Chapter 1

After five years of marriage, my wife was finally pregnant. Both my mother and I were over the moon, eagerly anticipating our baby's arrival.

Never in my wildest nightmares did I imagine that the moment I went on an overseas business trip, she would secretly get an abortion.

Her reason? To help her childhood crush deal with his family's nagging to get married.

I took the first flight home overnight, furious and heartbroken, only to walk into my own apartment and see him walking out of my bathroom wearing nothing but a towel.

Chloe looked surprised to see me.

"Why are you back? Don't get the wrong idea. His relatives are in town, and Sean just needed to borrow our place for a couple of days."

Hearing that, I smiled faintly. I took her hand and placed it right into his.

"Then why don't I just lend you to him, too?"

Chloe froze.

She stared at me in complete disbelief, gritting her teeth.

"Ethan, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm your wife! How could you offer to lend me to another man?"

I let out a bitter scoff.

My recent work assignment had been brutal—six grueling months abroad. But the payout was huge.

Originally, I hadn't wanted to go.

Then Chloe got pregnant.

To give our baby the best life possible, I sucked it up and took the job.

Just as the project was wrapping up, I saw a post on Sean's feed.

Chloe was clinging to his arm, publicly acting as his girlfriend while soaking in congratulations from his entire family. And worse, she had terminated our baby.

Seeing that ripped my world apart. I bought a red-eye ticket and rushed straight back.

And what did I find? Sean, strutting half-naked out of my private bathroom.

In that exact second, every ounce of love I had for her died.

I gave a harsh laugh.

"I'm just giving you and Sean my blessing."

"After all, didn't you proudly announce to the whole world that you're his girlfriend?"

Chloe frowned, her temper flaring.

"Ethan! Do you really not know the truth? Sean's family won't stop harassing him to settle down. He was completely overwhelmed, so I did him a favor."

"Can't you be a man for once? Why do you always have to be so petty and jealous?"

Hearing her defend him, Sean hung his head, looking pitiful and wronged right in front of me.

"Ethan, if you're upset, I can explain everything to my parents. Please, just don't fight with Chloe because of me."

"Even if my mom disowns me or beats me half to death, I'll take it."

Chloe's heart visibly ached for him.

"Sean, ignore him! He's always been small-minded. He never does anything useful, just throws pathetic jealous tantrums all day."

She turned back to glare at me. "Ethan, if you keep making a scene out of this, don't push me to my limit!"

I laughed out loud at her shamelessness.

In the five years we'd been married, I had begged her dozens of times to visit my hometown with me.

She always refused with every excuse in the book, turning her nose up because my family was from a small rural town.

Yet here she was, traveling across the country to visit Sean's parents without a second thought.

It was a sick joke.

My eyes turned dead cold.

"Fine. Forget all that for a second. Answer me one thing: Where is our baby?"

"Chloe! Why did you kill our child behind my back?! You knew how desperately I wanted this baby!"

We had been married for five years without conceiving.

I had gone to fertility clinics countless times, running tests and trying every brutal treatment out there.

I suffered through all of it, but nothing worked.

Whispers and rumors followed me everywhere.

Every holiday, my relatives interrogated me with pity and judgment, until I dreading even visiting my own family.

It wasn't until this year, when Chloe finally got pregnant, that my name was cleared.

I had already spent a fortune enrolling in parenting classes.

I booked the best private postpartum care center and hired top-tier nannies a year in advance.

All I wanted was to give our child the best of everything the world had to offer.

My mother even put her life on hold, packing her bags to come stay and take care of Chloe.

Chloe knew better than anyone how much that baby meant to me.

And she aborted it.

Chloe's face paled slightly. "Ethan, we can always have another baby later. It was just way too much pressure for us right now."

Too much pressure? What a pathetic excuse!

In five years of marriage, I never let her lift a finger.

Every single dime I made went straight to her. No matter how exhausted or broken I was from work, I never once brought my stress home.

She didn't have an ounce of pressure. It was nothing but a blatant lie!

A flicker of mockery flashed through Sean's eyes, though his voice remained meek and apologetic.

"Ethan, don't blame Chloe. It's all my fault."

"My parents were pushing so hard. I begged Chloe to help, and she only did it because she didn't want my parents to get the wrong idea if she showed up pregnant."

Hearing those words made my blood boil. I swung my fist straight into Sean's jaw.

"Didn't want your parents to get the wrong idea?! You killed my baby over a reason that ridiculous?!"

I snapped my head toward Chloe. "Chloe, do you have a soul? You know my mother has a bad heart and her only wish was to meet her grandchild! Even if you didn't want it, you could have at least told me!"

Chloe shoved me back in absolute fury. "It was just a fetus! It's done! Why are you taking it out on Sean?!"

She rushed to Sean's side, checking his face with desperate concern. "Apologize to him right now!"

"Me? Apologize to him?!"

I couldn't believe my ears. I clenched my fists until my knuckles cracked. "He doesn't deserve my breath, let alone an apology!"

"See that? My son bought this luxury penthouse all on his own!"

A middle-aged woman's voice echoed as Sean's mother unlocked the front door, boasting loudly to the relatives behind her.

The moment she stepped inside and saw the bruise on Sean's face, she screeched, "Who did this?! How dare anyone lay a finger on my boy in his own home?!"

I dropped my hands, stunned and baffled. "What are you talking about, his home? This is my penthouse."

Sean's mother scoffed with utter disdain. "This belongs to my son, Sean! My daughter-in-law is standing right here. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Wait... you're the punk who hit my son, aren't you?!"

Her voice turned sharp and piercing as she jabbed a finger in my face.

I didn't bother responding to her. Instead, I stared hard at Chloe, my voice shaking with rage.

"Chloe. Tell them whose apartment this is."

Chloe froze. Guilt flickered across her face, and she stood there, struck dumb.

Sean purposefully showed off the red mark on his jaw and wrapped an arm around Chloe's waist.

"If it's not mine, could it possibly be yours?"

At that, Chloe looked at me coldly. "Of course this place belongs to Sean."

Sean's mother burst out laughing. "Did you hear that? Straight from my daughter-in-law's mouth!"

The relatives chimed in, showering Sean with praise:

"Sean has really made it big! Living in a penthouse like this, with such a gorgeous wife!"

"Next step is having a baby, right? Don't forget to invite us to the celebration!"

I felt like I was going to explode. My fists were clenched so hard they shook.

Seeing my glare, Sean's mother pointed at my nose and shrieked, "You! You're the one who assaulted my son!"

"Breaking into someone's home and attacking them? There are laws in this country!"

My eyes were bloodshot as I roared, "This is my property! The only ones who need to get the hell out are you!"

She put her hands on her hips, screeching like a banshee.

"He's completely insane!"

"What are you men standing around for? Throw this lunatic out!"

The relatives immediately swarmed in, glaring at me with hostile eyes.

"Get lost! Come near Sean's home again and we'll break your legs!"

"You dare hit Sean? Teach him a lesson and throw him into the street!"