Ethan frowned deeply, urgency creeping across his face.

Clara's gaze fell on the words "ten minutes" on the tablet, her heart tightening at once.

Ethan's anxious voice rang in her ears.

"There's a shootout in the west side. The second-in-command and his people are at each other's throats. I'm the only one who can keep it under control. Honey, if I don't go, people will die."

Before Clara could even respond, he turned and hurried away.

He really was worried he wouldn't make it within ten minutes.

Clara let out a cold laugh and began tapping rapidly on her tablet. Her computer skills were exceptional. Hacking into Ethan's phone and tracking his location was effortless for her.

She had simply never bothered to do something like this before.

What she hadn't expected was that in less than ten minutes, Ethan appeared at the old house in the slums where she, Ethan, and her mother had once lived.

After her mother passed away, she sold the old house. She needed money for the funeral, and she feared greedy relatives would swoop in and take everything. So she took Ethan and left, struggling to survive elsewhere.

That house carried her memories with her mother, and the bond she shared with Ethan.

After they finally gained money and power, Ethan bought the house back immediately and gave it to her as a birthday gift.

Yet they hadn't returned there in a very long time.

Clara sent a voice call request to Ethan's phone and remotely forced it to connect. At once, Ethan's ingratiating voice came through. "Ten minutes. Just in time. I'm not late."

A loud kiss echoed, followed by a woman's soft, delicate voice. "At least you made the right choice. I thought you were going to ditch me for that old woman."

Ethan showed no displeasure at all. Instead, he kept coaxing her.

"You heartless little thing. I come to see you the moment I get free. Look, this is the Heart of True Love diamond ring I just won at auction. It's for you."

Clara froze slightly, bitterness flooding her chest.

She remembered how a woman once mocked her for being old. Ethan had walked up and slapped that woman several times without hesitation.

Six months ago, when the Heart of True Love ring was first released, he promised he would buy it for her no matter what.

Now, he handed it to another woman without the slightest hesitation.

Listening to their flirting, Clara felt as if her heart were bleeding.

After her mother died, the slum house filled her with fear and grief. Whenever she came close, tears would spill uncontrollably, the pain so intense it made her faint.

Every time she tried to endure the pain and go back, Ethan would stop her, his face full of concern.

So that was why. He was afraid she'd discover his affair.

The woman's breathless moans and the man's hoarse growls filled her ears, thick with desire.

Just from the sounds, Clara knew exactly where they were. On the sofa her mother had loved most.

On the table nearby sat her mother's portrait and ashes.

If her mother could see this from beyond the grave, how much would it break her heart for Clara?

Clara covered her mouth, sobbing soundlessly. Yet she forced herself to listen to every unbearable sound.

At last, she wiped away her tears, resolve slowly hardening on her face.

She pulled out a phone she had never used from beneath her pillow and dialed the only number saved on it.

"Didn't you always want me to acknowledge you as my father? Come pick me up in three days. I'll agree to become your heir."

Clara had stayed here for love. Now that love was gone, there was no reason to remain.

During the six months Clara spent in the hospital, Ethan came every evening to eat with her, talk with her, and stay by her bedside until she fell asleep.

In all of Asterfall, everyone knew she was the woman closest to his heart.

Yet no one knew that even a man like him could be unfaithful.

Ethan sat by the hospital bed, arranging the meal in front of Clara and lifting his spoon to feed her. Then he looked up and saw her swollen, tear-filled eyes.

He hurried over and pulled Clara into his arms, gently patting her back.

"What's wrong? Is the baby bothering you again? When the baby's born, you'll have to teach him a lesson."

He lifted food to her lips. Clara opened her mouth numbly, swallowing mechanically without sparing him a single glance.

Suddenly, nausea surged up her throat, and she turned aside to vomit.

Without a second thought, Ethan reached out and caught what she threw up.

He didn't care about his cleanliness at all, his eyes filled only with concern for her.

He had always been this considerate, his world seemingly revolving entirely around Clara.

In the past, Clara would have been deeply moved.

But now she knew the truth. The carefully prepared pregnancy diet wasn't made for her at all. It had been designed by a nutritionist specifically for Ivy Zane.

She was nothing more than an afterthought.

Just moments earlier on the voice call, Clara had clearly heard Ivy retching, spitting out the soup she had just swallowed.

"Honey, it smells too strong. I can't drink it."

Ethan coaxed her tenderly.

"If you can't drink it, then don't."

"Pour it out. I couldn't help it earlier and threw up in it."

Ethan chuckled softly. "Alright. I'll dump it into the trash later."

And at that very moment, the soup that was meant for the trash was being spooned into Clara's mouth by Ethan.

At that moment, countless thoughts flooded Clara's mind…

She even wondered whether the meals he had brought her before might have also…

A wave of indescribable disgust surged up. Clara could no longer hold it back and leaned over the bed, retching into the trash can.

But the moment she saw the trash can, a deep sorrow washed over her.

So in Ethan's eyes, was she nothing more than a trash can?

Pressure tightened in her abdomen, accompanied by a sharp, hidden pain, as if the child inside her were protesting.

