Five years ago, the day my water broke. The sharp, agonizing contractions rippled through my entire body. Shaking violently, I clutched my phone and called Adrian Vance, begging for help. "Adrian, the doctor says the baby is losing oxygen. Please, can you come to the hospital?" On the other end of the line, Adrian’s voice was filled with nothing but cold impatience. "Having babies is what women are built for, Claire. You aren't going to die. Stop using these cheap tricks to get my attention." "Chloe is terrified of thunderstorms. I have to be with her." The line went dead. I was wheeled into the operating room all alone. I bled out, and my baby suffocated to death. At that exact second, in the city's most expensive penthouse suite, He was in bed with his precious first love, Chloe Miller, wrapped in a passionate embrace. While I, completely alone, signed my own child’s death certificate. Utterly devastated, I vanished from his world completely. Five years later, Adrian showed up at my doorstep, holding a massive diamond ring. "Claire, let's get remarried. Let's start over, okay?" I didn't even spare him a glance. His eyes locked onto the little boy standing next to me—a boy who looked strikingly like me—and his voice began to tremble. "Since when... did you have a child?"
"This is our child from five years ago, isn't it?" Adrian recovered quickly, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "They all told me you had a miscarriage and the baby didn't survive. I didn't expect you to secretly raise my child." "Claire, you really... are still hopelessly in love with me." He was dressed in a tailored bespoke suit, holding a massive bouquet of white roses in one hand and a velvet ring box in the other. This scene looked exactly like the day he proposed to me five years ago. Adrian took a step forward and popped the ring box open. The massive diamond flashed blindingly under the hallway light. "I had this ring custom-made just for you." I stared at the diamond. Five years ago, Adrian had dropped to one knee with a giant pink diamond ring. Back then, I thought I was the luckiest woman in the world. Only later did I find out that the pink diamond was never meant for me. It was the ring he had prepared to propose to Chloe with. But Chloe had thrown a tantrum back then and fled the country in a fit of rage. To spite Chloe, Adrian found me and slipped that ring onto my finger. I thought I had found true love, but in reality, I was just a pathetic substitute. When I signed the divorce papers and left the Vance estate, I left that ring on the master bedroom nightstand. I didn't take a single thing he ever bought me. Just like Adrian himself, I had long since thrown him out like trash. Seeing that I remained silent, Adrian frowned. "What? Still throwing a tantrum?" His tone carried a patronizing touch of indulgence. "It’s been five years, Claire. You've had your fun. A woman can't live in her feelings forever." I almost laughed out loud from pure rage. Five years had passed, and he hadn't changed a bit. Always looking down on everyone, always assuming I couldn't live without him. Sensing the tense atmosphere, the little boy in my arms wrapped his arms tighter around my neck and whispered, "Mommy, who is he?" My little boy was beautiful, with thick eyelashes and soft, chubby cheeks. Especially his eyes—dark, bright, and intelligent. They looked exactly like mine did when I was a child. My heart softened, and I gently stroked his cheek. "Nobody, sweetie. Just an annoying stranger." Adrian’s face darkened instantly. "Claire, I know you're still bitter. But think about it realistically. You're a divorced woman with a kid. You aren't getting any younger." "Who else but me would ever want you?"
Adrian seemed incredibly pleased with his own logic, his voice dripping with pity. "Besides, you don't even have a real career. You must have had a rough time these past few years after leaving me. Just come back with me now, and I’ll let you be Mrs. Vance again." As he spoke, his eyes swept over my outfit. Today, I was just wearing a simple beige knit dress with no designer logos. So, he naturally assumed I was living in poverty. I looked at him, suddenly tempted to ask where on earth he got this delusion. But I couldn't be bothered to waste my breath. "Actually, I'm doing great," I said calmly. "And this child is not yours." The smugness on Adrian's face vanished instantly, replaced by a dark scowl. "Not mine?" He scoffed as if he had just heard the funniest joke. "Claire, how long has it been since you left me?" "If the kid isn't mine, whose could he possibly be?" He stepped closer, his burning gaze locking onto me. "Are you really making up a lie this ridiculous just to hurt me?" Before I could speak, a soft, delicate female voice echoed from the hallway stairs. "Claire, Adrian truly loves you. How can you break his heart like this?" I looked up. Chloe Miller was standing at the end of the hallway. She was wearing a flowing white dress, her long hair curled perfectly, her makeup flawless. Just like five years ago, she looked like a fragile little white flower that would shatter at the slightest breeze. And Adrian, of course, always fell for it. The moment I saw her, my stomach churned with pure disgust. Memories of that night five years ago flooded my mind, completely out of my control. I was lying in the hospital bed, fresh out of emergency surgery. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the pen when the nurse handed me my baby’s death certificate. At that exact moment, Chloe had sent me a Snapchat video. In the dimly lit hotel suite, the sound of her soft moans filled the audio. Adrian was pressing her into the mattress, kissing her over and over. Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling mockingly at the camera. "Adrian, isn't your wife giving birth right now?" Adrian let out a low chuckle. "Don't bring her up." "She's a buzzkill." The video ended with the two of them tangled together. And I was left alone in a cold hospital bed, signing my baby's death certificate. Thinking about it now still made my fingers go numb with cold fury. Yet, here was Chloe, still playing the innocent angel. "Claire, Adrian has missed you so much over the years." "He really loves you." "Please, stop throwing tantrums and just make up with him, okay?" I looked at her coldly. "Are you done?" Chloe froze, clearly not expecting this reaction. Her eyes welled with tears instantly. "Claire... are you still blaming me?" "What happened back then... I really didn't mean for it to happen..." I didn't want to hear another word. Today was Leo’s vaccination appointment, and I wasn't going to waste my time. I turned around, holding my son close, and walked away. Adrian immediately chased after me. "Wait!" He reached out, trying to grab Leo. "Give me my son!" But Leo quickly hid his face in my neck, looking at him with deep suspicion. "I don't know you! Go away!" Adrian froze. He had probably never been rejected like this in his entire life. Suppressing his irritation, he tried to coo softly, "Hey buddy, I'm your daddy." But Leo’s eyes widened in anger. "No, you're not!" "My daddy is super handsome!" "Not a weird uncle like you!"
