Chapter 1

Madeleine Smith never imagined her own son would be the culprit behind the incident that nearly took her life.

Madeleine could hear Jonathan Hartley and Sawyer Hartley talking as she lay on the hospital bed.

"Sawyer, are you aware that she's allergic to oranges?"

"Yes."

"In that case, why did you add orange juice to her fruit juice?"

"It's her fault for bullying Aunt Allie! I only did it because I taught her a lesson for Aunt Allie!"

Madeleine felt this bitter, hollow feeling in her chest.

The "Aunt Allie" Sawyer just mentioned was Allison Smith. She was Madeleine's younger sister and a childhood friend of Jonathan's, though the sisters weren't related by blood.

If it weren't for Madeleine, whom the Smith couple had eventually discovered was their real daughter, the one Jonathan should have married would have been Allison.

In Jonathan's opinion, Madeleine was the very reason he and Allison couldn't be together. Consequently, he had always been cold and distant toward her.

When Jonathan lost his sight and the use of his legs in a car accident a few years back, Madeleine stayed by his side and cared for him. Yet, even after five years of living together, Jonathan showed no signs of warming to her.

To make matters worse, even Sawyer, the son she had risked her life to give birth to, was gradually turning his back on her.

Madeleine opened her tear-filled eyes and saw two figures standing beside her bed. The resemblance between them was striking.

One was her husband, with whom she shared a loveless marriage; the other was her son, who despised her.

Suddenly, Madeleine felt exhausted by it all.

"You're awake?"

Jonathan, dressed in a white shirt and black suit pants, regarded her with an impassive expression.

Madeleine slowly sat up in bed, her gaze settling on Sawyer. "Sawyer, I have to stay in the hospital now. Is there anything you want to say to me?"

Sawyer scrunched up his face. "Mommy, you pushed Aunt Allie into the pond yesterday. She caught a cold because of that. You should apologize to her! And if you ever bully her again, I won't call you Mommy anymore!"

Madeleine felt as though a heavy blow had struck her chest.

At the Smith family party the day before, Allison had staged an incident to make it appear as though Madeleine had shoved her into the pond. Jonathan, Sawyer, and the rest of the Smiths had all immediately believed Allison's lies.

Today, Sawyer acted to avenge Allison, delivering an ultimatum—if Madeleine tried to pull a similar stunt, he would stop acknowledging her as his mother entirely.

Madeleine fought to suppress the bitterness swelling inside her.

"Do you prefer Allison to be your mother?"

Sawyer scoffed. "Aunt Allie is a pretty and well-mannered professional dancer. Of course I want her to be my mother!"

Allison was the polar opposite of Madeleine, who was always home, dressed in tacky clothes, and constantly nagging Sawyer about his behavior. Naturally, neither his father nor his grandmother liked Madeleine, and Sawyer found her utterly annoying as well.

Madeleine nodded, her pale lips twisting into a bitter smile. "I see. I should help make your wish come true, then."

Sawyer paused at her words and turned to Jonathan.

A small frown creased Jonathan's forehead. "What do you mean?"

"Jonathan, let's get a divorce." Madeleine spoke with calm finality.

Throughout their five years of marriage, Jonathan had refused intimacy with her, his heart belonging to someone else—his true love. However, the Hartley elders had persistently pressured them to have a child. To satisfy them, Madeleine eventually chose to conceive Sawyer through IVF.

For five years, Madeleine had endured Jonathan's cold shoulders, Allison's taunts, and the Hartleys' scorn, all so Sawyer could grow up in a complete family.

Yet, every sacrifice she had made seemed like a complete joke now. Madeleine no longer felt the need to tolerate any of this.

"You want a divorce over something so trivial?" A mocking expression flashed through Jonathan's eyes. "Madeleine Smith, you think you can afford to stop being Mrs. Hartley?"

Madeleine dropped her gaze, understanding his implication.

From his perspective, a woman like her, raised in a rather ordinary family, would never have married into the Hartley family if she hadn't been discovered as the Smith couple's real daughter. Madeleine was, in his view, simply lucky to have enjoyed a comfortable life because of the Hartleys' wealth.

Yesterday, Madeleine had tried to warn Allison against pulling tricks to interfere with her marriage. Bringing up divorce today seemed to Jonathan like an emotional, heat-of-the-moment reaction.

