I strained to listen, inwardly scoffing at her naivete.

What man would admit to having a new flame?

Sure enough, Julian sidestepped the question.

"Don't overthink it. Having you is enough. Be good."

"I really am in a meeting. I have to go, the board members are waiting for me."

A woman's intuition is a powerful thing. The sudden shift in his tone was all Scarlett needed.

"Wait a minute... you're not at the office! How could it be this quiet?"

"Julian, you told me you only loved me!"

He took a deep breath, his voice turning colder.

"Scarlett Monroe, let me make this clear. You do not control me!"

"I'm hanging up. If you need something, talk to my assistant. Don't bother me again today!"

Before Scarlett could reply, he hung up the phone.

"Is there anything else?"

Are you kidding me? Poking the bear right now would be suicide.

I forced a smile and poured him a glass of whiskey.

"No, I'll get right on it."

The moment Julian left the house, I followed him.

He's so impatient with Scarlett, so secretive... He must be going to see his real mistress!

I won't get it wrong this time!

I tailed him all the way to a private hangar.

His bodyguards had already secured the perimeter. Inside the enormous hangar, a crew bustled about with practiced efficiency.

I hid behind a shipping container and heard Julian instructing his men:

"Remember, the moment I raise my hand, you turn on the lights. As soon as she says yes, you play the music."

"Has that Graff yellow diamond necklace I ordered arrived? It's her favorite design. I want to surprise her with it on our trip to the private island."

His assistant nodded hastily, bowing his head in deference.

"Rest assured, sir. Everything is prepared to your specifications. We're just waiting for her to arrive."

"But sir, you'll be gone for six months. What if she gets lonely..."

Julian sighed.

"There's no other way. The deal over there has been finalized, and I have to go in person."

"With her getting pregnant now... I have no choice but to leave her in Claire's hands."

"I promised her that after this is all over, I'll liquidate my shadier assets and give her and the child a peaceful life."

I was so excited I nearly cried.

This has to be it!

For a madman like Julian to wash his hands of his dirty business, this woman must be the most important person in his life!

As time ticked by, my heart beat faster and faster.

As the hangar door slowly groaned upward, a figure in a striking red dress strode in from the night.

The moment their eyes met, they crashed together in a fierce kiss, an embrace so passionate it looked like they were trying to devour one another. My own heart hammered against my ribs.

I was even more excited than Julian himself.

I crept closer, desperate to see the woman's face.

But my foot kicked a toolbox.

Julian immediately pulled back, his gaze turning sharp as he looked in my direction.

"Who's there! Show yourself!"

A bodyguard grabbed me by the collar and threw me in front of them.

The moment I looked up, my world crashed down.

How could it be Scarlett?

Julian's face was grim.

"I gave you a job to do, and instead of doing it, you're here following me? Do you have a death wish?"

Scarlett, now sporting the multi-million-dollar necklace and grinning from ear to ear, felt generous enough to plead on my behalf.

"Julian, darling, I'm sure she didn't mean any harm. Why don't we let it go? It was probably just a misunderstanding."

"Thank you for this surprise. I was starting to think you'd forgotten our anniversary..."

"The good news I wanted to tell you is—"

"I'm pregnant!"

The ferocity in Julian's eyes softened instantly, and he gently pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I will never forget our anniversary. You mean everything to me."

"Thank you for this. I'm so happy."

I squeezed my eyes shut in despair, unable to listen to another word.

Using the excuse that I felt unwell, I fled the scene.

Back in the car, I realized that stalking him like this was far too risky.

I got my hands on a miniature listening device with a built-in GPS tracker.

When Julian wasn't looking, I slipped it into the custom pen he always carried.

He was leaving the country in just two days. This was my last chance.

Before Julian returned, I had already snuck into the guest bedroom and pretended to be asleep.

In five years of marriage, we had never shared a bed, so he had no reason to be suspicious.

A night passed. The next day, the listening device finally came alive.

"With them, it's all an act. You know who really has my heart, don't you?"

"I promise you, once our son is born, I'll set up the business for him to inherit. Then we'll travel the world together, just like I promised you, okay?"

"Still jealous of Scarlett? Her necklace was just a convincing replica. I already swapped it for the real one, which I'll give you when we meet tomorrow."

"If she hadn't also gotten pregnant, I'd have been worried my enemies would target you. Now, she's the perfect decoy for the media."

...

Hearing him coo so gently on the phone, a complete contrast to how he was with Scarlett, I shot bolt upright in bed. A jolt of certainty ran through me—this time, I would finally get the answer!

Julian left without touching his breakfast.

I quickly followed, tracking his location on my phone all the way to a seaside villa in the Hamptons.

The moment he parked, I began contacting the team Caleb had on standby.

At the same time, I hired ten top-tier nurses at an exorbitant price!

Julian valued her so much, and I had already died for her twice. This time, there could be no mistakes.

The villa entrance was too far away for me to see clearly.

I could only hear Julian's excited voice through the listening device.

"Is the baby okay?"

"Have the people Claire sent to protect you arrived?"

"I'll be away for the next six months. If anything happens, just listen to her. She's useless, but she's a coward who values her own life above all else. She'll protect you just to save her own skin."

"Be good. When I get back, I'll divorce her and be with you, properly and rightfully. My love, I miss you so much..."

The moment I heard him say "my love," all rational thought evaporated.

My mind was flooded with the sheer, ecstatic relief of knowing I would survive!

I've finally found her!

The two of them went into the villa, and Julian's figure soon appeared on the second-floor balcony, seemingly busy on a call.

I changed into a nurse's uniform and knocked on the villa's front door, determined to see what Julian's beloved actually looked like.

More importantly, I had to see the face of the person who had gotten me killed twice!

Footsteps soon approached from inside.

"Who is it?"

I replied loudly:

"Mrs. Blackwood sent me! I'm here to assist with her prenatal care."

"Okay, please wait a moment!"

Soon, the lock clicked open.

My breath caught, and my nails dug deep into my palm.