Did you find any clues?" The officer shook his head. Chloe waved her hand dismissively. "There you go. If she was really kidnapped, Ethan would have received a ransom note. But we've been here all night and haven't received a thing." Ethan felt something was wrong. This kind of destructive tantrum wasn't in Maya's nature. Even back when Arthur completely ignored her and their kidnapped daughter. She had remained calm, desperately trying to scrape together the money from anyone she could. But just as Ethan was about to explain this, Chloe interrupted him. The police officer, helpless, advised them to be careful and left. Ethan was just about to call Maya when the secretary stepped forward again. "Mr. Sterling, please look at what the Madam sent." Ethan took it. It was a DNA paternity report. It clearly stated that Maya and Lily were not biologically related. Ethan's breath hitched, and his grip on the paper tightened. Maya... did she finally find out? Chloe leaned over to look and scoffed. "See? I told you Maya burning the house down was just her throwing a fit." "She's just trying to vent her anger. Nothing's going to happen to her." Listening to Chloe's seemingly logical explanation, the unease in Ethan's heart refused to dissipate. Ethan looked at his secretary. "Is my wife still unreachable?" The secretary nodded grimly. Ethan's brow furrowed tightly. He ordered, "It's only been three hours since the alarm went off. She can't have gotten far. Take your men and find her immediately." "Take all the bodyguards. You must find her as quickly as possible." Chloe pouted in dissatisfaction. "If you let the secretary take everyone away, what about our safety?" "You know the Black Sea Syndicate are a bunch of ruthless murderers." Ethan suddenly realized something was off and grabbed Chloe's arm. "How did you know the people seeking revenge were the Black Sea Syndicate? I never told you that." Only then did Chloe realize she had slipped up. Ethan already felt guilty toward Maya. If he knew she was the one who brought the syndicate here... Thinking quickly, Chloe clutched her stomach and let tears fall. "Ethan, the police officer just said it." "I finally managed to get pregnant, and you treat me like this... Didn't you say that as long as Arthur and I were happy, you'd do anything for me?" Only then did Ethan loosen his grip. The Chloe in front of him had red, teary eyes, looking like a frightened little rabbit. Normally, whenever she put on this face, he would instantly soften. But today, he only felt annoyed. Ethan suppressed his agitation and forced a smile, guiding Chloe back into the hospital room. "I've just been too exhausted these past two days; I lost my temper." "Focus on your pregnancy. If you're worried about safety, I can leave. The syndicate is after me." Ethan stood up to leave, but Chloe, who had just been talking about being scared, grabbed him. "No, Ethan. If you leave, I'll be even more scared." He had never seen Chloe so incredibly dependent on him before. In the past, Chloe only cared about Arthur and was always indifferent to him. The only time she gave him a real smile was when he offered to raise her daughter for her. But what he used to desperately crave, he now found suffocating. Maya had never acted like this. Thinking of this, Ethan stood up abruptly. Ignoring Chloe's calls, he walked straight out. He couldn't just let the secretary look; he had to search too. Maya must be out of her mind with grief right now; otherwise, she would never have done something as extreme as burning down the house. He was the one who wronged her regarding their daughter. Once he found Maya, he would dedicate himself entirely to her. And they would have a child of their own. For the rest of his life, he would use all his love to make it up to Maya. But the moment he stepped out of the hospital, he received a call from his secretary. "Bad news, Mr. Sterling. The Black Sea Syndicate just delivered a ransom note."
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