Chapter 1

"I know you love Steven. With the child here, sooner or later, he'll turn his attention to you."

Even Evelyn Kennedy, Steven Kirk's mother, who rarely saw her, knew that Celine Harlow was hopelessly in love with Steven. Yet Steven remained convinced that Celine was a calculating woman who only wanted to marry into a wealthy family for the glory and status.

Bitterness spread through Celine's chest, but she kept her voice steady. "Zane carries the Kirk family blood. I trust that you and Steven won't mistreat him, so when I leave this time, I never plan to come back."

"Very well. I'll arrange for your departure according to our agreement."

Receiving the definitive answer, Celine finally let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, though the ache in her chest refused to fade. Her relationship with Steven was nothing more than a cursed arrangement born from desperation five years ago.

Back then, Steven was head over heels for his sweetheart, Quinn Lambert. When Quinn suddenly married the head of a powerful Malvonian financial empire in a whirlwind wedding, Steven refused to believe she would abandon him.

He chased after her to Malvonia, only to be involved in a terrible car accident along the way. He spent a month in intensive care before finally regaining consciousness.

Evelyn forbade him from seeking out Quinn again and forced him to watch the video of her wedding ceremony.

The heartbreak sent Steven into a downward spiral. He drank himself senseless, raced cars recklessly, and lost an alarming amount of weight. He lived like a man with a death wish.

Terrified for Steven's life, Evelyn noticed that Celine bore a passing resemblance to Quinn. She tracked Celine down and presented her with a contract.

The terms were straightforward. Celine had to find a way to keep Steven grounded for five years.

In exchange, Celine would not only see her career flourish, but she would also receive access to the country's top medical team for a liver transplant.

Celine suffered from hereditary liver disease. She'd grown up in an orphanage with nothing to her name. Years of hardship gave her a fierce will to survive, so she agreed without hesitation.

After signing the contract with Evelyn, Celine began studying Quinn's style of dress and manufactured chance encounters with Steven at every opportunity. She even went so far as to shield him with her own body when he nearly got hit by a car.

Steven was, at his core, a deeply loyal person.

For a while, Celine thought she would never be able to fulfill her end of the bargain. But then, shortly after she took the hit for him and was discharged from the hospital with fractured bones, Steven suddenly agreed to be with her.

At the time, Celine didn't question it. She convinced herself that her persistence had finally won him over. Although the marriage certificate they obtained was a forgery arranged by Evelyn, Celine still believed she could be happy.

A month into the marriage, Celine learned the truth. Steven hadn't agreed to be with her because her devotion moved him. He agreed because on that very same day, Quinn had posted online announcing her pregnancy.

Celine tried to guard her heart after that. She told herself to just fulfill the contract and nothing more.

But when she became pregnant, Steven lit up with genuine joy. He stayed by her side for days, talking excitedly about their child's future. His happiness felt so achingly real.

Around the same time, Evelyn found a matching liver donor for her transplant. So Celine went through with the pregnancy and gave birth to their son, Zane Kirk.

She thought she could live like this indefinitely, existing in this strange, lukewarm marriage with Steven. It wasn't ideal, but it was survivable.

Everything changed three months ago, when Quinn came back after her divorce.

She and Steven rekindled their relationship almost immediately. Worse still, even Zane began gravitating toward Quinn, growing colder and more resentful toward his own mother.

At first, Celine couldn't wrap her head around it. Five years of standing by Steven's side, and she still couldn't claim even the smallest corner of his heart. The moment Quinn returned, Celine's entire existence became an inconvenience.

She'd confronted him before. She'd broken down in tears. Nothing ever changed. Slowly, her heart grew heavy, waterlogged with sorrow, sinking deeper and deeper.

Now, all that remained was disappointment.

"What are you looking at?" A cold voice cut through the silence.

Celine looked up to find that father and son had returned.

She pushed aside her wandering thoughts and turned off the iPad screen. "Just some sales pitch. Where were you two? It's late."

Steven walked closer, and Celine immediately caught the scent of perfume clinging to him. Soft, delicate, and nothing like his usual cologne. It was Quinn's favorite fragrance.

"Business dinner." Steven loosened his tie, his tone clipped.

Celine watched him lie to her face without so much as a flicker of guilt. She didn't press him. Instead, she turned to Zane.

"Zane, drinking parties aren't appropriate for children. Next time your father has business, call me, and I'll come pick you up. Alright?"

Zane trailed behind Steven like a miniature shadow. At his age, he couldn't hide his emotions well. Right now, his face was twisted with irritation.

"I wanted to go with Dad! Can you stop being so controlling?"

Celine's lips parted, but no words came out. The emptiness inside her spread a little wider.

She'd never had parents of her own. When Zane was born, she poured everything she had into raising him. She loved him fiercely and set firm boundaries because she wanted him to grow up properly.

But every rule she set became ammunition against her. She wouldn't let him eat fried chicken or stay up late playing video games. She made him read books and practice his penmanship.

Under Quinn's whispered encouragement and Steven's indulgent silence, it all made Celine the villain. Celine tried to steer Zane back on course, but every attempt backfired spectacularly.

Normally, she would have said something or pushed back a little. But after hearing Zane openly wish for Quinn to be his mother that day, Celine couldn't summon the energy to care anymore.

Zane changed out of his clothes and immediately threw another fit. "Mom, what do you even do all day? You can't even pick up my toys!"

He seemed to have forgotten that this morning, before leaving with Steven, he'd explicitly told her not to touch his things.

Celine glanced at him briefly, then called over a maid to handle the mess. She was done doing everything herself.

"All you do is boss people around! You don't even act like a real mom. Quinn is way nicer than you!

"I wish Quinn were my mom instead!"