Chapter 1

After six IVF attempts, Jennifer finally became pregnant, only to discover that her husband already had a child with someone else. She immediately aborted the baby, filed for divorce, and remarried.

"Ms Smith, you've gone through six IVF treatments to get pregnant. Are you really going to give up now? Does President Devlin agree to terminate the pregnancy?"

"I’m sure. He will agree," Jennifer replied.

Having not slept all night, her voice was hoarse but carried a rare clarity.

"The surgery is scheduled for a week from now."

A week later was her and Devlin’s wedding anniversary.

It was fine. Let it begin and end where it all started.

With the flight ticket booked, Jennifer gently placed her hand on her stomach, where an unformed life was growing.

For the past five years, she had eagerly awaited its arrival.

But now, on the very day her wish was fulfilled, she would choose to give it up.

Ding dong—

Her phone lit up with another trending search that had been hanging for half a month.

Devlin had spent a fortune buying a luxurious estate and personally planted a full garden of roses in preparation for their fifth wedding anniversary.

Once again, he declared to the world that he was devoted solely to Jennifer.

Countless comments followed, each one admiring their love.

[Who says age-gap relationships don't end well? President Devlin's best gift is his devotion. It’s said that his wife is six years older than him, and Devlin pursued her for three years before finally winning her heart.]

[Who doesn’t know that President Devlin is utterly in love with his wife? Two years ago, during an earthquake, his wife was trapped. Devlin risked his life to rush in and save her. When they rescued her, he was covered in injuries but comforted his scared wife. At that time, the news showed Devlin holding his wife and crying.]

[And last year, a media outlet mocked his wife for her age and inability to have children. Devlin sued them into bankruptcy. He also publicly declared that whether or not they had children didn’t matter, but no one was allowed to use that against his wife.]

Seeing these comments, Jennifer couldn't help but bitterly smile.

Devlin truly did protect her from harm.

But even if the knife cut deep, it was his hand that wielded it.

When she first confirmed her pregnancy, Jennifer couldn't wait to share the good news with Devlin.

But instead, she received a message from an unknown number.

It was a maternity photo of a young woman, smiling sweetly. Devlin was kneeling in front of her, tenderly kissing her rounded belly, looking happy and fulfilled.

Tears welled up in Jennifer’s eyes.

The pain of six IVF attempts seemed to mock her now—like she was the punchline of a cruel joke.

On their wedding day, Devlin had sworn to love her alone for the rest of his life.

But his lifetime commitment had only lasted five years.

If that was the case, then Jennifer no longer wanted him.

Her child would never be born into a lie.

The door opened.

Jennifer’s red eyes met Devlin’s, and he immediately panicked.

“What’s wrong, honey? What happened? Don’t cry, I’ll fix it for you.”

He glanced at the nearby ultrasound report, then held her in his arms.

"If the IVF didn’t work, that’s okay. Even if we can’t have children, it doesn’t matter. As long as I have you, that’s enough."

“Don’t cry, I can’t bear it.”

Jennifer forced out a smile, one that was even uglier than tears.

How hypocritical.

He already had a child with another woman.

Devlin didn’t notice her strange expression and continued to comfort her. “Honey, next week is our anniversary. I’ve planted a sea of roses for you, and I’ve prepared blue fireworks. I’ll light them up for you, okay?”

“You always loved blue, right?”

Jennifer stared at him, smiling through her tears.

He seemed to have forgotten—she never liked blue.

“A week from now, I’ll also give you a gift for our anniversary,” she said softly.

Devlin’s eyes lit up with excitement, and he carefully wiped away her "tears of joy."

“Honey, I’m really looking forward to it. I’m waiting for your surprise.”

Jennifer silently stared at the ultrasound report.

She hoped that, by then, Devlin would truly be surprised.

Chapter 2

The next day at noon, Devlin took Jennifer to the Mellon family for dinner.

Devlin’s mother didn’t like Jennifer, and on the day of their wedding, she hadn’t even attended.

After their marriage, Devlin had taken Jennifer and moved out. They only returned to visit her family once a month, at the end of each month.

“Honey, no matter what my mom says later, don’t take it to heart. I’ll always stand by your side. We’ll leave right after dinner,” Devlin reminded as he held Jennifer’s hand.

