The next morning, Tania woke up to the sound of pots and pans in the kitchen.

She went to the doorway and saw Samuel in an apron, awkwardly moving around the stove.

The sunlight made him look surprisingly homely and down-to-earth.

When he heard her, he turned with a smile, kissed her forehead, and put a plate on the table.

"I haven't cooked in a while, but I made this just for you, to thank you for last night."

Tania stared at her plate. The fried egg was burnt to a crisp, and the veggies tasted like they were scorched.

She took a bite, grimacing at the salty bitterness, but managed a nod. "It's yummy."

Samuel sighed in relief and playfully tousled her hair. "I'm glad you like it. I was worried I'd ruined it."

He then turned to make a call on the balcony, his back to the kitchen. He did not see Tania's grip on her fork tighten.

She had learned to read lips while teaching at a school for the deaf during her first year of college.

Thus, she could read every word Samuel said, clear as day.

"Lulu, it's been five years.

"I haven't cooked your favorite dish in five years. I tried it just now and botched it."

He tapped his fingers on the railing, his eyes soft with affection, "However, Tania, that silly girl, she'd eat anything, even trash. She said it tasted good.”

"Why marry her?" Samuel's chuckle was low. "The Ferguson family needed a sweet, obedient woman to continue the family name.”

"If you'd agreed to be Mrs. Ferguson, she'll be out of the picture.”

"Come over this afternoon? We can have some fun, like we used to."

He paused, then added, "She'll be at school, the house will be empty."

Tania sat frozen, watching the tenderness in his eyes through the glass. Her heart felt like it was dunked in ice water, the pain turning her numb.

The "fireworks" she thought she saw in his eyes were just part of a rehearsal for someone else.

She quietly got up to clear away the plates, her eyes landing on the fancy dinner set they had picked out on their wedding day. Samuel had promised then, "I want to use these with you forever."

However, in a heartbeat, she let go on purpose.

Crash! The plate shattered on the floor, pieces flying everywhere.

Samuel stopped talking mid-sentence, quickly finished his phone call, and hurried to the kitchen.

He saw the broken pieces and frowned deeply, gently pushing Tania aside to start picking them up.

"Wasn't this our special wedding set? Why did it have to be this one that broke?"

"It slipped," Tania said flatly, without a hint of emotion.

Samuel did not think much of it and said, "I'll get us a new set, just like it, tomorrow."

Then, as if something came to mind, he added, "An old friend from college is visiting this afternoon. She studied the same thing you did at Kingston University. It'll be nice for you two to meet."

Tania felt a wave of cold air wash over her.

She knew Lucy was about to step into her life in a big way.

At two o'clock, the doorbell rang right on time.

Samuel dashed to the door. His eagerness made Tania grip her phone tighter as she sat on the couch.

The door swung open, and Lucy strolled in, eyeing Tania with a look that took her measure.

"So, this is your sweet little wife?"

Lucy moved next to Samuel, patting his shoulder as if she belonged there, her voice dripping with a touch of scorn.

"I hear you're still at Kingston University for your master's? I just got a job offer to teach there. How about you join my class? I'll make sure to look out for you."

Lucy's words were dripping with pride and a challenge.

Tania glanced up, her reply polite but firm. "Ms. Canfield, thanks for the offer, but I've got my own research to focus on, so I'll pass."

Lucy's smile faded, and she turned to Samuel with a look of hurt in her eyes.

"Samuel, your wife sure has a strong will. I’m trying to help her, yet she doesn't even thank me."

Samuel did not hesitate. He turned to Tania and lectured her.

"Tania, tell Lulu you’re sorry. She's a senior student and a professor at Kingston. You should be nicer."

Tania bit her lip and stayed silent.

'I'm not in the wrong. Why should I say sorry?' Tania thought.

However, Samuel just grinned at Lucy, his voice gentler: "I’ve spoiled her. She hasn't had a hard time in the three years we've been together, so don't mind her.”

"I'll go grab my special coffee beans from the study for you. Hang on a sec."

The moment Samuel stepped into the study, Lucy's friendly mask slipped off.

She stormed up to Tania and tried to grab her phone. "Did you just take a secret photo of me? Listen, don't think you can get famous off my back. I've got a deal with a big network, and if a rumor spreads, can you pay the fine for breaking the contract?"

