For the next few days, there was always a hint of joy in Xavier's eyes. But the moment he saw me, his expression would turn frigid.

My dad, Brock Joffrin, lived next door. He often came over to check on things. So, he quickly noticed that something was wrong.

He hurriedly came over and asked, "Did you and Xavier have a fight?"

I stayed silent, not wanting to respond.

My dad anxiously tried to persuade me, "If he's upset, just appease him. What good can come from angering the Sullivan family?"

I was so angry that my eyes reddened as I snapped back, "Does our entire family have to bend over backward to please him?"

Five years ago, my dad's investment failed, so he ended up owing the Sullivan family millions of dollars. He cried and begged me to sign the marriage agreement to save him.

After Xavier and I got married, my dad often said to me, "Now that you're married, take good care of Xavier. Do you know how many people dream of being a part of the Sullivan family? You've gotten lucky, so don't act like you're living a miserable life."

I knew my dad loved money more than me. He was close to the Zermeno family, so he must have known about Xavier and Elsa. Yet, he still pushed his own daughter—me—into a loveless marriage.

The thought made me nauseous, and I threw up everything I had just eaten.

Upon seeing my pale face, my dad suddenly asked with a gleeful smile, "Are you pregnant?"

Pregnant? As if!

Xavier took great precautions to ensure there was no chance of having a child with me. He made it clear that he didn't want me to have his baby.

My dad seemed to see right through me. He suddenly rushed into the bedroom and returned with a whole box of condoms.

With a smug grin, he boasted, "See, I poked holes in all of these a long time ago. If you're pregnant with Xavier's child, you'll be set for life!"

He called my mom excitedly, laughing as he told her to hurry up and buy a pregnancy test kit.

I trembled furiously with rage. Instantly, I grabbed his phone and smashed it to the ground.

My dad's face darkened. He slapped me hard, knocking me to the floor.

I instinctively put my hand down to brace myself, but my palm pressed into the broken glass from the phone. A sharp pain shot through my body. However, my heart hurt even more—it felt as if a knife had been plunged into my chest.

I held back my tears and looked down. The floor was stained red with my blood.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway. In the next moment, Xavier walked over and towered above me as he looked down condescendingly.

A shrewd glint flashed in my dad's eyes as he said, "Halyna is hurt! You should take her to the hospital for a check-up."

Xavier glanced coldly at the blood on the floor and frowned. He said with displeasure, "This is a brand-new rug, and you've ruined it."

I had signed for that rug myself, and the sender was Elsa.

Already furious in the first place, I couldn't hold back my emotions anymore. I retorted, "This is my house too! I'll do whatever I want!"

With that, I grabbed an antique teapot worth 300 thousand dollars from the display shelf and smashed it to the ground. My dad rushed to stop me, but I smashed another 15th century porcelain vase that was worth more than a million dollars.

Xavier watched me impassively as if I were breaking glass instead of priceless antiques.

As I reached up again, my hand brushed against a small object. It had been carefully tucked away, so I had never noticed it before.

Xavier was taller than me. Hence, he saw what I'd grabbed before I could even take a look at it.

"Don't touch that!" he said sharply.

I thought it was some kind of rare antique. But when I took a closer look, it was just a scrunchie. It was yellowing around the edges, showing its age.

The more I looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. It looked like the one I used to wear all the time as a kid but had lost.

Xavier grabbed it from me in one swift motion. He said harshly, "This belongs to her. You're not allowed to dirty it with your hands!"

"That looks like a scrunchie I once had."

The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them, and Xavier looked at me as if I had lost my mind. I grew more and more confused and couldn't help but try to grab it back from him to take a closer look.

Xavier's expression became glacial, and he shoved me to the ground with one hand. My already injured hand hit the shattered glass again. The pain was so intense that my vision blurred.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed.

Upon seeing that I was awake, Maisie held my hand and said, "Don't worry, the baby is safe."

Robert exclaimed in exasperation, "How can you not tell us about such an important matter?"

I was stunned. After a long silence, I finally asked the question that had been troubling me, "What's the story behind that scrunchie that Xavier keeps holding on to?"

Robert and Maisie knew I wouldn't rest until I got an answer from them. So, they had no choice but to explain the backstory of that scrunchie.

"When Xavier was a child, he was kidnapped. A little girl wearing that scrunchie saved him. He didn't cry when he came home. On the contrary, he smiled, saying that he'd met an angel."

Familiar memories began to resurface in my mind.

Back then, I had gone to play in an abandoned neighborhood nearby. Xavier had been locked behind a chained fence like a dirty stray dog. To rescue him, I told the police to use me as bait.

After he was saved, my mom beckoned for me to go home for dinner. So, I left before he even had a chance to thank me.

I never imagined Xavier would have such a tender side.

But Robert and Maisie were furious. They pounded the table in frustration and complained, "Because of that incident, no matter how much trouble Elsa caused, Xavier always spoiled her unconditionally."

"Elsa?" I looked up in shock, my memories now in complete disarray.

