The death certificate my friend helped me to forge would take effect in three days.

Just as I hung up, Tony walked in.

As always, the first thing he did was come up behind me and wrap his arms around me.

“Still waiting for me? Why didn’t you eat the cheesecake?”

There was a faint scent of cheap roses on him.

I smelled it two hours ago at the club. It was Jane’s perfume.

A wave of nausea surged up from my stomach, leaving me to turn my head away and retch.

Tony immediately gently rubbed my back, his voice tense with concern.

“It is this bad? Was everything okay at your checkup?”

I pushed him away and said nothing.

My reaction clearly caught his attention. After I finished throwing up, he tightened his arms around me again, pinning me so I couldn't struggle or pull away.

“Are you mad? I said you’re the one I love most. If Jane weren’t carrying my child, I wouldn’t even look at her.”

Is that so?

If he really didn’t think much of her, then how did she end up pregnant?

However, I didn’t expose him and just stared quietly at my toes.

“Don’t be upset. I prepared a surprise gift for you.”

He turned and went back to the car. Not long after, he returned with a beautiful bouquet of lilies.

After handing it to me, he started making a few phone calls.

My heart sank the moment I saw the card tucked between the petals.

The bouquet was meant for Jane.

He must have noticed my mood and panicked. So, before he had the chance to give them to her, he took the lilies and used them to brush me off.

He didn’t even check the card the florist had placed inside.

I looked at the man smiling at me while talking on the phone, and all I felt was sadness.

“Something came up with Jane again. Since she’s in her first trimester, her mood isn’t great, and she’s been throwing up a lot.”

He finally hung up and shrugged, as if talking about the weather.

“I might have to go see her tonight… Oh, it’s here!”

The doorbell interrupted him.

His assistant came in, carrying gift boxes and stacking them into a small pile.

“When I picked up the flowers, I also had them prepare some other gifts.”

Tony looked at me with satisfaction, as if expecting a happy reaction.

I said flatly, “Oh.”

“I know what you like. Don’t be upset.”

He sighed helplessly and patted my hair.

“Be good. Sleep on your own tonight. With Jane newly pregnant, she’s more fragile and sensitive. That’s why she’s relying on me more. If anything comes up, call me.”

“I’ve already planned it out. After she gives birth, I won’t see her again. I’ll let you raise the child, and the four of us can live well together. That’s a good plan, right?”

His tone was like he was coaxing an unreasonable child.

Calmly, I placed the bouquet of lilies on top of the pile of gifts.

“Since she needs them more, give them to her.”

A look of delight instantly spread across Tony’s face.

“Astrid, I knew you were gentle and mature! You really are the one I love most, and the best wife in the world!

“After Jane gives birth, I’ll make it up to you a hundred times over!”

He excitedly kissed my forehead, then left with the gifts and his assistant.

I watched the luxury car drive away and let out a cold laugh.

Jane did need those gifts more than me.

After all, the dead can’t take designer bags or clothes with them.

So I’ll give it all to her, including Tony.

Taking advantage of Tony’s absence, I began preparing for my fake death.

My new identity had already been arranged. Now, all I needed was for the death certificate to take effect and the right opportunity for the accident.

I thought Tony wouldn’t be back until morning.

However, in the middle of the night, he suddenly kicked the front door open. Behind him, Jane followed, crying.

He threw the gifts from earlier at me one by one. Some scattered across the floor, while some shattered.

Even the bouquet of lilies had been snapped and wilted, and he flung it harshly onto the couch in front of me.

Only then did I notice the tiny pinhole camera hidden among the flower buds.

In the broken gift boxes on the floor, faint red lights from cameras flickered.

“Astrid, you actually tried to spy on Jane?! Is that why you pretended to be generous and gave her those gifts?!”

Tony roared in fury.

“What was your purpose in spying and secretly filming her? If she hadn’t discovered it today, what were you planning to do with those recordings? Tell me!”

