Chapter 1

Eliza Swanson had been married to Harrison Lange for about five years now. After wrapping up her business trip in Havensea early, she decided to head back to Grayport.

To celebrate their wedding anniversary next month, she had specifically booked a wedding-themed anniversary photoshoot. However, when the staff asked her to present her marriage certificate, she was surprised to discover that she had lost it.

When she rushed to the county clerk's office to get a replacement, the staff member at the counter informed her, "Ms. Swanson, you're listed as single. There's no record of you having registered a marriage."

"That's impossible! My husband and I have been married for five years," Eliza exclaimed, utterly baffled.

Harrison was often nicknamed the pride of Grayport. He was a gem of a man in Grayport. Everyone said he was gentle, even-tempered, handsome, devoted, and loyal. A smile from him was all it took to clear the skies.

Several years ago, she had saved him by sheer coincidence. The two eventually fell in love and later got married in the presence of their close friends and an officiant. Although they had kept their marriage private for years, how could their marriage certificate, wedding rings, and five years of married life all have been fake?

The staff member looked at her in confusion. "But your marital status is indeed listed as single, Ms. Swanson. Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

He printed out the information and showed it to Eliza. Sure enough, the marital status field clearly stated that she was single.

After her initial shock, she gripped her wedding ring tightly, feeling like she was caught up in some absurd plot twist.

How could this be? If she and Harrison had never registered their marriage, then what had these five years of married life been?

Just then, her phone buzzed with a notification about a piece of breaking news from a Grayport entertainment reporter.

"Award-winning actress Melanie Weaver has returned to Grayport and met with Harrison Lange late at night. During an interview, she appears to admit to being secretly married and having a child."

Melanie Weaver?

Eliza froze for a moment. Wasn't that the Lange family's former adopted daughter?

Melanie had been 18 years old when her biological parents, the Weavers, found her. She returned to the family, changed her last name to Weaver, and followed them back to Havensea.

When had she returned?

A sense of foreboding welled up inside Eliza. She tapped on the article to see the photo the paparazzi had taken.

The photo was fairly dark. A luxury car parked near the harbor blocked most of the light. In the shadows, Melanie had tipped her head back, rose onto her toes, and tugged playfully at the man's tie. Her eyes glimmered as she smiled at him.

The man's face was unclear, but Eliza knew that tie all too well. It was the custom-made gift she had ordered for Harrison last month. There was only one like it in all of Grayport.

Eliza's heart jolted. Almost instinctively, her gaze shifted to the video of the interview Melanie had with Grayport media.

In the interview, she wore a high-end couture skirt suit, looking beautiful, poised, and graceful. As she faced the cameras, she deliberately—or perhaps unintentionally—revealed the diamond ring on her hand, a sweet smile on her face.

"My love life? Well, there's actually something I've kept from everyone for many years. I just never had the opportunity to make it public. I've actually been married to the person I love for many years, and we already have a child together."

The host was stunned before quickly asking, "May I ask who the lucky man is?"

"Of course I can't answer that! I don't want to affect his life." Melanie gave a playful wink. "But my husband and I have known each other since we were children. Other than him, I honestly don't know who else I could marry!"

As the host's envious congratulations and well-wishes continued, Eliza's eyes remained fixed on the diamond ring on Melanie's finger, her heart turning to ice.

The diamond ring on Melanie's hand was exactly the same design as the one on Eliza's. The only difference was that the diamond on Eliza's ring was larger and more brilliant.

Was it just a coincidence?

Eliza clenched her hand, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't convince herself that it was. When Harrison had proposed, he had told her that the diamond ring had been custom-made especially for her. There was only one in the world.

Yet now, another identical one had appeared on Melanie's finger.

Eliza took a deep breath. After learning that Harrison was at a private clubhouse, she decided to confront him and demand an explanation.

She took a cab to the clubhouse. When she arrived, the door to the private room was half open, and a man's voice came from inside.

"Harry, now that Melanie is finally back, when are you planning to tell Eliza that her marriage certificate is fake?"

Eliza froze where she was. So it was true. The marriage she had carefully cherished all these years really was a lie.

Through the crack in the door, she heard Harrison say, "It's not time yet. Back then, Grandpa refused to let Melanie into the family, saying that a relationship between siblings would be incestuous and unacceptable. He even demanded that Liz and I not divorce within five years. Otherwise, he'd never let Melanie return to Grayport. There's still a month left until those five years are up."

"It must've been hard on Melanie and her son, waiting for you all these years… By the way, what are you planning to do with Eliza once the month is up?" his friend asked.

Harrison paused, his expression turning a little complicated.

"There's no denying that Liz has spent all these years doing her best for the family, and she's been devoted to me. Once Melanie and I go public with our relationship, I'll keep Liz on the side. Melanie is gentle and considerate. She'll be able to accept having Liz around."

"That makes sense. Eliza is just an orphan from Havensea anyway. She should be grateful that she can still live comfortably in Grayport."

As their voices hit Eliza's ears, she felt like an explosion had gone off in her head. She closed her eyes, biting her lips until they nearly turned white. Only then was she able to keep the fury and pain inside from erupting.

For the past five years, she had fulfilled her responsibilities as Harrison's wife, taking meticulous care of the Lange family. She had even given up everything at one point just to remain in Grayport…

However, all of her efforts and sacrifices ended up being a cruel joke.

Just then, Eliza's friend, Cassandra Stuart, called.

"Liz, your medical report is out. As for why you haven't been able to get pregnant, I think you should come over to the clinic for us to discuss that in person."

Eliza had been married to Harrison for five years without ever getting pregnant, which was why she had asked Cassandra to examine her. After hearing that, Eliza took a cab to the clinic.

…

Cassandra handed Eliza her medical report, her expression complicated.

"I checked all of your stats and figures. There's nothing wrong with your body. Under normal circumstances, you shouldn't have gone four years without getting pregnant. So I specifically checked the medicine you've been taking to regulate your body over the past four years… It all contains contraceptive ingredients."

So that was it.

Eliza's heart trembled. Harrison was the one who'd specifically arranged for her to take those medications to regulate her body. He had told her that she needed treatment for a hormonal imbalance issue that affected her reproductive health.

Well, she had spent four years taking the medication, yet she still hadn't gotten pregnant.

As it turned out, she was perfectly capable of bearing kids. Harrison simply didn't let her.

Once she recalled Melanie's interview and Harrison's words from earlier, her heart turned cold again.

Of course.

He already had Melanie's child. Why would he possibly want hers?

"I see. Don't let Harrison know about this yet," Eliza said.

After leaving the clinic, Eliza walked around for ages before finally making a call to a number in Havensea that she now knew by heart.

"Elijah, I'll come back to the Swanson family, and I'll go along with the marriage the family has arranged for me. But I'll need a month to settle things in Grayport first."