After Ethan cheated and crawled back to our marriage, my entire family turned into his personal surveillance team. Whenever he went out to take the trash, my dad would sneak behind him and Snapchat me a video: "He's being good. Didn't even glance at his phone." When he had a meeting at his law firm, my mom disguised herself as a janitor and snuck in: "Not a single woman got within ten feet of him." When he flew back from a court case, my best friend, Mia, scanned him from head to toe with a lint roller. "No stray hairs, no lipstick stains. Everything's clean." Everyone guaranteed me that Ethan's heart was back in the right place. Even Ethan himself knelt by my bedside every night, swearing he would only love me and our unborn child. That was until I was seven months pregnant. Ethan was away on a business trip, and I went to the hospital for a routine checkup alone. As I walked past the maternity ward, I froze. There he was, holding a newborn baby, passionately kissing the woman lying on the hospital bed. And my parents and Mia were standing right beside the bed, their eyes welling with tears of joy. I recognized the woman instantly. It was Iris, his former mistress. The moment they saw me, everyone went into defense mode, reflexively shielding the baby from me. But I just calmly walked up and adjusted Ethan's collar. "Cute baby. She looks like you. I won't interrupt your happy family moment."
Ethan stood frozen, panic splashing across his face. "Chloe, let me explain..." "Do these clothes need to be washed?" I interrupted him, pointing at the pile of laundry on the sofa. His face turned deathly pale. He grabbed my hand tightly. "Chloe, don't be like this. Please, just let me explain." "Be like what? Isn't it a good thing that I'm not ruining your moment?" I looked at him, a faint smile on my lips. He shook his head, his voice dripping with cautious confusion. "You're... not angry?" I knew why he was so surprised. Six months ago, the day I caught him cheating with Iris, I had completely lost my mind. I printed thousands of copies of their bedroom photos and plastered them all over his law firm's entrance. When he asked for a divorce, I stabbed him three times with a paring knife and climbed onto the roof of our building. That day, my parents and Mia had dragged a blood-soaked Ethan to his knees in front of me. Holding my positive pregnancy test, he had begged, "Chloe, you're pregnant! For the sake of our baby, please forgive me just this once!" Back then, everyone thought I was a psycho. But now, I just stood there in silence, prying his fingers off my wrist one by one. "Because it's not worth it anymore." As soon as the words left my mouth, the baby in his arms started crying. The sharp, piercing wail stabbed right through my nerves. Suddenly, Mia—the same best friend who just yesterday had been rubbing my belly, begging to be my baby's godmother—rushed forward and shoved me hard. "If you want to lose your mind, do it outside! Don't scare the baby with your psycho drama!" "Iris didn't even dare to stay in a VIP room because she was terrified of hurting your feelings! Do you have any idea how much she has suffered?!" My parents, who had once cried so hard they went gray overnight out of pity for me, now stood like a human shield in front of Iris. "Chloe, Iris is a good girl," my mom said. "She has no family in this city. We had to be here to support her during the delivery." Heavily pregnant, I was pushed back by the people who were supposed to love me most. I stumbled and hit the doorframe hard. A cold sweat broke out from the dull pain in my back. Taking a few seconds to catch my breath, I said, "That's your business. I don't care." I turned to leave, but Iris, eyes red and tearful, struggled to get out of bed. She fell to her knees right in front of me. "Chloe, please don't blame them. It's all my fault!" "My dad was forcing me to go back to that remote mountain town to marry an old creditor. Everyone was just trying to help me. They suggested I have the baby here and pretend I'm married so my family would leave me alone..." "You were the one who brought me out of the Appalachians and paid for my college tuition. I've never forgotten your kindness. I swear, I would never try to steal your husband!" She was sobbing, but I saw the triumphant, mocking smirk hidden in the depths of her eyes. A wave of intense nausea hit me. I instinctively shook off her hand, leaning against the wall as I gagged. "Iris!" "Chloe! How dare you push her?! She literally just gave birth!" Mia's eyes flared with rage, and she slapped me hard across the face. My cheek went numb instantly. Clutching my stomach, I gasped for air, wanting to scream back, but my parents were already pushing and dragging me out the door. "Just go home! Stop causing a scene here!" The heavy door slammed shut. Through the glass, I could hear them speaking in soft, soothing voices, comforting Iris. I was locked out. A sudden crack of thunder rumbled outside. The cold wind blowing through the hallway made me shiver violently. Ethan rushed out, holding an umbrella. "Chloe, it's pouring. Let me drive you home." I didn't refuse. He let out a sigh of relief. "The doctors said Iris has some health issues. If she had aborted this baby, she would never have been able to conceive again. I just couldn't be that cruel." "But I swear, you're the only one I love." "Once she's discharged, I'll buy her and the baby a place in the South. They'll never cross your path again." "I don't care." I slipped the wedding band off my ring finger and tossed it at his feet. "Give it to her. We're divorcing as soon as my baby is born."
