Chapter 1

I had just canceled all the banquet arrangements and hadn't had time to inform our parents.

My wife-to-be, Rhiannon Tate, came back right at that moment. She had just given birth, so she looked a bit weak. But as soon as she opened the door, she started berating me!

"Have you deleted the comments? You're making Lionel look bad, do you know that?" she barked.

Then, she walked over to me and leaned in slightly. My expression turned terrifyingly dark. My fiancée had lied about going abroad to study and secretly gave birth to Lionel Devine's baby. Lionel was her childhood sweetheart.

When Rhiannon and I started dating, she told me she was a DINK—dual income, no kids. She said she didn't like children. I accepted that—only then did she agree to marry me.

My parents upheld very traditional values. I had worked very hard to convince them to accept this arrangement. But now, Rhiannon had given birth to another man's child.

It wasn't that she was afraid of the risks of childbirth. It was obvious that she thought that I wasn't worth the risk.

A year ago, she even accompanied me to the hospital to have a vasectomy after I proposed to her. She said she wanted to ensure everything was foolproof and that it would give her a sense of security.

I felt like a complete and utter fool when I revisited those times.

Rhiannon reached out to take my hand, but I quickly flinched away from her.

"That's enough, Clyde Lindstrom. Stop throwing a tantrum. It's not like I went behind your back. Lionel and I had never even slept together," Rhiannon said.

Rhiannon insisted she wasn't sleeping around and that I was the only one she had been with. She explained that the child was conceived through in vitro fertilization, so it had been done without any physical contact. She swore she hadn't betrayed me or our relationship.

I wanted to laugh out loud at the incredulity of it all. "You said before that you were traumatized because your mom nearly died giving birth to you. Then, you told me that you would never have a child in this lifetime. But when it's for Lionel, you're suddenly unafraid."

Rhiannon argued, "That's because I owe him this. Back then, he was seriously injured while saving me and became impotent. What's wrong with me giving him a child? He saved my life! Can you please stop being so unreasonable?"

Her eyes reddened as she glared at me. She insisted that the pregnancy was done via in vitro fertilization and that the Devine family would raise the child themselves. So, according to her, we didn't need to worry about anything.

"I'm just helping out so that the Devine family would have an heir. Besides, I came back to you right after giving birth because I was afraid you'd overthink. I haven't even gone through postpartum recovery yet," Rhiannon said in an aggrieved tone.

She lowered her voice and said she had already given me enough of a way out.

I was so angry that I couldn't speak. My hand that was holding my phone trembled uncontrollably.

The woman I had loved for so many years had deceived me and given birth to another man's child, yet she kept demanding me not to overreact.

"We're done. The wedding is off," I stated icily.

With a loud crash, Rhiannon smashed the teacup in front of her. The shards flew up and cut my forehead.

She screamed, "Why can't you try to understand me? I don't want to owe Lionel anything. He saved my life. I have to repay him somehow!"

Blood trickled down my forehead. However, I didn't feel any pain from it. The unbearable ache in my heart was way more pronounced compared to my physical pain.

Rhiannon came over anxiously when she saw that I was hurt. She offered to bandage me.

"Get out!" I roared.

That night, I locked myself in the study, chain-smoking one cigarette after another. What did I ever do to deserve this from her?