My husband’s childhood sweetheart got blackout drunk one night and ended up with a stranger. When she resurfaced, she was pregnant, just like me. On the day I gave birth, my husband, Sebastian, handed me divorce papers. “Amanda is planning her comeback,” he said. “I have to give her and the child a proper family. If this scandal gets out, the public will destroy her.” Dragging my weakened body, I calmly signed the papers. In my past life, I had refused to step aside. I went live on social media, holding our infant daughter, and accused the award-winning actress Amanda Shaw of knowingly being the other woman. The public crucified her. She lost every endorsement, and the crushing weight of the breach-of-contract penalties drove her to suicide. Sebastian handled her funeral with a quiet composure. But afterward, he allowed her fans to harass me on the street, to throw things at me, and eventually, to set fire to our home, trying to burn me and our child alive. It was only when I saw him lock the door from the outside that I finally understood: he wanted me dead. I open my eyes again, and I’m back on the day he hands me the divorce papers. 1. Because she was premature, my daughter, Annie, was taken to the NICU incubator the moment she was born. And that’s when Sebastian handed me the divorce papers. “You know Amanda was a top-tier actress before… all this,” he said, his voice flat. “These ten months off have already killed her career momentum. If a scandal about her having a child out of wedlock breaks now, the online mob will tear her apart.” I had just clawed my way back from death’s door; the slightest movement sent searing pain through my stitches. To be reborn on this day… it meant fate was giving me a second chance. “Fine, I’ll sign,” I said, my voice raspy. “But first, you get our daughter a birth certificate. And I want a settlement.” Sebastian had clearly rehearsed a speech to counter the hysterics he’d been expecting. Hearing my calm acceptance, he let out a visible sigh of relief. “Of course. A hundred thousand dollars. Is that enough?” Sebastian was a billionaire, yet he was offering me a pittance. I gripped the bedsheet. I knew asking for more was pointless; he wouldn't give it. I could only nod. He took care of the certificate. I verified it and signed the papers. With the agreement in hand, Sebastian left without a second glance at our child, eager to run to Amanda’s side. The room next door was filled with laughter and celebration. But I had no parents, and now, no husband. I was utterly alone. Two days later, Annie was out of the incubator. I bundled both of us up, preparing to go home. On the way, I got a call from his secretary. “Miss Quinn, please remember to share the company’s official press release.” The divorce wasn't even finalized, yet I was no longer worthy of being called "Mrs. Hayes." To give Amanda a graceful entrance, Sebastian had instructed me to state that our marriage ended due to “irreconcilable differences.” I agreed without hesitation, but my phone was dying. I decided to post it when I got home. When I walked into the villa, I called for the maids to close the windows, but no one answered. As I carried Annie to the nursery, I overheard them whispering in the kitchen. “The nerve of her, bringing another man’s bastard back to this house.” “Mr. Hayes is too soft on her. He doesn’t even press charges, and instead of being grateful, she’s trying to use that brat to get his money!” I froze, a cold sweat breaking out on my back despite the thick layers of clothing. Irreconcilable differences? Why were they saying I cheated? “What are you talking about?” I demanded, pushing open the kitchen door. The maids, who had always respectfully called me “Ma’am,” looked up at me with open contempt. The head maid, Mrs. Gable, was bold enough to spit in my direction. “What are we talking about? The company put out a statement. You cheated on your husband, and now we can’t even say a word about it?” I rushed back to my room, plugged in my phone, and opened social media. The top trending topic was: Sebastian Hayes Announces Divorce. The official statement read: “Due to Ms. Lara Quinn’s marital infidelity, Mr. Sebastian Hayes has terminated their marriage. This serves as public notice.” My head exploded with pain. To pave a smooth path for Amanda, Sebastian was willing to destroy my reputation. I was about to write a clarification under the trending post when my phone buzzed, nearly waking the sleeping Annie. I answered. It was a police officer, his voice jubilant. “Miss Quinn, the human trafficker confessed! You were abducted from Lakeside City!” “We’ve already contacted the Lakeside police to