Chapter 1

At our daughter's hundred-day celebration, my husband was in a hurry to get back to the company for overtime.

But yesterday I'd gotten a message from the hospital. The embryo screening for him and his childhood friend was done, and the transfer could happen this morning.

I blocked his way and refused to let him leave.

My mother-in-law slapped me across the face and lectured me in front of everyone. "A grown woman with a child, and you're throwing a jealous little-girl tantrum. You don't earn a dime. What gives you the right to stop my son from going out to make money?"

"Honey, it's our daughter's hundred-day party. She can't have it without her father." I held my ground, still blocking him.

"It's just overtime, not a divorce. Do you have to make it sound so dire?" He shoved me hard and strode off.

I handed the baby to my mother-in-law, ignored her cursing, and grabbed a cab straight to the hospital.

In the waiting area, my husband, Sam Gilbert, was holding his childhood friend, June Finch, close and easy against him.

June poked at his chest. "Sam, you swore an oath. Whatever Daisy Chavez gets, I get four times the love."

"She's had her daughter. Now I'm going to give you four sons, and you're not allowed to go back on it."

Sam brushed a finger down her nose. "All right, all right. What's my little jealous thing got to be jealous of her for?"

"Her belly's covered in stretch marks now. One look and it turns my stomach. Every extra minute with her wears me out. It's only with you that I can relax."

I laid a hand over my stomach and bit down on my lip.

Four times the love, four sons, is that it? June, then I'll give you quadruplets all at once.

Sam, when her belly's crawling with stretch marks, will you find her disgusting too?

...

I watched Sam's face from across the room, listening to him coax her with more sweet words than he'd given me in a month.

Fifteen minutes later, I decided to give up seven years of marriage. Sam, I don't want you anymore.

I ran out of the hospital, sat down on the edge of a flower bed, and couldn't stop crying.

From campus to marriage, Sam and I had taken a full fifteen years.

From dead broke to a fortune worth hundreds of millions.

From a rented room to a two-hundred-square-meter luxury apartment.

From eighteen to thirty-three.

But Sam and June had known each other for thirty-three years. When Sam was eighteen, he fell into the water, and June saved him. She'd saved his life, and from then on they were sworn friends for life.

That year, June made him promise that no matter who he ended up with, he'd always give her four times the love.

All these years, if Sam bought me one flower, he bought her four.

If he spent one day with me on a holiday, he spent four with her.

Back then I never minded. I was always grateful that June had saved his life. I'd even tell Sam on my own to bring extra money for her.

While I sat in the car in a daze, a text came in from Sam.

"Wife, work's insane. Love you."

Followed by transfers of 520 and 1314.

I opened June's account, and sure enough, she'd posted four screenshots of 520 and 1314 transfers, with the caption, "Four times the love, never once missing."

The comments were nothing but praise.

So lucky, sis. Your man is so generous.

You eat well, sis. He's rich, handsome, and built.

Can't wait for you and him to have a beautiful baby.

June replied, "One's not enough. We agreed we'd have four."

Back at our new home, I rushed into the bedroom and shut the door. I didn't want to break down in front of my daughter.

My mother-in-law held the baby and pounded on the door.

"A grown woman with a child, running off to fool around. The baby's this small and you dare dump her on me. Heartless."

"Sweet girl, your mommy's bad, she doesn't want you, but Grandma does. Nasty mommy, let's hit her."

I leaned against the door and slid down to the floor, the pain in my chest so sharp I couldn't breathe.

The more you love, the more it hurts.

My best friend, Michelle Estes, called. "Daisy, where are you? Your husband's here with that childhood friend of his doing IVF. They're going for twins."

"And that piece of trash registered under a married couple's name. I had someone tip you off on purpose. Why aren't you here yet!"

My hand was shaking. I barely kept hold of the phone. "Give them quadruplets. Four sons."