Chapter 1

It happened during my mother's funeral.

The housekeeper received evidence of my fiance's infidelity. "Ms. Annette, the woman Mr. Ferguson had been seeing has given birth!"

When confronted, instead of offering an explanation, Landon Ferguson said indifferently, "Focus on the funeral for now."

The next day, he failed to appear at my mother's wake. All I received was a phone call.

"I'm looking after her at the postnatal center, so I won't be there at the funeral."

My lack of response made him sigh. "Don't worry, what happened between her and me was an accident. She has no intention of interfering with our engagement and just wanted to keep the baby.

"But I'm the father. I can't abandon the child. After we get married, I'll stay at her place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays to care for them. I'll be home on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays."

I clenched my fists and laughed until tears welled up in my eyes. "We're over, Landon. The engagement is off."

Landon scoffed. "Your mother just passed. Stop messing around."

I hung up the phone without hesitation and stood in front of Landon's archrival.

"Marry me, and we'll take down the Fergusons. Are you in?"

A trace of surprise flashed in Dylan Lovell's eyes. His stern countenance flushed red as he stammered, "We have an old rule in the Lovell family—we're only allowed to marry once. If you marry me, you're mine for life."

I thought his words meant refusal. I turned away in disappointment, only for him to grab my hand.

His wild features assumed a more solemn expression. "You should think this through, Annette. Divorce is not an option."

I smiled slightly and nodded with certainty. "Alright. There won't be a divorce."

Dylan had been my mother's choice for my future husband. His character, family background, and personality all held up under scrutiny.

If I hadn't fallen for Landon, I would have married Dylan.

The funeral affairs were complicated. So, Dylan helped me with the condolence arrangements and kept at it for more than two weeks.

Meanwhile, Landon didn't even call once during that time.

Every time I went on social media, I would be greeted with intimate photos of him and Lydia Thompson. The pair grinned from ear to ear, cradling the baby while forming a heart with their hands. The caption read, "My most beloved family."

I let out a cold laugh, unable to stop the bitter sting in my chest.

That was when I received a call from Landon. He sounded laid back when he spoke. "The funeral's over, right? Do you want to visit the baby at the postnatal center?"

I looked at the dark circles under my eyes in the rearview mirror and said placidly, "Landon, we already broke up."

There was a pause on the other end before Landon began muttering, "Fair enough. Lydia has been a little depressed after giving birth, so seeing you might upset her."

Half a month's worth of tears finally fell. My eyes reddened as I let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Landon, I said we broke up. Are you deaf?"

He was taken aback for a moment before he began to mock me, "You've been with me for five years, Annette. You're practically used goods. Who else would want you if you leave me? I told you the baby was an accident. Why can't you let it go?"

I didn't say a word. Then, I heard something smash on the other end of the line.

Landon scoffed. "Alright, let's break up. I'll wait for you to come crawling back to beg me for a second chance."

The call ended with a harsh click.

When I got home, I realized that the door code had been changed. I couldn't reach his phone, either. So, I had to stay at a hotel.

When I woke up, Instagram recommended a livestream from a postnatal center. In it, Lydia was interacting enthusiastically with the audience while Landon sat by her side, lovingly gazing at her.

I used to believe that his gentle gaze belonged only to me.

Chapter 2

The livestream had gone on for nearly five hours. Fans flooded the comments.

"I'm so jealous. That postnatal center costs 50 thousand dollars a month. Her husband is by her side, too."

"She's so lucky."

"Where do I sign up to get a husband like that?"

Landon had been a military officer serving the country before he took over the Ferguson Group.

What he hated most was showing his face in front of a camera. Even when I asked him for a photo together, he'd coldly reject my request. Yet, he was now making an exception for Lydia, who was broadcasting live nationwide.

Lydia beamed as she answered her fans, "He's very thoughtful!"

Was Landon thoughtful? A sharp pain stabbed through my chest. I smiled as I wiped the tears from my eyes.

Landon had never been a patient or considerate lover around me. I remembered asking him to watch a movie with me once, and he finally agreed after much coaxing and pleading. But in the end, he slept through an hour and a half of the two-hour film.

When he woke up, he rubbed his temples and said impatiently, "Spending time with you is a waste of my time."

He was capable of caring for others. After all, he was constantly by Lydia's side. I was simply the exception.

Landon must have recognized my Instagram username. He called me. "You have half an hour. Come to the postnatal center for your mother's belongings."

