Chapter 1
My husband, Gideon Gross, had a stepsister named Delaney Gross, who was a total trouble magnet.
She'd lose files, ruin business deals, or pull pranks like dressing up as a ghost to freak people out. For more than ten years, Gideon was always the one picking up the pieces after her disasters.
But everything changed when my brakes failed on the highway, and I lost my child in the crash.
At my bedside, Gideon was juggling urgent paperwork, shooting me a resigned smile.
He said, "Don't be upset with Delaney. She had no idea you were pregnant."
"I've been working overtime lately, and she just wanted to mess with you so I'd finally take a break and hang out with you."
Just as Gideon finished speaking, Delaney called, and he had to dash off.
He left in such a rush that he signed the documents without even glancing at them.
The System's voice rang in my head, "If Gideon gives up on the marriage, you'll complete the mission and score a 300 million dollar reward. The divorce agreement's already signed. Just put your name down, and it's official."
I waved at the nurse. "Hey, can you get me a pen?"
When Gideon came back, I'd already signed everything and was just making sure I hadn't missed a spot.
His suit was still cold from being outside. He absentmindedly tugged at his tie and glanced at the papers in my hand, probably thinking they were just some routine business contract.
He came over with that familiar gentle smile, placing his warm hand over my cold one, his voice soft and reassuring. "Just rest up. I'll handle everything at work."
His hand was warm, but to me, it felt as cold as ice. My fingers instinctively recoiled.
I looked up at him, my throat tight. After seven years, our marriage was finally coming to an end.
When I stayed silent, his brows drew together and he reached out to check my forehead. "What's wrong? You don't look so good. Are you not feeling well?"
I turned my head to dodge his hand, closed the divorce agreement and pushed it aside. Then I reached for my medication on the nightstand and swallowed it down in one gulp.
The pills slid down my throat, leaving a cold, bitter aftertaste. Gideon handed me a glass of water, and I took a sip.
Gideon raised his brows, surprised. "What's with you today? No fussing about the medicine being bitter, no refusing to take it?"
I kept my eyes down, my voice barely above a whisper, cold and distant. "I'm done making a fuss. I won't do it anymore."
His smile froze, and he spoke slowly, his tone tentative, almost testing the waters. "Are you still mad at Delaney?"
I didn't look up, but I could picture his face—frowning, with that usual look of indulgence, like Delaney's screw-ups were nothing more than childish pranks.
"She had good intentions, but things just didn't work out," he said.
He came over, reaching out to hug me, but I turned away. "We lost the baby, but we can have another one. Don't let this get to you, okay? You need to take care of yourself."
"What if I died too?" I asked.
My words landed like a stone, shattering the quiet air.
Gideon froze for a second, then gave a little laugh, messing up my hair with that usual confidence. "Come on, as long as I'm around, nothing's gonna happen to you."
Yeah, my husband was the youngest rising star among Clemond City's elite families, able to pull strings anywhere he wanted.
All these years, no matter what kind of mess Delaney stirred up, whether it was tricking me into eating mangoes I was allergic to in front of a crowd, or losing the special keepsake Gideon and I shared, Gideon always swooped in and smoothed things over.
So how could I ever really be in danger this time?
Gideon wrapped me up in his arms, gently patting my back, as if his touch could magically erase the pain of the crash and losing our child.
How did it come to this?
Back then, he really did care about me.
Seven years ago, right at our wedding, Delaney made a scene by grabbing the wedding ring and putting it on her own finger.
Gideon lost his temper in front of everyone, saying he'd disown her as his sister.
But the very next day, he turned up with a bunch of white roses, trying to make it up to me.
"Delaney slit her wrists," he said quietly.
His eyes were red and tired, but his voice was steady. "There was blood everywhere in the tub. When I found her, she was barely hanging on. Maddison, she only grabbed the wedding ring and made a scene because she's so scared of being left behind. Honestly, it's kind of my fault… I owe her."
That was when I finally realized Gideon and Delaney weren't actually related by blood.
After their parents died, Delaney was terrified of being abandoned, so Gideon promised her that if he hadn't met someone he truly loved by the time he turned thirty, he'd marry her himself.