Chapter 1

My husband used my skin to do a graft for his first love, but she complained it wasn't young and soft enough.

In his rage, he forced me to bear six children, one after another.

But he told me none of the babies survived because of genetic defects.

Filled with immense guilt, I blamed my own body for failing him.

As I writhed in agony in the delivery room, I overheard a hushed conversation between him and the doctor.

"Mr. Vance, this is your sixth child. You’re really going through with this just for Miss Bennett’s skin graft? You don't have to take the baby's life!"

"The child is nothing but a tool."

"I promised Chloe I'd give her the youngest, most flawless skin. I won't let her have a single scar."

So, my happy marriage was nothing but a sickening illusion.

My babies and I were just raw materials for him to please Chloe Bennett.

Fine. I'll let you two have each other.

The doctor looked deeply troubled.

"Mr. Vance, this is your sixth child. Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Of course. This one has incredibly soft skin. Let's see how well the transplant takes on Chloe."

"Mrs. Vance has been in labor for hours, and her body is failing. You’ve already harvested the skin from her abdomen for Miss Bennett. This will likely be her last pregnancy. It's your own flesh and blood... do you really have no regrets?"

"Just do your job and shut up!"

The anesthesia was wearing off, and the pain from my incision was excruciating.

But the physical agony didn't even compare to a fraction of the heartbreak ripping through my chest.

Looking down at the missing skin on my abdomen, and realizing my six babies had all been murdered by their own father, I clenched my fists, tears streaming down my face.

And all because I had accidentally spilled hot water on Chloe Bennett once.

Ethan Vance actually did this to me!

To him, my children and I were nothing but disposable chess pieces.

His only treasure was his first love, Chloe Bennett.

Hearing his footsteps approaching the ward, I quickly shut my eyes.

His hand gently caressed my cheek. His palm was warm, but my heart was frozen solid.

"Are you awake? Don't worry, you’ll recover quickly. I got you the best medication available."

I slowly opened my eyes, staring blankly at this face that was both so familiar and yet so terrifyingly foreign. Tears slipped down my temples.

Ethan pursed his lips, putting on a show of deep sorrow.

"Our sixth baby... didn't make it either. The doctor said your body was just too weak."

The sixth time.

Ethan, you really are a phenomenal actor!

How do you manage to deliver the exact same lie every single time without even blushing?

I turned my face away, refusing to look at him. I didn't want to expose his lie yet, nor did I want to see my baby's body.

I was terrified that if I did, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from killing him.

"Just go. I want to sleep."

He gently kissed my forehead and turned to leave.

He left his laptop on the bedside table. I reached over and opened it, wanting to see just how many more secrets he was keeping from me.

He had several computers, but this was his personal laptop, completely free of any work files.

Because I had trusted him blindly, I had never once snooped through his devices.

When the screen lit up, the wallpaper was a college photo of him and Chloe. She was snuggled tightly in his arms, and he was holding her like she was his entire world.

In his Notes app, there was a detailed log of Chloe's daily habits.

"Hates cilantro. Loves eating ice cream in the winter. Prefers pink beanies."

"Bra size: XX. Shoe size: XX. Clothing size: XX."

"Loves white roses, high-end perfumes, and wearing 3-inch heels."

"She likes purple now."

"She only wears 2-inch heels now."

...

He didn't just remember her preferences; he kept track of every single minute change in her taste.

The deeper I scrolled, the colder my blood ran.

The gifts he bought me over the years were never things I liked.

They were either bought carelessly at the last minute or were literally the free gifts that came with Chloe's luxury purchases.

In the photo gallery, there were pictures of meals Ethan had cooked himself for Chloe.

We had been together for ten years and married for seven, yet I had never once seen Ethan step foot in the kitchen.

He had even bought her a luxury townhouse—right across the street from our mansion.

And I had been blind to it for all these years.

I couldn't even remember when it started, but he was always "busy at work" on every major holiday. Now I knew he was just across the street, keeping Chloe company.

I shut the laptop. Right then and there, I booked a one-way ticket out of the country for next week.

I had spent the last seven years constantly pregnant, unable to fly out to visit my parents.

This time, once I reunited with them, I was never coming back.

Right now, my only goal was to recover as quickly as possible.