Chapter 1

The day I found Leo Vance, I saw live comments about him.

He was the devoted second male lead in a romance novel, and I, Yara Collins, was just a throwaway side character.

Even though I knew he would use me to climb up the ranks and ensure my downfall, I still brought him home.

I poured all my resources and connections into supporting him until he could stand against the main character on his own.

It was because he had saved my life when I was eighteen.

For six years of marriage, he treated me like a queen whom everyone envied.

Even the female lead, Mia Campbell, couldn't outshine me.

Those live comments hadn't shown up in ages. I thought we'd finally broken free from the story's script.

Then Leo brought Mia home, and those dormant live comments started rolling again.

[Yara is done for. As soon as our darling Mia shows up, Leo doesn't even spare her a glance.]

[Does she not know by now that Mia's already carrying Leo's baby?]

[Leo has been saving himself for Mia this whole time. He even made up that ridiculous 'allergic to women' excuse. Yet Yara is head over heels, ready to have his baby through IVF.]

I gripped the cancer diagnosis report tightly, silent tears streaming down my face.

I whispered to Leo, "Let's get a divorce."

Leo's expression shifted, impatience clear in his voice. He said, "Yara, didn't we already talk about this?

"Mia just got back to the country, and she's pregnant. That's the only reason she's staying with us for now.

"Can you please not make a fuss?"

Mia rested her hand on her belly, flashing a loaded smile. "Miss Collins, you don't seem too happy to have me here, do you?"

We'd been married for five years, but she still kept calling me Miss Collins.

That in-your-face provocation made my blood boil.

I was just about to fire back, but she beat me to it.

"Miss Collins, are you jealous that I'm the one having his baby?" she teased.

She shot Leo a flirty glance. "Leo, come on, after all these years of marriage, you still leave Miss Collins to sleep alone every night. How do you expect people to talk about her?"

The comments section exploded.

[Mia's such a savage. Leo's been holding it in for her all these years. No wonder he went full beast mode last night.]

[Mia's the real boss. If she hadn't dumped Leo, Yara wouldn't even have gotten a shot at him.]

[Let Mia have her own harem. Yara can just GTFO. Our loyal Leo belongs back in Mia's arms.]

My eyes brimmed with tears as I stared at the barrage of comments.

Leo must've seen them too, but he just kept smiling at Mia, savoring the moment like he was reminiscing about something sweet.

In that instant, my heart felt like it was being torn apart by a swarm of insects.

Mia caught sight of the hospital name on the report I was gripping.

She covered her mouth in mock surprise. "Oh, Miss Collins, are you still trying IVF?"

A wave of bitterness washed over me. Leo really had to share something so personal with Mia.

Leo frowned, glancing at me. "Isn't your egg retrieval scheduled for another day?"

He was just about to reach for the report in my hand when Mia suddenly let out a startled cry from behind him.

Leo spun around, his voice suddenly urgent, a tone I'd never heard from him before. "Mia, what's wrong?" he asked.

Without hesitation, he swept her up into his arms. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

Mia shot me a smug look, then teased Leo with a playful pout, "Why are you freaking out? It's probably just the baby kicking."

At the mention of the baby, Leo's eyes grew gentle. "When he's born, I'll make sure to give him a good talking-to for bullying you so much in there."

It was like I was invisible, and they were the ones truly married.

The barrage lit up again. [OMG, they're so sweet.]

[Go Leo, win back Mia. That pig of a main lead can just get lost.]

Leo's lips twitched into a smile as he caught sight of that comment.

My eyes stung with tears. He'd told me he was allergic to women, and I'd actually believed him.

I couldn't even remember how many times I'd been poked and prodded by needles, all just to have a child with him.

Every time, he'd pull me into his arms, whispering that I was all he ever needed, that he didn't want kids.

But now, his eyes were soft with adoration as he looked at Mia's belly.

So it wasn't that he didn't want kids. He only ever wanted a child with Mia.

My fingers dug into the report until it was a wrinkled mess.

I bit back the words I wanted to say, tossed the report into the trash, and walked away without looking back.

But out of nowhere, a black dog pounced on me, knocking me over.

Mia couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Dodo, don't pounce on people."

Then she pretended to be concerned as she helped me up. "Sorry, Dodo just doesn't like strangers."

But that big black dog was practically glued to Leo, wagging its tail and circling him like he was its favorite person.

I couldn't stop shaking. Flashbacks of being kidnapped and tossed into a pack of dogs as a child hit me hard.

When I saw the dog about to pounce again, I instinctively jerked my hand away from Mia.

I didn't even use any force, but Mia was the one who dramatically fell to the ground first.