Robert went on, "Xavier asked us to offer a huge reward to find the girl who saved him after he came back. The very next day, Elsa showed up at our door."

"It's terrible that Xavier's savior turned out to be her," Maisie lamented.

So, that was what happened. It turned out that Elsa was the imposter who had stolen the affection that should have been mine.

Xavier's parents made hundreds of calls to inform him that I was pregnant.

Finally, he showed up, but he brought Elsa with him. He turned back and carefully adjusted her scarf, tenderly reminding her to keep herself warm and not catch a cold.

Then, he strode over to me with an icy expression and slapped me so hard that I fell off the bed.

He angrily accused me, "Whose bastard child are you carrying? How dare you cheat on me!"

Xavier's parents, who had been about to help me up, suddenly hesitated and looked at me with doubtful eyes.

Just then, my dad walked in carrying a kettle. Without hesitation, he pointed his finger at Xavier and shouted, "The baby is yours! I poked holes in all of your condoms."

Rage filled Xavier's eyes, and he punched my dad hard. I saw blood gush from his nose. My dad begged for mercy, but all he received in return were more punches and kicks.

Xavier's parents didn't intervene. They merely said indifferently, "Be careful not to hit Halyna. She's carrying your child."

In Robert and Maisie's eyes, we were nothing more than lowly peasants they could beat as they pleased.

When Xavier heard what my dad said, his anger flared even more. He picked up the kettle, lifted my dad's shirt, and poured boiling water onto his back ruthlessly.

I grabbed Xavier's leg, begging him not to be so cruel. However, Elsa kicked me toward the door.

My dad screamed in pain. He took one look at his own back and fainted out of sheer terror.

Xavier left behind a check for ten million dollars and walked out with Elsa.

After he left, Robert and Maisie reminded me that the marriage agreement that I signed was about to expire. They pressured me to sign the agreement renewal. Otherwise, they threatened not to treat my dad and let him fend for himself.

The divorce agreement Xavier sent me sat quietly on the table in the hospital room. The Sullivans chose to ignore it and pretended that they didn't see it.

As I touched my growing belly, I wondered how Xavier would treat this child if I agreed to renew the contract.

I steeled myself and calmly said, "I got pregnant with this child because of my dad. He should bear some responsibility."

The moment Robert and Maisie realized that I wasn't going to renew the agreement, their expressions soured. They threatened me harshly, "You won't sign it? Then you can't stay in this high-end hospital room!"

I was kicked out of the private hospital. When I tried to return home, the security guards blocked me at the door.

I sat alone on a bench in the neighborhood until late into the night before I was finally able to contact an old friend, Vincent Laster, who was now a doctor.

He arranged a private hospital room for me and made sure I had carefully prepared meals three times a day.

A few days before I was due to give birth, Vincent suddenly confessed to me, "Halyna, I've liked you for a long time. Please, give me a chance to take care of you and the baby."

I was moved and nodded in agreement. I decided that after the baby was born, we would get together.

The day before the birth, I was in so much pain that I was drenched in cold sweat from head to toe. My heart was racing, and the fear and anxiety only grew with time.

Vincent held my hand and softly reassured me that everything would be okay. My heart rate finally started to calm down a little.

Suddenly, a cold voice sounded from a corner. "She's carrying my child. What do you think you're doing?"

I looked up to see Xavier, along with Elsa and his parents, gathered around my hospital bed. They stared at my belly, their eyes full of calculated intent.

Panic surged through me as I looked at Xavier. "How did you know I was here? How did you know I was having a C-section today?"

Xavier's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Because I bought Vincent off from the beginning. He confessed to you just to keep you calm so you'd deliver the baby without any problems."

With a face that was devoid of any warmth and expression, Xavier patted my stiffened face. "Idiot, did you really think any man could actually love you?"

As tears welled up in my eyes, Elsa suddenly smiled at me and said, "Don't worry, Halyna. Once the baby is born, I'll take good care of it for you."

She had already taken my place in Xavier's life. Now, she wanted to take my child too!

Elsa's eyes glinted with malice as if she was cursing my child. Her eyes seemed to be saying, "For the rest of your life, you'll suffer more than your mother ever did!"

I felt myself sinking deeper into despair, as if I were falling into the depths of hell.

Robert and Maisie were still trying to persuade me, "Sign the renewal agreement, then only we can protect you."

I laughed bitterly and questioned, "You want me to fight Xavier for custody of the baby to keep Elsa away, don't you?"

They suddenly fell silent. Then, they gave some lame excuse and left, saying that they would come back the next day.

In the hospital room, Vincent was administering a sedative to me.

The bitter smile remained on my face.

Vincent was silent for a long time. Nevertheless, he finally broke down and confessed, "He offered me ten million dollars. I could never make that kind of money in my entire life."

I didn't have the energy to argue with him. My mind was racing as I pondered what would come next. If the Sullivan family took my baby from me, my child would only suffer more than I did.

I looked at Vincent with clear, determined eyes and said, "I'll give you 20 million dollars, but you have to do one thing."

"What is it?"

"Kill me."