Chapter 1

Claire Whitmore went to the postnatal retreat to visit Serena Hale after the birth of her baby.

Instead, just outside the room, she saw Caleb Whitmore.

Her husband, who had supposedly been away on a business trip for the past month.

Inside the room, Caleb was sitting by the bed, feeding soup to his brother’s beautiful wife lying against the pillows.

After a few sips, Serena said in a wounded little voice, “Caleb, I really don’t know what I would’ve done these past few days without you. Not with the baby and everything.”

Then she lowered her gaze, guilt thick in her voice.

“But I keep thinking about that accident. After all, I did wrong her. Maybe you should go home and stay with her instead.”

Claire froze where she stood.

“Serena, don’t overthink it,” Caleb said gently. “You only hit her car by accident. Besides, her grandma died from an illness. What does that have to do with you?”

Through the crack of the door, Claire saw Caleb leaning down slightly, letting Serena lift a hand to wipe the thin sheen of sweat from his forehead.

“I married her,” he said. “That’s compensation enough. I’ll take responsibility for her. You don’t need to keep blaming yourself.”

The accident.

Take responsibility.

Hearing Caleb dismiss it all so lightly, Claire nearly lost her balance. A chill spread through her from head to toe.

One year ago, on a rainy night, her grandma had suffered a cerebral infarction and lingered on the verge of death.

Using every connection she had, Claire contacted a renowned professor who was willing to fly in as the attending surgeon. She went to the airport herself to pick him up.

The hospital had already started preparing for surgery. They were only waiting for the professor to arrive and take over.

But when they were only one block away from the hospital, a speeding car ran a red light and slammed into them.

Claire and the professor were trapped inside the car, unable to move.

The driver fled the scene on the spot.

By the time they were finally rescued, her grandma had already missed the best window for treatment. She died on the operating table.

If Claire had arrived just ten minutes earlier, her grandma could have lived.

Claire collapsed in front of her grandma’s body.

At the time, she and Caleb had been on the verge of breaking up, but he suddenly appeared.

He comforted her, talked her through her grief, and arranged a grand funeral for her grandma.

During the funeral, Caleb got down on one knee in front of the memorial altar and proposed to her with a million-dollar diamond ring.

Only then did Claire learn that he was the second son of the Whitmore family, one of New York’s most powerful dynasties.

Standing before her grandma’s memorial, Caleb swore that he would carry her grandma’s love with him and spend the rest of his life protecting Claire from every storm.

He promised that Whitmore Group’s legal team would take full charge of the case and bring the hit-and-run driver to justice.

No matter what, he said, he would give her an answer she could accept.

Claire had been deeply moved, so she said yes on the spot.

After the wedding, however, she learned that Serena had also happened to get into a car accident that same night after a fight with Gideon Whitmore.

Serena had not been seriously injured, but Gideon had been hurt in that accident and had fallen into a coma.

Serena was so consumed by guilt and remorse that she developed depression. She had tried to slit her wrists several times, and Caleb was the only one who could calm her down.

Claire had not minded. On the contrary, she had specifically asked Caleb to take better care of Serena.

After all, Claire knew too well the pain and helplessness of watching a close family member’s life hang by a thread.

And for Serena, that loved one had ended up like this because of her.

But now, thinking back, how could there be such a coincidence in the world?

Claire’s body trembled so hard she could barely control it.

“Ma’am, are you here to visit a family member? Why aren’t you going in?”

The nurse’s voice suddenly rang out, pulling Claire back to the present and shattering the thick, intimate atmosphere inside the room.

At that moment, Caleb was about to help Serena unbutton her clothes so she could nurse the baby.

Hearing the voice, he stepped back at once as if guilty and looked awkwardly toward the door.

The moment he saw Claire, his face went slightly pale.

“Claire?”

Now that they had seen her, Claire forced herself to regain control and walked into the room.

She looked at her husband, who was holding the baby with obvious unease.

“Caleb,” she said. “So this is where your business trip took you? A retreat suite?”

Under her icy gaze, Caleb stiffened.

Perhaps afraid that she had overheard their earlier conversation, he quickly set the baby down, forced a smile, and reached for her hand.

“Claire, when did you get here? Serena hasn’t been doing well emotionally. I was worried it might affect her recovery after giving birth, so I came to help look after her. You…”

Claire avoided his hand and looked at him without expression.

Caleb’s voice trailed off.

Claire said nothing. She turned her eyes to Serena, who was half reclining in bed.

Her mouth curved slightly, though there was no warmth in her eyes.

“Serena looks like she’s recovering well.”

Meeting her gaze, Serena smiled. “I am. It’s all thanks to Caleb. He even went into the delivery room with me when I gave birth.”

She glanced shyly at Caleb, looking every bit as if she were staking her claim.

