When I got home, I fed Charlotte and gently rocked her until she fell asleep.

She made soft little sounds in her sleep, and beneath the warm glow of the bedside lamp, her long lashes cast delicate shadows over her cheeks.

My phone vibrated.

Vanessa had uploaded a new post on Instagram.

It was a photo of three hands stacked together.

Adrian's hand.

Her hand.

And Ethan's tiny hand gripping a set of car keys.

The caption read:

Rewarding our little hero today.

A five-million-dollar car.

A child was receiving it as casually as if it were a toy.

I stared at the picture.

Just last week, I had reminded Adrian three separate times to buy imported diapers for his daughter. Every time, he told me he was busy and had forgotten.

Suddenly, I laughed.

The sound that came out was empty and sharp.

I saved the screenshot and added it to my folder of evidence.

Charlotte shifted in my arms and smacked her lips softly in her sleep.

I lowered my head and kissed her silky cheek.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," I whispered. "Mommy will protect you. I promise."

...

The following day, after reviewing all my shares, resources, and assets, I booked a flight to New York scheduled for three days later.

Over the past few days, Adrian had been sending me messages nonstop.

I supposed he was trying his best to maintain the image of a perfect husband.

Honey, today's client was difficult, but I finally closed the deal.

Honey, you've been working so hard. I found a pastry shop downtown that's incredible. I'll take you there sometime.

I scrolled through the messages one after another.

A bitter smile slowly appeared on my face.

Did he really think I knew nothing?

Every bonus payment he had secretly transferred into Vanessa's account showed up in my email notifications.

Every single transaction.

And while he played the role of the devoted husband in front of me, Vanessa posted photos of herself online with stacks of cash stuffed inside her lingerie and fresh love bites blooming across her skin.

I laughed again.

A broken, almost pathetic sound.

How had I been so blind?

Once upon a time, Adrian had loved me like that.

We had been childhood sweethearts.

People envied us.

Beneath an old banyan tree, he had promised me that he would marry no one else.

When we were in college, he chased away every boy who tried to approach me and guarded me as though I belonged solely to him.

When I underwent surgery for appendicitis, he remained beside my hospital bed for three nights, refusing to sleep.

The first paycheck he ever earned had gone directly into my bank account.

Attached to it was a short message.

For my little princess.

Back then, I thought I had found the kind of love people spent their entire lives searching for.

None of it mattered anymore.

A sudden cry interrupted my thoughts.

It came from the nursery.

"Oh my God, Miss Vivian!"

The nanny rushed out, her face drained of color.

"The baby's thigh got cut somehow. The bleeding won't stop!"

Her hands were trembling.

There was blood on them.

My heart nearly stopped.

I ran into the nursery and immediately scooped Charlotte into my arms.

Her tiny cries had weakened considerably.

Blood continued to flow down her leg.

I felt my limbs go numb.

Still, I carried her and rushed to the hospital as quickly as I could.

The doctor looked over the test results and frowned.

"She has a rare neonatal disorder. Her hemoglobin level is dangerously low. She needs a blood transfusion immediately."

My lips trembled.

"Then do it," I said desperately. "Start an IV. Use whatever medicine you need. I'll do anything. I'm her mother—"

The doctor shook his head.

"Parents can't donate blood directly in situations like this. And your daughter has Rh-negative blood. We need to see whether our blood bank still has units available."

"Then give her a clotting agent first!" I practically shouted. "Please, hurry!"

They administered the medication.

The bleeding didn't stop.

I held Charlotte's tiny body against my chest.

She looked so pale.

Tears streamed down my face endlessly.

Several minutes later, a nurse hurried into the room.

Sympathy was written all over her face.

"Miss Vivian..." she said softly. "The Rh-negative blood is gone."

I looked up sharply.

"What do you mean gone? You told me there was reserve blood available!"

The nurse lowered her eyes.

"This is a private hospital. Mr. Sterling's son needed blood urgently, so the director transferred all the remaining Rh-negative units to the VIP ward."

