Chapter 2

That was the security I had set aside to have a child and raise one someday.

Margaret had been so moved that she’d wiped away tears and praised me as the wonderful daughter-in-law their family was blessed to have.

It had all been a lie.

The tumor was fake. Their financial troubles were fake.

The only truth was that the entire family had conspired to bleed me dry and use my money to support Ethan’s ex-wife.

I didn’t make a scene.

I folded my prenatal test results neatly, put them in my bag, and took a cab to the hospital where Sabrina was staying.

On the way there, I leaned against the back seat and shakily logged into my mobile banking app.

Sure enough, every transaction alert on my phone had been blocked by Ethan.

I checked the transactions from the past month.

An $80,000 deposit for a luxury postpartum care retreat.

$20,000 spent on premium prenatal supplements and imported herbal remedies.

And another $50,000 transferred directly into an account under the name Sabrina Cole.

The memo read: For the baby’s expenses.

The account that had once held $600,000 now had less than $100,000 left.

I stared at the number on the screen.

My eyes burned, but not a single tear fell.

My finger moved almost unconsciously as I continued scrolling through Sabrina’s videos.

She had been living these past few years extravagantly, buying designer handbags and wearing expensive watches.

At the end of every video, she would add the same smug little line:

“Thanks to my frumpy wife’s generosity.”

I’d been married to Ethan for two years.

His startup had failed, leaving him buried in debt.

I’d taken the $800,000 my parents had given me as a wedding gift and used it to help him pay off what he owed.

All these years, I hadn’t even wanted to buy myself clothes that cost more than $200.

I thought we were struggling together.

Instead, every dollar I’d worked so hard for had been going to support his ex-wife.

I kept scrolling.

Ethan occasionally appeared in her videos, too.

The same man who wouldn’t even bother picking up a bottle of soy sauce if it fell over at home.

Yet around Sabrina, he was practically a master chef.

He cooked for her with a tenderness I’d never seen, his eyes filled with affection.

I felt dazed.

In all these years, he’d only cooked for me once, when I had severe pneumonia and was too sick to get out of bed.

He’d barely been willing to make me a bowl of plain chicken soup.

After that, he claimed cooking was too much trouble and told me to order takeout every day.

The cab pulled up outside the postpartum care retreat.

The moment I got out, I spotted my in-laws carrying several insulated food containers into the building.

I tightened my grip on my bag and immediately followed them.

I followed them all the way to the VIP floor.

Hiding behind a corner, I watched my in-laws approach a private room with smiles plastered across their faces.

The door was slightly ajar, and Sabrina’s sweet, complaining voice drifted out.

“This soup isn’t cooked long enough. The meat is so tough.

“And it’s so greasy. How am I supposed to drink this?”

Margaret, who was usually quick to snap at me over the smallest things, didn’t get angry at all.

Instead, she coaxed Sabrina in a soft, apologetic voice.

“Sweetheart, I’ll skim the fat off twice next time. Just have a little, okay?”

Ethan was beside her, gently coaxing her as well.

“Come on, sweetheart. Hold your nose and drink a little.

“Finish it, and I’ll take you shopping for that bag you’ve been eyeing.”

My father-in-law leaned over with a grin.

“This soup was made with that premium herbal supplement I bought for Natalie. It’s supposed to be incredibly nourishing!”

The whole family looked like one big happy family.

I fought the urge to storm in and slap them all.

Instead, I pulled out my phone and turned on the recording.

Sabrina took a sip of the soup before throwing another tantrum.

“The balance on the postpartum retreat still hasn’t been paid. They’re calling every day.”

Ethan immediately puffed out his chest.

“Once Natalie gives birth, I’ll sell the house her parents gave her.

“That’ll cover the rest of the bill, and I’ll even get you the newest Porsche.”

Margaret eagerly joined in with her own plan.

“Once she has the baby, we’ll find an excuse to send her back to her parents’ house.

“We’ll keep the baby for you to raise. We get a free baby boy out of it!”

Sabrina suddenly slammed her spoon down.

“Who said I wanted to raise someone else’s child? No way!

“I put up with everything so you could marry her. I already lost my place as your wife to her, and that was bad enough.

“And now you want to keep her baby, too?”

Ethan hesitated.

“But she’s already four months pregnant.”