My husband, Liam, got his terminally ill ex-girlfriend, Chloe, pregnant. He said it was to grant her dying wish of becoming a mother.

On the day she gave birth, Liam's sister, Isabella, hired a security firm to guard the hospital, claiming it was to prevent me from causing a scene.

Isabella stood by Chloe's bedside. "Don't worry, I have people posted at the entrance. If Ava dares to show up and make trouble, we'll have her thrown out immediately."

Liam, seeing I hadn't come, breathed a sigh of relief. "Chloe, just focus on delivering our baby safely. Don't worry about anything else."

He truly believed that since he was only fulfilling his dying ex's last wish, I would never be so unreasonable as to make a fuss.

Looking at the tiny, rosy infant in his arms, he sent me a text: "Darling, I did this for you. I had her carry a child for us, so you could finally be a mother."

He thought that as long as I accepted it all, this child was my ultimate reward.

But what he didn't know was that I had just surrendered my residency.

In one week, I would be in Kenya, working as a volunteer on a project of biomedical research.

It was meant to be a final goodbye—a world away from Liam, forever.

But he was searching for me like a madman, pleading for me to return.

My husband, Liam, got his terminally ill ex-girlfriend, Chloe, pregnant. He said it was to grant her dying wish of becoming a mother.

On the day she gave birth, Liam's sister, Isabella, hired a security firm to guard the hospital, claiming it was to prevent me from causing a scene.

Isabella stood by Chloe's bedside. "Don't worry, I have people posted at the entrance. If Ava dares to show up and make trouble, we'll have her thrown out immediately."

Liam, seeing I hadn't come, breathed a sigh of relief. "Chloe, just focus on delivering our baby safely. Don't worry about anything else."

He truly believed that since he was only fulfilling his dying ex's last wish, I would never be so unreasonable as to make a fuss.

Looking at the tiny, rosy infant in his arms, he sent me a text: "Darling, I did this for you. I had her carry a child for us, so you could finally be a mother."

He thought that as long as I accepted it all, this child was my ultimate reward.

But what he didn't know was that I had just surrendered my residency.

In one week, I would be in Kenya, working as a volunteer on a project of biomedical research.

It was meant to be a final goodbye—a world away from Liam, forever.

But he was searching for me like a madman, pleading for me to return.

...

I landed in New York after a long flight from a research project based in Heidelberg, only to find Liam had brought Chloe back to our Fifth Avenue penthouse again.

The door was ajar. As I wheeled my suitcase toward it, I heard warm laughter from inside.

"Chloe is a real woman—soft and family-oriented," came Isabella's voice, as cutting as ever. "Not like some people who are out there messing with God-knows-what chemicals and calling it their 'job'."

My knuckles turned white on the doorknob, but no one noticed I was home.

Isabella was happily cooing at the baby in her arms, while Liam emerged from the kitchen carrying a steak.

"Chloe, you've been through so much. You need to get your strength back."

He sat on the edge of the sofa, his eyes full of tenderness as he cut the steak for her, the very picture of a loving husband.

Isabella dangled a delicate music box over the baby, beaming.

"This little one is as lovely as Chloe. Thank God Ava isn't his mom. I'd worry about a mother who spends all day around poisons."

I remembered the first time I met Isabella. She had held my hand, her face full of admiration, gushing about how having a sister-in-law in biomedical research was an honor for the Grant family.

But now, she looked down on my career as something dirty and dangerous.

There was no place left for me in this home.

A lump formed in my throat, and I blinked hard against the stinging in my eyes.

Liam and I had been married for five years. We once had a child on the way.

But back then, he was set up by a business rival. They planned to kill him in a staged car accident.

It was me who shoved Liam out of the way at the last second, saving him from being crushed under the wheels.

I was lucky to survive. But I didn't just lose the baby; I lost my ability to ever become a mother.

When I got the news, I sobbed inconsolably. Liam held me tight, his heart breaking for me.

"Ava," he'd comforted me, "if we can't have children, we'll travel the world together and help more children to live a normal life."

He said, "Ava, having you is enough."