Everything inside me froze.

I felt as though lightning had struck me.

My chest hurt so badly I could barely breathe.

I was about to call Adrian.

I wanted to scream at him.

Then my phone lit up.

Vanessa had posted another story.

Our little rascal scraped his knee. Luckily, Daddy can get the rarest blood in the city whenever he wants.

For a second, I thought my head would explode.

I handed Charlotte to the nurse and ran.

Up the stairs.

Down the corridor.

My heart pounded violently inside my chest.

I reached the VIP ward and kicked the door open.

Inside, Vanessa was smiling while playing a game with James.

The boy sat comfortably on the hospital bed.

There was a tiny scrape on his knee.

It was so minor it didn't even need a bandage.

I stood there, unable to move.

The scene before me was almost unbearable.

A happy mother.

A cheerful child.

Meanwhile, my daughter was fighting for her life downstairs.

Hatred surged through me like a tidal wave.

I couldn't contain it.

"Give the blood to my daughter!" I screamed.

Vanessa looked at me with that familiar expression.

Smug.

Triumphant.

The expression she wore whenever she believed she had won.

"Why are you making such a scene?" she asked coldly. "My son just scraped his knee."

My voice shook.

"This isn't about a scraped knee! My daughter has a rare condition. If treatment is delayed any longer, she could die!"

The doctor standing outside heard the commotion and stepped inside.

He looked between us uneasily.

"If there is enough blood available... perhaps some of it can be given to this child?"

I looked at him desperately.

I felt like I was drowning.

"Please," I begged. "My daughter needs Rh-negative blood immediately. If we delay any longer, she won't survive."

Vanessa rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please, Doctor."

She folded her arms.

"You know who my husband is. He's this hospital's largest shareholder. Did you forget that? Every unit of Rh-negative blood belongs to my son. Are you trying to get yourself fired?"

It felt like someone had punched me directly in the chest.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't think.

I lunged toward the IV stand and grabbed the blood bag.

"You stole my daughter's chance to live!" I cried. "How could you do something like this?"

Vanessa screamed.

"Security! Hurry!"

She pointed at me.

"This crazy woman is trying to steal my son's blood!"

Two security guards immediately rushed into the room.

They grabbed my arms and restrained me.

I struggled wildly.

My pulse thundered inside my ears.

Vanessa snatched the blood bag from my hands and raised it triumphantly.

"Look at her!" she shouted. "She actually tried to steal my son's blood! Get her out of here!"

The guards dragged me backward.

I could barely breathe.

Fury.

Despair.

Panic.

Everything twisted together inside my chest.

One of the guards frowned.

"The hospital has enough blood. You're just causing trouble."

I almost screamed.

"I don't care about anything else!" I cried hoarsely. "My daughter is dying! She has every right to live!"

At that moment, the hospital director arrived outside the room.

After taking in the chaotic scene, he frowned.

"Hold on."

His gaze moved across the room.

"Which one of you is Mrs. Sterling?"

Vanessa lifted her phone and shoved it toward the director.

"Take a good look," she said smugly. "I'm the woman President Sterling legally married. James is his legitimate son. As for her child..." She glanced at me with contempt. "That baby was a mistake. An illegitimate child who isn't even acknowledged."

Every word struck me like a knife.

I looked down at Charlotte's tiny, pale face resting in my arms.

My legs suddenly gave way.

I collapsed onto the floor right in front of Vanessa.

"Please..." My voice broke completely. "Please save my daughter."

I was crying so hard I could barely speak.

"Please. I'm begging you."

The hallway fell silent.

No one spoke.

Everyone was watching.

Vanessa didn't look affected in the slightest.

Without even glancing at me, she pulled out her phone and called Adrian.

The second he answered, her voice changed.

She sounded frightened and wronged.

"Honey, come back quickly. Vivian's gone crazy. She's trying to take James's blood. She wants to hurt us. She's trying to kill me and our son."

Something inside me snapped.

I jerked free from the security guards and grabbed the phone.

