Chapter 1

"Ms. Brightshield, these are the details of the death-faking service you requested. Your time of death will be three days after your baby's one-month birthday celebration. The cause of death will be drowning in the river. The fake deaths will be for you and your baby. Please confirm these details," the man said.

Candace patted her baby, Jamie Hamilton's back as he slept in her arms. She penned her signature on the document. She had finally decided to let go of the relationship that had failed to bear any fruit despite the years of blood, sweat, and tears she had sacrificed.

Everyone in Bloomingville knew that Candace was Shawn's most ardent admirer. She had been infatuated with him for eight years and had stuck to him like a leech until she became "Mrs. Hamilton".

What the public didn't know was that Shawn had given Candace his mother's diamond ring when he was five years old, promising to marry her when they were older.

When he was 15, he had tattooed their initials on his chest, right above his heart. He had been wholly serious when he declared, "Candy, I want our love to last forever. I never want to be apart from you."

When he was 18, he had risked his life and rushed into a pillar of blazing flames to save her. A beam had fallen on him, smashing the back of his head. He needed emergency surgery, and the doctor had warned them that there was a chance he might lose his memories after the procedure.

Before the surgery, Shawn had removed the silver necklace he had worn since he was a child and looped it around Candace's neck. "Even death can't separate us, Candy, what more a little bout of amnesia? Wait for me. I'll definitely remember you. Don't take off this necklace. It'll be the key to our reunion!"

When Shawn woke up, he had forgotten all of his memories before he turned 16. Worst of all, he had mistaken Yelena Chapman, who harbored one-sided feelings for him, for his girlfriend.

For the past eight years, Candace had done everything she could to jog Shawn's memory, but her efforts had all been in vain. Shawn ended up despising her even more because Lucia Lopez, his mother, had insisted that he marry Candace.

When she had been on the brink of death after suffering through a difficult labor, all Shawn had to say was, "Inform me when Candace is dead. She can vacate the title of 'Mrs. Hamilton' for Yelena."

Those words extinguished the last embers of love Candace had for Shawn. Thus, she took Jamie with her to a death-faking service provider with the intention to disappear from his world. She never wanted to see him ever again.

When Candace left the office, the big screen above a nearby shopping mall was broadcasting an interview that featured Shawn.

His hand was interlocked with Yelena's, and his eyes were warm when he said, "Yelena's son, Nathan, is only three years old. He's at an age where he needs a father's love. That's why we don't have any plans to have a child for the time being. We don't want to hurt his feelings."

Shawn's answers elicited shrill screams from the passersby who had also stopped to watch the broadcast.

"The icy president of a company is ignoring his own flesh and blood to treasure the child of his divorced first love. You can tell how devoted he is to Yelena. I'm so envious!"

"Mr. Hamilton has been in love with her since he was 16! Even though Yelena abandoned him when he lost his vision, he never gave up on his feelings for her. It took three years for his efforts to bear fruit. Such an affectionate and devoted man is a rarity in the world!"

"Did that lovestruck fool, Candace, really think that she could win Mr. Hamilton's heart just because she took care of him for three years while he was blind? Shawn and Yelena's love is the real deal!"

"Who knows how Candace schemed her way into becoming 'Mrs. Hamilton'. She thought that she could win back Mr. Hamilton's heart by risking her life and giving birth to his son, but he's never properly looked at her even once! She's just stuck in her own deluded daydreams!"

"I've never seen such a shameless woman in my life. Shawn and Yelena are a match made in Heaven. Candace knew that Mr. Hamilton only had Yelena in his heart, but she refused to relinquish the position of his wife. Her head must be filled with nothing but despicable thoughts!"

Candace felt as if her heart was being pierced over and over again by the crowd's ruthless criticisms. She was in so much pain that she could barely breathe.

Jamie's crying snapped her out of her thoughts. She ignored what the crowd had to say and hurried into the shopping mall, searching for a nursing room where she could feed Jamie.

Unfortunately, she ran into Shawn and Yelena at the toy store on the first floor. It looked like they were buying a toy for Nathan Havok, Yelena's son.

Shawn was patiently picking out a suitable toy for Nathan. His usually icy expression had been replaced by amusement. But when he spotted Candace, the smile on his face melted away in an instant.

"Don't you have anything better to do than look into my whereabouts and tearfully beg me to return home?" he hissed coldly.

Chapter 2

"That's enough, Shawn," said Yelena. "Candace is still going through her postpartum recovery. Her body is very weak, and she needs someone to care for her. If she doesn't rest well during this recovery period, her body will be more predisposed to sickness."

Yelena rested a hand on Shawn's arm as if staking her claim on him. Her smile was warm when she said, "Since Candace came looking for you, you should be good and follow her home today. Your baby is going to celebrate his one-month birthday soon. As his father, it's not right that you haven't held him even once."