Now, all to fulfill his ex-girlfriend's so-called "dream of motherhood," those words felt like a cruel joke.

I still remembered the day I left for my assignment in the Congo. He'd cried like a child at the airport, clinging to me, refusing to let go.

This past year, he had video-called me every single day, making it feel like we were never apart.

I had thought that after everything we'd been through, our love was unbreakable.

But two months ago, I'd managed to get approved for an early return to surprise him for our wedding anniversary.

I endured a fifteen-hour red-eye flight, desperate to see him.

I rushed back to our apartment and walked in on Liam kissing Chloe's baby bump.

He was on one knee, gently caressing her stomach and murmuring, "Hey there, little one. It's Daddy. You being good for your mommy today?"

Chloe saw me first.

"Ava, when did you get back? Why are you just standing in the doorway?" she asked, her voice light and airy, with a fragile, sickly sweetness.

Every head in the living room snapped toward me.

Isabella's eyes landed on the red Congolese dust clinging to my suitcase, and her brow furrowed into a tight knot.

"How did Liam end up with such an unkempt wife? You'd rather be with chemical reagents than be home. If that's the case, then just don't ever come back!"

"I told you to take a cushy job at the family company. You just threw away such a great opportunity. You're a disgrace to this family."

Hearing her words, I felt a surge of absurdity.

"And what about Liam? Knocking up another woman while I was away doing research—he's not a disgrace to the family?"

"Ava, that's enough! Can't you see I did this for your own good?"

Liam's brows were drawn together, his eyes cold as he looked at me.

"You can't have children, so I had Chloe give you one. I gave you a gift—the chance to be a mother. Why can't you understand my good intentions?"

"Besides, it's a win-win. Chloe's wish is fulfilled, and you get a child. I really don't know what you're so upset about!"

"If Chloe hadn't given me that blood transfusion after the accident two years ago, I'd be dead! She's all alone in the world. As a woman, shouldn't you feel some sympathy for her? Why do you always have to pick on her? Or do you really think I'm some kind of monster?"

He kept insisting he did it for me. Sleeping with another woman was for me. Making me a mother to his mistress's child was for me.

But I couldn't care less about his grand promises. All I ever wanted—the only thing I ever wanted—was to just have a normal life with him.

Chloe took Liam's hand, her face a mask of concern, and turned to me.

"Ava, please don't say any more. I know this is all my fault, but please don't let me ruin your marriage."

A sharp pang shot through my chest. They were such a united front. They were the real family.

Then, Liam suddenly spoke again.

"Ava, I'm sorry. I was out of line just now." He walked over and took the suitcase from my hand.

"I know you won't mind. You're a kind and generous woman. Come to the christening next week. As the baby's mother."

Next week?

I glanced at the sleeping baby in the stroller, and my throat tightened.

I fought to keep my voice from cracking, managing just one word:

"Fine."

That's it, I thought. It's really time to leave.

This time, I was determined to disappear from their lives completely.

I frantically packed everything, stuffing it all into suitcases. I didn't want to leave a single trace of myself in this place.

The sickly sweet conversation from the living room drifted through the door, and my hands trembled slightly as I organized my field notes.

"Liam, let's pick a name for our precious baby."

"How about Finnian?" Liam said.

Hearing that name, the last line of defense around my heart crumbled.

Finnian.

That was my late grandfather's name.

It was the name Liam and I had chosen, sitting under a brilliant sky in Paris, dreaming of the day we would have a child of our own.

What had Liam said back then?

"Ava, your grandfather was a great scholar. I hope our child can be just like him one day, contributing to the world of science."

Now, those memories were like a poison-tipped steel needle, stabbing deep into my heart.

I suddenly remembered our anniversary two months ago. When I'd rushed back, I was carrying a bottle of Retsina I'd brought all the way from Europe just for him.

Unlike the panic on Liam's face, Chloe had stared at me with a look of pure confusion, as if I was the one who had the wrong address.

She acted like she owned the place, pointing at the armful of bags I was struggling with.

"What is that filth? Get it out of here!"

"Are you lost? This is my home."

