Chapter 3

A sudden force yanked me away, followed by the sharp crack of a slap. I pressed my hand to the split in my lip where Graham's slap had struck, my eyes locked on him as he tenderly cradled Cassidy, who had lost consciousness.

There was no guilt in his eyes for being caught cheating, no remorse for deceiving me. Instead, all I saw in him was anger—anger at me for hurting Cassidy.

His glare felt colder than any accusation, as though the sweet kiss he had given me the night before was nothing more than a cruel illusion.

"How dare you hurt Cassidy! Even I have never dared to hurt her!

"I must've spoiled you too much over the years. It seems you've forgotten your place!"

I could hardly believe my ears. I stared at him, a sense of helplessness sinking deep into my chest as my voice trembled. "I've forgotten my place? Graham, I'm your wife! And you took my son away and gave him to her! What do you think of me, huh?" I asked, desperate for an answer.

Seeing that the truth had come to light, Graham's frustration bubbled over. "Whitney, can you stop being so unreasonable? Even if I still love Cassidy, so what? I'm still sticking around as your husband. What more do you want?"

As Graham rushed off with Cassidy to the hospital, my heart turned cold, numb to everything around me.

That afternoon, Cassidy's injury was all over the news. During her three years abroad, she had built quite a fan base. As soon as the news of her injury broke, her fans went wild online.

Some even dug up a photo of me, disheveled and walking out of Cassidy's apartment. As the fans finally found someone to blame, the insults and curses poured in from all sides.

The next day, Cassidy woke up and made a public statement on social media, trying to calm her fans. But the more she played the helpless victim, the more Graham and her fans turned their anger toward me.

In just half a day, I had prepared a divorce agreement. I had barely signed it when Graham's bodyguards forced me to the hospital.

Inside the room, Graham was feeding Cassidy soup with the same tenderness he had once shown me.

Two nurses, freshly exiting the room, couldn't contain their excitement as they gossiped. "I heard that man is Mr. Pearson. Cassidy is so lucky! She's a huge star, and even her husband treats her like a queen!"

"To have the CEO cook for you—now that's what I call true love."

During the years I spent in a secret marriage with Graham, he had always used the excuse of protecting me to avoid public appearances. But with Cassidy, there were no such restrictions. He was openly pampering her, showing her off to the world.

After Cassidy returned to the country, Graham pulled countless strings, pushing resources and connections in her direction.

The day I had my miscarriage, Graham had been by Cassidy's side, celebrating her birthday with her. He used drones to profess his love for her, making many unaware bystanders believe in his romantic intentions.

And the gift he gave her was the son I had carried for nine months.

It turned out that only I had been kept in the dark all along.

"What are you standing there for? Come in!"

When Graham noticed me at the door, his once soft expression hardened into impatience.

"Apologize to Cassidy, and leave them alone after that. Then we can put this whole thing behind us," he spat, his words dripping with coldness.

I stood frozen, disbelief written across my face. "What did you say? Graham, that baby's mine. Mine!

"Do you know what she's done? She's been giving him sleeping pills to stop him from crying!"

"I have not!" Cassidy looked at Graham with teary eyes, her voice trembling. "Graham, you have to believe me…

"I know Whitney has issues with me, but if I had known you were married, I never would have come back to disturb your life, even if it killed me inside…"

Seeing Cassidy's tears, Graham instinctively pulled her closer. "I know you're innocent."

Meanwhile, I stood there, silently watching the disgusting pair.

Cassidy's sobs only seemed to fuel Graham's anger. "Whitney, apologize to Cassidy now! If you don't, I'll divorce you!"

"Sure." I pulled the divorce agreement from my bag. "Let's get a divorce. I don't want your money. I just want my son."

Graham was taken aback for a moment, then he let out a bitter laugh. "Playing hard to get, huh? That trick is so outdated.

"You have nothing—no family, no connections. If you leave me, you'll be nothing. What makes you think you can take the baby?"

The fact that I had never mentioned my parents, that they didn't even attend our wedding, had made Graham believe I was an orphan.

But when we married, he had promised me he would be my family, the one who loved me most. And now, that very promise was being used as a weapon against me.

I squeezed my palm, the divorce agreement trembling in my hand, before I threw it at him. "I want my son. I never want to see you again."

Without waiting for his reaction, I turned and walked out, my steps resolute. Graham tried to stop me, but when he saw Cassidy's sobbing form, he froze.

As I made my way to the parking garage, ready to leave, I suddenly felt a heavy presence behind me.

A large, overweight figure lunged at me from around the corner, and before I could react, a handkerchief soaked in some kind of drug was pressed forcefully over my mouth and nose.

As my consciousness faded, I caught a glimpse of a gleaming knife in his hand.

"H-help..."