Chapter 1

Roxanne Reid's labor had been exceptionally difficult. After finally having the baby through a C-section, she swore to herself that she would cherish and care for the child for the rest of her life.

But when she came out of the operating room and opened her eyes, the baby was nowhere to be found.

Her husband, Stanley Frey, had given the baby away.

Bracing her body against the pain, she sat up and asked, "Where's the baby? Where did you take our child?"

Seeing her gnashing her teeth and glaring at him, Stanley lost his patience. "Why are you bringing this up again? Didn't I already tell you? The baby was given to Macy as soon as it was born."

Roxanne felt her chest tighten. Her voice trembled with anger as she screamed, "Did I agree to that?

"Didn't I say my child isn't to be given away unless I'm dead? Do you think I’m just talking nonsense?"

Two days and nights of labor had drained every ounce of strength from her body. She gritted her teeth, pressing her thighs together to keep herself upright through the pain.

Seeing this, Stanley raised his voice even more. "Roxanne, can you be reasonable? I've explained everything to you. Why are you still making a scene?

"The Frey family owes it to Macy. We should make it up to her by giving her the child.

"Oliver died of cancer. Macy was his fiancée. We can't just let her live a lonely life, can we?"

Then, as if realizing something, he softened his tone slightly, sitting on the hospital bed. "I know you're hurting. I'm hurting, too.

"But we have to be grateful. The one who stayed unmarried to care for my parents in our home, and who bore the hardships of a daughter-in-law in your stead—that was Macy. How is it wrong to give her a child?

"Rox, you and I can have many more children. Giving this baby to Macy is just compensation for her. I know you're not that petty."

Roxanne trembled with rage.

Other than Stanley, everyone else knew why Macy Shaw stayed single after Oliver Frey passed away. But was Stanley really that ignorant?

Looking at the familiar yet alien man before her, a chill ran up her spine.

They had dated for five years and been married for two. They should have been the closest of all couples. Yet now, she could barely recognize him.

Back then, the pursuit of Stanley had been the talk of all Brindley. She was just an ordinary woman from Airville, and for some reason, she caught the eye of the local wealthy heir. Everyone assumed he was just playing around.

But he pursued her relentlessly for two whole years. Even after being rejected countless times, he never gave up.

He learned all her hobbies and studied her interests just so they would always have something to talk about. How could she not have fallen for him?

So she accepted his proposal, intending to spend her life with him. She even severed ties with her family for him. From dating to marriage, Stanley had been unwavering, spoiling her beyond measure.

He had once told her she was the only line he would never cross.

Everything changed after Oliver died and Macy became his bereaved fiancée. Only then did Roxanne realize how easily that line could be crossed.

Suddenly, a phone rang, breaking the tense silence between them.

Stanley answered anxiously, spoke briefly, and then hurriedly turned to leave.

"Macy's a first-time mom. She doesn't know how to care for a baby. She needs someone there, so I'll go help her first.

"If anything comes up, call Lily. She'll handle everything."

Gritting her teeth through the pain, Roxanne grabbed his sleeve and threatened in a raw voice, "Stanley, bring the baby back, or we're getting a divorce."

She thought the threat would frighten him.

But he only sneered, snatched the phone off her nightstand, and said, "Stop reading those popcorn romance novels. I'm your only support. Without me, what can you even do?

"Rox, you know what I'm capable of. Don't push me to take action against you."

Chapter 2

Roxanne had once been determined to stay in Airville after marrying Stanley, even swearing to her family that she would never regret it. But now, she was starting to regret it.

The first time she saw Macy was at her wedding to Stanley.

Macy wore a white lace gown, showing up with flawless makeup. She looked more like the bride than Roxanne herself.

Right then, Roxanne knew Macy was there to ruin the wedding.

And indeed, that turned out to be true.

Before she could even say "I do" to the groom, she heard faint crying.

Under the judgmental eyes of everyone present, Macy stammered through her tears. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just remembered… Oliver and I never had a wedding. Maybe, in this life, I'll never have a wedding of my own.

"Sapphire, Louis, I just envy Roxanne for having a proper wedding. I didn't mean anything else. If only I could have…"

It was then that Roxanne realized Stanley had a younger brother who had died of cancer. And Macy, the fiancée who had stood by Oliver to the very end, had become the most important person in the family after his death.

Louis Frey and Sapphire Greene held Macy, weeping. Then they ordered Roxanne to switch places with Macy on stage, with Stanley pretending to be Oliver to make up for Macy's loss.

Roxanne refused.

At the time, Stanley firmly stood by her side, confronting Louis and Sapphire alongside her.

In the end, Macy fainted in tears during the wedding and was carried back to the Frey residence by Louis and Sapphire.