Shawn scoffed. "I only had a baby with Candace to please the elders. The baby doesn't deserve to be held by me."

He pinched Yelena's cheek fondly and continued, "Although Nathan isn't related to me, my heart feels much more at ease when I hold him."

Their conflict had attracted a crowd of onlookers by now. They formed a circle and whispered among themselves.

"Oh my God! Isn't that Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton? Candace risked her life bringing their baby into this world. How could Mr. Hamilton be so cruel to say such a thing?"

"Candace was also the one who stayed by Mr. Hamilton's side and took care of him during those three years he was blind. Why does it sound like he wants her dead?"

"You're right. Mr. Hamilton is such a bastard. A woman's body is extremely weak right after giving birth, yet Candace's husband isn't showing her even a sliver of care. She's quite pitiful."

Public opinion tended to shift with the wind. In this sort of situation, there were those who insulted Candace, and there were those who thought she was being mistreated. She had gotten used to it.

Candace felt a stinging sensation at the back of her eyes as she gazed at Shawn's disdainful expression. He had long forgotten that he had once risked his life and rushed into a raging fire to save her.

He had forgotten how he had ignored everybody else's objections and donated his bone marrow to her when she was diagnosed with leukemia.

He had forgotten that he had once promised to love her forever, that they would never be apart.

The only person who was a prisoner to those sweet memories was Candace, not Shawn.

Fortunately, in three days' time, Candace would completely disappear from his world. They would never see each other again.

Jamie's cries grew louder, causing Candace's anxiety to spike. She shoved Yelena, who was blocking her path, and made a beeline for the nursing room that was at the end of the hallway. She could hear the sounds of a woman falling to the floor and a man's surprised shout from beyond the door.

Candace focused all her attention on nursing Jamie. Her phone kept ringing. When she saw that it was Shawn calling her, she decisively switched off the device.

After calming Jamie down, she exited the nursing room and saw Shawn cradling Yelena as they rested on the bench. There was a band-aid on Yelena's forehead, and her tears were rolling endlessly down her cheeks.

"Please don't blame Candace, Shawn. She accidentally pushed me because she was worried about her child. I'm sure she had no intentions to ruin my appearance."

Shawn scoffed. "She knows that your face is your most important asset when it comes to your work, but she still pushed you on purpose! Her heart is filled with nothing but malice!"

A layer of ice had frosted over Shawn's face when he yelled, "Candace Brightshield, get over here and apologize to Yelena now!"

"There's no need for that."

Although Yelena insisted that she didn't need an apology, her eyes were overflowing with glee.

Candace's face was impassive as she watched Yelena. She took off the silver necklace that she never went anywhere without and handed it to Yelena. "I was the one who bumped into you today, so I'll give you this to make it up to you."

Confusion flickered in Shawn's eyes upon hearing Candace's words. Yelena was also visibly surprised and pretended to reject Candace's offer. "I can't take that, Candace. That's your beloved necklace! Keep it safe. My face is fine, so you don't have to worry."

"Candace, what are you scheming now?"

Shawn suppressed the discomfort in his heart as his eyebrows knitted together in displeasure. "When I told you to give the necklace to Yelena in the past, you threw a tantrum and refused to hand it over. Why are you willingly parting with it today?"

"I'm not scheming anything. I just don't want it anymore."

Candace's face was a mask of indifference as she carried Jamie in her arms and left. However, she was stopped in her tracks by Shawn.

"Don't think I'll agree to go back home with you just because you're doing this push and pull with me. You must have gone crazy from craving a man's company. You're being delusional!"

Candace pressed the silver necklace into Shawn's hand. She didn't spare him another glance before she took her leave.

Three days later, she would disappear from his world. Why would she be reluctant to part with the silver necklace he once gave to her? Why would she care whether he wanted to return home or not?

Chapter 3

Shawn felt that Candace had changed, but he couldn't identify which part of her had changed exactly. He gave the silver necklace a thorough cleaning before handing it to Yelena.

"This is my most precious necklace. It's yours now."

"Shawn, I think Candace is angry. You should hurry home," Yelena advised gently.

"What does her being angry have to do with me?" Shawn asked. "Let's go!"

…

The clock on the wall struck midnight, but Shawn still hadn't returned home. The Candace of the past would have called everyone close to him to ask about his whereabouts before asking them to tell him to come home.

After all, Shawn had undergone two craniotomies. His body wouldn't be able to handle it if he stayed up too late.

Currently, Candace was busy going through her belongings and had no time to waste on people who didn't matter to her.

She ordered her maid, Lisa Fairview, to get rid of all the presents she had given Shawn over the past few years. There were enough items to fill five big boxes, which included watches that were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, paintings, and 136 haute couture suits.

