After taking a shower, I stepped barefoot onto the smart scale at home.

A cheerful chime rang out. "Congratulations, Mia, you're in your second trimester. The baby weighs three pounds already!"

I froze. I was pregnant? How did I not know?

Heart pounding, I snatched up my phone and immediately called my husband. "What's going on with the scale at home? I'm pregnant?!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end before his familiar, gentle chuckle came through. "Mila, it's just a scale. The data must be wrong. Maybe you're just too sensitive since you haven't been able to get pregnant."

I hung up and connected the scale to Bluetooth. In the data log, I saw three months' worth of steadily increasing numbers.

Grabbing my car keys, I headed straight for Mia Lane's university.

The Truth Behind the Scale

Before confronting Mia Lane, I needed to confirm my suspicions. In the scale's app, I noticed a small heart symbol appearing every two weeks. I guessed it marked her prenatal checkups. Judging from the pattern, that day had to be the date.

I parked my car at the entrance of the private hospital.

The obstetrics corridor reeked of disinfectant. A few minutes later, a girl in a white cotton dress stepped out of the consultation room with her head bowed. Her long hair fell to her waist, her face bare of makeup, pure and innocent—the very image Noah Carter had always preferred.

The moment she looked up, I knew. It was Mia Lane—the destitute student my husband and I had been sponsoring.

Her eyes flickered with panic when she saw me, but she quickly masked it and stroked her belly with a timid smile. "Mila? What a coincidence. Are you here for a checkup too?"

"Yes, a prenatal checkup. My smart scale said I was pregnant, so I came to see if it was true." I didn't beat around the bush. "And you? Here for the same reason? From the looks of it, you must be four or five months along, right?"

"N-No!" She waved her hands frantically. "I… I just gained some weight. I'm only here for a routine physical. Yes, a physical!"

Her words tumbled out clumsily, full of holes. If it weren't for that cold, mechanical voice declaring "second trimester," I might have believed her.

My gaze dropped to her belly, which she clutched as though to hide it. She trembled, instinctively stepping back. I smiled and moved closer, my voice soft. "Don't be nervous. Plenty of women get pregnant before marriage—it's nothing to be ashamed of. If you're really expecting, just make sure the man marries you. Tell Noah to step up—see if he dares walk away."

Mia's face went ghostly pale. Her lips quivered before she turned and fled down the corridor. I didn't bother watching her run. Instead, I pulled out my phone. "Get me Mia Lane's medical report."

Less than ten minutes later, my phone buzzed. It was a message from my best friend, Lucia Sanderson—a photo of Mia's prenatal report. One glance told me the truth—second trimester. And listed in the emergency contact column was one unmistakable name: Noah Carter.

Lucia hesitated for a couple of seconds before her usual playful tone disappeared. "It's his?"

I shook my head with a bitter smile. "There's no proof yet…"

When I returned home, I hadn't even taken off my shoes before my phone lit up with a social media notification. Mia had just posted. A photo of her pregnant belly. The background was my living room couch—the one I had personally picked out. She wore my loungewear, leaned against the pillows I had bought, with the caption: 'Baby's new home. Love it here.'

The location tag? My newly renovated villa.

I forced myself to stay calm and rushed into Noah's study. Trusting my instincts, I searched the top shelf of the bookcase and found his old phone hidden in a false compartment. The lock screen was a photo of me, the password still my birthday.

The screen lit up, revealing a new account. The profile picture showed a hand—his hand—resting on a pregnant belly. On his ring finger gleamed the simple silver band I had designed for him ten years ago.

The contacts list held only one name: Mia Lane.

I opened their chat. The record of their love unfolded before my eyes. It hadn't been long—dating back only to when I'd been transferred out of town six months ago. The earliest message was from last Christmas, Mia writing, 'Noah, Merry Christmas. The gift I want to give you… is myself.'

Noah never replied to that one. However, I remembered that night well—he had claimed to be working late, not coming home until dawn.

The next few messages were harmless holiday greetings, but soon, the tone shifted into filth.

'Your waist is so soft.'

'You were incredible last night. You've bewitched me completely.'

Those sordid words churned my stomach. On our wedding anniversary, he had video-called me until midnight. Yet, right after hanging up, he had rushed to meet Mia, sneaking up a mountain with her to watch the sunrise.

Occasionally, Mia would put on a show of false concern. 'Mila won't be upset, will she?'

Noah's reply was cold and merciless. 'Don't bring her up when it's just us.'

Hands trembling, I opened the photo album on his secret account. It was filled with Mia. Photos of them kissing in the sunset. Maternity pictures. Their fantasies of a perfect little family of three.

I shook with rage, nearly crushing the phone in my hand. Just then, my own phone chimed. A picture of macarons appeared, followed by a call from Noah.

"Mila, are you home? I stood in line for half an hour on the north side of town to get your favorite macarons. I was just about to bring them over, but something urgent came up at work…"

A bitter laugh rose in my throat as my eyes drifted back to the old phone. On the screen was Mia's latest message to him. "Honey, I booked the hotel room. I'm waiting in my new lingerie."

I had no doubt those macarons would be arriving at her door soon enough.

Forcing my breath to steady, I answered evenly, "Alright. Go take care of work."

Exposed

I copied every chat log and video from Noah's old phone.

By the time Noah rushed home, I was already sitting in the living room. His usual warm smile froze for a split second at the sight before him, but he still walked over like always, reaching out to hold me. "Mila, what's wrong?"