cross-reference families with missing children. You’ll need to come here for a DNA test within the next three days!” My heart, so thoroughly broken by Sebastian, soared. Tears streamed down my face. Ever since I was abducted and brought to this city at the age of five, I hadn't known a single day of peace. I thought marrying Sebastian was a new beginning, but it was just another hell. But now… now I had a chance to find my real parents. My daughter would have a family who loved her! I hung up, quickly packed a few things for myself, and turned to the nursery to grab some baby supplies. Just as my hand touched the doorknob, the front door of the villa was thrown open. “Lara, who said you could go in there?” Sebastian stood in the doorway, his brow furrowed in displeasure. 2. "I just need to get a few things for the baby." "Everything in that room is for Amanda’s child. If you want something, buy it yourself." Every single item in that nursery had been chosen by me, with love and care, for my daughter. And now he was giving it all to Amanda's child. A child that wasn't even his. I swallowed my disappointment and didn't argue. But Mrs. Gable suddenly grabbed my arm, her face a hard mask, and began dragging me toward the door. “Mr. Hayes wants us to go to the postnatal care center to look after Miss Shaw.” The movement pulled at my stitches. "I just gave birth too!" I cried out to him. "I need to recover!" Sebastian didn't even turn around. "Exactly. You have experience." His voice was dismissive. "Stop whining. You've done manual labor your whole life. You’re tough. You don't need a formal recovery period." He got into his Maybach. I was shoved into a minivan and taken to the postnatal center. When we arrived, Amanda was lying in bed, surrounded by a dozen nurses and caregivers. Seeing me, she struggled to sit up. "Sister-in-law, you're here! Please, sit. Giving birth is so exhausting…" Sebastian gently pushed her back down, then shot me a look. "She could run a marathon on a broken leg. This is nothing to her." He turned his attention back to me. "Lara, if you take good care of Amanda, I'll give you another hundred thousand. A pretty good deal, right?" Another hundred thousand. It was tempting. I bit my lip. "No. My baby is at home with no one to look after her." A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, but Amanda grabbed his hand. "Sebastian, if she doesn't want to take care of me, just let her go back. I don't want to make things difficult for you." He squeezed her hand reassuringly, but his gaze on me was filled with disgust. "Letting you take care of Amanda is a privilege. You're an orphan with no money and no connections. Marrying me brought me no value, and you can't even keep up appearances. Serving Amanda well is the most useful thing you can do right now." He was used to belittling me, completely ignoring my pale, drawn face. He ordered Mrs. Gable to go back to the villa. But I knew she despised me for "marrying up." There was no way she would take proper care of Annie. Sebastian waved away my protests and told me to feed Amanda her meal. I looked at the closed door, realizing I was trapped. Exhausted and hungry, I had no choice but to start feeding her. Just as a spoonful of soup reached her lips, she jerked back, crying out in mock pain. "Ah, it's hot!" Sebastian snatched the bowl and threw it at me. The greasy chicken soup splattered all over my clothes. "What is your problem? You could have burned Amanda! You're not eating today!" Amanda leaned against him, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. "Sebastian, don't be angry, she didn't mean to…" "Don't call her sister-in-law. I'm taking her to finalize the divorce tomorrow!" I stood there, ignored, smelling of stale soup, with no one to offer a single word of comfort. The next day, Sebastian took me from the center to the courthouse. We got the divorce certificate. Afterward, he got into his car alone. "I'm going to buy Amanda the latest designer bag. You can find your own way back." His face was grim. "Lara, if you're not back at the center in half an hour, you know the consequences." The Maybach sped off. I turned and immediately hailed a cab back to the villa. The moment I stepped through the gate, I heard a baby crying from the small room in the yard. That was the security guard’s quarters! I burst through the door and saw my Annie, lying on a filthy single bed. My carefully packed diaper bag and formula were right next to her, yet her face was pale, her cries weak and listless. She probably hadn't been fed or changed since yesterday. Forgetting all about confronting Mrs. Gable, I scooped her up, changed her, and fed her. After burping her, Annie gave me a sweet, gummy smile. My eyes welled up, a tear splashing onto her blanket. Amanda’s child had a team of nannies, while mine was forgotten, deprived of even a drop of milk. "Don't be afraid, Annie," I whispered. "Mommy's going to take you away from here." Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door. I opened it, and Sebastian’s hand swung, slapping me hard across the face. "Lara! How dare you bring all these lowlifes into my house!" 3. Clutching Annie, I was shoved into the villa by Sebastian. Amanda, bundled up like a precious doll, followed behind, surrounded by her entourage of nannies. Inside, the villa was in chaos. Several thuggish-looking men were passed out on the floor, their faces flushed from a night of heavy drinking. The place looked like it had just hosted a wild party. There were more people sleeping in the bedrooms and the study. The master bed was occupied by five people, one of them completely naked. Panic seized me. "It wasn't me! I haven't even been inside!" Mrs. Gable emerged, her voice choked with fake sorrow. "Mr. Hayes, last night, dozens of thugs broke in. They said Miss Quinn gave them a key and told them to come have some fun…" "They said the baby was in the way, so they threw her in the security shed…" I was trembling, shaking my head violently. "I don't know them! I was at the postnatal center all day yesterday, how could I have given them a key?" "That's right…" Amanda tugged on Sebastian’s sleeve. "Sister-in-law was taking such good care of me yesterday. Sebastian, maybe we should wake one of them up and ask?" The storm clouds on Sebastian’s face cleared instantly. He ordered one of his men to wake the nearest drunk. "Who let you in here?" he snarled. The man blinked blearily. "Some lady… Lara Quinn… gave us a key. Said the house was empty, invited us over to party… Hey! Another ten bottles!" He was holding a set of keys. My keys. With my little teddy bear keychain still attached. I instinctively checked my pocket. It was empty. "No, my keys were stolen! It wasn't me!" "Still lying? It's a good thing Amanda was worried about you and insisted on coming home. Otherwise, I would never have known you had such disgusting habits!" His voice dripped with contempt. "You wanted to have an orgy in my house!" Sebastian's patience wore thin. He ordered Mrs. Gable to lock me in the security shed. Behind him, Amanda was cooing sweetly. "Sebastian, she was just having a little fun. Why are you so angry?" "She needs to be taught a lesson. This house is filthy now. We'll go to one of my other villas." The shed door was locked. Through the small glass pane, I watched them leave in a grand procession. Amanda, at the center of it all, shot me a triumphant smile. Late that night, after finally soothing a crying Annie to sleep, the lights went out. The wiring in the shed was probably faulty. I took out my phone to buy a train ticket. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a key in the lock. The door creaked open, and Amanda appeared, silhouetted against the moonlight. Without Sebastian, her eyes were cold and vicious. "A hundred thousand dollars for a divorce? Lara, I really underestimated your shamelessness!" I clutched Annie and scrambled backward, but the tiny room offered no escape. "Amanda, I've done nothing to you. Why do you keep trying to destroy me?" "Nothing? If it weren't for you, I would be the one married to Sebastian!" I frowned. It was true. An orphan like me had no right to marry him. Last year, I had saved his grandfather from a sudden heart attack. Out of gratitude, his grandfather had threatened to take his own life if Sebastian didn't marry me. Sebastian had no choice but to comply. We had no wedding, just a one-sentence announcement from the company. After the marriage, he treated me like an object for his release, exhausting me night after night. I was pregnant within a month. I thought I would finally have a stable life, a family. But his grandfather passed away a week before I gave birth, leaving me completely without support. So she believed I had stolen her place as Mrs. Hayes? "But you have what you wanted now. Why won't you just leave me alone?" "No! If you hadn't married him, I wouldn't have gone to that bar to drown my sorrows! I wouldn't have this bastard child!" she shrieked. "It's all your fault! Lara, I want you dead!" She grabbed a police baton from the table and lunged at me. I dodged, and in the next second, she let out a piercing scream, throwing herself against the corner of the bed and collapsing to the floor. Sebastian burst in. "Lara! Are you insane?"
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