Chapter 1

I heard my wife, Sophia Tuson, chuckle beyond the doors of the emergency room.

"The lower half of Gabriel's body was severely damaged when he protected Ashton. We have no choice but to sacrifice his reproductive capabilities to save his life," she said.

The doctor's voice was colored with shock when he said, "Ms. Tuson… Don't tell me that… Mr. Yates has already lost one child. He'll never get a chance to be a father again for the rest of his life if you do this. Aren't you being too cruel?"

"Micah will be my only child in this life," Sophia replied calmly. "In compensation, Gabriel will be my husband for the rest of my life. Arrange the surgery as soon as possible. I'm going to look for Micah. He and Harold must need me by their sides right now.

"Oh, that's right. Be careful during the surgery. My husband is scared of pain."

I heard Sophia's footsteps fading into the distance in my daze. My hand that was resting by my side was a bloody mess. I couldn't stop the tears from spilling down my cheeks.

It turned out that the wonderful wife and mother, whom I and my son, Ashton Yates, had been so proud of, had been nothing but a farce. The love that she gave us had been fake too. The only thing that was real was her scheme that had lasted for the past six years.

Sophia had meticulously orchestrated the car accident to steal Ashton's heart away.

My consciousness began to fade as the anesthetic was slowly injected into my veins. I could feel the cold machines being heartlessly hooked up to my body. The icy sensation caused me to have endless nightmares.

I was in a pitch-black place in my nightmare. Ashton stood in the darkness with a gaping hole where his beating heart should have been. He reached out to me and cried, "Daddy… I'm in so much pain, Daddy."

"Ash!"

As I jolted awake from the nightmare, I realized that I was staring into Sophia's concerned eyes.

"You're finally awake, honey," she said. "I was so scared that I was going to lose you too when you were unconscious for the last two days."

She was shaking when she pulled me into her arms, saying, "I've already lost Ashton. I can't lose you too."

My ear was pressed against her chest. Her hammering heartbeat almost made it seem as if she wasn't lying to me.

"The doctor said that your lower half was damaged during the car accident, honey," she continued. "We might never be able to have children ever again. But it's okay. I'm content to just have you."

Sophia sounded so sincere. In the past, I would have felt so grateful to be married to such a wonderful woman. However, in the heavily wounded and crippled state that I was in at that moment, her excellent acting only made me feel sick.

I quietly pushed her away and asked, "Where's Ash? I want to see him."