I saw her swollen belly and said nothing.

A business trip, long distance, my husband, and his first love.

Even someone as unobservant as me could put the pieces together.

Noticing my expression, Liam had instinctively reached for my hand but then pulled back, moving to shield Chloe instead. "This is my wife, Ava."

To my surprise, Chloe's posture became even more proprietorial as she invited me in.

While Liam went to get some water, she leaned in close, whispering in a voice only I could hear:

"Liam says you've spent all your passion out in the research. He needs a warm home."

"Poor Ava. You still don't get it, do you? You were only ever my replacement."

"The moment I came back, you lost."

It was the height of summer, but my body felt as cold as ice.

I spent the entire night in the apartment building's fire escape, ignoring countless calls from Liam.

When he finally found me, his eyes were bloodshot and his face was covered in stubble. He looked as if he'd aged years overnight.

"Ava, what are you doing? I've been going crazy looking for you," he said.

So, he did still care about me, at least a little?

After I went home with Liam, Isabella, who had heard the news, immediately launched an attack.

She accused me of causing a huge scene the moment I returned, making a spectacle for the entire neighborhood to see.

She said that for a thirty-year-old woman, I was acting childishly, and if anything had happened to me, it would have been my own damn fault.

She had known about Liam and Chloe all along. She hadn't seen anything wrong with it; in fact, she fully supported it.

In just one year, Isabella had come to see Chloe as her brother's rightful wife.

I was the only fool.

Liam had tried to brainwash me more than once.

"Ava, I never meant to deceive you. It's just that Chloe's health is terrible. The doctors said she has six months to live, at most. Her only wish was to experience being a mother, to have a child of her own."

"She saved my life. I couldn't bear to see her leave this world with such a deep regret..."

"I was going to talk to you about it, but you were in Europe doing your research, and I didn't want to distract you. Besides, you love children too, don't you?"

"So, can you please just join me in giving this child a complete home? I'm begging you, Ava."

He spoke with such earnest conviction, as though he honestly thought he had it all figured out.

Isabella pushed the door open just as I was placing the signed divorce papers in the drawer of Liam's bedside table.

"Well, finally figured it out, have you? Finally understand your place in this house?"

"Chloe has already moved into the master bedroom. I'm thinking of turning the study into a nursery."

"You can just sleep on the sofa. Or I can have my assistant book you a hotel."

Everything that had happened tonight had drained me completely. I had no energy left to fight, so I just fell asleep on the sofa.

I had hoped a little sleep would ease the exhaustion from my long journey, but the noises from the master bedroom were constant.

I rolled over, about to put in my earplugs, when I heard Chloe's coquettish complaint.

"Liam, is the baby uncomfortable? He won't stop crying."

"As long as you're comfortable, that's all that matters. You're my most precious baby. It's fine if he cries a little."

Their soft laughter followed, like newlyweds sharing a secret joke.

I pulled a cushion over my head, desperately trying to block out their cloying words.

At the edge of complete exhaustion, I think I finally drifted off.

I dreamt of when Liam and I had just gotten together.

Back then, he would stand in line for hours to buy me a limited-edition chocolate cake just because I mentioned it.

He would take me to the top of the World Trade Center to see the New York City Christmas lights.

Back then, his eyes shone like stars, and all they ever reflected was me.

Now, neither of us was the person we used to be.

The next morning, I called a moving company.

They hauled away all of my boxes.

I went to the proper agency and surrendered my residency, simultaneously filing the paperwork for my overseas deployment.

With official documents from the international NGO, the entire process went smoothly, and the staff didn't ask many questions.

Perhaps because I looked pale and worn out, the clerk smiled as I left and said, "Good luck. I hope everything goes well for you."

I gave her a grateful smile. Once I escaped the toxic mess of my former life, I knew there were still beautiful things in the world waiting for me.

But before I could experience that beauty, I had to feed myself.

I had barely eaten since yesterday.

Starving, I ducked into a random burger joint and devoured a burger and fries.

And just my luck, I ran into the last people on Earth I wanted to see, right when I was at my most disheveled.

Liam was laden with shopping bags, while Chloe and Isabella chatted happily beside him.

Through the restaurant's massive plate-glass window, I was completely exposed.

Chloe, with a Tiffany diamond bracelet on her wrist, looked radiant—nothing like a woman on her deathbed.

After spotting me, she pushed the door open and entered, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"My God, Ava, have you really stooped to eating in a dump like this?"

"If you really can't afford a meal, you could have just come to us."

"Even if you and Liam are fighting, you don't have to punish yourself like this..."

I ignored her, my mind drifting to my time in the research lab, where just having enough food to fill your stomach was the greatest blessing imaginable.

But to them, my silence was an admission of guilt.

Seeing that I wasn't responding, just wiping a smear of ketchup from the corner of my mouth, the look of triumph in Chloe's eyes deepened.

"We're all family. We should help each other. When you're doing well, Liam and the baby have a future, and I can rest easy."

The restaurant door was still open, and she had projected her voice just enough for Liam to hear from outside.

I looked up and met Liam's gaze. A flicker of concern crossed his face, but it was quickly replaced by a dark scowl.

His jaw tightened, his thin lips pressing into a hard line.

"Help her with what? She made her bed, now she can lie in it. If she ends up on the street, that's on her."

"Ava, I can't believe you'd stoop this low just to try and force me to give up the baby. You're pathetic!"

Hearing that, I realized I didn't know this man who had slept beside me for five years at all.

I remembered when we were first married, I had considered giving up my dream because of the grueling and dangerous nature of my biological research.

I thought about returning to Liam's side to be a good wife and mother.

Liam had simply pulled me into his arms then, stroking my hair gently.

"We're family," he'd said softly. "Whatever you decide, I'll support you."

"But, honey, I want you to be able to chase your dreams. I'll take care of everything else."

But now, he was letting another woman trample all over my dignity.

He had forgotten his promises, and it seemed he'd forgotten our love as well.

Isabella, standing nearby, shook her head with a look of disdain.

"Ava, you brought all of this on yourself. A woman who spends her days with poison is nothing but an embarrassment to the Grant name."

The argument grew louder, and everyone in the restaurant turned to stare.

I bit my lip, my whole body trembling.

Just as I was about to fight back, Chloe suddenly stepped forward.

"We were just about to book a restaurant for the christening dinner. You should come help pick the menu, Ava. After all, I'll need your help taking care of Liam and the baby in the future."

I shot her a look but didn't respond.

A look of concern crossed Liam's face, but he kept Chloe tucked protectively against him.

"Chloe, I know you have a kind heart, but it's up to Ava."

"Ava, If you want to come, come. If you're not feeling up to it, just skip it. Chloe will handle everything at a high-end restaurant."

With that, he took Chloe's arm and led her toward the luxury restaurant across the street.

Just before they left, Chloe glanced back at me and flipped me off, a triumphant smirk plastered on her face.

It was the very same look of smug, greedy satisfaction I had seen on her face once before.

That was not long after Liam had moved Chloe into the apartment. I'd only come back to grab a file I'd left behind.

The apartment was pitch-black, but I heard a sharp voice coming from the terrace, laced with an excitement she couldn't contain.

It was Chloe, on the phone.

"Relax, brother," she said, her tone laced with a playful cruelty I'd never heard from her before.

"Liam? Oh, I have him completely wrapped around my little finger. He believes anything I tell him. He's naive enough to think this baby is about him helping me fulfill my dream."

I stood there, frozen, not even realizing she'd come back inside until she was standing right in front of me.

Seeing me in the shadows, Chloe didn't even flinch.

"You heard all of that, didn't you?"

When I said nothing, a smirk spread across her face. "So what if you did? Go on, tell Liam. Tell him I couldn't care less about being a mother, that this was all for the Grant family money."

She leaned in closer. "Who do you think he'll believe?"

At that time, my accidentally stumbling upon Chloe's scheme only seemed to fuel her defiance toward me.

But now, watching their retreating figures, I felt nothing.

If this was the life Liam wanted, who was I to stand in his way?