Caleb frowned. “Serena.”

There was a faint reprimand in his tone.

Serena lowered her head in grievance and fell silent.

Caleb immediately seemed to regret it. He turned back to Claire.

“Claire, you know Serena has depression. I have to take extra care of her.”

Claire had heard that excuse a thousand times.

It only felt ironic now.

She had no interest in arguing with him. Her mind was still fixed on the words she had heard outside the door.

Her gaze swept around the room. Then she sat down beside the bed and picked up the crying baby with practiced ease.

“I understand,” she said. “You don’t need to explain.”

Claire carried the baby to Serena.

“Weren’t you going to feed the baby? How can you nurse him without unbuttoning your clothes?”

For the past six months, there had been no real progress on the case.

But Claire remembered one thing clearly.

That night, when the hit-and-run driver had panicked and gotten out to check the scene, the driver’s clothes had shifted and revealed a red birthmark at the waist.

If Serena had that same birthmark, then everything Claire had heard outside the room was true.

This was about the murderer who had killed her grandma.

She had to know the truth.

Serena pressed her lips together and said nothing. Her wet eyes moved past Claire and looked only at Caleb.

“Don’t tell me you’re too weak to undo a few buttons, Serena.”

Claire pretended to think for a moment, then looked enlightened and beckoned to Caleb.

“Come here. Help Serena with her buttons.”

“Claire, I…”

Before Caleb could finish, Serena’s tears began to fall as if she had suffered some terrible wrong.

“Caleb, don’t worry about me.

“I’m fine. Please don’t fight with Claire because of me. You should go home with her. I’ll find a caregiver to look after me.”

With that, she forced herself to get out of bed.

But the pain nearly sent her falling to the floor. After crying out, she lowered her head and kept wiping her tears.

Caleb stood to the side.

He had still looked guilty a moment earlier, but seeing Serena like this, he forgot everything else. He rushed over and helped her up.

He carefully settled Serena back onto the bed, covered her with the blanket, and even tucked the corners in for her before standing protectively at her bedside.

“Claire, did you hear something?”

Caleb looked at Claire, his eyes now stern.

“No matter what, Serena just had a baby. She can’t handle any stress right now. Whatever this is, I’ll explain when we get home.”

There it was in his eyes, suspicion, blame, and the instinct to protect Serena first.

Claire’s heart grew even colder.

She looked at Caleb, feigning confusion as she stared into his eyes.

“What are you talking about? Did you do something to betray me?”

For one brief second, Caleb’s eyes shifted away.

“Of course not. It’s just that Gideon is in this condition now, and Serena gave birth to our family’s heir. She’s brought a great blessing to the family. I just thought I should help her more.

“Since you’re here, please help Serena for a while. I’ll step out.”

Caleb glanced at Serena, then turned and left the room.

Only the two women remained.

Serena had not even had time to wipe away her tears before Claire reached out directly.

“Don’t worry, Serena. Nursing the baby is a small thing. I can still help with that.”

Serena was weak after giving birth and had little strength to resist.

The buttons of her top were soon undone.

One glance was enough. Whatever hope Claire had left was gone.

It really was her.

A rose-red birthmark wound around Serena’s soft, pale waist, as glaring as it had been on that rainy night.

Claire stared hard at the patch of red on Serena’s waist. Hatred rose so violently in her that she almost failed to hide it.

At that moment, she suddenly felt like an utter joke.

The husband she had believed loved her, the man she thought had rescued her from pain.

He had married her, investigated the case for her, and stood up for her all for one reason.

To help Serena, this murderer, escape punishment.

Her grandma’s life had been reduced to Caleb’s careless promise that he would take responsibility.

And Claire had foolishly believed him.

She had treated the killer who murdered her grandma and the accomplice who helped cover it up like family, living under the same roof with them day after day.

The baby finally latched and stopped crying.

Under the swaddling blanket, Claire’s fingers went white. Her nails nearly dug into her palms.

Pain.

Hatred.

And with them came a crushing sense of helplessness.

The murderer who killed her grandma was right in front of her, but what could Claire do?

Right now, she had no way to fight them.

The child Serena had given birth to was the only son of the man who truly controlled Whitmore Group.

The Whitmore family would never allow the child’s mother to carry even the slightest stain.

Besides, after Gideon fell, Caleb had taken over Whitmore Group.

Now everyone saw him as the man at the helm of Whitmore Group.

If she exposed the truth recklessly, it would only put them on guard and give them more time to destroy the evidence.

There would be no benefit at all.

At that thought, Claire slowly calmed down.

She called Caleb back, placed the baby in his arms, and walked out to sit in the living area by herself.

Claire lowered her eyes to her phone.

After all this time, any obvious evidence must have been wiped clean by Caleb long ago.

But there was one piece of evidence he could never erase...