I shifted out of his reach and tossed the printed prenatal report onto the coffee table in front of him. A flicker of panic flashed through his eyes, but he forced himself to play innocent. "Mila, you actually went to the hospital for a checkup?!"

I had reached my breaking point. "Look at the name on that report. It says Mia Lane, not Mila Justice! What else do you have to say for yourself?"

He still tried to keep up the act. "Mia? Mia's pregnant? How would I know… These college girls these days, getting knocked up so young. But honey, what does that have to do with me? You're not seriously accusing me, are you? I swear I'm innocent…"

I stared at this pathetic excuse for a man and couldn't understand how I had loved him for so many years.

"Honey, I'll go find Mia now and have her come over to explain." Without batting an eye, Noah pulled out his phone and dialed her number.

It wasn't long before the doorbell rang. Noah pulled in a fragile-looking figure from the doorway—it was Mia.

She shrank back, eyes darting nervously toward me. With no makeup, she looked plain and innocent. "Noah… am I intruding? Mila, please don't misunderstand him. It's all my fault…"

"Who said you could speak here?" I snapped.

Mia flinched, her body trembling before she collapsed straight to the floor.

I didn't move an inch, watching coldly. Noah, however, rushed forward in a heartbeat, catching her and shielding her in his arms. Then he turned on me, roaring, "Mila Justice! How can you push her?! She's carrying a child!"

Before I could reply, a commotion came from outside the door.

"What child? Who's having a Carter baby?"

Two plainly dressed but sharp-eyed middle-aged figures pushed their way in—Noah's parents, who had come to deliver local specialties.

The moment they entered, they saw Noah holding Mia. His mother's eyes flashed with fury, and she stormed forward to strike Mia. "You shameless tramp! How dare you seduce my son!"

Noah hurriedly shielded her. "Mom, what are you doing?! Mia is Mrs. Lane's daughter—the one running the little shop at the village entrance."

At those words, his parents' attitude did a one-eighty. His mother stopped her tirade, her face breaking into a wide smile. "Mrs. Lane's girl? Well, look at you, all grown up now."

She glanced at Mia's stomach and lit up. "Pregnant, are you? That's wonderful. Where are you living now? Forget about anywhere else—you should stay here at the Justice Residence. This big villa has maids to take care of you; you'll be comfortable here."

Noah adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, nodded along with his mother, and turned to me. "From today on, Mia will stay here to rest during her pregnancy. She'll take the master bedroom. You can move into the guest room."

His tone wasn't a suggestion. It was an order.

Before I could even protest, he was already guiding Mia away, leaving me standing alone in the living room.

The Truth Laid Bare

The next morning, Mia came downstairs draped in my favorite silk robe. She carried herself with deliberate grace, a smug little sway in her steps. The faint fragrance that trailed after her made my chest tighten—it was the perfume Noah and I had blended together in Gallia during the height of our romance. It was the only bottle of its kind in the world, and it was supposed to be mine.

I sat at the dining table, watching her coldly as she slid into the chair across from me.

"Mila, did you sleep well last night?" Mia smiled with feigned innocence as she rested her wrist on the table, making sure the watch on her arm caught the light.

She was just a poor student—there was no way she could afford something like that. There was no doubt in my mind that Noah had given it to her. And now, she was flaunting it right in my face.

I ignored her, lowering my gaze to eat my bowl of oatmeal. She seemed unfazed, picking up a bowl of bone broth and swirling it slowly with her spoon.

"Noah treats me so well," she said lightly. "He knows I've been struggling with morning sickness, so he got up in the middle of the night to make this for me. He said it's good for the baby. Mila, would you like to try some too?"

The sharp crack of porcelain echoed through the room as I slammed the bowl out of her hands and shattered it against the floor.

"Ahhh!" Mia shrieked, darting straight into Noah's arms the moment he stepped inside. She buried her face against his chest, sobbing pitifully. "Noah, I'm so scared. Is Mila losing her mind?"

Noah immediately shielded the "terrified" Mia behind him. When his gaze found me, there was nothing but anger in his eyes. "Mila, look at yourself. What are you doing? Mia is pregnant, she's from my hometown, and she's the very girl we sponsored through school as a couple. What reason do you have to treat her this way?"

I refused to play along with their act any longer. "I know the child Mia is carrying is yours."

Noah froze for a split second before breaking into a smile. "Mila, haven't you always wanted a baby?"

That smile twisted cruelly as he went on. "Mia is carrying one for you. Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

"Thank you?" My hands trembled with rage. "You want me to thank you for knocking up your mistress so she can give me a child?"

Just then, Noah's mother walked in, carrying chicken soup she had made since bright and early. "Noah, did you just say Mia's baby is yours?"

Noah nodded. At once, his mother's eyes lit up, and she burst into laughter. "Heavens above, finally! Our family is going to have an heir!"

She stormed up to me, jabbing a finger in my face as her voice rose in fury. "You barren woman! Our family has hung by a single son for three generations, and we've given you three years with not so much as a stir in your belly. And now you dare try to harm my precious grandson? What wickedness are you plotting?!"

Noah's father chimed in, his tone no less harsh. "Mila, marrying into this family was the best thing that ever happened to you. You can't give him children yourself, yet you begrudge him for finding someone who can? Don't be so unreasonable!"

Shameless didn't even begin to cover this family.

"Mila, please don't be upset." Mia peeked out from behind Noah, one hand protectively stroking her belly. "Didn't the doctor say it would be difficult for you to conceive? Noah only did this for your own good."

The world spun around me. My body shook so violently I could barely breathe. I tried to speak, to point at them and shout the truth, but before I could form the words, everything went dark. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the floor.