Chapter 1

When Lucas Young brought his seventh pregnant mistress to me for delivery, his crew was hanging out outside, placing bets on how many seconds it would take for me to lose it.

But even when the baby's cries echoed through the room, nobody heard me go hysterical.

"Lucas, this is already the seventh one. Mrs. Young's not really going to ignore you, is she?" one of his friends asked.

Lucas leaned against the wall, looking totally unfazed. "She can't have kids, and I've got a big business to run. I'm going to have kids with other women sooner or later, so I might as well start early and let her get used to it."

As Lucas finished talking, I stepped out of the delivery room, cradling a newborn in my arms.

Keeping it strictly professional, I announced, "Congratulations. It's a healthy baby boy, weighing 7 pounds and 6 ounces. Both mother and child are doing fine."

Lucas smiled as he took the baby from my arms, then casually handed me a divorce agreement. "Go ahead and sign it. It's for show, to keep her happy. She insists that I divorce you before she agrees to have a second child with me.

"Once the second one's born, that'll make eight kids altogether. After that, no one would dare question your place as Mrs. Young."

I'd gone along with Lucas's charade seven times already.

This time, I signed my name swiftly. Then, I turned and accepted his proposal without a second thought.

Lucas must've forgotten one thing. It was not that I couldn't have kids. It was that he and I weren't a match genetically. If I wanted kids, I could pick another guy.

What made him think I'd raise his kids with other women to keep the Mrs. Young name?

As I handed the signed agreement back, Victoria Bennett was being wheeled out.

Lucas shoved me aside eagerly and rushed forward.

The sudden jolt to my still-healing abdomen made me wince, my face turning pale in a flash.

But nobody paid me any mind. Everyone crowded around Victoria, fussing over her and asking how she was doing.

I leaned against the wall, dragging myself step by step back to my office.

When I saw the miscarriage report lying on my desk, my vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes.

Three days before Lucas's seventh illegitimate child was born, I lost another baby. This was the third child I'd lost.

I was in so much pain on the operating table, and there was nobody around to sign the emergency consent form for me.

At the same time, Lucas was hanging out with his pregnant girlfriend, watching an opera at the theater where we once made our memories.

On the third day after my miscarriage, he yanked me out of bed at three in the morning, so I could help deliver his latest girlfriend's baby.

His eyes were rimmed with tears as he dragged me to the delivery room, almost choking up. "Scarlett, Victoria's so young. She doesn't know what she's doing. You're the only one I trust."

At that moment, I quietly changed into my scrubs and didn't make a fuss. I didn't lose my mind like before, screaming and demanding answers.

I didn't break down in tears or scream myself hoarse. In the past, I would have rather ripped off my lab coat and let everyone call me unethical than step foot in that operating room.

But now, instead, I personally wheeled my husband's mistress into the delivery room, cold and detached, treating her no differently than a stranger under my care.

After ten years with Lucas, I could tell this time, he truly fell for her.

I reached out and softly ran my fingers over the photo of Lucas and me sitting on the desk.

He had injuries on his face, one arm in a cast, the other around me, smiling boldly.

My fingers trembled as I slid the photo out. On the back of the photo, a bold, sweeping line was scrawled in Lucas's handwriting. [Lucas will protect Scarlett for the rest of his life.]

On the day I turned eighteen, my gambling-addict father sold me off to the red-light district.

Lucas got beaten up saving me. His whole body was bruised, and one of his hands was broken. He could never play his favorite basketball again.

But even in the hospital, he grinned and pulled me close for a photo, celebrating my birthday as if nothing had happened.

Lucas said, "Don't be scared. From now on, I'll protect you."

I traced Lucas's face in the photo with trembling fingers, whispering to myself, "You saved me once, Lucas. I lost three children for you. We're even now."

I tore the photo into pieces and threw it in the trash.

There was a knock at the door. Lucas walked in and noticed the empty photo frame on my desk. He blurted out, "Where's our photo?"

But before I could answer, he eagerly thrust his phone in front of me. "Scarlett, what do you think we should name this baby?"

When I saw the name on his phone, my heart clenched so tight that I could barely breathe.

He spent several nights poring over dictionaries to find the perfect name for our first child. One of those names was now inscribed on the memorial plaque at Yoriamin Church.

It turned out he'd even forgotten the name we gave our first child.

I studied his face closely, seeing the smile tug at his lips, the tenderness and affection shining in his eyes. His whole face lit up with excitement at being a dad again.

That was when it really sank in. He'd forgotten that we once had a child.

Our baby spent thirty-seven days in this world with us. He was born with a genetic illness, so fragile from the start, and he didn't survive that winter.

"Scarlett?" Lucas noticed I was distracted and repeated my name.

His smile faded a bit. There was a hint of displeasure in his voice. "I thought you'd come to terms with it by now. I've explained this to you a million times.

"With my status, I can't afford to be without an heir. If you really love me, you should understand that."

Before he could say more, I interrupted him calmly, "I suggest using this name."

Lucas looked at where I was pointing. He was about to speak when he heard a commotion behind him.

His assistant hovered uncertainly in the doorway. "Mr. Young, Ms. Bennett is looking for you."

Lucas quickly put his phone away and said in a rush, "I changed my profile picture for now, to make Victoria happy. Don't worry about it. I'll change it back later."

With that, he hurried out.

I stood there, silently watching as Lucas's figure faded away, until he was completely gone.

Lowering my head, I changed the couple's profile picture we'd kept for ten years. Then, I took Lucas off my pinned contacts.

He had no idea that I'd already handed the divorce papers to my lawyer, who sent them straight to the courthouse.

A month later, we were officially divorced. We were done for good.

After handing off my work to a colleague, I returned to my hospital room. There was a bouquet of delicate flowers sitting on the table.

The nurse spotted me and joked with a smile, "Your husband must really adore you. He sends you flowers every single day, rain or shine."

I glanced at her, someone I didn't recognize, and smiled back, "Are you new around here?"