Two weeks before my wedding to Alexander Hayes, he invites his friends over to our small home.

During dinner, Alexander keeps groping me, whether intentionally or not. After they finish eating, I overhear their conversation as I clear the dishes and walk past the study.

"Alex, Lydia's quite something. I touched her earlier, and her skin's so soft. She nearly pulled my soul out.

"If you don't mind, let us guys have some fun with her once she pays off the debt for you. We'll help you cover the cost of whatever Kay wants."

Alexander chuckles softly, his voice casual and careless. "Sure, I don't mind. I've been sleeping with her for so long, I'm already sick of her anyway.

"Just make sure she doesn't rat us out to my grandpa... Actually, forget it. She's blind anyway, so she won't figure it out."

For two years, I've devoted myself completely to taking care of Alexander, yet he's ready to throw me into other men's beds, using my body to settle his debts.

I stand silently at the doorway, feeling absolutely nothing.

Of course, I know that someone else has been replacing him for a year. The person who holds me close night after night isn't him, and the child in my belly isn't his either.

I had just finished my shower when a hot male body embraced me from behind.

He kissed me from my ear all the way down to my neck, leaving a trail of kiss marks, but it still wasn't enough for him. He turned me around, one hand around my waist, the other holding the back of my head as he kissed me deeply.

His kissing technique was still so skilled. A year of nightly intimacy meant he knew all my sensitive spots perfectly, and I gradually melted in his arms.

When I felt his hand wandering downward, about to lift my skirt, I suddenly struggled. The man's movements stopped. He bit my lip lightly, his tone somewhat reluctant.

"What's wrong? You don't want to today?"

I knew he was puzzled. After all, I'd never refused him before when it came to intimacy.

"The doctor said the fetus wasn't fully stable during the first trimester of pregnancy."

The man's breathing hitched, and his arms around me trembled slightly.

"Aren't you happy to hear you're going to be a father?"

"No, I'm very happy. So incredibly happy. I never thought I could..."

He was incredibly excited, carefully carrying me back to bed and lying on his side to protect my belly. Seeing my exhausted expression, the man turned off the lights and fell silent.

I smiled slightly. I had always been prone to pregnancy, so if anything, it was surprising it took this long to conceive.

As for Alexander Hayes, he always used protection when we were intimate. Even if he forgot once by accident, he would watch me take the morning-after pill afterward.

Since this man treasured the child so much, I wouldn't need to bother with an abortion.

The next morning, the man beside me had disappeared. I went downstairs and ran into Alexander. His breathing was heavy, and I could feel his gaze fixed intently on me.

"The marks on your neck..."

Was he jealous? I wondered, smiling.

"It's all your fault for being so rough last night, Alexander. My legs still hurt, and those marks must be from then. Why do you seem so confused?"

"I'm just worried it might look bad if you go out like that. Remember to cover them up."

I gave a noncommittal response, not bothering to mention how a blind person was supposed to cover up marks by herself. Alexander hurriedly ate a few bites of breakfast and left, claiming he had business to attend to.

I felt my way upstairs and turned on the listening device connected to his phone. It occurred to me that Alexander's grandfather, Elliot Hayes, had installed this when I first arrived. He hoped it would help us communicate better and develop our relationship more quickly.

Who would have thought it would now serve as evidence of his betrayal?

Alexander quickly arrived at a place filled with chaotic sounds. It sounded like a nightclub. I heard a woman's sweet voice through the earpiece and recognized it as Alexander's first love, Kayla Mitchell.

"Alexander, everyone's been waiting for you forever. What took you so long?"

The sound of rustling fabric followed, probably him embracing Kayla.

"Must've been held up by that temptress at home. Alex, you'd better make it up to Kay."

"Well, that's only natural. I mean, remember Lydia's face, and that body... Damn. When will Alex let us have some fun too?"

A burst of raucous laughter erupted, and Alexander spoke carelessly.

"Sure, once Lydia pays off the debt for me, you guys can have your turn. Can't say I'm not looking out for you guys."

I listened to them fantasizing about me without restraint until Kayla's voice cut through. "When are you planning to tell her the truth, Alexander? You're not seriously going to marry her, are you?

"How about we play her video at the wedding? Give her some fame."

"No!"

Alexander's voice suddenly rose, rejecting Kayla without hesitation. The atmosphere on their end fell silent. Seeming to realize his overreaction, Alexander began explaining.

"My grandpa loves Lydia for some reason. If he finds out about this and strips me of my inheritance, Kay would suffer too. After the wedding, using Lydia to get you more jewelry is much more profitable. The guys are all for it, right?"

"Yeah, Kay, tell us what you want. We'll see how long we need to sleep with Lydia to make it worthwhile. That tiara we bought you last time cost Alex a whole year with Lydia."

Kayla laughed again, her voice sweet and soft.

"Well, I'll have to think carefully. She's really getting off easy. She's probably enjoying herself."

More laughter erupted from their end. As I listened to their conversation, my thoughts drifted.

I came from Blessing Valley, a village where all the women were beautiful and extremely fertile. Elliot somehow discovered the village. He built a golden statue for the village's sacred goddess, asking only for the most fertile woman in the village to bear a child.