My hands were shaking violently.

"Adrian!"

I was crying, but I forced myself to speak clearly.

"Charlotte is injured. She has a rare blood disorder and severe anemia. She needs a transfusion right now. Tell them to release the blood to her immediately, or she's going to die!"

Silence answered me.

A long, terrible silence.

Then Adrian finally spoke.

His tone was impatient.

"Genn, the blood has already been reserved for James. He needs it now, so stop making a scene and delaying things."

I couldn't breathe.

"How much blood could a one-month-old baby possibly need?" I cried. "Your son has a tiny scrape on his knee! My daughter is downstairs bleeding in the emergency room. She needs it right now!"

More silence.

Then he spoke again.

This time, his voice sounded cold.

Almost doubtful.

"A newborn with a rare condition?" he said slowly. "Genn... are you exaggerating? Are you even telling me the truth?"

I felt something break inside me.

"Adrian!"

Hot tears poured down my face.

"She's your daughter! She's your own child! How can you say something like that?"

I could hear voices around him.

The hospital director was speaking cautiously.

"Mr. Sterling... how should we handle this woman? She seems emotionally unstable. She keeps insisting she's your wife."

Adrian said nothing for several seconds.

Then he answered.

His voice was distant.

Almost indifferent.

"My wife is Vanessa. She's the mother of my son, James."

He paused.

"I don't have a daughter."

The room seemed to relax.

The tension disappeared.

People looked at me with pity.

Or suspicion.

As if I were someone who had lost her mind.

Vanessa smiled.

It was the smile of someone who had won completely.

She took the bag of Rh-negative blood and dropped it onto the floor in front of me.

"Do you really think your child deserves this?" she asked softly.

Then she lifted her heel and stepped on the blood bag.

"I'd rather waste every drop than let it go to you."

I felt like my chest had been crushed beneath a boulder.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't even cry anymore.

...

When I returned to Charlotte's room, the ward door closed behind me with a dull thud.

It felt as though I had been cut off from the rest of the world.

I walked to the bed and carefully picked up my daughter.

Her tiny body felt frighteningly cold.

I held her close against my chest while tears slipped down my face endlessly.

I had never felt so helpless.

Then my phone suddenly lit up.

Another Instagram story.

Vanessa again.

She was holding James in her arms and smiling brightly at the camera.

Below the photo was a screenshot of a transfer notification.

Five hundred thousand dollars.

The note attached to it read:

Take care of our son.

I stared at the screen.

A chill spread through my body.

The warmth in my arms seemed to be fading little by little.

I felt utterly powerless.

How had this man spent years convincing me he loved me...

only to stand by while another woman did this to our child?

Despair swallowed me whole.

Then, from the doorway, a calm male voice spoke.

"I have Rh-negative blood."

I looked up.

The man stood quietly in the doorway.

"If you'll allow it," he said gently, "I can donate to your daughter."

...

Because of that stranger's donation of four hundred cubic centimeters of blood, my daughter survived.

My baby lived.

The irony of it all was almost unbearable.

Her own father had controlled every unit of Rh-negative blood in the hospital and refused to spare her a single bag.

Meanwhile, a complete stranger had appeared out of nowhere, saved her life, and disappeared without even leaving behind his name.

Color gradually returned to Charlotte's tiny face.

Her little lips moved instinctively, searching for milk.

The nanny suddenly leaned closer.

"Miss Vivian... something isn't right."

I looked at her.

"I watch her all the time. Nothing sharp ever went near her crib."

I froze.

"But the doctor said the wound came from a razor blade," I said slowly. "She never left her crib."

A terrible feeling settled in my stomach.

The second we returned home, I went straight to the nursery.

I pulled apart the velvet bedding.

My blood turned cold.

Several razor blades were hidden among the folds.

Some of them still carried traces of my daughter's blood.

I stood there in shock.

I remembered asking Adrian to purchase the crib during my postpartum confinement.

Of course he hadn't personally selected it.

