Chapter 1

"Miss Carter, congratulations—you’re eight weeks pregnant," the doctor announced with a warm smile. Enlyan’s heart soared as if it had grown wings. Joy surged through her, filling every corner of her being.

"Thank you so much, Doctor,"

She said, her voice trembling with excitement. She quickly grabbed her report and stepped out of the office, her thoughts swirling with happiness.

Enlyan had married Damian for three years and now they finally had their first child.

Enlyan and Damian’s marriage was never built on love. It was an arrangement, a contract between two families. The idea of love or personal happiness had no place in the deal.

For Enlyan, however, the situation wasn’t for business.

She had harbored feelings for Damian long before their wedding. His charisma, intelligence, and commanding presence had drawn her in, and when their parents proposed the marriage, she agreed without hesitation. She believed that over time, her devotion and care would win his heart.

But Damian had been brutally honest with her from the start. On their wedding night, his words cut through her hopes like a blade:

“Don’t hold any illusions, Enlyan. I will never love you. This marriage is a formality, nothing more.” From that moment, he treated her as little more than a shadow in his life—a mere convenience he was obligated to tolerate.

Still, Enlyan refused to give up. She had confidence in herself, in her ability to nurture something real between them. For three long years, she poured her heart into the marriage, doing everything she could to bridge the emotional gap between them. But her efforts were met with indifference at best and outright disdain at worst. Damian remained distant, and the love she dreamed of never came.

Now, as she stood on the brink of motherhood, Enlyan held onto a fragile hope. Perhaps the child she carried would be the key to softening Damian’s heart.

Maybe, just maybe, the arrival of their baby would finally open a door to the love she had longed for.

She couldn't contain the excitement of sharing the good news with him.

As she walked down the hallway, she pulled out her phone and was about to dial the familiar number.

However, a tall, steady figure emerging from a nearby room caught her eyes first. It was her husband, Damian Blackwood. And followed him, a woman in a long red dress came out from another Gynecologist’s Office.

Who was she? Why was she here with Damian?

Their voices were low, but the hushed tones carried enough for Enlyan to catch fragments of their conversation.

“Are you sure you’re eating enough?” Damian’s deep voice carried concern.

“I am,” She replied softly. “It’s just been hard keeping anything down lately.”

“You need to take care of yourself,” Damian insisted, his tone unusually gentle. “I’ll make sure you get the best care. You and the baby are my responsibility now.”

His hand lightly brushing the woman’s arm as they walked.

Enlyan’s heart sank. Her legs felt like they might give way beneath her.

You and the baby.

The words echoed in her mind, cutting through her thoughts like a blade. She glanced again at the woman, noticing the gentle curve of her stomach—a pregnant belly.

Was this Damian’s child?

Her throat tightened, and the world around her seemed to blur. Clutching her phone with trembling hands, she dialed Damian’s number, hoping against hope that he would answer.

The phone rang once, twice—then stopped abruptly.

She looked up and saw Damian glance at his phone, his face tightening in irritation before he silenced it and slipped it back into his pocket.

"Are you not going to answer that?" the woman asked, her voice curious.

"It’s not important," Damian replied coldly, his tone dismissive.

The words felt like a slap to Enlyan. He hadn’t even bothered to acknowledge her call. Her heart shattered further as she watched him place a hand on the woman’s back, gently guiding her toward the elevator.

Tears stung her eyes as she leaned against the wall for support, her vision clouded by disbelief and pain. The man she had called her husband, the man she had sacrificed so much for, was walking away with another woman—one who appeared to be carrying his child.

Her world, once fragile but intact, began to crumble around her.

The tenderness in his gestures, the care in his demeanor—these were things Damian had never shown her in their three years of marriage.

Stumbling out of the hospital, Enlyan felt like a ghost of herself. Her thoughts spiraled as she drove home, the truth cutting deeper with every mile.

Their three years of marriage were meaningless to him—a burden forced upon him by his father. To Damian, she was nothing more than a woman who had married him for his wealth.

From the very beginning, Damian had resented her, treating her as a burden forced upon him. Enlyan had endured it all—the indifference, the coldness—because she hoped that time might soften his heart. Now, she realized how futile her hopes had been.

When Enlyan arrived home, the house was quiet, the silence pressing down on her like a weight. She hadn’t even taken off her shoes when Damian’s mother, Meye, stormed into the living room, her expression sharp and accusatory.

"Finally decided to come home, have you?" Meye’s tone was icy, her arms crossed as she surveyed her daughter-in-law. "Dinner isn’t ready. Do you even care about this household, or are you just trying to prove how useless you are?Do you expect my son to starve because of your laziness?"

Enlyan remained silent, her body and mind too exhausted to respond.

"Don’t just stand there like a statue," Meye snapped, growing more irritated by Enlyan’s lack of reaction. "This is exactly why Damian will divorce you soon. He has no use for a wife who can’t even manage a simple household."

The words pierced Enlyan, but she refused to show it. Her silence only fueled Meye’s anger.

Meye snapped, her voice rising. "You’re lucky we took you in after your family’s disgrace. And this is how you repay us? By acting like a spoiled child?"

Still, Enlyan said nothing.

Her silence only angered Meye further. She stepped closer, her voice lowering but carrying a venomous edge.

"Did you think you could keep him forever? You should know by now that his first love is back," Meye continued, a cruel smile tugging at her lips. " She’s everything you’re not—beautiful, accomplished. It’s only a matter of time before he leaves you for her. You’re nothing but a placeholder"

Enlyan’s head snapped up, her breath catching. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she fought to keep her composure.

"That’s right," Meye said, her smile cruel. "Katrina, the love of Damian’s life. He’s been waiting for her, and now she is back. Did you really think you could compete with that?"