Tania was busy checking experiment data on her phone screen.

That was it — the crucial data that could make or break the new medicine. The fate of the Ferguson family's genetic illness and Samuel's chance to live beyond thirty hinged on those numbers.

Tania's grip on her phone tightened as she glared at Lucy with icy eyes.

"Ms. Canfield, I don't sneakily take photos of people. Show some respect!"

"Respect?"

Lucy scoffed, rolled her eyes, and yanked Tania's hair before slapping her hard across the face.

"You should’ve listened while I was being nice! Give me that phone or I swear I'll ruin your face right here!"

The sharp sound of the slap rang through the living room. Tania's cheek turned red and swollen, her hair sticking to her face in disarray.

At that moment, Samuel walked in with coffee beans. He saw what happened but did not even glance at Tania. He hurried to Lucy and cradled her hand with concern.

"Your hand is too valuable for our experiments. Why get upset over someone who doesn't matter? What if you had hurt your hand?"

Sitting on the couch, Tania watched Samuel fuss over Lucy's hand, feeling sharp pangs of pain in her heart.

Three years of being close, and yet she was still nothing more than "someone who doesn't matter" to him.

She stayed silent, grabbed her laptop bag, and stood up to leave.

Samuel finally spoke, "Where are you off to?"

"Back to school," Tania replied calmly. "There's urgent work at the lab."

Samuel picked up a glass of juice from the table and offered it to her. "Have some before you go — it's fresh."

Tania did not bother with more conversation, took the glass, and downed the juice in one swift motion.

However, as she stepped into the entryway, a wave of dizziness assaulted her. Tania's world turned black as she fell unconscious.

The next time Tania woke up, it was because of some rough shaking.

She was in her bed, her mind slowly getting clearer, but her body was so limp she could not even open her eyes.

An unfamiliar perfume mixed with Samuel's usual cedar scent filled the air, making her feel nauseous.

Then she heard Samuel and Lucy's voices mixing together, "Samuel, be careful. She's still here..." Lucy whined playfully.

"Why worry? She took five times the normal amount of sleeping pills. She won't wake up," Samuel's voice was rough, "You get me way more than she ever did."

"So you'll only care about me from now on?"

"Of course. You're my Lulu..."

Tania could not make out the rest.

She lay there, feeling like a zombie, acutely aware of the bed shaking, the room filled with a mood she did not want to feel.

It hurt like needles piercing her heart.

So that was the "exciting thing" Samuel had in mind: being with another woman right in front of her.

Her eyes stayed shut, tears quietly rolling down her cheeks.

The last tiny flame of hope inside her heart went out.

Time passed, and as the drug's effects faded, Tania could finally move her fingers a bit.

She quietly opened her eyes and saw Lucy cuddled up in Samuel's arms, toying with his necklace.

"Samuel, can we check Tania's phone?”

"I just signed a deal that says I can't be caught up in any rumors with boys. If she snapped a photo and it gets out, I'll owe a fortune for breaking the deal."

"Do what you want."

Samuel's voice sounded like he did not care at all.

Tania's heart squeezed tight.

Her phone had super important info about the new medicine, and she could not let Lucy get her hands on it.

If that info got out, all of the hard work her team did for years would be for nothing.

She gritted her teeth and tried really hard to move her fingers, sneaking the phone under her pillow.

However, before she could hide it all the way, Lucy was already by the bed, grabbing for her arm.

"Give me the phone!"

Tania held on to the phone for dear life and would not let go.

Lucy did not think Tania, who had been drugged, would be so strong. She pulled hard, lost her balance, and stumbled toward the big window.

Tania could not let go in time and got pulled along, smashing into the glass.

"Crash —"

The loud sound of breaking glass filled the air, and Tania felt like she was floating as she fell backward.

As she fell, she covered her belly without thinking, but when she hit the bushes, her back hurt so bad, and something warm trickled down her legs.

Through blurry eyes, she saw Samuel by the window, holding onto Lucy's hand, looking all worried and sorry.

However, there she was, lying in the cold bushes, without even a glance from him.

Before everything went dark, Tania had just one thought: the baby was gone.

The baby she had not even told Samuel about was gone.