He never paid attention to details like that.

He had probably told his assistant the same thing he always did.

Buy the most expensive one.

And the assistant...

The assistant was Vanessa.

I suddenly understood.

She had arranged all of this.

She had placed those blades there.

A chill ran down my spine.

Did Adrian know?

Did he realize Vanessa had almost killed our daughter?

And even if he knew...

would he protect Charlotte?

Or would he continue pretending to be the perfect husband while quietly allowing our child to die?

I didn't know.

I honestly didn't know anymore.

I sat down on the sofa and held Charlotte tightly against my chest.

Her tiny body radiated warmth.

I buried my face against her soft hair.

"Don't be afraid, baby," I whispered through my tears. "Mommy won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

At least we only had two more days.

In two days, we would leave.

We would start over somewhere new.

...

Adrian returned from his business trip the next evening.

The moment he entered the house, he looked angry.

"Genn, you've been acting completely unreasonable lately."

I looked up at him while tightening my hold around Charlotte.

"You went to the hospital and caused a huge scene."

His voice softened slightly, but it sounded artificial.

"Did you even stop to think about how that would affect me?"

A shiver ran through me.

His gaze dropped to our sleeping daughter.

Concern appeared on his face.

It looked convincing.

But now I could see right through him.

"You used our daughter to create trouble," he said with disappointment. "Honestly, Genn, I never expected this from you."

I slowly shook my head.

"Adrian," I said quietly, "it's over."

He frowned.

"What?"

"It's over between us."

His face changed immediately.

He stepped forward and grabbed my arm.

"Over?" he repeated. "What do you mean, over?"

His grip tightened.

"We've known each other since we were children. We've been together for more than ten years."

His voice rose.

"You can't just throw all of that away."

It felt as though someone had driven a needle straight into my heart.

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Weren't you the one who said over the phone that Vanessa is your wife and Ethan James is your son?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Then why are you standing here acting like you're the victim?"

Adrian wouldn't look at me.

He turned his face away, his expression uncomfortably guilty.

"Vivian, it was an emergency," he said quietly. "Everyone at that private hospital knows who Mrs. Sterling is. If they found out the truth, they might not have given James the blood. I didn't have any other option."

No other option?

My chest tightened painfully.

My eyes stung.

I wanted to tell him that there was no truth to any of this, that our marriage wasn't simply a title or a formality, that I had been his wife for years.

But somehow, the words refused to come out.

Then he looked at me again.

His expression had already returned to that calm, reasonable look he always wore.

"So this is really about Vanessa, isn't it?" he said evenly. "You're jealous because you think I care more about her than I do about you. You're letting your feelings get in the way, and now you're using our daughter to compete with her."

I stared at him.

I actually couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"That's ridiculous," I said. "You honestly think I'd ever do something like that?"

"Oh, come on, Genn." He sighed impatiently. "She has a son and you have a daughter, so now you're creating problems because you feel insecure. Just admit it."

He didn't even let me finish speaking.

His phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the screen.

"Stay home and think about what you've been doing," he said. "And don't go to the company today."

Then he simply turned around and left.

I stood there trembling.

I was furious.

I was shaking so badly I could barely breathe.

The marriage certificate I had with him was fake.

Because of that, I couldn't legally touch Vanessa.

I couldn't protect anything.

Nothing in this house was truly safe from her.

Nothing that belonged to me.

I sat down and reviewed my shares again.

I needed to transfer everything as quietly as possible.

I couldn't let Vanessa get even the smallest piece of what belonged to me.

I had barely begun when my phone rang.

The moment I answered, my assistant sounded panicked.

"Miss Vivian, you need to come home immediately."

I stood up.

"What happened?"

"The woman who claims she's Mr. Sterling's assistant just came in with a child. She said Mr. Sterling personally allowed her inside. We tried to stop her, but we couldn't."

Vanessa.

My hand tightened around the phone.

I didn't think.

I didn't ask another question.

I grabbed my keys and drove home as though my life depended on it.

