Before my family went bankrupt, out of a plea from Mrs. Sterling and a bit of my own selfish desire... I chose Alexander Sterling, a man who vowed to stay single forever, as my partner for a strategic marriage. His face turned livid. He sneered, "I didn't realize you were so desperate for a man. To think I actually treated you as a friend." After our marriage, he completely dropped his usual aloof demeanor and started bringing girls home frequently. Whenever I tried to get angry, he would simply toss our marriage contract onto the floor. "Don't forget, you're the one who forced me into this ten-year arrangement. What made you think I'd play the loving husband?" "Being Mrs. Sterling is enough for you. Don't wish for anything else." My hands dropped weakly to my sides. Until the day my family went bankrupt and my father passed away. I couldn't even scrape together enough money for his cremation. I had no choice but to beg Alex for help. He just replied lazily. "Your father died, why are you asking me for money? Though, out of respect for our marital ties, I suppose I can send over a cheap plastic tarp." While Alex's men delivered the tarp, the media was reporting that he had just bought a private island for his new flame. My heart died in my chest. I decided to sell my wedding ring. On the same day I laid my father to rest, I booked an appointment for an abortion. .............. When I handed the wedding ring over to the auction house, I could hear the mocking whispers around me. "Look at her. The former Miss Hayes. How pathetic she is now. That's what happens when you cross Mr. Sterling." "Exactly. No one will even lend her a dime. She insisted on forcing a marriage with him back then. Bet she never expected the Hayes family to fall from grace while the Sterlings rose to the top." "I heard she didn't even have the cash to cremate her dead dad. Tsk tsk, talk about karma." Listening to their undisguised malice, my heart felt entirely numb. After the Hayes family lost everything, with Alex's tacit approval, everyone wanted to kick me while I was down. The auction began. I dragged my numb feet and stood at the side of the auction hall. As long as the diamond ring sold, I would have the money to pay for my father's cremation, whose body was still resting in the funeral home's holding room. Enduring a few sarcastic remarks from these people was nothing. But when it was my ring's turn to go up, the whole room fell stunned, their eyes shifting to the center of the floor. I looked over in a daze. To my shock, I saw Alex and Chloe Davis. And Alex had clearly recognized the wedding ring. His face was ashen, his eyes locked intensely onto the diamond. No one else dared to place a bid. For the first time in the auction house's history, not a single bid was made. The atmosphere was suffocating. If no one bid soon, the item would be passed. My father had been kept at the funeral home for too long; I desperately needed this money! I was on pins and needles, cold sweat seeping from my tightly clenched palms. Finally, someone raised a paddle. I looked over gratefully, only to freeze when I saw it was Chloe. She leaned coquettishly into Alex's embrace. "Alex, honey, it's still a gemstone worth a million dollars. Plus, it's your wedding ring. Why don't I buy it so we can wear it together?" The moment Alex looked at her, his expression softened instantly. "You like this? It's old and used. Why don't I just buy you a new one?" But Chloe shook her head. "No, I want this one!" Alex chuckled helplessly, his gaze full of indulgence. "Alright, then I'll buy it for you." Alex raised his paddle, but he only bid ten thousand dollars. The starting price was ninety thousand. It wasn't that he couldn't afford to spend money; he just felt that anything I had worn was utterly worthless. I felt like a bucket of freezing water had been poured over my head. And after Alex bid, no one else dared to compete. This ring, worth over a million dollars, the ring my mother had cherished so dearly, was sold at the rock-bottom price of ten thousand dollars. The ring was delivered straight to Chloe's hands on the spot. She slipped it on smugly. "Doesn't this ring look so much better on me than on her?" The crowd immediately chimed in to flatter her: "It looks absolutely perfect on you, Mrs. Sterling." "It's like it was custom-made for you." "Some people have occupied a position that didn't belong to them for years. It's time things returned to their rightful owner." Alex wrapped his arm around Chloe's waist, leaning down to whisper something in her ear, making her giggle endlessly. It was a tenderness I had never