Chapter 1
I signed an agreement to marry my wealthy husband. The deal was simple: have the baby, get paid, and walk away.
Since he was in a coma, I had no choice but to get artificially inseminated.
After nine long months, I gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.
The very day my babies were born, my husband, who'd been unconscious for three years, miraculously woke up.
The first thing Samuel did after waking up was rush straight into the delivery room. He didn't even look at me or the kids. He just went and hugged the woman he'd always loved, who was crying her eyes out.
He tossed me a check, his eyes cold as ice. "Take the money and get lost. My kids don't need a mere surrogate like you as their mother."
I was kicked out of the hospital, clutching my newborn babies in my arms.
Everyone laughed at me, saying that no matter how much I schemed, I still ended up getting kicked out in the end.
But what they didn't know was that the babies I gave birth to weren't even human.
My son was a dragon, and my daughter was a phoenix.
As I held my two tiny, hungry babies in my arms, one with little dragon horns sprouting from his head, the other with small wings growing behind her, I couldn't help but wonder.
My dear husband, are you really sure your sweet, sickly first love can actually feed these kids of yours, who have the blood of mythical beasts running through their veins?
*****
The door to the delivery room slammed open.
A rush of cold air, thick with the sting of disinfectant, swept in. I was so drained from giving birth that I couldn't help but shiver.
I lifted my head, barely able to move, expecting to see a nurse, but instead, I saw someone I never thought would show up: Samuel Barton.
My husband, who'd been in a vegetative state for three years, was suddenly standing there, looking every bit the powerful CEO in his tailored suit, with a crowd of stunned doctors and bodyguards trailing behind him.
He was awake.
Of all days, he chose today, the day I gave birth, to finally wake up.
My heart was racing as I struggled to sit up, just wanting him to see our kids.
"Samuel..." I called out.
But my voice was drowned out by a delicate, fragile sob from someone else.
"Samuel, I was so scared. I thought I'd never see you again," Salena Poe whimpered.
She rushed out from behind him, tears streaming down her face as she flung herself into his embrace.
Samuel instantly wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight with a practiced ease, like he'd rehearsed it a thousand times.
He lowered his head, speaking in that soft, tender voice I'd only ever dreamed of hearing.
"Salena, don't be afraid. I'm back," he murmured.
I lay there on the cold delivery bed, feeling like a total outsider, just watching their heartwarming little reunion play out.
He didn't even spare me a single glance.
It was as if I, and the two babies in the incubator next to me, the ones I'd nearly died bringing into this world for Samuel, were completely invisible.
"Mr. Barton, congratulations! Mrs. Barton has given birth to a boy and a girl. Both mother and babies are doing well," the head nurse announced, beaming with joy.
Samuel finally looked away from Salena and turned to me.
There was no joy, no gratitude, just a bone-chilling coldness and pure disgust in his eyes.
He pulled a check from his suit pocket, signed it without a hint of hesitation, and strode over to my bedside.
He flung the flimsy piece of paper right at my face.
The sharp edge of the check slashed across my cheek, leaving a fiery sting.
"20 million," Samuel said, his voice colder than the air in the delivery room. "Paid in full. Take the money and get out."
My ears rang, and everything went blank. I couldn't hear a thing.
I stared at him, the man I'd spoken to every day for ten months while he was unconscious, the man I'd dreamed would wake up and be overjoyed to see me.
"What did you just say?" I whispered, barely believing what I'd just heard.
Salena, still sobbing in his arms, spoke up in a soft, shaky voice. "Daphne, I'm sorry. Samuel didn't mean it. It's been three years since we were separated, and he missed me every single day."
Samuel patted her back, then shot me an even more annoyed look.
"Daphne, don't pretend you don't get it," he said, his tone icy. "Don't think I don't know why you married me. Your job's done. Now get lost."
He paused, his next words dripping with venom, each one like a poisoned blade.