Chapter 1

As soon as the call ended, I became painfully aware of how quiet my surroundings were. It felt like I'd been plunged into freezing water, and I could barely feel my arms and legs.

Right then, a notification popped up on my phone. It was the photos from the photographer.

"Ms. Merritt, the edits on your maternity shoot are done. Let me know if there's anything you want changed. I hope you and your baby love them."

I looked down at my completely deflated stomach, the light slowly fading from my eyes. Numb and dazed, I walked out of the hospital and took a taxi home.

In the living room, a crowd was gathered around a baby, buzzing with excitement. One of Mason Crawford's buddies called out to me immediately. "Oh, Leah, you're back. Come see Vivian's little boy. He's seriously adorable."

The moment he finished speaking, my mother-in-law, Mildred Torres, immediately chimed in with a sneer, "And where have you been off to? Did it not even occur to you to help out when Viv was having her baby?

"I told Mason from the start that I never wanted him to marry you. If you hadn't seduced him with your body, you never would've stepped foot in this house."

Ever since I married Mason, Mildred had been nitpicking everything I did.

She looked down on me for my upbringing, always saying I was narrow-minded and unsophisticated. I'd always put up with it, always letting her have her way. But now, I was done holding back.

I looked up and gave a sarcastic smirk. "Then, why didn't you just slip her some pills and send her straight to your son's bed?"

Mildred's face turned bright red. "You think everyone's just as shameless as you? Our Vivian would never do something like that."

I covered my mouth with a hand. "She wouldn't, huh? But she seems totally fine with crawling back to her ex with another man's baby in her belly."

"Leah Merritt, shut your mouth."

Mason came downstairs with Vivian Werner, holding her hand. His face was dark as he shot me a warning look. "Go have a look at the baby for now. You're his godmother, after all."

I stared at him, and a chill settled in my heart.

Mildred grinned as she chimed in, "Exactly. Viv really did a good job with her son. Just look how cute this little guy is. To be honest, he even looks a bit like Mason."

Mason's expression softened when he heard that. "I'm his godfather. Of course he's going to look like me."

Vivian hid her smile behind her hand, then gasped the moment she saw me. "Leah, what happened to your belly? Why did you have the baby without telling anyone?"

Only then did Mason look at me. He frowned, questioning, "What happened? Didn't we agree that I'd be the one delivering the baby?"

That was true. When I first found out I was pregnant, he'd been over the moon.

He held me and said the happiest moment of his life would be delivering our child himself. But that had only been true before Vivian showed up…

I lowered my gaze, my fingers unconsciously brushing over my belly. "The baby's gone."

Mason's eyes went wide. "What do you mean, 'gone'? Explain yourself."

Despite the sharp pain in my chest, I looked up. "I got into a car accident, and they weren't able to save the baby."

Mildred immediately flew into a rage. "Give me back my grandchild! This is all your fault! You just had to insist on driving yourself!

"You were always clinging to Mason, so who were you trying to put on a tough front for? And what did all that get you? You got yourself into an accident!"

As I looked around at everyone in the room, my heart turned cold. I couldn't even keep my breathing steady anymore.

Didn't I ask him to take me, though? Ever since Vivian came back, his phone had become nothing but a paperweight when it came to me.

Vivian gave a soft, reproachful sigh. "Don't be too sad, Leah. Not everyone is cut out to be a mother anyway. Maybe you just weren't good enough to be one. You should really take some time to do some self-reflection."

I instinctively clenched my fists, my emotions threatening to spill over.

Mason suddenly spoke up, "Viv, that's enough."

He turned to me and patted my shoulder. "Don't take it so hard. We can always have another baby."

My throat tightened, and my eyelids felt too heavy to lift. I couldn't understand how he could just accept everything so easily, then turn around and comfort me with such heartfelt words.

Wasn't he sad at all?

I looked into his indifferent eyes, and all I knew was that I wanted this to end.