Chapter 1

On the day of their third wedding anniversary, Mac Stewart brought his former flame to the house.

"Nayeli got tricked by a jerk and ended up pregnant. She's all alone with the baby and has nowhere to turn. I plan to divorce you temporarily and marry Nayeli to ensure her child is born with a proper name. This way, the child won't face the stigma of being illegitimate at birth."

Genevieve Ray glanced down at her own growing belly and nodded, seemingly unbothered. "Alright."

Mac handed her the divorce agreement.

Genevieve glanced at the papers.

The divorce agreement had been drawn up long ago; it was clearly not a negotiation, just a formal notice.

Genevieve skimmed through the document. Her fingers paused for a moment at the clause saying she would leave without any financial support.

Mac cleared his throat, awkwardly explaining, "Nayeli thought since it's just a temporary divorce, we could get back together after her baby is born. It would save us the hassle of dividing our assets."

Then, he added, "You’re not mad, are you?"

Genevieve shook her head, her eyelashes lowered, and signed her name with composure.

Seeing her quick compliance, Mac's tone softened for the first time. "Genevieve, I know you have nowhere to go. You can stay in the house for now. Don't worry, we'll remarry in a year."

Genevieve silently handed the signed divorce agreement back to him.

Her mind was made up; she had no intention of remarrying.

Standing nearby, Nayeli took the divorce papers and then clung to Mac's arm, teasingly saying, "We've got a prenatal exam today, and we're running late. Let's hurry up."

Mac nodded, taking Nayeli's hand and leaving. Nayeli glanced back at Genevieve, her eyes filled with smug triumph.

Once they were gone, Genevieve called her doctor and changed her scheduled prenatal appointment to an abortion.

She drove to the hospital, arriving almost simultaneously with Mac and Nayeli.

They entered the hospital just minutes apart.

Mac, careful due to Nayeli's pregnancy, had his arm around her waist for support.

Nayeli naturally leaned into him, and the two walked closely together into the maternity ward.

Genevieve watched them briefly, then walked calmly to the surgical ward.

The procedure was over quickly. Looking pale, Genevieve lay quietly in the observation room, waiting for the postoperative recovery period to end.

She picked up her phone and found several missed calls. Just as she was about to return them, another call came through.

"Ms. Ray, you have a dinner reservation at 7 PM tonight. Will you be joining us?"

Genevieve remembered she had booked a restaurant for dinner with Mac, planning to celebrate their third anniversary.

But her plans were dashed when Mac brought Nayeli to the house.

Now...

She would call it a celebration of her divorce.

Genevieve pursed her lips and replied softly, "Yes."

After two hours in hospital observation, the doctor finally cleared her to leave.

Though her abdomen hurt, Genevieve's mood was surprisingly liberated.

After graduating, Genevieve had joined the Stewart Corporation’s secretarial division.

She worked hard for a year, but then her mother was diagnosed with brain cancer. They sold their old family home, but the medical expenses were overwhelming.

To cover the costs, Genevieve found herself pleading with Conner Moore, the chairman of Stewart Corporation and Mac’s father, to advance five years' salary.

Conner Moore, aware of her struggle, looked her over carefully.

Under his intense gaze, Genevieve felt anxious, fearing rejection and loss of her job.

However, after a moment’s silence, Conner Moore made an offer to cover her mother's medical expenses completely, on the condition that she marry his son, Mac.

Genevieve later learned that Mac had proposed to Nayeli. But Nayeli had claimed she wasn’t ready for commitment, feeling suffocated by Mac’s plans, and quickly relocated abroad.

Heartbroken, Mac drowned his sorrows in alcohol, slipping into depression. Conner wanted Genevieve to marry Mac to help pull him out of his slump.

Conner not only footed her mother’s medical bills but also secured top neurologists to treat her. Though Genevieve’s mother ultimately succumbed to her illness, Genevieve was comforted knowing she had done everything possible.

Out of gratitude to Conner, Genevieve transferred these feelings onto Mac.

Conner arranged for her to become Mac’s personal assistant, and Genevieve worked tirelessly, feigning infatuation with Mac and chasing him persistently for a year.

Once, during business negotiations, she drank excessively to cover for Mac and wound up hospitalized with a bleeding stomach. Touched by her sacrifice, Mac proposed to her in tears after her recovery.

People gossiped that she was a gold digger, but she ignored them, focusing solely on being a good wife to Mac.

Initially, their relationship warmed, resembling normal married life, and she even became pregnant with Mac’s child.

But a month ago, Mac’s old flame, Nayeli, unexpectedly returned from abroad.