Chapter 1

The party held to welcome my return to the family ended with me in bed with Charlie Murphy, the untouchable golden boy of the city's elite circle.

He defied his powerful family to engage himself to me, the true heiress in a wheelchair.

Five years later, pregnant and overjoyed, I was just about to tell him the news when I found him in my father's study with my hidden pregnancy test.

Stunned, I heard him say coldly to my father in Navilian, "Bruce, your daughter is pregnant. But a child unwanted by its father doesn't deserve to live.

"Sign the waiver absolving Sylvia of any responsibility for crippling Wendy and grant her a generous share of assets and stocks. Do that, and I'll publicly recognize your plain daughter and let her keep the child."

What he didn't realize was that, despite growing up in a small town, I understood that language.

Now I knew the truth—the car "accident" that broke my legs was caused by Sylvia Foley, the woman who stole my life. And Charlie knew it too, yet he still chose to protect her.

My love and my child were just bargaining chips to force my father's hand.

At that moment, my heart shattered.

If that was his game, I'd play along. And I would make them pay dearly for it.

My father's face darkened as he looked at my motionless legs. Without a word, he turned and strode away, throwing over his shoulder, "I'll think about it."

Charlie just smiled as he crouched down and gently took my hand, pressing a soft kiss to it.

I met his gaze while withdrawing my hand. "What did you just say to my dad?" I asked.

"Just the happy news," Charlie replied, his expression perfectly calm as he lied. "I told him we're expecting a baby."

His arms reached out to me again. "Need to use the bathroom? I'll help you," he offered.

I kept my eyes downcast. "I can manage," I said, maneuvering my wheelchair just beyond his reach before rolling toward the bedroom alone.

Despite being switched at birth and raised in a small town, I had always learned to rely on myself for everything.

But now, I couldn't even use the bathroom without assistance. And the cruelest part was that the person helping me was in love with the very woman who'd ruined my life. The irony turned my stomach.

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Charlie gently picked me up from my wheelchair and settled me onto the bed.

"It's time for bed, little princess," he whispered.

Once I was comfortable, he warmed a towel and gently massaged my weakening legs with hospital-provided oils, patiently guiding me through each repetitive exercise.

Night after night for five years, Charlie had done this for me—so consistent and tender that I never questioned his love.

But looking back now, I realized maybe all his kindness was just an endless apology for the woman he truly loved.

Charlie caught me staring and flashed a smile. "Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked.

My hands twisted tightly in my lap. "Charlie, how could someone like me ever be a mother?" I whispered.

"Don't say that," he said softly, pulling me into his embrace and gazing into my eyes with genuine tenderness.

"Wendy, you have to believe this—no matter what, I'll love you exactly as you are. Our child will love you too. You're going to be a wonderful mother," he promised.

When he finished, I surprised him by asking, "Any news about the person who hit me back then?"

"I'm still digging," Charlie replied, his voice steady. "It was a quiet road with no cameras, so no luck so far."

I dropped my gaze, managing a bitter smile. "Is that so?"

Charlie gently cupped my cheek, his tone warm and full of affection as he said, "I'd never lie to you. Believe me, I want to find who did this even more than you do. Anyone who ever hurt you will be held accountable."

I looked at him, my voice trembling. "What if it was you who hurt me?"

A shadow crossed his eyes before he smiled. "Then you shouldn't ever forgive me."

He adjusted the blankets around me and pressed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Don't overthink it. Get some rest now, my love. I'll be in the study."

After he left, tears ran down my cheeks. Five years I'd lived in this beautiful lie—five years of believing in a love that never truly existed.

I grabbed the tablet off the nightstand and pulled up our home security system.

When the password prompt popped up, I hesitated for a moment before typing in Sylvia's birthday. My heart sank when I saw it actually work.

I couldn't help laughing at myself—what could be more ironic?

The screen showed Charlie on the phone, his voice cold and unfamiliar through the speakers.

"Bruce, have you made your decision yet?" he said into the phone. "Sylvia is your daughter too. She just made one stupid mistake. Are you seriously going to destroy her future over this?

"I have your daughter and her unborn child. You know what to do, right?"

My breath caught in my throat, my face draining of color.

My crippled legs meant nothing to him, just a stupid mistake he barely even registered.

The cruel irony was that I had desperately wanted to have his child, and now that life had become nothing but a bargaining chip in his hands.

When my father apparently refused, Charlie slammed down the phone in fury.

The housekeeper couldn't hold back anymore. "Mr. Murphy, Ms. Foley has lost her mobility and now carries your child. Is it really fair to threaten her father like this?"

Charlie's expression darkened. "If she hadn't suddenly come back and taken everything from Sylvia, none of this would have happened.

"As long as Bruce drops the charges against Sylvia, this will all be over. Wendy will never know about this conversation, and I'll treat her well. She'll remain my wife—that much I can guarantee."