Jane, hiding behind him, sobbed as she spoke.

“Astrid, I really didn’t mean to ruin your family. I just couldn’t control myself, that’s why I made a mistake with Tony! I know you hate me, but you can’t spy on my life like this! Are you trying to harm my baby, or expose me as the other woman and ruin my life?”

Hearing her words, Tony grew even angrier.

I met his reddened eyes and said, “It wasn’t me. I didn’t do it.”

“Not you?”

Tony let out a cold laugh, his expression dark.

“Astrid, your acting is getting better and better. I thought you were really that generous, that you didn’t care. I didn’t expect you to use such despicable methods!

“Don’t you trust my love for you? I told you that after the child is born, I’ll cut ties with her completely and let you raise the child. Are you really so narrow-minded and impatient?!”

I knew that in front of them, any denial would be useless.

I closed my eyes briefly, suppressing the surge of emotions and forcing myself to stay calm.

“The flowers and the gifts were placed in the living room by your assistant. They haven’t been moved.

“Didn’t you install surveillance cameras all over the living room because you were worried about me going into early labor or having an accident? If I did it, you can just check the footage.”

The moment I said that, Jane’s face turned pale.

“Astrid. Only the three of us touched those flowers! If it wasn’t you, are you saying it was me? Fine. Since you insist you’re innocent, let’s check the footage!”

Tony was about to pull up the surveillance on his phone when Jane suddenly trembled. Her face pale, she grabbed his hand and broke down crying.

“Mrs. Baldino, I’m the other woman, so it’s only right that you hate me. But Tony really cares about you. Please don’t argue because of me…

“As for the cameras, if you say you didn’t place them, then you didn’t. I misunderstood you. I’ll apologize and make it up to you, okay?”

As she spoke, she picked up a bottle of champagne from one of the gift boxes, popped it open, and poured a full glass.

“I’ll toast to you. After I finish it, please forgive me. Let’s just pretend this never happened, okay?”

I watched coldly as she cried and drank the entire glass, then snorted.

“If you didn’t mean to ruin my family, why are you in such a hurry to apologize and ask for my forgiveness? And as for the cameras, whether they exist or not, we can just check the footage, can’t we?”

Tony’s face darkened with impatience. “Astrid, enough.”

“Jane is pregnant, and she’s already apologized to you. She’s being sincere and kind. There’s no need for you to keep targeting her. Maybe I misunderstood you, but we can’t ignore potential danger. I’ll check the footage now and give you the truth.”

As Tony took out his phone, Jane panicked. The bottle of champagne slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor, liquid spilling everywhere.

Suddenly, she clutched her stomach with one hand and grabbed Tony’s wrist with the other, crying out in pain.

“Tony, my stomach suddenly hurts… The champagne! It must be because I drank!”

Tony immediately panicked. He shoved his phone away and pulled Jane into his arms.

Jane groaned in pain. “It hurts… Tony, take me to the hospital!”

Seeing her like this, Tony quickly lifted her into his arms. Before leaving, he shot me a cold glare.

“You shouldn’t have let her drink to apologize! Are you satisfied now?”

As he spoke, he shoved me aside with his shoulder and left without looking back.

I stumbled, stepping onto the spilled champagne. My ankle twisted, and I fell heavily to the ground.

A sharp pain pierced my lower abdomen, and my face turned pale.

A warm flow of blood ran down my body.

I knew I was going into early labor.

“My baby… I have to save my baby…”

With all the strength I had left, I called my friend for help.

Before the pain took away my consciousness, I saw the ambulance arrive just in time. Relief washed over me as I closed my eyes.

When I opened them again, I was lying in a hospital bed beside my newborn baby.

He was a boy.

“You had severe bleeding from premature labor when you were brought in. It was very dangerous. Thank God you were treated in time, and both of you are safe!”

My friend Mia wiped her eyes and handed me a document.