The nanny was pacing anxiously when I arrived.

The second she saw me, she looked like she was about to cry.

"Miss, I really tried to stop them," she said shakily. "But Mr. Sterling called himself and told us to let them in."

I hurried past her.

Then I froze.

Ethan James was sprawled on the floor.

He had dumped an entire container of colorful glass marbles and was rolling them across the carpet.

The moment he saw me, he pointed at me and shouted, "Mommy! Look! The bad lady who stole my blood is back!"

I looked up.

Vanessa was standing beside Charlotte's crib.

One hand hovered near my daughter's cheek.

She was smiling.

As though she had done absolutely nothing wrong.

I rushed toward her and shoved her away from the crib.

She stumbled backward.

Then she smiled.

Not angrily.

Not surprised.

Just smug.

Cold.

"Let's make something very clear, Vivian," she said slowly. "Adrian and I are legally married. You're nothing more than the hidden mistress. This house belongs to us. If I want you gone, I can throw you out whenever I please."

Every word stabbed me.

I gripped the edge of the crib so hard my fingers turned white.

My jaw hurt from clenching my teeth.

"I stopped wanting your trash of a husband a long time ago," I said coldly. "I'm done with him. But until I leave, you need to get out. Otherwise, I'll call the media and expose everything you've done."

Vanessa's face immediately reddened.

The veins in her neck stood out.

"Who do you think you are?" she screamed. "You don't get to talk to me like that! The law is on my side, not yours. You're the one who should leave! You're insane!"

I looked at her calmly.

"The law?" I repeated with a faint laugh. "Even if I walk away right now, I still have both the Sterling and Ashford families behind me."

I looked her up and down.

"And you? You're a former nanny who seduced her employer and now hides behind a piece of paper while calling yourself his wife."

I smiled coldly.

"Do you really think that marriage certificate makes you important? Adrian wouldn't dare introduce you publicly, would he? The two of you hide in the shadows because that's the only place you belong."

"Shut up!"

Her eyes filled with hatred.

She raised her hand and slapped me.

The sound echoed through the room.

My cheek burned instantly.

I didn't even blink.

I slapped her back.

Harder.

I wanted her to feel every bit of my anger.

Besides, the security cameras in the living room would record everything.

Then I heard it.

A tiny, strange whimper.

I froze.

The sound came from the crib.

My heart stopped.

I turned around.

Then I saw it.

Ethan James had shoved something into Charlotte's mouth.

A glass marble.

"Charlotte!"

I practically threw myself toward the crib.

I scooped her into my arms and patted her back frantically.

My hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"Spit it out, sweetheart. Come on. Mommy's right here. It's okay. You're okay."

The front door suddenly flew open.

Adrian stormed into the room.

His expression immediately darkened.

"What are you doing to our daughter?"

Vanessa instantly ran to his side.

Her voice became soft and frightened.

"You're finally back." She clung to his arm. "Don't worry. James only wanted to play with the baby using his marbles. He didn't mean any harm. Vivian is overreacting."

Overreacting?

I was desperately trying to open Charlotte's mouth.

"It's okay, baby," I said through my tears. "Mommy's here. You're safe. You're okay."

Adrian suddenly pulled Charlotte out of my arms.

"Have you lost your mind?" he shouted. "You're going to hurt her if you keep doing this!"

Something inside me snapped.

I slapped him.

Hard.

The sound rang throughout the room.

"You think you get to lecture me?" I screamed. "Look at what your little bastard just did to my daughter!"

At that exact moment, Charlotte coughed violently.

Then she vomited.

A glass marble rolled onto the carpet with a heavy sound.

Her tiny face turned bright red as she cried.

My heart broke.

I pointed at the marble with shaking hands.

"Do you see that?" I shouted, my eyes burning with tears. "Your precious little bastard shoved marbles into your newborn daughter's mouth!"

I looked directly at him.

"Are you blind?"

Then I looked at Ethan.

"And what kind of monster teaches a six-year-old child to hate an infant?"