On the eve of my engagement banquet, news broke that my fiancé had fathered a child with his mistress, and it spread like wildfire.

Before I could confront him, Jayden Ford brushed it off casually.

"It was just an accident. Focus on organizing the engagement banquet first. Besides, your dad’s in the late stages of stomach cancer. Calling off the engagement now won’t do either family any good."

That night, he skipped the banquet but posted a photo of a swaddled newborn on social media.

When I video-called him, he was bottle-feeding the baby.

"I’ve been busy taking care of the kid. You know how it is. Our family lineage has always been sparse and dwindling, and the child takes priority."

He wiped milk from the baby’s mouth. "But don’t worry. Once he’s a month old, I’ll send him to the overseas. Just show up on holidays and pretend to be his mom. The title of Mrs. Ford will always be yours."

I stared at the matching diamond ring on his finger and couldn’t help but laugh.

"Jayden, this engagement is off."

He scoffed, "You're really throwing a tantrum over something like this? Don’t be so childish."

I hung up on him and called his father—Charles Ford—directly.

"I heard you’re looking for a new wife? Why not consider me?" I ran a hand over my belly and smiled. "After all, I’ve got a naturally fertile body. I can give you as many sons as you want."

So much for being the sole heir. I’ll make sure he has plenty of brothers to keep him company.

Charles Ford's voice came through from the other end of the line. His voice was low and a little hoarse. "Whitney, what nonsense are you talking about?"

I let out a soft laugh, tinged with mockery. "You saw the news, didn't you? That wonderful son of yours? He disgusts me. I'm serious. I want someone else."

There was a pause. Silence for a few seconds, and then his voice returned, trembling slightly, "This isn't something we can talk about over the phone. I'll come see you."

"Sure," I said coolly, "I'll be waiting at home."

The corners of my lips lifted into a small smile, my eyes flashing with quiet determination.

Charles was just a little over thirty, but due to a hereditary condition that made it difficult for him to have children, years of IVF attempts all failed. In the end, he had no choice but to adopt Jayden Ford from a distant branch of the family and groom him as the heir.

As for my family—the Sheridan family—our place in this marriage with the Ford family rested entirely on one thing: the Sheridan women's famed fertility lineage, passed down for generations.

Legend had it that women from the Sheridan family conceived easily and often gave birth to twins or multiples.

Regardless of what happened to my father, this marriage between the Ford and Sheridan families was always a silent, mutual understanding. It was a transaction that benefited both parties.

What I did not expect was for Jayden, after five years of dating me, to be dumb enough to father an illegitimate child right before our engagement banquet—and then have the nerve to expect me to swallow my pride and go through with it.

He thought I would stay quiet and obedient? He did not know me at all.

I, Whitney Sheridan, was not the type to suffer in silence.

Not long after I hung up the phone, the doorbell rang, sharp and insistent.

Standing outside was Charles, his expression a complicated mix of emotions.

Just as he was about to speak, I grabbed him by the tie and pulled him into the room.

"Whitney, you—"

Before he could finish, I kissed him—firmly, deliberately, shutting him up. My fingertips slid along the collar of his shirt, then down the line of his buttons.

There was no hesitation in my actions, no shyness. I made my intentions crystal clear.

I was not bluffing—I meant every word I said.

I could feel his internal struggle, his hesitation, but in the end, desire won out. He gave in.

We indulged in a night of reckless passion.

Afterward, as he held me in his arms, his voice was husky and low.

"There are some urgent matters I need to handle overseas. I'm flying out tomorrow—it might take a while. Wait for me."

"What about the wedding?"

He lowered his eyes and looked at me.

"It'll go on as planned. I'll make it back in time. You're the Sheridan family's only daughter, and the one most fit to marry into the Ford family."

After he left, I intended to crawl back into bed and catch up on sleep, but my phone buzzed insistently from the nightstand.

Jayden's voice came through the phone, filled with an infuriating sense of entitlement.

"Whitney, come over right now. Luna's not feeling well—you should help her take care of the baby. I'm taking her to an auction to help her relax."

Take care of a child he had with another woman?

He must have lost his damn mind.

"Jayden," I said coldly, "I'm not your maid, nor am I a nanny. You've got the wrong person."

There was a pause, then a long sigh.

"Whitney, Lunara went through all this for you, for the Ford family. She struggled to give birth to this child.

"She's the mother of a Ford child. As the future matriarch of the Ford family, shouldn't you be learning how to raise a child anyway?"

I almost laughed. His words were so absurd, I could not believe he said that out loud.

A sharp, mocking laugh slipped from my throat. "Jayden, your logic's so touching, it gave me goosebumps."

I added, "We broke up. Whoever you decide to sleep with, whoever you have kids with—none of it has anything to do with me. From now on, don't ever call me again."

He was about to say something else, but I did not give him the chance—I hung up without hesitation.

I flopped back onto my bed, fuming.

I picked up my phone, thinking I would scroll through the news to calm myself down, but right then, a notification popped up.

[Ford Corporation's CEO Spends Billions for True Love–Publicly Acknowledges Relationship with Lavish Jewelry Gift!]

I clicked on it, and sure enough, there was a picture of Jayden holding Lunara Holmes at an auction.

In the photo, he looked at her with soft, adoring eyes full of affection and attention.

Eyes I never once saw in our five years together.

My chest tightened. A sharp, stinging pain pierced my heart.

During our relationship, even on my birthdays, the most he would do was to have his assistant send me a random designer bag or a piece of jewelry.

He never personally chose a gift, never put in that kind of effort to make me feel special.