Madeleine wasn't going to waste time explaining. "I'll prepare a draft for the divorce agreement. I'll see you tomorrow at 9:00 am in front of the courthouse."

Under the bright fluorescent light, a steely look appeared in Madeleine's clear eyes.

As Jonathan gazed at her, the corners of his mouth lifted in a contemptuous smirk. "Suit yourself."

There was no way someone who had spent the last five years trying so desperately to win his favor would give up on their marriage just like that. Jonathan was certain Madeleine was merely taking a new, slightly different approach to gain his attention.

"That's wonderful! Daddy, we should share the good news with Aunt Allie right away! Once you and Mommy are divorced, Aunt Allie can finally marry you. I can't wait to tell everyone at school that I have a pretty mommy who can dance and play the piano."

Sawyer was beaming from ear to ear as he started dragging Jonathan toward the door.

Madeleine watched the father and son pair walk out. Even though she had braced herself for the moment, she could still feel a dull ache in her heart.

She leaned against the headboard, closing her eyes as she tried to push back the emotions surging through her. After her IV was removed, Madeleine completed the discharge procedures and left the hospital.

When she got back to Clearwater Bay, the villa stood empty and desolate. Madeleine figured Jonathan and Sawyer were most likely already celebrating the good news with Allison.

She placed the draft of the divorce agreement on the bedside table in her bedroom, then packed her belongings.

One of the most bizarre aspects of their marriage was that Madeleine and Jonathan had always slept in separate bedrooms.

She had lived here for five years, yet she didn't feel particularly sad about leaving this place. Instead, a wave of profound relief washed over her.

From now on, she no longer had to devote all her time and energy to fulfilling the roles of a dutiful daughter-in-law, wife, or mother. She didn't have to cater to everyone's needs and demands anymore.

Later that night, Jonathan came home with Sawyer, who was already feeling sleepy.

The house was unnervingly dark—a sharp contrast to the way it usually was. Jonathan was accustomed to finding at least one light left on in the living room, no matter how late his return.

Jonathan furrowed his brows and flipped the switch for one of the lamps.

"You're back, Mr. Jonathan and Mr. Sawyer."

Their maid, Bree Jacobs, came out of her room when she heard the noise.

Jonathan merely acknowledged with a hum before passing Sawyer over to Bree. Then, he headed up to the master bedroom.

After unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt, a thought struck him. Jonathan went to Madeleine's bedroom, which was next to his, and found the divorce agreement.

The document stated that Madeleine would only be keeping a car, a high-end apartment of over 1,000 square feet, and the 20 million dollars Jonathan had given her after they married. She needed nothing else and was even willing to let Jonathan have custody of Sawyer.

Jonathan snorted and tossed the divorce agreement into the bin.

Madeleine was trying to appear serious about the divorce, even giving up custody of Sawyer. Yet, everyone knew how much she adored the boy.

Jonathan decided to wait and see what kind of excuse Madeleine would give tomorrow to take back everything she had said about getting divorced.

…

The next day, Bree woke Sawyer up and told him it was time for breakfast.

Sawyer asked, "Bree, what did Mommy make today?"

"Mrs. Hartley is not at home. I prepared breakfast today," Bree informed him truthfully.

Sawyer finally recalled that Madeleine had mentioned wanting a divorce yesterday. From now on, he could use the tablet and play video games as much as he liked without worrying about Madeleine nagging or scolding him.

Sawyer skipped all the way to the dining room. "Daddy, good morning!"

Jonathan hummed in acknowledgment, closed his laptop, and started eating. However, he frowned slightly as soon as he took the first bite.

"Ugh! It tastes awful!"

Sitting opposite Jonathan, Sawyer grimaced as he spat out the food in his mouth. "Bree, the sandwich has gone bad!"

"Huh? That can't be. The ingredients I used are all fresh," Bree replied with a puzzled look.

"The sandwiches that Mommy makes don't taste like this!"

"Huh? I don't know how to make the ones she made, though."

Sawyer seemed very displeased; his face was all scrunched up. He subconsciously swallowed as he thought about the scrumptious breakfast Madeleine used to prepare for him every day. While she could be quite annoying sometimes, the food Madeleine made was undoubtedly delicious.

Sawyer noticed that Jonathan was already putting down his fork and getting up after taking just a few bites. He hopped down from the chair as well.

"Daddy, I'm going to call Mommy."