Chapter 1

Three days after my baby passed away, the hospital called, asking me to collect his belongings.

Swallowing the bitter taste in my throat, I sent Adrian a Snapchat message.

A FaceTime call popped up instead.

Adrian’s voice came through, laced with impatient annoyance.

"Elena, the overseas project is at a critical stage. Just go and pick up the belongings yourself."

"Be good. It’s a small thing. You can handle it."

I had no choice but to drive to the hospital alone.

But on the registry list at the front desk, I froze.

I saw Adrian’s name.

And next to it, in the relationship column of another woman, was written:

*Spouse.*

The smell of disinfectant at the registry desk was sharp and cold.

My eyes blurred with tears, and my chest felt incredibly tight.

Then, I let out a bitter laugh and shook my head, dismissing the absurd thought.

Adrian was buried in work overseas. How could he possibly be here?

There were plenty of people with the same name in the world. Similar handwriting was just a coincidence.

But staring at that checked "Spouse" box, a deep wave of loneliness washed over me.

Since I got pregnant, Adrian hadn’t shown his face even once.

He said a multi-billion-dollar deal overseas couldn't be abandoned just because of "this."

He said, "Elena, you’re a sensible woman. We can have another baby, but if the company falls, we lose everything."

I believed him.

And I endured all the pregnancy pain alone.

I curled my lips into a sad smile, tears nearly spilling over.

The nurse seemed to snap out of it, pulling the registry clipboard back from my hands and cutting off my thoughts.

"Mrs. Vance, I’m so sorry. I gave you the wrong sheet."

"Your baby’s keepsake is a tiny bronze footprint plaque left by the hospital. Please accept our condolences."

With that, she handed me a clear, sealed bag. As she turned to leave, she murmured something to herself.

Maybe the wind was too loud, or maybe I was just too numb, but I couldn't hear her.

I just held the bag, my eyes stinging.

I was about to leave when a soft, tender whisper came from the hospital room behind me.

"Be good, Chloe. Open your mouth and take another sip of the soup."

"You just had a miscarriage, your body is weak. The doctor said you need to recover."

That voice was too familiar.

So familiar that I had heard it whispering in my ear for the last seven years.

I froze, feeling as if lightning had struck me.

Moving like a zombie, I forced my feet toward the room and finally saw the man inside.

My husband, who claimed to be working around the clock overseas, was now frowning slightly, gently blowing on a spoonful of chicken soup.

The woman leaning in his arms had swollen eyes and was sobbing softly.

"Adrian, I’m so sorry... I couldn’t save the baby..."

"It was eight months... it was already a fully-formed baby boy... It’s all my fault for being so careless..."

Adrian looked at Chloe’s tear-stained eyes. He set the bowl down with a slightly tense expression, pulled her into his arms, and whispered back.

"It’s not your fault, Chloe. It’s mine. I couldn’t bear to be away from you, yet I failed to protect you two."

Chloe let out a watery giggle. "But the company has been so busy lately..."

Adrian’s expression softened even more as he leaned down to kiss the tears from the corner of her eyes.

"No matter how busy I am, I won't let you suffer. I’ve already transferred ten percent of Vance Group’s shares to your name as a little apology."

"Chloe, as long as you are fine, my whole world is fine."

My heart stopped.

In an instant, I was dragged back to seven years ago.

When Adrian first started his business, he worked days and nights to secure clients, eventually getting hospitalized with stomach bleeding.

I cried hysterically, never leaving his bedside.

When he woke up, pale but worried, he gently wiped away my tears and held me close. "Elena, I’m sorry for making you worry."

"Honestly, I don't care if the company succeeds or not. As long as you are fine, my whole world is fine."

Back then, even when we were so poor we could only share cheap instant noodles, one look at each other made us feel like we had the whole world.

But in just seven years, that love had shattered like a glass bubble.

While I was screaming in pain in the delivery room, watching my baby stop breathing, he was keeping Chloe company during her miscarriage.

And to comfort her, he gave her ten percent of the company’s shares without a second thought.

The sheer absurdity and coldness of it all washed over me.

The door creaked open, startling the two lovers inside.