Chapter 1

"Hi, I'm here to get the certified copy of my marriage certificate replaced."

At the county clerk's office, Leanne Knight handed over her ID and documents.

The clerk took them without looking up, her fingers tapping on the keyboard as she read aloud, "Name, Leanne Knight…"

The glow of the monitor reflected off her lenses, cold and flat. A few seconds later, the tapping stopped. The clerk finally looked up at Leanna for the first time, her eyes holding a strange, probing expression. "Miss, where did you get this?"

Leanne's heart lurched, but she kept her expression calm. "Here. I got it here."

"That can't be." The clerk pushed the damp paper back toward her, her tone firm and final. "There's no record of your marriage registration in our system at all."

She pointed at the computer screen, as if she were showing off a joke. "See for yourself if you don't believe me. Leanne Knight, single."

Sunlight poured in through the window, but Leanne's vision went dark around the edges. It was as if all the sound in the world had been sucked away.

She was single? That was impossible!

Parker Jewell had been her boyfriend since college. They'd been together for five years and just registered their marriage last month.

He might only be from a branch of the Jewell family, but he loved her enough. He wouldn't have pursued her for a whole year back then otherwise.

Leanne forced herself to speak, reciting a name and a string of numbers she knew by heart. "What about this person?"

The clerk tapped away again. She looked up a few seconds later, a hint of awkward sympathy in her voice. "According to the system, Mr. Parker Jewell is married."

Married? That was what they were, wasn't it?

For a second, Leanne wondered if there was something wrong with her hearing. "His spouse is me."

"No," the clerk said firmly before turning the monitor slightly toward Leanne. "The system shows that Mr. Jewell's spouse is a woman named Charlotte Palmer. The registration date is August 12… three years ago."

Three years ago. Parker had just turned 22 years old then; it was a very young age to get married. And at that time, she and Parker had been in the second year of their relationship, still in the middle of their honeymoon phase.

The world seemed to blow apart in front of her eyes. Leanne stared at the words "Charlotte Palmer" on the screen, her blood turning to ice and her limbs going numb.

She didn't cry or cause a scene. As curious eyes turned toward her from all directions, she just took a slow breath and asked in a voice that sounded almost unnaturally calm, "Could you please print out that information for me?"

When Leanne walked out of the county clerk's office, the sunlight outside stabbed at her eyes. She got into the car and sat there without starting it. Instead, she pulled out her phone and made a call.

"I need you to investigate two people—Parker Jewell and Charlotte Palmer. I want to know everything about them."

The investigation results came back quickly. The next afternoon, in a quiet, out-of-the-way cafe, someone handed her a brown envelope stuffed with evidence that turned five years of her youth into a bad joke. The photos and documents were neatly stacked on top of each other.

It turned out that Charlotte was Parker's high school classmate and the so-called "childhood friend who was in poor health and living abroad for treatment" he'd once mentioned.

At the very bottom of the envelope lay a photocopy of a marriage certificate. The groom was Parker, and the bride was Charlotte. The registration date was the same as the one Leanne had seen on the screen at the county clerk's office.

So what did that make her? The other woman who'd been kept in the dark? A fool tricked into a fake marriage?

Leanne stared at the traffic streaming past the window, the corners of her lips curling into a cold, humorless smile. What she thought was five years of love that culminated in marriage turned out to be an elaborate con from start to finish. That fake duplicate she'd tossed in the trash said it all.

Why had Parker done this? To get his hands on the Knight family fortune—the inheritance of an only daughter? Or to use her as a stepping stone into the upper levels of the Jewell family?

She picked up her phone and made another call. "I need a full-coverage surveillance system installed in my home. I want pinhole cameras with audio and no visible traces of installation. Get it done by today."

…

That night, when Parker came home to what was supposedly their marital home, Leanne had already packed a small suitcase.

"What's going on, honey? Business trip?" He walked over and hugged her from behind like always, resting his chin on her shoulder, his voice gentle.

The familiar cologne on him suddenly made her stomach churn. It all made sense now—when she'd asked him before why he smelled like women's perfume, he said he'd been out picking something for her. It must've been the fragrance Charlotte liked instead.

Leanne resisted the urge to shove him away. She turned around, wearing the same easy smile she always had. "Yeah. A project in the neighboring city ran into some issues, so I need to check on things. I'll be gone for about three or four days."

"So sudden? I'll drive you to the airport."

"Nah, it's fine." She smoothed the front of his shirt for him, her fingers icy. "The client's sending a car. You stay home by yourself and be good."

The phrase "be good" was soft on her tongue yet laced with an odd undertone. Parker didn't notice a thing, though, only taking it as a sign of her usual concern. "Alright. I'll wait for you to come home."

Leanne walked out the door, dragging her suitcase along. She didn't go to any neighboring city. Instead, she checked into a five-star hotel not far from their home.

She opened her laptop and connected to the network. A program window popped up. Nine split screens appeared, each one clearly showing every corner of their home, including the living room, the bedroom, and the study.

After pouring herself a glass of wine, she settled in to wait. Parker and Charlotte didn't disappoint her.

Less than an hour after she left, the smart lock on the door clicked from the outside. Parker's figure appeared in the entryway, and a petite woman was right behind him.

It was Charlotte, the woman who, according to Parker, was "delicate and chronically ill". She had her arm hooked through his as she walked into the place like she owned it. She dropped herself onto the couch as if it were her rightful seat.

"Babe, this place is gorgeous. It's much better than our little apartment," she said, her syrupy voice laced with jealousy and smug satisfaction.

"You like it? This will be our home from now on. But first, you need to keep your husband happy." Parker smiled as he pinned her beneath him.

Leanne's face was expressionless as she watched the livestream of their porn show on her screen. She calmly turned up the volume.

Soon, along with the disgusting sounds of their passion, their conversation floated clearly through the speakers.

"So when are you going to finally drug her?" Charlotte managed between ragged breaths, not forgetting the "business" at hand. "The doctor already made it clear that it's nearly impossible for me to get pregnant. We have to use someone else. Leanne's genes and health are top-tier. She's perfect for the job."

Parker's voice came out low and hoarse with satisfaction. "What's the rush? The Knight family has a family dinner next week. I'll spike her drink then. No one will know a thing, and she'll just think she got pregnant by accident.

"Once she gives birth, I can use this first grandchild to secure the Knight family's support for that hundred-billion project in the south of the city. Then, I'll finally be the one in charge."

"And after she has the baby? What about her?"

"What about her?" He let out a short, cold laugh. "She's just a tool to carry my child. I'll find some excuse to make her disappear, or I'll just kick her out. Don't worry, Charlotte. You're the only woman who'll be my wife."

"You're the best…"

Whatever came after that was drowned out by the rising tide of obscene noises.

Surrogacy, making her vanish, and a tool… So, that was the real reason Parker had married Leanne. It was truly a beautifully laid plan.

The glow from the screen washed over Leanne's face. There were no tears in those lovely eyes, only an icy, lifeless chill.

She didn't know how long she sat like that before finally picking up her phone and making a call. "Mr. Aiden Jewell, are you interested in a little partnership?"