Ethan wanted to chase after me. But Mia's voice echoed from the room behind him: "Ethan! Come back quick, Iris is crying again!" In the end, he just left me there, throwing the umbrella into my hands. "I'm not divorcing you. Just go home and calm down first." I opened the umbrella. It had a gaping hole in the fabric, much like my fractured marriage with Ethan. The rain dripped through, soaking my face. It wasn't enough to drown me, but it was enough to freeze whatever warmth was left in my heart. Sitting in the back of the Uber, I opened Instagram. I went to Iris's profile, and saw she had just uploaded a new reel. "Our little princess is finally here. My husband named her Rosalie." My hands clenched so hard my knuckles turned white. An overwhelming wave of grief flooded my chest. Rosalie. That was the name I had chosen for the baby I lost years ago. Back then, Ethan's business rivals had sent thugs to trash our house. I had thrown myself over him to protect him and was beaten so badly I miscarried on the spot. Now, he had handed that very name to another woman's child on a silver platter. My trauma, and the death of our first child, meant absolutely nothing to him. Tears blurred my vision. Shaking, I scrolled down her feed. On the day I was in a terrible car accident and broke my leg, my parents and Mia had sent me generic text messages—while they spent the night setting off fireworks with Iris on the beach. When I was throwing up my guts from severe morning sickness, they ordered me some random soup delivery—while they took Iris on a seven-day luxury trip to Europe to see the Northern Lights. On my birthday, they all claimed they were too busy with work—while they went camping and stargazing with Iris. There were over six hundred posts. I forced myself to watch them, one by one, torturing myself until my heart went completely numb and my tears dried up. I used to have doubts, but I had clung to a desperate shred of hope. But now, with the truth laid bare, I had to admit that they had all been playing me for a fool. Pulling myself back to reality, I gently stroked my pregnant belly, taking deep, steady breaths. "Don't worry, sweetie. Mommy is going to take you away from here very soon." I went back to my parents' house, intending to grab my passport and birth certificate. I unlocked the front door. But the sight before me was completely foreign. All of my belongings were gone. In their place was a beautifully decorated, cozy nursery fit for a princess. I reached out to touch a seashell nightstand lamp. Suddenly, a sharp voice barked from behind me: "Don't touch that!" My parents were standing in the hallway, carrying grocery bags, looking at me with pure annoyance. "Iris doesn't like people messing with her things. She'll get upset." I looked at them. "Where are my things?" "In the basement." "This was my room." My mom glared at me, walking into the kitchen. "I'm Iris's godmother now. Do you really have to be jealous of everything?" I was pushed to the side, my wet clothes sticking uncomfortably to my skin. But neither of them asked if I was cold. A bitter burning throat caught up to me, and my eyes welled with tears. "What about me? Am I not your daughter anymore?" My mom didn't even look up. "How can you compare yourself to Iris? She's sweet, loving, and always brings so much joy into this house. She's like a little ray of sunshine." "Unlike you, always walking around with a long face, acting like the whole world owes you something." She sighed. "If you hadn't forced your way between them, Iris and Ethan would have been married years ago." "They were always meant to be. They hid their feelings for years just to spare your feelings. Can't you be a little understanding for once?" My own mother was asking me to be understanding of my cheating husband and his mistress. I forced a laugh and wiped my tears. "Fine. Let her be your daughter from now on." "What are you throwing a tantrum for now? Where are you going?" My dad looked over, irritated. "I'm taking a job in Seaside City. I'm leaving, and I'm never coming back." I pulled out my phone, wanting to check the official offer email. Instead, I saw a rejection notification from the Seaside General Hospital Board: Dear Applicant, following a formal report and background check, your application has been rejected due to resume falsification and multiple records of financial misconduct. You have been permanently blacklisted from our network.