Clara cried out in pain, tears spilling freely at last.

After all their years as husband and wife, how could Ethan humiliate her like this?

Ethan was startled, his face turning pale as he hurried to help Clara up.

"Honey, what's wrong? Does your stomach hurt? Is the baby acting up again? What's going on with you? Is it the smell of the soup that's making you sick?"

His voice was filled with concern. His eyes reddened with distress as he urgently called for the doctor.

Even as Clara was wheeled into the emergency room, she could still hear Ethan's hoarse pleas.

"Doctor, please. I'm begging you. Save my wife."

After another round of emergency treatment, Clara once again managed to keep the child in her womb. Under the effects of anesthesia, she slipped into unconsciousness.

Familiar pain washed over her. She frowned and opened her eyes, only to hear Ethan speaking with his close friend, Damian Pierce. She chose to shut her eyes tightly.

"Ethan, you should give the special drug to Clara first. Ivy is only newly pregnant. She doesn't really need it yet."

Damian was the one responsible for developing the special drug and had grown up with Ethan since childhood.

He had never approved of Ethan and Clara being together and had always disliked Clara in particular.

Yet even now, he showed a hint of reluctance toward her situation.

Ethan's expression was firm. "No. Ivy is different from Clara. She can't handle any risk. Clara is strong. Even if the baby's gone, she'll survive it."

"But if there's no special drug and the baby's gone, how are you going to explain that to Clara?"

"No explanation is needed." Ethan gently stroked Clara's cheek, his words chillingly cruel. "We'll just prescribe some vitamins and tell her it's the special drug. It's the first batch anyway. Problems are normal."

Damian sucked in a sharp breath.

"But she's been with you for so many years. She's risked her life for you more than once. Back in Harborcliff, if she hadn't nearly died protecting you, you would've been—"

Ethan's fingertips turned icy, his voice sharp as a blade.

"You don't need to keep reminding me. I'm the one who controls the syndicate in Asterfall, and I survived back then because my own woman sold her body for me. I know she did it to save me. But she's tainted. I want my child to have a clean mother. What's wrong with that? I know I owe her. But I'm a man. I can't get past this. I can't stand the looks of ridicule from others."

Ethan let out a cold snort. "Everyone who knew about it back then is already dead. But there are still people in Harborcliff. They've stayed quiet all these years. They're probably afraid of me. One day, I'll wipe them out and repay the humiliation I suffered."

Clara kept her eyes tightly shut, biting her lower lip hard, forcing herself not to react.

So this was what he believed all along. That when he was captured by the local gangs in Harborcliff, trapped in danger, she had stormed the syndicate's headquarters alone to save him and had been violated in the process.

All these years, he had despised her for being "tainted," unwilling to let a child be born from her body.

How utterly absurd.

"Clara really seems to care about this baby. If she loses this one too, what if she can't handle it?"

Ethan scoffed softly and reached out to pull the blanket over Clara.

He leaned down, his breath brushing unconsciously against her neck, making Clara's breath catch.

Disgusting.

That indescribable wave of nausea surged up again.

After she heard the door close, Clara slowly opened her eyes. Tears flowed like a river.

She knew very well that many people in the research institute had been placed there by her biological father, for her sake.

For the sake of the child in her womb, she despised him, yet still felt a trace of gratitude.

But she never expected that after learning this, Ethan would be determined to kill the child in her womb, caring only about the mistress's baby.

She clamped her hand over her mouth, refusing to let a single sob escape.

Then she sent a message to the man bound to her by blood, telling him to withdraw everyone from the research institute. Ethan was not to benefit from them.

"Honey, you're finally awake. Don't worry, the baby is fine."

Ethan knelt by the bedside, his eyes red as if he'd been crying for a long time. His hand rested gently on Clara's belly, his gaze filled with the glow of a loving father.

Who could have guessed the disgust he felt toward the child inside her?

"Mrs. Grayson, seeing how much Mr. Grayson dotes on you, I finally understand why you're so determined to have a child for him. He's worth it. Unlike the husbands I've seen before, who only get angry and force their wives through injections and medication."

The nurse administering Clara's injection couldn't help sighing. Clara felt nothing but bitterness.

At least those husbands truly wanted their children to be born. Unlike hers…

"I miss my mom. I want to go home and see her."

Clara looked up at Ethan, watching every change in his expression.

Ethan paused briefly, then quickly recovered.

"Once you give birth, I'll take you back to see her. In your condition, it's not convenient for you to leave the hospital."

His expression was open and calm, giving no hint of deceit.

"But before giving birth, I want to visit the old place. I want Mom to give me some courage. I'm afraid I won't make it off the operating table."

Ethan seemed oblivious to the deep sorrow in her voice. He sat beside the bed and pulled her into his arms.

"Don't worry too much. You and the baby will be fine. If you want to go back, that's fine too. I'll have someone clean things up so you won't get hurt."

Clara understood. He was planning to deal with the mistress in advance.

That was fine. She didn't want to see that woman either. She just didn't want that filthy pair to keep defiling her mother's house.

What she never expected was that she would still come face to face with the mistress Ethan had protected for so long.

