Chapter 1

On Philip Sinclair's funeral day, the room was shrouded in black veils and white flowers. As his daughter-in-law, I stood alone at the altar, right in front of everyone.

Just as the coffin was about to be lifted, a woman in a simple dress rushed out, clutching a boy in her arms, and blocked the doorway. "Mrs. River Sinclair, please let Mr. Philip Sinclair's grandson pay his respects."

Her words made the whole room freeze. Even the crying stopped.

Everyone knew that Dutton Sinclair and I had been married for five years, and we only had one daughter.

The woman threw herself into Dutton's arms, her shoulders shaking with sobs. "Dutt, I couldn't bear to let Mr. Philip Sinclair pass away never knowing he had a grandson.

"Truce carries the Sinclair blood, too. Even if I'm not your wife, I still want to bring him here to see his grandfather one last time."

She placed a hand on her belly, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And I'm pregnant again. I want to tell Mr. Philip Sinclair this good news in front of his coffin, so he can rest in peace."

Everyone was staring at me.

Dutton wrapped the woman in his arms, carefully brushing away her tears, like he was terrified she might disappear if he let go.

I looked at him and let out a cold laugh.

On the day of the funeral, a pregnant mistress showed up with their illegitimate son, blocking the coffin. Dutton had lost all sense of dignity.

The woman pleaded, "Mrs. River Sinclair, please let Truce and me be a part of the family. Truce is the Sinclair family's flesh and blood, and he's Dutt's only son.

"If Truce could attend the funeral, Mr. Philip Sinclair would be happy, too."

With that, she stared at me for my answer.

Dutton looked at me, his face full of disappointment. "River, Rachel is poor and fragile. She knows you're my rightful wife, and she's never tried to compete with you.

"If it weren't for my dad's funeral today, she wouldn't have brought Truce here. She doesn't mean any harm. She wants the boy to be recognized as a Sinclair, so my dad could know the Sinclair line would continue.

"Don't worry. Even if you never have a son, I never planned to divorce you. You'll still be Mrs. Sinclair. If Rachel comes to live with us, she'll only stay in the side wing."

I looked at him.

On the day of his father's funeral, he brought his mistress right into the hall and pressured me to give my approval in front of all our family and guests.

All for her, he sacrificed every bit of dignity the Sinclair family had left.

Allan Sinclair, one of the Sinclair family elders, stepped forward, fiddling with the prayer beads in his hand. "Dutt, you might've rushed this, but what Philip wanted most was a grandson.

"Since the boy's already here, why not let him attend the funeral? It'd be a way to fulfill Philip's last wish."

I swept my gaze over the crowd.

The Sinclair family elders who'd been drinking coffee with Dutton in the back hall last night were now stepping forward one by one.

"River, don't be so hard-headed."

"As a woman, if you can't give your husband a son, you should learn to be generous."

"The Sinclair family has such a huge empire. We need a boy to inherit it."

My daughter, Zayla Sinclair, stood in the crowd, holding the nanny's hand, her anxious eyes fixed on me.

She was barely four, hugging the paper cranes she'd made for her grandpa, completely lost as to why everyone seemed to think she wasn't good enough today.

My throat felt like it had been scraped raw. "And what if I say no?"

Margaret Sinclair, my mother-in-law, walked to me, her face bone-dry, not a single tear in sight.

She looked at me like I was some useless ornament, sitting around for five years and never serving any purpose. "You want to say no?

"River, you've been part of the Sinclair family for five years, and all you've given us is a girl.

"Rachel gave me a grandson, and now she's pregnant again. What makes you think you have the right to drive out the Sinclair blood from this family?

"Keeping a jealous wife like you around this long is to save face for your family."

She jabbed a finger at me. "I'm giving you two options. Let Rachel move in with her son, and you'll still be part of the Sinclair family. You'll get everything you're owed.

"But if you don't, I'll make Dutt divorce you today. You don't have a son, so no one will fault the Sinclair family."

Rachel Lynn immediately pulled Truce close to her and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Margaret Sinclair, for accepting us."

The Truce boy echoed, "Thank you, Grandma."

Margaret's face lit up with a smile as she reached out to pat his head. "Good boy."

Dutton looked at me, exhaustion written all over his face. "Don't make things ugly today. It's my dad's funeral. Let Truce attend. Once the funeral's over, we'll talk."