As soon as they walked through the door, Jennifer heard Devlin’s mother’s laughter.

“Baby is so cute, those little hands and feet, they just melt your heart.”

Jennifer’s face turned ashen, her footsteps frozen in place.

The person standing next to Devlin’s mother was someone she recognized — the woman in the pregnancy photo.

“This is my friend’s daughter, Roy.”

“She’s pregnant, and her family is abroad, so she asked me to help take care of her. I just went with her for her prenatal checkup this morning,” Devlin’s mother explained, linking her arm with Roy's and handing Devlin the ultrasound photo with a meaningful look.

“Take a look, does the baby look like its parents?”

Devlin’s eyes flickered with a trace of panic, and he spoke with a barely concealed warning in his voice:

“Mom, please don’t joke like this. How could I tell? I just met Roy for the first time today.”

Devlin’s mother glanced at Jennifer and then pushed Roy forward. “Let me introduce you properly. Roy, this is your Devlin brother.”

Roy blushed slightly. “Devlin brother.”

Devlin nodded and pulled Jennifer closer. “This is your sister-in-law, Jennifer.”

“Sister-in-law, hello,” Roy greeted with a smile.

Jennifer felt a cold wave wash over her. Her hands, hanging by her sides, trembled uncontrollably.

It turned out that the whole Mellon family was aware of Roy’s situation, while they had kept it a secret from her.

“What’s wrong?” Devlin immediately grew concerned. “Did your blood sugar drop?”

He pulled out some candy, unwrapped it, and offered it to her mouth.

Jennifer mechanically opened her mouth.

It was candy, but she could only taste bitterness.

Devlin ordered the servants to start the meal and led Jennifer to the table.

“You didn’t eat much for breakfast, so make sure to eat more at lunch,” he said.

Jennifer silently took a sip of water, and Devlin noticed. He immediately swapped her cup for a fresh one with warm water.

“You shouldn’t drink cold water since your period’s coming soon; it’ll make your stomach hurt again.”

“The shrimp today is really good. Let me peel it for you.”

During the meal, Devlin barely ate, and Jennifer’s bowl never emptied.

“Devlin brother is so good to his wife, I really envy sister-in-law,” Roy suddenly spoke.

“I like shrimp too. Devlin brother, could you peel some for me too?” she asked, pushing her bowl toward him.

Devlin ignored it, saying flatly, “If you want some, peel it yourself. I only peel shrimp for my wife.”

Jennifer sipped the warm water and suppressed the strong feeling of nausea rising in her chest. “Give it to her, I don’t want it.”

Devlin was stunned and pouted childishly.

“Well then, I’ll eat it myself. Sister, how could you give away the shrimp I peeled for you?”

Jennifer’s eyes were filled with sarcasm.

They had already slept together, yet they still pretended.

Devlin’s mother put down her folks with a stern expression. “Jennifer, isn’t this your sixth failed IVF attempt? Now that Roy’s here, why don’t you ask her for some advice?”

“Auntie, I don’t have much experience. My boyfriend and I got pregnant on our first try,” Roy shyly shook her head. “It happened to be my birthday that day, so I think my good mood had something to do with it.”

“Well, your daughter-in-law is ten years older than you, so it’s not really comparable,” Devlin’s mother remarked sarcastically. “I plan to have Roy move in with us, so I can take care of her. It’ll be nice to share the good fortune and have grandchildren soon.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Devlin firmly refused.

“I don’t agree.”

Devlin’s mother glared at Jennifer coldly. “What’s the matter? Some people can’t have children, and they can’t stand to see others with kids?”

“Are you done?” Devlin’s face darkened. “Mom, if you want me to never step foot in this house again, you can continue.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll leave,” Roy said, with red eyes, standing up and leaving quickly.

Devlin instinctively took a step forward to chase after her but then realized his mistake and stopped in place.

“I’m done eating,” Jennifer said coldly, watching this farce. She stood up and walked out.

As soon as she exited the Mellon house, Jennifer received a message from Roy.

[March 5th is my birthday, and it was also our first time. He didn’t let me get out of bed the whole day.]

