Chapter 1

My husband, Everett Sterling, was the ultimate playboy of New York's elite.

He was constantly surrounded by beautiful women.

Yet, he claimed he fell for me at first sight.

He cleared out his entire harem just to prove his devotion to me.

Everyone insisted I was his one true love, the girl who finally tamed the beast.

During our seven years of marriage, I underwent seven procedures to end my pregnancies.

I did it all because he said he just didn't like children.

On Father's Day, I saw a post on his secretary's private social media.

Everett, who claimed to be away on a business trip, was standing right there.

A child beside him was loudly calling him "Daddy."

It turned out he didn't hate children.

He just hated the idea of having children with me.

With tears streaming down my face, I dialed a number I hadn't called in years.

"Do you still need a wife?"

01

A steady, affirmative voice came from the other end of the line.

The moment I hung up, I wiped my tears dry.

A message from Everett's secretary, Lydia, popped up on my phone.

It was a photo of the three of them posing in front of the castle at Disney World.

They looked like the perfect family.

The little boy's face was a carbon copy of Everett's.

Lydia's explanation followed immediately after.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Sterling. I sent that by mistake. Please don't misunderstand."

"Mr. Sterling just felt sorry for the boy because he has no father. He only lied about the business trip to accompany us for the weekend."

I could see through her pathetic little scheme in an instant.

"It's fine. He's just a bastard child, after all. I suppose when a kid grows up without a father, he'll call any man Daddy. You should teach him better, Lydia."

A moment later, my phone rang. It was Everett.

"Vivian, what the hell is wrong with you? Noah isn't a bastard! He's my son!"

Hearing those words, my heart, which was already frozen, felt a sharp, stabbing pain.

"Years ago, I gave up everyone for you, and that included Lydia."

"She moved overseas and raised Noah all by herself just so she wouldn't interfere with our marriage. Do you have any idea how much they suffered?"

Everett could see their seven years of suffering, but he was blind to mine.

He didn't see the seven lives I gave up for him.

Lydia's soft sobbing echoed in the background of the call.

"Everett, she hates us, doesn't she? It's my fault. I shouldn't have had him. I shouldn't have let him be born with such a shameful reputation."

"I'm bringing Noah home tonight. From now on, he will be my legal heir!"

Everett's voice left no room for argument.

He hung up before I could say a single word.

I sat on the sofa, staring into space.

Tears fell like broken strings of pearls, soaking through my clothes.

I looked at the seven ultrasound photos saved on my phone.

They felt like a silent mockery of my own helplessness.

Everett was a man of his word.

That evening, he brought Noah home.

Lydia was right there beside them.

They were even wearing matching Disney family outfits.

They looked like a complete family of three.

I was the only one who didn't belong.

Everett carried Noah around, showing him the penthouse with unmistakable pride.

"Noah, do you want to live in this big house with Daddy and Auntie Vivian?"

Noah nodded eagerly, then turned to look at Lydia.

"What about Mommy? I want Mommy to stay with me!"

Lydia forced a bitter smile.

"Be a good boy, Noah. Auntie Vivian will be your mommy now."

Noah immediately threw a tantrum and glared at me with pure hatred.

I stood there with my arms crossed, my face expressionless.

"I don't have children. Don't go around calling me your mother."

Lydia held the wailing boy, looking at Everett with a helpless expression.

Everett frowned with deep annoyance.

"Vivian, what is your problem? Lydia is being so selfless, even willing to share her son with you! You get to be a mother without any of the pain. Don't be so ungrateful."

I looked at him calmly.

"So, Everett, you personally stripped me of my right to be a mother, and now you expect me to raise this stray?"

"What about the seven children I lost for you? What do they count for?"

A flicker of guilt finally appeared in his eyes, and Lydia caught it immediately.

She picked up Noah, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Since the Mrs. doesn't want us here, we won't stay. We'll disappear from your life, Everett. Noah, say goodbye to Daddy. You won't see him again."

Noah cried out for his father, his voice cracking.

Every scream felt like it was tearing at my soul.

If my children had been allowed to live, would they have called out for us like that?

Everett's guilt vanished instantly.

He grabbed Lydia before she could reach the door.

"I'm the head of this house! If I say Noah is my son, then he is my son! It doesn't matter what Vivian thinks."

He firmly took Lydia's hand and led them back inside.

Everett settled them into the master bedroom.

Only then did he bother to look at me, still standing in the living room.

"Vivian, Noah wants to sleep with both his parents tonight. I need you to move into the guest room for a month. Once he's adjusted, you can move back."

He said it so casually, as if it were a minor inconvenience.

He didn't wait for my answer.

He just turned away as Noah called out for him.

It wasn't a request; it was a command.

I suddenly remembered the year we met.

Everett had held my hand so tightly, promising I was his one and only.

He had fought his family for me and changed his ways for me.

That Everett Sterling would have walked through fire for me.

I truly believed we would be different from every other failed couple.

But here he was, in the seventh year of our marriage.

He had brought home a love child.

He had turned me into the biggest joke in the city.