My heart plummeted. I immediately called the hospital director. His voice was cold as ice on the other end. "I highly respected your work, Chloe. I never expected your medical thesis to be plagiarized." "If Attorney Ethan hadn't personally brought us the evidence of your misconduct, we would have been fooled by you." Ethan... Rage roared through my veins. Ignoring my parents' shouts, I bolted out of the house and drove straight to the hospital. In the private suite, Ethan was softly singing a lullaby, putting Iris's baby to sleep. I kicked the door open. The sudden noise made the baby in the crib burst into tears. "Ethan! How dare you sabotage my career?!" I screamed. "Being a surgeon was my dream! You know how hard I worked for this!" He immediately covered Iris's ears, glaring at me with immense annoyance. "Seaside General only had one opening this year, and Iris wanted it. It's a great boost for her resume." My rage, my pain, my years of hard work—it was all nothing but a minor inconvenience to him. I was breathing so hard my chest ached. I grabbed his collar. "You are going to call the board right now and tell them the truth, or I will sue you for defamation!" "Go ahead and try," he smirked, entirely unfazed. "I can guarantee you that not a single lawyer in this entire city will dare to take your case." "Besides, we have plenty of money. You don't need to work. Just stay home and take care of our baby when it's born." I stared at him in utter shock, tears streaming down my face. "I will hate you for the rest of my life..." Seeing the sheer despair in my eyes, Ethan's expression softened slightly. He reached out to wipe my tears. But Iris suddenly got out of bed and walked over. "Ethan, let me talk to Chloe." She wrapped her arm around mine, her sharp acrylic nails digging viciously into my flesh. She leaned in, whispering in my ear: "Chloe, your parents, your best friend, your husband, and now your job—they're all mine." "Did you really think your patient complaints and losing your previous hospital job were accidents? Ethan set all of that up just to keep you busy so you wouldn't catch us at my prenatal appointments." "Just accept it. You will never win against me." "Shut up!" Blinded by fury, I raised my hand to slap her, but Ethan grabbed my wrist mid-air with brute force. He growled, "Don't you dare touch her!" He pulled Iris behind him, looking at me with eyes colder than ice. "Get out." I lifted my chin, brushing away my tears. "I'm going to show you exactly what I dare to do." I went home, opened my laptop, and compiled every single piece of evidence of Ethan and Iris's affair—including their explicit photos—into a 128-page PDF. Then, I posted the link directly under Iris's viral Instagram and TikTok posts. The internet exploded. The story spread like wildfire within hours. Media outlets were flooding my inbox, begging for exclusive interviews. Before I could even reply, Ethan burst through my front door. He grabbed me by my shoulders, practically lifting me off the ground. "Chloe! Are you trying to ruin Iris?! The hospital is surrounded by reporters!" "You are coming with me right now to clear her name and apologize!" "Why should I apologize to a homewrecker?!" I thrashed, trying to break free, but his grip only tightened. His face was terrifyingly dark. "If you don't do this, I will make sure no OB-GYN in this city will touch you when you go into labor." I stared at him, my heart breaking into a million pieces. To protect Iris, Ethan was threatening my life and the life of our unborn child. I bit my lip until I tasted blood. "Fine. I'll go." At the hospital, the lobby was packed with reporters, camera flashes blinding the room. Iris was clinging to Ethan's arm, looking like a frightened, innocent victim. I walked up, took the microphone from a reporter, and spoke clearly into it: "Why would anyone think I would forgive an ungrateful snake?" "The rumors are absolutely true. Iris is a homewrecker." "I sponsored her education and brought her out of poverty, and she repaid me by sleeping with my husband and bearing his bastard child." The crowd gasped. Iris's eyes instantly filled with tears. "Chloe... you kept stalking my husband, and I stayed quiet. You drugged him and got yourself pregnant, and I accepted it. What more do you want from me?" She pulled a document from her bag—a legal marriage certificate. It had Iris and Ethan's names on it. "I am Ethan's legal wife."