There were also 238 love letters that Shawn had written for her in the past.

Candace had once tried to use these letters to jog Shawn's memory, to make him recall the love he once had for her. She never expected her roommate, Yelena, to plot against her behind the scenes and delay her trip to the hospital to visit Shawn.

When she finally made it to the hospital with the love letters clutched in her hand, Shawn, who had just regained consciousness, had been holding Yelena's hand tightly.

His eyes overflowed with affection when he said, "Lena, I'll treat you well for the rest of my life. I'm going to make you the movie queen of this generation!"

Candace had been shocked and upset. She tried to use the love letters and silver necklace to prove her identity to Shawn. However, she was only met with his cold suspicion. "You're such a malicious woman. How dare you steal the love letters I wrote for Yelena and change the recipient to yourself?

"You even went so far as to get the same tattoo that I have over my heart and steal the silver necklace I gave to Yelena. You're the worst of the worst!"

The man who had once loved her so deeply had fallen for Yelena's lies. The only feelings he had for Candace at that moment were disgust and disdain.

No matter how hard his friends tried to explain the truth to him, Shawn was convinced that Candace was deliberately trying to steal Yelena's rightful position from her. He even told his friends that if they continued to stand up for Candace, he would sever his friendship with them.

Candace recalled how she had chased after Shawn for the last eight years. Tears welled in her eyes and turned her vision blurry when she remembered the endless waiting and how she had to endure his biting insults.

If Shawn truly loved her, why would he have no recollection of her? Why would he mistake another woman for his girlfriend? Why would he hurt her so much and have no trust in her? The bottom line was that Shawn's love for her wasn't strong enough, which was why he had been so easily deluded by Yelena.

Candace suppressed the bitterness in her heart as she removed her wedding ring and threw it into the trash. She then poured gasoline all over the discarded items.

Lisa retrieved the ring from the trash and said urgently, "Mrs. Hamilton, Mr. Hamilton personally crafted this lily-shaped wedding ring for you when he was 16. You can't throw this away!

"He also cherished the gifts and love letters once upon a time. If you burn them all, he won't be able to take them back. I beg you to give Mr. Hamilton more time. He loves you so much, so he'll definitely regain his memories!"

"It doesn't matter to me if Shawn regains his memories or not. I don't want him anymore."

Candace tossed the lit-up lighter atop the clothes. "The Shawn whom I loved died when he was 16. He's never coming back."

The rising flames were reflected in Candace's cold but clear gaze. An all-encompassing despair swirled within her eyes, but there were also glimmers of hope for the future.

In 62 hours, Candace was going to take Jamie with her and disappear. She wasn't going to leave a single thing behind for Shawn.

Chapter 4

Before Candace turned in for the night, she heard the sounds of a roaring storm outside. Lightning flashed across the sky while deafening thunder boomed in her ears.

Her greatest fear was the sound of thunder, so she hastily put on a pair of noise-cancelling headphones before diving into bed. She curled up under the blankets as she waited for the storm to pass.

Suddenly, she heard Jamie shrieking from the cot. Suppressing her own fear, she crawled out of bed to check on him.

Jamie's entire body was hot to the touch. His face had flushed a ruddy red, and he kept vomiting milk.

Candace's face twisted as she scooped Jamie into her arms and rushed downstairs to hail a cab to the hospital. Unfortunately, her marital home was located in the suburbs. On top of that, it was storming that night, making it even more difficult for her to hail a cab.

She was beyond panicked when she saw a familiar Rolls-Royce driving past her. She could see Shawn and Yelena seated inside.

"Stop! Stop the car!"

Candace didn't have the luxury of worrying about the feud she had with Shawn. She ran as quickly as she could toward the car while shielding herself and Jamie from the storm with an umbrella.

She hammered her fist against the car window and yelled, "Shawn, let me in! Jamie is having a high fever and needs to go to the hospital now!"

Shawn rolled down the car window and stared at her. His tone was icy when he said, "You sly woman. You're lying to me about the baby being sick because you realized that I refused to go home, huh?"

"Jamie really is running a fever!" Sweat poured from Candace's forehead from how worried she was.

Her voice trembled as she said, "Shawn, I've never begged you for anything. Please help me this one time! Remember how I took care of you when you were blind for three years? Please send Jamie and me to the hospital. He needs to see a doctor as soon as possible!"

"Shawn, it's not easy to hail a cab during a storm. You should let them in." Yelena straightened Shawn's tie for him. She said gently, "The wound on my forehead will heal in the next few days. It'll be fine."

"You silly woman. Think about all the times Candace hurt you in the past. Why haven't you learned your lesson yet?" Shawn's brow furrowed in displeasure. "We need to take Nathan to the hospital for his dental fillings. We don't have time to waste on her. Start the car!"

