Chapter 3

When my eyes widened in shock, Phoebe looked at me with smug satisfaction.

“See this? We have a child together. Your little ‘wife’ charade is over. Get lost!”

I trembled with rage. The grief I had suppressed deep inside surged up once again.

My younger sister, Lily Grant, had gotten pregnant with some deadbeat’s child. Even after he abandoned her, she stubbornly insisted on keeping the baby. Neither my father nor I could talk any sense into her.

On the day she passed away during childbirth, I was abroad and was rushing to finish the final stage of an experiment. I could have returned home the very next day.

A nurse had even sent me a photo of my nephew. His features strongly resembled my sister’s.

But at that very moment, Tristan specifically asked me to help secure the approval for his relative’s overseas project.

I trusted him and ended up getting delayed for an entire week before I could return.

The day before my flight home, I received the devastating news that my nephew had suddenly died.

Tristan’s intense guilt made him swear he would make it up to me on our anniversary.

I grabbed Tristan’s wrist tightly and confronted him with my shaky voice, “Tristan Wolfe! How could you do this to my family?

“You cheated on me, and you stole my sister’s baby for her? You’re a monster!”

Tristan viciously shook my hand off. “What is your problem? You’re spouting pure nonsense!”

I stumbled back several steps and fell to the floor in a humiliating heap.

Seizing the opportunity, Phoebe stepped forward and kicked me hard in the leg with the pointed toe of her high heel.

“Are you delusional? First, you try to steal my husband, and now my baby?”

Tristan’s face darkened with fury. Even the postpartum center staff who had gathered around rushed to Phoebe’s defense.

“Miss, you need to be very careful about making such claims.”

“Mrs. Wolfe booked with our postpartum center early in her pregnancy. We’ve coordinated every single prenatal appointment. How could this child possibly be your sister’s?”

I pointed a trembling finger at Tristan’s face.

“You were there when my nephew was born! That baby had a mole right by his eye, exactly like this one! You know the truth in your heart!”

Tristan’s eyes darted away, but his voice rose sharply as he feigned indignation.

“How dare you make such baseless claims! A mole doesn’t prove anything! It’s merely a coincidence!

“You will apologize to Fifi and the child right now, or this isn’t over!”

People around us began to murmur in agreement.

“That’s right! Apologize to both of them!”

I scanned the crowd as a wave of bleak despair washed over me.

“Fine. There are more of you. I can’t win this argument.

“But I dare you to call a doctor for a DNA test right now.

“If it proves this child is Phoebe’s, I’ll get on my knees and apologize to all of you right here! But do you even dare?”

Tristan glared at me as guilt flashed in his eyes. “Why should I listen to you? You’re the one who came here causing trouble!”

His coworkers immediately backed him up.

“Exactly! We all saw what happened! You’re the one who’s out of line!”

“Tristan is the Deputy Fire Chief now. He has a massive future ahead! If you mess with him, you can forget about having a peaceful life ever again!”

I let out a cold laugh, pointing a finger directly at Tristan’s face.

“You think you can threaten me with your position? Five years ago, you were just a regular firefighter. You get one promotion and suddenly, you’re untouchable?

“Did you forget who begged my father to open doors for you? Who fixed your performance reviews to get you that deputy chief title in under five years?

“Did you think you earned that luxury car and mansion yourself? Name one thing you have now that wasn’t bought with the Grant family’s influence!”

As I said this, Tristan’s coworkers, who had defended him instantly, changed their expressions.

Someone muttered under their breath, “No wonder he rose so fast. The last deputy chief was nearly forty before he got the position.”

“Every bag Phoebe carries costs more than my car. A month at that postpartum center costs a million dollars! How does a regular deputy chief afford that kind of lifestyle?”

Tristan’s face flushed red with rage. He clenched his fists and retorted, “I earned this position! I’ve always been the first to take on every mission, haven’t I? I built my career with my sweat and blood!

“I’ve always been nothing but sincere to all of you! Whenever there were benefits, did I ever leave anyone out? And now, you’d believe her hysterical accusations?

“She’s just a madwoman! Don’t let her manipulate you!”

Phoebe’s face was also red with rage as she spat her words in defiance. “My family runs a business! And Tristan is my husband. Is it his fault he has such a good marriage now?”

Watching the two of them scrambling to defend themselves like cornered rats made me feel nothing but contempt.

“Fine. Let’s call your ‘dear uncle’ right now.

“Let’s see if he’ll acknowledge you in front of everyone.”