Actually, it started a month ago when Landen began acting strangely.

He started to shower me with great care frequently, which was unusual.

He sometimes bought me my favorite cheesecake after waiting in line for more than two hours.

Sometimes he brought me a limited-edition handbag, which was long sold out.

Even during our petty squabbles—where he would typically argue for hours without conceding, he had now quickly apologized to me.

He had gently embraced me and brushed his chin against my hair. "I'm sorry, honey. Don't be mad."

I was once surprised and even secretly delighted.

I had thought that our three years of marriage had finally smoothed out his rough edges and taught him to value what we had and to be more considerate.

I had believed that my love had finally been reciprocated.

But the truth dawned on me yesterday, when Jaynie appeared.

Those sudden gestures of kindness and gifts were nothing more than the last acts of kindness before the end of our relationship.

He intended to make himself less guilty when he put forward his request for a divorce later.

Before I could recover from the shock and betrayal, Jaynie had already taken the next action.

Early the next morning, a lengthy plea for help exploded across major social media platforms.

The title read, "Please Save My Critically Ill Boy; Give Him a Chance at Life."

In her writing, she painted herself as a tragic mother who had been far away from home for love, only to find herself pregnant. Then she had to raise her seriously ill son alone.

Meanwhile, I was described as the cold-blooded, heartless wife of the guy she loved, who obstructed her son's father from saving her son.

In her writing, she repeatedly insinuated that not only did I refuse to agree to the "temporary divorce," the only life-saving option, but I also threatened her and Landen and cut off the boy's only chance of survival.

She even included several photos in her post.

One showed her holding the boy in a hospital queue, and her eyes were weary.

Another depicted the boy's frail arm, covered in needle marks.

And yet another showed Landen kneeling before me, desperately pleading.

I was engulfed in an online storm overnight.

My photos, my job, and my law firm address were all exposed online.

"How can such a woman be a lawyer? She's rotten to the core."

"She cannot get pregnant and is jealous of the one who can."

"Expose her. Let her face complete social ostracization."

Abusive messages and harassing calls flooded my work line.

Several of my important clients called me and hinted at pausing our business cooperation.

What was worse was that my parents' information was leaked.

My father, Edwin Knight, was old. As soon as he found those indecent photos, which were edited, and malicious comments online, he was infuriated. He almost couldn't breathe and was rushed to the hospital.

I immediately called Landen, and my voice trembled uncontrollably. "Landen, make her stop everything and explain everything online right now. Stop spreading rumors about me."

But Landen showed no guilt on the other end of the line.

His voice was calm and even excited. "Lydia, don't get agitated. Listen to me. This is our best chance to raise money. The more attention this matter gets now, the more people will follow it. Once we launch the crowdfunding campaign, we'll quickly be able to cover the boy's surgery expenses."

I was shaking with anger. "Don't get agitated? You're using my reputation to fund your crowdfunding. Now you're telling me not to get agitated?"

He continued saying sanctimoniously over the phone, "I know you're feeling a bit aggrieved right now. But as soon as the boy is saved, everyone will understand and thank you. We are taking one for the team, and it's a great love."

"Landen, you have no heart. You're so shameless!"

I slammed the phone down and then drove anxiously to the hospital.

Edwin had a heart condition and must not be agitated.

Yet, the very thing I dreaded most had already happened.

Before I even reached the hospital room, I heard some noise, mixed with the suppressed sobs of my mother, Aileen Knight. "You're lying. Lydia isn't like that."

My heart clenched as I pushed through the crowd and plunged inside.

The scene before me made my blood boil.

Aileen stood at the entrance of the hospital room to block others from getting in. Her eyes were red, while a group of strangers pointed at her and the door, hurling insults.

"Here they are! The daughter is a heartless woman. She refused to save the boy. None of her family are nice people."

"They even forced the boy's father to kneel. She is such a heartless woman. Why does she still live in the world?"

Dirty leftovers had been splashed across the door, and some broken eggshells littered the floor, mixed with spoiled food scraps. It was really a filthy mess.

My blood rushed to my head, and I felt dizzy instantly.

"What are you doing?" I screamed, rushing over to shield Aileen. I glared at those people. "If you don't get out of here, I'll call the police."

Someone in the crowd recognized me and immediately pointed a phone at me.

"Look, it's her! That vicious woman, Lydia."

"She looks decent, but she is actually so heartless."

Fortunately, the hospital security arrived in time and finally dispersed the group of "justice warriors" incited by online public opinion.

I supported Aileen, who was trembling, and walked into the hospital room.

Edwin lay on the bed. He clutched his chest, and his lips turned purple with anger. The heart monitor beside him beeped alarmingly.

"Lydia..." Edwin looked at me with difficulty, and his eyes were filled with pain. "Tell me, the things online... aren't true, are they?"

My heart was torn apart, but I fought back the tears as I comforted my parents. A blazing fire ignited in my chest.

I walked out of the hospital room and intended to confront the hospital administration for an explanation.

However, when I was just around the corner, I stumbled upon the scene I least wanted to see.

Landen was gently supporting Jaynie.

He looked very tender, and I had never seen such an expression on his face before. He was whispering softly to her. Jaynie leaned against him and looked shy.

They were heading towards a department with an unmistakable sign—Obstetrics and Gynecology.

To my surprise, I realized I no longer felt any pain.

On the way home from the hospital, I received an urgent email from James.

As I quickly read it, my hand trembled so much that I could barely hold my phone.

I didn't hesitate before taking a deep breath and dialing Landen's number. I said in a surprisingly calm tone, "Landen, where are you now?"

He sounded a bit surprised that I would reach out to him. His voice carried a hint of appeasement. "Lydia, I'm with Jaynie for a pre-pregnancy check-up. The doctor said..."

I interrupted him and said, "I've thought it over for a long time. You're right. It is a good thing to save the boy. If we're going to act, let's do it thoroughly. Bring Jaynie and the boy over, and we'll talk face-to-face. To make the public believe it more and to raise more funds, I'll help you stage a scene. You can film it and post it online. Create a media buzz as much as possible so that the boy can be saved sooner, and you can return to me earlier, right?"

Landen was stunned on the other end of the line. Then he was incredulously delighted. "Lydia, do you... really agree to do so? That's great. I knew you were kind and always considered the bigger picture."

His words were filled with excitement and admiration. "You are so considerate. Let's do it. Lydia, thank you. I'll bring them back right away. Wait for me."

As expected, Landen arrived with his mother, Selah Patel, Jaynie, and the boy, whom they thought was the grandson of the Patel family.

I had deliberately opened the door early, and they thought that I eagerly awaited their arrival.

As soon as Selah entered, she assumed the role of the hostess of the house. She stood there with a commanding presence and critically surveyed the villa I had fully paid for before getting married to Landen.

"This decor is too dull, and the wallpaper is outdated. When Jaynie moves in, we'll need to redo it to make it a cozy home."

Jaynie, on the other hand, had a pitiful demeanor. She clung to the boy in her arms, but her eyes couldn't hide the greed and longing for everything in the house.

As soon as the boy saw me, he pointed at me with his finger and shouted, "You're the bad woman who wouldn't let my dad save me."

Selah immediately echoed, haughtily pointing at me, "Lydia, you've finally come to your senses. Look at what people online are saying about you. How can a woman be so heartless? Jaynie is willing to risk childbirth at an advanced age to save my grandson. If you had any decency, you'd step aside and let them do what they want."

I watched coldly as the three of them put on their act, as if I were the unwanted outsider intruding on their lives.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Landen frowned. "Who is it?"

I said with a smile, "The audience has arrived."

Before Landen could react, many reporters with cameras flooded in.

Landen, Selah, and Jaynie changed their expressions instantly.

"Lydia, what are you doing?" Landen was both shocked and furious.

I ignored him and took out a pre-printed divorce agreement from under the coffee table. Then I displayed the title clearly to the cameras before tossing it in front of Landen. "Sign it. We get a divorce, and you leave me without getting any assets. You can prove to the world that your great fatherly love isn't about taking my property."

The reporters immediately thrust their microphones toward Landen, who stood frozen.

"Mr. Landen Patel, is that true? Are you willing to give up all the assets to treat your son's illness?"

"Did Ms. Lydia Knight propose that you leave with nothing as a deliberate arrangement between you and her to alleviate public doubts?"

Landen's smile froze completely.

He glanced at the agreement and then tore it to shreds in a fit of rage.

The scraps of paper fluttered down in a haphazard dance.

"Lydia, you're venomous!" He pointed at me, and his eyes were bloodshot. "I'm trying to save my son, but you're still calculating over money. Is your heart made of stone?"

Selah rushed forward and started crying theatrically in front of the cameras. "Everyone, look! This is the heartless woman. She can't give birth to a baby herself and won't let our family have other children. Now she tries to use money to stop my grandson from being saved! So they must divorce! And you owe our family half of your family assets. It's compensation for the lost years of Landen. We can save my grandson with that money."

I laughed while watching their ugly faces.

I stood up and walked to Jaynie, who was hiding behind Landen. Then I looked down at her from above. "You said the boy has leukemia. Which hospital diagnosed it? Who is the attending physician? And where is the bone marrow match report? Show it to everyone. You claim to give birth to another baby to save him. You know what? I am a lawyer, and I've learned that the probability of a perfect umbilical cord blood match between siblings is only 25%. Are you planning to have another baby, or a whole soccer team, to gamble on that chance to save your first son?"

With each of my questions, Jaynie's and Landen's faces grew paler.

Selah was left speechless, with her mouth agape.

Jaynie began to panic as she clutched the boy in her arms. She retreated behind Landen.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about. You can't scare me with those technical terms I don't understand," she screamed, as she was embarrassed and furious. "You're simply envious. You are envious that I can give birth to Landen's son."

Selah quickly regained her composure and straightened her back. "That's right. You're just jealous. You have no say in our family's matters. Hurry up and get divorced from Landen. Then you can leave!"

Landen finally snapped out of my questions.

He grabbed my wrist with such force that it felt like he wanted to crush my bones.

He growled through clenched teeth in a low voice, "Lydia, stop it. Please spare me some dignity."

His dignity?

At that point, he still cared about his dignity.

I violently shook off his hand. Amidst the flashing lights and shutter clicks, I took out my phone and played a video.

Landen's face went rigid instantly as he watched the screen in disbelief.

Jaynie screamed and tried to snatch my phone. "Lydia, you lunatic. Where did you get that video? You're framing me."