The wedding that Roxanne had spent so long anticipating had turned into a constant source of pain because of Macy.

Fortunately, Stanley remained on her side, unwavering. But she didn't expect that the very next week, Stanley and Macy would hold an even grander wedding at the same venue.

Before the wedding, Stanley gave her a strong dose of sleeping pills. "Roxanne, have a good sleep. When you wake up, it'll all be over.

"Just think of it as Oliver's wedding. It's a wedding the Frey family owes Macy, a way to make it right for her."

Roxanne thought the explanations were ridiculous. Her mind screamed, "Don't go! Don't go!"

But the drugs were too strong. Before she could speak, she fell into a deep sleep, hearing only Stanley's slightly apologetic voice in her ears.

"Roxanne, my heart belongs only to you. I have no choice but to attend. I can't bear to see my parents so sad. After all, I'm Oliver's elder brother."

When she opened her eyes again, her heart ached, but she was secretly relieved that the sleeping pills had spared her from witnessing the cruel scene.

Then, she heard the voice she never wanted to hear.

Macy, wearing a million-dollar wedding dress, screamed in delight the moment Roxanne woke up, "Roxanne! You're finally awake! We moved the wedding to the evening so that you wouldn't miss it. We're family. How could you not be at our wedding?"

It turned out that Stanley had indeed given her sleeping pills, but the moment Macy insisted that the whole family should be together, he had the doctor administer a reversal agent so she could wake up.

She watched helplessly as her husband married another woman. They exchanged vows, kissed, and received everyone's blessings.

And now, just because Macy said she wanted a child, Stanley had taken the baby she had carried for ten months and risked her life to deliver.

But what gave him the right to do so? Even if the Frey family owed Macy, why should they use her child to repay that debt?

She gritted her teeth, ripped off the pain pump, and followed Stanley. She was determined to find her child.

Stanley moved quickly.

Her C-section scar tore open, and she fell to the ground, calling his name.

He didn't look back. He knew how painful this was for her, but he had no choice.

He had already promised that the baby would be officially given to his late brother and Macy, and he couldn't go back on his word.

It was just one child. There would be many more for him and Roxanne in the future.

He thought Roxanne was just temporarily upset. Once she got pregnant again, she wouldn't make a fuss. Hearing the commotion behind him, he assumed it was just Roxanne trying to distract him and ignored it.

Amid the blood and chaos, Roxanne had narrowly survived. The ward was empty except for the nurse.

She forced a bitter smile, had the nurse fetch her bag, took out her phone, plugged it in to charge, and powered it on.

Hundreds of messages flooded in. She ignored them and dialed a familiar yet strange number.

"Timothy, I regret it. Can I come home?"

After a long silence, just as her heart threatened to leap out of her throat, the person on the other end asked, "Roxanne, are you willing to come home just like that?"

Chapter 3

Roxanne was unwilling to accept it, but right now, she had no way out.

For her family to get a travel permit from Airville to Brindley, it would take seven days. Only after seven days could she think about leaving or taking revenge.

She never imagined that the seven days she was supposed to spend recovering after childbirth would be so unbearable.

First came the engorgement. Without a baby to nurse, her breasts quickly became blocked, and she developed a fever. She borrowed a nurse's phone and called Stanley more than a dozen times before he finally picked up.

On the other end came only his impatient scolding. "Roxanne, what's the point of calling me so many times? I told you already, the baby was just born. Macy needs me by her side.

"This is your own child! How can you be so cold-blooded, fighting for attention at a time like this?"

Before Roxanne could even respond, the call was cut off.

The nurse looked at her with pity. With bitterness on her lips and pain in her chest, Roxanne nodded. "Dry me up."

As the medicine entered her body, the physical pain eased a little, but the sound of an infant's cries lingered in her ears. Her baby hadn't had even a single drop of her milk. She wasn't a good mother. She hadn't protected her child.

"But, baby, don't worry. Once I recover, I'll find you and bring you back."

Clenching her teeth, she was suddenly jolted by pain in her hand.

Macy stood before her, holding the baby, glaring at her. "Roxanne, did you just get an injection to dry up your milk?"

The baby!

Roxanne's eyes lit up. Ignoring the blood on her hand, risking her wound tearing open again, she pushed herself up. "Macy, give me back my baby!"

Stanley wasn't there. Macy had brought the baby over herself. She was sick of the constant crying of the baby, but this was the only thing tying Stanley to her.

With the child in her arms, she knew he would willingly stay by her side. Looking at Roxanne's pale face, she was smug. "Give the baby back? This is my child now.

"Stanley gave him to me himself. All I had to do was shed a few tears for him to willingly hand the baby over to me. If I ask him to divorce you and marry me, do you think he'll agree?"