The car sped off into the distance, splashing muddy water all over Candace's coat. Her skin was beginning to turn icy. She was so cold that she started to quiver all over, unable to get a word out.

It was already terribly cruel that Shawn forgot how deeply he once loved her and only wished for her death these days. But he proved himself a failure of a father tonight by refusing to save his own flesh and blood when he had the opportunity to do so.

Powering through her exhaustion, Candace ran to the highway and waved vigorously at the passing cars. Finally, a cab slowed to a stop in front of her. The driver alighted from the car and opened the back door. "Is your child sick? Get in. I'll take the two of you to the hospital."

"Thank you." Tears streamed down Candace's face as she cradled Jamie close to her. "Jamie, you have to stay strong. We'll be at the hospital soon!"

"Miss, your baby looks so small. He's not even a month old, is he? Where's your husband? Why is he letting you take care of a baby with a high fever all by yourself when you just gave birth?" the driver asked.

"He's dead," Candace answered indifferently.

The driver looked at her sympathetically. "That's rough. Here, I have a towel you can use to dry your hair. It'll be bad if you catch a cold during your postpartum recovery period since you can't take most medicines."

Candace thanked the driver as she accepted the towel and dried her hair.

The driver sped through traffic and soon caught up with Shawn's Rolls-Royce. The two cars were parallel to each other as they waited for the red light to turn green. Through the window, Candace could see Yelena perched on Shawn's lap as they shared a passionate kiss. Yelena shot her a provoking look.

"Miss, is the man in that car your husband?" the driver asked as he followed Candace's line of sight.

His words were colored with anger when he exclaimed, "That motherfucker isn't human. His child is so sick, yet he would rather be tangled up with his mistress and leave his wife and child alone. You gave him a son for crying out loud!"

"So what if I gave birth to his son? He only likes to take care of children who don't belong to him. He doesn't like his own child."

Candace hung her head low and wiped the sweat from Jamie's armpits and the inside of his elbows. Her tone was tinged with bitterness when she said, "Sir, please drive as fast as you can to the hospital!"

Chapter 5

Jamie was rushed to the emergency room after he and Candace were dropped off at the hospital.

The attending doctor from the emergency department wrote up a bill for Candace and asked her to pay the medical fee. Jamie was a premature baby, so he had to use imported medication. The medical bill totaled around 2,000 dollars.

After Candace got married, she resigned from her job so she could stay home and dedicate all her attention to caring for Shawn. As a result, she only had about 20,000 dollars in her savings account. She had already spent most of it on Jamie, so she was essentially broke.

She rummaged around in her bag for the black card Shawn had given her in the past. But when she tried using it, she realized that the bastard had canceled the card. She resorted to calling everyone on her contacts list, but nobody was willing to lend her a hand.

In the end, Candace had no choice but to call Shawn. The call went through within seconds as Yelena's voice echoed through the receiver. "Candace, what's up? Shawn is taking a shower."

Before Candace could respond, the sound of Yelena's giggling sounded from the other end of the line, and there came the unmistakable clatter of the phone falling to the floor.

"Why are you in such a hurry, Shawn? I haven't dried my hair yet—"

Wanton noises echoed through the line.

Disappointed, Candace hung up. As she was wondering who else she could ask to borrow money from, the attending doctor, Zayne Pearson, offered to foot the bill for her.

Candace was shocked, gratitude bubbling in her heart. She nodded at him gratefully and said, "Dr. Pearson, thank you for saving me and my child's life that day, and thank you for helping me out again today. Once I sell my marital home, I'll return the money to you."

"You don't need to rush to return the money to me." Zayne looked at her compassionately. "You're still recovering, so you can't afford to catch a cold. Take good care of yourself and don't take any unnecessary risks. After all, it took us an entire day and night to save you and your child in the operating room."

Warmth welled up in Candace's heart as tears began to fall. A doctor she had only met a handful of times was willing to extend a helping hand to her, but her own husband deemed it fit to punish her and cancel all her cards.

Worse yet, Shawn didn't care one bit about Jamie. He was too busy fooling around with his lover. There was no point for Candace to be "Mrs. Hamilton" anymore. The title was completely worthless as it didn't command any respect. In fact, it was more of a joke than anything else.

"Mrs. Hamilton, you should refrain from crying during the postpartum recovery period. You may develop issues with your eyes if you do," Zayne said gently. "Stay strong. I need to return to the emergency room."

Candace wiped away her tears. She chewed on her bottom lip before saying, "I will live well for Jamie's sake."

"Oh, that's right. Mrs. Hamilton, our hospital has developed a new medication that has shown promising results. Do you not plan to inform Mr. Hamilton?" Zayne asked. "This medication is able to repair damaged nerves in the brain. It should be able to help Mr. Hamilton regain his memories faster."

"You can tell him that after Jamie's one-month birthday celebration the day after tomorrow," Candace said.

Two hours later, Jamie's high fever was finally under control. She cradled him close to her, her tears dripping onto his small face. Zayne said that if they had arrived at the hospital just ten minutes later, Jamie would have suffered irreparable brain damage.

Jamie had only been four and a half pounds when Candace gave birth to him. He had spent half a month in an incubator just to stay alive.

Shawn had only dropped by once when Jamie was discharged from the hospital. He had looked at Jamie with disdain in his eyes for about three minutes before he took his leave.

Shawn's unwillingness to help Candace today had nearly caused Jamie to become a cripple! It was clear that Shawn was unsuited to being a father.

Candace became determined to make Shawn regret everything he had done today when he finally regained his memories. She wanted him to suffer heart-wrenching pain every single night and be tormented by his conscience for as long as he lived.

As she brought Jamie downstairs with her to retrieve his medication, Shawn, Yelena, and Nathan entered the elevator that she was in.

Shawn was carrying Nathan and was all smiles when he said, "You don't need to be frugal with my money, Lena. Just choose the most expensive dental filling for Nathan. 1,800 dollars is only worth a leather belt to me."

Candace lowered her gaze to hide the glaciers in her eyes. Would Shawn still be willing to fork out so much money for Nathan when he regained his memories? She was impatient to witness the scene of him breaking down in tears when he realized what he had done.

Chapter 6

"Thank you for treating Nathan so well." Yelena lifted her eyes and saw Candace standing in the elevator. An unnatural smile stretched across her face. "Candace, how is Jamie? You don't look so good. Why don't you let Shawn take care of Jamie for the time being?"

"Why should I help with her child?" Shawn asked coldly. "Candace, you're willing to do anything to get me to go home, aren't you? You'd even make your own child fall ill so you can come to the hospital to get in my way.

"I can't believe a mother as heartless as you actually exists in this world."

Candace treated Shawn as nothing more than the air around her. She kept her head lowered as she adjusted Jamie's clothes. She didn't expect her bag strap to snap at that moment, causing Jamie's milk bottle and diapers to scatter all across the floor.

Ignoring the excruciating pain radiating from the incision on her abdomen, she knelt to pick up the fallen items.

Yelena touched Candace's arm and said, "You're hurt, Candace, so you shouldn't move around too much. Let me help you."

"Why are you helping her, Lena?" Shawn grabbed Yelena and pulled her behind him. "Who knows what tricks she may have up her sleeve? You need to stay away from her," he chastised unhappily.

"Shawn, you shouldn't think so badly of Candace. After all, I was roommates with her once upon a time," Yelena said gently. "Although her academics weren't very good, she was a very hardworking student!"

Shawn barked out a laugh. "She was a hardworking student, but still scored the lowest and came in last in her entire year. It's humiliating for my son to have such an academically inept mother," he said.

"It's even more humiliating for my son to have such a heartless father." Candace powered through the pain of her incision as she picked up Jamie's bottle. "Don't tell anyone that you're Jamie's father. You don't deserve that title!"

Shawn stared at Candace in disbelief. He suddenly felt as if she were a stranger to him. She had always been obedient and never talked back to him in the past.

"Stop playing hard to get, Candace," he warned, face darkening. "No matter what you do, I'm not following you back home tonight!"

Candace didn't bother waiting for Shawn to finish his sentence before she took Jamie with her and exited the elevator. However, she was forced to halt her footsteps, her eyes widening to the size of saucers.

For reasons unbeknownst to her, Jamie had extended his tiny hand from the blue blanket he was swaddled in and grabbed Shawn's sleeve. He babbled nonsensically at Shawn. The milk that leaked from the corners of his mouth dripped onto the back of Shawn's hand.

Shawn was stunned for a moment before he batted Jamie's hand away. He stripped out of his blazer and tossed the garment into the trash bin that was nearby. His brow was furrowed as he roared, "What are you doing? That's revolting!"

Jamie was frightened by his harsh tone. He buried his little head against Candace's chest and started wailing in despair.

"Don't cry, Jamie. Mommy's here." Candace felt as if her heart was being stabbed by a knife. She kissed away the tears beading at the corners of Jamie's eyes. She choked out, "Mommy will always be with you, sweetheart. We'll live happily in the future, just the two of us."

Shawn froze in his tracks upon hearing Candace's words. As he gazed at her anguished appearance, an uneasiness he couldn't explain flashed through his heart. He felt as if he was slowly losing control over something.

"Shawn, Nathan has a nosebleed!" Yelena exclaimed, panicked. "Take him to the restroom to clean up!"

Shawn pushed those strange thoughts to the back of his mind as he took Nathan away. Before he left, he halted his footsteps once more and said coldly, "Candace, it'll be the baby's one-month birthday celebration the day after tomorrow.

"I'm warning you. Take good care of him. Don't let him suffer anymore, or I won't let you off the hook!"

Candace only lowered her eyes and scoffed. She didn't respond to his warning. There were only 12 hours left before she would leave with Jamie.

Shawn would be served with a divorce agreement during Jamie's one-month birthday celebration.

Chapter 7

The next morning, Candace got in touch with a realtor to arrange tours for potential buyers.

An elderly couple exchanged glances with each other. They wore solemn looks when they asked, "Mrs. Hamilton, you're still recovering from postpartum, so why are you in a rush to sell such a wonderful home? There's nothing wrong with this house, is there? Where will you live once you sell the house?"

"I intend to go back to my old home to rest," Candace answered calmly. "There aren't any disputes for this property. If you're serious about buying the house, I can give you a 500,000 dollar discount, but you have to pay the full price upfront."

"That's fine!" The elderly couple agreed easily as they penned their signatures on the contract.

Candace followed them to the Real Estate Bureau to process the transfer procedures. She then requested the realtor to purchase a fully-furnished home that was ready for move-in in Fohzan. After the sale was completed, she canceled all of her cards.

She rushed to the Government Affairs Agency to pick up her new passport before purchasing a flight ticket that would take her out of Bloomingville the next day.

When night fell, Candace dragged her exhausted body back home. She was surprised to see a pair of red high heels that didn't belong to her on the shoe rack. A man's white shirt was thrown haphazardly on the floor while a black bra was discarded a short distance away from it.

Candace felt as if an explosion had been set off in her brain. She stumbled up the staircase and saw a man and woman entangled with each other through the open master bedroom door. Condoms were scattered all over the floor.

Hearing movement from beyond the door, panic flickered across Yelena's face. She was half-kneeling on the floor and tried to push Shawn, who was positioned behind her. "Shawn, stop fooling around. Candace is back! It's inappropriate for us to do this in front of her—"

Shawn scoffed. "This is my home. What can she do to stop me when she's only 'Mrs. Hamilton' in name and nothing else?"

He gripped Yelena's waist with his large hands and continued rocking into her.

Candace covered her mouth with one hand as she bolted for the downstairs bathroom. She kneeled next to the toilet and vomited violently into it. She threw up so hard that she was spitting out bile by the end of it.

Drained of strength, she leaned against the wall and swallowed large gulps of breath, letting the tears stream endlessly down her face.

Shawn was truly a cruel man. It was one thing for him to parade Yelena around the city; it was another thing altogether to have sex with her in Candace's room. It was utterly humiliating!

Candace dug her nails into her palms and forced the tears to stop. She accepted the glass of water that Lisa offered her and said weakly, "Tidy up the guest room on the first floor for me. I'll be staying there with Jamie tonight.

"Remember to move the pot of aloe vera Lucia left for me from the master bedroom to the guest room. It has to grow in a clean environment. It doesn't do well when it's in a filthy place."

"Understood, Mrs. Hamilton." Lisa paused for a moment before speaking again. "Mr. Hamilton said that Ms. Chapman wants to have your lamb stew. He ordered you to deliver a bowl to them after you're done preparing it. He also said that if you don't do as he says, he'll never come back again."

Candace's gaze turned glacial. "It's perfectly fine with me if he never comes back. At least I'll have some peace in my own home!"

She then went to the guest room and crawled into bed. She covered herself with a blanket and fell into a deep sleep. However, the blanket was suddenly ripped off her body.

Shawn roared from above her, "Have you gone deaf? I told you to prepare the stew for Yelena, didn't I?"

"Why should I prepare the stew for her when I'm still in my postpartum recovery period?" Candace countered heatedly. "Just because you brought her back today to disgust me? Just because you hoped that Jamie and I would die during childbirth so she could usurp my position?"

Shawn stared at her in shock. He stayed mute for a few seconds before finally saying, "So you finally grew a spine, did you? You have the nerve to talk back to me now. I'm going to count to three. If you don't prepare the stew, I'll—"

Powering through the pain in her abdomen, Candace grabbed a glass of water and threw it at Shawn. "Get out! Your mother gave this house to me. You have no right to raise your voice at me here!"

Chapter 8

Shawn was caught off-guard by Candace's sudden attack, his white shirt becoming thoroughly drenched. His temper exploded as he bellowed, "Bitch! You have some nerve to attack me!