received. Clutching the ten thousand dollars, I numbly returned to the funeral home and smiled. "You can proceed with the cremation now." After collecting my father's ashes, I sat exhaustedly on the steps outside. Suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through my abdomen. I clutched my stomach, my face turning deathly pale. I had found out about this baby two weeks ago. I smiled bitterly. What terrible timing. So, gripping my last thousand dollars, I went to the hospital alone. "Hi, I'd like to schedule an abortion." "At your current stage, the abortion pill is seven hundred, and the surgical procedure is eighteen hundred." I hugged my stomach tightly, feeling a wave of grim relief. Thank God I found out early. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be able to afford to get rid of it. "The pill is fine." "Go down to the department for a physical exam first." The obstetrician confirmed my intrauterine condition and wrote me a prescription. Just then, a chaotic flurry of footsteps echoed from the hospital corridor. I stared blankly out the door. A group of men in black suits was escorting a man who was carrying a woman in his arms. A swarm of doctors and nurses urgently crowded around them. Just as I looked over, the man seemed to sense something and glanced back toward my exam room. One look was all it took. It was Alex. He seemed to notice me, a flash of confusion crossing his eyes. The next second, the woman in his arms let out a frail whimper. Alex immediately turned back, his voice tense but incredibly gentle: "Don't be afraid. We're at the hospital now. You and the baby are going to be perfectly fine." The doctor in front of me hung up her phone. She casually mentioned to me, "That's Mr. Sterling's partner. She just found out she's pregnant, and he ordered every OB-GYN in the building to attend to her." Saying that, she handed me the prescription. "Take the pills according to the instructions. The pregnancy will pass by the third day." On my way out of the hospital, I kept hearing passersby gossiping in awe. "Oh my god, it must be nice to be rich. He got every doctor to drop what they were doing just for a check-up." "Mr. Sterling is so incredibly sweet to her. I heard they've been together for three years now." Three and a half years, I answered silently. Besides me, she was the woman who had stayed by his side the longest. Alex used to treat me as a friend. To me, he was uniquely considerate and gentle. No matter where he traveled, because he knew I loved stones, he would carefully select local gemstones and bring them back for me. He once orchestrated a breathtakingly romantic fireworks display just to make up for the fact that I missed the Fourth of July show. Everyone, including myself, thought Alex harbored at least a tiny bit of affection for me. Yet, when the marriage was arranged, he roared that I was the type of woman he despised the most. And Chloe was exactly his type. He would never allow his friends—the ones who always marginalized and hated me—to gossip about Chloe's poor background, always fiercely protecting her pride. Ever since Chloe appeared, there were no other women around him. He even moved her into our home. When I had questioned him hysterically about it... Alex thoughtfully sent Chloe back to her room first. Then he looked at me dismissively. "Sarah, I love her. What exactly are you throwing a tantrum for?" "Have you still not realized that our relationship is nothing but a ten-year contract? The minute the time is up, I will divorce you immediately." Hearing his cruel words, my eyes turned red. With disheveled hair, I slumped onto the sofa. Alex looked down at me from above. Suddenly, he trapped me beneath him. His hand gripped my neck—not tight enough to choke, but enough that I couldn't break free. His eyes were bloodshot, carrying a faint trace of agony. He murmured against my ear with lover-like intimacy: "Isn't this what you wanted? Are you happy now, Mrs. Sterling?" After saying that, he stood up, wiped his hands in disgust, and walked into Chloe's room. After leaving the hospital, to save money, I walked two miles home. The first snow of early winter began to fall. I looked up, the tears on my face already freezing to my cheeks. Snowflakes landed in my eyes, making them water. But as I pushed open the door to the mansion, a blast of warm heating hit my face. Seeing me standing in the doorway, Alex's expression turned frigid. "Close the door. Chloe is pregnant. Do you want her to catch a cold?" Chloe looked at me provocatively. "Sarah, what do you think? Doesn't your ring look lovely on me?" I pretended not to