Chapter 1

I was heading to my prenatal checkup when, right at the entrance of the OB-GYN clinic, I bumped into my husband, Ethan Sinclair. He was gently supporting the woman he's always cherished, his beloved girl, Rosalie Rosamund.

The next second, a flood of blood-red comments suddenly took over my vision:

[Heads up! The villainess is about to lose it, rush over and shove the fragile Rosalie, and ends up having a stress-induced miscarriage herself!]

[Same here! Because of this miscarriage, the male lead completely dumps her and clears the way for Rosalie.]

[Pitiful people always have something hateful about them. She's just a substitute anyway. Getting thrown out with nothing and dying on the street is exactly what she deserves.]

I held my four-month baby bump, staring at those glaring comments until it felt like my blood turned to ice.

So I was nothing more than the villainess in some novel. Me and my unborn child were destined from the beginning to be nothing but obstacles for their love story.

*****

Cold fear crawled up my spine, making my scalp tingle. My fingers clenched so tightly around the prenatal checkup slip that my knuckles turned an eerie shade of white. The blood-red comments kept scrolling wildly in my vision, like a pack of bloodthirsty vultures circling over the wreckage of my fate, cackling with glee.

[Whoa, look at her, her face just went pale. She's about to make a move!]

[I've got my screen recording ready. This is the show of the year: 'Villainess Self-Destructs'!]

[Ethan Sinclair's eyes are full of love for Rosalie Rosamund. The real heroine's here, so the stand-in should just take the hint and exit stage left.]

Stand-in...

Those words felt like a venom-tipped needle, piercing straight into my heart.

I'd been married to Ethan for three years, and everyone said I'd hit the jackpot, going from a bankrupt heiress to the wife of Evernight City's rising star. But what they didn't know was that I'd known Ethan way before Rosalie ever entered the picture. Back in college, we were the couple everyone envied, until Rosalie appeared.

Rosalie was Ethan's junior and his most important partner in his startup. She was gentle, understanding, always gazing at Ethan with those doe-like, watery eyes, anyone could see the adoration shining in her gaze.

But after graduation, when my family's business collapsed, I became sensitive, suspicious, and full of bitterness. The fights between us kept piling up, until Ethan finally said, "We both need to cool off." And just like that, our relationship came to a screeching halt.

I left, trying to heal my wounds. But three years later, he suddenly showed up, holding a diamond ring and promising me forever.

He said he'd tried to forget me, but he just couldn't.

I thought we were getting a second chance, that he'd finally come back to me. But now, I see it was nothing but a well-planned scam from the very beginning.

The comments said Rosalie was forced to go abroad three years ago because of a family-arranged marriage. Ethan only came back to me, his ex, as a convenient stand-in, to give Rosalie peace of mind and to have someone to parade in front of his family whenever they nagged him about settling down.

Because I loved him, I was the perfect puppet.

Because I'd fallen from grace, I was the easiest to use.

So these three years of marriage were nothing but a one-woman performance. I played the devoted wife, while he just looked right through me, always chasing the shadow of another woman.

How ridiculous. How utterly pathetic.

"Ethan, my stomach's a little uncomfortable..." Rosalie leaned weakly into Ethan's arms, her voice pitched just right for me to hear.

Ethan immediately grew anxious, gazing down at her with a tenderness I'd never witnessed. "Where does it hurt? I'll call a doctor right now."

His hand cradled Rosalie's flat belly with such care, as if she held the most priceless treasure on earth.

And me, his official wife, was standing right here with his four-month-old child in my womb, reduced to nothing more than a forgotten punchline.

Hatred, sharp and metallic, burned in my throat. My body acted before my mind could catch up, my legs were already moving, ready to rush forward.

[Here it comes! She's about to make a move!]

[Waiting for the drama: miscarriage, then kicked to the curb!]

The blood-red comments crashed down on me like a bucket of ice water.

I froze, my nails digging deep into my palms, the sharp sting brought a bit of clarity to my muddled mind.

No.

I mustn't act rashly.

The comments had already predicted my ending, rush over, shove Rosalie, suffer a stress-induced miscarriage, get completely abandoned by Ethan, and die miserably in the end.

If this was the fate set for me and my baby, the trap we were meant to fall into, then from this moment on, I was going to rip it to shreds myself.

My child was my only bottom line, and the blade I'd use to tear this world apart.

I took a deep breath, swallowed all the emotions roiling inside me, forced a stiff smile onto my face, and walked over to them.

Ethan noticed me immediately. He instinctively tightened his grip on Rosalie, his brows knitting together, his eyes filled with impatience and warning, like I was some wild animal ready to attack at any moment.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was cold as ice.

"I'm here for my prenatal checkup," I said, waving the slip in my hand. My gaze landed on Rosalie in his arms, and I put on a show of surprise, covering my mouth. "Oh, Rosalie, what's going on? You don't look so good, are you feeling sick?"

My voice was all innocent concern, not a hint of my usual edge.