ログイン“You were only ever a replacement for her.” Those words destroyed Serena Cole’s marriage long before the divorce papers ever arrive. When Serena agrees to marry billionaire Damian Cole, she knows she can never compete with the memory of the woman he truly loved. Still, Serena accepted the cold marriage because her family needed saving, and because somewhere along the way, she began falling in love with her husband. Their unexpected pregnancy changes everything. For a brief moment, Serena believes they finally have a chance at becoming a real family. Until Damian’s first love returns. Old feelings rise and doubts grow. The man Serena trusted slowly becomes cruel enough to break her completely. Abandoned during the darkest moment of her life, Serena leaves the marriage believing she lost both her husband and her baby forever. But years later, Damian comes face to face with a little boy who looks exactly like him. Now the woman who once chased after his love has stopped looking back and Damian realizes too late that he destroyed the only family he truly wanted.
もっと見るSerena’s pov
The soft hum of the Bentley filled the silence as we drove away from the hospital.
I rested my hand on my stomach and smiled to myself again.
The baby had been active throughout the appointment. Even the doctor laughed when the little kicks refused to stop during the scan.
“Your baby is very strong already,” the doctor had said with a smile and ever since then, Damian had not stopped grinning.
I turned slightly to look at my husband beside me. His expensive black suit still looked perfect even after spending half the day at the hospital with me.
He caught me staring.
“What?” he asked softly.
I shook my head with a small laugh. “Nothing.”
“You’re smiling at me.”
“You’re smiling too.”
“That’s because my wife is carrying my child.”
Warmth spread across my cheeks immediately.
Even after months of marriage, Damian still affected me in ways I could not explain.
He reached for my hand and kissed the back of it slowly. “You looked beautiful in there today.”
I laughed quietly. “Really? I have been looking very tired lately.”
“Yes. You are glowing, baby.”
I rolled my eyes softly, but my heart still skipped.
At the beginning of this marriage, I never imagined moments like this would exist between us.
When I married him, people whispered behind my back. They said I was only a replacement for the woman he truly loved. Even I believed it sometimes.
Especially during the first few months when Damian stayed distant then, but things had changed slowly after I got pregnant.
He became softer with me, protective and more attentive.
Sometimes I caught him staring at me whenever I wasn’t looking, and every single time, my heart betrayed me.
Because I loved him now.
The car slowed at a traffic light, and Damian glanced down at my stomach again.
“Did you see how hard the baby kicked?” he asked proudly.
I smiled. “Very hard.”
He leaned closer. “That’s because our child already knows how powerful the Cole family is.”
I burst into laughter. “You’re impossible.”
He smirked and kept rubbing circles over my fingers.
“I want to buy more clothes for the baby,” he suddenly said.
I blinked. “More?”
“We barely bought anything yet.”
“We already filled one entire room.”
“And it’s not enough.”
I shook my head, smiling. “You’re becoming obsessed.”
“I am obsessed.”
The way he said it made my stomach flutter.
His phone buzzed suddenly inside his pocket, but he ignored it without even checking.
That surprised me.
Work usually came first for Damian. Billion-dollar meetings, investors, calls from different countries. His world never stopped moving but today, he had turned everything off for me.
For us.
“I’m a little tired,” I admitted quietly.
His expression softened immediately. “Then we can go home.”
I looked at him for a moment before shaking my head. “No. Let’s shop a little.”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded.
Truthfully, I wanted this day to continue.
I wanted to stay inside this happiness bubble a little longer.
He smiled instantly. “Good.”
The Bentley pulled into the underground parking garage of Cole Grand Mall twenty minutes later.
The luxury shopping center belonged to Damian’s company, which meant employees straightened the second they saw him walking in.
“Mr. Cole.”
“Good afternoon, sir.”
“Welcome back, Mr. Cole.”
He barely acknowledged any of them. His hand stayed firmly against my lower back as we walked slowly through the shining marble floors.
“You’re treating me like glass,” I teased.
“You’re carrying my child, Serena.” He deadpanned.
I looked away quickly before he noticed my face turning red again.
We entered one of the luxury baby stores on the top floor. Soft music played quietly through hidden speakers while expensive baby items lined the shelves.
Tiny shoes.
Designer blankets.
Mini suits.
Small dresses.
Everything looked adorable.
Damian immediately picked up a tiny black baby tuxedo.
“This one.”
I stared at him. “The baby is not going to attend a business meeting.”
“You don’t know that.” He shrugged.
I laughed again.
God.
I had never seen him like this before. So relaxed and happy.
A sales assistant quickly approached us with a bright smile. “Good afternoon, Mr and Mrs Cole.”
Damian nodded once before turning back toward me.
“What about this one?” I asked, holding up a soft cream-colored baby outfit.
He looked at it carefully before smiling. “Cute. The baby would look beautiful in that.”
The words warmed my chest instantly.
Our child.
I carefully placed the outfit inside the shopping basket while Damian continued walking beside me.
Everything felt perfect.
I found myself smiling every few seconds like a fool.
Maybe this was what happiness truly felt like. Sometimes, I have this unknown fear that he is going to leave me but with this moment, I don’t think he will.
I picked up another small outfit and turned toward Damian excitedly. The onesie trembled in my hands when I ran my hands through it.
“Look at this one,” I said with a laugh. “Tell me our baby won’t look ridiculously cute and tiny in this.”
But Damian did not answer.
My smile faded slightly when I noticed his attention was no longer on me.
He stood completely still beside the display shelf, staring ahead at something across the store.
I followed his gaze, just to check what took his attention. That’s when I saw her.
She was tall, elegant and beautiful. Lilliana Laurent.
