Chapter 1

1

In the second year of my marriage to Jace Montgomery, I told him I wanted a baby. He smiled and agreed, looking like the perfect, doting husband.

I spent months drinking bitter herbal supplements and visiting every specialist in the city. Still, nothing happened.

Just as I was about to look into IVF, I overheard him on a phone call with another woman.

"She'll never get pregnant, don't worry," he said, his voice dripping with a coldness I didn't recognize.

"In a few months, I'll suggest we adopt. By then, our own son will be the sole heir to the Rivers estate."

The truth hit me like a physical blow. I realized he had been spiking my morning latte with contraceptives every single day.

He hadn't married me for love. He married me to dismantle my family's legacy from the inside out.

If he didn't want a child with me, then I didn't want a life with him.

I wiped my tears and dialed a number I hadn't called in years.

"Mom, Dad, I'm ready. I'll go through with the arranged marriage."

When I said those words, my parents' first reaction was that I'd been hurt.

My father's voice exploded through the receiver. "Sweetie, is that bastard Jace mistreating you? I'm coming over there right now to tear him apart."

I forced a small, bitter laugh to calm him. "Dad, I can handle my own mess. Just set up the meeting with the candidate you chose."

As soon as I hung up, Jace walked into the kitchen carrying a steaming mug.

"Morning, honey. Who were you talking to so early?" He handed me the drink with that same practiced smile.

I took the mug but set it down on the marble counter without taking a sip.

His smile faltered for a fraction of a second. "Why aren't you drinking it? I thought this was your favorite blend."

I saw the flash of anxiety in his eyes and smiled back, though it didn't reach my eyes. "My stomach feels a bit off today. I don't think I can handle caffeine."

Jace's tense shoulders immediately relaxed. He masked it with a look of deep concern.

"Oh, no. I'll take you to the doctor after I get off work, okay?"

Looking at his fake worry, I could only think of that phone call from the night before.

He had been so tender with that other woman. "Baby, she'll never have a kid, I promise."

While I was choking down those disgusting supplements for the sake of our future, he already had a family waiting in the shadows.

I suppressed the urge to vomit and shook my head. "No need. It's an old issue. I'll go by myself. You should get to the office; you're going to be late."

He checked his watch, realizing I was right. He grabbed his blazer and rushed out the door.

After the door clicked shut, I sat on the sofa in the silence of our expensive home for a long time.

I really thought we were the lucky ones who married for love. It turns out my entire life was just a well-crafted scam.

He took me to operas he hated, went shopping with me for hours, and cooked for me every night.

He wasn't in love with me. He was in love with the Rivers family fortune.

The thought of his touch made my skin crawl. He hadn't just lied to me; he was raising a child behind my back.

While I was mourning every negative pregnancy test, he was probably playing father to someone else's son.

He knew exactly how much I wanted to be a mother.

I picked up my phone and contacted a high-end private investigator. "I want twenty-four-hour surveillance on Jace Montgomery. Find out who the woman is."

That night, Jace tried to pull me close in bed. I felt a wave of revulsion and pushed him away.

"I'm still not feeling well," I muttered.

In the past, he always used the excuse of "trying for a baby" to get his way. I would always give in, trying so hard to please him.

Now, his touch felt like a snake slithering over me.

He hugged me from behind, his voice a low whisper. "Liana, our baby is going to be just as beautiful as you are."

I stayed silent, pretending to be asleep. Eventually, he crept out of bed, grabbed his phone, and slipped out of the room.

I stood by the bedroom door, my bare feet cold against the floor, listening to him in the study.

"I'll come see you and the baby as soon as I finish this project," he whispered into the phone.

"Be good. You know you and the boy are the only ones I actually love."

The call ended. I hurried back to bed and pulled the covers up just before he returned.

He slid back under the sheets carefully, making sure not to wake the woman whose life he was destroying.