Chapter 1

I barreled into the room, with one hand on my pregnant belly. "Ian Goldman, get your hands off her!"

The crash of the door slamming open startled the two people inside, causing them to jolt apart.

My eyes were red as I stared at the man in the hospital gown in front of me, now so thin and haggard that he was barely recognizable. My heart twisted so badly that I trembled from the pain.

However, the image of Jessica Shaw holding his hand just now was like fuel on the fire raging in my chest. It blew apart the last of my rationality.

I closed in on Ian step by step, my voice shaking, but every single word as sharp as a knife. "I spent five whole months searching for you under unbearable pressure, and I cried myself dry over you. But what have you been doing? You've been hiding out here, getting all cozy with another woman!"

Ian looked like he'd been struck by lightning the moment he saw me. He panicked and tried to yank his hand back, but all he did was knock over the glass of water on the table. It fell and shattered across the floor.

He stared at me with wide eyes, a wild, dizzy joy flooding his gaze. It was as if he'd found something he thought he'd lost forever.

But the next second, his eyes dropped and fixed themselves on my huge baby bump. He braced himself on the coffee table and dragged himself to his feet, his veins bulging at his temples.

He forced a few broken, hoarse syllables out of his ruined throat. "Whose… baby… is… it?"

The question was like a knife straight through my heart. I was carrying his child, his flesh and blood, and the very first thing he asked when we finally reunited was whose baby it was?

In my head, my son's childish voice exploded in a furious roar.

[I'm so mad that I could explode! That bad lady messed up Dummy Daddy's brain! Don't cry, Mommy. It's not Daddy's fault! It's all that Jessica woman's fault! Daddy thinks he's been missing for almost two years. Jessica told him you took the firm's death compensation and remarried long ago. He thinks you're pregnant with someone else's kid!]

My overwhelming hurt instantly crystallized into bone-deep rage. My cold gaze locked straight onto Jessica.

She finally recovered from the shock and stepped forward, putting herself between Ian and me, the perfect picture of professional calm. "Ma'am, I need you to leave. Captain Goldman is suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. His emotions are extremely unstable right now. Your shouting and hysterics are a dangerous trigger."

Then, she turned and reached for Ian's arm, her voice turning sweet and gentle. "Captain, take deep breaths. Don't look at her. Your memories are still jumbled; this is all just a hallucination. Let me handle it."

She looked exactly like a wife shielding her man.

"A dangerous trigger? A hallucination?"

I let out a cold laugh, forcing myself to ignore the dull, dragging ache in my lower belly as I advanced on her, one step at a time.

"Open your eyes wide and take a good look, Dr. Shaw. I'm Ian's lawfully wedded wife! We have a marriage certificate, and the baby I'm carrying is his flesh and blood!"

A flicker of panic flashed in Jessica's eyes, but she quickly smoothed over her expression and forced herself to stay calm as she sighed. "Ms. Jewell, the care center's records clearly state that Captain Goldman's wife had signed the waiver to stop the search efforts.

"She also took the firm's compensation before remarrying. You need to stop making a scene for money. Otherwise, I'll have to call security."