Chapter 3

I stumbled back from the shove and quickly tried to explain myself.

"You've got the wrong idea. I'm just here for a check-up. Your baby looked adorable, so I took an extra glance, that's all."

The woman clutched her child tighter, her expression still full of hostility.

"You're a patient? And how am I supposed to know you're not pretending? What if you've got some contagious disease and pass it to my baby?"

"I don't!"

My voice shook with panic.

"Oh really? Then show me your medical report."

She kept pressing closer, reaching for the papers in my hand.

Instinctively, I hid them behind my back, hesitation flooding my chest.

The words test tube report printed on the document felt like a thorn lodged in my heart. I did not want anyone seeing it.

Especially not in a humiliating situation like this. I did not want it turned into some joke for strangers to laugh at.

However, the more I tried to avoid her, the more convinced she became that something was wrong with me.

"What's the matter? Feeling guilty?"

She let out a cold laugh and lunged forward, snatching the report from my hands.

Her eyes swept across the page before she suddenly raised her voice toward the crowd.

"Everyone, come look! This woman went through IVF because she can't have children herself. Now she's trying to steal mine! This is terrifying!"

People around us immediately turned to stare.

Some looked curious. Some disgusted. Some almost sympathetic.

Every gaze felt like needles stabbing into my skin.

I clenched my fists, my voice icy.

"What nonsense are you talking about? If I wanted a child, I could adopt one. Why would I steal yours?"

Just then, Angela arrived with my parents.

One hand resting on her stomach, she quickly took in the situation. Her eyes shifted slightly before she hurried over and gently tugged on the woman's arm.

"Please don't be angry," she said softly. "My sister has been struggling to get pregnant for a long time, so she's under a lot of emotional stress. She just thought your baby was cute and couldn't help looking for a moment. She wasn't trying to steal your child."

The woman shot me a sideways glance, her tone growing even more contemptuous.

"Just look at her face, covered in acne. You can tell she's mentally twisted and full of bitterness. Even if someone like her could get pregnant, she'd never raise a child properly. Who knows what kind of sick thoughts she has?"

My whole body trembled with rage. I opened my mouth to argue, only for my mother to grab me first.

She frowned impatiently.

"Cassidy, you were in the wrong first. Stop making a scene and embarrassing us in public."

I stared at her in disbelief.

All I had done was glance at the baby for a moment, yet I was being humiliated and accused like this.

And instead of defending me, my own family thought I was the embarrassment.

Angela quickly patted my back.

"Mom's only saying this for your own good, sis. Don't stoop to her level. It's not worth it."

I looked at my parents' cold expressions, then at the strange looks from the people around us.

All the anger and humiliation inside me slowly gave way to helplessness.

Biting down hard on my lip, I forced the tears back and turned away without another word.

I had barely reached the corner of the hallway when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

It was the pregnant woman from earlier.

Standing across from her was her husband.

"Honey, I honestly don't think that woman meant any harm," he said quietly. "Weren't you being a little too harsh, going after her weak spot like that?"

The woman hesitated for a long moment before finally admitting the truth.

"Actually... a pregnant woman named Miller paid me to do it. She said if I cooperated, there'd be money in it for me.

"I just thought you've been working so hard lately. I wanted to earn a little extra for baby formula."

The man froze in shock.

"Aren't they family? Why would she do something like this?"

The woman shook her head and hurriedly pulled her husband away, lowering her voice.

"Keep it down. Money's money, isn't it?"

It felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.

I stood there frozen, unable to recover for a long time.

Angela...

Why would she do this to me?