I finally became pregnant after my husband and I underwent over a dozen rounds of IVF.

However, to my horror, I discovered that the embryo growing inside me was the fertilized egg of my husband and the family maid.

They even schemed to have me disappear so that the child could inherit everything.

I pretended not to know, carried the child to term, and took care of him, raising him with love and care.

It was not until 20 years later that they forced me to sign a share transfer agreement by my hospital bed, along with a divorce agreement that left me with nothing.

"After 20 years, we finally have our happy family. You never saw this coming, did you? The child you fought so hard to give birth to is my biological son!"

Even my son, without any remorse, said, "Honestly, your illness is beyond help. It'd be better for you to just die."

With a knowing, almost bittersweet, smile I replied, "For your happiness, I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

"Why didn't you let Calvin go on that study abroad program I set up for him?"

James Carter strolled over, planted a kiss on my cheek, and snagged a slice of bread from the table, popping it into his mouth.

"Sending a kid off by himself to a faraway place? That's enough to make anyone worry. Plus, it's been ages since we've had a family trip. I figured you've been swamped at work and stressed out. We could all use a little downtime, right?"

I slipped off my glasses and shut down my laptop. We exchanged a knowing smile.

"It's a school trip, you know. A little adventure is good for a boy. And hey, I'm still on the hunt for a personal assistant and a bodyguard for him..."

James grabbed my hand, his grin wide. "I get it. You've been grooming Calvin to take over someday. You've done an amazing job with his education. Every time something happens to him, you get all worked up. If that kid ever lets you down, I swear, I'd have a few choice words for him!"

I let out a soft chuckle, my gaze gentle.

"If my own son isn't going to be loyal to me, who will he be loyal to? I'm his mom, after all. It's my job to make sure my hard-earned boy grows up right and is ready to take over what I've built."

James' face lit up at my words.

"With a wife and kid in tow, what more could a guy want?"

Then, he wrapped me up in a warm hug.

"Honey, you're the best wife anyone could ask for. Marrying you was the luckiest break of my life."

He released me and started peeling an egg for me. Then, he poured me a glass of milk. He was every bit the doting husband.

If I had not overheard his chat with Mandy Wood, I would never have guessed that James had been eyeing my fortune all along.

Back when the IVF had just worked and I was eager to share the good news with James, I caught him in an embrace with Mandy instead.

"James, can you imagine the look on her face when she finds out the baby's ours? Gives me a thrill just thinking about it!"

He ran his fingers through her hair, a gesture so tender yet so full of betrayal.

"Remember, this is our little secret. When the child's all grown up, I'm going to give them the grandest present ever. Her fortune will be ours!"

I bit back the rage bubbling inside me and chose to act clueless. Little did they know, I had already pulled a switcheroo on them.

I managed to swap the embryos just in time, and when it came time to give birth, I brought home an orphan from the welfare home.

I promised myself that I would raise this child right.

Thinking back to my time with James, we had a whirlwind romance for a year and a decade of marriage.

We met during a company hiking trip, and when I was parched and exhausted, he offered me an ice-cold Coke he had lugged up from the base of the mountain.

Slowly but surely, his thoughtfulness and gentleness won me over.

Even a powerhouse like me needed a rock to lean on sometimes, and James' constant presence brought out my softer side.

After multiple IVF attempts for him, I finally got pregnant, only to find out that our maid was James' old flame, and they had even swapped their embryo with mine.

There were times I just could not believe that James was actually a heartless monster in disguise.

"Ms. Wood, Dad, I'm home!"

The sound of my son returning from his art class echoed from the front door.

At the sound, I headed to the living room and caught Mandy lifting Calvin into a hug and planting a kiss on his cheek. She was the picture of motherly love.

"Calvin, you're back early. Weren't you supposed to have a foreign language class?"

At my voice, both Mandy and Calvin stopped in their tracks.

She must have forgotten I was home, judging by her expression. Guilt washed over her face as she quickly set Calvin down.

Before she could get a word out, James chimed in, "He finally got a break. Why wear himself out? I already told Calvin that Mandy would take him to the theme park."

As soon as Mandy heard me, she snapped back to her super polite self.

"Mrs. Carter, Mr. Carter mentioned Calvin's been doing great in school lately, and since you're both busy, he said I should take the little guy to the amusement park for some fun!"

Calvin gave me an impatient look.

"Mom, just drop it. We're heading out. You're always on my case to study. I'm not just some trophy for you to show off!"

Before I could get a word in, Mandy stepped in front of Calvin like a mother hen shielding her chick. Her protective stance took me back to the days right after I had the baby.

I physically could not produce breast milk, and I told James we might have to use formula instead, but Mandy was the first to push back.

She was all about making me eat every kind of nutritional supplement out there.

Sometimes, she even forgot to make my meals because she was too busy hovering over the crib all day.

Aria, the other maid who looked after me, thought Mandy did not know where to draw the line. She would tease, "People know Mandy's your maid, but anyone else might mistake her for the baby's real mom!"

Mandy's face fell, and she hurried to clear things up. "Mrs. Carter went through so much to have this baby, and both Mr. and Mrs. Carter have been so good to me. Of course, I'll do everything I can for the little one."

I could not help but watch the drama unfold with a bit of amusement. I even threw in a curveball.

"Is that so? Or did you secretly swap your own kid with mine?"

Mandy froze, then quickly protested, "Mrs. Carter, what are you talking about? I didn't do anything like that. I'm not even married. How could I have a kid?"

When I stayed silent, she actually started making promises.

On the other hand, James looked like he was on pins and needles.

I could not help but let out a big laugh.

"Gotcha! How could I not know my own kid? I was just pulling your leg. Did you really fall for that?"

I turned to Aria and said with a smile, "Aria, Mandy's been part of the family for ages. She's like a sister to me. Isn't that right, hubby?"

James and Mandy let out a sigh of relief. I caught the exchange of glances between them in my peripheral vision.

Pulling myself back to the present, I watched Mandy and Calvin with a grin as I approached. I dabbed at the sweat on Calvin's forehead with a tissue.

"I know how hard you've been hitting the books. Guess what I've got for you!"

Calvin's eyes lit up when he saw the shiny VIP pass to the brand-new amusement park in my hand. He jumped for joy. He wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug.

"Mom, you're the best! Can Dad and Ms. Wood come with us, please?"

James overheard and quickly wrapped Calvin in a protective embrace, worried he might say something he should not. "Calvin's been dying to ride the roller coaster, but he's a bit of a chicken..."

I held Calvin's hand, still smiling. "So, you don't want me to come with you?"

He thought for a second. "Mom, you've got work. You're busy making money for us. I don't want to bug you!"

"See? Calvin's such a good kid. Whenever I take him out, everyone says how polite and smart he is!"

I mused for a moment, "Well, if our little guy is that good, I guess I can take a day off and join the fun!"

My words threw James for a loop, and Mandy quickly signaled him to talk me out of it. He chimed in right away, "Honey, you were up all night. You should sit this one out."

"Mom, get some rest, okay? I'll bring you back a treat when we get home."

I flashed Calvin a grin and said, "Okay, your wish is my command, kiddo!"

Calvin leaped into the air in a burst of joy.

"Mom, I need a new laptop too. The old one's a no-go for gaming!"

I chuckled and gently ruffled his hair.

"You got it, champ. Even if you want the stars in the sky, I'd find a way to snag them for you!"

Calvin was over the moon. He kept bouncing around, tugging James with one hand and Mandy with the other.

A pang of annoyance hit me hard. They looked like the picture-perfect family, all smiles and sunshine, while I felt like the villain hogging their happy ending.

The truth was, when I first took Calvin in, I poured my heart into raising him. I never wanted the bad blood between James, Mandy, and me to taint an innocent kid.

However, this kid... He wasn't worth my heart. Ever since he started thinking Mandy was his real mom, he practically wrote me off.

All he was doing was biding his time, waiting to cash in on my demise and snatch up the inheritance.

Well, if that was how it was going to be, I wouldn't play nice anymore.