Knowing how much Julian wanted children, I did not even dare ask whether he would come to resent me.

I finally understood that he would never deprive himself of what he wanted.

“Ma’am…”

Tessa’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

When I looked up, she was extending her phone toward me.

On the screen was a close-up of a gold-and-emerald amulet.

“You have a good eye. Could you take a look at the workmanship on this piece? He said… once the baby is born, he’ll put it on them.”

She rested a hand on her still-flat belly, but her face glowed with happiness.

I was momentarily taken aback.

Was she pregnant?

Also, that amulet looked painfully familiar.

Three years ago, when I had just conceived, my father had it blessed to protect the child I was carrying.

Unfortunately, the child was never born.

I had kept the amulet safely tucked away all these years. Whenever I missed the child I would never meet, I would take it out and look at it.

What was this? Had he used it to win another woman’s favor?

“The craftsmanship is excellent. That man… is very thoughtful.”

I composed myself and was about to ask more questions when Tessa’s phone rang.

She glanced at the screen. The contact name read: Dear Husband.

A sweet smile spread across Tessa’s face as she quickly stepped away to answer it.

I had no idea what they talked about, but Tessa’s expression darkened noticeably after she ended the call.

“I’ll come pick up the jewelry when it’s ready,” she said briefly before leaving in a rush.

As I watched her leave, I slowly let the last of my smile disappear.

Pulling out my phone, I called my father, Richard Quinnell.

He was Julian’s boss and the head of Quinnell Group.

“Dad, I regret it. Take back the Marketing Director position that was promised to Julian, and find me the best divorce lawyer. I want to divorce him.”

I did not want to stay at the shop any longer, so I went home early.

When I opened the door, I found Julian already there.

“Darling? Why are you home so early today?”

A smile broke across his face. In a few strides, he came over and pulled me into his arms.

“Was it very busy at the shop? I already told you not to work so hard. Just stay home and rest. I can provide for you.”

Had I not discovered his infidelity, I might have believed his warmth and care. But all his words did was disgust me.

I pushed him away.

Julian’s arms froze midair, and his smile briefly stiffened.

But just as quickly, he seemed to have figured something out.

“Are you upset because I didn’t show you the gold bracelet in time?”

He stepped in front of me, smiling.

Then, like a magician, he pulled the gold bracelet from his pocket and held it out in his palm.

“How could I dare delay anything my wife asked for? I left the meeting early and rushed to the bank, worried I wouldn’t make it in time. Here it is, safe and sound.”

He looked at me with a flattering smile, as though seeking praise.

I took the gold bracelet. My hand tightened around it until my knuckles went white.

Just as I was about to confront him, my phone vibrated.

It was a message from my father. He said he had uncovered something and wanted me to return home.

I forced back the questions that rose to my throat.

I took a deep breath and made up an excuse. Then, I headed for the door.

Julian did not suspect anything and handed me my coat.

He said gently, “Be safe on your way. Spend some time with your dad.”

Back home, I went straight to Dad’s study.

His tone was grave. He sounded frustrated and utterly disappointed.

“I told you from the start that man couldn’t be trusted, yet you foolishly insisted on marrying beneath yourself. Just look at what he’s done!”

I pressed my lips into a thin line and picked up the stack of documents on his desk. I flipped them open.

It stretched to one hundred and twenty pages. Each one documented Julian’s infidelity in detail.

In 2023, a month after my miscarriage and the removal of my uterus, he went on a so-called business trip and met Tessa. Within two hours of meeting her, he slept with her. He could not even wait until I was out of postpartum recovery.

In 2024, after I lost my child, I fell into depression. I was hospitalized for treatment and had to take strong meds in large doses. Julian used company training as an excuse, but in truth, he was traveling the world with Tessa.

In 2025, I finally recovered from depression. Julian gave me an emerald necklace, telling me it stood for luck and safety. Yet, the receipt before me clearly read “complimentary.” The real piece was around Tessa’s neck.

It felt like a void had split open in my chest, and a chill spread through it.

“Do you remember your… miscarriage?”

Dad’s voice pulled me back to reality.

“W-What about it?”

A sense of foreboding stirred within me.

Dad was silent. He slid a small recording toward me and pressed play.

A flattering male voice came through first. “Mr. Holt, are you really telling us to… deliberately get Miss Quinnell drunk?”

It was one of Julian’s business partners from three years ago.

The next voice was Julian’s. “Yes. If she gives birth, her father will invest everything into raising his grandchild. At that point, will there be anything left of the Quinnell family’s assets for me?”

My blood seemed to freeze solid in my veins.

It had been him. He had caused my miscarriage.

The recording continued.

“Mr. Holt, Miss Quinnell just had a miscarriage. Are you sure you want to sign the uterine donation consent form?”

Julian said without a moment’s hesitation, “Yes.”

The recording ended.

A heavy silence filled the study.

I stood frozen in place, unable to process what I had just heard.

The one who had destroyed my life, stolen my chance at motherhood, and pushed me into the depths of depression was the man I had once called my husband.

A violent surge of nausea hit me without warning.

I covered my mouth and rushed into the bathroom. I retched all over the toilet. Nothing came up. Only cold tears splattered against the white porcelain rim.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated.

It was a text from Julian.

[Darling, we’ve always had New Year’s Eve dinner at my family’s place. Why don’t you go to your dad’s this year instead? You can spend more time with Richard. I’ll be late, though. I can’t turn down a business partner.]

I read the message and sneered.

‘A business partner he could not refuse?’ I thought.

Most likely, he wanted to take his mistress to meet his family and did not want me there.

Another bitter laugh escaped me.

Still, I texted back.

[Okay.]

I wanted to see whether he could even get through this New Year’s Eve dinner.

The next day, at the Hilton Hotel, Dad contacted the manager early that morning and arranged for us to be seated in the private room next to Julian’s.

Through a concealed window, I could hear everything happening next door.

As expected, Julian did not disappoint.

I had barely taken a seat when his message arrived.

[Darling, you’re at Richard’s place now, right?]

He was testing me.

I looked down and sent the photo I had prepared in advance with a reply.

[Yes.]

Julian seemed relieved. He replied within seconds.

[Good. I’ll head over once I’m done. Love you, darling.]

What a hypocrite!

My lips curled faintly, but there was no warmth in my face.

All this time, he had played the role of a devoted husband and a considerate son-in-law perfectly. Every word and every gesture had seemed full of care.

Had I not noticed the gold bracelet and the couple photos, I would never have known how much deception hid behind that face.

At 6 p.m., relatives of the Holt family began arriving one after another. Nancy Holt was all smiles. She moved briskly through the crowd as she handled everything.

Her attentive and considerate demeanor gave the impression of an ideal mother-in-law.

Once, she had shown me the same careful attentiveness as a way of expressing the Holt family’s regard.

She remembered the fruits I liked and prepared them in advance each season.

When Dad’s blood pressure ran high, she specially arranged for herbal remedies to be brought from the countryside. She neatly packed them and sent them to our home.

When I caught an occasional cold, she would personally deliver soup and stay by my bedside until the fever broke.

I had once genuinely believed I had become part of a warm and caring family.

But at this moment, Julian stood beside Tessa, who wore a radiant smile. Behind them, relatives and friends gathered. She looked as though the “family” belonged to her.

Only I was an outsider, like a stranger excluded from it all. I had not realized when that had happened.

At 7 p.m., as everyone settled into their seats, Julian stood up with Tessa. He had her hand in his and raised a toast.

With tears and emotion, he recounted to his relatives how he and Tessa had met, grown close, and fallen in love.

More importantly, their love had given them a child.

He held Tessa tightly by the shoulder and declared that the child would inherit everything he owned and stand as the Holt family’s sole future hope.

The private room broke into thunderous applause. Everyone was moved by what they saw as a long-awaited fulfillment of happiness.

I sat in the adjoining room, watching this carefully staged display of emotion. I was almost tempted to applaud their “happiness” as well.

If only the man speaking so tenderly were not my husband…

Tessa spoke next. Her voice was thick with emotion.

She called Julian the best man in the world and said that when her pregnancy left her emotionally unstable, he had stayed with her. He had patiently comforted and cared for her.

“I must’ve done something truly good in my previous lives to deserve a man like him.”

Seeing them act in seamless harmony made my stomach turn.

While they were wrapped up in their sweet life together, I had been harmed. He had removed my uterus and forever stripped me of motherhood.

When they began trying for a baby, I was suffering from depression after the miscarriage. I had barely survived in the hospital room.

Even back then, when Nancy came to the hospital every day with nourishing soup, she had not come there for me.

I realized that it was only to keep me under watch, so Julian could freely go and be with Tessa, who had just found out she was pregnant.

At that moment, Julian clasped Tessa’s hand more firmly.

He pulled a velvet box from his pocket, dropped to one knee, and opened it.

Inside was a large diamond ring.

With overwhelming tenderness, he looked at Tessa and said, “Tessa, I know you don’t care about any of this, but I love you and want to give you the very best life. This family banquet is only the beginning. Once the baby is born, I’ll give you the grandest wedding and marry you with full honor and glory!”

The private room erupted in excitement, with shocked gasps all around the room.