Chapter 1

My coworker arranged a ride for me, but it was the custom Rolls-Royce my husband and I ordered after our wedding, worth over thirty million. Pregnant, I sat in the back, looking at the "Nina's exclusive" decal on the passenger seat and realizing all his tenderness was for another woman. My phone showed his message: "Don't scare her." He didn't realize—the car, the marriage, even Grant Holdings—all belonged to me.

*****

My coworker got me a carpool, but the ride turned out to be a custom Rolls-Royce worth over thirty million.

It was the one my husband and I had made together right after our wedding.

But now, the car was parked by the curb.

In the passenger seat, a young girl was wrapped around his neck, playfully rubbing her nose against his and acting all sweet and coy.

Before I even got in, I received a text from my husband.

[I'm warning you, don't scare her. She's nothing like you—she's pure and delicate.]

I kept quiet and slipped into the back seat.

Actually, the back seat was where I always sat—after all, the front was usually reserved for the driver and assistant.

But today, sitting in this car, I stared at the passenger seat. The black and Bordeaux red leather interior I'd so carefully chosen was now decorated with cutesy pink doll stickers, and in soft, rounded pink letters, it said:

[Nina's Fairy Seat]

"So tacky."

I thought I'd blurted it out, but it was Nina in the passenger seat who said it.

"Honey, this car's color is just awful~ Ugh! Men are all the same, so impractical."

Nina hugged my husband's arm, swinging it playfully. "Look, I made the passenger seat all pink—so cute, right? And I even helped you pick up a carpool fare! That money's enough for a cute little cake!"

"Honey, aren't you gonna praise me~"

My husband, Edward Grant, the current head of Grant Holdings of Zionsville, always looked cold and aloof in his suit, like he was impossible to approach. But now, he gently ruffled Nina's hair and leaned over to buckle her seatbelt.

"Be good, Nina."

Unlike his gentle tone, his gaze toward me was icy and filled with disgust, as usual. He didn't even bother to say a single word to me.

I was supposed to go to the hospital for a prenatal checkup today—I'm six weeks pregnant. My mom always said the first three months are the most delicate, so I should keep calm and avoid any stress. That's why I didn't tell anyone about it.

Watching those two being all sweet up front, a wave of heartache crashed over me, my eyes stinging as tears threatened to spill.

But then, the girl in the passenger seat suddenly turned around and asked, grinning.

"Ma'am—oh, wait! I mean, sis~ Where are you headed?"

"Oh, silly me~ I can just check on my phone!"

"Hey, sis~ Looks like we're headed to the same place! We're going to the hospital too!"

Nina was on a roll, barely letting me get a word in edgewise. But when Edward heard that last bit, he gave me a cold, disgusted look in the rearview mirror.

Right then, my phone buzzed with a message.

[Edward: Are you trying to get my attention with some lame excuse again?]

[Edward: I'm warning you—our families are bound by business interests. If you piss me off, your family won't be spared!]

[Edward: You'd better behave yourself.]

My left hand instinctively went to my belly, while my right was shaking as I gripped my phone. Almost without thinking, I'd already booked a flight to Switzerland—my mom, my family, everything I care about is waiting for me there.

I never planned to return to the US. Switzerland was where I grew up—my family business, my parents, my friends, everything I cared about was there.

But when I was seventeen, I met Edward Grant, who came to Switzerland as an international student.

It was love at first sight.

That teenage love burned so bright, I threw caution to the wind and followed Edward Grant back to the US.

My parents, who loved me dearly, decided to support some of our family's old businesses in the US, giving me the backing I needed to make this leap.

Finally, when I turned 23, our family's business in the US went public. That same year, Edward Grant and I got engaged.

Now I'm 25, and I've loved Edward Grant for eight years. How many times can you give someone eight years of your life?

"Sis~ Want a snack?"

Nina's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

My throat tightened, but I bit back the urge to ask, 'Do you even realize you're the mistress?' and just shook my head.

'What if she really doesn't know?' I wondered.

Nina let out a disappointed "Oh~" and then grabbed a tiny jelly, trying to feed Edward as he drove.

Edward not only ate it, but he even playfully licked Nina's hand, making it look all flirty.

I felt sick to my stomach and quickly turned away.

Nina's cheeks turned pink, and she mumbled, a little embarrassed,

"Oh, stop it. You're so annoying! People are totally going to laugh at us!"

"Don't mind us, sis~ We're still crazy about each other! He's glued to me these days."

"Same thing today—I'm just having some cramps, but he got all worked up and insisted on driving me to the hospital himself for a checkup."

I couldn't take it anymore. 'Is she seriously bragging?' Edward never gave a damn about me, never bothered to ask, never cared. Yet he showers another woman with all his affection.

Fighting back the ache in my chest, I grabbed my bag and, while the light was red, spoke up,

"Just drop me off here. Something urgent came up."

Nina had been going on and on about her whirlwind romance, but when she saw me getting ready to leave, she looked genuinely surprised and asked,

"Wait, aren't you headed to the hospital?"

Seeing how eager I was to get out, her eyes suddenly lit up with a mischievous glint.

"Hold up—are you worried you can't afford to ride in a luxury car and trying to skip out on paying?"

My stomach was in knots, my head was spinning, and my vision kept blurring in and out. I just couldn't stand talking to her any longer.

I paid for the ride on the app, flashed the payment screen to Nina, then pushed open the door and stepped out.

Right as the light turned green, the black Rolls-Royce took off, kicking up dust and sending my dress swirling in the breeze.

From the passenger seat, Nina kept asking questions.

"That woman looked so pale, it was kind of scary~"

Edward glanced at the woman standing by the curb through the rearview mirror, his face full of disgust.

"Baby, you're just too nice. People like her are always trying to get attention."

Nina immediately caught on to what Edward meant, her eyes widening in surprise. "Wow, she's really that manipulative?"