I stumbled back from the shove and quickly tried to explain myself.

"You've got the wrong idea. I'm just here for a check-up. Your baby looked adorable, so I took an extra glance, that's all."

The woman clutched her child tighter, her expression still full of hostility.

"You're a patient? And how am I supposed to know you're not pretending? What if you've got some contagious disease and pass it to my baby?"

"I don't!"

My voice shook with panic.

"Oh really? Then show me your medical report."

She kept pressing closer, reaching for the papers in my hand.

Instinctively, I hid them behind my back, hesitation flooding my chest.

The words test tube report printed on the document felt like a thorn lodged in my heart. I did not want anyone seeing it.

Especially not in a humiliating situation like this. I did not want it turned into some joke for strangers to laugh at.

However, the more I tried to avoid her, the more convinced she became that something was wrong with me.

"What's the matter? Feeling guilty?"

She let out a cold laugh and lunged forward, snatching the report from my hands.

Her eyes swept across the page before she suddenly raised her voice toward the crowd.

"Everyone, come look! This woman went through IVF because she can't have children herself. Now she's trying to steal mine! This is terrifying!"

People around us immediately turned to stare.

Some looked curious. Some disgusted. Some almost sympathetic.

Every gaze felt like needles stabbing into my skin.

I clenched my fists, my voice icy.

"What nonsense are you talking about? If I wanted a child, I could adopt one. Why would I steal yours?"

Just then, Angela arrived with my parents.

One hand resting on her stomach, she quickly took in the situation. Her eyes shifted slightly before she hurried over and gently tugged on the woman's arm.

"Please don't be angry," she said softly. "My sister has been struggling to get pregnant for a long time, so she's under a lot of emotional stress. She just thought your baby was cute and couldn't help looking for a moment. She wasn't trying to steal your child."

The woman shot me a sideways glance, her tone growing even more contemptuous.

"Just look at her face, covered in acne. You can tell she's mentally twisted and full of bitterness. Even if someone like her could get pregnant, she'd never raise a child properly. Who knows what kind of sick thoughts she has?"

My whole body trembled with rage. I opened my mouth to argue, only for my mother to grab me first.

She frowned impatiently.

"Cassidy, you were in the wrong first. Stop making a scene and embarrassing us in public."

I stared at her in disbelief.

All I had done was glance at the baby for a moment, yet I was being humiliated and accused like this.

And instead of defending me, my own family thought I was the embarrassment.

Angela quickly patted my back.

"Mom's only saying this for your own good, sis. Don't stoop to her level. It's not worth it."

I looked at my parents' cold expressions, then at the strange looks from the people around us.

All the anger and humiliation inside me slowly gave way to helplessness.

Biting down hard on my lip, I forced the tears back and turned away without another word.

I had barely reached the corner of the hallway when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

It was the pregnant woman from earlier.

Standing across from her was her husband.

"Honey, I honestly don't think that woman meant any harm," he said quietly. "Weren't you being a little too harsh, going after her weak spot like that?"

The woman hesitated for a long moment before finally admitting the truth.

"Actually... a pregnant woman named Miller paid me to do it. She said if I cooperated, there'd be money in it for me.

"I just thought you've been working so hard lately. I wanted to earn a little extra for baby formula."

The man froze in shock.

"Aren't they family? Why would she do something like this?"

The woman shook her head and hurriedly pulled her husband away, lowering her voice.

"Keep it down. Money's money, isn't it?"

It felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.

I stood there frozen, unable to recover for a long time.

Angela...

Why would she do this to me?

By the time I got home, Alex was already waiting in the living room.

The moment he saw how pale I looked, he hurried over to support me.

"You look terrible. Are you feeling sick somewhere?

"It's my fault. I've been too busy with work lately and haven't spent enough time with you."

I forced down the turmoil inside me, shook my head, and managed a weak smile.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired. The IVF procedure went smoothly. The doctor said I should come back in a week for another check-up and see how things look."

Alex let out a relieved breath and helped me sit down.

"That's good. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. No matter what happens, I'll be here with you."

A dull ache rose in my chest, but I didn't dare tell him what I had overheard at the hospital.

Over the next few days, while recovering physically, I couldn't stop replaying the past in my mind.

However, the more I thought about it, the more wrong everything felt.

Angela's concern over my attempts to get pregnant had always been a little too deliberate, a little too enthusiastic.

