I secretly enrolled in a classified national program without informing my husband, Elijah, who happens to be our team's leader. Initially, he didn't think much of it. He merely assumed I had become more compliant. Even when he decided to give a promotion opportunity from the organization to his first love, I remained unfazed.

Then he proposed transferring the property meant for me to Paisley, his first love, and asked me to help raise her child. I agreed with a smile, my eyes briefly flickering to the notification of my successful application in my hand.

Elijah frowned slightly and warned, "Don't try any tricks. If you change your mind, I'll divorce you immediately!"

Feigning concern, I asked, "But if the house goes to her, where will I live?"

"The organization has assigned me another place, hasn’t it? Paisley and her kid have a tough life; show some compassion!"

Hearing his cold words, I couldn't help but feel a secret satisfaction. With his generous nature, he might be open to donating all his assets to the Heartland Welfare Foundation, right? After all, helping many children is more meaningful than just one.

After filling out the application, I returned to the townhouse complex. At the entrance, I saw Elijah walking with Paisley and her child, pushing a bicycle. The bike's basket was loaded with household supplies for them—a glass bowl, a kettle, and some pastries and snacks. To a passerby, they might seem like the perfect, happy family.

Upon seeing me, Paisley hesitated, displaying her classic delicate demeanor. "I'm sorry, Alora. I didn’t foresee things turning out this way. If this really bothers you, I'll persuade Elijah to discuss it with the authorities..."

Paisley, Elijah, and I grew up together in the same town. I was always the tomboy, never backing down even if my pride was on the line. But Paisley was different; she always wore pristine cotton dresses and had two neat braids, looking pitifully fragile.

As we grew up, Elijah joined the military, while Paisley and I attended the College of Geosciences. The year before graduation, an overseas study opportunity suddenly arose, putting me in competition with Paisley. The school initially chose me, but Paisley went to Elijah, tearfully pleading.

"You and Alora come from well-off families; you’ll have more opportunities to go abroad, but I won’t..."

"I know if I miss this chance, it'll be tough for me to succeed in life."

So, Elijah approached me, using a mix of persuasion and pressure, to relinquish the chance to Paisley. No one could have predicted that soon after, Paisley went abroad and married a man from overseas.

Left abruptly by Paisley, Elijah became despondent, and I stayed by his side as he gradually rebuilt himself. Eventually, with encouragement from both families, he ended up marrying me.

Five years later, when Paisley's husband cheated on her, she returned home humbly with her child, her visa expired. From then on, the tranquility in my life with Elijah was completely disrupted.

Before I could say anything, Elijah Watkins furrowed his brow and said, "Don't be silly, it's nothing to stress over."

He reassured Paisley Campbell, "You've been involved in the oil exploration work as well, and these opportunities are well-deserved. Besides, now that you're divorced and have a child to care for, you need this promotion more than Alora does. How else are you and your daughter supposed to make ends meet?"

I'm working at the ground level in oil exploration, surviving on basic sandwiches, and whenever I get the chance, I head into the Alps. I endure the biting wind and scorching sun, my body covered in bruises, and during the toughest times, I almost slipped off a cliff in extreme weather. But it was those tough moments that led me to discover an oil field.

And Paisley? She was given this position by Elijah due to her foreign qualifications. Every time we went out for surveying, she would complain of headaches or colds, or she'd bemoan that no one was home to watch her child. Despite this, Elijah pulled strings so that Paisley's name appeared ahead of mine, taking credit for my discovery.

Thus, my hard-earned achievements became hers, and the promotion and recognition that I had struggled to attain went to her instead! When I confronted Elijah, he looked at me with irritation and said, "You just spend your days hiking in the mountains. How tough can it be?"

To make it easier for his first love to accept my 'gift', he glanced at me with an air of authority and added, "Alora is still young. She'll have plenty of chances for advancement in the future. Besides, I'm often busy with work, and she needs to focus more on the family. Whether she gets a promotion or not isn't a big deal to her."

Last night, Elijah had already snapped at me. He warned that if I dared to make a fuss about this and brought any trouble to Paisley, he'd divorce me. He was convinced I'd simply swallow this injustice, just like I did when I gave up the opportunity to study abroad for Paisley's sake.

But this time, I chose to let him go and focus on my own path.

Back home, Elijah began gathering up our belongings.

Years ago, on a mission in the Alps with Elijah, my back was injured. He nearly slipped, and when I grabbed him to prevent his fall, I slammed against the rocks. Since then, lying on a hard bed or feeling cold causes sharp pain.

When we got married, my parents spent a lot on a memory foam mattress as part of my dowry. But Elijah dismissively discarded it, carefully covering it with a clean white cloth: "It's getting cold, and Paisley is alone with Ace, especially since Ace is young and sensitive to the chill. Even if we have to endure discomfort, the child shouldn't suffer..."

I then noticed the TV from the living room was gone too. Elijah had packed it into a cardboard box, intending to send it to Paisley and Ace. Seeing my confused expression, Elijah explained: "Ace is a little kid, and Paisley is tied up with work and doesn’t have much time to entertain him. We hardly watch that TV anyway; let it keep the kid company."

If our child were still alive, he’d probably be around Ace's age now.

Early in our marriage, Elijah wasn’t keen on having kids. Only under pressure from his parents did he reluctantly suggest we wait and see. The pregnancy was unexpected, and with Elijah unsure about it, he insisted I keep it from my family.

That same year, Paisley returned flaunting her pregnancy with her new partner, even having Elijah drive the company car to pick them up. On the way, there was a car accident. Despite his injuries, Elijah immediately carried Paisley to safety. When help arrived, I was stuck in my seat, bleeding, while all I could hear was Elijah shouting—

"Get Paisley to the hospital first, I've got Alora!"

In the end, Paisley escaped with just a few scratches and a fright, but our child did not survive.

Faced with this tragedy, Elijah was even more adamant about keeping it from the family.

In the hospital room, as I was weak and grieving the loss of our child, Elijah stood firm and claimed, "I am a soldier; it is my duty to protect civilians. As my spouse, you should be ready for sacrifice in the most critical moments."

"If you can't handle this sacrifice, how can you be fit to be a leader's wife?"

And now, with nerve, he asked me, "Have you finalized those transfer papers for Paisley?"