"You almost ruined Yelena's face that day at the shopping mall when you made her fall. Preparing the stew for her is light punishment as is, yet you still want to argue with me? I guess it's true that a person who grows up without a mother's guidance will turn out to be barbaric and unreasonable!"

Candace had assumed that she couldn't be any more disappointed in Shawn. She never imagined that he would use the pain she kept buried in the deepest part of her heart to attack her.

He had forgotten all about how he had taken her hand in the past and said, "Don't cry, Candy. My mother will be your mother too in the future! I'll ask her to make whatever you want to eat, and I won't let you suffer any hardships! I won't forgive anyone who dares to bully you because you don't have a mother!"

Candace could still recall his promise to her as if he had made it just yesterday. How could he bear to hurt her so deeply just because he wanted to protect Yelena?

The immeasurable pain that she felt traveled from her feet to the top of her head. Tears poured from her eyes as if a dam had been broken. Her burning rage set her entire body aflame, making her feel as if she were a bomb that was about to explode at any second.

Candace no longer wanted to be a doormat that Shawn could trample on whenever he pleased. She yelled, "If you think that I'm so useless, go ahead and look for Yelena. Why did you even come back? I never begged you to come back to humiliate me!"

"Candace, I only came back with Shawn because he wanted to pack some of his clothes. We had no intention to humiliate you." Yelena clutched her red nightdress tightly. Her voice was small when she murmured, "It's just that he suddenly got in the mood and couldn't control himself, so I also…"

She groveled at Candace's feet. "I'm sorry, Candace. It's all my fault that the two of you are arguing like this. I've already asked Lisa to change the bedsheets in your room, so you can use the bed as usual—"

"Drop the innocent act!" Candace glared daggers at Yelena. "I'm going to count to three. If you don't get out of my sight, I'll have Lucia drop by and personally teach you the rules of this household!"

Shawn's face twisted upon hearing Candace's words. Lucia had always doted on Candace. If she found out about what was happening, he would have a difficult time handling her.

Incensed, Shawn wrapped an arm around Yelena to take her away. "Just you wait. This isn't over yet!"

The door shut with a resounding click as Candace closed it in their faces. Shawn seemed rather troubled as he guided Yelena back to his car, looking extremely upset.

A short distance away, the maids pointed at them as they whispered amongst themselves, wearing matching expressions of surprise.

"Mrs. Hamilton finally stood up for herself. I feel relieved, though I'm just an onlooker. Good on her!"

"Mr. Hamilton was way out of line this time. How could he ask a woman who's recovering from her postpartum to prepare food for his lover? If I were in her shoes, I would have wanted to kill him. That son of a bitch got what was coming for him."

"You're right. Even the most timid person has a temper, let alone Mrs. Hamilton. No matter how much she loves Mr. Hamilton, no one should have to endure such torment!"

"Mr. Hamilton only has the guts to act this way because he knows Mrs. Hamilton loves him. Her love for him is going to wither away sooner or later. He'll regret treating her this way when the time comes!"

Shawn scoffed. His biggest regret in life was conceding to Lucia's wish for him to marry Candace.

Candace's malice ran deep. When he had awoken from his coma all those years ago, Yelena had been the one who stayed by his side and cared for him. Candace had been beside herself with jealousy, to the point that she got the same tattoo as Yelena on her chest.

She even claimed that the person he saved from the fire was her. What was even more ridiculous was how Candace had shown him a box of love letters and insisted that he was the one who wrote them.

Shawn wasn't blind. There was no way he wouldn't recognize his own handwriting. He had written those love letters for Yelena!

Yelena studied Shawn's cloudy expression from the corner of her eye. She could almost feel the rage rolling off his body in endless waves. She pretended to stand up for Candace. "Shawn, Candace loves you a lot, so she probably couldn't immediately accept what we were doing in her room earlier…

"She's still in her postpartum recovery period, so she's not supposed to be stressed. You should be the bigger person and let it slide this time."

"You're too kind, Lena. Candace tormented you so much today, but you're still willing to speak up for her."

Shawn's heart squeezed as he drew Yelena into his arms. He exclaimed angrily, "I'll make sure she understands the consequences of angering me! I'll have someone prepare a divorce agreement right now. I'm going to evict Candace from the house by force!"

Yelena leaned against Shawn's chest, her eyes flickering with animosity. Candace would be so disappointed in Shawn for serving her divorce papers when she was still in her postpartum recovery period, so she would most likely agree without putting up a fight.

Once Candace was out of the picture, the position of "Mrs. Hamilton" was as good as hers!

Chapter 9

When Shawn left, Candace tore up all their wedding pictures and threw them into the trash. She then packed all her clothes into her luggage.

Lisa was gripped with panic upon noticing her actions and told Candace that she was going to call Lucia to report what was going on. Candace stopped her and said, "Don't bother Lucia. She isn't doing too well."