'Where the money goes, the heart follows,' I thought to myself.

And by the looks of it, Jayden never really loved me at all.

I thought maybe trying on my wedding dress would help lift my mood.

But the moment I stepped into the boutique and opened the door, I froze.

…

In front of the full-length mirror, Lunara was spinning gracefully in a wedding gown.

With a dissatisfied frown, she pointed at the dress and said to the store assistant, "Can you tighten this part a little? And the train—if it were three centimeters longer, it'd look much better."

That dress took me half a year to design, in collaboration with the designer. Every stitch was done by hand. It was priceless.

And it held every dream I ever had about my future wedding.

Rage exploded inside me.

I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the fury boiling in my chest. Then I stepped forward and said coldly, "Take it off. That's my wedding dress."

Lunara flinched at the sound of my voice and quickly shrank behind Jayden like a frightened child.

"Do you have to be so aggressive? You're scaring Luna," he said, scolding me like I was some unhinged shrew.

I almost laughed out loud in disbelief.

"Jayden, that gown was custom-made for me. It took six months—every stitch sewn by hand! Who the hell gave her the right to wear it?"

His eyes flickered, and for a second, I thought I saw a trace of guilt.

"Whitney, she does have the right. She's the bride, so the dress is for her."

I stared at him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll still marry you—legally. The union between the Ford and Sheridan families will proceed as planned."

He paused and looked back at Lunara, who was still clinging to him. His gaze softened as he continued, "But Luna went through so much to give birth to my child. I don't want her to feel left out.

"So, I was thinking, let her attend the wedding ceremony. That way, she gets some public recognition."

"W-what did you just say?" I blurted out in disbelief.

I was trembling with rage. If they went through with this, both I and the entire Sheridan family would become a laughingstock.

Jayden, however, seemed convinced that his absurd plan made perfect sense. His tone grew even more resolute.

"Whitney, I know it's unfair to you, but Luna has been through a lot. Just think about the child—"

I cut him off coldly, "Jayden, you bastard! You want me to go through this shit show of a wedding with you? So, you get the marriage license with me, but it's Lunara who gets the wedding night?

"And then you want me, the legal wife, to raise your illegitimate child? Do you think I, Whitney Sheridan, am some beggar off the street, someone you can push around as you wish?"

My voice was rising, drawing curious and judgmental looks from the other customers in the bridal shop.

Lunara began to sniffle pitifully behind him.

"Please don't be angry, Ms. Sheridan. I know I'm just a lowly peasant, that I'm unworthy of this. I just wanted to be a bride, just this once."

Jayden's brows furrowed. His eyes flashed with warning.

"Whitney, my mind's made up. Whether you agree or not, this is how it's going to be. If not for my father's wishes, do you think I'd still marry you?"

I let out a cold, bitter laugh.

So, it looked like Charles had yet to tell him I was planning to switch out the groom.

"Fine." I looked him straight in the eye, my voice icily calm.

But when the day came, it wouldn't be him swapping out the bride.

It would be me changing the groom.

Jayden's brows twitched, clearly not expecting me to agree so easily. For a moment, his expression became unreadable.

And behind him, Lunara peeked out from his shoulder with a triumphant gleam in her eyes.

In the days that followed, Jayden and Lunara's wedding photos stayed trending for three days straight.

The headlines were still about the Ford and Sheridan families, only now the woman in the pictures was switched to Lunara.

People who didn't know the truth all assumed she was from the Sheridan family.

Some of my close friends messaged me in concern, asking what on earth happened.

Within social circles, I became the butt of every joke. They mocked me mercilessly—how I'd been such a devoted, lovesick fool that I handed over my own identity to a mistress.

I ignored them all and chose to stay focused on the only thing that truly mattered now—my father.

The doctors said his condition was deteriorating rapidly and that he needed to be hospitalized for observation. I stayed by his side every day, barely leaving his room.

I carefully filtered out every piece of news about Jayden and Lunara—I did not want any of their filth to reach my father and upset him.

But in the end, Lunara still found a way to slither in.

She had the gall to show up at my father's hospital room, clinging to Jayden's arm.

When I walked in, she was holding a fashion magazine, pointing to a spread with wedding photos, chirping in a fake sweet tone.

"Mr. Sheridan, look at this one! Isn't it gorgeous? Jayden and I worked so hard to get this shot just right. But it's all worth it—getting to wear that dress and marry him is the happiest thing that's ever happened to me.

"Oh! And on the wedding day, I must have you sit at the main table!"

My father's face went ghostly pale. His chest heaved violently, and his hand clenched the bedsheet in a death grip. His lips trembled as if he wanted to speak, but no sound came out.

Then, the monitor beside his bed started to blare with sharp, piercing beeps.

"Dad!" I screamed, rushing forward and slamming the emergency call button.

"Ms. Sheridan, don't be upset—" Lunara began, her voice full of fake concern.

I shoved her aside with all my strength.

"Get out! Both of you, get the hell out!" I roared, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Critical condition! Prepare for emergency response!" A doctor shouted as nurses pulled me back and rushed in to stabilize my father.

I stood there, helpless, watching him being wheeled into the ER.

Jayden tried to come over to support me, but I slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me! You filthy animal!"

I jabbed a finger at his face, fury pouring from every word.

"You knew my father wasn't in good health. And you still came here to upset him? What the hell were you two thinking?"

Lunara cowered behind him, peeking out slightly.

She spoke in a trembling voice, "Ms. Sheridan, we just wanted to invite Mr. Sheridan to our wedding."