Chapter 1

Alex seized my hand, his burning palm damp with perspiration. "Em, three months ago, her grandmother was dying. She was desperate when she begged me for help.

"That night, I'd just finished entertaining clients, and I'd had too much to drink. I never imagined…

"But you can relax, she'll never be welcomed into the Carter family. Your position is secure."

The hospital room door suddenly burst open, and Brooke appeared, wearing an oversized hospital gown. She collapsed to her knees before me, tears flowing freely. "Ms. Shaw, please let the babies live! I want nothing else!"

Alex turned to me, his tone almost begging. "Em, you've always been the most level-headed one between us. The babies are innocent."

I fixed my gaze on him, my senses assaulted by the cheap gardenia perfume emanating from Brooke, making me nauseated.

I smiled coldly. "Alex, either we divorce, or you make her vanish along with those complications she's carrying."

"I refuse to divorce!" Alex's eyes reddened as he clutched me desperately. "Em, but I... I must take responsibility for her."

Despite my ultimatum, Brooke gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The entire Carter family celebrated joyously.

I removed the wedding ring that had been with me for ten years, my fingertips turning ice cold. I dialed the number saved under a single letter "S".

"Mr. Sullivan, I accept the collaboration you mentioned before."

A low, quiet chuckle came from the other end of the line.

"Ms. Emma Shaw, you've made a very wise decision."

…

I stood at the end of the VIP maternity center hallway, nails digging deep into my palms. Even the expensive aromatherapy couldn't mask the cloying scent of milk in the air, mingled with Brooke's cheap gardenia-scented perfume.

I had worked with fragrances my entire life. At this moment, these two scents combined like a blade cutting through my nerves. I watched Alex's parents beam with joy through the glass, each holding a swaddled baby.

And Alex, that perpetually calm and composed man who claimed AI code was more reliable than human emotions, was gazing down with a tenderness I'd never seen before. He gently kissed his daughter's forehead.

How ironic. They looked like the perfect family of four. I was the unwelcome intruder.

Alex looked up and saw me, his smile freezing instantly. "Em, you... you finally came down from the mountain."

I remained silent. Alex's mother, Victoria Carter, shot me a sideways glance as she held her newborn grandson. Her tone was colder than the hallway's air conditioning.

"So you know the way back after all? Have you gone astray from all that fragrance mixing up in the mountains? Living away from the world, are you planning to become some kind of hermit?"

"It's good that you're back." Alex's father, George Carter, tried to smooth things over, though his eyes never left the infant girl in his arms.

"The children are almost a month old. You're Alex's wife, so you should help organize things."

Only then did Victoria soften her expression. "The children's status needs to be formalized. You and Alex should discuss it.

"Don't worry. The Carter family isn't unreasonable. As long as you know your place, the position of Mrs. Carter will always be yours."

I looked at the condescending charity written across their faces, nodded, and uttered a single word.

"Fine."

After the older couple returned the children and left, Alex's phone rang. He glanced at me and walked to the nearby balcony to answer it.

Only Brooke and I remained in the hospital room. She looked healthy and radiant, her face glowing from motherhood, and even her hair was perfectly styled. Clearly, the Carter family had spared no expense over these past few months.

"Ms. Shaw," she began timidly, much like a startled deer. "I know I was wrong, and I'll accept whatever punishment you give me. Just please don't be angry with Mr. Carter anymore.

"You're the only one in his heart. While you weren't home, he had the housekeeper clean your fragrance studio every day, afraid it would gather dust."

"Brooke." I cut her off, my voice cold as ice. "You don't need to put on an act for me. The money Alex gave you initially was enough to buy a luxury home in any major city and live lavishly for life.

"You could have disappeared completely, yet you chose to show up three months later with your grandmother's critical illness notice, seeking out a man who had 'too much to drink'?

"Brooke, don't think I can't smell your little scheme."

The color drained from her face instantly, turning pale. Suddenly, Brooke grabbed one of the babies from the bed and thrust it toward me.

That warm, soft bundle, heavy with the smell of milk, made my entire body stiffen as it hit my chest. The next second, she released her grip. The child slipped through the gap between us, falling straight toward the floor.

Heart-wrenching cries instantly pierced my eardrums. Alex rushed in like a whirlwind and shoved me aside.

I staggered back against the wall, watching him cradle the child with the care of someone protecting a priceless treasure. He turned to look at me, his eyes filled with crushing disappointment and fury. He said nothing, yet it felt like he'd said everything.

Brooke sobbed breathlessly beside him. "Mr. Carter, I just wanted Ms. Shaw to hold the baby. I wanted her to love our children, but she..."

Alex's voice turned icy cold. "Emma, Brooke is being discharged tomorrow. Since you can't tolerate the children, you should move to the villa in the western suburbs for now."

I bit down hard on my lower lip until I tasted blood before releasing it. I had packed light for my mountain retreat, and now everything fit into one small suitcase.

I sat alone in that villa, empty as a tomb, from nightfall until dawn. Perhaps it was better this way. At least I wouldn't have to witness their happy family of four and smell that nauseating mixture of scents.

Memories flooded back like an uncontrolled tide. Alex and I had met when we were nobody special. I had supported him through his journey from an unknown programmer to a leading figure in the field of AI. For ten years, we had been the soulmates everyone in our circle envied.

The first time, he was drugged by a business rival and slept with Brooke, who was just an intern then. He called me immediately, his voice shaking.

"Em, I was set up! I swear on my integrity that this was the only time! I've handled everything cleanly. She'll never appear before us again!"

I believed him. But Brooke appeared again just three months later, using her grandmother's medical emergency as an excuse to approach Alex. At the time, he happened to be drunk after entertaining clients.

The first time was an accident. But what about the second?

Later, when Alex's company faced a cyber attack, he locked himself in the server room for three days and nights. It was the pregnant Brooke who stayed by his side despite the high radiation danger.

A life-saving favor from the drug, plus the children in her belly, became two chains that Alex could never break free from. He kneeled before me, clinging to my legs and sobbing. I gave him one final choice.

"Alex, either we divorce, or you make her disappear."

"I won't divorce!" His eyes reddened like a trapped animal. "Em, I can't live without you! But... But I have to take responsibility for her..."

He wanted both me and to keep his responsibility. So I left for the mountain retreat, where I had a meditation room for fragrance work, surrounded by the purest pine and sandalwood.

Until Brooke gave birth, George repeatedly called and ordered me to return, threatening to revoke all the shares under my name.

Shaking off the memories, I pulled out my phone, and in the darkness, I pressed send.

It was the message I'd drafted long ago. "Let's get a divorce."

Less than ten minutes later, the villa's smart lock alarm sounded as it was forcibly opened. Alex burst in, his forehead covered in cold sweat. "Emma! I won't agree to a divorce!"

I sat quietly on the couch, watching his loss of control, and sighed softly. "Just let it go, Alex. I'm tired."

"I told you that she'll never affect our relationship or your position!" he said desperately.

Just then, his phone rang shrilly. Brooke's tearful voice came through clearly from the receiver.

"Mr. Carter! The baby has been crying since the earlier fall and now has a fever! The doctor says things are looking dangerous and that our child might need the PICU!"

Alex's expression stiffened instantly. He looked at me, then at his phone, his eyes filled with painful struggle.

Finally, he spoke with difficulty, "Em, I... I have to check on them..."

I watched his panicked fleeing figure and suddenly let out a low laugh. This was my marriage. Even a divorce negotiation had to give way to another woman and her children.