Chapter 1

After my miscarriage, the doctor told me my chances of conceiving again were slim.

To prove his love for me, my husband, Charles Warren, went and got a vasectomy right away.

He said, "I'll shield you from all the gossip."

Everyone praised him, saying he was wealthy, devoted, and truly one in a million.

But I slapped a divorce agreement on the table.

Everyone said I was crazy.

Only I knew the truth.

That girl who shoved me down the stairs was the mistress Charles kept outside.

*****

The day I decided to file for divorce, I found out I was pregnant.

The doctor told me it was twins.

When Charles heard the news, he immediately ended things with Olivia Lynch, the girl he had been seeing on the side.

Still, he made sure she'd be taken care of for years to come.

He set up a two-million-dollar trust for her, bought her a house, and gave her a job she could never lose.

He said that she had been with him for two years at such a young age.

This was what he owed her.

But he seemed to forget that I was just as young when I first got together with him.

It happened right when his family went bankrupt.

That year was the toughest. We had only three hundred dollars left for the holidays, rent was due in ten days, and our New Year's Eve dinner was instant noodles with eggs. Splurging meant adding two hot dogs, and even those we had to share.

Outside, fireworks were going off nonstop. Charles held me close and swore he'd make a comeback and never betray me.

He did make his comeback.

But in the end, he betrayed me.

All those years of hardship wrecked my health, making it nearly impossible for me to get pregnant. Charles never uttered a single complaint, and he wouldn't let anyone bring up pregnancy around me.

Everyone in our circle envied my judgment. Not only did I bet on Charles and win, but I also had him stick by me through thick and thin.

Marriage was like a pair of shoes. Only the one wearing them knew whether they fitted.

While I was struggling to get pregnant, Charles was keeping a college girl on the side.

She was young and innocent, as fragile and pure as glass.

Back when I was her age, I stuck with Charles through all the hardship and endured everyone's judgment. In the end, all I got was the title Mrs. Warren.

By calling it compensation, he threw a pile of cash at her.

Like I'd been the idiot all along.

I resented him and despised him, but deep down I knew I couldn't go through with a divorce.

I was pregnant with twins after all that waiting. There was no way I was giving them up. But now that they were here, they would need money, connections, and opportunities I didn't have.

As much as I hated to admit it, they would be better off growing up in the Warren family, and one day, they could inherit everything.

If I swallowed my pride, a lifetime of luxury and wealth would be mine.

After a night of struggling, I decided to give him one last chance.

Charles thought I had forgiven him. He placed his hand on my belly and said, "Don't stress yourself out. Nothing is going on between her and me. If there were, she would've gotten pregnant by now."

I coldly brushed his hand away and laid down three rules.

First, we'd sign a legal agreement to leave two-thirds of his assets to our children.

Second, the whole Warren family would have to acknowledge that my kids had full inheritance rights.

Third, he had to cut off all contact with her for good.

Maybe it was because the twins were so precious, or he was probably ready to settle down. Either way, he agreed.

But the turning point came that very night.

Before the notarized agreement arrived, I received a video from Olivia.

In the video, she was sobbing so hard that it broke one's heart, saying she'd found out she was pregnant.

Charles's eyes lit up with excitement. He looked happier than when he heard I was pregnant. But he snapped back to reality fast, telling her to go abroad to have the baby.

He promised her a fat child support payment, and once the kid was born, he'd wire money every year as long as she never came back.

Watching him set everything up for her, but still refusing to give her an official status, Olivia climbed onto the windowsill, threatening to end it all.

Charles spent two hours talking her down, soothing her like she was a kid.

By the time Charles was exhausted, with that helpless look on his face, Olivia suddenly broke into giggles.

She threw herself into Charles's arms and whined, "I'm not pregnant. I wanted you to care about me more. Don't kick me out. I'm not fighting with that boring wife of yours. She's no match for me anyway."

Charles snapped, "Do you think this is something to mess around with?"

Olivia's eyes filled with pain as she asked, "If I were pregnant, would you marry me?"