Ever since I got married, she would constantly send me strange fertility remedies, always making a point to remind me:

"Cassidy, it took me forever to get these from someone. They work really well. I'm taking them too, you should try them."

Back then, I had been genuinely touched. I thought she truly cared about me.

However, looking back now, those so-called remedies were all over the place. Some smelled awful, others made my whole body feel feverish after drinking them.

I only dared try them once before I could not stomach them anymore.

And yet, the very next day after I drank one of those remedies, Angela announced she was pregnant.

At the time, I had sincerely been happy for her.

"Angela, your hard work must finally be paying off.

"But your health is weak. The doctor said you're at high risk of miscarriage, so you need to be extra careful from now on."

Only later did I realize Angela lived however she pleased. Her schedule was a complete mess, and she never seemed cautious about anything.

Yet her pregnancy remained unbelievably stable, without the slightest sign of trouble.

Meanwhile, that same period had been when I was desperately trying to conceive.

Early nights, healthy eating, exercise, strict routines. I followed every rule possible, yet my stomach remained stubbornly empty.

Later, Angela gave birth to a daughter without issue, and the Cardone family celebrated like crazy.

I was happy for her, but bitter too. The pressure on me only grew stronger, so eventually I decided to go through IVF.

However, what I never expected was that right after my IVF procedure, Angela, who had not even fully recovered from childbirth yet, announced another pregnancy.

The doctors had clearly said she suffered from uterine coldness and had difficulty conceiving. Even if she got pregnant, miscarriage risks were supposed to be high.

Yet she conceived immediately. Not just once, but repeatedly.

That was far too much of a coincidence.

Especially because every single time I made a serious move toward getting pregnant, she would suddenly have another piece of good news.

Could all of this really just be luck?

A week passed quickly.

On the day of my follow-up appointment, Alex even took leave from work to accompany me to the hospital.

But after reviewing the results, the doctor sighed softly.

"Ms. Miller, I'm sorry. The IVF attempt wasn't successful."

My eyes immediately reddened.

Just then, my phone rang. It was my mother.

"Cassidy, I have wonderful news! The doctor checked today and confirmed Angela's baby is a boy!

"The Cardone family is over the moon! Our family's luck is finally turning around!"

I could not take it anymore. I hung up immediately.

Alex quickly pulled me into his arms and comforted me softly.

"You've already done everything you could. This kind of thing can't be forced."

I leaned against him, tears blurring my vision.

However, the suspicion in my heart only grew stronger.

Everything was too coincidental.

I drank her fertility remedies, and she got pregnant.

I went through IVF, and she became pregnant with her second child.

My IVF failed, and she found out she was carrying a son.

And every time I was emotionally devastated, Angela would appear at just the right moment with warmth and encouragement, telling me not to give up.

The pressure from my parents. The humiliation from pregnant women around me.

Looking back carefully, her influence was hidden behind all of it.

I lifted my head, my voice catching slightly.

"Alex... do you think Angela's pregnancies might not be coincidences?"

I told him everything: the conversation I overheard at the hospital, along with every strange coincidence from the past.

After listening, his expression slowly turned serious.

"Now that you mention it, something really does feel off."

"Back during their medical checkup, the doctor said she had difficulty conceiving because of cold womb syndrome, and Gary also had low sperm motility. The fact that they managed to conceive at all was already considered a miracle. But to keep getting pregnant so easily after that... it's definitely abnormal."

Alex held my hand tightly, his gaze firm.

"Cassidy, don't worry. I'll look into this for you."

Looking into his steady eyes, I finally felt a small sense of comfort.

Just then, my WhatsApp notification sounded.

It was a message from Angela.

[Cassidy, how did the IVF follow-up go?]

[Don't stress too much. I found a fertility exercise routine that works really well. I'll mail it to you tomorrow.]

I scrolled upward through our chat history.

Almost every conversation was filled with Angela recommending different fertility remedies and constantly encouraging me not to slack off in trying to conceive.

In that case, I decided I would do the exact opposite.

Let's see what your real goal actually is.

Over the next few days, I indulged myself for the first time in ages.

Desserts. Hotpot. Sashimi.

Everything I had avoided while trying to get pregnant, I ate without restraint.

I even skipped my scheduled yoga classes for an entire week straight.

I stayed up as late as I wanted and played games to my heart's content.

Then, one week later, I received a phone call.

On the other end, Angela's voice sounded hoarse and hysterical.

"Cassidy, are you even trying to get pregnant properly anymore? What the hell have you been doing these past few days?!"