When she woke up, she was in the hospital.

Samuel sat next to her, his eyes red and puffy like he had been crying.

"Tania, you passed out right in the entryway the other day. I carried you to your room to rest, and somehow, you ended up falling out of the big window.”

"Good thing our house is only two stories high. The doctor says you're okay, just a few bumps and scratches. You'll be all better after resting for a few days."

Tania shut her eyes tight, not wanting to even look at him.

She knew he was lying, and was saying things that did not make sense because he thought she was too out of it yesterday to remember.

Falling from the second floor was not deadly, but the pain she felt was not just from a few "bumps and scratches."

She felt cold inside, knowing she could not wait any longer.

She had to get her lab work at the university sorted out fast and get herself away from this man.

Samuel would not agree to a divorce easily.

It would cause a fuss for the Ferguson family, and splitting up everything they owned would be a big headache.

However, Tania had a plan. She would stay away for a year, then ask for a divorce because they lived apart.

The Russells had top-notch lawyers, so she would not even have to show her face.

Samuel thought she was sleeping and quietly left the room.

From the hallway, Tania heard him on the phone.

"Mr. Harris, get that emerald jewelry set at the auction tonight, no matter the cost. It'll cheer Tania up," Samuel instructed the butler.

Tania let out an icy laugh.

He always thought gifts could fix everything.

However, he never understood that what she really wanted was not stuff like that at all.

When Samuel returned, Tania asked as if she did not really care, "Where's my phone? I need to check the lab's messages."

Samuel looked panicked for just a second, then looked away and said quickly, "Maybe you left it at home. I didn't see it. I'll help you look for it when we go back."

Tania's voice suddenly got louder, and she sounded like she was warning him, "Did Lucy take it? The files on my phone are super important. If you don't want her to get in trouble, you better give it back to me!"

However, when Samuel heard "Lucy," any guilt he felt disappeared.

He looked at Tania with suspicion in his eyes, "Why do you look so worried? Did you really take a secret video of Lulu?”

"Did you find out she signed with a big company, so you’re trying to make up a scandal to ruin her? Tania, I always thought you were sweet and smart. I can't believe you'd plan something against someone who never did anything to you!"

Tania held back her pain and sat up in her hospital bed, staring hard at Samuel, "I didn't take any secret video. My phone has important lab data. If Lucy messes with it, I'll make sure she pays big time!"

Samuel laughed at her, "Tania, you're just a regular student at Kingston University. Lulu is a fancy professor the school paid a lot to get. She wouldn't care about your data. Stop trying to scare me."

"I've had enough! Get me out of here!" Tania could not take it anymore.

Samuel looked annoyed but nodded, "Alright, I'll take care of it."

Right after he left, the doctor walked in with some test results, sounding a bit sad.

"Mrs. Ferguson, I'm sorry to say you've lost the baby, it was seven weeks along. Also, you really need to rest in bed for at least a month and avoid any heavy work."

Tania's fingers felt like ice as she took the report.

She crumpled it up and tossed it into the trash, her voice steady, "I understand. Thank you, doctor."

‘Maybe it was better this way,’ she thought.

No child should come into a world without their father’s love.

Samuel had finished signing out of the hospital and came back with a gift box in his hand.

"Tania, I got you these vitamins. The doctor said you need to build your strength back up."

Tania did not take them, simply saying, "Let's head home."

When they got home, Tania stopped short in the living room. A bunch of strangers were huddled around her phone, trying to break into it.

Lucy was lounging on the couch with a coffee, looking like she did not have a care in the world. She even gave Tania a challenging look as she walked in.

"What's going on here?" Tania asked, her voice frosty.

Samuel came up behind her, dangling a necklace with a smile.

"Don't be upset, Tania. Lulu was worried you might have taken pictures of her, so she's just making sure. If there's nothing on your phone, they'll give it right back.”

"See, I even got you this necklace. It'll look great on you."

Tania avoided his motions to put the necklace on and fixed her eyes on Lucy. "Ms. Canfield, there are no pictures of you on my phone, just research data.”

"If you don't stop them now, I'll call the police to report you for stealing and leaking confidential information!"

Lucy set her coffee down and stood up, walking over amidst hushed voices.