hear her. Alex blocked my path, and that's when I saw a dazzling diamond ring on his finger. In all our years of marriage, I had never seen him wear it. He had dug it out specifically for today. "Chloe is talking to you. Are you deaf?" I swallowed the burning sensation in my nose and replied with a tremble, "It looks lovely." Only then did Alex step aside to let me pass. I walked upstairs, only to find the door to my bedroom locked. Alex spoke with a slow, deliberate drawl: "I'm converting that room into a nursery." "Then where am I supposed to sleep?" "You can have the basement." I widened my eyes, staring at him in disbelief. "Alex, my family put money into this house when we bought it. Why should I have to sleep in the basement?" Alex sneered, looking at me with pure contempt. "Your family was drowning in debt. If I hadn't bailed you out, this house would have been auctioned off long ago." "Sarah, you still owe me over five million dollars. How exactly do you plan on paying that back?" I stumbled a half-step back, my body trembling uncontrollably. Seeing my pain seemed to give Alex a twisted sense of satisfaction. He gripped the banister next to me. "Chloe is pregnant. You serve her. Keep her happy. I'll give you three thousand a month to pay off your debt. How about that?" Even a basic housekeeper made a decent salary, but he wanted me to be Chloe's plaything, offering me pennies. He knew perfectly well that right now, I couldn't find a job anywhere else. I bit my lip so hard I tasted the faint metallic tang of blood. "Fine. I will make sure Ms. Davis is happy." Alex seemed caught off guard by my submission. The rest of his insults died in his throat. He narrowed his eyes. "Whatever. Go make some pregnancy-friendly food for her. Keep it mild. She doesn't like ginger, so mince it finely and hide it in the dish." I nodded shakily. As I turned around, I caught sight of Chloe's venomous glare from downstairs. Suddenly, my legs gave out, and I pitched forward over the second-floor railing. In a split second, Alex lunged, wrapping his arms fiercely around my waist and yanking me back. We crashed hard against the wall. Alex's arms were locked like a vice around my waist, his chest heaving violently. It wasn't until Chloe ran upstairs that he snapped out of it and quickly stood up. Chloe threw herself into Alex's arms, sobbing. "Alex, are you okay? You scared me to death!" Alex glanced down at me, still sitting on the floor. I happened to look up. As our eyes met, I could have sworn I saw a flash of genuine panic in his gaze. But he quickly hugged Chloe back and comforted her. "I'm fine." Chloe looked up, sniffled twice, and then glared viciously at me. She marched over, and before I could even process what was happening, she viciously kicked me twice—right in my stomach. "You bitch! If you want to throw yourself off a balcony, go ahead, but don't drag Alex down with you!" I clutched my agonizingly painful stomach, unable to stand. Alex gave me a cold, indifferent look before pulling Chloe away. "Let it go, I'm fine. Didn't you say your heart was racing? I'll have the family doctor come check your heart rate." When the doctor arrived, he noticed me curled up in agony on the floor upstairs and asked out of concern. Alex didn't even cast a glance my way. "She just took a couple of kicks. What could possibly be wrong with her?" Hearing those words, the last ember of hope in my heart turned to ash. My gaze slid down to the carpet. The carpet felt warm, but my hands and feet were freezing cold. The pain in my abdomen refused to fade, and dark patches began spotting my vision. My consciousness faded into darkness. When I opened my eyes again, I was wrapped in a blanket, lying on the living room sofa. A broad figure sat at the foot of the couch. Alex was hunched over, elbows on his knees, his fingertips rubbing a foil blister pack of pills. I didn't make a sound. He was facing away from me, but he knew I was awake. "You're pregnant." He turned around, his gaze dark and dangerous. "And these are abortion pills." I looked at him expressionlessly. "Yes. That's right." Alex closed his eyes, forcing down a sudden, inexplicable surge of rage, trying to keep his voice level. "You don't want to have a baby? Why?" I smiled bitterly. "Let's get a divorce, Alex." Chapter 2 Alex stared at me intensely, then suddenly laughed. "Divorce? How is that possible? You racked your brains, even threatened my mother, just to marry me. Just so you could be Mrs. Sterling." "It's only been five years. Why on earth would you want a divorce now?" Back then, when the Sterling family was facing ruin, it was his