Chapter 1
My brother, Alex Rivers, accidentally sent a message meant for his mistress to me. [Honey, at The Reel Inn at midnight. Wear that red silk dress.]
A cold smile curled at the corner of my mouth. I texted him back immediately. [2 million dollars for hush money.]
Alex called me right away.
He went off on me, accusing me of being shameless, saying I'd even rip off my brother.
I smiled and let him rant. Then I calmly hung up.
Five minutes later, I received a wire transfer of 2 million dollars from Alex.
It was followed by a message: [Please don't tell Claire. She's pregnant now. It's not easy for her.]
I didn't reply to his message.
Instead, I calmly transferred 1 million dollars to my sister-in-law, Claire Mason.
Once she'd received it, I texted to ask her: [You're five months along, right? Since you're pregnant, you can't get a divorce right now, can you?]
Her reply came quickly.
She texted: [That's why I've decided to terminate the pregnancy. Alex never cared about the baby anyway. What about you? What's your plan?]
Me?
My eyes landed on a photo of Daniel Mason and me on the coffee table in the living room.
It was from our college days, snapped by some random passerby.
In that split second, when our eyes met in the photo, one could see all the feelings we had for each other.
But now, it had changed.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
I replied: [I'm planning to terminate my pregnancy, too.]
Claire didn't reply right away.
It wasn't until half an hour later that she finally texted me back. [Alex just got home.]
I replied: [If you're planning to get rid of the baby, I'll set up an appointment at a private hospital. When would be good for you?]
I added: [How about seven days from now? That's the seventh anniversary of your marriage to Alex, and the third of mine to Daniel. We both started on that day, so let's finish things on that day, too.]
She sent me an "okay" emoji.
I cleared the chat history.
Right after that, Alex's message popped up. [Good for you. At least you didn't spill to Claire.]
Good for me? Of course. When I was eighteen, my own brother, Alex, tore up my Quinland University acceptance letter, trashed my records, and forced me to leave the country. He ruined everything I'd worked for.
That was all because Cherry, the girl who'd been living as me in this family for ten years, couldn't beat my scores.
Because of her tears, Alex got all worked up and trashed the future I'd fought so hard to build for myself.
But now, after three years into my marriage with Daniel and three months pregnant, the woman I'd once chased out with all my drama was back.
All her reason was that she still wasn't over Daniel.
So, Alex kept playing matchmaker, always creating opportunities for her to tempt Daniel into cheating.
I never really got why Alex was so ruthless toward me.
Was it all because I said, after I came back, that he deliberately lost me?
Dad whipped Alex so hard that he was bleeding.
And Cherry was sobbing, standing between him and Dad.
From that moment on, I became Alex's enemy, while Cherry became the one he cherished above all else.
He was so malicious that he would wreck my life and my marriage to help Cherry get what she wanted.
As I was drowning in those painful memories, the door opened.
It was Daniel.
He paused for a second when he saw me curled up on the couch and then blurted out, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
He quickly kicked off his shoes and came over, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
"Is the baby giving you trouble again?" he asked.
As he spoke, he gently placed his hand on my still-flat belly and started humming a lullaby.
Listening to his gentle voice, I gripped the blanket tighter in my hand.
Sometimes, I couldn't help but want to confront Daniel, demanding how he could pull this off.
The traces of his affair still clung to him, yet he always made it home by the 10 p.m. curfew I'd set for him.
Then he'd kiss my cheek.
After that, he'd join me for the baby's early learning sessions.
Honestly, it made sense. When I was brought back to the Rivers Family, he'd cautiously approach me and listen to me as I poured out the pain of those five lost years.
But then, one call from Cherry in the middle of the night could make him drop everything to take her out for a late-night drive.
He was always caught in between. He couldn't let me go, but couldn't stay away from Cherry either.
Even back then, Alex forced me to study abroad all alone, with no one to rely on.
When I called my parents again to ask for some money to get by, they were off traveling with Cherry and Alex. They didn't even bother to answer my phone or care about me at all.
In tears, I could barely get out a few sobs before Daniel picked up the phone.
That night, he dropped everything and flew out to me. He gave me money and the support and love I needed.
But after he got back, he showed up at our family's New Year's party, arm in arm with Cherry. They looked like the golden couple everyone admired in our family photo.
In fact, I always thought I'd won.
After all, when I got back, I raised hell and pressured my parents until they sent Cherry overseas.
In the end, I forced Daniel to pick me.
Only now did I see it. I lost, completely.