I stared at the document in a daze, then looked at Ethan, who quickly averted his eyes. Mia stepped in front of Iris, glaring at me. "Chloe, get it through your head! You are the psycho stalker trying to ruin their marriage!" My mom then stepped forward, holding a printed sheet of paper, and addressed the reporters. "I am so sorry, everyone. My daughter has been diagnosed with severe prenatal psychosis. She's been obsessed with Ethan, going as far as drugging him to get pregnant. She has caused so much pain to Iris and Ethan. As her mother, I deeply apologize on her behalf." I looked at my mother, completely shattered. Tears poured down my face. "Mom? Are you crazy? She's the one who—" Before I could finish, Ethan arrived with a team of security guards and private doctors. They took the falsified psychiatric evaluation from my mother's hands. Before I could even scream, a sharp needle pierced my neck. As darkness pulled me under, the last thing I saw was Ethan and Iris holding hands, walking away without throwing a single glance back at me. They confiscated my phone. I was locked in a tiny, windowless room in a private clinic for an entire month. I fought, I screamed, I even tried to climb out of a window and nearly broke my leg, but I couldn't escape. When I was eight months pregnant, Ethan finally showed up. He brought my favorite apple pie and gently tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "I'm sorry you had to go through this, Chloe. We just couldn't let you run wild and hurt Iris." "The marriage certificate was just a legal formality to secure the baby's trust fund. Once you give birth, I'll divorce her." "But first, you need to sign this confession admitting you were the stalker, and kneel to apologize to Iris. Only then will we let you out." I knelt on the cold floor, my heavy stomach making the posture agonizing, and muttered the words they wanted to hear. "I'm sorry. I was the mistress. I will never bother you again." "Are you satisfied now?" Ethan's face turned incredibly pale. He clenched his fists, swallowed hard, and finally sighed, taking me back to our apartment. The moment we got back, I packed my bags as fast as I could. I had to leave. But just as I walked out of the bedroom, the front door burst open. Iris came in, sobbing hysterically, and threw herself at my feet. "Chloe, please! Give me back my baby!" "I was planning Rosalie's one-month welcome party, and the moment you got back, she disappeared! If you hate me, take it out on me, but please don't hurt my daughter!" Ethan rushed in behind her. He slammed me against the wall, his hand wrapping tightly around my neck. "Rosalie is only a month old! Have you completely lost your mind?!" The air was cut off from my lungs. I struggled to squeeze out the words: "I... didn't... take her." "I'm about to be a mother... why would I... hurt a baby..." "Ethan, if anything happens to Rosalie, I'm going to kill myself!" Iris screamed, making a move to slam her head against the wall, but my parents quickly grabbed her. "Why are you wasting your breath with her? Just make her talk!" Mia barked, rushing into the room. She ripped open my bedside drawer, pulled out a sewing kit, and pulled out a long, thick needle, pointing it at my fingernails. "I swear, I don't have the baby!" I shrieked, shaking my head in terror, looking at Ethan for help. But Ethan just looked away, giving Mia a silent nod. They knew how much I valued my hands—my hands that were supposed to perform surgeries. They knew exactly how to break me. But how could I tell them where the baby was when I didn't know?! "Chloe, you brought this on yourself!" Mia hissed. The silver needle was driven straight under my fingernail. An agonizing, white-hot pain shot up my arm. My entire face contorted in a spasm. I screamed so hard my voice gave out, and tears poured down my face. Just as Mia raised a second needle, Ethan's phone rang. It was the police. "Sir, we've found the baby. Please come down to the station immediately." Ethan's face lit up with joy. He threw me aside. The entire group rushed out of the room, slamming the door. I fell heavily onto the hardwood floor. Suddenly, a warm, wet sensation spread between my thighs. I looked down. A pool of dark, crimson blood was expanding beneath me. "My baby..." I dragged my body toward the door, but it was locked from the outside. A violent contraction ripped through my abdomen. I stared blankly at the blood pooling around me, my heart dying with every drop. I reached for the apple pie box on the table, found the small plastic knife, and pressed it hard against my wrist. Suddenly, the door was kicked open with a loud crash. A tall figure rushed through the dust. Julian ran in, his face pale with terror. He threw himself onto the floor, pulling me into his arms, his voice shaking violently: "Chloe! Oh my God, Chloe... I'm so sorry I'm late..."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "NovelMaster" app ? search for "467166", and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster