Mildred marched into our room, her words hitting hard. "I told you not to marry her, didn't I? And now look—it's barely been any time since the wedding, and she's already trying to walk all over me."

Owen shoved her out and said, "Enough, Mom. You've said enough. I'll take care of it."

Then, he grabbed a tissue and wiped my tears away, saying, "You know Mom's getting up there in age, Paige, and with her heart condition, she can't handle all this stress. You're always understanding—shouldn't you be the bigger person here? Go apologize to her, okay?"

He took advantage of my softer side, knowing I wouldn't stay mad at Mildred. With his smooth talking, he had me going to apologize to her.

What he didn't see was that the more I gave in, the more Mildred trampled over me.

…

One night, my period started in the middle of the night, leaving stains on the sheets and my pajamas.

I got up, stripped off my pajamas, and tossed them and the sheets in the bathroom, figuring it was too late to deal with it. I decided to wash them in the morning.

But the next morning, I was yanked out of sleep by Mildred's yelling. She didn't even knock. She barged in and threw the stained sheets right at my head.

"Get up and clean this! How can you be this gross?" she barked.

A sharp pain twisted in my stomach, and I explained, "I've got bad cramps, Mildred. Let me rest for a bit, and I'll take care of it."

But she was relentless, pulling me like she'd completely lost it. "You're talking about cramps? Seriously? You've been married forever and still aren't pregnant!"

Mildred ripped my blanket off the bed and tossed it on the floor. I only had one set of pajamas, which were stained, so I was left with nothing on.

I crossed my arm over my chest and grabbed my blanket, feeling like she'd just crushed whatever dignity I had left.

My voice turned cold as I said, "I'll get dressed and wash them, but please get out. Now!"

Luckily, Mildred's phone happened to ring from her room, interrupting what could've turned into a full-blown argument. She had invited her relatives and friends over again for a card game.

I was out on the balcony, hanging up laundry, but I could still hear their chatter buzzing like a swarm of bees.

"Your daughter-in-law still hasn't gotten pregnant?"

"Who knows? Nothing's happened."

"Maybe she's infertile?"

"Exactly. My daughter got pregnant right after she married, and her baby's over a year old now."

"Maybe you should try some remedies or something?"

Mildred rolled her eyes at me and taunted, "Well, looks like she's just some barren woman with nothing to offer."

What kind of mother-in-law would crack such jokes?

I couldn't take it anymore. I went into my room and tried calling Owen, but he didn't answer, no matter how many times I tried.

When he finally came home that evening, Mildred dragged him into her room, muttering about who-knows-what.

Later, Owen came into our room. I wanted to talk to him, but he was glued to his phone, typing away non-stop.

I reached for his phone.

"Quit being ridiculous. I'm working," he muttered, looking flustered.

I was taken aback. "What kind of work has you this busy, even after you get home?"

"Do you think money just falls from the sky? Every penny in this house comes from the hard work I put in. And you? All you do is spend money. You can't even take care of my mom properly."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What money of yours have I spent? Other than the groceries and the essentials, what else is there? Mildred picks on me every single day, and now you're saying I didn't look after her?"

"I'm done. I'm not arguing with you," Owen said, turning his back and going to sleep.

I cried quietly, not getting a single wink of sleep that night.

…

After that, I pretended not to hear it whenever Mildred gave me a hard time. I stopped complaining to Owen, too. It wasn't worth it since he never had my back.

I put up with it for over six months, all just to have a place to call home.

But something about Owen started to feel off. His late nights away from home became the norm, even when work wasn't the real reason.

And every time he returned, he'd be glued to his phone, his face lighting up with such a soft smile. Whenever he saw me catch it, he'd quickly cover it up.

That day, I left the house and quietly flagged down a cab to follow Owen. He pulled up to a fancy residential complex. I couldn't get in, so I just waited outside.

It didn't take long before Owen finally showed up. But to my surprise, he had his arm around a woman with a small baby bump. They looked so cozy as they got into the car together.

I quickly hopped into another cab and tailed them. In the end, their car pulled up outside a hospital.

I stepped out of the car and finally saw the woman's face. It was Owen's second cousin, Serena Lambert. But I couldn't make sense of it. Why would Owen be with her at a prenatal checkup?

I was just about to head into the hospital to figure things out when my phone went off. I checked the screen and saw a call from the police station.

"Hello, is this Paige Zeller?" an officer asked.

"Yes, this is Paige. What's this about?"

"After going over your recent medical examination report, we found that your blood type matches a missing girl's. She's been gone for years, and the match is 99%. Do you have time to visit and discuss this?"

My heart skipped a beat. I pushed thoughts of Owen and Serena aside and headed straight for the police station.

Before Grandma passed away, she told me we weren't related by blood. She found me on her way home from the city, where she'd gone to get medicine. She didn't have anyone else, so she brought me home.

Grandma also gave me a pendant. She said it was around my neck when she found me, and it could help prove my identity if I ever found my birth parents. They'd definitely recognize it.

When I got to the police station, I handed the pendant to the officer and explained about it.

A little while later, a fancy car pulled up outside. Then, a well-dressed, plump woman got out. As soon as she saw the pendant, she hugged me and started to cry.

"I'm your mom, Ellie! Oh, my dear Ellie!" she cried.

So, my real name was Ellie. Tears filled my eyes, and I hugged her tight.

A moment later, a middle-aged man exited the car, and I froze the second I saw him. It was William Cromwell, the CEO of Cromwell Group, where Owen worked.

I couldn't believe it. I was the missing daughter of the Cromwell family!

Mom told me that I went off to play one day when I was little and never returned. They searched for me for years but couldn't find me.

Grandma and I had been living in a small, secluded village. Back then, with limited means of communication, it was nearly impossible to track my whereabouts.

After Grandma passed away, I moved to the city, working part-time while finishing college.

Mom and Dad wanted me to come home with them, but I told them I was married and needed to head back first to tell Owen the big news and bring him along.

Mom was fine with that. She gave me her contact info and their address before dropping me off at my apartment.

I walked home, buzzing with excitement while picturing the look on Owen's face when I surprised him with the news.

But as I reached the door, I heard voices from inside, and the words hit me like a knife twisting in my chest.

"Just sign the agreement already." Mildred's voice rang out from inside.

"How am I supposed to tell her, Mom? What if she won't let me go?"

"What are you so afraid of? You're the only son in the Wade family—the one we're counting on to keep the name going. And besides, you've already got Rena pregnant. Are you seriously not going to make it official?" Mildred snapped.

That was when I heard a woman crying inside.

So that was why he'd been leaving early and coming home late. He'd been seeing someone else! And the other woman was none other than his second cousin!

I clearly remembered that Owen had necrospermia, so there was no way he could get anyone pregnant.

I rushed to the hospital, got his last medical examination report, and double-checked with the doctor, who confirmed it was congenital and incurable.

Right then, Mildred called, telling me I needed to come home immediately because she had something important to talk about.

I shoved the medical report into my bag, my mind racing with a whirlwind of emotions. It seemed like things were getting more interesting by the second.

When I got home, only Mildred was sitting on the couch. I looked around, but Owen and his mistress were nowhere to be found.

Mildred tossed an agreement at me, her voice cold and cutting. "Hurry up and sign it. The Wades have been a single bloodline for three generations. We're not keeping someone like you, a barren woman who offers nothing."

I picked up the agreement and skimmed it. I couldn't believe how heartless the Wades were!

I had given up my career and the best years of my life to marry a man who couldn't have kids, choosing to stay home as a full-time wife, swallowing my pride to keep the peace and build a happy family.

And now, here I was—betrayed by Owen, put down by Mildred for not being able to have kids, and being forced to divorce and leave with nothing.

I wiped away the tears and laughed.

Mildred looked taken aback. "W-Why are you laughing?"

My eyes landed on Owen's signature on the divorce agreement. It was scribbled like he was in a rush to get it over with.

Then, I shot her a cold look. "Why am I laughing? Because I'm walking away from a family like yours. Honestly, I'm doing you a favor by not going all out with fireworks to celebrate."

When Owen proposed, he promised to love me forever, protect me, and give me a happy family. But in the end, he treated me like dirt!

Mildred's anger flared up and she pointed at me. "Say that again, I dare you!"

I swatted her hand away. "You're not my mom, and I'm done with this. Do you want me to sign it or not?"

She went silent and dropped her hand, probably afraid I'd refuse to sign.

I grabbed a pen, signed the divorce agreement, and looked her straight in the eye. "Tell Owen to get back here. We're finalizing the divorce now."

Mildred didn't expect me to agree so easily. Her tone softened in a way I'd never heard before. "Alright, sure! You're smart enough to know when to go with the flow. I'll call him right now."

How ironic.

After a while, Owen called and told me to come downstairs.

I grabbed the signed agreement and headed down. As soon as I opened the car door, I saw Serena sitting in the passenger seat.

"What's this about, Owen? We're getting a divorce, and seriously, you're bringing her along?" I questioned coldly.

"Rena's pregnant. She needs someone to look after her," Owen said, not daring to meet my gaze. "She'll get nauseous if she sits in the back. You should sit back there instead."

I almost laughed out loud. Pregnant? What a joke. He had no clue he was born with congenital necrospermia.

Owen cheated on me, and Serena was doing the same to him. That was karma at its finest! The universe really did know how to settle scores.

"Please don't be mad. Owie and I truly love each other. I'm sorry," Serena said.

Damn it! I hadn't even started crying, and she was already bawling her eyes out!

"Oh, save it. Keep your apology. I'm not shameless enough to accept it," I said.

Owen gently squeezed her hand. "You don't have to apologize, Rena. It's my fault, not yours. You're the innocent one. Don't let this stress you out. It's bad for the baby."

Were they seriously putting on some tragic love story act before me?

"How far along are you? Are you sure it's Owen's?" I taunted.

Serena froze for a second. "O-Of course, it's Owie's! Just because you can't have a baby doesn't mean you can question mine!"

Owen frowned, glaring at me through the rearview mirror. "You've struggled to get pregnant, Paige, and Mom's been desperate for a grandchild. If you're mad, take it out on me—not Rena."

How could he be so shameless? He cheated on me and still tried to make me the bad guy!

"So now you're saying it's my fault we couldn't have kids? Was I the one who made you and Serena sneak around behind my back and sleep together?" I retorted.

"Please don't fight with Owie anymore. It's all my fault. I've always loved him, and I was the one who seduced him," Serena said as if I'd fall for her pathetic act.

"So you're actually admitting you're shameless enough to go after someone else's husband?" I asked.

"Don't bother with that shrew, Rena!" Owen snapped, his patience running out.

The two of them were so in sync, playing their parts like I was the one ruining their perfect love story instead.

The car pulled up in front of the courthouse.

After we finalized the divorce, Owen handed me a 100-dollar bill as if he was doing me a favor. "Here, take this for a cab. I'm not driving you back. Let's just leave things on a good note."

I swatted his hand away. "On a good note? With you? Your mom's been a nightmare to me from the start, and for the sake of what we had, I put up with it for years. She went around calling me a barren woman with nothing to offer, and you never once stood up for me.

"You even brought your mistress into our home. And now, you have the nerve to bring her along to finalize our divorce. Do you have no shame?"

Owen's face twisted with anger. "Why haven't you gotten pregnant yet if you're really able to? You wouldn't be bothered by what people say if it wasn't true. Who'd want someone from a family like yours?

"All you do is sit at home, looking awful and miserable every day. Honestly, just looking at you makes me sick."

Serena tugged at his arm with a smile. "Alright, Owie, don't waste your time with her."

Then, she pulled her into the car.

I swallowed my anger and called Mom to let her know I was fine. Then, I took a cab home and got a good night's sleep.

The next day, I filled Mom and Dad in on everything.

Dad was so furious that he slammed his hand on the table. "Get the car, Alex! How dare he stomp all over Ellie like that?"

I quickly stopped him. "Let me handle this, Dad."

I'd barely finished speaking when my phone buzzed with an incoming call. It was from an unknown number. I stepped outside to take it, only to be met with a sharp, biting voice on the other end.

"Is this Paige Zeller? It's Serena. I just moved into Owie's place. Look, I don't want to be the bad guy, so why don't you come by and grab your stuff when you have a chance?

"I know starting over with nothing must be hard. You could sell some of your belongings and scrape together enough for a cheap apartment in a low-end neighborhood.

I laughed out of frustration and said, "It's fine. Owen bought those things, and since I was forced to leave everything behind in the divorce, they belong to him."

"Well, if that's the case, let me cut to the chase," she said. "Owie and I are getting married soon, so I hope you won't reach out to him again. I'm sure you don't want to be the kind of woman who clings to someone else's husband and gets called a homewrecker, right, Ms. Zeller?"

And with that, she hung up. After saying all that with zero shame, she actually went ahead and blocked me.

Just then, a new message from Mildred popped up in the family WhatsApp group. "Owen and Rena are getting married next month, and she's pregnant! I'm going to be a grandma soon!"

She was practically bursting with excitement.

Lucky for her, I hadn't left the family group yet. I had a big surprise of my own to share.