"But you're about to leave with Jamie. How can you bear to abandon Mr. Hamilton?" Lisa asked with reddened eyes. "He had two craniotomy procedures, so he can't take too much stress!"

"He won't die," Candace replied indifferently. "Get the lily embroidery in the living room for me. That was Mom's wedding gift to me."

As Candace gazed at the blooming lilies on the embroidery, tears welled up in her eyes and blurred her vision.

She had been in the sixth grade when her mother, Marika Hanson, was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. She didn't have many days left to live, but she had gone behind Candace's back to secretly craft the lily embroidery despite her disease-ridden body.

The day before she passed, Marika had somberly pressed Candace's hand into Shawn's. With her last remaining breaths, she had said, "My dear Shawn, I'm entrusting my precious Candace to you. I hope the two of you will be able to smoothly get married in the future and be happy together for a long time.

"If you fall out of love with Candace, I hope you will set her free. Don't hurt her."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Brightshield. I'll take good care of Candace," Shawn had declared with tears in his eyes. "If I ever let her down, I'll suffer heart-wrenching pain every single day. I'll curse myself to be alone for the rest of my life, and my life will end in tragedy."

Marika's pallid complexion brightened a little. She sounded determined when she said, "Shawn, I have a good eye when it comes to reading people. I trust that you will protect Candace forever. I know that you won't let her shed a single tear."

"Mom, you were wrong about him."

Candace cradled the lily embroidery close to her. She choked out, "Shawn stopped loving me a long time ago. I don't want him anymore either."

The fierce winds rattled the windows as if howling in despair in her stead. Candace wiped her tears away and declared, "Don't worry, Mom. I'm all grown up now. I can live a good life even without depending on Shawn. I'll raise Jamie, and the two of us will live well together!"

…

"Mrs. Hamilton, Mr. Hamilton asked me to deliver this to you."

A lawyer entered and nodded at Candace before handing her a stack of documents.

Candace took the documents from him and noticed that it was a divorce agreement. Shawn was unwilling to pay even a cent of the alimony that was supposed to support Jamie.

He even demanded that she dissolve the marriage without taking any of his assets and also return the emerald wedding ring he gave her when they got married.

Shawn was truly a heartless man. Candace was about to sign the agreement when her phone was bombarded by a barrage of messages from Yelena.

"Candace, Shawn just paid over 100,000 dollars to buy an emerald bracelet for me. He also spent another 80,000 dollars to buy a matching set of emerald earrings. Do they look nice?

"I remember emeralds being your favorite jewels. What a shame that he has given me the set of emerald jewelry that he gave you in the past. The only part that is missing from the set is the emerald ring on your finger.

"He's such a pushy man. He's already given me enough emeralds to fill two rooms, but he still wants to give me even more. If I refuse his gifts, he'll punish me. He already made me orgasm five times earlier."

Candace's expression twisted as she called Yelena.

"Yelena, if you didn't get the same tattoo as me and steal the love letters he wrote for me to forge his handwriting, you would never have been able to replace me. Do you really think he would love you without all of your scheming?"

Yelena giggled on the other end of the line. "If you want to blame someone, you can only blame Shawn. His love for you wasn't strong enough. That's why I was able to trick him so easily."

She continued, "I'm pregnant, Candace. I've gotten my trump card. As for you, what did you get in exchange for risking your life to give birth to his child? You still got thrown aside in the end. How pitiful!

"If you knew that this was going to happen to you, you should have just died on that operating table. You could have taken your son with you and spared you both the pain. You know that I'm right. After all, even if the two of you continued to live, you can't escape the fate of being driven out of the house by Shawn."

Candace's hand trembled violently, and she almost dropped her phone. Her voice was tinged with loathing when she asked, "Did you do something so I would have a difficult time while giving birth to Jamie?"

Yelena chortled. "So what if I did? Even if Shawn finds out, he'll just think that you're trying to drag my name through the mud again. If I were in your shoes, I would have already died of embarrassment. I wouldn't be able to cling to the title of 'Mrs. Hamilton' shamelessly like you."

Candace scoffed as she switched off the recording device. She hailed a cab that brought her to the river. She handed the recording device and divorce agreement to the staff members of the death-faking service provider before following their instructions, placing her pink running shoes on the riverbank.

"Ms. Brightshield, I would like to confirm the details with you one more time. You have selected the option to fake your death without leaving a corpse behind."

"Yes," Candace replied, determined to see this through.

She picked up her luggage and disappeared into the night after preparations were complete.

Yelena would get what was coming for her. Candace's departure would mark the beginning of Yelena's hellish life and also the beginning of Shawn's spiral into insanity. Perhaps Shawn would also recover his memory in the process.