That day, Jennifer’s fifth IVF attempt had failed.

She didn’t eat or drink, locking herself in her room for a full day and night.

Finally, after gathering her emotions, she opened the door, only to find Devlin standing there, disheveled. She ended up comforting him instead.

It turned out that Devlin had just returned from Roy’s bed.

How laughable. How tragic.

After enduring so many needles for five years, she hadn’t felt the pain, but now her heart ached unbearably. She couldn’t breathe.

“Honey, why are you crying?” Devlin chased after her.

Seeing her tear-streaked face made him panic. He instinctively looked at her phone.

Chapter 3

The phone screen automatically dimmed.

Devlin didn’t notice. He pulled Jennifer into his arms, gently patting her back.

“Don’t cry, it hurts me to see you like this,” he whispered.

“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have brought you here to suffer. She’s my mother; you’re not obligated to accommodate her because of me.”

“You can hit me or yell at me, as long as it helps you feel better.”

On the way back, Devlin kept trying to console her.

Jennifer closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

From time to time, she heard message notifications coming from his phone, and for the rest of the drive, Devlin kept replying to messages.

When they reached home, Devlin gently patted her head.

“Honey, there’s something urgent at the company. Wait for me at home, I’ll be back early tonight, okay?”

Jennifer quietly got out of the car.

After Devlin left, she followed Roy’s Instagram.

Pinned at the top were two photos.

The first one was of Devlin’s back as he was planting roses.

The second one was a sea of blue roses.

The caption read: [I’ll forgive you this time, because you planted my favorite blue roses. Now, come and make it up to me.]

Jennifer’s chest tightened.

So, it was Roy who liked blue.

Even the roses weren’t planted for her.

She hailed a taxi and went straight to the mansion.

As soon as she arrived, she saw Devlin’s black Bentley.

In front of the sea of roses, Devlin stood with his back to her, unaware of her arrival.

“If it wasn’t for Jennifer being infertile, I wouldn’t have looked for you. She’s my bottom line, and you dare to show up in front of her and throw a tantrum?”

Roy’s eyes were teary. “Then why are you still looking for me? Just leave me alone.”

“Stop crying.” Devlin softened his tone. “As long as you’re obedient, I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life.”

Roy broke into a smile, rushing into his arms.

“I can be even more obedient, as long as you want.”

“I cleared my afternoon just for you. Don’t you know whether I want it or not?”

Devlin’s voice was hoarse as he pulled Roy into his arms, urgently heading toward the mansion.

Roy looked back, giving Jennifer a provocative smile. She had already seen Jennifer.

Inside, their silhouettes tangled in the window, swaying.

On the roadside, Jennifer stood there, almost as if she were punishing herself, her breath cold.

It felt as though a barb had hooked into her heart, and with every tug, it tore more deeply.

“You must be here to take a photo too, right? President Devlin and his wife’s relationship after so many years is really enviable,” a woman who was taking photos nearby commented, smiling.

“Your wife must have saved the galaxy in her past life. What woman wouldn’t want a husband like President Devlin?”

Jennifer laughed through her tears.

“But she doesn’t want him anymore.”

Devlin had given her the mansion, which he claimed to have only eyes for her, but he was now here, sleeping with another woman.

The woman carefully examined Jennifer and froze for a moment.

No wonder others would mistake her.

Roy looked just like Jennifer did when she first met Devlin at 24.

“So, all men are the same,” the woman thought, a look of melancholy crossing her face.

“Actually, President Devlin isn’t that bad. He probably just really wants a child, which is why he found a woman who looks like you.”

“Why not just forget it? Pretend you don’t know anything, and life will go on as usual.”

“No, it won’t.” Jennifer’s voice was faint.

The women Devlin found that resembled her didn’t make her grateful; they only made her sick.

After leaving the rose garden, Jennifer went to the hospital to pick up the pre-surgery medication for her abortion and returned home.

She placed the medication on the coffee table and stared at it blankly for a long time, almost drowning in the bitterness.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open. Devlin had returned in a hurry, his shirt buttons mismatched and stumbling over a chair in his haste.

He looked her up and down, his face pale.

“Honey, why did you go to the hospital?”