Adrian’s face turned completely black. Chloe chimed in with her sweet, whiny voice, "Claire, how can you teach the child to talk like that?" "Even if you and Adrian are divorced, he is still Adrian’s son." I finally lost my patience. "I said," "This child is not his." With that, I carried Leo straight down the stairs. A taxi happened to be parked by the curb. I pulled the door open and climbed in. "The Children's Hospital, please," I told the driver. The car slowly pulled away. Through the rearview mirror, I could see Adrian standing on the pavement, his expression incredibly dark. Chloe stood beside him, gently wrapping her arm around his. I looked away, feeling nothing but exhaustion. Leo snuggled into my chest and asked softly, "Mommy, why did that uncle say he’s my daddy?" I patted his head. "Because he got the wrong person, sweetie." "Oh." The little guy was quickly distracted by the view outside the window. "Mommy, look! A giant yellow duck!" I looked in the direction he was pointing. Suddenly, the deafening screech of brakes echoed through the air! Crash! A violent impact slammed into us, throwing me hard against the front seat. The world spun wildly, and the air was filled with terrified screams. By the time I realized what had happened, the taxi had flipped onto its side. Shattered glass littered the road, and the thick, metallic smell of blood filled the air. My head was spinning painfully, but my survival instinct screamed one thing: find my son. "Leo!" "Leo!" My little boy was pinned near the seat, his face deadly pale, his forehead covered in blood. "Mommy..." His voice was so weak I could barely hear it. My blood ran cold. "Help!" "Please, someone save my son!" Half an hour later. Outside the emergency room, I stood drenched in blood, my hands trembling uncontrollably. I could still feel Leo's tiny hand clutching mine before he was wheeled in. He had whispered, "Mommy... it hurts..." My heart felt like it was being ripped out. Just then, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. Adrian and Chloe had actually followed us to the hospital. Chloe looked pale, her face twisted into a mask of deep concern. "Claire! How is the baby? Is he going to be okay?" I stared at her, my mind flashing back to the truck that had suddenly lost control and rammed into us. It was too coincidental. So coincidental that it was impossible not to suspect her. I stepped toward her, one agonizing step at a time. "Chloe, did you arrange this?" Chloe stiffened. "What?" My eyes were bloodshot, my voice shaking with rage. "The car crash. Did you plan this?!"
Chloe's face went completely white. In the next second, she collapsed to her knees with a loud thud. "No! It wasn't me!" "Claire, how could you think I would hurt a child? I would never!" She sobbed hysterically, tears streaming down her face. To anyone else, it looked like I was mercilessly bullying her. Adrian immediately frowned and pulled her up from the floor. "Claire, calm down." "You have no proof. How dare you accuse Chloe like this?" I looked at the way he shielded Chloe. It was incredibly ironic. Five years ago, it was like this. Five years later, it was still the same. As long as Chloe shed a single tear, Adrian would always take her side. My voice shook. "My son is lying in there, fighting for his life!" "Besides her, I can't think of anyone else who could be this evil!" Chloe cried even harder. "Claire, I really didn't do it..." "I know you hate me, but you can't accuse me of this..." "What happened back then... it was my fault. I was jealous of you! I was wrong! I apologize! But I swear this crash had nothing to do with me! Please believe me!" Her fragile, helpless act easily triggered any man's protective instincts. Adrian wrapped his arm around her protectively and turned to me, his tone harsh. "That's enough! Chloe already apologized. What more do you want?" "Claire, when did you become so hysterical?" "Chloe has always been fragile. She wouldn't even step on an ant. How could you accuse her of attempted murder?" "Your mental state is extremely unstable right now. Calm down!" Looking at the two of them—one a hypocrite, the other blind—I felt utterly disgusted. I stared straight at him. "Adrian, do you want to know something?" "The thing I find most disgusting about you isn't your infidelity." "It's your sheer stupidity." His face twisted in anger. "What did you say?" I stepped closer to Chloe, my voice ice-cold. "If this was you..." "Chloe, I swear to God, I will kill you myself!" Terrified by the look in my eyes, Chloe shrank back. Adrian immediately blocked her. "Claire! What kind of madness is this?!" Before the tension could boil over, the emergency room doors swung open. The doctor rushed out. "Who are the child's guardians?" I ran forward. "I am!" Adrian was right behind me. "I am too! I'm his father!" The doctor pulled off his mask, his expression grave. "The patient has lost a lot of blood and needs an immediate transfusion. However, he has O-negative blood, and our blood bank is critically low right now." My heart plummeted. "I... I'm type O..." The doctor glanced at me. "Mother's blood type alone isn't enough; we need to screen for compatibility quickly. Is the father here? We need him to do a blood match immediately!"
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