mother who had pleaded with me, begging me to marry Alex for the sake of our past friendship to save their company. So Alex actually thought I had threatened his mother. I let out a miserable, hollow laugh. He casually tossed the blister pack of pills onto my chest. "You left this out for me to find on purpose, didn't you? Trying to make me go soft on you?" I picked up the pills, clenching them so tightly in my hand that the sharp foil cut into my skin, but I didn't let go. Alex didn't notice. He chuckled softly. "Playing hard to get?" "I'm clearing out the position for Chloe. Isn't that what you want?" "Do you think I need you to clear it for her?" he sneered mockingly. It finally dawned on me. He was right. Chloe already had everything of Alex's except the marriage certificate. Alex tucked the blanket around me, but his voice was vicious: "Sarah, I'm not divorcing you until the ten years are up. As for this baby, do whatever you want with it." "However," he added smoothly, "if you have the kid, I can knock off some of your debt. Fifty thousand for a boy, twenty thousand for a girl. Not a bad deal for you, right?" He patted my cheek condescendingly. "If you want to pay off your debt, have the baby." With that, he stood up and walked away. He thought I would use this child to cling to him desperately. But as soon as Alex left, I swallowed the first pill. No. A child without its parents' love shouldn't be brought into this world. It would never be happy. I would rather be a slave to Chloe Davis than force this child to suffer. The next day, Chloe threw a tantrum, demanding lobster bisque. "Sarah, I really want something special today." She blinked and lowered her voice mockingly. "But you're pregnant too. It must be so hard to go out in this freezing weather." A heavy blizzard was raging outside. Alex chuckled softly. "Three thousand dollars, Sarah. Do you want to earn it or not?" I put down my bowl and met his teasing gaze with dead calm. "I'll go." Alex's smirk vanished instantly. I braved the heavy snow, running to several different upscale grocers before I finally found the fresh seafood Chloe demanded. When I pushed the door open, my hands frozen around the icy plastic bags, I heard her casually mention she wanted red velvet cupcakes from a bakery all the way across town. Alex looked at my boots, which were packed with snow, and frowned. He opened his mouth to speak. But I didn't wait to hear it. I turned right back around and walked out into the blinding snowstorm. By the time I returned with everything Chloe asked for, my feet were red and swollen from the cold. Alex kept his face blank, but his tone carried a hint of reproach. "You insist on doing this to yourself. You never listen." He grabbed a tube of ointment, intending to apply it to my feet. I dodged his hand, my voice distant. "I don't need it." Alex's hand froze in midair. Seeing this, Chloe purposely called out for his attention. Alex's face darkened. "Ungrateful." He turned his back on me and went to coddle Chloe. By the third day, Chloe couldn't stand being cooped up anymore and insisted Alex take her out to a club. Alex couldn't talk her out of it, so he grabbed his keys. I was just getting ready to head to the hospital for my follow-up check. As he draped a thick down jacket over Chloe's shoulders, he glanced at my thin coat. "Hold on." Alex blocked my way. "Where are you going?" I obviously wasn't going to tell him the truth. "The grocery store." "Get in the car. Keep Chloe company at the club, and I'll drop you off after." I stared at him evenly, refusing to move an inch. Alex quickly lost his patience. "It's a blizzard out there. Do you seriously want to pass out in the snow just so people can say I abuse you?" He forcefully dragged me into the car. Chloe was visibly displeased, but once we got to the VIP lounge, she was in her element. The others at the table didn't dare force her to drink, so whenever they lost a game, they shoved the shot glasses in front of me. "Sarah, you should be fine to drink this, right?" Chloe smiled at me. "Yeah, Sarah, take the penalty for me. I'm pregnant, you know." I clenched my fists under the table, my fingernails digging deep into my palms. I was pregnant, too. I didn't move. The atmosphere at the table grew cold. Chloe frowned, tugging on Alex's arm and whining. "Alex, make her drink it." Alex looked over in silence. I said, "I'm allergic to alcohol." "There's barely any alcohol in this. It's just sweet mix." When I still didn't move, Chloe's face darkened. "Not gonna drink? Fine, then I'm not playing anymore."
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