"Call the police? Got any proof? Do you really think Samuel will take your word over mine?"

Samuel frowned and gently took Tania's hand. "Tania, please calm down. Lulu is just having it checked. If it's all good, you'll get it back."

Tania yanked her hand away and spun around to head for the door. "I'm going back to school.”

"You can't go!" Samuel caught her arm. "The doctor said you need to rest. Can't you just listen for once and not make things harder for me?"

"I’m making things harder?" Tania was so upset she started shaking. She was about to argue so she did not see Lucy sneak up behind her.

Lucy grabbed the vitamin bottle from the table and waved it about. "Samuel, it’s no wonder you two haven't had kids after three years. Tania's been popping birth control pills!"

Samuel's face went pale. He rushed over, grabbed the bottle, and when he looked at Tania again, his eyes were icy cold. "Tania, do you look down on me because of my genetic disease? You don't want to have a Ferguson baby, so you've been lying to me by using birth control?"

"That's not true!" Tania burst out. "Those are just vitamins. She's making it all up!"

"Making it up?" Lucy's eyes welled up with tears. "Samuel, why would I lie? I'm just looking out for you. I don't want her to fool you.”

"See? She's still denying it, not even sorry for what she's done!"

Samuel's anger flared up like wildfire.

Samuel had always felt like there was a sword of sickness hanging over his head, but he kept going, believing he could be cured. He thought Tania was the only one who got him, the only one who would want to start a family with him.

However, Lucy had spilled a secret: Tania had been lying.

She did not want to have kids with him at all.

With a loud smack, Samuel's hand struck Tania's cheek hard.

"You lied to me!"

He yanked her hair and dragged her to the basement, "I told you when we got married that we could beat my sickness and have kids. You said yes!”

"Tania, why did you break your promise? Why take birth control without telling me?”

"How long would you have kept this from me if Lulu hadn't found out?"

He shoved Tania into the basement and locked the door, not waiting for her to explain.

Tania sat against the cold metal door, holding her bleeding forehead, curled up tight.

Time passed, and then Lucy's voice sneaked through the door crack, "Feeling sorry for yourself? You knew what it meant to be a stand-in!”

"Samuel wouldn't look twice at someone as plain as you if you didn't look a bit like me.”

"I know you weren't taking birth control. That's just how strong a first love can be. I've been gone for five years, but I can still make Samuel do whatever I say!”

"Oh, and your phone? I've deleted almost everything and messed with some important stuff.”

"What do you think Samuel will do when he finds out his important medicine got messed up because of you? Do you think he'll hate you more?”

"And your baby? It's gone. However, it wasn't anything special anyway.”

"Do you really think having a baby will make you Mrs. Ferguson for real? That's just wishful thinking!"

Each word felt like a sharp jab to Tania's heart.

She slowly lifted her hand and pulled a voice recorder from her sleeve.

Recording important talks was something she started doing when she was doing science projects. She never thought it would be useful today.

Lucy's words from before were all saved on the recorder.

Tania had been stuck in the basement for three whole days.

In all that time, Samuel only came once to give her some bread and water. He did not even look at her, and just left the food and walked away.

On the fourth morning, the basement door finally opened.

Samuel stood there, looking at her. "Have you learned your lesson? If you have, come upstairs with me, act right, and maybe I'll forgive you."

Tania, leaning on the wall, slowly stood up and said firmly, "I did nothing wrong."

Samuel's face turned stormy. He lifted Tania up and carried her to the bedroom.

"It looks like you haven't learned your lesson yet."

He dropped Tania on the bed.

Tania smelled Lucy's perfume and saw the messy bed sheets and a torn lace undergarment on the floor.

It was not hers.

She could almost picture the awful things Samuel and Lucy must have done in that room while she was away.

She grabbed Samuel's arm tightly, trying to shove him away. "Don't you dare touch me!"

Samuel's eyes were red with anger, and he easily held her down. "You've been hiding and taking pills for three years so we wouldn't have a baby, and now I'm not allowed to touch you?”

"Stop acting like you're so pure. Didn't you have fun on the swing when we went camping?"

"I was pregnant, Samuel!" Tania cried, tears streaming down her pale face. "The baby's gone! It's all because of you and Lucy! Please, don't touch me..."