Chapter 1

I had just dragged myself back from the brink of death in the delivery room, giving birth to a firstborn son for Thomas Shaw, my husband of eight years.

Right then, his secretary called. Her voice was bubbling with sheer joy. "Ma'am, the most wonderful news!"

A smile instinctively tugged at my lips.

It vanished instantly as her next words hit me like a drenching of ice water, chilling me from the inside out.

"Mrs. Shaw safely delivered a baby girl at Harmony Medical Center at three o'clock this afternoon. Both mother and daughter are doing perfectly."

The thing was, I was the Mrs. Shaw she was referring to.

And the baby I had just given birth to was unmistakably a boy.

*****

I lay on the freezing delivery table, my entire body violently shivering as the epidural slowly wore off.

The phone was pressed to my ear, and Thomas Shaw's secretary, Mina Holden, was practically singing through the speaker.

"Evelyn, Mr. Shaw is over the moon. He literally handed Ms. Lynn a three-million-dollar cash bonus right on the spot and booked the most exclusive luxury postpartum suite in the entire city. Don't you think the staff should chip in and do something to celebrate too?"

The "Ms. Lynn" Mina spoke of was none other than Claire Lynn, the woman Thomas kept on a pedestal in his heart for the last eight years.

So, she was the real Mrs. Shaw.

And I, the woman who had been his secret wife for eight years, had just risked my life to give birth to his firstborn son, only to realize I was merely a shadow in the wings. While he held her in his heart, I was nothing.

It felt like an invisible fist had reached into my chest and crushed my heart, suffocating me.

It took every ounce of strength I had left to force the words out of my throat. "You have the wrong number."

Mina paused, and I heard some muffled rustling on the other end, like she was confirming something with someone nearby.

"No, this is definitely your number, Evelyn. Mr. Shaw specifically requested I call you first. He said you've worked for him for so long and put in so much blood, sweat, and tears. He wanted you to be the very first to hear the amazing news and share in the joy."

Joy?

They wanted me to be joyful that my husband just had a baby with another woman?

How ridiculous! How ironic!

I couldn't stomach another word. I ended the call and violently hurled my phone at the floor.

The screen shattered into a million pieces, mirroring exactly how I felt.

A nurse heard the crash and came sprinting into the room. Seeing my face drained of all color, she asked concernedly, "Mrs. Shaw, what's wrong? Are you in pain?"

Mrs. Shaw?

Hearing that title now felt like a brutal slap to the face.

I just shook my head, but the tears completely betrayed me, spilling hot and fast down my cheeks.

For eight years, I had stood by Thomas when he was a completely broke nobody, strategizing, grinding, and building him up step by painful step until he reached the top.

I sacrificed my own career to be the invisible woman behind the curtain. I managed his life, solved his crises, and even agreed to keep our marriage a total secret so that it wouldn't jeopardize his rise to power.

I genuinely believed that giving him a child would finally secure my place in the light. He would finally give our son a real home.

But I was living in a complete delusion.

He had been building that perfect life for his beloved Claire all along.

To him, I was never a wife. I was merely a tool used to solidify his career and, in the process, provide him with a suitable heir.

Heavy, urgent footsteps echoed down the hall, and the door was shoved open.

Thomas stepped into the room, tall and striking in an immaculate, custom-tailored black suit. Not a single hair was out of place. But his face was tight with deep irritation.

He didn't even spare me a glance. He walked straight over to the bassinet to inspect our newborn son.

"Evelyn Crane, are you done being dramatic?" he barked coldly. "Mina made a mistake. I already reprimanded her. Right now, your only job is to recover."

I stared at his sharp profile, feeling my heart rip open all over again.

"Thomas, whose baby is it?" I forced the words out, my voice ragged and raw.

He finally turned to look at me. His deep eyes were devoid of a single ounce of warmth. There was only quiet disdain.

"You already know the answer."

That one flippant, careless sentence completely shattered the last desperate shred of hope I was clinging to.

"So, Claire just gave birth to your daughter?"

"Yes," he confirmed without a second of hesitation.

"And what about me? What about our son?" I practically screamed, my throat tearing. "What the hell do we mean to you?"

Thomas actually frowned, looking at me like I was being utterly ridiculous.

He reached into his tailored jacket, pulled out a checkbook, scribbled something down, and casually tossed a check onto my bedside table.

"There's three million dollars. Consider it severance for your services over the years," he said flatly. "Our marriage is over. My lawyers will bring the divorce papers tomorrow."

"As for the boy," he added, his eyes drifting back to the bassinet and softening for just a fraction of a second. "He will take the Shaw name. He is my firstborn son. But as far as the world is concerned, Claire will be his mother."

He was taking my son.

He was going to force my baby to call his lover Mom.

The copper taste of blood rushed to my mouth as my vision failed me. Everything went dark, and I collapsed into the abyss.