Chapter 1

Nissa Sullivan, clutching her pregnancy test results, walked into the private dining room. She entered just in time to see Charlotte Quinn holding a piece of dessert up to Benjamin Jules's mouth.

Benjamin smiled as he ate without the slightest resistance.

As his wife, Nissa knew better than anyone that he never ate food others offered him. But that rule did not apply when it came to Charlotte, his so-called first love.

"Nissa, you're here!" Charlotte greeted her with an easy smile, then added with feigned surprise, "Why didn't you call and let me come get you? Oh, right. I forgot you can't speak."

She said it casually, like she was commenting on the weather.

Nissa tugged the corner of her lips into a polite, silent smile and sat down.

Charlotte suddenly added, "Oh, by the way, I ran into Benjamin's uncle yesterday. He mentioned how much they expected you two to have a baby."

The atmosphere at the table froze instantly.

Benjamin scoffed and said, "I'm not letting a mute give birth to my child. What if it turns out mute too?"

Nissa lived her whole life hearing cruel words about her disability, but nothing stung quite like Benjamin's casual contempt.

She instinctively placed a hand on her lower abdomen and thought about the results in her hand. A dull ache crept up her chest.

She was one month into her pregnancy.

She originally hoped this baby might soften the tension in their marriage.

But now? She did not see the point in telling Benjamin at all.

Quietly, Nissa slipped the test results back into her purse.

One month ago, Benjamin came home drunk and forced himself on her.

She was unlucky enough to get pregnant.

The doctor said her body was delicate, and if she chose to terminate the pregnancy, she would have little hope of having another one in the future.

Benjamin would never accept this baby. But Nissa could not bear to let it go.

Maybe it was time to leave.

Charlotte's eyes sparkled with mischief. She leaned in and said with a sweet smile, "Oh no, that won't do. The elders are all so eager to have a grandchild. If that's how you feel, maybe someone else should have the baby for you?"

Her words were loaded, and her gaze flirtatious as she looked at Benjamin with thinly veiled intent.

As expected, Benjamin looked back at her, his eyes burning with interest.

"Can you do it?" he asked.

Right in front of his wife, he was asking another woman to bear his child.

It was not just humiliating. It was cruel.

Charlotte tried to suppress her smile, lowering her eyes shyly. "Don't tease me like that. Your wife's right here."

Then, as if nothing had happened, she picked up her fork and served Benjamin more food, not pressing the topic further.

She was baiting him and not rejecting him, not accepting him, but keeping him hooked. She played the game well.

Benjamin glanced at Nissa when Charlotte called Nissa his wife. All he saw was her sitting there quietly, offering no reaction. She was her usual timid self.

And so he smirked.

Nissa knew exactly what that smirk meant. He thought their marriage was a joke.

Six months ago, Benjamin wanted to marry Charlotte, but his elite family looked down on Charlotte's modest background and firmly opposed the match.

Charlotte, proud and defiant, left the country after repeated rejections from Benjamin's mother.

Around that time, Benjamin's uncle fell on the street. No one dared to help, except Nissa, who rushed him to the hospital.

The uncle took a liking to her and arranged for her to meet Benjamin.

Benjamin, still bitter over losing Charlotte, impulsively married Nissa out of spite, to rebel against his family.

And it worked. His parents were furious but eventually gave up meddling in his love life altogether.

Nissa often felt like a thief who stole someone else's happiness.

She was never bold. She was painfully shy and soft-hearted.

If it were not for her younger sister's mounting medical bills, she would never have agreed to such a marriage.

Now, a new thought crossed her mind. What if she left?

She would be giving Benjamin and Charlotte what they wanted, and she could quietly protect her baby without anyone knowing.

Yes, she still cared for Benjamin. But deep down, she also knew that he loathed her.

Nissa lowered her eyes. She had to leave. There was no time to waste.

But what about her sister?