The woman people once called the love of Damian’s life and the woman who left him years ago.
For a second, my chest tightened but then I forced myself to relax and plastered a smile on my face.
It was fine.
We were fine.
Damian loved me now and things were different.
I looked down at my wedding ring and smiled faintly to myself.
We had built a life together. I had nothing to fear.
Lilliana turned slightly as if she finally noticed him too and just like that, the universe forgot about me.
Damien began walking straight towards her and u froze.
“Damian?” I called softly.
He did not stop.
At first, I thought maybe he simply wanted to greet her politely before returning to me.
But he kept walking faster to her.
“Damian,” I called again.
Still nothing.
Panic slowly crept into my chest as I shifted from leg to leg in the store.
His shoulder rammed into mine when he walked past me, hard.
The force sent me stumbling backward.
A frightened gasp escaped my lips as my balance disappeared completely.
“Oh my God!”
A sales assistant rushed forward and grabbed me before I could hit the floor.
“Ma’am!”
The shopping basket slipped from my fingers. Tiny baby clothes scattered across the polished floor.
My heart pounded violently and my hand immediately flew to my stomach.
“Damian,” I whispered shakily.
But my husband never looked back, neither did he stop to check on me.
I lifted my head slowly and froze.
Damian had already reached Lilliana and she was already in his arms.
Serena’s POVWhen I was myself again, I ordered a cab with my last cash.The cab driver did not speak to me as the vehicle idled outside the massive iron gates of the Cole estate. I reached into the hidden lining of my heavy coat, pulled out one of the crisp hundred-dollar bills from the stranger's package, and handed it through the plastic partition. The driver took the money with a short nod, and the mechanical locks clicked open. I stepped outside with my spirit completely dead.I dragged my feet across the gravel driveway and walked into the servant’s wing, my wet canvas shoes leaving dark tracks on the concrete floor. The small room was just as cold as I had left it. I changed into a dry cotton nightgown, swallowed two of the prenatal vitamins from the package, and lay down on the thin mattress. I stared at the ceiling in the dark, waiting for the final blow to fall.I was a fool to come back here but I had nowhere else to go, I had nothing and no cent to my name so I could do no
Serena’s POVThe silver pen felt incredibly heavy in my hand. I looked down at the document on the metal table, the legal terms blurring together before my eyes. My body was completely broken from the lack of food and the freezing chill of the concrete holding cell. Another sharp, hot cramp rolled through my lower abdomen, and I had to squeeze my thighs together to stop myself from whimpering out loud.I looked across the table at Damien who sat there with a frown on his face and his arms folded tightly across his chest. He did not look like the man I had married. He looked like a cold banker waiting to foreclose on a piece of bad property. His high-powered lawyers stood behind him, their polished leather briefcases glinting under the harsh fluorescent lights of the interrogation room.I knew I could not survive another night in that damp cell. My baby could not survive it. If I stayed here, the stress and the starvation would kill my child before the legal team even finalized the tri
Serena’s POVThe heavy iron door of the interrogation room groaned when the guard pushed it open. I stumbled inside, my bare feet freezing against the linoleum floor. The metallic smell of old coffee and bleach filled the tight space. I sat down on the hard metal chair, my hands immediately dropping to cover my swollen stomach. A sharp, hot cramp rolled through my abdomen, and I squeezed my eyes shut until the pain slowly passed. I haven’t eaten since they threw me in here and no matter how much I begged, nobody listened to me.I have wailed and cried all my tears out yet nobody wants to do anything. They are all taking their orders from my husband.Of all things Damian has done, throwing me in jail has got to be the top of it. The double doors at the far end of the room opened and Damien walked in. He wore a dark charcoal bespoke suit that looked entirely out of place in the dingy police station. His hair was perfectly styled, but his face was an absolute mask of stone. Two of his
Serena’s POVThe bright headlights of three police cruisers cut through the dark windows of the morning room, casting long, moving shadows across the walls. It was barely three o'clock in the morning. I sat on the edge of a low armchair near the foyer, my arms wrapped tightly around my stomach. The silence of the mansion was broken by the crunch of heavy tires on the gravel driveway, followed by the loud slam of car doors.The front doors of the estate swung open. Four uniformed police officers walked into the foyer. Damien’s personal corporate attorney, Mr Vance walked right behind them. He held a leather folder under his arm and looked at me with a cold, professional detachment."That is her," Mr. Vance said to the lead officer, pointing his pen toward me. "Serena Cole. Her husband, Mr. Damien Cole, has officially filed charges of attempted murder against her."I stood up slowly, my legs shaking so badly I had to catch my balance on the arm of the chair. "What? No, you do not under
Serena’s povThe coldness in the house became unbearable after Damien's public humiliation in the drawing room. My stomach twisted into sharp, painful knots every time I tried to sit up, and the persistent cramping made it difficult to walk across the bedroom. I knew the extreme stress was becomi
Serena’s povI cried myself to sleep that night.I sat alone in the huge bedroom while my messages kept failing one after another.Every failed message felt like another slap to my face.My husband blocked me like I was some stranger bothering him.At some point, I stopped texting.I just sat there
Serena’s povThings felt different after the dinner with Liliana.I noticed how Damian became quieter around me afterward.He still kissed my forehead before leaving for work every morning.He still asked if I had eaten.He still made sure the drivers moved carefully whenever I sat inside the car.
Serena’s povI barely slept that night.I stayed awake in the large bed alone while the clock beside me kept moving slowly but Damien never came back.Every sound outside made my heart jump for nothing.I stared at the empty side of the bed and kept thinking about Liliana and the way he left me beh
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