It was the now-effective fake death certificate, my new identity, and a plane ticket for tomorrow.

“Congratulations on your new life, Astrid. From now on, you’re free.”

I looked at the death certificate and the child in my arms, feeling both joy and emotion.

Yes, I was free.

The opportunity for my fake death had come, and it was perfect.

After being discharged, I went straight to the airport with my baby.

Before boarding, Tony’s calls kept coming.

I sneered and threw my phone straight into the trash.

Holding my sleeping child, I watched as the plane passed through the clouds outside the window. For the first time in a long while, I felt a sense of ease.

On the other hand, Tony rubbed his temples irritably.

For the past two days, Jane had been complaining of stomach pain. He had been going back and forth between the company and her place, staying by her side the whole time.

It wasn’t until today that he realized I hadn’t contacted him for two days.

Restless, he couldn’t even focus on work anymore. He started calling and texting me.

However, after a full day, there was still no reply.

Irritated, he looked out the window and saw a plane flying into the clouds. Suddenly, a bad feeling rose in his chest.

He picked up his phone and opened the home surveillance, trying to find me.

He switched through every camera in every room, but there was no sign of me.

Then, with his sharp eyes, he noticed a dark red stain on the living room floor.

His heart skipped.

“Why is there a pool of blood on the floor? Did something happen to Astrid?”

Anxiety surged through him. Just as he was about to zoom in, the office door behind him pushed open.

Someone walked in cautiously, with faint sobs now and then.

The corner of his lips lifted slightly. The frustration he had been holding in for days finally eased.

He wasn’t a petty man. Since his wife had taken the initiative to find him and admit her mistake, he would forgive her.

“So? You know you were wrong?” he said arrogantly as he turned around.

But when he saw it was Jane, his expression immediately faded.

“Tony, when I’m home alone, I keep feeling uneasy. Even my stomach hurts.”

Her gaze swept over his screen, and her face stiffened.

“You’re worried about Astrid? Is she okay? It’s all my fault. That day, I made you both so angry, and you even argued!”

Jane sniffled as she leaned into Tony’s arms. Then she pointed at the stain on the screen.

“Why hasn’t the red wine on the floor been cleaned up? The house even looks deliberately messy. Astrid must be sulking and trying to upset you. How about I go help you clean it up?”

Hearing her words, Tony grew even more annoyed.

Had he spoiled me too much?

I wasn’t answering calls, replying to messages, or even taking care of the house. Now I was even using this kind of sulking to show him an attitude?

“What’s there to clean? You said it yourself. She did it on purpose for me to see!

“Leave her alone. I’ll make her understand who really can’t live without the other!”

He took Jane back to her place and stayed there for several days, which was something that had never happened before.

Overjoyed, Jane kept posting on Instagram, sharing details of Tony staying by her side.

In the past, Tony had always avoided this, afraid that I would misunderstand if I saw.

This time, however, he didn’t stop her or tell her to delete anything. He let her do as she pleased.

“If Astrid sees these posts, she’ll definitely feel terrible! She’ll soon realize that I’m not the one who can’t live without her! Maybe she’s already crying, wondering why I’m not going home!”

Tony even felt a hint of anticipation, hoping I would see them.

As long as I took the initiative to contact him, even if it was to argue, he could use it as a chance to end this cold war.

However, the scene he expected never came.

Half a month passed.

It was as if I had completely disappeared, without a single trace.

His unease grew stronger.

Tired of this silent standoff, Tony decided to go home and talk to me face-to-face.

“Astrid!”

Suppressing his anger, he pushed open the door.

The house was still in the same mess as that night.

In the air, there was a faint, rotting smell of blood.

His chest tightened suddenly as he rushed into the living room.

Only then did he clearly see that the dark red stain in the surveillance footage wasn’t wine at all.

It was dried blood!

“Astrid… Something happened to Astrid and the baby!”

His mind went blank with a buzz. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor.