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."

The next day, the Sullivan family arrived at the hospital eagerly to welcome the newborn. To their utter dismay, the only thing they saw was my corpse.

Vincent regretfully informed them, "She took two whole bottles of sleeping pills last night. We couldn't save her."

Xavier glanced at me briefly and scoffed, feeling disgruntled. He then left with his parents with a gloomy expression.

Only my mom, Esther Todd, stayed back with me. She wept mournfully by my bedside, keeping vigil over my body.

I opened my eyes and gently patted her head to comfort her. I whispered, "I'm still alive. Don't cry."

My mom's face blanched due to the extreme shock.

With a smile, I explained everything to her. Vincent had injected me with a special drug that caused a state of apparent death. I slept for a full day and night. Then, I woke up perfectly normal again.

After giving birth to my daughter, I left with her and settled down in Clearwater, a nearby city. Xavier had once said he would never set foot in this city again after breaking up with Elsa.

From my time with Xavier, I had picked up quite a few business skills. I invested in several companies, and the money I earned was more than enough to support myself and my daughter.

I named my daughter Athena. She looked about 60% like me and 40% like Xavier. However, her personality was nothing like his—she was always affectionate and loved cuddling with me when she slept.

My mom was afraid the Sullivan family would find us. So, when she video-called me, she always did it behind my dad's back. For three years, I learned about everything happening with the Sullivan family through my mom.

My dad cried outside the Sullivan residence for three days and nights. In the end, Xavier transferred the neighboring villa to his name. My dad never once visited the fake grave my mom had arranged for me.

Xavier wanted to marry Elsa, but his parents never approved of it. Two and a half years later, Robert died from a heart attack. Xavier seized the opportunity and had a public fallout with Maisie.

In a fit of rage, Maisie gave Elsa two tight slaps in front of everyone. After that, Xavier cut ties with his family completely.

A few days later, Maisie suddenly jumped to her death.

My mom lowered her voice and said, "The day Mrs. Sullivan killed herself, I saw Elsa at the Sullivan residence. It didn't sit right with me, so I recorded a video."

I immediately asked her to send it to me.

In the video, Elsa tried to appear calm as she left. However, her legs were trembling the whole time—something was definitely off.

Goosebumps broke out across my arms. At the same time, I suddenly got a series of messages from Elsa on my old phone number.

"Xavier is about to marry me. The wedding will be held at the city's most luxurious five-star hotel."

"When he married you, he didn't even bother with a simple ceremony, did he?"

"Enjoy watching from heaven as I have the grand wedding you never got."

I never expected Elsa to be so obsessed with me—the ex-wife who had supposedly been dead for years.

Another message popped up on my phone. It read: "Don't be sad, at least your dead child will keep you company. It got lucky. Otherwise, it would have died at my hands."

At that moment, I reached the limit of all the patience I had left. I recalled how Elsa had cursed my child before she was even born. Even now, her cruelty knew no bounds.

I could barely breathe from the rage. I was very close to crushing my phone as I gripped it with all my might.

Without hesitation, I started packing my bags. Cursing me was one thing, but cursing my child… Elsa had messed with the wrong woman. It was clear that she had a death wish.

She wanted a grand wedding—I would make sure she had a grand funeral instead.