Chapter 1

On her third pregnancy, Madeline was once again told she had delivered a stillborn baby.

Everyone said she was cursed, and the Perry family despised her.

Her husband, Edward Perry, kept comforting her. He swore in front of everyone that he would never divorce her, even if they never had a child.

Madeline told herself that even though she had lost her baby, at least she had a husband who always loved her.

However, when she slipped away from the others to take one last look at the baby's body, she saw Edward carrying an infant into her cousin Olivia Carson's ward.

Olivia asked, "Edward, did Madeline agree to give me the baby again this time?"

Madeline froze.

She had no idea what Olivia was talking about. She had always believed her baby was born dead.

Edward said, "If Madeline hadn't sent you overseas back then, none of this would have happened. You wouldn't have been bullied, lost your chance to have kids, and tried to kill yourself because of depression."

Olivia hesitated. "What if she finds out? Will she try to take all three of them from me?"

"Everyone in Doverin thinks her babies were stillborn. She'll never know. And even if she somehow finds out, the kids are legally yours. She can't take them," Edward said.

Madeline kicked the door open. "So, my babies didn't die, and they weren't stillborn either. I'm not cursed. You gave all of them to Olivia, right?"

"Madeline, what are you doing here?" Edward was stunned when he saw her.

Madeline stared at Edward in tears. "You knew she and her mom were behind my mother's death. You knew she was the one who had me kidnapped, made me lose my sense of taste, and ruined my dream of ever becoming a food critic.

"You swore you'd never let her hurt me again. Why did you do this?"

She shouted at the top of her lungs, losing control.

The shock made her chest ache so badly that she grabbed onto the cabinet next to her to keep herself steady.

"I couldn't survive overseas, so I turned to Edward. He only helped me because he pitied me. Madeline, if you want to hate someone, hate me. Don't blame him," Olivia said quickly, clearly flustered.

Madeline snatched an apple from the table and smashed it into Olivia's face. "Shut up. Give me back my kids. Olivia, I warned you before. If I ever saw you again, I'd send you to prison."

"Enough." Edward's expression turned stern. "We owe Olivia. I was engaged to her back then, but I wanted to marry you instead. That's why her mother was pushed into conflict with your mother, and that's what started everything.

"After you sent Olivia overseas, she was bullied for two years. Her mother couldn't handle it and died, and Olivia lost the ability to ever have children. Isn't that enough for you?

"She only wanted to know what it's like to be a mother. It's only three kids. We can have more if we want."

That last sentence hit Madeline hard.

Olivia went through two years of hardship, and Madeline's past five years were as difficult in their own way.

When she was told her first baby didn't survive, she sank into depression for over a year. She cried herself to sleep every night and almost killed herself because of it.

When the second baby was declared stillborn, people avoided her like she was cursed, and Linda, Edward's mother, kept making her take all kinds of strange medicines.

Half a year later, her body started breaking down, and she ended up needing surgery.

When the third baby was declared stillborn, she nearly shattered under the weight of it.

Linda even dumped her in a remote place where no one looked after her. She ate awful food and slept on the floor. Rats bit her arms. If a lost passerby hadn't found her, she would have died there.

It turned out her children had been alive all along, while she carried the weight of blame and disgrace for five long years.

Madeline bit her lip and kept clenching her fists.

Just then, a baby's cry cut through the tense silence.

Madeline paused, her gaze fixed on the child next to Olivia. That was her baby. "Give me back my child."

"Stop it. Madeline, you can still have more children if you want, but Olivia only has these three. Don't be so selfish," Edward said, frowning.

Madeline cried, "This is my child. Since the day they were born, I haven't seen them, touched them, or held them. I've never heard them call me 'Mom'. Tell me, who's the selfish one now?"

The tears she had been holding in for so long finally fell.

She wiped her tears and stepped forward, determined to take the baby with her.

However, Olivia suddenly ran at her and shoved her hard. "Don't touch my baby. Madeline, I'm sorry. Please, don't take my baby away."

The baby's cries grew louder, and Olivia rushed over to scoop the child into her arms.

Madeline winced and grabbed her lower back. Using the wall for support, she had just gotten to her feet when an apple struck her on the head.

Behind her came a soft voice. "Why are you picking on my mom? Go away. You hurt my mom. I'll beat you up."

Apples kept hitting Madeline's face one after another, but she didn't move. She stood frozen, staring at the two children who looked like her.

A strange feeling crept into her chest, and her lips began to tremble. "Sweetheart, I'm your mother."

"Madeline, stop this. Henry and Nancy are Olivia's kids now," Edward said coldly, frowning. "If you want children, we can always have more."

"They're mine," Madeline cried out.

She'd lost count of how many times she'd heard Edward say those words to her.

That first year, Edward held her in his arms and told her they would have another child someday and that everything would be fine.

In the third year, he told her that even if the entire world turned against her, he would remain by her side, trusting her and protecting her.

In the fifth year, he told her she wasn't cursed and that as long as she was safe, he would love her even if they never had children.

It turned out the man who had always claimed to love and protect her had deceived her for five full years. During those same five years, her children had been raised by someone else.