The pair had ended the livestream by the time I arrived.

Lydia greeted me with a warm smile, "Did you come to see me, Annette?"

I ignored her and walked straight toward Landon. I held out my hand and said, "Hand them over."

The smile on his face faded as his expression darkened. "Lydia was talking to you. Did you go mute or what?"

I forced a smile and looked at Lydia. "Congratulations, Ms. Thompson. You've succeeded in seducing my fiance and giving birth to a baby. I suppose your next step is to use the child to climb your way to the top."

Landon hurled the teacup in his hand to the floor. "Watch your mouth or shut up!"

Lydia suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out in pain, tears hitting the floor.

Landon instantly grew anxious. "What's wrong, Lydia? Where does it hurt?"

She bit her lip and looked at me with eyes red from crying.

"Annette, I never meant to come between you and Mr. Ferguson. It's just that the doctor said this might be my only chance to be a mother. Don't worry—I'll leave once I've recovered. I won't bother Mr. Ferguson again."

Then, she turned her gaze to the baby in the cradle. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. You lost your daddy the moment you were born. I didn't mean to… Please forgive me…"

She sobbed uncontrollably as if she had been overcome by pain and sorrow.

The look Landon gave me was venomous, making him seem monstrous. "Are you happy now that you've made her cry?"

I let out a scornful laugh. "You're the only one who would find such a pathetic performance moving."

My behavior infuriated him. He yanked off the pocket watch my mother left me from around his neck and raised it into the air, poised to throw it to the floor.

My pupils contracted as I cried out in panic, "No! Don't!"

He didn't stop. Instead, he flung it violently into the distance. The pocket watch shattered on impact into pieces on the floor.

I stumbled on a sharp corner of the table, hitting my bone. The piercing pain shot through me and made me gasp.

Landon sneered. "That's what you get for the disrespect. Get out. Stop faking it for attention."

Lydia shot me a hypocritical look of concern. "You should get up, Annette. Mr. Ferguson saw you pretending to fall…"

I gritted my teeth and glared coldly at her.

Chapter 3

Landon hauled me up from the floor when he noticed that I was still shooting daggers at Lydia. "Lydia's leaking milk and had to change out of a bunch of soiled clothes. You'll wash them before you go. I want them hand-washed. Got it?"

I shook him off. "Why should I?"

"Because you were bullying Lydia!" Landon's expression turned terrifyingly grim. "You owe her an apology!"

I endured the stabbing pain in my leg and straightened up. "Dream on!"

His gaze turned icy as he pushed me into the bathroom. He locked the door from the outside after slamming it shut. "You're not leaving until those are washed clean!"

"Landon, this is imprisonment!" I rattled the doorknob and screamed, "Let me out!" I slapped the door hard, but it was dead silent outside.

A burning pain flared in my hands while my leg throbbed with searing agony. The room reeked of spoiled milk and vomit.

I collapsed on my knees in exhaustion.

Lydia's insincere sympathy could be heard through the door. "Won't Annette be mad once she gets out if you treat her like that, Mr. Ferguson?"

Landon scoffed. "So what if she's mad? She'll come around once I sweet-talk her a little bit. Besides, this was her fault to begin with. If she doesn't drop the spoiled rich girl attitude, who's going to put up with her once she marries into the Ferguson family?

"The Fergusons are a military family. If the Ferguson Group wasn't in need of an heir, my mother would have never agreed to me marrying an heiress who can't do anything but spend money."

Lydia feigned worry. "Mr. Ferguson, isn't Annette going to break up with you if you keep talking about her like that?"

Suddenly, it went quiet outside the room.

After a long pause, Landon spoke, his voice cold and arrogant. "She won't. She's just a rich girl with no inheritance rights. The Ferguson family is the best she's going to get. Besides, she's madly in love with me. Honestly, she just might die for me if I told her to."

I clutched my chest tightly. I never thought I'd one day hear words like that come out of Landon's mouth.

My family—the Zieglers—ran a generational business empire. We were often targets of criminals from the underworld.

Six years ago, my mother was taken hostage when she and I went to travel abroad. They held a gun against her temple. I screamed myself hoarse, thinking that I was about to lose her.

Just then, a whoosh cut through the air, and the assailant dropped dead where he stood.

Landon, clad in his uniform with a gun in hand, cut a striking figure. He rescued me and my mother with swift and decisive action.

I caught my first glimpse of him in the military jeep. He had refined features and a sharp nose bridge.

I fell in love at first sight.

After that, I spent a whole year relentlessly pursuing him until he finally agreed to date me. During our five-year relationship, I obeyed his every word.

Yet, all my sincerity earned me was his heartless words. What a joke.

The bathroom door opened. When Landon spotted me crouched on the floor with my face drained of color, he pulled me to my feet in displeasure. "All I did was ask you to do a load of laundry. Who are you trying to get pity out of?"

Acid climbed up my throat. I forced it down and fought the urge to gag as I searched for my mother's keepsake.

The pocket watch had already been shattered. So, I picked up the pieces.

Landon's voice rang out from behind me. "We'll get married once Lydia finishes her postpartum recovery. After the wedding, she'll live with us."

Lydia cast me a grateful look. "Thank you for accepting the baby and me, Annette. I'll be forever grateful…"

I had no time for her nonsense and turned to look at Landon. "Keep your gratitude. We're not living together. I'm taking my mother's keepsake. Now give me the house's passcode. I'll have the movers handle the rest."

Chapter 4

Landon recited a string of numbers as he shot me a look of disdain. "You're free to kick up a fuss now, but in the end, you'll still come crawling back."

Lydia tugged on his sleeve and said timidly, "Mr. Ferguson, the room…"

Landon's eyes flashed. He ushered Lydia along and got into my car. "I'm going with you. I don't want you taking something you shouldn't."

It was only when we got home that I realized why he insisted on coming with me.

Adult toys clearly meant to please a man were strewn all over the couch while candles decorated the dining table. The bedroom reeked of sexual indulgence with handcuffs affixed to the headboard and foot of the bed.

I had been too busy organizing my mother's funeral to come home. Landon and Lydia, on the other hand, went all out in indulging themselves.

I stepped into the walk-in closet to find jewelry scattered all over the floor. There were also several Hermes bags missing from the shelves.

Lydia followed behind me, smiling smugly. "Missing anything, Annette?"

She was eager to see me lose my temper.

Unfortunately for her, I simply smiled. "Mistresses will always be mistresses. Stealing is all you know."

"How dare you?" Lydia grew furious, a flicker of malice flashing in her eyes.

Then, she screamed while clutching her stomach and collapsed to the floor. "I'm still recovering from giving birth, Annette… Why did you hit me?"

Immediately, Landon stormed in and helped her up before slapping me hard across the face in a rage. "It seems to me like you've been a spoiled princess for too long, Annette. It's made you arrogant and overbearing!"

He didn't hold back, so my face swelled up. My temples throbbed with rage, and I nearly lost control. "I never hit her!"

He didn't believe me. In response, he dragged me out of the closet and threw me to the ground. "Get out. Go crawl back to the Zieglers. Don't come back until you realize what you've done wrong!"

The fury in my chest turned into resentment. Enraged, I charged forward and slapped Lydia.

Seeing that, Landon was livid and raised his hand to strike me again.

I gritted my teeth and stared him in the eye. "There. I actually hit her this time."

I turned and walked away as tears welled up in my eyes in spite of myself.

I stepped outside into a downpour. The rain pattered down on me as I curled up on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

After a long time, I realized the rain no longer fell on me. I turned my head to see that Dylan was shielding me with an umbrella. I hadn't noticed when he arrived.

He held out his hand to me, his voice tinged with unmistakable heartache when he said, "Come home with me, Annette."

Later, when we arrived at the Lovell residence, the sight of the familiar courtyard and housekeeper had me reminiscing.

Dylan's mother and my mom had been best friends. They arranged our betrothal when we were still children. But back then, I used to constantly argue with my mother. I didn't like Mrs. Lovell or the young Dylan, either.

I went to Mertzon to pursue art after high school while Dylan was sent to Nethyr to study business management.

More than a decade had passed before we met again at my mother's funeral.

While I was lost in thought, Dylan's mother approached me with a cup of ginger tea. She wrapped me in a hug, anxious and concerned.

"Dylan can be such a brat. How could he let you get caught in such heavy rain? I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"

"Huh?" I asked, puzzled.

Dylan awkwardly turned away and cleared his throat. "I'll go get you a change of clothes."

Once he left, Mrs. Lovell handed me a cup of ginger tea. "Dylan told us that the two of you are tying the knot soon. You should start calling me Mom."