Chapter 1

My husband, Arthur Carter, stared in disbelief. His face froze in shock.

“Cadence, do you truly have it in you to accept another woman having my child?”

I raised my hand to straighten his disheveled shirt collar. My gaze never left the stiff expression on his face. I smiled gently.

“I’ve endured the pain and injections of IVF treatments for years. It was always so you could have a child, wasn’t it?

“Now that Lucy is carrying your child for me, why would I say no?”

Lucy Lark was my adoptive sister. Her beautiful face turned pale. Her gaze filled with anger as she bit her lower lip.

She had probably imagined me becoming hysterical, but she never expected me to celebrate.

“Cadence, I thought you’d be furious. I never expected that you’d be okay with it. People might think you don’t even love Arthur anymore.”

Arthur’s sharp gaze returned to me.

I laughed and patted her shoulder.

“Oh, don’t be silly. If you love someone, you love everything that comes with them. That’s still love.”

The first time I returned to the past, I had not hesitated and chose to leave with nothing.

I had been too proud. I had made up my mind to die poor rather than take his tainted money.

But as a housewife who had been disconnected from society for years, I could not find a decent office job.

I survived on cold canned beans in a cheap rental. I lived a miserable and wretched life.

Even then, Lucy had refused to let me go. She had staged a car accident to finish me off.

The second time I returned to the past, I learned my lesson and accepted the ten million dollars.

I believed it would be the capital for a fresh start.

It was difficult to start a business without resources or connections. Even the reliable partner I finally found turned out to be a trap.

On the night debt collectors cornered me on the rooftop, I heard Lucy’s scornful laughter over the phone amidst the chaos.

“Arthur doesn’t have a low sperm count at all. He’s been slipping her birth control pills all this time. That’s why she never got pregnant.

“He only married her back then to secure that investment from Lark Group. Now that she’s served her purpose, does she think she could just walk off to start some business and live a good life? She’s got to go.”

When I returned to the past again, I gave up trying to outplay them.

They were a devoted couple. Trash belonged to each other.

How could I possibly leave them? The three of us could make it work.

Arthur clearly had not expected me to accept it with such an open mind.

He frowned at me with confusion. After a long while, he finally left me with a warning. “Fine. Then you’d better remember your place as Mrs. Carter. If you dare lay a finger on Lucy, you’ll regret it."

I smiled sweetly at him and immediately made arrangements.

“Lucy, since you’re pregnant, it’s not convenient for you to travel. You’ll stay in the guest room from now on. Rest and focus on the baby. I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of.”

Lucy instantly put on a wounded look.

“I’m carrying Arthur's child, and you’re putting me in the guest room. Do you realize how far away that is from him? You’re not trying to keep us apart, are you?

“How thoughtless of me,” I said, cutting off any reply. I turned to the butler.