I was the unlucky one chosen. Elliot had Alexander marry me simply because Alexander had been diagnosed as unable to have children.

Alexander treated me well at first, sleeping with me every night. I thought he used protection because he wanted to wait until after marriage to have children.

I never imagined I was just a tool for him to release his desires when Kayla wasn't around. After Kayla returned, he couldn't wait to give me away as a gift. My feelings for him were nothing but a joke.

Too impatient to listen any longer, I turned off the monitoring device. Alexander didn't come home all night, but that other man came in the evening.

Even though we couldn't be intimate anymore, he still showed up. This child really was important to him.

I pretended not to know anything as I drank the soup he made for me. Alexander would never cook.

"Alexander, when are we going to announce this baby?"

The man's breathing grew heavier for a moment as he touched my belly. "Soon. I'll make sure my child has legitimacy."

I smiled with satisfaction. From the very first day they switched, I knew Alexander was deceiving me.

Although I was born blind, years of blindness had made my sense of smell and hearing exceptionally sharp.

That day when I returned to the house, someone eagerly embraced me. I initially thought it was Alexander, but when I turned around and caught an unfamiliar scent, I knew it was a stranger.

I struggled and refused to let him succeed, and the man indeed stopped touching me. But our villa had excellent security. When could such a predator have gotten in?

So the next day, I tested Alexander. "Alexander, why were you so impatient yesterday? My period wasn't even finished."

Knowing that a stranger had taken liberties with me, Alexander should have been furious. But he fell silent for a moment and then accepted responsibility.

"Well, you're just too tempting, Lyddie. I couldn't control myself."

I understood then that Alexander was aware of it. That man was someone Alexander had let in.

Fighting back tears, I forced a smile in front of him. So, this was what it felt like to have your heart truly betrayed.

Elliot's deal with the village only lasted until I gave birth to a child. But he never specified who the father had to be. Since Alexander had given me to someone else, I wouldn't refuse either.

So the next night, when the man appeared again, I no longer reacted violently. Instead, I walked over and leaned into his embrace, removing my clothes piece by piece.

"Alexander, we don't need protection anymore. Let's have a baby."

Day after day, this deceptive relationship between the man and me continued for an entire year. I pretended not to know he wasn't Alexander, and he pretended to be Alexander.

Alexander during the day, this man at night. They coordinated so perfectly that they never appeared in front of me at the same time.

Every time Alexander held my hand during the day, the man would exhaust me even more thoroughly that night, leaving me unable to get out of bed the next day. He forced me to say I loved him over and over again in bed, and he would respond each time that he loved me too.

He wouldn't let me call him "Alexander", only allowing me to call him "honey" in the darkness. I heard his murmurs when he thought I was asleep.

"Why do you have to marry him? Do you love him that much? You can't even tell the difference."

Actually, I wanted to ask him the same thing. Why was he deceiving me along with Alexander? I didn't even know who he was.

When I thought of him as Alexander, what did he think of me as? I was afraid I'd hear that he only saw me as a tool, too, so I didn't dare ask.

The next day, Alexander came home early. He said Elliot's party tonight specifically requested my attendance. I was dressed up like a doll, with people fussing over me, until Alexander finally helped me into the car.

When the door closed, my body tensed. There was another person breathing in the car.

The perfume was sickeningly sweet. It had to be Kayla. Was she really this impatient?

Halfway through the drive, the sticky sounds of kissing began, followed by Alexander's muffled groans as his zipper was pulled down. This made it impossible for me to pretend nothing was happening. After all, I was only blind, not deaf.

"Alexander, are you feeling alright? I thought I heard you making some noise."

"No... Ah... Lyddie, you heard wrong... I... mm... might have a slight cold."

I knew Kayla was trying to provoke me, but I really didn't want to listen to their live performance.

"Did you catch a chill last night? I told you we shouldn't have done that by the window..."

I pretended to be shy, and Alexander's side went quiet. He probably pushed Kayla away. Well, nobody likes hearing about being cheated on.

We soon arrived at the party, where Elliot led me around for introductions. Most people were polite for a moment before leaving.

I knew they looked down on me. My background was already humble, and I was blind on top of that.

"Mr. Hayes Senior has excellent taste. This young lady is quite beautiful."

A male voice spoke, and my pupils trembled slightly. It was that man.

"Elliot, who's this?" I asked with feigned curiosity, and Elliot laughed heartily.

"This is the head of the Foster family, Vincent Foster. Let me tell you, Vincent is exceptionally capable.

"At the same age as Alexander, he's already taken the Foster family to new heights. If only Alexander could learn from him, then I'd have peace of mind."

Vincent seemed to have only come to say hello. After exchanging pleasantries, he left. Midway through the party, I followed a server to the restroom, but the server was nowhere to be found when I came out.

Unfamiliar with the layout, I felt my way forward. Just as I reached a corner, someone wrapped an arm around my waist.

A hand covered my scream, and I caught his scent. It was Vincent.

"Did I scare you? How can you not even recognize your own honey?"

He was incredibly bold, daring to impersonate Alexander at such a crowded party. Seeing my silence, Vincent simply chuckled softly and kissed me.