Roxanne didn't answer. Her eyes were locked on the baby. She had seen him right after birth. He was red and soft, utterly adorable.

It had barely been a day, and the baby's face was pale and yellowish, his lips cracked. He let out a weak cry before passing out again.

"Macy!" Roxanne gritted her teeth and lunged to grab the baby, but Macy dodged first.

Taking a step back, Macy suddenly tossed the baby away and let herself fall to the ground, screaming.

Roxanne's body reacted before her mind.

The moment the baby left Macy's hands, she instinctively caught him, never feeling the tearing pain of her wound splitting open again.

The pain pump, still attached to her arm, was ripped out in the process.

Blood seeped out from the wound, but she didn't feel a thing.

All she felt was relief that she caught the baby in time, relief that Macy wasn't strong enough to throw him far, relief that Stanley's arrival meant the baby still had a chance.

But then, his cold voice froze her heart. "Roxanne! How long are you going to keep this up?"

Chapter 4

Stanley's furious voice came from outside the ward. He rushed to Macy's side, scooping her up in his arms, his eyes full of worry and panic.

"Macy, are you okay? I promised Oliver I'd protect you. You can't get hurt!"

Macy shook her head, her face full of grievance. "Stanley, I just wanted the baby to have some breast milk. The baby kept crying and refused the bottle. I didn't know what else to do.

"I didn't expect Roxanne to be so heartless as to wean him already. She shoved me, took my baby, and said… and said…"

Her voice broke as she buried her head against Stanley's chest, sobbing.

Stanley lifted his sharp gaze to Roxanne. "Said what? Go on, say it. I'll protect you."

Macy stammered for a long while before finally blurting out the whole thing, "She said she'd rather see the baby fall to his death than let me raise him. Stanley, it's my fault. I wasn't able to give Oliver a child.

"It's my fault I let Roxanne take the baby away from me, but I never thought she could be this cruel. Even a wolf wouldn't hurt its own child. Roxanne, he's your child, the one you carried for ten months. How could you even think of letting him die?"

Stanley stared at Roxanne on the ground in disbelief.

Yes, this was her nature. If she couldn't have something, she'd destroy it.

He was rendered speechless.

He set Macy gently to the side before striding over to Roxanne. Ignoring the baby's cries, he ripped him from her arms.

Roxanne's hands dropped limply at her sides. He had dislocated them just to take her baby away.

It's far from over.

Towering over her, his voice was cold. "Apologize to Macy and the baby!"

"Why should I?" Roxanne's broken voice rasped out.

He froze when he heard it. He lowered his head to get a clear look at her, and was suddenly at a loss for words.

She was drenched in blood, the mess spreading from her C-section incision. It was a sight that was gut-wrenching.

For a moment, he felt a pang in his chest. He sighed, crouched down, and looked her in the eye. "Macy and the baby were fine in the next room, and now with you, they're both hurt. How can I not suspect you?

"Rox, you just gave birth, and your hormones are crashing. I'm not going to hold this against you. Apologize, and I'll get the nurse to tend to your wound."

Roxanne forced a tear-streaked smile. "Stanley, you're my husband. Are you really telling me to apologize without even knowing the truth?

"And what if I don't?"

His face fell. He shot to his feet and ordered a few people to guard the door. "Are you not going to apologize? Then you won't get anyone to treat you until you come to your senses."

He expected her to give in like she always did.

After all, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Every time, she acted like the world had wronged her, yet in the end, she always ended up apologizing obediently. What happened this time was worse, but since she'd just had the baby, he chose to give her a way out.

Off to the side, Macy, now settled down, shot Roxanne a smug little look through the doorway.

Roxanne simply closed her eyes and lay back down on the floor. She wasn't going to apologize, but she no longer had the strength to fight them either.

Her body hurt too much. Her wound was splitting open, the veins torn from the IV lines, and her heart was already crushed to dust.

"Stanley, will you stay with me and the baby tonight? I really don't feel safe leaving the baby with the caretaker. After all, she's just an outsider. Could you stay with us instead?

"Really? But… won't Roxanne be mad at you and me sleeping in the same room and in the same bed?"

Their voices faded further and further away.

Roxanne thought bitterly, "I probably won't even last until Timothy comes to get me. By then, I'll already be dead."

Chapter 5

Roxanne ended up apologizing. She could feel her life slipping away. The wound on her stomach had gone past pain into numbness. The blood kept flowing, and she no longer had the strength to call for help.

Even so, the guards at the door still refused to let the doctors and nurses in. "Sorry, Mr. Frey said no one is allowed in until Mrs. Frey apologizes."

Roxanne vaguely heard a nurse arguing on her behalf, "Can't you see the blood on the floor? She'll bleed out and die at this rate! Isn't she your employer's wife? Are you really okay with her dying?"