Ivy was admitted to the hospital as well to rest and protect her pregnancy, placed in the room right next to Clara's.

With her barely noticeable baby bump, she knocked on Clara's door.

"Hello. My pregnancy isn't stable either. My husband was worried, so he had me admitted early."

There was a smug look on her face as she deliberately pushed her belly forward, the gesture reeking of provocation.

As Clara studied Ivy's features, a strange sense of familiarity washed over her, making her pause.

Ivy resembled Clara in her younger years, especially when she smiled. Only Clara had long forgotten how to smile after years spent walking through blood and gunfire.

She had no interest in engaging, merely casting Ivy a brief glance before turning to look out the window.

She did not blame Ivy at all. The only one she blamed was the man who had betrayed their bond.

Ivy slipped, barely managing to steady herself against the cabinet, and shot a pleading look toward Ethan nearby.

Ethan's gaze skimmed over Ivy briefly before he remained seated by the bed, tending to Clara instead.

Ivy clenched her teeth in fury.

She despised the slum apartment. It was rundown and unbearable.

What she really wanted was to live in Ethan's grand mansion.

But the thought that it was the place Clara had long cherished filled her with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

She had stayed by Ethan's side for so long—not for the title of a mistress, but for far more than that.

She wanted to be the mother of Ethan's only child. The real Mrs. Grayson.

"Ma'am, I heard you were hospitalized the moment you got pregnant. Sounds like this baby won't be easy to keep. Sometimes people just need to accept their fate, or else—"

"Shut up!" Ethan snapped in fury, his eyes blazing as he glared at Ivy.

"Who do you think you're cursing? Say one more word and I'll make sure you don't leave this hospital in one piece."

Clara watched Ethan's performance of playing the devoted protector with a blank face, her lips curling into a mocking smile.

Watching him now, who would have guessed they had been tangled together in passion not long ago?

She could no longer stand their act and turned her face away, closing her eyes.

All she wanted now was to love herself and take care of her body.

As for Ethan, they would be strangers from now on.

There was no need for her to care about what happened between him and other women.

But before she left, the two of them would have to pay for their deception.

Late at night, Clara had a nightmare.

She dreamed of the time she was pregnant with her first child, when Ethan, reckless and young, had angered a Harborcliff gang leader and been kidnapped. The man had vowed to kill him.

Everyone under him had been terrified, none daring to step forward to save him.

Only Clara, five months pregnant, had walked into the gang leader's stronghold alone, guns in hand.

She had been shot six times along the way. The child was lost, and as pain dragged her into darkness, she hadn't even thought about saving Ethan, only that dying together as a family might not be so bad.

Gunfire echoed in her ears. Clara gasped for breath, snapping awake as she forced herself upright.

Deep fear flickered in her eyes.

If the Harborcliff leader hadn't been the man who had abandoned her and her mother years ago, she would have long since...

After a long while, her emotions finally settled, a sardonic smile tugging at her lips.

Ethan was truly laughable. Did he really think controlling the underworld of Asterfall meant he could stand against Harborcliff?

Without her holding things in place, how could Harborcliff have remained so quiet all these years?

She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, closed her eyes, and tried to fall back asleep.

Instead, she heard a man's ragged breathing and a woman's breathless moans coming from the room next door.

She had heard those familiar voices during a voice call not long ago.

Enduring the pain in her lower abdomen, she forced herself up and limped toward the neighboring room.

The door was not fully closed. Inside, the man and woman were tangled together like beasts, their eyes filled with raw desire.

"Honey, you scared me this afternoon. I don't want to talk to you."

Ivy deliberately dodged Ethan's kiss, pressing a hand against his lips in protest.

"If you care so much about that old woman, why did you force me to be with you? If I'd known, I would've rather died than given in."

Ethan panted heavily, urgency flashing in his eyes as desire consumed his gaze, leaving only the woman before him.

"If I didn't care about you, why would I have saved the special medicine for you? I just didn't want you exposing our affair to Clara. She's been with me for so many years. Even if she hasn't done much, she's suffered plenty. If this got out, who knows what my people would say about me?"

Satisfied at last, Ivy leaned in and kissed Ethan.

"You're with her every day. I just get jealous and can't help saying a few extra things."

Ivy straightened up and straddled Ethan's waist, savoring the way his gaze burned with obsession.

"If you treat me like this again, I'll ignore you completely and leave you suffering."

Outside the door, Clara's chest rose and fell with rage.

Agonizing pain tore through her lower body, blood flowing freely, yet she seemed unaware of it.

Perhaps it was better this way. The child was gone.

She collapsed onto the floor, her face drained of all color.

A nurse's startled cry rang out, "Quick, save her!"

Numb and detached, Clara was rushed back into the emergency room by the doctors and nurses.

Behind her, the sounds of bodies colliding and mingled moans grew louder, hammering against Clara's ears.

Though she had long prepared herself for this, witnessing Ethan lost in another woman still made her heart ache.

After more than a decade, she still couldn't bring herself to let it all go.

In the emergency room, Clara finally steadied herself and said softly, "Terminate the pregnancy."