The guard hesitated for a moment, then made a call. His voice turned cold when he hung up. "Mr. Frey said no one goes in until Mrs. Frey apologizes. If she dies, that's her own choice."

Roxanne let out a bitter laugh and opened her eyes, her vision blurry. Probably due to all the blood loss, it was agonizing just to open her mouth, her voice little more than a rasp.

The guard didn't hear it, but the nurse saw Roxanne struggling on the floor, and she couldn't bear it. "She just gave birth! Two full days of labor, a C-section on top of that. How can you be so heartless?

"Look, Mrs. Frey moved. She's saying something!"

The nurse grabbed at the guard in agitation, pointing at Roxanne. Roxanne's lips were moving but no sound came out, so the nurse shouted, "Mrs. Frey is saying she's willing to apologize! Let me in to stop the bleeding!"

But she still wasn't allowed inside.

By the time the guard finally called Stanley, Roxanne had blacked out and come to over and over. Then, through the haze, she finally heard his familiar voice.

"Is this what she calls an apology? Macy, don't worry. I won't let anyone ever wrong you."

Roxanne was jolted awake with a splash of ice water. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Macy was nestled against Stanley, holding the baby. She looked down at her, silently waiting for an apology.

She lifted a trembling hand to wipe her face, but she didn't have the strength to get up. Lying there on the floor, humiliated, she forced out a weak apology.

Macy looked aggrieved as soon as she heard Roxanne's apology. "Stanley, forget it, she didn't mean it. Besides, I don't need an apology this half-hearted."

She paused, her voice catching. "Oliver's been gone all these years, and now, Roxanne's the lady of the house. If anything, I should be the one apologizing.

"I'm sorry, Roxanne. I was too greedy. Back then, I should have followed Oliver—"

Before she could finish, Stanley covered her mouth with his hand gently. "Don't say that. You are the only lady of the house."

His words stabbed into Roxanne's heart like a blade. But strangely, she didn't feel much anymore. So this was what it felt like to stop loving someone. Once again, she was glad she hadn't burned all her bridges and deleted her family's numbers.

"Rox, get on your knees and apologize to Macy." Stanley's voice shattered that brief comfort. He wanted her, innocent and wronged, to kneel and apologize.

"Macy's been with us for years, and we've never let her suffer the slightest grievance. But you treat her like this. Rox, this is what you owe her.

"Kneel properly. Once Macy's satisfied, I'll get someone to stop the bleeding."

Once Macy's satisfied?

Roxanne thought in despair, "Would kneeling even be enough?"

Should she grovel as well to beg the magnanimous Macy to spare her?

"That's not necessary," Macy said in feigned surprise, widening her eyes as she reached to help Roxanne off the floor.

But when she leaned closer, her voice dripped with malice. "Roxanne, you'll never win against me. The baby is mine, and so is Stanley.

"Oh, and by the way, your baby hasn't eaten, and he's already been sent to the ICU. Isn't that just perfect? I didn't even have to do it myself.

"Did you really think I'd ever love your child? Once he's gone, Stanley and I can have one of our own."

Roxanne's nerves tightened to the breaking point. She clutched Macy's hand, forcing herself not to take the bait.

Macy clicked her tongue. "Aren't you good at holding it in? Then what if I told you Stanley and I already slept together?"

As if showing off, she leaned in closer. "We couldn't help ourselves. He called my name over and over. Do you know how strong he is? We went at it six times in one night!"

Something inside Roxanne finally snapped.

Her reason screamed at her not to let Macy trap her again. After all, this wasn't the first time Macy had framed her.

But a mother's instinct for her child kicked in faster than her brain could react. She shoved Macy away and lifted her gaze to Stanley. The man before her, the one who had promised her love, a life together before her delivery, had already betrayed her long ago.

"Stanley, I only wanted to help Roxanne to bed so she could rest, she…" Macy toppled again, her hem stained with blood from the floor, making her look even more pitiful.

"Roxanne!" Stanley's fury erupted this time. His full force of presence bore down on her, and Roxanne felt a flicker of fear.

She knew the businesses he ran dipped into gray areas. Maybe in his eyes, a life really wasn't worth much. But she only had one life.

Trembling, humiliated, she sank to her knees. Whether from pain or heartbreak, her whole body shook. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed her."

Stanley's eyes turned gloomy. "That's not enough."

Roxanne bit down hard, lowering her head. The wound she'd barely managed to clot with her own blood tore open again. But no one cared.

She groveled to Macy again and again.

After a long pause, Stanley finally said, "Enough. Macy's not like you. She's magnanimous and has forgiven you.

"Focus on getting better. Don't you want another child? Once you're out of the hospital, we'll have one."